Disciplehip

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Have We Seen a Reset of the Church?

Posted by Rev. Bro. Coach on December 11, 2020
Posted in: The Mindful Minute. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

Let me start by issuing this disclaimer so that I am clear. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the same now as it was in the beginning. The gospel DOES NOT change and cannot be reset. The ways and methods that we engage people with the gospel and ministry are always changing. Change is inevitable, growth is a choice. I try to not to write about the pandemic. The blogging world is saturated with ideas, opinions, satire, and quite frankly hostility about the pandemic; not to mention that you cannot get on social media anymore without seeing some type of post about it. At one point earlier in the year, I had to avoid social media all together because of the mental toll it took seeing updates and numbers and complaints and pushback. It got to be overwhelming. One thing about this COVID crisis that I have been tracking very closely, is the impact that it has had on church. Has this unprecedented crisis in our life time (unless you were alive for the 1918 Spanish flu) caused the church to hit the reset button?

Let’s be honest, it is hard to be positive about 2020. When wet think about this year, there will not be a shortage of negative things to say. Even from the title of this article, I sincerely doubt that the first thing that came to your mind was a positive from the year. I’m guilty of that too. However, we have seen countless churches adapt, serve, and go above and beyond to minister to their congregations and communities during this crisis. We have seen many of our churches, well… become the church, as they constantly put the needs of others before their own personal convenience. I have talked to many pastors here is Missouri and in Tennessee and listened as they told story after story and shared joys and frustrations during this unique time of ministry. Today, I want to highlight a few of my observations (2 Positive and 1 Negative) that I have seen in many churches that have, in a way, hit the reset button on the way we do church.

The most expensive words in the english language are, “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” This is has caused many businesses financial ruin and many church doors have closed because of this phrase. The sentiment “if it ain’t broke don’t fix” only works if the system is not actually broke. There is a vast difference between the desire to continue something because it works and the desire to continue something because it’s tradition or convenient. When churches were forced to shut down, churches were forced to throw that phrase out the window. There is precious few things that churches are doing the way they have always done it. This is a definite positive. I’m not saying we throw the baby out with the bathwater by any means, but this year has made it easier for churches to make necessary changes in ministry as we have had to re-evaluate the way the gospel message is being heard. It forced many believers to look at the importance of personal evangelism instead of leaving that task up to the Pastor on Sunday morning. The idea that we need to share the good news of Jesus Christ is as old as the birth of Christ Himself. The shepherds became the first evangelists of this good news after they saw the child. We are commanded by God to share the good news of the gospel personally. When churches were forced to shutdown, we were forced as believers to make a choice of sharing the gospel the way we are are supposed to, or become comfortable with the condemnation of those unbelievers in our lives. “The way we’ve always done it” no longer works for a great many things that have become habits in the church and the church will come out on the other end of this pandemic the better for it.

Not all of the changes that the pandemic brought have been good. I am going to ask you to read this paragraph very carefully and hear my whole heart. The massive increase of online services, while on a temporary basis is good, is becoming and will be, I believe, a net negative by the end of the pandemic. Now, before I go on, this is who I AM NOT referring to: people who have legitimate health concerns for themselves or family members and do not feel safe getting out in public to attend services in person (My parents are in this group). We have all had to up our online and digital ministry game over the past year. We really had no choice. My heart goes out to the small congregations who simply do not have the money or manpower to broadcast their services online or social media. These pastors are hurting because they desperately want to be able to preach to their congregations. For the churches who are, we have scrambled to make our services available to as many people as we can online so that we can have some semblance of church. We have been fortunate in that we are meeting once again in person (safely mind you), but other churches have not been as fortunate. Regardless, when this thing is over, I am afraid that online worship will make not gathering with the church too convenient for many people. We have a biblical mandate to gather. The bible tells us not to neglect gathering and quite frankly, we can’t “gather” online or virtually. Post-pandemic online services should be for the shut-ins, sick, hurt, etc… It should not be for those of us who want to stay in pjs and not engage with God’s people. We were not meant to walk through this spiritual journey alone. We need to gather, not provide opportunity for excuse. So while this is a good, well-meaning bandage on the situation, I fear that in the long run, when churches gather fully again, we will see a dramatic drop in in-person attendance not for the sake of safety, but for the sake of convenience.

