The Discipleship Dare @ Grace (Bel Air, MD) Day #11 - Comfort

(Join the pastors of Grace as we post "Facebook Notes" (& blogs) for our 40 days of discipleship. Please interact with these notes (& blogs). They are based on the book: The Discipleship Dare: Living Dangerously for God - http://thediscipleshipdare.com/ - we are reading together as a church.)

Hope changes everything. I recently spoke hope into a hopeless situation. This opened this person to the light. Not to say she is out of the darkness, but she sees something better. This something is drawing her to the light.

Offering someone hope is the first step when comforting pain. It's the realization that things can be better that changes everything. Have you spoke hope into a hopeless situation lately? Who around has given up on life?

Do not live another day without identifying and investing into that person's life. You can be the difference between living the next 20 years hopelessly lost. Help people see the light. Speak hope into their lives. It's the first step of comforting pain.

The Discipleship Dare @ Grace (Bel Air, MD) Day #10 - Kingdom of Heaven

(Join the pastors of Grace as we post "Facebook Notes" (& blogs) for our 40 days of discipleship. Please interact with these notes (& blogs). They are based on the book: The Discipleship Dare: Living Dangerously for God - http://thediscipleshipdare.com/ - we are reading together as a church.)

There is another value system God's people adopt when they become children of God. They are values that go against the grain often in culture. They are often diabolically opposed to the things today's popular culture values.

(1) The Kingdom values generosity where as the world values greed.

(2) The Kingdom values love whereas the world values lust.

(2) The Kingdom values selflessness whereas the world values selfishness.

(4) Ect.

Living out kingdom values often feels like you are swimming up stream. Everything else is saying go this way when God says go the opposite way. It's those moments when you are swimming up stream that your life has the greatest impact. Sometimes the impact might not be taken as positively. But its not our job to determine how people will interrupt our actions. It's our job to live out the kingdom values wherever we are.

Don't miss an opportunity to represent Kingdom values. You never know when someone is looking for God in the way you act.

The Discipleship Dare @ Grace (Bel Air, MD) Day #9 - Poor in Spirit

(Join the pastors of Grace as we post "Facebook Notes" (& blogs) for our 40 days of discipleship. Please interact with these notes (& blogs). They are based on the book: The Discipleship Dare: Living Dangerously for God - http://thediscipleshipdare.com/ - we are reading together as a church.)

I can identify with the Israelite's who were destroyed by the Babylonians. They lost everything. In exile, they did not have their Temple or the sacrificial system to rely on. They lost all of their spiritual currency. They were spiritually bankrupt. They could only rely on God Himself.

What a place to be, a place where we have to completely rely on God. Sometimes there will be seasons in life where our talents, skills and past performance will not be sufficient. We need to rely only on God Himself for our daily needs. I need God today more than I ever needed him before.

As Liz and I are beginning the journey to start a new church from scratch, I can't rely on the last things God did for us in our previous place of ministry. We need God more today than before. We can't depend on our old spiritual accomplishments, but on God himself. Only when we are broke spiritually will we experience the richness of God.

I would rather be spiritually bankrupt than momentarily rich any day of the week. I want to depend on God more than trust in wordily riches less. Yesterdays anointing will not suffice. I need today's anointing more than I needed yesterdays. How about you?

The Discipleship Dare @ Grace in Bel Air, MD - Day #8 - Blessed

(Join the pastors of Grace as we post "Facebook Notes" (& blogs) for our 40 days of discipleship. Please interact with these notes (& blogs). They are based on the book: The Discipleship Dare: Living Dangerously for God - http://thediscipleshipdare.com/ - we are reading together as a church.)

I remember someone telling me friends are like elevators. They will either bring you up or down. This tells me that you become like the people around you. It is so true.

I don't think I am the only person that has been told that if I would jump off a bridge if everyone else was. There is something about conforming to the actions of people around us. When we model other people's behaviors, we adopt the attitudes associated with the actions.

Jesus challenges his followers to hang around people who live out the sermon on the mount. He knows people who conform to these teachings will become people of godly character. Are you a person of godly character? Or are you a person of wordily character? Does your life measure up to Jesus' teachings in the sermon on the mount?

The most blessed people on the planet do not seek more cash but better character. The blessing is living in a community that's focused on developing godly character. Are you rubbing shoulders with people of godly character? Who is shaping your character?

The people who have the most influence over my life are people of godly character. I spend time with them. I watch them. I focus on their attitudes and actions. I learn from them. I live like them.

The Discipleship Dare @ Grace in Bel Air, MD - Day #7 - Fit for Service

(Join the pastors of Grace as we post "Facebook Notes" (& blogs) for our 40 days of discipleship. Please interact with these notes (& blogs). They are based on the book: The Discipleship Dare: Living Dangerously for God - http://thediscipleshipdare.com/ - we are reading together as a church.)

