A long time ago I had a conversation with a close friend and pastor. We were discussing discipleship. Since then, I have encounter a number of people of who have been frustrated with their discipleship. One in particular, a pastor, has expressed deep frustration that his flock does not desire to follow. Thinking about all these issues and looking back at what Jesus did has really made me question what we call discipleship. Traditionally it seems like we spend much of our time, energy, and resources trying to make disciples out of people who do not really want to be disciples.

Consider these points:

• As far as we know, Jesus never tried to convince the Pharisees that he was their savior. He merely told them the truth and let them decide. When they rejected Jesus, he pointed out their hypocrisy.
• When people came to Jesus asking to follow him, he told them how hard it would be. Some of them left and he didn’t try to get them back. In fact, he expected them to leave and used it as a lesson.
• Nicodemus followed Jesus. He recognized Jesus by the life that Jesus lived, not because Jesus asked Nicodemus to join him or any sort of “cause”.
• Jesus never had any official discipleship programs, he spent a lot of time talking to potential disciples, walking with potential disciples, eating with potential disciples, and teaching potential disciples. Some of them continued to do these things with Jesus.
  

So what are we producing, if not disciples? Judging from many things I have seen and read over the past couple years, it seems like we a producing angry people. Angry because they feel like they’ve been deceived. Some of them have been promised a changed life, but instead were taught Christian doctrines and precepts. We’ve produced Apathetic people. Apathetic to the gospel, to the Church, and even to Jesus. We’ve produced people with false-security. These people went to all the classes, they attended all the services, and followed all the rules, little do they know that these actions won’t save them. There are probably other types of people that we have produced but I think Jesus had a phrase that best sums up these false-disciples, “White Washed Tombs”. On the outside, they look brilliant, pure, and white… but on the inside, they are filled with death.

Who are our disciples? Our disciples are the people who truly follow us… and hopefully watch us truly follow Jesus. Jesus did not force people to follow him, he did not even try to prevent people from leaving him, his disciples were those who recognized him as savior and could do nothing but follow. Basically, Jesus shared his life with everyone, those who shared it back were his disciples.

God might be calling me to become a contract-pastor. It is similar to a vocational-pastor, except I won’t receive an annual salary. I’ll be paid on a contract basis – one hour minimum – billed in fifteen minute increments after first hour. I charge .495$ for traveling more than 20 miles. Some services are offered at a flat rate (such as funerals and weddings).

Since I want to offer the same services a vocational-pastor offers, I had a vocational-pastor send me his job description. These are some of the services that I plan on offering.

Bible Study, Prayer, and Meditation – 75$/hr
Counseling – 75$/hr
Visit the sick – 125$/hr
Train and equip lay-leaders – 100$/hr
Advise Boards and Committees – 100$/hr
Funeral Services – 300$/Event
Wedding Service – 500$/Event
Proclaim the Gospel – 80$/hr
Plan, Coordinate, and Evaluate Sunday morning services – 135$/Event
Preaching – 150$/Event
Moderate Church Meetings – 50$/hr
Plan and Lead Church Ordinances – 100$/Event

These were all things listed in the pastor’s job description. Any additional services can be negotiated on a case-by-case basis. I trust you will find my rates very reasonable and hope to hear from you very soon.

Today is much different than 2000 years ago. Everything is different: culture, society, technology, science, politics, and more. All of these changes combined with time and the evolution of tradition have made us change the way we think about evangelism, the gospel, and even Christ. Today I would like to compile of list of how we do things versus how Jesus did things.

We hang out with unbelievers when they come to our meetings and programs.
Jesus hung out with unbelievers.

We develop programs to attract the world.
Jesus developed relationships with the world.

We raise funds to build buildings and additions.
Jesus didn’t have a place to lay his head.

We believe that true fellowship with God happens once a week.
Jesus expects true fellowship every day.

We make the gospel attractive.
Jesus made the gospel unattractive.