The final observation that I have seen has resulted in the shot in the arm I think the church has needed for a long time. The pandemic has highlighted the churches need for increased, quality discipleship. Let me clear this up once and for all- evangelism and discipleship go hand in hand. If we are evangelizing and not discipling, we are essentially leaving spiritual infants out on the streets, handing them a bible, and wishing them the best of luck only to have the world come by, furnish their needs, then indoctrinate them to the ways of today’s society and culture- most never darkening the door of a church again. Many undiscipled believers leave the church because they feel like that part of their life is taken care of because they said some magic prayer and was baptized; and they live the rest of their life confessing to be Christian, but never showing fruit of transformation. When many churches reopened, they found that many people simply didn’t return. I don’t mean they stayed at home to watch online because they are being cautious, I mean they did not return to church in any fashion. This has forced the church to recognize the need for better discipleship. Discipled Christians understand the importance of gathering with the local body. They understand the importance of prioritizing their spiritual health. They understand the importance of personal evangelism to those around them and they seek to disciple others to help them grow in their understanding and walk with the Lord. As I mentioned before, change is inevitable, but growth is a choice. Those who were coming out of habit were no longer in the habit and found other things more pleasing to do on Sundays (generally speaking- there are always exceptions both ways). Gathering with the body was never a priority for them, it was just an item to check off on a to do list that made them feel better (I came to church, so I did my good deed for the week). This realization forced the church to up their discipleship game. The church was forced to re-engage with the process of the journey that follows salvation instead of being content with merely the salvation itself. The church was faced with the fact that if we don’t disciple people, the world will.

What will the results be from all of this? I think it will produce healthier churches overall. If the church is willing to adapt the delivery of ministry and not just keep old practices for the sake of convenience or tradition (and yes there are some traditions that need to be kept), we will see a renewed energy for evangelism. If the church will make conscious efforts to improve and engage our people in discipleship, we will see a new growth of sold out, on fire Christians who want to grow in their faith and produce other disciples of the same caliber. Numbers should never be a measure of spiritual health & I honestly think it is very possible that we will see a drop in numbers because of many contributing factors; but I also truly feel that God has used this pandemic to hit the reset button on the church and get it back on track to reaching the ends of the earth with the gospel of Jesus Christ and then putting them on the path of discipleship as they grow into committed followers who make other disciples. After all, Paul gives us the promise in Romans 8:28:

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”

Romans 8:28

Church….whether it’s mine or wherever you are- we have a unique opportunity. 2020 has given us a clear picture of the gospel as we have been given another chance. The reset button has been hit and we have the opportunity to pursue the people of our church, our community, our state, our country, our world and engage them with the gospel of Jesus Christ, set them on the path of becoming a disciple who makes other disciples, and create a healthy, thriving church that does the work of the kingdom of Heaven. I am proud to be in these trenches with all of you.

In Christ Alone,
Rev. Bro. Coach

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Eliminating the 3rd Chair

Posted by Rev. Bro. Coach on November 13, 2020
Posted in: The Mindful Minute. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

At this point, you’ve clicked on this article for one of two reasons: 1) You follow this blog and you wanted to see what is rattling around my brain today or 2) You really want to know what I have against chairs. That’s fair, so let me offer some background. There is an evangelistic message that I use when I am invited to speak and occasionally I will use it at church called the 4 Chairs. I didn’t write it nor did I put it together. I first heard it years ago when I heard Adrian Despres present it at a youth conference. I became friends with Adrian (we have a mutual friend that we were unaware of at the time) and I eventually got the courage up to ask if it was ok that I use the 4 Chairs as an evangelistic tool when I spoke. He was very excited and graciously told me he would love for me to use it.

So, without going into the whole thing, here is what each chair represents: Chair number 1 represents those who are completely sold out, believers of Christ, pursuing holiness and growing in their faith daily- not perfect Christians (there is no such thing) but definitely growing. Chair number 2 represents Christians who have gotten comfortable. They attend church, but don’t care to miss for frivolous things. They have growth spurts, but its not necessarily an on-going process. They are believers, but it is often compartmentalized as a Sunday and/or Wednesday thing that doesn’t always make an appearance in their life outside of church unless specifically asked about. They absolutely believe in evangelism, but tend to shy away from doing evangelism themselves. They are satisfied staying where they are until they realize that by staying still, they have moved farther away from Christ, so they catch up (hence the growth spurts). This, unfortunately is where most members of churches are today, especially here in American where we don’t suffer the hard persecution that other countries face. And before pride gets the best of you, ALL OF US have spent time in this chair. Chair 4 (yes, I know I skipped chair 3) are those who know without a shadow of a doubt that they are not Christian. They are what we consider lost people. They act like lost people, they rely on themselves, but something you need to consider as a believer- many of them are wonderful people who are as “good” or better humans than a lot of believers. They love others, they help people in need, they smile at you, and they are great students, neighbors, family members, etc… This is why the gospel is so important to reach them- we can’t be good enough to get to Heaven, and the message of the gospel is that we ALL need a savior.

