Let him follow Me

J.J. Stark

February 2016

Week 8

IGNITE Class 10

Inductive Bible Study (IBS)

Let him follow Me

“If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” – John 12:26 (NKJV)

Going through this passage of Scripture ripped open me pretty deep and reminds me of the burden that was laid on my heart before I came to IGNITE.  I had a heaviness and this sense that I was not truly walking out my faith.  Yes, I was what could probably be considered a strong believer, and I had faith, but I wasn’t being very consistent in my daily life.  I still would find myself being borderline mechanical in reading my bible, going to youth group, attending church, and even leading the worship service at church.  I still was learning things, but wasn’t really applying them, except for an occasional item here and there that stuck out to me.  Like I said before, I had a sort of heaviness, even before hearing about IGNITE.  Thinking about it now, here at IGNITE after I have found freedom from it, I believe I was still wrestling with the mindset that I had to “earn” my salvation…I knew in my head that I didn’t have to, but still was walking as if I had to make up for the things I messed up in by doing something better.  I was trying to take more than just responsibility – more like I was, in a sense, in the sacrifice mindset. This wore me out physically, mentally, and spiritually, mainly because I was, once again, trying to do it on my own strength.  And, because it wasn’t working, the realization hit me that I needed to re-evaluate my faith.  The entire passage of John 12:23-28 is very applicable here, as Jesus talks about someone truly committing to Him.  Starting in verse 23: ²³But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.”  I wasn’t giving Christ the full glory in my life or letting Him have full control.  Continuing with 24, “Most assuredly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”  I wasn’t dying to myself and was still trying to retain parts of other lifestyles that ended up hindering my spiritual productivity.  Onto 25… “²⁵He who loves his live will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”  This one went straight to my core when reading this…So often I cling to worldly material things, selfishly LOVING my life and having the mindset of “I.”  “²⁶ If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”  This is what I was NOT doing.  My walk wasn’t lining up with my talk, I was acting like two people at times, and I realized that if I am serious about my faith, I will passionately seek after the Lord, following steadily.  A true disciple followed wherever his master went, leaving everything behind, giving full devotion.  The fisherman dropped their nets and followed Jesus.  Verse 27 switches gears a little bit, where Jesus is talking directly to His Father about the future crucifixion, asking that the burden may in any way be removed from Him. He says “²⁷Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.” Jesus finishes with the first part of verse 28, “²⁸Father, glorify Your name...” Jesus Christ, with all His power and glory, laid it aside and submitted to the will of His Father for the purpose to save a wretch like me, and give the ultimate glory to God.  This is the key… oh Lord God let this become my prayer – Father glorify Your name.  I want to hear the end of verse 28 – Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”

Application: Today I will help serve all the meals, and be one of the last people through the meal lines.

Not One Member but Many

J.J. Stark

February 2016

Week 7

IGNITE Class 10

Inductive Bible Study (IBS)

Not One Member but Many

“¹⁴For in fact the body is not one member but many.  ¹⁵If the foot should say, ‘“Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,”’ is it therefore not of the body?” – 1 Corinthians 12:14-15 (NKJV)

For the first eleven chapters in 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul’s writing is mainly focuses on instructing the church in Corinth in how abiding in the freedom of walking in the Holy Spirit.  This is a freedom from the law, which is the selfish flesh, and once free from the flesh, one can then live under Christ’s law and become an imitator of Him.  Upon reaching chapter 12, Paul begins discussing the topic of spiritual gifts and how through the baptism of the Holy Spirit there is large diversity in the gifts that can be received – each of equal importance in the Spirit.  Paul says this beginning in verses 4-7: “⁴There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.  ⁶And there are diversities of activities, the it is the same God who works all in all.  ⁷But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.”  Through salvation, I as a believer am now in the body of Christ and apart of His Spirit.  Coming to IGNITE has really given me an excellent physical example of operating in the body of Christ.  Throughout my class, there are many similarities and common threads amongst teammates, which is awesome, but at the same time, we are VERY different.  Each of us has a special skillset and gifting from the Lord.  It has been interesting to watch everyone learn to operate with their personal weaknesses and strengths, and then fit them with those around them.  This has been a huge blessing to me seeing how we are learning to build up and edify one another daily, as well as having people challenge me to use the set of gifts that I have been given to glorify God and esteem others above myself.

Application:  Today, I will write down at least two spiritual gifts and/or characteristics of each of my three roommates, and then discuss it with them this evening.

A Servant to All

J.J. Stark

February 2016

Week 7

IGNITE Class 10

Inductive Bible Study (IBS)

A Servant to All

“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more.”

