THE LONE RANGER RIDES AGAIN

When it comes to
Christian growth, men generally determine to go it alone. Unlike formal education or job training, which many men will undergo, spiritual training involves personal vulnerability along with the training. This is kind of spooky and because of the personal risk, I often hear the sentence,"I'm going to learn to follow Jesus on my own."

I know this from first hand experience. In my previous posts, I have touched a little on the beginning years with Christ in my own life. I was quite determined to go it alone. As a matter of fact, I was quite determined to start my own idea of Christianity. Under the guise of not wanting my relationship with Jesus to be polluted by another man's influence, I proceded to read my Bible and pray and experience God without anyone else's influence. This was a hoax I played on myself. I was covering up. By hiding my conversion I remained a baby in Christ.

This is the reason it is so easy to find a Christian man who has been saved for a decade or more, and is more or less clueless about his Bible and about his theology. When called upon to teach, or disciple or lead in any way, these men humbly decline.

In the book of 11 Timothy chapter 2 verse 2, Paul states, "and the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others." Gee, I wonder what that means?

In 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 15, Peter states, "always be prepared to give an answer to anyone, who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. " So, does that mean we are supposed to talk to other people about Jesus?

You get the point. Without preparation, men will not do either of these things. They will not entrust to reliable men what they know because they cannot articulate it. They will not share their own testimony because they are not prepared to do so. And where does that leave the Christian man? It leaves him going to church, hopefully, and remembering about 10% of what he hears in church. Other than that, if he is really adventuresome, he may attend a Bible study on a sporatic basis, once again drifting through with no real spiritual underpinnings.

If you have ever asked yourself why women make up most of the workers in a church, you have now discovered the reason why. And it all comes back to being the Lone Ranger. Hey---I'm an American guy. I am my own man. I decide what I'm going to do. Besides that-----I'm growing??? I've been going to church now for several years. I must have learned something!!

Believe it or not, there are reliable men who are qualified to teach others. They are in your neighborhood and they are in your church. Some of them are at your workplace. Seek them out. Find a guy, a regular guy. A guy who has been discipled, who you can talk to about regular things. Ask him if he would be willing to invest himself in you. If he agrees, meet him faithfully. Follow his directions. Follow his example. Allow yourself to be teachable. Start the journey that you have been putting off all these years. If you do this the day will come when you will be qualified to teach others. That's the model Jesus built. He picked 12 men and said, "follow me."

You still want to be the Lone Ranger? Go ahead. You can be the Lone Ranger all over the place. In the woods, on the lakes, at your desk or on the road. But when it comes to following Jesus, be teachable.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2006