As A Believer 2.0

We walk in today wearing the name Christian, but I need to ask you something that demands more than a nod. What does it actually cost you? What does it cost you? Somewhere along the line in this culture, we made truly following Jesus optional. We turn the most radical, dangerous, transformative commitment in human history into an attendance membership program. We domesticated the lion of Judah to a lapdog. [00:20:47] (51 seconds)  #CostOfDiscipleship

Have we committed our life to fearless obedience, to uncompromising conviction, to sacrificial love, or have we settled for a watered down false version of Christianity that offers comfort without cost and accepts the blessings of God without refusing the lordship of God? Matthew fifteen eight says, these people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. [00:14:50] (35 seconds)  #FaithNotLipService

The crowds followed Jesus for miracles, but when he demanded everything, when he asked for their lives, most of them walked away. This nation is drowning in darkness and moral decay and loneliness and despair and spiritual bankruptcy, and what they are looking for is something real. They're looking for something that doesn't compromise, something that can transcend all the chaos and all the lies. They are looking for us. [00:22:28] (41 seconds)  #AuthenticFaithMatters

But what will they find when they find us? Either we are believers or we are part of the crowd. And every single day, we decide which we will be. Every single day, we decide which one we will be. We are believers. We believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the son of God. We are believers. [00:23:09] (40 seconds)  #ChooseBeliefDaily

See, Jesus wasn't impressed by numbers. Notice he didn't say in the scripture, it doesn't say, now great disciples followed him, or great believers followed him. It said crowds. And for far too long, we've looked at crowds as indicators of true followers instead of lifestyles and fruit. Just because there are great numbers, it doesn't mean that the Lord is there. [00:09:28] (37 seconds)  #FruitOverNumbers

We should be closely following Jesus so much that we're covered in his residue. See, this wasn't a Sunday thing for them. This wasn't something that they did because their parents did it. This wasn't something that they just felt like, oh, I'll just casually do this because they knew that if they made this decision, it would cost them their life. [00:07:25] (24 seconds)  #ResidueOfDiscipleship

We are believers, but we are only as effective as our submission to him. We are believers, but we are only as effective as our submission to him. What is the level of your submission? I wanna see Jesus do amazing things in my life. I wanna see him restore my marriage. I wanna see him restore my family. I wanna see him do this. I wanna see him do that. But what is your level of submission? [00:16:17] (44 seconds)  #SubmitToSeeGodMove

This is the word that Jesus used to describe his disciples, and it is someone who has made an intimate lifelong commitment to learn and imitate their teacher's way of life. Someone who has made an intimate lifelong commitment to learn and to imitate their teacher's way of life. In the first century, they were called dusty disciples. Dusty disciples. [00:06:11] (37 seconds)  #DustyDisciples

This is who we are. This is our life, our lifestyle. This is not a badge. This is not a membership card that we get to put in our wallet. When we say that we are believers, when we say that we are Christians, that we are followers of Jesus, it is very important that we understand what it means. What are we saying when we say that we are believers? Number one, we are saying that I have committed my life and put my faith in Jesus Christ. [00:01:59] (34 seconds)  #FaithIsLifestyle

But when you use words and you just say things for the sake of saying them, the meaning begins to be diluted. And because of that, we want to be clear about what it means to be believer. Because casual Christianity has snuck in the church, and it has redefined what it actually means to be a Christian, what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, what it means to be a believer. [00:05:21] (35 seconds)  #StopCasualChristianity

It's important that we know it, what we're saying. And we don't just say it just just to say it. Because what happens is when you just say stuff just for the sake of saying it and it has no meaning behind it, what happens is the meaning loses weight. And what it means loses weight. I remember when I was thinking about this, and I was thinking about how how words have changed over a span of years. [00:03:28] (36 seconds)  #WordsMatter

It was like, you seeing the seven wonders of the world and this taco are on the same level? But words when you just use them and use them, the meaning becomes diluted. The word literally. Don't even get me started. My kids, mom, uh-uh, dad, uh-uh, I'm literally dying. I'm like, you're hungry. I I feel like that's not the same thing. [00:04:35] (37 seconds)  #DontDiluteWords

They would talk about, you know, think about the word just think about the word amazing. Right? And you say the word amazing, you think like, oh, something that is gonna be just, you know, mind boggling. You think about the seven wonders of the world. You you think about these things. Those things are amazing. Now somebody will be like, oh, this food is amazing. [00:04:03] (24 seconds)  #ReclaimAmazing