– 1 Corinthians 9:19

When reading the first part of this verse, the phrase “I am free from all men” stuck out to me, initially not making a lot of sense.  I had to do a fair amount of backtracking in 1 Corinthians to get the context and understand the reason for the Apostle Paul saying this.  My first impression of this was that Paul is talking about slavery, people over people - which in a sense he was, but not in the way I thought it was.  Chapter 8 in 1 Corinthians explains that the slavery in this case is slavery to the worship of idols, where this practice fell under the law, the law of the flesh.  In this setting, there was human slavery…for me it is slavery to my own self and all the fleshly desires that accompanied it.  However, through the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ, I am now free in Him and not under the rule of my flesh.  Romans 7:4-6 says, “Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law though the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.  For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.  ⁶But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.”  Now that I have freedom of the Lord, I am now to take the step and operate under the true law of love that was set in place with Jesus’s crucifixion.  Paul says this in Romans 7:25 “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!  So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”  I can have joy in serving the Lord, with no reservations, regret, or fear of shame in claiming the title “Bondservant of Christ,” and this is affirmed in Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

From here I am to serve as Christ served – He is the greatest example of being a servant.  This is seen all throughout His ministry here on earth – even all the way to the cross.  One particular instance that comes to mind, is the night of the Passover meal where Jesus lowers Himself to a bondservant status and washes His disciples’ feet.  The lowest servants were the only people in that culture who washed feet.  If my Savior humbled Himself to that level, then who am I to do anything less than that?

Application: Today I will help the KP team with every meal.

Not Quickly Broken

J.J. Stark

February 2016

Week 7

IGNITE Class 10

Inductive Bible Study (IBS)

Not Quickly Broken

“Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.  And a.” – Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NKJV)

Ecclesiastes 4:12 is a very, very true verse.  It starts with “Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him…” Now I grew up watching a lot of old western movies and TV series, and ironically enough, the series in particular really exemplified this…the main character always had a side-kick!  Roy Rogers had Gabby Hays, the Cisco Kid had Pancho, in Bonanza it was the Cartwright family, and shoot, even the “Lone Ranger” had Tonto!!  Without the side-kicks, (1) these shows wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining, but (2) the heroes wouldn’t be nearly as heroic, and for all we know, they may not be nearly successful.  Granted, the screenwriters could always plot it so they could win, but that’s beside the point.

Biblically speaking, God always works in twos and threes…He Himself is made up of three Persons.  He made Eve from Adam’s rib so she could come beside him, and he could have his arm around her.  The Lord may be working mainly in me, or someone else for that matter, but often He uses a second person to speak into my life, be it from a close friend or a perfect stranger.  “Two can withstand him…” The word ‘him’ can be referring to the devil himself; I believe this is one of the many reasons Jesus told His disciples to go out in twos in Mark 6:7 – “And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by tow, and gave them power over unclean spirits.” Two people joined together can stand back to back, but three can operate in a triangle, where you have more sides of protection, but a triangle also has points that can pierce and counterattack.  This is why a “threefold chord is not quickly broken”; two knit souls with God at the head, who can stand against them?

Application:  Today, I will pray, asking Christ first for strength to fully serve Him as the One, true God, and secondly that in His timing He will provide me a true brother that I can be bound to in spirit and soul in Christ.

All Things to All Men

J.J. Stark

February 2016

Week 7

IGNITE Class 10

Inductive Bible Study (IBS)

All Things to All Men

“To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.  I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” – 1 Corinthians 9:22 (NKJV)

Weakness…that empty, gut feeling a man gets inside at the possibility he isn’t strong enough to do something…

Physically, I’ve always been strong; I’m not terribly buff or “ripped,” but for as long as I can remember I’ve always been accidentally breaking things, or over tightening lids or bolts, and often causing my mom and dad plenty of grief because I wound up doing more damage than improvement.  Mom was always reminding me that I didn’t know my own strength.  Even moving heavy or large objects around generally has come easy to me.  This is not to say that I am by any means the biggest and toughest hombre out there, because I know full well there are lots of other men bigger and stronger than me – I should know, I’ve tried tussling with them, getting hurt in the process!!  So many times though I get puffed up in my own capabilities.  I go through life interacting with people around me as though I am something special, thinking that I am invincible, and often acting that way – trying to be the best at everything.  This mentality is so dangerous, because I elevate myself above others.  Maybe it’s not necessarily elevating myself, but rather a desire to put on a “capable” front and veil my weaknesses.  In a sense, this is a fear of vulnerability.  Yes, I want to minister to people, I want to help them in there need, but I want to do it…me, me, me.  I don’t like being weak or incapable, it hurts my selfish esteem!  Yet what is Paul saying here?  “To the weak I became weak…” Basically, Paul is saying “get over yourself.”  In the fleshy mindset, I’m not all in for the Lord, in other words, because I’m still worrying about my image and what the world thinks of me, not Christ.  This signifies that I may not be completely giving my identity to Him.

Okay, so I give myself up Lord.  I want to win people for You.  How do I do it?  The answer: Become weak.

