Why the church is failing. ( How to change it)

While serving as a youth leader at a church, I noticed that the young people in my group didn't seem very interested in spiritual things.

This made me wonder why they were even there. So I asked them," why are y'all even here"?

Out of the group of about 10 to 15 young people, the best answer I got was that they wanted to learn about God.

Some of them even said honestly that they didn't know.

This blew my mind because most of them had been going to church their whole lives.

Some of them looked embarrassed, so I let them know I was asking out of love.

After that, I asked more questions like:

How do you know you're born again?

How do you lead someone to Christ?

Why do you believe in Jesus?

It was very sad to see how they responded.

They all had a hard time finding the right words to say.

After that I used the rest of the time to encourage them to think about their own souls.

"The greatest legacy one can pass on to one's children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one's life, but rather a legacy of character and faith." - Billy Graham

That experience showed a major problem in the modern church system: The lack of discipleship.

It even made me think about my own role as a leader and why I did things the way I did.

I started to ask myself questions, like:

What am I doing?

Who has discipled me?

What can I do about this?

At that time it hit me.

What I considered as discipleship was not what the Bible taught.

I was just copying what I had seen others do.

For example, the men I asked to disciple me just gave me books or suggest that I attend groups and conferences.

Or they would tell me to just come to church as much as I could.

So that's exactly what I did. I was in church 4 to 5 days a week.

By the grace God, I had a love and hunger for His word that kept me from being completely indoctrinated by that system.

This also caused me to avoid a lot of the pitfalls that come from a lack of discipleship as well.

When I shared all of this with the church leaders, including the pastor, they agreed but didn't nothing about it.

I even offered to do whatever it would take on my end to be part of the solution.

I kept bringing it up over the next few months but nothing changed and the sad part is they even started to treat me differently.

I was accused of being legalistic because I continued to say that we had to put in the work it would take to bring about change.

The truth is, at this time, I believe I did become a little legalistic, but no one sat me down and show me where I was overdoing it.

Why? Because even though I didn't know it at that time I was challenging the harlot church system.

Church leaders are taught to do church in a certain way, so most don't even question if it's the right way.

The harlot church system does not produce followers of Christ, but instead turned the church into a social club for believers.

Months went by and still no action was taken. So I chose to leave the church to prevent myself from feeling bitter or resentful towards them.

I tell you that story because it highlights the problem that we have.

There is a form of Christianity being pushed that says you can be born again and not follow Jesus.

There is no biblical discipleship in most churches.

I believe this is just a product of a deeper issue.

“The Harlot church system”.

For context, there are two things we call the Church. One is the building where Christians gather, and the other is the people of God.

It's more biblical to call the place we meet the church rather than the actual person who attends. A place and a person can't be the same thing.

The people of God are called the ecclesia, which means "called out ones". The place where they meet is called the church.

The deeper issue I'm referring to is called the "harlot church system" that keeps the people of God bound to itself for its own personal gain.

So, if you hear me referring to the church with a negative tone, I'm usually addressing this system, not a person or place.

This can be traced all the way back to Babylonian times, and was pulled into Christianity at the inception of the Catholic Church.

We will cover this in more detail in the future, so stay tuned.

Not making disciples is a Big mistake

Not being and making disciples reduces the effectiveness of the body of Christ as a whole and also hinders reaching the lost.

Luke 14:27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

He said if you don't follow him you can not be his disciple. Thats a hard word.

This is just one verse of many where Jesus emphasizes the importance of following Him.

Our role in becoming more like Him is to be His disciples, not just in our own lives but also in the lives of others.

The Holy Spirit has His role in changing us but we need to understand that we have a big responsibility in this process as well.

Matthew 28:19-20 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus made it clear that this is for all believers, not just some select group of super christians, but for everyone who has the Holy Spirit living in them.

As believers, we must wake up and rely on the Word of God as our standard for truth.

A lot of Christians spend more time arguing about doctrine, which causes division and different denominations, then living out the simplicity of what's clearly written in scripture.

Paul warned us about things like this:

2 Corinthians 11:3

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

I've traveled all across this country doing ministry, and I've seen and experienced what discipleship is and is not.

Discipleship is not just attending church or a Bible study.

It is not just some small group gathering or a weekend workshop.

True discipleship is a lifestyle of becoming like Christ and assisting others in doing the same.

It requires a genuine commitment to follow Jesus and learn from Him daily.

"Discipleship is not a one-time decision; it's a lifelong journey of surrender to Christ." - Unknown

In many ministries, the main focus is on sharing information instead of helping people become like Jesus.

Denying this truth is what prevents most ministries from really having a Christ-like impact in their communities.

I've talked to many pastors and leaders in the Christian community about this, and the outcome is usually one of two things:

They agree but do nothing, or they completely deny it, leaving their followers to suffer.

Let's be clear. This is not healthy for the body of Christ.

Do you realize how many people attend church every week and still feel isolated and alone?

Think about how all the believers who silently suffer due to trauma and unresolved problems?

Most of the time, they have no one they feel comfortable enough to talk to about deeper things in their life or to walk them through the process it takes to heal in these areas.

It's not up to the church or the leader to disciple the people who God has sent into your life.

However, this is what we see happening time and time again.

Most Christians turn evangelism into bringing their unsaved friends to church instead of giving them the gospel themselves and leading them to Christ.

Church leaders encourage this by telling their congregation to look at the empty seat next to them and commit to bringing someone to fill it.