I often tend to make the less important urgent things more urgent than the most important things. Following Jesus requires to seek the purposes and plans of God first. People are often most important to God. People, especially those far away from Him, are a top priority.

Recently, I have placed people first. Instead of being busy with things that I am passionate about like writing books, etc. I spent a significant amount of time investing into relationships. It actually paid off. Three people I know of recently made decisions to put their hands to the plow to follow Jesus.

It was not anything I did or anything else except that we were focused on the most important things--pointing people to God. When you place your hand to the plow to follow Jesus other people are counting on you to do your part. It's like a Marine whose counting on his buddy to carry his own weight. Are you doing your part? Are you carrying your own weight?

Don't ever think someone else is doing what you should be doing for God. It is our responsibility to do our part. Invest in the relationships around you. Always point to God, and if you have to use words!

The Discipleship Dare @ Grace in Bel Air, MD - Day #6 - Feed My Sheep

(Join the pastors of Grace as we post "Facebook Notes" (& blogs) for our 40 days of discipleship. Please interact with these notes (& blogs). They are based on the book: The Discipleship Dare: Living Dangerously for God - http://thediscipleshipdare.com/ - we are reading together as a church.)

I was not the right person for the job before I committed myself to the mission of God. Pledging my allegiance to God's worldwide mission was the first necessary step in turning my life around. My story can be summarized in 4 words: From Homeless to Harvard. Drugs brought me to my bottom where I was withing a caring soul on the planet around me and drugs also positioned me in such a way to surrender my life to God's plans and purposes on this planet.

After my passions for life were redirected and realigned with the things that break the heart of God, I pursued training on how to be a pastor. Started with a bachelors from Valley Forge Christian College in Pastoral Ministry and ended with two master degrees from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in MA. A portion of my Biblical Language degree I completed at Harvard University's Divinity School in Cambridge, MA.

For a year I walked through Harvard Yard. And every day it was surreal. I could not believe God saw potential in me to care for people. I was amazed at the risk God was taking with me. I did not deserve it yet that's the miracle of God's calling. It's grace--undeserved favor for life. I might have been the right person on paper, but from God's perspective I was the right person to care for people.

There is nothing on the planet that I would rather be doing than caring for people. It is my God given duty, my hearts passion and the reason I wake up every day. My goal is to care for a as many people as I possibly can in significant ways before I die. What's your goal? What makes you tick? Don't live another day without caring for people. It's the one thing you cannot buy at Best Buy!

The Discipleship Dare @ Grace in Bel Air, MD - Day #5 - Hate

(Join the pastors of Grace as we post "Facebook Notes" (& blogs) for our 40 days of discipleship. Please interact with these notes (& blogs). They are based on the book: The Discipleship Dare: Living Dangerously for God - http://thediscipleshipdare.com/ - we are reading together as a church.)

I recently talked to a solider before he was deployed. He said the most important thing in combat are: food, your own life and your buddy. These three things are the priorities of a solider. The mission will not be accomplished if these three things are not met. When a solider pledges his or her life to the mission of the military, he or she commits to accomplishing it yet he or she needs to provide food and protect himself and his or her friends.

What are the things you have to do each day to fulfill the mission of God? Have you ever thought of that? If the mission of God is to change the world by leading people to become fully devoted followers of Christ that use their vocation to promote human flourishing in all arenas and aspects of life as well as a tool to point people to the risen Savior both directly and indirectly, then what are the things that you do to accomplish the mission through your life.

The things I do:

1. Spend meaningful time w/ God (practicing the spiritual disciplines) & family

2. Spend meaningful time with people (both far away from God & close to God)

3. Encourage and equip others to bring restoration to the community through service, etc.

4. Reflectively engaging the culture (Media & Technology) around me through a Biblical lens not ignorantly ignoring, neglecting and/or accepting it

5. Starting a new church that will become a culturally shaping institution

Those are some of the things I do regularly to accomplish the mission of God on the earth. The goal of God's mission is to change the world. How are you changing the world where you live & work?

The Discipleship Dare @ Grace in Bel Air, MD - Day #4 - Sell Your Possessions

(Join the pastors of Grace as we post "Facebook Notes" (& blogs) for our 40 days of discipleship. Please interact with these notes (& blogs). They are based on the book: The Discipleship Dare: Living Dangerously for God - http://thediscipleshipdare.com/ - we are reading together as a church.)

I am sore today. Yesterday I helped a family from the church fill their moving truck. They lived in one particular house for almost 11 years. They accumulated many possessions. Some purposefully and others accidentally. I am not sure how we did it, but we filled a tractor trailer size container!

