"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19-20
Why is it that churches today are so filled with “cardboard” Christians? What I mean by that is people who may know the right things and say the right things, but their lives don’t seem to be tracked by their words. They know all the talking points and can feel comfortable in any group or setting with other Christians, but once they walk out the door on Sunday morning, it’s back to the “real” world and “real” life.
Indeed, many so-called megachurches are filled with large groups of people and with worship music up on stage, looking more like entertainment than worship. The pastors generally give wonderful sermons intended to inform, to inspire and to teach practical Christian advice, yet others are more politically or ideologically driven. They preach about the grace we receive from God, but seldom about the grace, we are to offer to others.
Many pastors today seem satisfied with putting – and keeping butts in the seats. Even if those bottoms are simply transfers from other churches in the area. So many churches have multiple programs in which one can get involved yet seem to offer few – if any – means or opportunities to learn how to become a true disciple of Christ. To deepen our relationship with the Lord.
Prostitutes, lepers, tax collectors, and others who were outcasts of the time were magnetically drawn to Jesus. In him, they found grace and forgiveness. Can the same be said about our churches today? Where is the fruit of our labor? Simply ask a stranger what description they associate with “Christian,” and it takes little imagination to gauge their reply. Too often, perhaps, political or cultural in nature: stridently pro-life, opponents of gay rights, or attempts to censor everyone else and impose our morals on everybody. “Control over others” is often heard.
Let’s face it: in the Western world today, it is often difficult to be able to tell those who identify as Christ-followers apart from non-believers. The divorce rate is among Christians is certainly no better than among non-believers. Simply watch social media to see bad-mannered, downright rude replies from so-called Christians. Rather than showing love and grace toward others, we too often display the traits of Job’s so-called “friends” – telling others what they’ve done wrong.
The church seems to have become a watered-down version of itself, or at least we seem to have accepted a watered-down version of what it means to be disciples of Christ. We are great at imposing our moral values on others, even if they don’t know Christ – as if changing their behavior will lead them to eternal life. We point fingers of condemnation at those who don’t believe as we do because “we have it right, and you don’t.” We yell loudly about our rights and the sin in the world and lament the current cultural wars going on around us – but struggle when it comes to taking the planks out of our own eyes. Thus, the non-believing world refers to Christians as hypocrites – and all too often, it seems an all-too-appropriate term. The outcasts of the day, who flocked to Jesus, feel unwelcomed in our churches, finding neither grace nor forgiveness.
Cultural churches and casual faith-creating cardboard Christians.
What exactly did Jesus mean when he commanded us to create disciples? Did he mean just converts – or was he referring to something greater? If so…is it the responsibility of the church to create such disciples? If not, what should the role of the church be?
Cardboard Christianity
In the parable of the sower in the book of Matthew, Jesus describes four groups of people. Two of those hear the word and accept it with joy – but then life gets in the way.
The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no roots, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. -V. 20-22
Cardboard Christianity. Under pressures of life or attack for their beliefs, the faith of these folds like a piece of weak cardboard. They may be converts and may believe in their minds, but their hearts are simply not in it, and they cave.
Clearly, Jesus intended a far different discipleship.
It is said that the Old Testament Law is the straight line by which we measure our crookedness. That said, in the Sermon on the Mount (more specifically, the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12), Jesus was not giving us a new, tougher standard of behavior to follow. He was describing what type of life, of faith, of righteousness, we could have in Him and through Him. He illustrated what life for us would – should – be like with a heart that was restored, reformed, repaired, and rehabilitated – in Him. Jesus knew that the Law does nothing to change our hearts – it is simply a demand of behavior that gets us nowhere closer to reconciliation with the Father. He certainly was not going to simply recreate a new – more difficult law to keep. And yet, it seems today to be an all-too-common theme that the Sermon on the Mount represents a new set of behavior standards we are to keep – yet cannot. We remain unable to do so without Christ in our hearts. And therein lies the answer.
Jesus is not looking for casual, half-hearted disciples. Jesus wants all of us. He wants our hearts fully committed, so his Spirit can change us from the inside out. And truly giving him our hearts means so much more than simply knowing his words and being able to repeat them.
True Discipleship = Giving Up Our Lives and Hearts
References abound in the New Testament referring to the church – us - as being the “bride of Christ.” Paul speaks to this in his letter to the church at Ephesus:
“For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. (5:31-32)
Paul says that as a man and woman become one flesh, so will Christ and the church. We are indeed the bride of Christ, and the commitment to follow Jesus is like marriage – a lifelong commitment, for better or for worse. It is a commitment that one must be ready to make and is not to be taken lightly and if someone is not ready to make that lifelong commitment, they should not get married. I believe the same commitment applies to following Jesus – all or nothing. Complete surrender of ourselves.
Jesus himself tells us that we must be willing to count the cost to follow him. Then…this:
“…those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” - Luke 14:33
Then, in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus said this to his disciples:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. - Matthew 16:24-25
The cross to us today is a symbol of salvation, but to those living in that period, it was a symbol of execution. Of death. Jesus was saying that to follow him we must be willing to give up our very lives, as we know it, to become his disciples. We must be willing to execute our old self, our old way of life. We must give up ourselves and let our very hearts belong to him.
Finding the Narrow Gate
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate, and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. - Matthew 7:13-14
The path to the narrow gate cannot be taken for us. We certainly can turn to guides along the way, but we must take the steps – no one can take them for us. We must make the decision for ourselves on the path we will choose.
I recently read a quote from Mark Labberton: “The assurance of grace is meant to set us on the road of faithful discipleship, not just assure us of grace at the finish line.”
I want to be careful here. I am not one iota better than anyone else in my journey toward discipleship. I have failed far too often to offer the same grace I have received. But I do believe scripture is clear in the goal toward which we must strive and grow - the narrow gate of discipleship.
Role of the Church
So, what is the role of the church in all of this? First, we really need to stop thinking of our pastors and church staff as “the church.” They are shepherds, of course. WE are the Church – capital C. We are the bride of Christ. All of us.
Can the “church” (little ‘c”) help point us in the right direction and give us guidance? YES!
Can the “church” give us tools we can use along the way? Of course!
But we must be responsible for using those tools and following the guidance. Someone can hand us a shovel, but we must do the digging in order to get the job done. It is not up to our pastor to preach us to discipleship. It is up to us. To each other. The church can help us help one another. Yes, our churches can – and should - look inward to determine what they are doing to help create disciples, to help get people on the right path. Then ask themselves if it’s working.
In his second letter to Timothy, Paul essentially said this.
"And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others." - Timothy 2:2
“Hey – you heard me preach, heard me working at creating disciples. Now you find reliable people you can trust to disciple others.” Gordon MacDonald calls them “deep” people. As Moses discipled Joshua and Paul discipled Timothy, perhaps our churches need to focus on discipling a few “deep” people who then can serve to disciple others.
Let us work together as the Church to make disciples who can help make disciples.
Let us work together to conquer cardboard Christianity.
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