In today's culture, we are seeing a trend where it appears the church is irrelevant. The Bible tells me that this will never be so. The church, or the Body of Christ, will never lose its purpose of drawing others to Christ. Helping them to grow in Him and helping them to identify their Spiritual Gifts is so important. In this way, they can serve within the Body and go out on Mission for and with Him. We may not have always done a great job at this, but it should still be the purpose nonetheless.
It is obvious the time for coming and gathering to worship God and go home is drawing to a close. A Faith that is vibrant and passionate about serving Christ and others is needed now more than ever. As we slip into a future where the majority of our nation will not know about God and will remain unchurched, it is necessary that we find other ways to be relevant other than the church setting. As we have seen in recent years, there is a growing consensus that church is not the place to go and be real. That it is a place where hypocrites gather and then come out and join the rest of the culture in the sins that plague our society. It is time to get real. It is time to choose who we will serve. The One True God or the many gods that our culture places value on.
Within the walls of our assemblies, our congregations are bogged down by church as usual. Generations have placed the importance on the gathering itself, rather than on a life-giving relationship with the Christ. We come, do what we do and what we have done for years and our results are.....? A membership that does not know, will not grow and won't go. By this, I mean that there are many who do not know how to grow in Christ because we have made "Christians" and not Disciples. We have made "Believers" but not Followers. We have led them to Saving Faith by escorting them down the Romans Road, but have left them there bewildered as to what to do next. They're told to read the Bible instead of having it expounded to them. We have told them Bible Stories since they were children, but have not explained life application from the Word. They see in those Bible Stories a God who is ever-present and all-powerful and they don't know that this same Person is available to them and to their lives. Prayer lives are unenthusiastic because we have made God a distant Deity instead of a Loving, Caring and Nurturing Father. They know a few verses and the books of the Bible, but nothing that brings lasting change. And so, having their "Golden Ticket" to get into heaven they sit and wait for Jesus to come back, without ever really knowing the life-giving power He wants to deposit into their lives through the Holy Spirit. They wonder, "if Jesus lives inside of me, why do I not have the strength I need?" Or, "I am doing the best I can, hope that's what He wants". They do not realize the Life-changing potential that lives inside of them.
I fear that many will not grow and have not grown much in their walk with the Lord. There are so many truths that even Christians who have been born again for years do not know. I understand that this requires a desire on their part to want to grow. But I also, see that the job of equipping that the church has done has been virtually non-existent for some. After years of being "saved", many have fallen into routines and rituals rather than falling into the arms of the Savior. The expectation for growth has been greater than the desire to help them grow. You wouldn't plant a tree, shrub or flower and just expect it to grow by itself; so why do you expect it from individuals in their walk with the Lord? Our commitment to seeing and helping others grow in Christ should be our greatest desire, since Jesus called us to make disciples. Teaching them to observe everything that He commanded, takes time and commitment. This should be our heart for others. Of the many issues that we can place importance on, this should be at the top of the list. Instead, there is an expectation that believers who have sat in churches for many years, somehow magically grow on their own and become some of the most committed followers of Christ. If we tried to raise our children like this, how do you think they would turn out? Expecting newborns to chew on the meat of the Word, is silly and just because they are in the audience, does not mean that they will grow. We must be intentional about this as well, for if we are not, then the last part will not happen....
They won't go, because they don't know and haven't grown. They refuse to go and want to leave it to somebody else. They may feel ill-equipped or they may feel that they don't have to. After all, why should we care about those who want to kill us? Or many come and sit, waiting for the game plan to unfold. Many do not realize that their identity comes from Christ, and therefore, they are trapped with a mindset that He cannot and will not use them, for they are still unworthy. The fields are white and so are their faces, scared to go because they lack the confidence that Christ gives. Some long-time believers feel that they don't have to go. As long as they come and give money at church and are good neighbors, they are fulfilling the watered-down great commission. But Christ calls us to so much more! We must look for opportunities to help others and make disciples. This can be anywhere from within our church houses to next door or around the world. He didn't say where, but He did say to do it. The ends of the earth will not be reached if we do not start.
I see a great mission field within our congregations, men and women who must be taught Who loves them, who to love and how to do it. A body that needs to learn Who their bodies belong to and how they are gifted, in order to make disciples of outsiders. I am not advocating spending years upon years teaching and re-teaching the same things over and over to the same people. I am saying that if they are a knowing disciple that they should want to move to being a growing disciple. From there, they can be a missional disciple. Unfortunately, we have made all of this optional. Churches that teach and expound the Word of God, will become places where marginal Christians will not be comfortable. I am not suggesting that this should be our goal either, but that we would welcome them again, walk with them and watch what God can do with them, as they surrender their comfortable lives to abandonment for Christ.
Some may say that we need to just start over and I agree that many need a fresh start with Christ. But teaching and exhorting them as to how to grow in Him and what that looks like is a good place to start. Those whose lives are broken, spirits are crushed and are still carrying the weight of their sins will gain Freedom in Finding Christ as their all in all. As they accept their new identity in Him, they will gain His confidence in becoming who He has gifted them to be. With this new-found position in Him, they will not fail to share the Gospel with anyone in their range of vision. As they come to understand that they are fully loved and fully accepted because of Christ's work on the cross and that His righteousness makes them so, they will be filled with compassion to love and find others to bring Home to Him as well. Bottom line: Make Disciples and they Will reproduce!
