It has to be one of the weirdest names for a Bible book. Most are named after people or cities. The focus is on the person who wrote it or the people receiving it. Then there is the Book of Acts.

Luke, the author of the third gospel account, writes a follow-up to the story of Jesus and focuses on what happens after Jesus ascends to heaven. The name is a shortened form of a possibly more extended title. Interestingly, no one agrees with the label.

I understand that some manuscripts are labeled as “Acts of the Apostles” while others say “Acts of the Church.” One article states that it is the “Acts of the Holy Spirit (or Ghost),” and still another is the “Acts of Christianity.” 

While there is no consensus on the book’s exact name, everyone agrees that the primary emphasis is action. The Apostles move forward in the power of the Holy Spirit as the Church grows and expands as people become Christians. 

I pray that the Church today, especially the one I lead, will be known for its action. When the history of our Church is written, there may be no unity on a name, but everyone definitely knows we were an active group. 

The book of Acts is not about one person doing something or a group of people learning something; it is about the people of God moving into the world in the power of the Holy Spirit. And all the believers were active.   

Lord, let it be so again in our generation.

I genuinely believe that most people want to bless other people’s lives. They want to do good deeds and make the world a better place. They want to have an impact in this world for Jesus. They want their lives to count for something positive.

And they want to do it in the shortest amount of time possible.

Can we do it in 5 minutes this week? How about 15 or maybe 30 minutes?

What is the minimum number of good deeds we can do to feel good about ourselves?

What is the quickest, easiest, and most convenient way to serve Jesus?

Unfortunately, Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23 – NIV 2011)

A follower of Jesus understands that it requires their whole life, and if we offer anything less, it insults him. We might feel good about ourselves, but I assure you that he does not.

I watched a preacher online drone on and on. His content was fairly high quality, but his delivery was the same as it had been for the last ten years since I’ve known him. He had the same stance at the podium, the same notes, the same tone of voice, the same type of outline, and spoke for the same length of time.

My mind immediately went back to a man I knew who served in ministry for seven years at one Church, then seven at the next, and then seven at the next. When he applied for a new job during the interview, he proclaimed he had 21 years of experience. One extremely perceptive leader in the Church replied, “It sounds more like you have seven years of experience and have repeated it three times.”

One personal goal I set each year is to challenge myself in at least one area. In 2019, I set out to learn everything about ministry in a small Church and especially in a rural setting. That led me to changes in my life and ministry. In 2020, I took on the task of preaching without notes as I began speaking to a camera during Covid. In 2021, I decided to take my blog more seriously and learn about writing, leading me to five original posts from Monday to Friday. In 2022, I began to work on my intrapersonal skills and try to become better at how I interact with other people. In 2023, I have been working on learning about discipleship while intentionally discipling people. 

I say none of this to shame those preachers or boast about myself. I am simply trying to illustrate that many Christians become complacent in serving the Lord. We learn enough to answer questions, find a way to serve in an area that is comfortable, and settle into a routine. None of those things is inherently evil, but neither do they stretch our faith.

You will be surprised by all God can do through you when you challenge yourself in faith. One thing I can assure you is that life will never be boring.    

On countless Sunday mornings, I make people mad.

The scenario is always the same. Someone approaches me a couple minutes before Church begins and says, “I need you to make this announcement.” I speak kindly and decline to say what they are asking me. Then I offer alternate possibilities for getting the word out, and they usually leave unhappy with me.

I do this for several reasons. First, if you had all week to get me an announcement to put online and in the printed program and did not do it – that is on you. A lack of preparation on your part does not equal an emergency on my part. To take it a step further, once people see me do that, it becomes the expectation for everyone to wait until the last minute to ask.

Second, I have a lot on my mind Sunday mornings. I have people telling me all kinds of information, and I can almost guarantee that I will forget when it comes time for announcements.

Finally, and this is the biggest, announcements are not the way to generate interest or excitement in any activity. When I make more than one announcement on Sunday morning, people quit listening when I go on and on with more. The same is true with digital or print. The more information on a page, the less people are interested in reading it.

Personal invitation is the key to having a well-attended activity or growing small group or thriving ministry.

When you walk up to someone and personally invite them to join the fun. They are excited that you thought of them. They know you value them enough to ask them into your world, whatever form it takes. It moves the Church from two-dimensional information on a page to a person who cares about them.

No amount of advertising will ever be more significant than personally inviting someone to attend.

As I was writing this week’s sermon, I started into the application part of the message, and suddenly people began popping into my head. There were conversations I have been involved in that flooded my mind. There are people I know who struggle with the issues I am addressing. One by one, I went around the Church and thought of all the people I could apply this sermon to their current situation. 

Two lessons came to me for the average person sitting in the congregation on Sunday.

First, some parts are not meant for you specifically. They may or may not apply to your situation. But know that they are meant for someone – maybe someone like you. 

Second, I was thinking of you when I wrote this message. And there will be parts that were meant for you. 

If you attend on Sunday and open your mind to what is being said, I am sure there is something to be learned and applied to your life, whether it was meant for you or not. 

