Making disciples

“Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:14)

Every church has a goal, and the goal is to: Love God, love people and make disciples. The methodology of each church might be different, but the initial goal is the same.

Most churches do an okay job of gathering for discipleship (worship). If they got a letter grade it could be a C+ or a B-. Where we seem to receive a failing grade is in scattering. Once the church service is over you can stick a fork in us because we are done. We have moved from Jesus and on to lunch. It’s like a science fiction movie and our memories have been wiped clean. We forget that we have been bought with a price (1st Corinthians 6:20, Galatians 2:20) and our lives are not our own.

We a re bles sed to belong to a local church, to gather in a building and worship the one true liv ing God. But that’s the point, coming to a building on Sunday and Wednesday is not the end, it’s the beginning in many ways. We come so we can become and then bear fruit. The fruit is in the making of disciples. Each of us going back to our sphere of influence and sharing Jesus, showing Jesus and for those that acknowledge Jesus doing our part in growing them up in Jesus.

I follow a company called Fish Hippie on social media. They sell casual clothing that is geared towards those that like to fly fish and enjoy the adventure we call life. I see pictures on Instagram of half-shaved dudes sitting by fires in lawn chairs wearing trucker caps with the Fish Hippie logo laughing, no doubt telling stories that are half-truths.

When I see those pictures I see Jesus sitting in a lawn chair laughing, having a good time, wearing a Howler Bros. t-shirt, having conversations about Himself, asking people to follow Him. I can also imagine you sitting there in a lawn chair, letting people know how the power of the Gospel has changed you. It’s hardly ever either or and typically it’s both and we have to get in the four walls of the church and we have to get out of the four walls of the church, get by the fire, wear the trucker cap, sport the t-shirt, be real, let those without hope know there is hope.

All of this makes me think, why isn’t this happening or why doesn’t it happen? It’s Matthew 7:21-23. It ’s nominal Christianity. There are a lot of people living the spiritual version of the movie The Truman Show. These people are living on a spiritual sound stage.

The Blonde and I pray every morning. I’m so bummed out about the lack of success of the church to make disciples that make disciples, I just want to spend the morning weeping. It’s not even the lack of success, it’s the lack of desire. All I could pray this morning was, “Lord, you are omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, thank you. Lord, I want people to follow you. Amen.” We need to heed the call of discipleship.

He told me to tell you that.