Are you proud to be a follower of Jesus Christ? Are you proud to be a member of your local
church? If yes to either or both, then
why is it so hard to share Christ with those who don't know Him...or even
simply share anything about our faith life with others around us?
Our mission, as given to us by Jesus Himself, is to make
disciples. He doesn't say to make
converts only, but to make disciples.
The Church in general is doing a poor job of simply making converts,
even though Christ said to go further and make disciples. However, even if the Church was making
converts at a break neck pace, Christianity would be dead in one
generation. You see, making disciples
requires the one who has become a disciple to pass it on and make disciples
themselves. Disciples making
disciples...that is Jesus' plan for the Church!
There should only be three types of people in the local
churches:
1) Seekers - those checking out the claims of Christ and His
followers and trying to decide if they will buy in to His claims to be the Son
of God who takes away the sin of the world.
2) New believers - those who have accepted Christ as their
Savior and are now ready to be a disciple.
These people should seek out a mentor to help in the discipleship
process. This is when you begin
discovering the passions and gifts that God has given you, and start using them
to serve others (volunteering, ministry, etc.).
3) Disciple makers - those who have been and are a disciple,
who are purposefully seeking out others to mentor into a relationship with
Christ as well as walking with those new believers as they start the journey of
discipleship. Here is where you are
serving in the church as well as serving individuals on a mentoring and discipleship
level.
The problem is that the churches are filled with people who
do not fall into one of those categories.
They are filled with sponges - people who are looking out for themselves
only, filling the seats week after week without giving a thought to volunteering
or mentoring someone that is younger in faith than they are. Many of these people are the very ones that
may have attended regularly for years but never share the good news of Jesus,
make disciples or even help out in volunteering in Children's Ministry, being a
Greeter, Facilitating a class, etc...these are the same ones that are first to
complain about a problem, but are never willing to help with the solution!
It is time for the professing Christians to begin fulfilling
the great commission to make disciples.
First thing we need to do is to get rid of this ridiculous idea that
faith and ______________ (politics, school, work, etc. – you pick) don't
mix. If you are a professing follower of
Jesus Christ then stop using excuses and start sharing your faith! To say that you cannot mix these things is to
say that having strong character and integrity did not come from the fact that
you have a God that has shown you an honorable way to live and that all moral
absolutes come from His Truth! Of course
if we are true followers of Christ we will show strong character and
integrity...so how can you separate who you are from the things you do (work,
school, etc.)? Here is the problem...too
many so called Christians do so every day by the way they live their lives at
work or school without thinking twice about living an honorable life of
character and integrity that has been modeled for us so well by Jesus. And it happens in the churches as well...we
must stand up for what, or Who, we believe in and if those around us claim to
be offended then it just may be God convicting them. I am not saying to go be rude...Jesus never
did that! I am saying that since we know
the Truth about what happens to those who do not accept Jesus as Lord and
Savior (the torment of hell is beyond our imagination) then why in the world
would we shy away from sharing that reality?
Should we pick and choose who we will love enough to save from the torment
of eternity in hell? I should hope not!
It is time for Christians to grow up in their faith (so to
speak) and take seriously the command the make disciples: To get off our
backsides and love others enough to share eternal life with them; To volunteer on Sunday mornings so that the
seeker can come in and be loved and learn about the Good News that we so dearly
love; To walk alongside those seekers
and mentor them by sharing life and faith and maybe a cup of coffee as you
develop a relationship that may have eternal consequences; To be discipled by a
more mature believer and continue that gift by discipling others who are
younger in their faith walk.
I truly believe that God will have words with those who
stand by and, after accepting the most amazing gift ever given to anyone,
simply sit back and coast into the Kingdom and selfishly hoard the Church as if
it is an institution created to serve them...WE ARE THE CHURCH! Time to stand up, grow up, and act like it!
Matthew 5:13
(NASB) Disciples and the World - 13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the
salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good
for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
This scripture is clear...we are either salt,
which was considered very valuable for preserving food and for adding flavor,
or we are useless...thrown out and trampled by the world.
14“You are
the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does
anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it
gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in
such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in
heaven.
You see, the answer to the question in verse 13 (how can it
be made salty again?) is in verse 16. We
are to be salt and light, shining for the world to see and adding flavor to
this world...preserving the name of Christ in all we do. When we are saved, it is not about what we
do, it's about who we are. But once we
know who we are, or better yet Whose we are, then it is about what we do (see
verse 16 above – so that they may see
your good works…) as we serve by fulfilling Christ's commission for the
believers of this world...to go make
disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit, and teaching them all that Jesus has commanded (paraphrased from
Matthew 28:18-20).
Well Church, we have a choice. We can be Salt and Light, or we can be
sponges – sucking up all around us and stinking up the faith we claim to have. I suggest we be Salt and Light as we live the
lives we have only because of what Jesus did!
I am not sure why the gospel is referred to as good news...it is THE
GREATEST NEWS OF ALL TIME! Why on God's
earth (it's not ours anyway) would we not share such wonderful news! Make that commitment now...live the live that
you have for the very One that gave you that life in the first place...and pass
it on!
Let's stand up, grow up, and become The Church that God can
be proud to say is His!
