Discipline to make Disciples

“Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;” ESV 1 Timothy 4:7

Rarely does such a rare find pass my way; a find worthy of careful attention and a second look rather than a passing glance. More often they are so plentiful that they scarcely catch my attention, though like candy, many are adorned with attractive wrappers. But this one—it’s the real deal and it’s back in its rightful place; on my night stand.

Forgive me for going on so, but I just can’t overemphasize just how good this book is. The title of the book is Disciplines of a Godly Man. It was written by R. Kent Hughes and I highly recommend it for the men on your gift list. Given the title, you might even think of some men to add to your gift list!

As the title indicates, this is a book about discipline. Hughes maintains that “personal discipline is the indispensable key for accomplishing anything in this life.” Then he immediately engages readers by giving practical examples. He mentions Mike Singletary (a pro football standout), Hemingway (one of the greatest writers ever), and even Winston Churchill. Did you know that Churchill practiced his impromptu speeches? Think about that one a minute.

As I thought about these examples and Paul’s call for Timothy to be disciplined for the sake of godliness, I wondered how the same challenge might apply to our churches. And whether, if the church today took up the challenge, our world might be different. I’m convinced that revival would break out as never before.

The church’s chief duty as I see it is to proclaim God’s word. That’s how the church carries out The Great Commission. It is the proclamation of God’s word that awakens sinners to their dire condition. It is the proclamation of God’s word that brings people to faith in Christ. In essence, disciples are made through the preaching, teaching and sharing of God’s word.

Consider this. What if every Christian followed Churchill’s lead and practiced their impromptu speeches? What if every Christian practiced and polished his or her testimony so that it could be shared at a moments notice when the opportunity presented itself? What if we put a little sweat into preparing to share our faith? I’m convinced that if we did these things that God would pour out his blessings on us as never before.

Train yourself for godliness this week. Practice your impromptu speech. Be prepared to share the good news with someone. It’ll take discipline of course. But with God’s blessing, your discipline may add a disciple to the Kingdom.

- Ken Askew

Jesus is on His Throne

And Jesus came and said to them [the disciples], “All authority in heaven and on earth as been given to me.” ESV Matthew 28:18

Have you ever noticed how encouraging words seem to come at just the right moment but often times from the most unlikely places? That happened to me last week.

It had been a particularly stressful day at the office and the afternoon shadows had begun to lengthen outside my window. I was tired and mentally exhausted (pencil pushers like myself don’t usually get physically exhausted at work) when the phone rang. My assistant let me know that the caller was a friend of mine from Huntsville who’s in the same business as me.

I had barely mustered a half-hearted hello when the cheerful voice on the other end proclaimed, “Ken, isn’t it great to know that Jesus is still on His throne!” Even in my mentally exhausted state, I recognized the truth of what my friend had just said. Considering it further, I began to take solace in his words. Yes. Yes, it is great to know that Jesus is still on His throne I thought to myself.

The bible tells us that when Jesus’ work on earth was finished that he ascended into heaven and God the Father seated him at his right hand; a seat of honor and authority. But just what had Jesus accomplished? What work on earth had Jesus finished? Jesus had completed, as only he could, the work of salvation for mankind. Taking on the form of a man, Jesus kept God’s Law perfectly and then took God’s perfect and just wrath towards sinners (law breakers) by dying on the cross. He did this so that all, through faith and repentance, who believe on him might be spared God’s wrath; even united with him in perfect fellowship. That’s what it means to be saved!

So, having completed the required work of salvation, Christ rose from the grave (defeating even death) and was chatting with his disciples before he ascended to heaven when he uttered the reassuring words of our verse today.

What are you facing today? Is work stressful? Is your home life a wreck? Is your ministry not bearing fruit? Are your kids dealing you grief? Whatever the dilemma, Christians can take solace in the fact that the same Jesus who paid for their salvation; the same Jesus who defeated even death; that same Jesus is at the right hand of the Father and everything has been placed under his rule. 


