Converts.
Disciples.
Jesus invites His church to make both.
But, these are not the same thing and they are not done the same way.
Conversion, in a Christian sense, is about actually becoming a Christian. It is about giving control of your life to Jesus, taking the mantle of authority off your own head.
Discipleship, on the other hand, is the seeking to live your life the way Jesus showed and taught.
One is an event.
The other is a process.
One has a date.
The other is day-by-day.
One is a 180 degree turn from the direction your life is going.
The other is an ongoing journey in the same direction.
In general, churches will focus stronger on conversion or discipleship and, thus, do one more effectively than the other.
Churches will either stress gospel presentations and alter calls or bible study membership and authentic fellowship.
The irony is, we need to do both well.
If we just push conversion then, eventually, any converts we produce will feel unconnected, unsupported and move elsewhere.
Equally, if we major on discipleship, then our churches will be in danger of becoming stagnant cliques.
To be a healthy, growing, Christian community, we need to do both, or else our churches will be in danger of becoming a nursery or a retirement home.
No comments:
Post a Comment