Where is our focus? This appears to be a part of the issue with the modern church today.
We seem to strive so hard for quantity (ie: numbers) that we are missing out on the quality (disciple making). I seem to recall that God’s Word tells us to go and make disciples (quality). I dare say that if we were to follow His admonition – go and make disciples - then we can probably let Him worry about the quantity (numbers). But maybe part of the issue is our understanding (or lack thereof) of ‘what is a disciple’!
The prb understanding of ‘what is a disciple’:
- one who follows Jesus Christ and hears and listens to His voice,
- one who places their complete faith and trust in Him,
- one who allows the Holy Spirit to fully indwell them,
- one who grows in knowledge and stands firm on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (His Word - the Bible),
- one who is not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
- one who is steadfast in fighting the good fight of faith,
- one who resists the devil,
- one who understands that this world is not their own – that we are aliens and foreigners who are sojourners in this world,
- one whose hope is looking to and based upon the author and finisher of our faith,
- one who longs to be in His presence and glory in His grace, and
- one who loves the Lord God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength and loves their neighbors as themselves.
By faith, through grace, in truth – this is the life of a disciple.
Is there such a thing as a ‘quasi-disciple’ that seems to make up a large part of the ‘quantity’ church at large these days? Could this be one who attempts to follow Jesus (on Sundays and Wednesday nights) with one foot while yet keeping the other foot solidly in the world (might I use a biblical expression: lukewarm). There are those who are a ‘mile wide’ but an ‘inch deep’ and are joined with those who believe that Christianity is a ‘spectator sport’ that should be played only by the ‘professionals’. Somehow I don’t believe this is what Jesus had in mind when He said “come and follow Me”!
Quantity for the sake of quantity is rarely a good thing…and there are lots of good ‘reasons’ for churches to focus on quantity…yet, our focus should be on what God desires that we be – His disciples, witnesses unto Him and ministers of the Gospel of Christ. Might we join Him where He has called us – whether we are planters, water-ers, equippers, encouragers, exhorters and/or sometimes even rebuke-ers – that we might be His grace and truth dispensers…?
