Disciples or Seat Warmers?

Is your church making disciples for Jesus or just housing seat warmers? Here's 10 ways to tell by Ron Edmonston:

Here are 10 indications a church is making disciples:

Those who have been in the church the longest complain the least. – Do everything without complaining or arguing. Philippians 2:14

The leaders of the church are most likely to give up “their” seats, park farther from the building, or do whatever is necessary to help the Body. – The greatest among you must be a servant. Matthew 23:11

The church celebrates most when those far from faith come to faith. In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away! Luke 15:7

Members care that others needs are met more than their own. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Philippians 2:4

The church is willing to make sacrifices to attract the lost – And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Acts 15:19

There is joy even during suffering – Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds. James 1:2

The teaching is a balance of truth and grace. Jesus came full of grace and truth.John 1:17

The financial needs of the church are funded, with people willingly sacrificing. No one begs for money. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

There are no petty disputes and grudges among the people of the church.Therefore encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

The church takes care of each other well. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. Acts 4:34

Taking a Break From Jesus

Ever wanted to take a break from Jesus? Can we take vacations from God? If you try an do so, does it change you? Can you take a leave of absence from following Jesus, from living right, from discipleship and devotion, and just come back an pick up where you left off?

Uh, No!!!

The material below is from an interesting article by Derek Rishmawry at The Gospel Coalition:

....I always tell my students they need to be aware of the myths and stories they tell themselves about reality, because the story you think you're in determines the character you become. Neutral time is a particularly popular story. It goes something like this:

I've been a good kid in high school. I've done my homework, been to Bible study, and didn't mess around too much or anything. Now, though, I really want to go out and enjoy myself a bit. The "college experience" is calling, and I can't be expected to go and not let loose a little bit. I mean, I really love Jesus and my faith will always be a big part of my life, but you know, I'll just go off for a bit, maybe a semester or two, have my fun, and then be back around. You'll see.

Many assumptions underlie this story, but the main one seems to be that faith is unchanging, timeless, and perennial. Your walk with Jesus is something you can leave alone for a while and, once you've done your own thing for a bit, pick up again. "Neutral time" is like calling timeout so you can go the restroom or take a break in the middle of the game; when you come back the score, time, and possession is just like where you left off last.

Magic (Or, Nothing Works That Way)

I call this explanation "magic" because basically nothing else in life works this way. If I decided, "You know, for the next few months, I'm not going to watch my diet or work out or take vitamins or anything. Then I'll just pick it up again and be right back where I am now." If I think that's how it will work, I'd be sorely deluded.

Or take human relationships. Imagine one day I looked at my wife and said, "Honey, for the next few months we're going to cut back on this whole 'communication' thing. I love you, and our relationship is really, really important to me, but you shouldn't expect more than a text message every couple of days. I'll be out traveling with the guys, catching up on hobbies, and just having a good time. When I'm done, though, we'll pick it up seriously just like it is now." Again, does anybody think this approach will actually work?

In both cases, despite calling "neutral time" on my diet or my relationships, the landscape will seriously shift beneath me. Biological and relational reality doesn't just stop because we say it will. Excessive eating will inevitably add fat to my frame, and lack of exercise will lead to muscular atrophy. Purposely not talking to my wife for a few months will put a strain on our relationship, no matter how important I say it is. If I'm not constantly engaging her, sharing life, hearing her heart, and being involved, some distance will enter the equation.

Jesus Is No Different

As I Lay Dying had a song a while back called "The Only Constant is Change" whose chorus says, "The only constant is change / nothing remains the same. The only constant is change / there's only growth, or decay." This is obvious for most of our life. But for some reason we think our relationship with Jesus is the only place it doesn't apply.

I'm not exactly sure where this assumption comes from, but I'll hazard a few guesses. For some, it's probably because we have an overly cognitive idea of faith where, if we keep believing certain propositions (with no necessary correlation to behaviors or habits), we can be confident we're still Christian. It could be a trivialized version of assurance where we think, Well, you know, I prayed that prayer, and I'm not explicitly ditching Jesus, so it's all good. Or maybe they've so compartmentalized their faith that they've disconnected from the real world. Whatever the case, because faith is a part of reality, things don't work that way.

Don't get me wrong here: this is isn't because Jesus won't take you back; he truly is the God of the prodigal son. But not every alleged son comes to his senses, or even wants to. And after a while, spiritual inertia sets in such that your time away not only hinders your ability but even changes your desire to come back. Jesus' open arms also don't always cancel the harsh, temporal consequences of life lived in sin.

Twitter Updates

Haven't done one of these in a while, so, without further delay, here's some Twitter highlights.

RT @LifeVerse: Without God's Word as a lens, the world warps. Ann Voskamp

RT @DailyKeller: Our bad things turn out for good. Our good things can never be lost. And the best things are yet to come. 

RT @MarloTWells: To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable.~GK Chesterton

 RT @PastorTullian: Whatever we may mean by “Christian growth,” it is ultimately this: less faith in me, more faith in God.

 RT @Calvary__Tweets: "God sends no one away empty - except those who are full of themselves." - D.L. Moody

 RT @RealEricGeiger: Worship gatherings rooted in the gospel are not always spectacular, but they are always supernatural. #CreatureoftheWord

RT @thepearlyg8s: God doesn't care what you have, so long as He has you!  

RT @daneortlund: What old resentment are you coddling instead of bathing in the gospel? (God's forgiven YOU for crying out loud!)

 RT @LeeSmith_1: The beginning of love for [others] is learning to listen to them. Bonhoeffer

 RT @theResurgence: “Grace is given to heal the spiritually sick, not to decorate spiritual heroes.” – Martin Luther

 RT @leebezotte: "we never pray for folks we gossip about, and we never gossip about the folk for whom we pray!" - Leonard Ravenhill