It is obvious the time for coming and gathering to worship God and go home is drawing to a close. A Faith that is vibrant and passionate about serving Christ and others is needed now more than ever. As we slip into a future where the majority of our nation will not know about God and will remain unchurched, it is necessary that we find other ways to be relevant other than the church setting. As we have seen in recent years, there is a growing consensus that church is not the place to go and be real. That it is a place where hypocrites gather and then come out and join the rest of the culture in the sins that plague our society. It is time to get real. It is time to choose who we will serve. The One True God or the many gods that our culture places value on.
Within the walls of our assemblies, our congregations are bogged down by church as usual. Generations have placed the importance on the gathering itself, rather than on a life-giving relationship with the Christ. We come, do what we do and what we have done for years and our results are.....? A membership that does not know, will not grow and won't go. By this, I mean that there are many who do not know how to grow in Christ because we have made "Christians" and not Disciples. We have made "Believers" but not Followers. We have led them to Saving Faith by escorting them down the Romans Road, but have left them there bewildered as to what to do next. They're told to read the Bible instead of having it expounded to them. We have told them Bible Stories since they were children, but have not explained life application from the Word. They see in those Bible Stories a God who is ever-present and all-powerful and they don't know that this same Person is available to them and to their lives. Prayer lives are unenthusiastic because we have made God a distant Deity instead of a Loving, Caring and Nurturing Father. They know a few verses and the books of the Bible, but nothing that brings lasting change. And so, having their "Golden Ticket" to get into heaven they sit and wait for Jesus to come back, without ever really knowing the life-giving power He wants to deposit into their lives through the Holy Spirit. They wonder, "if Jesus lives inside of me, why do I not have the strength I need?" Or, "I am doing the best I can, hope that's what He wants". They do not realize the Life-changing potential that lives inside of them.
I fear that many will not grow and have not grown much in their walk with the Lord. There are so many truths that even Christians who have been born again for years do not know. I understand that this requires a desire on their part to want to grow. But I also, see that the job of equipping that the church has done has been virtually non-existent for some. After years of being "saved", many have fallen into routines and rituals rather than falling into the arms of the Savior. The expectation for growth has been greater than the desire to help them grow. You wouldn't plant a tree, shrub or flower and just expect it to grow by itself; so why do you expect it from individuals in their walk with the Lord? Our commitment to seeing and helping others grow in Christ should be our greatest desire, since Jesus called us to make disciples. Teaching them to observe everything that He commanded, takes time and commitment. This should be our heart for others. Of the many issues that we can place importance on, this should be at the top of the list. Instead, there is an expectation that believers who have sat in churches for many years, somehow magically grow on their own and become some of the most committed followers of Christ. If we tried to raise our children like this, how do you think they would turn out? Expecting newborns to chew on the meat of the Word, is silly and just because they are in the audience, does not mean that they will grow. We must be intentional about this as well, for if we are not, then the last part will not happen....
They won't go, because they don't know and haven't grown. They refuse to go and want to leave it to somebody else. They may feel ill-equipped or they may feel that they don't have to. After all, why should we care about those who want to kill us? Or many come and sit, waiting for the game plan to unfold. Many do not realize that their identity comes from Christ, and therefore, they are trapped with a mindset that He cannot and will not use them, for they are still unworthy. The fields are white and so are their faces, scared to go because they lack the confidence that Christ gives. Some long-time believers feel that they don't have to go. As long as they come and give money at church and are good neighbors, they are fulfilling the watered-down great commission. But Christ calls us to so much more! We must look for opportunities to help others and make disciples. This can be anywhere from within our church houses to next door or around the world. He didn't say where, but He did say to do it. The ends of the earth will not be reached if we do not start.
I see a great mission field within our congregations, men and women who must be taught Who loves them, who to love and how to do it. A body that needs to learn Who their bodies belong to and how they are gifted, in order to make disciples of outsiders. I am not advocating spending years upon years teaching and re-teaching the same things over and over to the same people. I am saying that if they are a knowing disciple that they should want to move to being a growing disciple. From there, they can be a missional disciple. Unfortunately, we have made all of this optional. Churches that teach and expound the Word of God, will become places where marginal Christians will not be comfortable. I am not suggesting that this should be our goal either, but that we would welcome them again, walk with them and watch what God can do with them, as they surrender their comfortable lives to abandonment for Christ.
Some may say that we need to just start over and I agree that many need a fresh start with Christ. But teaching and exhorting them as to how to grow in Him and what that looks like is a good place to start. Those whose lives are broken, spirits are crushed and are still carrying the weight of their sins will gain Freedom in Finding Christ as their all in all. As they accept their new identity in Him, they will gain His confidence in becoming who He has gifted them to be. With this new-found position in Him, they will not fail to share the Gospel with anyone in their range of vision. As they come to understand that they are fully loved and fully accepted because of Christ's work on the cross and that His righteousness makes them so, they will be filled with compassion to love and find others to bring Home to Him as well. Bottom line: Make Disciples and they Will reproduce!
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