Every person who walks into our Sunday worship service carries a phone in their pocket. On that phone, they can access the greatest preachers in the world and listen to worship music performed with professional excellence, of a quality better than our small Church could ever produce.

So why do they come?

Because being present in worship is a personal experience. In person, you can talk to other believers, lift your voice alongside theirs, and sense something that simply can’t be streamed or downloaded.

Think about it: sports often look better on television, yet people still buy tickets. Music sounds clearer on a digital track, but people still line up for concerts. Comedians post full specials online, but there’s nothing like being there in the room. The same is true for the Church.

If worship is just about consuming content, staying home makes sense. But if it’s about connection and sharing life and faith with others, then showing up in person matters.

And if you haven’t been lately, maybe it’s time to come and experience what I’m talking about.

Several of the people who attended our latest membership class made similar statements. They felt blessed because I Church made an effort to help them take their next steps in faith.

Our Church seeks to connect with everyone who comes through the door. We have greeters stationed as they enter. We have a table where people can stop and talk if they are new. We have a welcome to our worship and special closing announcements. We coach everyone to be friendly and welcoming. And if they choose to return, we have regular classes to help people connect even further.

We believe the most significant question everyone should be asking is “What is my next step of faith?” This emphasis has led us to change my associate pastor’s title from “Discipleship Pastor” to “Next Steps Pastor.”

Too often, the Church treats everyone as if they fall into two hard categories. They are either non-Christians or committed believers. Frequently, they skip the steps that lead a new person in faith to greater commitment.

Few are those who come to Jesus and, overnight, go from lost to radically transformed into a mature believer. There are dozens of little steps to make that journey. And as a Church, we are committed to helping people make those steps.

Wherever you are on your journey of faith, it is possible to become a committed follower of Christ, but it only happens one little step at a time. So ask yourself, “What is my next step?” and then take it.

I recently watched a short online video about Christianity and noticed it had an unusually high number of comments. Many of them repeated the same phrase: “Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship with Jesus.”

Over time, this phrase has been repeated so often that it’s become a cliché. People echo it as though it clarifies what we believe about Jesus. Personally, I don’t think it adequately captures the Christian faith.

Let me ask you directly: “Do you find relationships easy?”

If you’re like most people, your greatest stress in life comes from the people you deeply love. Relationships bring joy, but also tension, misunderstanding, and heartbreak. I deeply love my wife, but being in a relationship with her takes effort, and I know she’d say the same about me.

Relationships demand hard work, time, and attention. We frequently misread the other person’s motives, misconstrue their behavior, find it difficult to connect in the way they need, and sometimes drift apart.

I do believe Christianity involves a relationship with Jesus, but I don’t consider that a compelling angle that simplifies faith in him. Honestly, I’d prefer a religion that offered a straightforward list of rules. Then I could always gauge my standing and know precisely what comes next. A relationship, however, constantly requires my complete focus and leaves little room for doing whatever I want.

Christians are in a relationship with Jesus, but that elevates the expectations of our faith rather than diminishing them, contrary to how most people frame it.

I rarely respond to anything in most of my social media groups. I will quickly sign up for a local community group, a professional group, a hobby group, and even a Christian pastor group. Then I read through other people’s posts without comment. Very rarely do I engage with anything posted unless I am 100 percent sure I have something meaningful to contribute.

Many people treat the Church like a social media group. They show up at the last minute, leave quickly, talk to a few people, never sign up for groups, and never seem to connect with anyone else. They are not angry; they simply want to stay in the background.

To get the most out of any group, you have to move from lurking in the background to being an active participant. This is especially true in the body of Christ. Church isn’t just something to watch; it’s something to join. It’s not a performance; it’s a family. When you step out of the shadows and begin to serve, share, pray, and love others, you find that your faith deepens and your joy grows.

Maybe this Sunday is your chance to move from “lurker” to participant. Say hello. Join a group. Volunteer. Ask someone how you can pray for them. You might be surprised how much more meaningful the Church becomes when you step in rather than stand back.

Friday was supposed to be the highly anticipated grand opening at the pizza place. Surprisingly, it was open on Thursday. There were cars in the parking lot and people coming and going. A pastor I knew was driving by when he saw the commotion and stopped. He went in and ordered a pizza to go.

When the waitress was done taking his order, she walked away and said very little. Since it was a new restaurant, he didn’t think too much of it. Soon, she came back with a pizza box and thanked him for stopping by tonight. He asked about payment and was told that tonight everything is free because they were training for the grand opening.

He could not believe what had just happened. He immediately thought, I should have ordered more and taken advantage of this opportunity. Then a second thought hit him, and he went out to his car and started texting several people he knew about the free meal.

Several of his friends and parishioners also enjoyed a pizza and a chance to try something new. Each one of them then messaged someone so they could enjoy the deal too. The place was packed all night, and hundreds of people welcomed the restaurant by receiving a gift from them.

Whenever you encounter something good that blesses your life, our instinct should be to share it. This is true with pizza, and it should be true with the gospel.

