November 18, 2008 Vineyard Columbus Staff Devotional
Good morning. It is great to be with you this morning. I know that there are many of you here who do not know me, so let me give you a very quick introduction. My name is Insoo Kim and I have been married to my wife, Angela, for four-and-a-half years now. We have two boys, a two-year old Elliot and a 6-month old Isaiah, and they are absolutely the best thing that’s ever happened to us! Prior to coming to Vineyard Columbus, I was an assistant pastor at a Vineyard church in Chicago for almost four years. I have been on staff here at Vineyard Columbus for the past 8 months serving as Rich’s research assistant. And I’ve had a lot of conversations with people who ask me, “Insoo, what do you actually do as Rich’s research assistant?” And it is because Rich is not here this morning, but on his way to in England today thousands and thousands of miles away, that I can say this: I am the brains of the operation. I don’t mean to brag, but you know, just between us, I do all the hard work that Rich used to do before he became a world-famous, pastor, The Rich Nathan. I am thrilled to be a part of this great church to serve alongside of each and every one of you.
Bill Christensen asked me a few weeks ago to lead our devotional this morning, and as I’ve been praying about what to share with you, I felt the Lord impress on my heart the mission statement of our church. And I know that all of us here have memorized the mission statement and our vision statement, and the philosophy of ministry, and the Vineyard genetic code, being RELEVANT and how a Christian GROWS and the 100 other statements and acronyms that we have here at Vineyard Columbus. But just in case your coffee hasn’t kicked in yet this morning, let me read for you the mission statement:
To develop a community of passionate, mature, reproducing disciples; to plant passionate, mature, reproducing churches; and to transform the world by love and good deeds for the glory of God.
I’ve read through this mission statement literally dozens and dozens of times since I started working here. Actually, even before I started working here, I was reading through this mission statement because I wanted to understand what this church was all about, to know what it was that I was becoming a part of. I wanted to see what drove this church, and to understand, to a certain extent, what made this church so “successful.” And as I’ve been reading the mission statement, there is one phrase in there that really stood out to me. Actually, it’s been bothering me a little bit because while it makes sense to me intuitively, I still couldn’t fully get my mind around it. And that phrase is this: “reproducing disciples.” While I understood what it meant to be a passionate disciple and a mature disciple, I had a hard time fully grasping what it meant to be a reproducing disciple. But at the same time, while I didn’t fully understand it, something in my heart just exploded as I read that phrase. It was like something in me just knew right away that that was something I was created to be: To be a reproducing disciple of Jesus.
Physically, I think most of understand how reproduction works, right? Do we need to go over the birds and the bees this morning? Because if so, I’m sure Bill and Craig would love to do a short teaching on that with diagrams and everything. But while there is a physical element to our use of the term, obviously, it means a lot more than just that. In a purely physical sense, in the most fundamental definition of the word, reproduction is bringing something to life that does not yet exist, a new life. And again, in a purely physical sense, there is a relational aspect to reproduction, meaning that we are not asexual organisms who can simply bud off a part of our body for the purpose of procreation. No. Physically speaking, reproduction happens in the context of a love relationship between two people. And what is birthed out of that love relationship is this new life, this extraordinary life, a baby.
But obviously, we’re not just talking about physical reproduction, or just numbers and bodies to fill the seats in our sanctuary. I do not believe that we are merely talking about evangelism. When we talk about reproduction in the context of our mission statement, we certainly do mean evangelism, but there’s more. It is influence. It is impartation. It is mentoring. It is modeling. It is the means by which a new believer in Christ grows to be a fully devoted lover, worshipper, adorer, and follower of Jesus. To reproduce is to influence others to live for Jesus by our example and intentionality. In essence, reproduction is simply the natural outworking of God in our lives which will inevitably influence those around us. You and I were created by God to reproduce in every single sense of that word. While becoming passionate and mature disciples of Jesus is a noble goal, it is not enough. God created us to reproduce. To reproduce is to influence others to live for Jesus by our example and intentionality. And I believe this is what Paul is getting at when he says, “imitate me as I imitate Christ.”
So if reproducing is influencing others to live for Jesus by our example and intentionality, the two questions that I want to ask us this morning are these: How is our example? And how are we being intentional? I am not going to ask the more obvious question, “Are we reproducing?” because that is a given. We are all reproducing something, for good or for bad. We are all influencing those around us in our neighborhoods, for good or for bad. We are all imparting something to those we interact with in our small groups, for good or for bad. So, whether we want to or not, whether we like it or not, you and I are constantly reproducing. So the question is not are you reproducing or are you influencing others, but rather, “how is your example?” And “how are you being intentional?”