Christians, be encouraged. There is not a problem too big for our Savior and He is still on His throne.

-Ken Askew

I didn’t mean to say...

“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” ESV Luke 6:45

A couple of weeks ago I attended a conference called “The power of words and the wonder of God.” You can tell from the title the theme for the three days was, well, words. But more particularly; how we use words. We can use words to build up or to tear down. And ironically, often it is the same mouth that speaks evil, which also proclaims to know and worship God. How can that be?

Paul Tripp preached a sermon on this subject that has stuck in my mind. So I want to share a few things with you that have lingered in my thoughts. By the way, I highly recommend Paul’s writings as well as those of his brother Ted Tripp. They are both top-notch Christian writers and have several titles available through Christian bookstores.

How often have you said something and immediately retracted it by saying, “I didn’t mean to say that” or “what I meant to say was...?” Not being the most sensitive guy in the world, I’ve wished all to often that I could take my words back because of their enormous power to cause problems and inflict pain.

But here’s a dreadful reality. I cannot truthfully say, “I didn’t mean to say that” and neither can you. Speech requires thought and thought springs forth from the treasure we store in our hearts. Paul Tripp said it this way: “Nothing comes out of the mouth...that wasn’t there to start with.” So, if our words have inflicted pain, if we feel remorse and regret for what we’ve said, a more truthful response would be to say:

“Please forgive me for saying what I meant.” Ouch!

Paul went on to point out that word problems are really heart problems. What kind of treasure are we storing in our hearts? The kind of treasure we store up will dictate the kind of words we speak. Do you store the wisdom, attitude, and expectations of the world or do you store up God’s word in your heart?

Sinclair Ferguson, another conference speaker, gave this advice with regards to taming our speech: “The most important aid we have in taming our tongue for God’s glory is to saturate ourselves with God’s word.” I couldn’t agree more.

So, guard your words carefully this week. Make sure your speech reflects the precious treasure of God’s word in your heart and not the evil treasure of the world that is constantly bombarding and influencing you. Make God’s word the abundant and overriding treasure of our heart.

-Ken Askew

This God…

This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. ESV 2Samuel 22:31

Sometimes things can seem overwhelming. I was reminded this week that money, family, health and religion (maybe not in that order) are four of the most important things to most people. A sudden change in any of these four things can have dramatic impact on the way we think, act and feel. Ironically, the change does not have to be negative to have an adverse effect on us emotionally.

I’ve known people who’ve had a monetary windfall become depressed. And yes, I’ve known people who have experienced a monetary crisis who became distraught.

Surely, anyone with children knows the anxiety of thinking that their child’s health or safety may be in jeopardy.

I’ve seen a crisis of faith bring people to their knees. Yet it is faith in the God of the bible that brings the ultimate comfort in our times of need. Many times our plea simply needs to be, God, grant me faith that I may have confidence and believe in you!

As I read the Bible I find that there is nothing new about the problems we face. Oh, our money might look different, our children may have different toys and clothes, we may face different health issues, but our everyday concerns are not materially different than during the biblical times when you get down to the root causes. The challenges we face are the same even if they are disguised in different forms. At the end of the day, the basic issues we face endure from generation to generation.

When you read in the bible about King David you come to realize that he was a man confronted with many issues capable of giving rise to emotional despair. For many years he was a hunted man. His family could be described as at least somewhat dysfunctional. He had an infant son die and an adult son rebel against him. His reign as king was marked with the blood of many battles. His personal failures were many. Yet through it all, during it all –perhaps because of it all—David maintained his faith in God.

The words of our verse today are part of what my bible titles “David’s Song of Deliverance.” Are you like David? Have you discovered that God’s way is perfect and that His words always prove true? There is no greater comfort and no safer refuge –regardless of your circumstance—than can be found in the arms of God. This God is not hidden. This God has made himself known most fully through his son Christ Jesus.

Like David, this God can be your refuge, your safe haven, if only you’ll call on him through faith in his son.

-Ken Askew