I witnessed someone being arrested.
I believe the church can arrest people in the sense of hindering discipleship. I’ve seen so many churches tell people to “Put your hands in the air” and let me know you have made a decision to come to Christ. My heart breaks for this.
The Church is so focused on making decisions than making disciples.
I have seen so many people in my generation make a decision to accept Christ in their lives, but nothing change within them. There is no follow up with decisions. There is no discipleship. It is scaring people into making decisions or it is lets make everyone feel good so they can “follow” Christ. I remember in my younger years inviting everyone to come to church with me, so they can hear the good news, really forgetting that I carry the good news with me. The Holy Spirit came so we can be used to do greater things than what Jesus did on earth. (John 14)We were not made to just establish a church building to make decisions… We are made to establish Kingdom on earth, to make disciples in the name of Jesus, and to glorify God in all we do and say.
I dream of the day churches stop counting how many decisions were made, but how many disciples are being made. Discipleship is a process that has continual follow-up. If the church desires accurate numbers of salvation and servanthood, it should count how many of those decisions continually decided to come back to church as well as shared with others about Jesus.
Im speaking this over myself too. The Lord is teaching me alot about how I have gained a ton of information about Jesus from my youth group to service projects we did. I grew up in a wonderful church that has great discipleship within the church, but He is teaching me to take that discipleship outside of church now. It is about meeting people where they are at in unconditional love. He is giving me a heart for true discipleship.
Let’s make disciples, not just decisions. Any thoughts?