That brings me to Chair 3- the most dangerous chair in this entire presentation, because the concept behind this chair is very real in our churches today. Chair 3 represents people who have at some point in time in their life been convinced that they are saved, but are not; and now they go through their lives thinking they are Heaven-bound but they aren’t. They sit in churches and hear the gospel preached and never respond to the invitation to accept Christ because they think it does not apply to them. This can happen for a multitude of reasons. Some think that salvation is inherited- their grandparents or parents are Christian so they are. You can identify this mindset because it is often accompanied by them telling you they’ve been Christians “their whole life.”

As a church, however, we need to take responsibility for eliminating this chair in our churches. Too many times, you see a kid walk the aisle at a VBS only to walk it every single year at VBS after that. As a a youth pastor, we see hundreds of students go forward at a conference because they feel convicted for something in their life. There is no doubt that many genuinely give their lives to Christ, but I have seen far too many come back and absolutely nothing changed in their lives. They just wanted to feel better in the moment- but no transformation. You see, you cannot encounter Christ and walk away the same person. Romans 6: 1-5 paints this picture:

What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection.

Romans 6:1-5


I believe we have a responsibility to make sure this doesn’t happen. We, as the church, cannot rubber stamp salvations without putting in the effort to follow up with those new believers, not because they need us to be saved- that’s God’s job, but to talk through what salvation will mean for them. They need to know the road will be tough. They need to know that they will sacrifice things, actions, habits, friends, and sometimes even family. They need to know that this isn’t a decision that fixes all of their problems, that it’s not a quick escape plan, and there will be many more difficult times in their lives. How do we do that? Discipleship! Yeah, yeah, there I go with the D word again. Sorry, not sorry. If we do not take this step, then at the first sign of trouble or opposition they will learn the hard way and many walk completely away from the church deeming it a failure or worse questioning if this “Jesus stuff” is even real. These things happen all of the time and I am fearful how many people are walking around today thinking they are saved and Heaven-bound only to be in for an eternally rude awakening when they stand before the Lord in judgment and He says, “I never knew you.” I was told of a recent conversation between someone close to me and their friend. The friend identified himself as a Christian, but thinks he’s an agnostic or atheist. Those two things cannot co-exist and by identifying himself as Christian, he is convinced that he is saved.

You may think that I am taking a seemingly rigid view of this, but let me ask you- how upset would you be if you thought you were saved your whole life, only to find out you never had a relationship with Christ after it was too late? And how much worse is it, if a church was the one that gave you that false assurance because they did not follow up or disciple you? When you accept Christ, you CHANGE- simple as that. You desires begin looking like God’s desires. You WANT to grow, you WANT to be a part of the body, you WANT others to have the same salvation that you have. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away, and see, the new has come.” So, yes, I am taking a rigid view of this because it is that important and no, this isn’t a Keith Jones crusade, I have taken my cues from Christ himself. Read Luke chapter 9, you will discover that Jesus talks people out of following Him as much as He brought people along to follow Him. He explained the cost and what it takes to follow Him. He made sure their commitment was genuine.

Truth is we won’t get them all. Some people don’t want life change, they only want temporary relief from guilt. Others will outright reject the gospel invitation, but we have a responsibility to reach as many as we can with the gospel of Jesus Christ and we definitely have a responsibility to make sure that we follow up and invest in the genuine growth of His disciples. That means making sure that no one walks away from us with a false understanding of their own salvation. This is not meant to make you question your salvation at all- it is intended to make you think- about your life and how the gospel is presented to others. If you feel like you may fall into this 3rd chair, I urge you not to waste another moment, talk to someone you trust and get on that path to follow Christ. My approach…my heart in writing this is if I am wrong in being this particular, then there is nothing to lose, I’ll see you in Heaven; but if I am right, if there are people destined for hell that think they are saved and I don’t say anything, that would be difficult to live with. Church, let’s put the work in. Let’s celebrate new life where there is new life. Let’s all make efforts to become believers in that first chair and let’s make every effort to eliminate the 3rd chair.

