One of the many things I will be eternally grateful for in this life is the discipleship I went through in my younger years while serving as my grandfather’s translator. It was not with the intent of pursuing ministry on my own, nor was it for any vested interest, but for the pure desire to grow in God and be evermore rooted and grounded in Him.
It seems to me in recent years we’ve lost sight of the importance of having a stable and solid foundation. We’ve lost sight of the importance of being disciples, and insist on being viewed as spiritual authorities the moment we get our name printed on the bottom right corner or our Bibles in gold leaf.
I fear one of the reasons for so much foolishness, deception, and outright heresy in our day and age is the absence of discipleship when it comes to new converts, and those called to repentance. We’re so enamored with the numbers, we so want to have more converts today than we did yesterday and more tomorrow than we did today, that even if someone twitched involuntarily, or happened to scratch their nose while we were giving the altar call, we count them among the saved and eternally secure.
Granted, some do respond honestly and desire to give their hearts to Christ, but even they are told once they raised their hand and said a short prayer nothing more need be done, ever, and all they really need to do now is direct deposit a tenth of their earnings into the church’s account.
Discipleship is necessary for a true and stable foundation. We must know what we believe, why we believe it, that what we believe is in harmony with the Word, and make certain we will not be swayed once these things have been established in our hearts and minds.
Because so few have a true foundation in Christ, the ‘hath God said’ deception is in full swing, clouding the conscience of many and causing a disturbing number of souls to go off into the desert thinking they’ve spotted an oasis. There is no oasis in the desert. It is only a mirage beckoning the gullible to walk further and further away from truth until exhaustion finally claims them.
The notion of being as a house built upon the rock doesn’t appeal to many folks nowadays, because they would much rather have a home on wheels which they can maneuver whenever and however often they deem fit. Whenever what they hear is not pleasing to their flesh, whenever they are challenged or called to repentance, they just fire up the old motor coach and puddle on to the next destination where the preacher is more welcoming and tolerant, and his theology is less stringent.
The only problem is that since a body in motion tends to stay in motion, such individuals go from one place to another, one congregation to another, never finding their place, perpetually bouncing back and forth, consumed with finding the ideal comfort rather than growing and pursuing God.
Ask any disciple and they will tell you their singular concern, desire, and purpose is to be more like the Master. It is not to be at ease, it is not to be comfortable, it is not to be pampered, coddled, or praised, it is to be rooted in Jesus, grounded and founded in Him, perpetually transformed by the connection of our roots taking their nourishment from Him and His nature.
The storm is here. It is no longer afar off, it is no longer on the horizon, the storm is here and if our foundation is not sure, if we are not firmly affixed to the Rock having Him as our foundation, we will be swept away like all the others who never took the time to fortify and sanctify themselves in Christ.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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3 comments:
Most Christians don't want to be laborers, they just want to enjoy the rewards. They want to praise and worship like a disco club, have their money duly noted and admired through their tithe, and have the title of good upstanding person that is bestowed on those who belong to a congregation and have their seal of approval.
Real discipleship is the day to day pruning of your old nature away as you become more and more a slave to Christ. It is hard and unglamorous and not for public display. They are not interested in that. They wish to glory in themselves and in this life instead of letting God be the glory that shines through their renewed growth.
There is more joy in being a disciple than in joining a church fellowship, which is mainly a headache if anything. These people will never know that because they don't take the word seriously. They don't keep digging for the truth but dwell in complacency. Satisfying their earthly soul is the be all and end all of their profession of faith.
You can bet they won't stand for long, but I don't think they care either. They will go with whatever is in. If it is Islam or Chrislam next, they will start bowing to Allah or Obama or whoever is the new focus.
I totally agree on the lack of discipleship these days. I don't know if you're interested in looking at it, but I spent over a year doing a discipleship blog that the Lord had me do. Takes one from the beginnings of being converted and what it means all the way to dealing with heavier, more mature issues. I am no longer posting on it as the Lord has told me it's done and to just leave it up for people to find. The address is:http://growingasadiscipleofchrist-fionab.blogspot.com/
Fiona
Mike,
There is where I am at in my life. I have been in church all my life and thought I really knew who God was.
My heart's cry is to have God shake my foundation so I will never be the same. That everyday I can serve him and seek his face and walk with him.
When I go to church now I don't want to have church to have church. I want a Spirtual renewal in my life and to know God like never before.
Too many churches I feel like are dry and dying why is that? Are preachers afraid to speak the uncompromised word of God?
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