IS THE CHURCH ACCOMPLISHING ITS PURPOSE?

A major fallacy is being taught in today’s church! Somewhere we forgot the great commission was not to go and make converts to Christianity but to make Disciples of Christ. By definition, a disciple is the follower of a particular teacher, leader or philosophy. In most cases all three of these are true because most people we allow to teach us, lead us to understand and believe their philosophy of life.

JESUS DEMANDED MORE THAN PHILISOPHICAL AGREEMENT

Jesus, no doubt was a teacher who taught, and a leader who lead, and He clearly communicated a unique philosophy. But unlike many, Jesus placed clear and difficult demands on those who chose to follow Him. John 6 clearly identifies the extreme commitments that Jesus demanded of His followers. Jesus required more than philosophical agreement. In fact, Jesus demanded His followers that they not just follow His teachings but that they follow Him. Following Christ is not just an invitation to an intellectual pursuit; it is a commitment to a deep relationship -- a relationship in which His followers are willing to know Him above all else, love Him above all else and be willing to forsake everything this world has to offer in order to follow Him. Does this describe your commitment to Jesus?

ESCAPING THE FRUSTRATION OF EASY “BELIEVE-ISM”

This is a far cry from the easy “believe-ism” of modern Christians who want the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice, but refuse to bring every aspect of their lives into alignment with His life and teaching. The ultimate goal of every church is to go and make disciples. Every individual who embraced that call has to spend the rest of his or her living days being transformed into the likeness of Christ.

EXTREME COMMITMENTS PRODUCE DEEP FULFILLMENT

I genuinely believe that many of today’s Christian’s feel incomplete in their faith. Because of this, they dismiss their faith and walk away in frustration. Maybe the answer is to understand and embrace the amazing demands that Jesus made and begin to genuinely follow Christ. Join us for the next several weeks as we consider the EXTREME IMAGES that Jesus used to describe true discipleship. This week take time to read John 6 in preparation for our time of teaching.

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