Disciples>Deciders

I love the church, and I owe my life to it. I owe my life to God, those he chose to disciple me, and the church that nurtured me. Before I go on, please understand my love for the church. I am offended when people just church bash, so know that that is not at all my aim.

I am afraid of something though. As a church, we are losing a lot of people to mediocrity. High school students, who are seemingly on Christian beast-mode, are getting into college and falling flat on their faces. It isn't even a long process. These former leaders in their youth group are easily swayed by popularity...maybe someone reading this is one of those people. What went wrong?

 We are encouraging people to make decisions all the time. At church, youth group, and emotionally charged camp environments we are asking a similar thing-- decide. Of course you have to make a decision at some point, but we make a lot of decisions and then what? CIY (no dog on them at all) is a prime example. Kids get all worked up and make grandiose decisions for God. Then they are at home, the dopamine has receded, and the same temptations/situations are in their lap. It's obvious how powerful the call was by how quickly the call is dropped. They have made a decision.

That isn't necessarily the bad part. The bad part is when they get home, we show slides at church, give them a Bible, pat them on the back, then send them back out. That is like giving a soldier a gun (that he doesn't know how to use correctly), giving them an army I.D., then sending them to war. It would be ridiculous to expect much out of that soldier. Why are we doing this to real people? There has to be discipleship. This is our responsibility and commission.

Discipleship takes time, effort, and passion. We need to be discipling people and filling them up. We can make all the decisions we want, but discipleship is the marker of a Christian. Post-modernity (the evil nemesis) would lead us all to think that faith is strictly personal, private, and relative. I'm calling you all out right now. Faith is NOT private, having an opinion and taking a stand are NOT always wrong, and it is NOT an option to apply Christianity to certain parts of your life and not the other. Christianity is who we are, not just what we do. How can people understand that if there isn't discipleship?

We need to be discipled, and be disciplers. If we aren't doing that, you can expect to be empty. If you are one of those people who have made a decision that hasn't moved you to action, don't give up. There is some reason you made that decision to follow Christ. Rediscover that reason and come be discipled. Some of my friends need to do this; you have lost sight of your purpose. Please come back. You have seen what God has done, don't forsake that for the flesh. God is not a decision you make in different situations, he is "Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

(Credit to Chad Ragsdale, and therefore the Holy Spirit, for teaching me this concept.)