In our efforts to redefine Church Health, we acknowledge that a vital trait of a healthy church is being biblically grounded in all aspects of ministry. This involves allowing Scripture to guide and inspire all aspects of ministry. Today, I’m pleased to introduce Dan Jansen, a member of our newly formed National Church Health Team and Lead Pastor at Pineridge House Community Church. This church has successfully planted two growing congregations and has a deep love for the Bible.
I’ve asked Dan to share more with us about how he considers biblically grounded discipleship an indispensable key for the ongoing health of his local church, how he practices it in his own context, and how that kind of discipleship aids them even in raising new leaders capable of planting new churches.
In his response, he discusses the role of biblical wisdom in Christian discipleship, including their post-sermon dialogue in a discovery bible study format. His perspective on approaching Wisdom literature in the Bible, especially the book of Proverbs, again reminds me of the complex yet meaningful tapestry of ‘wisdom literature’ found in the Bible (in texts like Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs). For example, Proverbs generally reflects God’s intended order of life on earth, based on Solomon’s reflections and experiences. Meanwhile, Ecclesiastes shows the frustrations of a skeptic, examining the ‘glitches’ of life with doubt and wonder. As we read the bible even further, we also see that true wisdom not only goes beyond personal experiences with life’s causes and effects but also includes lessons from the Book of Job, which also recognizes life’s unpredictability and the surprising reality of suffering, (as well as the disparity between good and bad experiences). Wisdom literature, therefore, offers a comprehensive guide to understanding the complexities of faith and existence, ultimately pointing us to Jesus, who embodies God’s wisdom for us (1 Corinthians 1:24). Today, Dan Jansen explains how the book of Proverbs has unexpectedly become a vital source of wisdom in his church’s discipleship journey.
Let’s hear from Dan Jansen:
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What role should Biblical wisdom play in the life of the believer?
The immediate answer, of course, is to declare it as being indispensable. But what does that mean? At Pineridge House Community Church, we believe the Bible speaks into every category of life – every category! Proverbs 1 and 2 serve as a great starting point for understanding discipleship for us.
Proverbs, evidently written by the wisest man who ever lived (1 Kings 4:29), applies God’s principles to everyday life: how you handle relationships, finances, work, sexuality, parenting, attitudes, decision-making, and more. It expresses God’s blueprint for living life as He designed it. But it requires a willing submission, without argument, to come underneath its directives.
Proverbs 2:6, for example, says ‘The Lord gives Wisdom, from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.’ We are dependent on oxygen, food, and water to sustain our physical lives. Similarly, we are equally dependent on God’s wisdom for how we live out our lives on this planet. Solomon, in personifying wisdom, gives a rebuke to those who neglect her counsel: ‘you neglected my counsel and did not want my reproof.’ As a result of this refusal to accept God’s wise reproof, wisdom responds (almost in a playful yet sinister manner): “Alright you don’t want to listen to me, fine, I’ll sit back …watch and laugh when calamity and distress come upon you (1:26,27).” The uncomfortable implication of this is that people who do not abide by God’s wisdom will, sooner or later, find themselves in calamity and distress. It’s what verse 31 calls ‘eating the fruit of your own way’.
The only way out of this is to submit to God and His Wisdom. This dependency is described in 2:1-5: ‘receive His words of wisdom (vs. 2), treasure His commands (vs. 2), be attentive to Wisdom, cry for it (vs.3), seek it/search for it as hidden treasure (vs 4,5)’.
At Pineridge Church, we take the entire counsel of God’s way seriously and look to His wisdom in every category of life:
Take finances, for example. We draw on direct teachings from the Bible on how to invest, when to buy a house, managing debt, what generosity looks like to God and others, financial expectations at retirement, inheritance, and more.
Or consider parenting – the Bible outlines the principles for the kinds of expectations you can have for your children, provided you follow His way. We’ve witnessed how once self-centred children grow into loving and kind kids that everyone enjoys being around. While they all begin with some ‘foolishness’ (as Proverbs would put it), with patience and positive guidance, they can certainly learn and grow beyond that.
This kind of teaching applies to all aspects of life, including work, overcoming unforgiveness, various aspects of human sexuality, marriage, and how to share the Gospel with others. However, when we teach these categories, we are not downloading Biblical theology. We use a discovery approach to promote interaction around the Bible. We even have a post-sermon dialogue every Sunday, where people share their thoughts on the sermon, are encouraged to disagree, and ask questions with the pastor, who is on the ‘hot seat’ so to speak. This ‘discovery’ approach also applies to all our Bible studies, where the leader acts as a facilitator, guiding participants through a book of the Bible without providing any kind of booklet to instruct individuals on the theology they should learn. Those who have been Christians for a longer time are usually our group leaders, with a greater understanding of God’s categories of life. However, their goal is not to deliver our church’s pre-packaged theology, but rather to facilitate group discovery and exploration. We focus on one passage per group meeting, rather than a ‘popcorn’ style (jumping around with verses from all over the place). This approach enables all levels of Christian maturity to participate in the discussion, without new Christians feeling inadequate for not being familiar with other parts of the Bible that may speak to a particular life category.
The members of our churches aren’t just looking to be tolerated; they are seeking guidance, and the Bible serves as our definitive source, directly from ‘the mouth of God.’ If we lack the courage or feel ashamed to speak directly from the Bible, regardless of how offensive it might seem, those we serve will continue to stumble and wonder why their lives aren’t really improving (Proverbs 1:24-31). I challenge everyone reading this to undertake the journey through the entire book of Proverbs, for instance, and commit to ‘applying’ every teaching and principle found there (in community too). That is the essence of discipleship. The Word of God teaches, rebukes, corrects, and thoroughly trains all who are willing to submit to it (2 Timothy 3:16).
Dan Jansen
Lead Pastor at Pineridge House Community Church in Calgary AB.
