This past Sunday evening, our Church had our annual congregational meeting. I had the opportunity to share what has happened in our Church over the past year. Our attendance numbers have increased, people have been baptized, several have become members, new leaders have stepped up, the youth group has exploded with teens and volunteers, and our building has seen numerous improvements. I am proud to lead this great group of people in this Church.

The temptation is to start thinking that I am a great leader. I have figured out things that no one else around our area knows. If they do know it, they are not as skilled as myself to make it happen. Suddenly, I am convinced that I am exceptional, skilled, and maybe even a better Christian than others, including most pastors. 

Today, I sat down to read my Bible passages for the day. I read while leading a small group through a “Read the Bible in a Year Plan.”  There, I read Psalm 33.

“No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.

A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.” Psalm 33:16-19 (NIV – 2011)

The Psalmist reminds the reader that a successful person quickly thinks it is because of their power and leadership. A king credits his army. A warrior praises his strength. Both give thanks for the horse. And yet, in truth, it was God who saved and delivered.

All I could think was that preachers could believe their education and skill made for a great Church when the Lord gave them success. 

Christian humility is not just about thinking less of ourselves but also about thinking more of God. He is the one who guides and provides. He deserves all the credit.

The Bible states that Christ is the head of the Church. The believers together form his body.

Like any physical body, it is a living organism. It is not a static organization.

That means the Church you experienced last Sunday will not remain that way for years. It will become stronger or weaker. It might be infected with a disease or finally get healthy. It might grow and expand, requiring changes to be made. A thousand positive or negative things can change the dynamics into the future.

It is easy to see this when you look back far enough. I am sure the Church program you attended last Sunday looks nothing like the one of your childhood. New songs, screens, and instruments fill the stage. The seats are different in most buildings. The children’s curriculum is presented in digital formats. The people on the stage dress casually, the attendees are much more relaxed, and the preacher doesn’t use the King James version. 

Some look at these changes with frustration and anger, while others embrace them. But everyone needs to understand that what you are experiencing today is temporary.

I hope you have found a Church community that leads you in worship and connects you to other believers. I hope that your Church is a source of joy to your soul.

But please recognize that it will change just like any body does.

Total honesty is a good character trait. Speak the truth to show integrity and build solid relationships.

Brutal honesty is a poor character trait. The speaker doesn’t care if the information hurts the hearer emotionally.   

The Biblical standard is to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).

It doesn’t simply matter what was said; it also matters how it was received.   

There are two ways to bring people into discipleship.

The first way is what I call “forced discipleship.”  That is when a person attends worship, and the Church actively works to grow them whether they have specifically asked for it or not. If you show up on Sunday, a person or group contacts you to take your next steps of faith and tries to push you toward growth.

I have labeled the other type as “invited discipleship.”  That is when someone attends worship, and the people of the Church wait for them to take the first steps toward growth, and then they help them on this journey. So, someone might attend for several months, and when they take the membership class, attend a small group, or get involved in ministry, the Church attempts to begin discipleship. 

This is an important distinction to make for those who attend a Church. Everyone needs to know whether they are to be passive or active in getting this process started. Someone might become thoroughly disappointed if they start attending and no one comes knocking on their door. At the same time, others are happy that no one is knocking until they are ready. At the Church I lead, I do not begin the discipleship process until that person shows signs of wanting to become spiritually mature. It makes for a more effective use of my time along with theirs.

While both areas can work effectively, everyone needs to be clear on how this process works so everyone is on the same page.  

You will never know the amount of good you do for others on this side of heaven.

This is true not only of the big things you do but also of every act of kindness. 

We can all imagine the lives affected by a million dollars given to charity. The person who offers dozens of hours to serve the community is bound to impact more people than we comprehend.

It is also true of the small gestures of kindness that we make.

Recently, a two-line text message brought enormous joy to my life. It had been a rough day, and I was sliding down the rabbit hole into self-loathing. Then, an unexpected message came to me, changing my day.

A simple and seemingly small act of kindness might not seem like much, but you may be surprised to know that it changed a person’s day, week, month, year, and occasionally life.  

My encouragement is always to send a text, write an email, make the call, stop for the visit, and say those positive things you are feeling. Sure, it might be lost in the landslide of the day and have little impact. But more times than you can imagine, it will bless the recipient deep in their soul, whether they tell you that or not.

Recently, I was preaching on Hebrews 12:1-3 and saw something I had not seen. The writer tells the people to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” There is not one place that Christians need to be vigilant, but two.

The primary battlefront for a believer is the war against sin. It is the thing outside of God’s will that so easily entangles us. Something about it feels good to our physical bodies or emotions, and we unexpectedly return. Soon, that thing we never thought we would do has a grip on our souls. Christians fight against giving in to their flesh and being consumed by their sins.

The other place we need to focus our attention is “everything that hinders.” These things are not against God’s will but are also not a significant part of his grand design. These things vie for our time and pull us away from doing the Lord’s work. Sometimes, the greatest enemies of God’s master plan in a Christian’s life are not sinful things; they are simply not things that promote his work and will. 

Believers tend to feel they are doing well if they are not letting their lives be overtaken by sin. Then, unfortunately, they throw themselves into projects that hinder their faith from growing. They fill their schedules with numerous activities that keep them busy and keep them from the life God intended.

There are three choices for our lives: serving the Lord, living in sin, and being so preoccupied with the things of this world that we have no time for God.   

Today is day number 18993 of my life. That is quite a number of days. And yet, having lived so many, I am still learning something new as the days go by.

In the last 365 days, here are some things God has taught me.

-God is always working. And ALWAYS in his time. 

