Everyday Disciple

There is a danger that has been brewing for as long as people have been communicating. It is the oversimplification of important and complex matters into Bumper Sticker statements.

If you have been in the Christian life for even a short time, it’s likely that you have heard this saying, “All sin is the same,” or its cousin, “Your sin is no better than anyone else’s sin,” or its simplified version, “Sin is Sin”.

Mercy has been so butchered, betrayed, and deformed that people misconstrue its very nature. Misgendered Mercy and its cousin, Caustic Compassion, have become tunneling tools to undermine the foundations of Justice. When in reality, Mercy and Justice are partners, not opponents.

Here are the markers that will help us to see when Mercy and Compassion are being redefined and butchered. Mercy is an affirmation of the law, justice, and right and wrong. It is not a dismantling of the law or a questioning of its consequences. Mercy is the cry of the guilty, not a weapon for the defiant…

Have you ever wondered how LGBTQ activists, Antifa, and pro-Palestinian protesters end up on the same side? On the surface, it’s “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” but the real glue is Marxism, victimhood, and intersectionality. When personal responsibility is stripped away, life becomes about oppression and grievance—and the need for a savior disappears.

The Gospel offers the antidote: personal responsibility, acknowledgment of our brokenness, and the hope of Jesus. Revival begins when we reject the cult of victimhood and step into the life God intends for us.

“Christians are hypocrites.”

This is the anti-apologetic of our day. Christian behavior is one of the most leveraged pieces of evidence against the Gospel. And why wouldn’t skeptics argue this point? You don’t need to search far to find an article conveying the latest Church scandal or a statistic on divorce rates among confessed believers.

And too often, the church’s response to such criticism is to rub a little Scripture on it, and act like everything is okay. Nothing to see here.

Growing in my intentionality, as both a leader and a disciple-maker, has been one of the more challenging yet rewarding processes of my faith journey. Intentionality requires a clarity of purpose to operate from (the why) as well as a methodology to operate in (the how).

One specific area of intentionality that I have been discipled in and have grown through has been my ability to act intentionally in ministering to others in times of crisis and need. To be quite honest, I was afraid to act in times of crisis and in circumstances in which people were hurting, struggling and in need.

Forgive the “Star Trek” mantra as I introduce this article, but it encapsulates the mindset that we, as disciple-making churches, should be embracing.

By the time I arrived at a true disciple-making church, I had been a Christian for over forty-five years. Shortly after being saved my wife, Lynne, and I found ourselves in what I would describe as a second wave, Jesus Movement, Bible teaching church. I learned more about the Bible in those first six months than all the years in previous churches.

I used to think my DISCONTENT was a VIRTUE.

After all, it helped me experience the fortune of earning a multitude of titles in my amazing “Forrest Gump” life: Marine, Ironman, Coach of the Year, State Champion, Pastor, and Professor, to name a few.

I achieved much in my life because I was never satisfied. Always wanting more.

I believed this until I watched my father, who was also in the club of the DISCONTENT, wither away for three years before he finally passed away recently.

In my own journey of discipleship, I’ve come to realize the profound impact of intentional listening and thoughtful questioning in developing deep connections and journeying through spiritual growth. James 1:19 serves as a guiding principle, urging us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.

“Not for the faith of heart” is a phrase often used in our American culture. A topic one morning in my men’s small group we dove into. Pouring over the book of 2 Corinthians, we discussed the trials the Apostle Paul and his companions faced (2 Corinthians 11:23-33): terrifying shipwrecks, beatings, snake bites, to name a few, not to mention the jailings. The spiritual warfare he and those who walked with him endured seems unbearable. Several nervous comments hung around the table that morning regarding the relative ease we have today in comparison.

In Matthew 4, Jesus starts his ministry by approaching two fishermen, Simon (Peter) and Andrew. In words that would meet them exactly where they were, Jesus gives them a command, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (v. 19). Jesus made himself so clear, but unfortunately most of the modern church and Christians have decided to omit this command from what is expected of us as followers of Christ.

I sent him a text message that read, “Jesus is proud of you for stepping up like you did last week.” My friend X (yes, that’s his name) texted me back, “I said that out loud and it made me start to cry. I’ve never thought about Jesus actually being proud of me. Thank you man.” It was an incredible text message reaffirming my belief that we, as disciple-makers, must be intentional by “going with the goers.”

We can’t lead if we don’t know where we are going. We also can’t lead if we forget from where we have come.
Intentionality is key in discipleship. Once we begin to understand who we are in Christ (identity), we then begin to grow in understanding that God not only changes WHO we are, but also HOW we are and WHAT we do (purpose). Our new identity as His People gives us new purpose to live His mission!