Ernest Shackleton and Life’s Greatest Adventure

The ad on the right appeared in the London Times IN 1914 and read:

“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.” (signed) Shackleton”

Can you imagine anyone answering an advertisement like this? Well, thousands of men from all over the world did. From among them, world famous explorer Ernest Shackleton chose 27 to sail with him to Antarctica on a ship he named Endurance. In the nearly two years they traveled across Antarctica, Shackleton and his men battled the elements and endured hardships in an adventure that defies description.

Jesus calls us into THE hazardous mission to Planet Earth. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was martyred for his faith by Nazi Germany, wrote “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” In John 6 when Jesus laid out the cost of signing up for life’s greatest adventure with Him, most of those who claimed to be his followers turned back. And they still do today. But there’s that handful who stick it out and say like Peter -- Lord, you're the only one who has anything lasting, anything that really matters. You offer life and we want to be fully alive.

Men, it is those few who look at the hardships, count the cost and still sign on for the expedition who like Peter and the other disciples would change the world. Jesus calls us into his great mission and his great adventure. Like Ernest Shackleton sending out his ad, Jesus talks straight about the "hazards and honor" for those who will risk it all for Him. Wherever you might be in your journey, remember - the easy road, the popular road never leads to anything that really matters. In fact, Jesus said it leads to destruction. So if you want to be fully alive, set sail with the real “Master and Commander” and make a difference that counts forever.

Discipling Young Men

The idea of pouring into younger disciples was engrained in me from the very beginning of my Christian life. But in the last two decades, I have seen more specifically the need to focus on training men.

Every follower of Christ, should be taught to obey everything Christ has commanded. Yet God places a special burden of leadership on men, and there is no better way for men to be prepared to shoulder that burden than in the context of a committed mentoring relationship with a godly man in a local church.

OUR CONTEXT: WIDESPREAD GENDER CONFUSION

There is a systematic, Satanic attack on the very concept of gender, and with it, gender-based roles at home and in all society. Leaders in the church need to be very aware of the nature and seriousness of this attack and rise up to meet the challenge with good, biblical ministry to both men and women.

Because of this, boys don’t enter the world knowing how to be godly men; they have to be trained into it. Of course, the primary training role for that formation should be the boy’s father. He is to disciple his son every day in the Word of the Lord and in the pattern of godly living.

But while godly fathers are by far the best disciplers of young men into Christ-like manhood, spiritual fathers can play a vital role as well. This is where a mentor, a pastor, or a discipler can step in and take the young man beyond where his father has left off. In a day of rampant absenteeism among biological fathers, the next generation of spiritual leaders is yearning for godly men to step up and serve as an adoptive spiritual father.

A FEW BASIC PRINCIPLES IN DISCIPLING YOUNG MEN

1) Conform them to the “two patterns.”

The New Testament reveals two “patterns” of discipleship to which every disciple must conform: the pattern of sound teaching (2 Tim 1:13) and the pattern of godly living (Phil 3:16). There must be a doctrinal/biblical/bookish side as well as a “life on life,” role-modeling side.

According to the first pattern, we must saturate men’s hearts in Scripture and in sound theology. Use the classics from church history: Calvin’s Institutes, the writings of the Puritans, the sermons of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and so forth.

The second “pattern” (example of godly living) is worth an extra comment when it comes to manhood. Young men may very well never have seen a godly husband love his wife as Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25), or a godly father bring up his children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). It would be excellent to have a disciple regularly observing the home life of his mentor, because some things cannot be learned but by example. This is why Paul says, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).

When it comes to church leadership, opportunities for this abound:

• allow them to watch you meet with a grieving family as you prepare a funeral;
• take them with you to conferences at which you may be speaking;
• have them with you when writing your sermon;
• spend time with them on your knees in praying through the church directory;
• take them with you to the hospital;
• lead them in outreach activities in the community.

In order to shape the hearts and lives of future leaders, these two patterns must be employed.

2) Impart a vision of godly leadership.

