Do you remember watching Billy Graham preach in a stadium packed to the rafters with believers and unbelievers? Sometimes his gospel appeal at the end of a message was not solely addressed to the unsaved. He also challenged ‘believers’ to accept Christ. He reasoned that there might be those present who served in churches, yet who had never been born-again. Perhaps they sang in the choir, helped with the children’s ministry, served as deacons, or were even ministers, but they had never fully given their lives to Christ.
A beguiling set of dogmas
Their belief system most likely resembled the Moral Therapeutic Deism many religious people unwittingly hold today. Sociologists Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton coined this phrase through their research into a combination of dogmas held by American youth.
Here is a summary of their research on what these young people believe:
- A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.
- God wants people to be good, nice and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
- The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
- God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life, except when God is needed to resolve a problem.
- Good people go to heaven when they die.
Although most people will not have heard of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, many will recognise these commonly held beliefs, perhaps even held by some people in our churches. From a biblical standard, statutes one and two are true, while the remaining three are false. This popular worldview draws people away from the simple message of grace through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. This is one of the reasons discipling people is so important. We must teach and guide others in the narrow way of Jesus and not some fanciful construct of what true religion is about.
Disciples and ‘disciplers’
Every member of our churches should be discipled, and every member should be discipling someone else. Disciples and disciplers share the daily journey of becoming more like Jesus Christ. There are no substitutes for discipleship in the Church. More than seventy years ago, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote:
Christianity without the living Christ is inevitably Christianity without discipleship, and Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.
We need the living Christ in Christianity if we are to see this world changed with the Good News of Jesus. Consider what is known as a false start in the context of a race. This occurs when a competitor begins the race before the official signal or command to start is given. False start rules are in place to maintain order and uphold the integrity of the competition. If a competitor has made a false start, they may be instantly disqualified.
In the context of the Church, we all need to start at the same place, albeit not at the same time! Some people in the churches we lead or attend may have joined our churches because they needed a sense of belonging; perhaps they were lonely or going through a season of great difficulty when the community of a loving church was the comforting salve they needed most. Others may consider themselves to be Christians simply because their parents were.
Have we all made a ‘true start’?
When we call people in our congregations to engage in intentional discipleship, we must ensure they haven’t made a ‘false start’. Have they genuinely repented of their sins? Do they understand the full claims of the gospel? Have they accepted Jesus Christ as their only Lord and Saviour? Are they running a race of perseverance as the writer of Hebrews admonishes us to (Hebrews 12:1), or are they in the race as and when they feel like it? Are they even headed in the right direction?
Bible teacher Kay Arthur puts it this way:
If you do not plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don’t begin, for this is what Christianity is all about. It is a change of citizenship, a change of governments, a change of allegiance. If you have no intention of letting Christ rule your life, then forget Christianity; it is not for you.
This strong and gritty challenge is sorely needed in the Church today. Is Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives? If so, we are in the race without a ‘false start’. If He isn’t Lord of all in a person’s life, then He isn’t Lord at all — but He can be. That necessitates a return to the ‘starting line’. Before we call others to be disciples of Jesus, we need to ensure we are running the race ‘marked out’ for us.
On discipleship, Spurgeon succinctly stated:
If persecution should arise, you should be willing to part with all that you possess—with your liberty, with your life itself, for Christ—or you cannot be his disciple.
Do the messages Spurgeon conveyed to Christians more than a century ago still maintain relevance in our churches today? As leaders, are we fully committed to the absolute claims of discipleship? Our greatest responsibility is to lead from a place of healthy spirituality by holding out the total demands of discipleship. Isn’t that the only place we can start from?
James Poch and his wife Ruth planted regeneration Church in Greater London in 2004. Beginning as a youth group, the church has grown into a wonderfully diverse congregation representing many generations, nations and backgrounds.
James finds great joy in discipling others, and he and Ruth love spending quality time with their four sons and daughters-in-law – as well as their seven grandchildren! James loves hiking, exploring nature and road trips, and has a culinary passion for making and enjoying queso.
Holy Grit: Gaining traction on life’s journey with Jesus
Discipleship is for everyone – no exception!
This is the radical call of Scripture, and the premise of Holy Grit.
Blending hard-hitting teaching with real-life stories, experienced pastor James Poch presents a compelling, joy-filled vision of what life can be like when we are fully devoted to God. At regeneration Church, they have seen countless lives changed through a passionate pursuit of discipleship, and James encourages us that we can experience the same. With an integrated study guide, this revised and updated edition shows how we can apply its dynamic discipleship lessons to our own lives, small groups and churches.
Wherever we are on our discipleship journey, with a good dose of Holy Grit, we too can keep close company with Jesus and learn to disciple others along the way.
Published October 2023 (Instant Apostle), £12.99 / £5.99 Kindle
Photo by Braden Collum on Unsplash