When we are not admiring our church buildings or puffing up over our “body of work” in the kingdom, we are counting souls. How many were at service? How many came forward? How full are the parking lots and the pews. There are a multitude of problems with this. First, we don’t add a single soul to the kingdom, that’s the work of the Holy Spirit. Second, our job is not salvation and sanctification, those are the work of God’s grace.
Our job is not to save souls, but to disciple them. It’s a lot tougher to measure success in the disciplining business and that’s a good thing. A disciple is a “follower.” You can’t make someone a “follower” by teaching them or preaching to them or conveying information to them. You can only make followers by example. It takes a follower to make a follower. Here are some good tips. As we follow Him, we give example and become carriers of His light. That provokes others to follow and we are discipline. We can’t measure success or count noses. We just have a joyful sense that we’ve moved closer to Him.
One becomes a convert in an instant, changing direction, and becoming a new creäture by the Spirit. But following is the process of putting one foot in front of the other continuously. Following never ends, because Jesus, the leader, never stops moving. As soon as we stop moving, we have stopped following and we are no longer disciples.
Consider just how radical this disciplining is. In modern Christianity it seems we become children of God and expect, like children, to have the Lord follow us around, cleaning up our messes and making our lives fit for “King’s Kids.” There seem little concern for following, for growing, for becoming more like Him.
Christianity is not a spectator sport. It’s for doers, followers, disciples.
Lord how have I followed today? What have I done in response to your lead? How have I become more like you? Those who are watching…and there are those who are watching.. are they motivated to follow or persuaded that it’s just fine to be comfortable in the pews?
Keep moving, be a disciple and be blessed.
Nick.
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