Make this vision of leadership plain: God is raising up men to lead at home and in the church. In both the Old and New Testaments, God establishes men to lead his people in every generation, and that should be a clear goal of your discipleship relationship.

In the context of discipling relationship, your goal is to help a younger brother understand that the church needs wise leaders who will teach sound doctrine and shepherd Christ’s flock in humility and strength (Acts 20:17-38; 1 Peter 5:1-4). God may be raising him up, preparing him to be a part of a godly group of elders who will lead the church. And this leadership must be along biblical lines if we are to achieve the Great Commission Christ entrusted to us.

Finally, a young man should understand that you expect him to be doing this same type of discipling of young men when he is “fully trained” (Luke 6:40).

3) Warn about the two failure modes of male leaders: tyranny and abdication.

Some husbands and church leaders embrace their role as leaders with an ungodly ambition. They make tyrannical decisions that ruin the lives of their families and churches. Such men are abusive, and the people they lead do not flourish under their leadership.

To combat this failure, we must teach young men the principles of servant leadership that Jesus espoused in Matthew 20:25-28. Leaders serve the people they lead, and we must display that.

On the other hand, the far more common error for men is abdication. Adam was put in the Garden of Eden “to serve and protect it” (literal translation of Genesis 2:15). “Protect” implies an encroaching evil, and that manifested itself in Satan’s treacherous attack on the mind of Adam’s wife in the very next chapter. Eve did all the talking. Adam, “who was with her” (Gen 3:6), stood there and did nothing. Far more husbands and fathers, and possible church leaders, abdicate their responsibilities than use their position as tyrants.

Therefore, we must teach young men to step up to embrace the role of leadership with courage and humility. Again, your own role modeling of this cheerful willingness to lead in the pattern of Christ is vital. The young men need to see you leading both at home and in the church, neither as a tyrant, nor as a coward. Your own hospitality plays a critical role in this: have them over frequently to watch your patterns of gentle leadership with your children, and the loving way you encourage your wife.

4) Engender godly ambition based on 1 Timothy 3:1.

Paul says, “If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a good thing.” This is a godly ambition for the future, and every young man in the church should have it. Even if God does not bless the man with the gift of teaching necessary to the office, the rest of the attributes listed in 1 Timothy 3:2-4 are common to all Christian men: above reproach, husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money, managing his family (children) well.

These virtues provide a roadmap for discipling young men. And even if they don’t show themselves as gifted teachers, they can still receive the same training as other future elders, because that doctrinal instruction will serve them well as future husbands and fathers.

So, a mature mentor should wisely implant a burning coal of godly ambition to be a future elder in the young man’s heart, and then fan it into flame as a central goal of his discipleship.

5) Give them opportunities to serve, then evaluate their service.

The discipler should constantly seek specific ministry tasks he can entrust to his disciple, appropriate to his level of development. That might involve opportunities to teach, evangelize, lead prayer meetings, do menial support tasks, plan events, or run do the AV booth.

Perhaps you can entrust a man with a Wednesday night Bible study, and then take notes on how he did. In general you want to give gentle and loving feedback.

Or allow a man to organize a summer outreach event. He can research what other churches have done to connect with lost people, and let him come up with an idea, organize, and run it. Then evaluate the event, emphasizing the positive aspects, but giving clear guidance on ways to grow.

When evaluating performance, it’s vital for the mentor to be super-encouraging as a rule. The disciple truly yearns for the approval of his “spiritual father.” And so consistent words of love and admiration (like Paul does for Timothy) are essential to the relationship. Having said that, good, specific, and constructive criticism is also required.

6) Challenge them to memorize Scripture.

No discipline has been more helpful in the process of my spiritual maturity than the memorization of extended portions of Scripture. This commitment is quite doable, and will pay back huge interest for the investment made.

Scripture memorization will help a young man in his own personal walk with Christ, in his evangelism, in his (present or future) marriage and parenting, and in his ministry of the Word. This has been a central pillar of my discipleship of young men for decades.

7) Identify a “pipeline” of future leaders in your local church.