Paul and Timothy: A Good Model
And to help us do that, I wanted to go through just a few verses from the book of 2 Timothy where Paul is writing his spiritual son, Timothy, whom he led to Christ. I believe that it beautifully illustrates what authentic spiritual reproduction should look like. So, let’s dive into Scripture.
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. (2 Timothy 1:1-5)
Paul is writing this letter sitting in a cold prison cell in Ephesus, which according to one commentator was a “dismal underground dungeon with a hole in the ceiling for light and air.” Now well advanced in years, having lived a very full life with a very significant and powerful ministry, Paul, while bound in heavy chains in this cold and damp dungeon, begins to fondly and quite vulnerably remember his spiritual son, Timothy. It is a truly moving letter written from a deep reservoir of emotions.
So, let’s ask ourselves the first question, “how is our example?”
We Reproduce Who We Are
Both the most awesome and terrifying thing about reproduction is that we reproduce who we are. We reproduce who we are. We reproduce not what we were or even what we wish to be, but we reproduce who we are today. And that is awesome because that is so freeing, isn’t it? We don’t have to try to be something that we’re not. But it is also terrifying because, I imagine, that if you are anything like me, there are parts of you that you don’t want to see reproduced in others. Areas of growth. Areas of healing. Areas in need of freedom. There is a very strong sin nature in me that I do not want to see reproduced in my two sons. So, as we talk about reproducing, I think it would be wise of us to examine who we are and what kinds of things were reproduced in us from those who have influenced our lives. Our parents, our siblings, our teachers, pastors, good relationships, bad relationships, significant times and encounters with God, or maybe even long seasons in the desert.
Maybe you are an incredibly hard worker. You are the first one in the office every morning and the last one to leave. You are that person who goes out of his way to help someone in need. Maybe you are that person who is so generous with your money, your time, your home. Or maybe you are a person full of grace and love, that people are just naturally drawn to you.
Are you someone who finds it difficult to forgive someone who has wronged you? Or maybe you are so concerned about your finances that you find it difficult to be generous with your money. Maybe you are so strict with your time that you have a hard time making deep friendships because they’re just not very convenient.
Again, I am not bringing this up to make any of us fill guilty or shame by any means. And if it feels that way, please forgive me. That’s not what I am trying to do this morning. I simply want to raise the point that one the reasons that we need to keep growing as Christians is for the sake of others that will inevitably be influenced by us.
So going back to Paul and Timothy, what kind of an example is Paul being to Timothy?
Paul Models for Timothy A Disciple Who Is Not Ashamed of the Gospel
Paul writes Timothy in 1:12, “Yet I am not ashamed because I know whom I have believed and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” Paul charges Timothy in 1:8, “So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner.” Then again, Paul charges Timothy in 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
Paul is basically saying to Timothy, “Hey, whatever else you do as a disciple, you must always realize that it is all about Jesus! It is all about knowing this Jesus and making him known.” And this passion for the Gospel in Paul comes out in all of his writings, not just to Timothy, but in his letters to Romans, to the Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, basically every single time he writes something, his passion for Jesus just explodes out of him. He is absolutely Jesus-centric. And that is absolutely contagious! I’m sure all of us here know someone like that, don’t we. That guy or that girl in your small group or maybe even at work who talks about Jesus wherever he goes. He just can not help it. Motivated by love, he talks about Jesus all the time. And you spend just a few minutes with this person and you walk away more in love with Jesus and more emboldened to share him with everyone. Paul models for Timothy a disciple who is not ashamed of the Gospel. And second, Paul models for Timothy a disciple who is able to endure suffering.
Paul Models for Timothy A Disciple Who Is Able to Endure Suffering
He writes in 1:8, “But join with me in suffering for the Gospel.” Then in 1:12, “That is why I am suffering as I am.” In 2:3, “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” In 2:9, “This is my gospel for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal.” And in 3:10-11, “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecution, sufferings – what kind of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured.”
The more I study scriptures, the more I am absolutely convinced that one of the truly great marks of a Christian is someone who knows how to suffer well. Abraham and Sarah bore the promises of God in the midst of their suffering and yet without weakening their faith. Even in the midst of their suffering, Paul says in Romans that, "he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised." In the midst of suffering, Abraham did not waver but chose to glorify God letting God be God! And this trusting, glorifying, and believing in God in the midst of suffering was credited to Abraham as righteousness.
This is our story. This is our heritage. In Abraham we find the story of the Christian faith taking shape and it is literally birthed out of suffering. In our Christian faith, suffering is not some side item, but it is in fact, a key ingredient. You take away suffering, and what you have left is something less than the authentic Christian faith. Paul models for Timothy a disciple who is able to endure suffering.