It is when I am at my weakest that God can manifest Himself the greatest.  My one and only task that Jesus has given me is to follow in everything, NOW!  By following the example of Jesus set during His time here on earth, “I will become all things to all men, so that I by all means save some.” Ultimately, Jesus is all things to all men.  He gave up His crown and glory, and made Himself weak by becoming human.  His time on earth was spent with those who were lost – not condoning the sin, but loving the sinner.  He became vulnerable to those who were vulnerable – all things to all men.  Yet what did I do?  I have laughed and mocked Him along with the rest.  Even back then they didn’t recognize this, and in Luke 7:34 it says “The Son of Man has come eating and drinking and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’”  Verse 36 says that He even went and had supper with a Pharisee.  We as humans can be so blind.   So as I follow the Lord, here is my standard, as laid out in Luke 9:23-25 – “²³Then He said to them all, ‘“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  ²⁴For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  ²⁵For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?”’”

Yes sir, Lord, I will take up my cross and follow You, even if it means becoming weak, because He is My Rock and my deliver.

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Application:  Today, I will be the first to volunteer for a task during servant time – no matter the job.

Obey Your Parents

J.J. Stark

February 2016

Week 6

IGNITE Class 10

Inductive Bible Study (IBS)

Obey Your Parents

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” – Ephesians 6:1 (NKJV)

“Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.” – Colossians 3:20 (NKJV)

“Children, obey your parents…”  that infamous phrase that has come to incur resentment at some point from almost every person during their childhood.  Often times grumbles, growls, and even outright protests closely follow it, especially in this day and age.  We live in a society that constantly supports and even promotes individuality, which has led to a sad consequence of increasing number of people selfishly demanding more and more personal rights.  More specifically, in the home to be independent has become children and teens disregarding, disrespecting, and even full-blown rebellion from their parents.  That all being said, I write with the guilt that cannot say I am exempt from this.  Yes, some cases are more severe and drastic than others, and I fortunately haven’t gone to those measures with my parents, but none the less I still have been plenty disobedient.  I have vivid memories, especially when I was younger, of driving my mother up the wall with my belligerence and hot temper when things didn’t go how I wanted…Actually, come to think of it, I still drive my mother up the wall, but not as frequently or as drastically, and now it’s usually seasoned with a lot more humor!!  During my early teenage years, I didn’t necessarily rebel, but definitely resented my parents’ advice on certain things.  However, the older I get, the more and more I am appreciating the knowledge, advice, and wisdom Mom and Dad instilled in me from my youth.  At this time in my life, as I am beginning to be more on my own and I have more independence, the more crucial I have found it to ask questions and for advice of them in all aspects of life, both spiritual and physical.  Yes, they aren’t perfect, but they do everything possible to help me grow in faith, and they make tremendous sacrifices so that I can live a good life.  Thank you Mom and Dad for “training me up in the way I should go, that when I am old I will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) Lately I have been asking myself the same question posed in Psalm 119:9 – “How can a young man cleanse his way?  By taking heed according to Your word.”  Well God, You say to obey my parents, because it is pleasing to You.  If I am to worship, honor, and please You Lord it is by respecting, loving, and pleasing my parents with all that I am, as their love is an example of Yours, and through this physical example You have set before me, I can come to know You more.

Application:  The next time I am able to, I will call my parents to first apologize to them for my past misbehavior, and to thank them for bringing me up in the Lord.

Be Submissive

J.J. Stark

February 2016

Week 6

IGNITE Class 10

Inductive Bible Study (IBS)

Be Submissive

“Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account, let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” – Hebrews 13:17 (NKJV)

God allows people to come in authority at specific times to for a reason.  Regardless of how those people use their positions, good or bad, nothing is so out of control that the Lord can’t work everything together for the good of those who love Him.  Often He uses these periods of poor leadership are used to teach believers patience, endurance, and trust in Christ, and history has shown that during greatest turmoil the most expansion of the faith occurs.  I think of the heated presidential campaigns in the U.S., and it is saddening that to see the turmoil our government is in right now.  We have digressed so far from the Biblical foundations our country that was birthed on, that society’s moral standard has become muddied to the point of legalizing the very corruptibility it strove to rid, and it has all been in the name of “freedom and equality.”  The thought that the next president could determine our country’s unity is a disquieting one.  The first segment of Hebrews 13:17 is especially hard to swallow at this time – “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive.”  I am to live in submission to those over me, even if it is against my beliefs and standards.  It is through this, though, by living my life like Christ that the most impact can be made.  The time has come more than ever, for we who are in Christ to rise up and spread the light of salvation, and leading the to the Lords truth!  For myself, I have to remember that as a child of God, my true citizenship is in Him, and I need to view this time as the harvest – and a very ripe one at that.  In Romans 8:37-39, Paul gives an excellent statement regarding this very thing, saying, “³⁷Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  ³⁸For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  On a non-political note, I’m very thankful for the leadership here at Ignite and Potter’s Field Ministries.  Hebrews 13:17 is a very accurate statement regarding any true leaders – they watch out for your souls, as those who must give an account – and the staff here very much live “watching out” for my soul, of which I’m grateful.  Now I must do as the rest of the verse says by making it a joy for them to operate over me, and I not make any excess grief for them, as it most certainly wouldn’t be any profit to me! 

Application:  Today I will be punctual to all my classes.  Also, during the rest of my time in Ignite I will also do whatever I can to be as little burden possible to ease the load of whoever I’m serving under (currently Austin and the RA’s).