Be watching some men who may have the requisite characteristics to be a future disciple: faithful, available, teachable. A healthy local church will have an ongoing pattern of discipling young men as future husbands, fathers, and church leaders.

8) Pray daily for their growth.

Follow the patterns of the apostle Paul in praying for spiritual development in your disciples. Pray Ephesians 1:15-19 and 3:14-21 for them. Pray Philippians 1:9-11 and Colossians 1:9-14 as well. Let your disciples hear you praying these things for them, and encourage them to pray them for you as well.

A SWEETLY REWARDING MINISTRY

Discipling eager young men for future leadership in the home and the church is one of the most sweetly rewarding aspects of ministry that I’ve ever encountered. May God richly bless your efforts as you pour into the next generation of leaders of the glorious church of Jesus Christ!

By Andy Davis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina

What Will the New Normal Look Like?

I grew up hearing stories of the Second World War, especially from people who had faced the onslaught of the German bombing campaign. Those who lived through The Blitz in London would tell about the terrifying sound of the air raid sirens warning that bombers were on the way. They would tell also of the joy and relief of hearing the all-clear signal when the final plane had turned back and the final bomb had fallen. Following that all-clear, the people would emerge from tube stations, basements, and Anderson shelters, knowing that for now they were safe and that for now they could get back to their lives.

Today we are in the midst of a very different kind of conflict. We are not involved in a war that involves bombs and bombers, but are instead battling an unseen and unseeable virus. In just the past two or three weeks we have witnessed a worldwide tectonic shift in social customs. “Social distancing” has become the new normal and the highest virtue. Gatherings and crowds of any kind are not only forbidden by law, but also in direct contravention of the new social mores. Conferences are canceled, airlines are grounded, malls are shuttered, and grocery stores are metering people in.

We don’t know how long this situation will last, but can be confident that it won’t last forever. Eventually the virus will wane and life will return to some semblance of normalcy. What I have been pondering over the past few days is when and how it returns to normal, and how this “new normal” will differ from the “old normal.” It has been an interesting kind of thought experiment (perhaps to help pass the time).

So how do these lockdowns end, and under what circumstances do we once again confidently emerge into society, gather in crowds, and reduce all this social distancing? I suppose it’s possible that we may soon see the quick discovery of a simple cure. It’s possible we may learn, as some have been suggesting, that the experts have radically misunderstood COVID-19 and made it out to be far more serious than it really is. Or maybe one day the virus will just disappear. Under any of those scenarios, we may soon receive a kind of society-wide “all-clear” signal telling us that the threat is over and we can immediately go back to life as we’ve always known it.

It seems unreasonable to expect that one day soon we will all confidently emerge from our “bomb shelters” and just go back to our lives.

But that seems improbable. It seems unreasonable to expect that one day soon we will all confidently emerge from our “bomb shelters” and just go back to our lives. What seems more likely is that there will be a period of weeks or months in which the threat slowly declines and we together navigate and negotiate “ramping up” into that new normal. I have been considering some of the unanswered questions related to my own life during that ramp-up period. Your questions may be different from mine since your life is different from mine, but I expect there will be at least some overlap.

Some of those questions relate to family life.

• My daughter was offered a temporary leave from her job at a grocery store until they can ensure their employees have the necessary protective equipment and training. My son works at the same store and is due to come off school leave in a few weeks. Under what circumstances will they be comfortable returning to work? What safety measures will they need to see enacted before they can do their jobs in safety and with confidence?
• While I don’t foresee schools opening again this school year, what if they do? Unless the government can convince parents that either they erred in canceling schools in the first place or that the circumstances that necessitated it have been resolved, how many teachers and students will return even if the doors do open? What will have needed to change after the summer to begin a new school year?
• In August, two of my three children are set to attend college in the United States. Will we be comfortable having our children out of the country, knowing how quickly the schools were ordered closed in this last outbreak and knowing that the borders between our countries can now swiftly shut? Will we be able to get them out-of-country health insurance that covers this virus?
• For the next outbreak of COVID-19 or another virus, will governments move even faster so will we have even less time to prepare ourselves, to get ourselves and our children home, and to get ready to hunker down?