In Christ Alone,
Rev. Bro. Coach

Discipleship- Why I Am Such a Pain in the Butt About It.

Posted by Rev. Bro. Coach on October 23, 2020
Posted in: The Mindful Minute. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Let’s face it, I can be a huge pain in the butt (wait, can I say that as a Pastor…checking with my censorship committee…ok, good I got the green light). Anyway, I can be a huge pain in the rear, especially about things that I am very passionate about. Now, having just typed that sentence, I will be expecting several comments on this post with “amen,” most likely from my two sisters and my buddy Jackie. Some of these things I will willingly admit are obnoxious (UT Sports, Braves baseball, Hunts ketchup, etc…), and I will happily apologize to those who must endure my rants about such things. There are some things, though, that I am unapologetically a pain about because they are THAT important.

You don’t have to be around me long in ministry to hear me hop on my soap box about the importance of discipleship. It is so vitally important to the spiritual development of each and every one of us who know and call Jesus our Lord. Several years ago- and I’m not sure when, something happened in the church here in America where there was this massive push for numbers- get ’em saved, get ’em baptized, and get that number to the state mission board. Now, don’t get me wrong, numbers in and of themselves isn’t bad, so long as we are not gauging our health solely on the number of people we baptize. Sometimes, I will get the question, “How many do you have coming to youth?” Which I will respond, “we are healthier than we have been.” Becoming a growing disciple of Christ is paramount to our spiritual health. I don’t want to make the mistake of assumption, so I am going to tell you first what it is and then I will address why I push it so much.

I have tried to simplify this definition so that people can understand discipleship at its core. The definition that I use for discipleship with my students is this: “Discipleship is the lifelong process we go through as we move from unbelievers to committed followers of Jesus Christ- It is a growing process.” You see, while evangelism is the product of being discipled and salvation & baptism are the very beginnings of the discipleship process, we cannot stop there. If we do, we will raise a generation of believers who do not go out and evangelize and who do not know how to disciple new believers. Once we have accepted the free gift of salvation, we are NOT at the finish line of our spiritual journey, in fact, we are just getting started. If we are not embarking on the LIFELONG process of discipleship, then our faith will be tested, shaken, and rattled to its very core. We will question God in the hard times, we will prioritize the busyness of life over gathering, bible study, and prayer, and if the situation gets dire enough- we may walk away from Him all together.

So, why do I push discipleship so hard? It’s because I have seen firsthand the effects of what the lack of discipleship can do and now, many of us are seeing it for the first time during this pandemic. I was not discipled as child or teenager and the choices I made reflect that. First of all, my parents did what they could- they made sure I was in church every week. But, I never had that person come alongside me and really show me what a committed follower of Christ looked like. I was saved, so I believed I was done. All I had to do was go to church on Sundays, attend youth if I had the time to, and my spiritual duties could be checked off for the week. Living for Christ was never an every day pursuit. I didn’t read my Bible because I didn’t know how, I prayed before bed & when I needed help because that’s what I thought prayer was, and I lived life thinking that I was doing exactly what I should be doing- I wasn’t. It wasn’t until I was 22 and met this girl in college who showed me there was more to my journey, that salvation was just the starting point and I was actually on a lifelong pursuit of holiness that would only end when God said well done good and faithful servant.

Unfortunately, many of us across the country are witnessing this first hand in our churches during this pandemic. Churches across the country are reopening and sadly, a lot of people have not returned. DO NOT HEAR ME WRONG- I am NOT talking about those that have not returned out of health concerns. I am talking about people who haven’t returned because they were never invested in their growth to begin with. I have talked to countless pastors that I know and its the same story- we are desperately trying to reach those who we know need to be back and can be back, but haven’t come back. This demographic is a direct result of the lack of discipleship. When the church disciples well, when people actively seek to grow in their faith and walk with the Lord, we produce disciples who then go out, evangelize the lost, and make other disciples.

The bottom line is everyone will be discipled by somebody, either an agent of this world or by us, the church. Ultimately, we must complete the process and not stop short of discipleship. We need to grow healthy ministries, not just big ones. We need to explain to those seeking Christ that following Him will come with a cost, but that cost is more than worth it. That way, when they make that all important decision to follow Christ, they won’t be shaken at the first attack from the world, they will be prepared for battle.

In Christ Alone,

Rev. Bro. Coach