-There is always something new to learn if you are open to change.

-Most people are content just the way they are, no matter how dysfunctional their life may be. 

-Close, trusted friends are a rare commodity.

-Some people are just waiting for someone to disciple them.

-This life can be over quicker than we imagine; always be prepared with Jesus.

-Your children are the source of joy and heartbreak, even as adults. Raise them wisely.

-Loss and grief are emotions that never seem to improve; they are lifelong scars.

-Genuine discipleship requires people to be totally honest about their thoughts and actions.  

-Tell those close to you that you love them as often as possible.

-Some days, it is completely fine just to rest. 

-People still desperately need Jesus.

I am trying to change our Church from a group of worship attendees into disciple-makers. This is a stretch for most people, including myself. I was taught that to grow spiritually, I needed to attend Sunday school and worship on Sunday morning. Then, there was youth group or worship on Sunday evening. Wednesday night, our Church held another worship program or a group called “New Community” for teenagers. The goal was to be in numerous groups throughout the week, and you would become a fully devoted follower of Jesus.

In no way do I condemn those efforts. It is the system that produced me, and as a result of it, I have gained vast knowledge of Biblical teaching by attending those groups. 

But now, as a Church pastor, I have realized that the system has flaws. Often, it produces people who know their Bible but have no clue how to live it out practically. They do not understand how to live for God in their jobs, marriages, parenting, hobbies, and relationships. Authentic discipleship is about obeying everything Jesus commanded in all the facets of our lives. It is not just about knowing; it is about doing.

This past year, I began the process of intentional discipleship. That means I take one person and spend 3-6 months walking through some material and challenging them to live out their faith.

When the journey is complete, I ask that person to grab someone else and intentionally disciple them. People love the first part and maturing in their faith. But typically, they do not like the second part. People want to develop, but they do not desire to teach others. As I have explored this situation, I have seen several fears people possess in discipling others.

1. I don’t know enough. This is by far the most common response. The truth is sharing your faith will help you increase your knowledge far more than you can imagine. Moving from student to teacher forces you to read, study, learn, pray, and ask more than you can envision. 

2. I have so much to change. This is an integrity question. We feel that we do not have it all together; therefore, no one should listen to us. You need to know that everyone is a sinner, even your favorite Christian leader, and we teach from grace, not from perfection. 

3. What if I mess up? This is the fear of negative outcomes. We feel that if we don’t teach something correctly or help the person properly, they will be scarred for life. Again, we need to realize that we all are growing as we go. I have no idea how to disciple someone intentionally, and I am learning so much with each person. I simply try to remain honest and share with the people I teach that I will do and say some things wrong, but I pray that God will do his work with my flawed attempts.

These are just a few of the fears I hear people sharing with me. My biggest hope is that people will understand that God will do more than you ask or imagine. Once we overcome our fears and let God work, lives will be changed through us, and nothing can stand in our way.

Where I live, there are two types of products. Some stores advertise “Amish built.” There are other shops where you can pick up every product, and there is a tiny sticker on the bottom that says, “Made in China.”

Both of those statements generate different thoughts in the mind of the buyer.

One says that the product was handmade and took time. The quality of the product is high and was built with integrity by an individual who cares about his work. These values are then reflected in the price of the object.

The other says that a machine made this product as quickly as possible. The quality is low and built with the bottom line in mind. These values are then reflected in the price of the item.

High quality costs more, but it is built to last a lifetime. Low quality has a lower price and might not survive very long.

I think this is also true for the disciples of Jesus.

Building a quality disciple takes longer and will come at a greater cost of time and resources. Sure, the Church can try to crank them out quickly and for the lowest cost, but it will be reflected in the quality of the product.

Leading people to be disciples who follow Jesus for a lifetime is never quick or easy.

One of my jobs as a pastor is to keep watch over quality control. While I want the Church to grow numerically, I must also ensure that people are transformed into high-quality disciples, not cheap imitations of the real thing.  

My heart drops the moment someone says, “Just buy my …”

I see hundreds of Facebook reels and advertisements to help my faith. I have sat through dozens of free webinars to help my Church. Hundreds of social media posts, Podcasts, emails, and blogs come across my screen with promises of growth, transformation, and a better future.

And then they drop the hammer. All you have to do is buy my book, App, video series, or product. Sign up and get your subscription today. Pay this one-time fee. Make a required donation of at least twenty-five dollars. Join us for this fantastic conference for the low price of ninety-nine dollars. 

Can I say, as a Christian, and especially as a Christian leader, that I hate the amount of people trying to sell their stuff to me?

I know people are trying to make money, and if they can do it and help the kingdom of God, where is the harm in that? These people are providing a service and need to feed their families. I get how it happens, but can I stand up and say I hate it?  

Perhaps it is just me, but my trust grows when someone says, “Let me help you,” and no strings are attached. They want to see the kingdom grow, not their brand or market share.

As a local Church pastor, I am blessed that the Church I lead gives me enough money to pay all my bills and be generous. But I did not enter the ministry for the money, and I do not do it for personal gain. I don’t have any products to sell, and I want to give away everything I possibly can. I strive to make my most significant question, “How can I help the kingdom of God,” and not “How much should I charge for this.”

I am a pastor in a small Church in a small town, and I sincerely appreciate everyone who has helped me through the years out of the goodness of their heart. I could never afford to pay for so many things, but kind mentors and Church leaders blessed me. And I especially appreciate every volunteer who steps up each week to serve the Lord in any Church worldwide. The kingdom of God is built on people who willingly serve out of their faith in Jesus alone. They are not for sale, and they deserve our praise.