And then there are questions related to church.

• Is it possible that we will soon be told we can meet in crowds again, but only if sufficient safety measures are put in place? If so, what are those measures? How many people will want to gather for corporate worship if that involves hand-washing, safe distancing, face masks, and so on? Do churches have the right to demand that people adhere to such measures, or can we only suggest it?
• Once churches are free to gather again, how long will it be before every member is comfortable returning? Are we really a church if the elderly folk still need to stay away, and will they be forgotten once the rest of us can return to normalcy? Do we continue to stream services in that period? Once the doors open, how much should church leaders pressure people to return to services and how much should leaders encourage them to heed their own wisdom and conscience, even if it means staying away for months longer? What if one pastor is comfortable returning and the others are not? What if the majority of congregants are eager to commence corporate worship but the pastor is not?
• When we begin to gather, how do we account for the fact that some people will likely be glad to shake hands and hug while others will still want to maintain distancing? Will we be tempted to look down on people who do or do not wear masks?
• Will we continue to celebrate the Lord’s Supper by passing a plate of little pieces of bread and a tray of little cups of juice that are touched and breathed on by many people? What if we maintain this method but find that some are afraid to take it or are advised not to for reasons of health or immunity? Will Lord’s Supper have to be done in a sterile way?

An important component of my job is travel, sometimes to carry out research and sometimes to speak at conferences.

• How long will it take before the airlines are functioning again? How long will it take before they are fully functioning again? A month ago I could catch a night flight from Toronto and be at almost any major airport in the world by the next day. Today it’s inadvisable to leave Canada and impossible to enter almost any other country.
• Now that we know nations deem it effective to recall their citizens and close their borders during outbreaks, will we have the confidence to travel to other countries, knowing we may be forced to make a quick exit at our own expense or even face getting stuck there? Will the airlines and governments continue to help their citizens with repatriation, or next time will we find ourselves on our own? (See, for example, these stories from American citizens in India.)
• What will change in airports? Just as stringent security protocols followed 9/11, will stringent health protocols follow COVID-19? Will we be comfortable traveling far from home knowing that temperature checks may soon be as common as security checks and that we may not be able to board a plane if we come down with as much as a sniffle or a low-grade fever? Will travel health insurance even cover us if we contract the virus in foreign places? (Canada just passed a ruling that you cannot board a plane if you show any symptoms of COVID-19; you will either need to wait until 14 days have passed or provide a medical certificate proving you do not have it.)
• Airlines make their money by packing people as closely together as possible. Will we be comfortable sitting elbow-to-elbow and knee-to-back, with 400 people packed tightly into a small aluminum tube and sharing a few scuzzy bathrooms? Will we be comfortable eating in such confined quarters? Will every cough in the high-elevation dry air provoke scowls or panic among fellow travelers?

And how about conferences?

• How long will it be before we are ready to gather in big crowds to hear preaching together, not to mention to enjoy singing together? (If ever there was an activity that produces and transmits a massive mist of “droplets,” surely it is the corporate singing of large crowds!)
• If we learn that crowds have been the source of local outbreaks (as, indeed, may have been the case in Milan), will organizations be assuming significant moral or legal liability if their event turns out to be the ground zero of a new outbreak?
• Will ministries even be willing to assume the risk of planning huge conferences? These events accrue massive up-front expenses that are paid for by advance ticket sales. But, as we’ve seen, a pandemic can shut down the conference and require tickets to be refunded. This has left some ministries facing possible bankruptcy.

Those are just some of the questions I’ve got. Am I being alarmist? I kind of hope so. But the way I figure it, if the virus is really so bad that it requires the near-complete shutdown of society, it seems very unlikely that we’ll return to normal quickly and easily. It’s far more probable, I think, that we will have to move slowly and thoughtfully, asking good questions all the while. It’s probable that the world will never quite be the same.

By Tim Challies who serves as a pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto, Ontario, co-founder of Cruciform Press and popular blogger and commentator.