"Therefore, having been brought through, disciple all nations—baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..."
-Matthew 28:19
An audio recording of this post is available >>HERE<<
Robert E. Coleman wrote the following in the forward of the book DISCIPLESHIFT: "Something is missing in the life of the church. Today's institution has a polite form of religion, but it seems to lack power, the power to radically change the wayward course of society..." There's certainly no shortage of vision, mission, purpose, and doctrinal statements. A few churches have even thought out their discipleship strategies. So, what is the missing link in so many congregations today? It boils down to execution.
Conversations with and between supposedly mature Christians today rarely seem to transcend the topic of personal salvation or heated debates between denominations or doctrinal camps. Hebrews 6:1 states, "Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith in God..." Maturity isn't open to interpretation because Ephesians 4:11-16 spells it out. It looks like the saints actively engaged in becoming equipped for the work of ministry to build up the Body of Christ. It looks like making every effort, working together to reach unity in the faith and knowledge of the Son of God. It looks like our not being led into foolish teachings and fruitless discussions by false teachers. It looks like our speaking the truth in love and each member of the Body of Christ showing up to do their part. Maturity looks like execution.
The Apostle Paul identified our proclivity for mindless discussions when he wrote to Timothy, "...stay on at Ephesus to instruct certain men not to teach false doctrines or devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculation rather than the stewardship of God’s work, which is by faith." But it seems our present preoccupation with endless jibber-jabber via debates, discussions, panels, meetings, conferences, synods, seminars, symposiums, forums, and roundtables flies in the very face of Scripture's testimony.
In 1 Cor 4:20, the Apostle Paul exclaimed, "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of jibber-jabber but of power." And in Ephesians 2:10 Paul reveals, "For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life." Why, then, has the pinnacle of the Christian experience today been reduced to disconnected attendance and passive presence in Sunday sermons and Bible studies? How much more information do we need before we actually EXECUTE Christ's commands?
Several years ago I worked for a general contractor. One day, a telecom guy came to set up the business phone line. We got to talking and he said that when he interviewed for the job he showed up in worn-out jeans and work boots. He noted that all the other guys interviewing were wearing suits and ties. When the interviewer asked him, "Why should I give you the job over all these other guys?" he responded, "Because I actually showed up ready for work today." That mindset of showing up to work—ready to execute—is what's sorely lacking in the church today.
We have countless congregations overflowing with people showing up for plenty of selfish reasons: the church singles scene, programs, uplifting words of affirmation, benevolence, donuts, coffee, or a photo op in their "Sunday Best," but very few ever participate in the good works God prepared in advance for us to walk in as our new way of life. The New Testament reveals that the Church is a people and not a place. It's a group of individuals from every tribe, tongue, nation, neighborhood, social, ethnic, and financial background united by two things in common:
1) They are justified exclusively by the grace of God in Christ Jesus
2) They are intentionally working together in Gospel community to honor Christ by advancing His kingdom.
There are certainly additional specific elements revealed in Scripture for the DNA of the Church (i.e. preaching, teaching, discipleship, edification, evangelism, missions, leadership, membership, accountability, corporate worship, etc.). Still, all the specifics fall under the umbrella of existing to honor Christ by advancing His kingdom. Any group lacking either of those elements (or both) may be a religious club or community center, but they are certainly not a New Testament Church.
Many churches today are full of nothing more than mere talkers spewing empty jibber-jabber. We have countless churches led by Senior Pastors who spend their days in their offices studying Hebrew and Greek for sermon prep but who don't know the first thing about the sheep under their care (unless of course, those sheep are ridiculously wealthy. Then they get invited to special steering meetings and exclusive dinner parties despite what James 2:9 has to say).
We have preachers who take private lessons to become great performers, entertainers, and persuasive orators (despite 1 Cor 2:3-5)... who'll never take a single step to follow Christ—who'll never stop to stoop down and wash anyone's feet. We have preachers who spend more money per month on their appearance (with their fancy suits, ties, pocket squares, designer shoes, mani-pedis, and facials) than the average mortgage payment of their congregation.
When was the last time you saw your Lead/Senior Pastor get their hands dirty with actual ministry to children or the homeless that wasn't a photo op or publicity stunt? When was the last time you saw them doing anything other than asking for money, preaching a sermon, or autographing their latest book? Do they look and smell more like they're ready for a corporate board meeting or the kind of ministry King Jesus did for prostitutes, tax collectors, and sinners?