We create religious systems, doctrines, polity, rules, and more; in the name of being right.
Jesus tore down all those; showing that he was right.

We expect non-followers to act like his followers.
Jesus expected his followers to act like his followers.

We believe that classes equates to discipleship.
Jesus walked with his disciples.

We believe that we cannot perform miraculous things.
Jesus told us that we could perform greater miracles than he did.

God,

You are so Holy, I hope for the day when you make the Earth like Heaven. I desire so much to do your will and I ask that you feed us and protect me, my family, and The Family from the temptations of the devil. Help us all forgive, just as you forgave us, are forgiving us, and will forgive us.

As you know, I have a problem – I just don’t believe, period. I don’t believe that Sundays are any more important than Tuesdays or Fridays. I don’t believe that Worship Services are the same as Worship. I don’t believe that G.R.O.W. is worth a hoot or A.W.A.N.A. or any other program for that matter. Sure they’re not bad, they even have good things about them, but I just don’t care for them. I don’t believe that the church’s buildings are important. In fact, I’ve come to find them to be a waste of money, even laughable. Please, help me understand, why don’t I believe like the others?

Lord, you know that I believe in your people. You know that I love them, that I want to grow with them, in you. How can I do this, if I don’t believe in these other things? They don’t understand me… they don’t want to understand me. Why can’t you make me want to be in the Building? Why can’t you teach me to love Sunday more than Tuesday or Friday? What should I do? What can I do? I ask that you help me understand, please.

Let me first say that this is not an attack on Dr. Akin. I personally think that Dr. Akin is a great guy. I truly believe that he wants what he thinks is best for all Christians/Southern Baptists. This critique of his email is merely an attempt to put out a different perspective. My perspective might be seen as liberal, or dangerous, but I believe it is the most biblical perspective.

Dr. Akin and I agree that integrity is an important thing when choosing our leaders (1 Timothy 3). My main question regarding this essay is, what is integrity? Integrity isn’t avoiding unusual situations, it is what you do when you’re in an unusual situation. Dr. Akin himself admits that he has been accused of being a Pharisee, legalist, sexist and Neanderthal but then says that he has never been accused of adultery. What does this tell us? Nothing. The people who are closest to Dr. Akin, those who know him best, have seen him accused of these other things – but they know him well enough to either realize that they are not true, or perhaps realize that they are. I personally feel that if Dr. Akin was alone with another woman, he would not cheat on his wife. In other words, I feel that Dr. Akin does have integrity, not because he refuses to be with another woman alone, but because of who Dr. Akin is, what I know about him, etc. By the way, Dr. Akin has two secretaries in an enclosed office (window on the main door), I could be wrong, but I doubt that he has another male in the room with him at all times. Regardless, I have never thought that he was having a three-way with his secretaries or sending one off to run an errand so he could be with the other.

You see, the Saddleback Ten Commandments, do not mean that the staff of Saddleback have integrity. These rules only give the appearance of integrity. There is a huge difference between integrity and the appearance of integrity. If I wanted to give someone the appearance of integrity, I would make rules that seemed to be noble and then sneak around behind those rules (many cult leaders do this). If I moved to Saddleback and was hired as their staff, how would they know that I had integrity? They wouldn’t, they don’t who I am, what I truly believe, etc. (perhaps you can find some other applications here).

Consider this fragment of scripture as an example of what Jesus did when he was in the face of unusual circumstance:

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “I am a man of integrity and I cannot be seen with a harlot like you.” Immediately, Jesus left that place and protected his integrity. – John 4:1-7

You probably won’t find any examples in scripture of Jesus protecting his integrity, you’ll probably find that Jesus did things a little differently. It seemed like he didn’t care about what the world thought about him. Jesus had integrity and only a man of true integrity can chat with a prostitute about the Kingdom of God without worrying about what others will say. I think I will follow Jesus’ example this time. Even if it means that I open myself up for attack from pharisees, non-Christians, and the like.

What do you think?