I find that most Christians have little concern over those who are bound for a Godless eternity. That is, until it is someone in their family, then everything changes.

When the prodigal is your son or daughter, it hurts beyond words. When it is your sister or brother plunging themselves into destruction, it tears you apart inside. When your mom or dad is sitting in the hospital bed, and you have no clue if they will be in heaven, it rips your heart out. 

What if the people in the Church cared about everyone like they were a part of their family?

Maybe then we could reach more people for Jesus, including those you genuinely love.    

My theme for my life and the Church I lead this year has been discipleship. In some ways, it has been my priority for the past four years, but this year it is at the top of my list. I am trying to learn as much as possible about discipleship while doing it and attempting to lead others to do it too.

While I am only seven months into this venture, I am learning a great deal and wanted to share a few lessons from my journey.

1. Discipleship needs a definition. When we say someone is a disciple, what do we mean? I love Real Life Ministries’ description from Matthew 4:19, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Disciples are people who follow Jesus. He is transforming them (“I will make you”). And they are now on a kingdom mission (“fishers of men”). A simple, clear definition that everyone can remember.
2. Developing daily habits is a must. To grow as a believer, we need to cultivate the routines of daily Bible reading, reflection, and prayer.
3. You have to move past Sunday School answers. The first weeks of developing someone will result in them saying, “Jesus, read the Bible and pray” repeatedly. Moving into a more profound understanding of faith in our lives is a big transition.
4. It takes time. We live in a microwave culture. We want everything, and we want it now. The shortest discipleship material I found is 12 weeks. Still, many are 26 weeks. And one Church is doing a three-year program with great success. It takes time to develop spiritual maturity.
5. There are many facets to discipleship. One-on-one meetings are powerful. But we also need large group worship and preaching. Small groups with up to 20 people also assist in growth. Serving is vital to increasing your faith. It takes more than one thing to grow in the Lord.
6. Poor disciples produce poor disciples. You reproduce what you are. Someone who is an infrequent Church attendee, barely reads their Bible or prays, or is not actively serving in the local Church will produce disciples who behave the same way. You reproduce your strengths and, unfortunately, your weaknesses too.
7. A willing spirit is the key. If someone wants to grow as a believer, they are easy to disciple. Someone willing to listen and learn is a great candidate to become a disciple. A right heart proceeds growth.

There are other things I am learning, but these are the most significant ones I have seen in the past few months. I am definitely growing as a leader through this process. Personally, I did not receive much formal discipleship over my lifetime, and I managed to thrive despite that fact. I hope to make the journey easier for others as they mature spiritually.

One aspect of becoming a Christian is learning the language. They speak frequently regarding prayer, Bible reading, fellowship, and faith. Once someone knows several words and phrases, they are able to converse with other believers and feel like part of the group.

If a person is not careful, they can start talking ABOUT things more than they actually do them.

Some believers I know can spend a long time talking about the power of prayer and all the things that they need to pray for. And never pray.

Some believers can spend hours talking about the truth of the Bible and why it is such an essential book to a believer. And never read more than a verse or two.

Some believers will have long conversations about the importance of fellowship in the Church. And yet they do not place a high value on its gathering.

Some believers are able to expound about the need for discipleship. And never disciple anyone.

There is this trap of being skilled at talking ABOUT the things of faith while never actually doing them. The challenge for every Christian is to spend more time doing the things of God than talking about them.

One mistake I see new believers make is to run out and buy an expensive Bible. We are excited about Jesus and want a Bible reflecting our excitement. The result is that we buy an heirloom quality book that looks impressive.

Then we become cautious with it. The pages are delicate. The binding is expensive. It looks spectacular, and we want it to stay that way. It eventually gets displayed in a prominent place in the house where everyone knows we are Christians.

The problem is that it is not what a new believer (or an old believer either) needs. We need to dive into the Bible, reading, highlighting, making notes, and writing questions.

Some of the best advice I received 20 years ago was to buy a cheap Bible. The person that told me this actually bought them by the box full. Then he would read every page with pen and highlighter in hand. He often focused on a topic like the resurrection or light and highlighted all the passages that said anything about it. When he finished, he threw it in a box and grabbed another. The cheap Bible removed the stigma of messing it up, and he became free to read and use it. 

We want to celebrate our faith in a beautiful way, but a well-worn Bible is worth far more as a family inheritance.   

Church growth in the United States is a delicate balance of numerous facets of ministry. Multiple factors at play impact the local Church that most people never consider.

The size of a building can limit growth, along with the number of seats available. The number of parking spaces and the quality of the parking lot are another factor. The location and distance of the drive that people will have to make for each program. Local community traditions and activities will impact the various ministries a Church tries to offer. There are a myriad of things that affect the way a Church brings the message of Jesus to people today.

I know that God can overcome any of those factors at any time. But, in my experience, it is best to try to sail with the wind of the Spirit than against it. Therefore I am constantly adjusting things in the Church to follow best where God is leading.

There is so much involved in a Church reaching people for Jesus. I wish it were as easy as standing up and saying, “Thus saith the Lord,” but that is rarely the case.