The truth is that pastors and preachers are the low-hanging fruit. They aren't the problem. The Apostle Paul exposed this to Timothy in saying, "For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things..." Paul was pointing out that the problem is the local church membership with its misguided members, search teams, boards, and committees seeking out, calling, appointing, and affirming the kinds of leaders who'll say exactly what they want to hear.
Sadly, more and more churches today aren't even the ones selecting the candidate pool! Instead, many churches hire secular companies (Shepherd's Staff, Chemistry Staffing, Vanderbloeman, etc.) to do all that "tedious" and "time-consuming" work for them. That's right, many churches today are so lazy that they outsource the privilege, duty, and responsibility of selecting their next pastor (or candidate pool) to secular companies. Then they're shocked when the fool they hire runs off with the church secretary, is caught in flagrant immorality, plagiarizes sermons, abandons the flock when offered a higher salary elsewhere, and turns out to be a lowlife scoundrel and scallywag.
"For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."
Those same committees are the ones writing ridiculous job descriptions that neither Moses (murderer), David (adulterer), Paul (murderer), nor Jesus Himself (single man with no formal religious training or degree) would qualify for. In reality, many congregations are more interested in outward appearances (looking for a King Saul so they can be like all the other churches around them) rather than calling a man after God's heart (like King David). They're looking for "a proven track record" and externals based on the patterns of the world rather than spending time seeking, fasting, praying, and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead.
Why? The bottom line is idolatry. The passive church masses just want to be entertained with funny feel-good messages from puppet bobbleheads rather than being convicted of their sin and transformed by the Word of God. Many congregations want a pastor who'll applaud and celebrate their Golden Calves, Bronze Snakes, High Places, and rampant idol worship rather than someone who will point them out and lead the charge in tearing them all down. Then they act surprised when the leader they demanded turns out to be a Saul or Ahaz leading them right back into slavery and exile. The problem is the lust for conformity and acceptance by the world. The problem, as King Jesus pointed out in John 3:19, is that people love darkness more than the Light. People love deniability, autonomy, power, and control so they can continue dabbling in and dancing with pet sins without any immediate repercussions... but King Jesus isn't having it.
Chadd Wright is a former Navy Seal. As you can probably imagine, Chadd is a pretty intense fellow. In a podcast interview, he once described his job as the "breach man" for his SEAL team. He said that once he'd done his job, the rest of the team would wait to hear these three words, "Execute! Execute! Execute!" Chadd, now retired from the military, noted that he still says those three words to himself every morning before getting out of bed. He does it as a reminder to give today everything he's got. He said that if we don't "Execute!" what life requires of us then we're essentially cheating ourselves, our employers, our families—our team.
Since Christians have Christ's overt expectations and imperative commands... the fullness of God's revelation in Scripture... the Holy Spirit of God who has sealed us, who resides within us, and leads us into all righteousness... and since we have God's full disclosure regarding how the story ends... The question becomes, "Why aren't we executing?"
Upon Peter's confession, that Jesus was the Messiah, the prophesied Anointed One of God, King Jesus said, "...on this rock I will build My church, and the Gates of Hades will not prevail against it." While He was still alive, King Jesus was saying, "EXECUTE!"
After His resurrection, the LORD appeared to various people and groups for forty days. During that time, He appeared to His disciples and told them, "Therefore, having been brought through, disciple all nations—baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." King Jesus was again saying, "EXECUTE!"
Just before ascending to heaven, King Jesus said, "...But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Again, King Jesus was saying, "EXECUTE!"
The kinds of discussions that go on in the locker rooms during half-time at the Super Bowl or NBA Championship have nothing to do with sea monkeys or thread counts. On the eve of an assault, military generals don't gather commanders to discuss pedicures or scrapbooking techniques. Similarly, legitimate Christians and churches aren't consumed with the elementary teachings of salvation and fruitless discussions. Instead, they're praying, fasting, and putting on the full Armor of God for the battle not against flesh and blood but against rules, authorities, powers, and principalities in the supernatural realm. They're focused on taking the fight to the Gates of Hades to herald King Jesus and His Gospel to the ends of the earth. They're busy executing Christ's Great Commission. Those are the kind of followers that King Jesus said worship the Father in spirit and truth.
The missing link isn't more jibber-jabber; it's the execution of Christ's commands to seek first, surrender, serve, edify, disciple, testify, and advance His kingdom so that the Gates of Hades will not prevail against it. When we, members of His Church, find ourselves blessed with another day in the world but not of it, we respond to the voice of our Sovereign LORD who compels us to "Execute! Execute! Execute!"
Blessings and love,
Kevin M. Kelley
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