Author: Jonathan Dodson

Earlier this Fall I spoke at BUILD MEN, a gospel-centered mens conference. As I prayed and wrestled through this talk, I was led to speak on applying the gospel to our vocation. This topic is relevant to both men and women who work. However, application is made explicitly to men, especially those who are out of work or who overwork. I took a unique approach to this issue by applying the Gospel Story to the issues of our Vocational Stories (whether we are employed or unemployed, fulfilled or unfulfilled). This message is less about “men’s issues” and more about the how to live inside the Gospel Story as a man. I’d love for those who are struggling with work in our church to listen to this message and discuss it with a friend. An excerpt to draw you in:

The Humbling Power of the Gospel Story

The idea that we are so bad, broken, so bent that someone else has to suffer for us (whipped and beaten), has to die for us (serve our death sentence) should be incredibly humbling. But its not. Why? Because we refuse to relive the gospel story every day, to remind ourselves that Jesus is the center not us. Why would we refuse to relive such a remarkable story? We refuse because the Gospel doesn’t make us the center of the story (it humbles us and continually draws attention away from us). We refuse the gospel story, because we prefer other stories. We prefer to ground our identity in alternate, competing stories that tell us we are the main character, that we take center stage. See, the Gospel isn’t man-centered, a place to discover your manliness; it is Christ-centered a place to discover Christ. If the first way we can recover our identity is to relearn the Gospel story, as a personal, Jesus-centered Story, then the second way is Repent from belief in competing stories, false gospel stories that provide us with surrogate identities, that make us central.

Don’t Build Your Worth by Work

Building your worth on your work or lack of work is spiritual suicide. If you measure your worth by your work, it will be the end of you. The Vocational story tells us the lie that we must for our significance but the Gospel tells us that we work from our significance, from our acceptance, worth, and value in Christ. When we lose work, we lose confidence. Gaining a job, we regain confidence? The real reason we lack confidence as men is because we lack confidence in the gospel. We are fully prepared to immerse ourselves in work but not into the Gospel story, in Jesus, who gives us worth.

Listen To: Finding Your Identity in the Gospel Story

Check out the Other messages from the Conference by Bob Smart & Joe Thorn

I am very pleased to announce that Crossway/ReLIT has accepted my book proposal for Gospel-Centered Discipleship. I am sending the signed contract in today! This book will be a revised, expanded version of the self-published Fight Clubs. If you’ve read and applied Fight Clubs, feel free to make any other suggestions in the comments. The final manuscript will include the following.

6 Revisions & Some Additions:

1. Re-titling the book. Using the subtitle as an alternative title (or choosing a new one), will allow for broader acceptance and avoid association with violent, hypermasculine imagery. I also wish to maintain the biblical “fighting” metaphor, while avoiding possible creative infringement.

2. Revisions and Expansions. I will sharpen the main text of the book. I hope to revise the grammatical inconsistencies and citations as well as add more illustrations to the chapters in order to make Gospel-centered Discipleship even more accessible to the reader.

3. Clearer structure. I plan on making chapters two and three more distinct. I will refocus chapter two to only cover motivational pitfalls and leave gospel-driven motivations to chapter three.

4. Stand alone chapter on the Spirit. I will make my segment on the Holy Spirit’s role in Gopsel-centered discipleship into its own chapter. I believe the Spirit has been left out of discipleship for so long that He deserves His own dedicated chapter. This section is far too important to be missed in a quick reading of chapter three.

5. Expand on Missional Discipleship. Chapter four will also include a section on how the missional component of the Gospel is addressed in Gospel-centered Discipleship. I had left this out in the initial version of the book, but in order to be a fully Gospel-centered approach to discipleship, the missional dimension cannot be avoided.

6. More Practical Advice. Due to the popularity of Fight Clubs (sold 2,500 this year and gave away over 10K electronic), I plan on adding a chapter on how they can be implemented in the local church. This chapter will also include some “best practices” of Fight Clubs.

In a past-paced society which is prone to success more than solitude, this excerpt from Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) pinpoints why it is so important that we slow down.

If you are wise therefore you will show yourself a reservoir and not a canal. For a canal pours out as fast as it takes in; but a reservoir waits till it is full before it over flows, and so communicates its surplus…We have all too few such reservoirs in the Church at present, thought we have canals in plenty. – Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on Song of Songs

Be a Reservoir Not a Canal

Rest, reflection, and extended times of listening to God are essential to blessing, serving, and honoring others. People who do not slow down to fill up, never really live, work, or minister out of a deep reservoir of grace. If we’re honest, many of us are more like a canal. We dispense advice, counsel, creativity, labor, and parenting as soon as it arrives in our minds. Our half-formed notions run from our heads and out of our mouths with little reflection at all. When the flow dries up, we trudge on generating sludge that drips out in complaining, bitterness, cynicism and despair. A canal never fills up; it just runs out and eventually runs dry. A reservoir, however, fills up and flows out.

We Have Too Few Reservoirs in the Church

“We have too few reservoirs in the Church.” A ten century old stinging critique. I long to counsel, teach, preach, parent, and live out of deep wells of grace, but sometimes life and ministry cause them to dry up more quickly than others. Bernard reminds me that in times of dryness, it is all the more necessary to run our cups back under the waterfall of God’s fountain of never-ending grace.

To bully on without a reservoir is not only foolish but sinful. It is a subtle, but deep declaration that all we need is Self, and that God, should he play a part in our day, is privileged to do so. This is an act of self-worship, a gross heresy that flies in the face of the gospel. Fortunately the gospel of grace is big enough for this. Out of his great love God may press our nose into our odorous behavior, not to shame us, but to lead us into pastures that are green with repentance and flush with joy, to lead us by streams of living water, where once again we can be awakened to God’s deeply satisfying presence. Repentance will be necessary to escape the run-off of a canal lived life.

A Reservoir Waits Til it Overflows

Bernard reminds us that we know a reservoir by its overflowing. Pastors, if we are to speak, work, write, teach, counsel, and preach with depth, we must wait until our reservoir is full. Waiting over God’s Word and in prayer until our affections, thoughts, and desires are flooding with grace and wisdom. For me, this is a daily if not more frequent necessity. My health and the vitality of those I lead depend on it–an overflow of grace. Lord, make us reservoirs not canals!