Jesus never condemned owning possessions or storing up wealth. He condoned looking to God for the sanctification in life material possessions and money brings. There should not be a dollar amount more valuable than God or a possession more sacred than God. If you can't sell it, than don't keep it. (I am not talking about objects that are memories, etc.).

I had to sell my most prized possession to pursue God's calling on my life. It was a 1990 Volkswagen Corrado. It was a two door sports car. It was supercharged, with rims, a stereo and much, much, much more. That car owned me I did not own it. I sold it to pay for a portion of my gradate school degree (seminary).

I do not buy anything, I will not sell to do something for God. How about you?

The Discipleship Dare @ Grace in Bel Air, Md - Day #3 - Take Up Your Cross

(Join the pastors of Grace as we post "Facebook Notes" (& blogs) for our 40 days of discipleship. Please interact with these notes (& blogs). They are based on the book: The Discipleship Dare: Living Dangerously for God - http://thediscipleshipdare.com/ - we are reading together as a church.)

Living openly as a follower of Christ in a world that's not friendly to religion is no easy task. If it were easy then everyone would do it, right? Regardless if it's easy or hard, it's the responsibility of anyone who wears the tags of a follower of Jesus. It's hard for people to follow you into battle if you look like you are going to sleep.

What do people see when they see your lifestyle? Are you committed to the cause of Christ? Are you working to restore the world through your vocation? Are you moving people closer to the God who created the world and who is concerned with bringing restoration to it? Are you involved not only in church but community service? Are you living your life like a billboard for everyone to see?

Billboards are visible for everyone to see yet not everyone has to accept what they say. Companies do not have to have everyone respond with a purchase to make money advertising with billboards. Only a select few are influenced by its presence and participate in purchasing its products or services. People of faith communities will not attract everyone to them, but at least everyone gets a glimpse of what a follower of Christ looks like. Live your life as a follower of Christ, someone whose interested in the needs of others before theirs, like a billboard for everyone to see regardless if only a few show interest.

Are you like a billboard?

The Discipleship Dare @ Grace in Bel Air, MD - Day #2 - Deny Yourself

(Join the pastors of Grace as we post "Facebook Notes" for our 40 days of discipleship. Please interact with these notes. They are based on the book: The Discipleship Dare: Living Dangerously for God - http://thediscipleshipdare.com/ - we are reading together as a church.)

The calling of a disciple can be summarized in one word most people do not have in their vocabulary: sacrifice. It requires self sacrifice, not selfishness. It's impossible to sign up for discipelship yet not sacrifice something, sometime, somewhere.

Changing the way I lived as a drug addict took great sacrifice. I had to deny myself the craving of a drug addiction that kills people. I learned that until the power to change and deny myself was greater than the power of the addiction, I would remain the same. It took the power of changing and denying myself increasing through my submission to God's plans and purposes on this earth for me to break free from my addictions. One of the greatest sacrifices I made in my journey as a disciple of Jesus Christ was in the first step.

The life of a disciple is marked by sacrifice. Sacrifice hurts. It goes against the grain. It's not based on feelings, but on facts. It often does not look, smell or feel right. It feels like you are swimming up stream most of the time.

There is nothing more powerful in a disciples tool box then to show the culture around you a life marked by godly sacrifice. Sacrifice your dreams and ambitions for God's plans and purposes. It's the only way to bring restoration to the world. If we do not sacrifice what's popular for what's godly, and whats fashionable in culture, for whats godly, then we will not stop cultural decay.

Are you living the life marked by sacrifice? Do the people around you notice you respond to the culture differently? Or do you just blend in? Do do prevent cultural decay? Is Jesus' reputation strengthened by your presence in culture?

The Discipleship Dare @ Grace AG in Bel Air, MD - Day #1

(Join the pastors of Grace Assembly of God in Bel Air, Maryland as we post "Facebook Notes" (& blogs) of our 40 days of discipleship. Please interact with these notes (& blogs). They are based on the book: The Discipleship Dare: Living Dangerously for God - http://thediscipleshipdare.com/ - by Jess Bousa that we are reading together as a church.)

The Discipleship Dare Day #1 - Follow Me (Pastor Jess Bousa)

Following without recruiting or daring other followers is not what Jesus meant by following. To follow Jesus is to fish for others. If anyone understood the process of gathering, it was fishermen. There business was to gather many fish together. If they did not gather fish, then they would not be considered fishermen. I am not sure what you call a so called fisher man that does not catch or gather fish to himself. If Jesus were to define one of this followers, they would be someone that was in training as apprentice as well as someone who trained other apprentices.

Am I following Jesus how he imagined I would when he called the first disciples? Do I really understand how much I am unqualified for the job as well as how much grace God has bestowed upon me to follow him?

My life goal is to always be a follower of Jesus that's in training as well as training others to be follow. if I am ever not engaged in that process, I am not sure what you can call me. I know its not a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. What should you be called?