Jesus describes discipleship in terms of denying self in the loving deference and compliance to Him. Disciples are those who must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow the Lord to whom they have bowed the knee. The faith we walk by is to be repentant faith, turning from our own glory and righteousness to seek Christ’s glory and His righteousness. Christ is not first on the list of priorities; He is the hub in which all the spokes of life are fixed and revolve around.
The same pastoral epistles that call us to the goal of godliness also yoke us to the grace of God.
Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness (1 Tim. 4:7, NASB).
The church nowadays bears a striking resemblance to the boneless chicken farm cartoon of Gary Larson’s The Far Side. Missing is the backbone of courage to infiltrate the culture with the gospel of the kingdom. Absent is the skeleton of Law in the inner being that enables disciples to stand upright and to walk in the way of Christ.
I’ve seen it up close as a pastor. Church members will make it to church for Sunday worship as long as a better offer doesn’t come along. Weather too nasty keeps them at home. Weather too nice keeps them outside. Marriages crumble because it’s too hard to make them work. Vows are lasting, until we don’t want them to be. Cultivating our relationship with God through reading the Bible and prayer? That sounds good in theory but we’re happy with more of a business relationship, knowing God’s got our back when it comes to escaping culpability for our sin, knowing He’s available if we need Him.
Yes, I’ve seen it up close as a pastor but I’ve seen it up closer in myself. I’ve seen myself go through the pastoral motions, honoring God with my lips while my heart is far from Him. I’ve seen a public me and a private me, a Sunday me and a Monday me. I’ve seen myself silent when an ear is open to witness, and unresponsive when kindness was called for.
Pastor and parishioner are cut from the same cloth. For whatever reason (and we each have our own at the ready) we follow Christ on our own terms. But that is not the way of a disciple.
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