If God has blessed your life through the work of Jesus Christ, don’t keep that information to yourself. Call, text, email, or visit someone this week and tell them about it. If you genuinely believe the gospel is good, then share, don’t keep it a secret.

The Church I lead is not for everyone.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone. Individual Churches are not.

I approach my preaching from my personal perspective. My type of humor, my method for developing a sermon, my personality, my delivery style, and every part of my communication are shaped by my home Church pastor, college professors, and the thousands of sermons I have heard.

The same is true for my leadership. I am the product of a highly functioning Church that took some wrong turns while I watched my dad as a leader. It comes from years of ministry and dealing with all types of people. The books I have read, the conferences I have attended, and the pastors who mentored me have shaped my ideas and decision-making process.

Early in my ministry, it upset me that people didn’t like me. They would attend a worship program and then walk away and never return. They would get involved in the Church and then suddenly disappear because they didn’t like how I handled something.

I would spend hours trying to fix myself and make everyone happy. If I could have mass appeal, then the Church I was leading would grow, and the gospel could touch everyone’s life. I found that the more I tried to make everyone happy, the less people responded, and the more miserable I became.

Then one day it hit me (in part, thanks to Seth Godin). No product is for everyone. There are Coke people, Dr. Pepper people, Mountain Dew people, and Pepsi people. Everything appeals to someone, and you have to find “your people.”

After that, I began to lean into my personality and not away from it. I am a goofball who makes more mistakes than I have successes. I tell stories and regularly embarrass myself. I lead with both confidence and humility. I am not afraid of people seeing my flaws, hearing my frustrations, or walking with me through pain.

I know I am unique, just like you. I know that not everyone will like me, but some will. So I keep using my life, my experiences, and how God shaped me for his glory. Every year, I am amazed at the lives God touches through my ministry.

You are not for everyone. But you can have an impact on someone.

Be completely you and do it for God’s glory.

I saw a book for preachers on why preaching book by book, verse by verse, is the best way to grow believers in their faith.

Picking it up, I flip to the chapter headings to see his line of thinking. Much to my surprise, the book was topical, giving his reasoning by jumping all over the Bible.

It’s like when I was at a conference and heard a lecture on why lectures no longer work with believers.

Whenever Christians call other Christians to transformation, the method we use must support the conclusions we reach.

You can’t lead people to love and grace by getting angry and yelling at them.

It means to surrender or give up resistance. In most contexts, that sounds like defeat with people waving white flags. Armies capitulate when they’ve been overpowered. Negotiators capitulate when they’ve lost leverage. It’s rarely seen as a good thing.

But when we look at the Christian life, we see this concept woven into the Scriptures. Jesus himself said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) It’s only when we lay down our arms before God that He can begin His transforming work in us. That’s the paradox of faith: victory comes through surrender.

So maybe today, instead of trying harder, we need to surrender to the loving Savior. We are to surrender our will to God’s, acknowledging that our way has led us into sin and separation, and yielding to His forgiveness and lordship. We stop fighting against His truth and embrace it instead.

But capitulation isn’t a one-time event. Daily, we’re called to surrender our plans to His purposes, our desires to His wisdom, our fears to His faithfulness. So, today, what is God asking you to capitulate to? What battle are you still fighting that He’s calling you to surrender? True victory in the Christian life doesn’t come from resisting God, but rather it comes from yielding to Him.

We have billions of pieces of information at our fingertips. A quick search for any topic or question will yield numerous articles and videos to help you understand it quickly. Many times, the facts and figures revealed prove to be mere trivia with little practical application. We have our answers, but they do not transform our lives.

I have noticed this same information addiction among Christians. We like to know things about the Bible and be able to answer questions about theology. That way, we look smart in Church conversations and can contribute adequately to small group discussions. Put us in a room with someone who doesn’t know the Bible, and we feel proud of how spiritual we are.

The trouble is that it rarely leads us to transformation. You can know a lot of Bible trivia and little else. The essential question is not “Do I know more about the Bible after what I read?” It is “Am I becoming what God desires, having read the Bible?”

Recently, I completed teaching the Membership Class at the Church I lead, along with our Next Steps Pastor, Gary. Once completed, I wait a week for them to review the material I did not cover, and then I schedule a follow-up with everyone who attended. I will answer all the questions about what we believe and about how we do things here in the Church. My time with them lasts anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour. As they are leaving, I give them a ministry list and tell them to look it over. Gary will contact them to follow up and encourage them to serve as a volunteer somewhere in the Church.

I have a dream about how that meeting with him will go. I want them to show up having read through the list and be completely ready to start serving. There will be no hard push or prompting to get them involved. This mythical person will take ministry seriously and is prepared to use their gifts for God. All they need is a few connections and a little instruction, and they will handle the rest.

Once they have chosen their ministry, they will make sure the leader knows when they are available. They will plan their Sunday mornings around serving and will find joy in using their lives in the service of the Lord. As a result, I trust their choices as they move this ministry forward with vision and direction. They will become a priceless asset to the Church with their selfless service and deep commitment to making Jesus famous in our community.

Granted, this rarely happens, but I keep dreaming … and praying for it.