Instead of teaching the congregation how to go and reach people for Jesus and make disciples themselves.

This results in, the preachers giving milky messages about salvation every Sunday to help to try to reach the unsaved people.

While those who are already born again are hungry for meat starving.

Hebrews 5:12-14 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Hopefully, you're starting to see how this hinders the growth of the body of Christ.

I'm not talking about how many people come to church, but spiritual growth - believers actually becoming more like Jesus.

Discipleship is at the center of God's heart for His people, it cultivates the kind of love that causes action.

"The true test of discipleship is love." - A.W. Tozer

As we grow in love, this fuels our hunger and passion to build up the body of Christ and spread the Gospel.

Jesus told us to "Go."

So why aren't you doing it?

Is it because you don't know where to begin?

You don't know how?

Is it fear?

Whatever your reason is this is why discipleship is important.

We must help each other overcome any obstacle that hinders us from obeying Jesus.

This is where we receive training, guidance and boldness to live like Christ from our fellow believers.

It's where we form lasting relationships, not just superficial friendships.

Non-discipleship Christianity creates lukewarm and weak Christians who are not prepared for the battle they have have enrolled in.

It's important to remember that we are in a war.

We have a real enemy who wants to stop us from fulfilling God's purposes on earth.

I would even argue that the lack of discipleship in Christianity today is a result of the devil's plan.

Discipleship is one of the places we learn to confront the enemy, cast out demons, and defend our faith.

This is where we learn to become better fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, men and women of God.

The demonic realm oppose discipleship because they know its power and what it can produce.

The enemy doesn't want us to become like Christ and destroy his works in the process.

I believe that when the church prioritizes discipleship in its ministry, we will see one of the greatest moves of God in history.

Reformation has always been about getting back to what the Word says, and this is no different.

We have to get back to biblical discipleship.

I have personally discipled many people over the years, and I have seen the positive impact it has on their lives.

Just living life with them.

Being a brother, a mentor, someone they can rely on during hard times.

Sharing meals at their dinner table, checking on them and their children, getting the word with them and just helping them grow spiritually.

This is the example christ left us.

Being and making disciples brings a sense of fulfillment that you won't get anywhere else.

It prepares you for God's purposes in your life and helps you become a well-rounded christian.

Not only does it help you grow spiritually but also on the personal development side as well.

When we focus on supporting and encouraging each other in the body of Christ, it results in disciples who actively go out and share the gospel with the world.

Jesus died for our sins so that we may be saved, but he also discipled a few faithful men to present that message to the world and confront whatever stands in the way.

The Great Commision

The Great Commission is a biblical mandate given by Jesus Christ so this is not a option for a christian. This is our mission.

So lets break in down:

Matthew 28:18-20 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Authority: Jesus makes it a point to emphasize His authority in heaven and on earth before He commands us to go.

This brings us encouragement and boldness because we know the commander-in-chief is in charge.

Go and Make Disciples: Then, He commands us to go. Who? You and me.

Our mission is to preach the gospel to every type of person we encounter: old, young, rich, poor, people of every race and background.

Baptism: You do not have to be ordained by man to do what Jesus commanded you to do.

This is a public declaration of your commitment to follow Jesus.

I personally encourage you to make this declaration publicly, outside the confines of a building.

It lets the world and the spiritual realm know that you really are about your Father's business.

Teaching and Obedience: As believers, we have a responsibility to teach new believers to follow and obey Jesus.

This goes beyond conveying information; it involves lovingly investing ourselves into the lives of our brothers and sisters.

We teach them what to obey with our words, but we show them how to obey with our lives.

We should demonstrate through our own lives how to live according to Jesus' teachings and use words to guide and instruct them.

Promise of Presence: Jesus assures his disciples that he will be with them always, even to the end of the age.

This promise of His presence comforts and empowers us to carry out the Great Commission.

This is a promise from our king. Jesus knew that this mission was huge so when fear tries to creep in, remember and believe these words because He is with you.

We are called by God Himself to actively live out our faith personally.

Not to rely on others to fulfill our responsibilities.

Our role is both to be disciples ourselves and to make disciples, assisting them in their spiritual growth and helping them become more like Jesus.

This is a call to spread the Gospel and populate heaven.

This is an eternal mission given to us by the Creator of the heaven and the earth.

It's exciting.

Praise God that He would use ordinary people like us to advance His kingdom on earth.

So now what?

Take a moment to meditate on what I'm about to ask you.

- What will you do?

- Will you become the person God created you to be?

- Will you go and do what God has called you to do?

- Will you obey Jesus in regard to the great Commission?

- Will you ignore all of this and keep playing church?

You have been chosen to represent Christ and share the gospel with the world.

While it may feel like a big responsibility because it is, remember that He has promised to be with you always.

Start now

Take a moment to examine yourself.

- Start by taking responsibility.

- Pray and ask God who is in your life he wants you to disciple.

- Talk to your fellow believers and leaders about this.

- Spend time in prayer and studying discipleship.

Don't be discouraged if you have fallen short in this area.

God is not bringing this to your attention to condemn you but to take you to the next level for what He has planned for your life and those whom you will reach.

Connect with someone you look up to in your faith to see if they would be open to discipling you.

If you can't find anyone willing don't feel discouraged.

Just continue in the mission and God will work it out.

"Discipleship is not about adding Jesus to your life; it's about giving Him everything." - Unknown

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