Reproducing By Becoming a Mentor
I really wanted a mentor in ministry. And I know of a lot of leaders from my generation who are really hungry for a mentor in their lives as well. I learned a ton about ministry and pastoring through books and lectures in seminary. And I also learned a lot while serving as a volunteer, paid staff, and pastor in wonderful churches. But I always felt like a pioneer, and not in the good sense of that word. I always felt like I had to learn on my own, from my own study, from my own experience, through my own experiments and failures. And while that was a really powerful way to learn, in the midst of it all, I really wished that I could have had a mentor, a coach, someone who could tell me, “I’ve been where you are now and this is what I did, and this is what I’ve learned from my experience. Here, let me show you how!” “Let me show you how!” How desperately I wanted to hear those words!
I have a deep and profound respect for those who have gone before me, those who have been on the battlefield with the scars to prove it. As much as I love to spend time reading and learning, I want to spend more time actually putting into practice what I am learning, and doing that with excellence! The urgency that I feel in my heart for ministry, and what I am called to do and be, here and now, makes me really appreciate the veteran pastors who have been “doin’ the stuff” for many years. I don’t feel a particular need to be the most innovative or the most creative, or to make something new and cutting-edge, while those are noble goals. But I do feel very passionate about doing ministry well, with excellence, whether it’s preaching, evangelism, leadership, or whatever it may be. And the only way, I believe, someone can truly be a great leader is to watch and learn from a great leader. It makes sense, doesn’t it? If you want to be a master painter, watch and learn from a master painter. If you want to be a great violin player, watch and learn from a great violin player. Maybe this is what “impartation” is all about.
Reproduction takes a great deal of intentionality, it takes risk, it takes great faith to see in others what they can not see in themselves. And it starts with just one person.
A Few Words for the Younger People on Staff
If you’re anything like me, you never want to ask for help, or worse yet, to ask someone to mentor you. But I think that is exactly what you need to do. There are very few stories that I know of where a veteran leader actually sought out a young leader because they wanted to pass along their ministry experience on to that person. That seldom happens. But I’ve noticed that the veteran leaders are very eager to mentor if they are approached by a young leader. And that’s what I did. I walked up to Rich at a Vineyard conference and very nervously asked him to mentor me. He was confused about what I was asking for and I felt weird about the whole thing. It was one of the most awkward 10 minutes of my life (almost as awkward as when I asked my wife out on our first date). But what came out of those 10 awkward minutes was me getting an unexpected job where I get to interact with Rich on a daily basis, to learn and grow as a pastor, evangelist, preacher, and a leader. And yes, the job did mean that I had to move our family from Chicago to Columbus, leaving behind a wonderful church and friends that we loved dearly. But we believed then, and still do today, that this season where I get to learn from a great veteran pastor was worth our time, our energy, our resource, and our sacrifice.
So, if a veteran leader hasn’t stepped up and asked you yet, maybe you should bite the bullet and engage in 10 minutes of awkwardness with him or her. What have you got to lose? What you might gain in return could be the difference between you being a good leader and a great leader.
A Few Words for Veteran Leaders on Staff
You are desperately needed. Period. The young people on staff desperately need your wisdom and your experience. They need to see your scars and learn from them. As I said earlier, the young leaders are generally not comfortable asking you to mentor them, but that is exactly what they want and need. So, why not take the chance and ask one out to coffee after church? Why not invest a few hours each month to read through a book together? Why not invite them to join you next time you go on a conference? Why not seek out that quiet young man or woman on staff, and call them out to greater and bigger things than they can possibly imagine? Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a master, you can profoundly bless a life with your words. And if a young staff begins to engage with you in a rather awkward conversation, don’t dismiss them too quickly. Give them a chance. Hear them out. You might just make all the difference in their life.
The church and the world is full of people hungry for mentors, people who will simply say those impossibly amazing words, “Let me show you how!” How desperately we need to hear those words!
Closing Thoughts
To reproduce is to influence others to live for Jesus by our example and intentionality. Can you imagine what could happen if the 200 us who are on staff here at Vineyard Columbus would take this call to reproduce seriously? Can you imagine what could happen if we were truly intentional with the dozens and dozens of people who respond to the Gospel message every weekend here at Vineyard Columbus? That by our example, they would not only be passionate disciples of Jesus, not just mature disciples of Jesus, that they would become reproducing disciple of Jesus just like us. Can you imagine?
Paul as he closes his emotional letter to Timothy writes these incredible words that I hope all of us in this room will all be able to say at the end of our lives as well:
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:6-8)