Disciples and Disciple-making (17)
…and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you… 2 Peter 3.15
While all people are made in the image of God and therefore deserve our respect and love, not all God’s image-bearers should be considered candidates for soul friendship. Paul reminds us that “Evil company corrupts good habits” (1 Cor. 15.33). We must choose wisely when seeking a friend, so that our friendship will link our souls in a common pursuit for the knowledge of God and His glory.
Aelred of Rievaulx (1109-1167) provided his monks with careful guidance in selecting soul friends: “Therefore this is the sort of man you should choose for a friend: one who is not troubled by the fury of anger, nor divided against himself by instability; one whom suspicion does not wear out, nor garrulousness loose from the dignity that is customary among us. It will be especially useful if you choose as a friend one whose character and nature fit your own” (Spiritual Friendship).
Friends should be edifying, not demeaning; resolute in their desire to grow and help others grow in the Lord; not prone to suspicion but trusting and thoughtful; and focused on lofty and uplifting matters rather than those which are merely trivial.
By “fit your own” I don’t think Aelred means, “just like you.” We all need balance in our lives, and soul friends can provide that. God gave Eve to Adam because she was “opposite to him”, as the Hebrew has it. That is, she complemented him in many ways and was thus a “fit” companion. Peter and Paul were friends, but it took some doing for them to fit together. Paul submitted to Peter in Jerusalem—which may have been a bit of a struggle for him, given their respective backgrounds. And Peter was taken to the woodshed by Paul in Antioch—which was just what he needed at the moment. But the two loved and respected each other and benefited from their friendship, despite the fact that their backgrounds, callings, and personalities were different in many ways.
We want to love all our neighbors, co-laborers, and church friends. But we won’t get close to them all, and certainly not close enough to entrust the care and nurture of our soul to them. We must be patient in seeking the Lord for soul friends and gradual in beginning any such relationship. Only time will tell if we are a fit for one another. And if you find a true soul friend, give thanks to God, Who makes us to encourage and edify one another for His glory.
Teaching and learning as disciples
I continue my conversation with Mike McQueen about discipleship and making disciples. You can listen in by clicking the link or the audio bar at the top of each issue of Pastor to Pastor.
Resources for Shepherds
We have just published a new study for church leaders entitled The Ongoing Word of Christ: The Book of Acts and Beyond. In 13 lessons, this workbook reviews the work Jesus began to do and then, establishing a home base in Acts and roaming throughout the New Testament and beyond, looks at how Jesus is continuing His work in our day. Lots of questions for reflection and exercises for improving our work. And it’s free, simply by clicking here. Download a copy for yourself and share it with anyone you like.
Beginning on Wednesday, our ReVision series on “How to Pray for Your Church” will be looking at how we can pray for the work and impact of the church. You can review the first three parts of this four-part series by clicking here (scroll down to March 17, then scroll up and over to Page 1 to read all 21 installments thus far).
Looking for a summer study challenge? Our in-depth study of Ecclesiastes is now available as a free download by clicking here. Ecclesiastes speaks pointedly to the situation of our world and shows us the importance of making sure that, in all we do, we’re living “under the heavens” and not just “under the sun.”
From the Celtic Revival
With so many things demanding our attention, so many voices clamoring for our ear, and so great a backlog of things to do, we can easily lose sight of the priorities that make our life make sense. Our Celtic Christian forebears understood that, as we saw in a meditation based on this quote:
The first word I say
In the morning when I arise:
May Christ’s cross be my armor about me.
– Anonymous, Early Welsh[1]
You can read the entire meditation by clicking here. You can sign up to receive Crosfigell in your email box every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00 am (Eastern US). Just use the subscription button to update your subscriptions (scroll to the bottom of the home page).
Our top priority as shepherds is to know the Lord, then to lead the Lord’s sheep to know, love, and serve Him as well. But the journey is long and can be difficult, especially since we and the people we serve are daily beset by contrary winds. It can be difficult to keep a church on course with the Lord, the sails of our vessel filled and trimmed with the Wind of God only. So many strange and threatening winds seek to capture our sails and blow us off course. We may not be aware of these until we’ve already gone so far astray that it seems futile to tack back into the stream of the Spirit. Our book, Winds of Doctrine, can help you discern the spirits that are seeking to draw you and your church away from the Lord’s plan. Download a free copy in PDF by clicking here, and share it with others in your church.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this issue of Pastor to Pastor helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: We continue reading excerpts from the book, Revived! in our Read Moore column. Why not listen in? Last week’s Crosfigell letter included a challenge to greater spiritual vision. And in our ReVision series, “Pray for Your Church”, we urged readers to pray that all things might be done for edification in the local church. And new in our bookstore, Let God Be True and Enjoying God, both free to download and share, and Ecclesiastes: A Matter of Perspective, also in free PDF format.
Support for Pastor to Pastor comes from our faithful and generous God, who moves our readers to share financially in our work. If this article was helpful, please give Him thanks and praise.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[1] Davies, p. 274.
