Category: Disciple (Page 2 of 21)

Why We Celebrate Baptism as a Church Family

August 29, 2025 / / 0 Comments

At Living Word, we celebrate every time someone is baptized. Some people wonder, “Why make such a big deal about it? Isn’t Baptism just a personal, private moment between me and God?”

Simple answer: Baptism is never just private. It’s always communal. It’s always family.

This is why I rarely, if ever, will do a private baptism service. I’ve been asked on a number of occasions to perform a baptism in private because the person is shy or doesn’t want a big deal made of it. That’s like having a family reunion and not inviting your family. We just don’t do that. We want to celebrate and welcome you as part of our faith family!

Baptism brings us into God’s family

When you’re baptized, you’re not only united with Jesus. You’re united with His people. The Church isn’t a random collection of strangers who happen to sit in the same building on Sundays. It’s a family of believers marked by the same promise: “You are mine. I have called you by name. You are washed clean.”

That’s why Baptism is one of the most powerful reminders of what the Church really is. It’s not a club. It’s not a hobby. It’s not just a Sunday gathering. It’s a family born of water and the Spirit.

How Baptism reflects our values

When we celebrate Baptism, we are living out the very values that shape us as a church:

  • Life works best with Jesus. Baptism is where life in Christ begins. It’s the starting point of grace and a future anchored in Him.
  • We bring families and kids closer to Jesus. Baptism isn’t just for adults; it’s God’s promise for every generation. It reminds us that kids don’t have to “earn” God’s love by a faithful decision. They’re included from the start.
  • Jesus turns strangers into family here. A person walks into the water as one, and comes out belonging to many. In Baptism, God weaves us together.
  • We share Jesus’ love in our neighborhoods. Baptism isn’t the finish line. It’s the launchpad. We’re sent into the world as living witnesses of what Jesus has done.

A celebration for everyone

This is why the whole church gathers around the font. When a child is baptized, parents and sponsors are reminded that they’re not raising this child in faith alone. They have a whole community walking alongside them. When an adult is baptized, the entire church family celebrates with tears, applause, and joy, because we all know: this is a miracle of God’s grace.

And here’s the best part: every Baptism we witness is a reminder of our own. We get to rehearse the promises spoken over us: “I forgive you. I claim you. I call you my child.”

Looking ahead

This Sunday we’ll continue in our Washed series and dive into more of the deep truths of God’s grace poured out for us in the waters of baptism. We’ll see what it means to be “buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life.” Baptism isn’t just a splash of water on your past. It’s a whole new future.

Don’t miss it. Bring someone with you. Let’s celebrate together.

Baptism isn’t just a moment in your life. It’s the beginning of a family that lasts forever.

How Baptism Makes Us Holy

August 27, 2025 / / 0 Comments

If you’ve ever tried to read through Leviticus, you know it’s not exactly beach reading. It’s full of laws, sacrifices, and instructions that make our head spin. But buried in all of that detail is something powerful that points straight to waters of Baptism.

The priests of Israel had one job above all others: bring God’s people into His presence. But before they could even step foot in the temple, they had to wash themselves with water. Not because they were sweaty. Not because they tracked mud in from the desert. No, it was because a holy God can’t be approached by unholy people. Washing was about holiness.

Fast forward to Jesus

Now flip forward a few centuries. Jesus shows up and says something radical: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). People thought He was crazy. But John tells us Jesus wasn’t talking about bricks and stone. He was talking about His body. Jesus Himself is the new temple. The meeting place of God and man.

And then Paul drops another truth bomb in my confirmation verse. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Did you catch that?

  • First, priests had to wash before they could enter the temple.
  • Then, Jesus says He is the temple.
  • Now, through Jesus, we are temples of the Holy Spirit.

So what about the washing?

This is where Baptism comes in. Just like those priests couldn’t walk into God’s presence without being cleansed, neither can we. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to scrub yourself clean with rituals or rules. God has already washed you.

Titus 3:5 says it like this: “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.”

That’s Baptism. God takes you, broken and unclean, and He washes you with living water connected to His Word. He makes you holy. He marks you as His temple. He fills you with His Spirit. It’s all about what He does for you! How cool is that!

Let’s be honest: some days we don’t feel very holy. You feel messy. You feel like your past defines you. You feel like God couldn’t possibly want to live in someone like you.

That’s when you go back to Baptism. Not to re-do it, but to re-claim it. You’ve been washed. You’ve been made holy. You are God’s temple. His Spirit lives in you.

Take this truth with you

Next time you doubt your worth, remember this:
Baptism is God’s declaration that you are clean, holy, and His dwelling place.

The priests had to wash before they entered God’s presence. You’ve already been washed, which means you live in God’s presence every single day.

T.E.R.M. Limits

August 12, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Most Christians don’t struggle with saying Jesus is Lord.

We just struggle with living like He is.

Sure, we trust Him with our eternity. We trust Him with our sins. But when it comes to the everyday stuff like the calendar, the bank account, the retirement plan suddenly the throne of our lives gets very crowded.

Let’s be honest: biblical generosity isn’t usually where discipleship begins. It’s where it culminates.

Giving is often the last stronghold we surrender in our walk with Jesus. Why? Because generosity isn’t just about money. It’s about control. It’s about security. It’s about faith.

That’s why Jesus talked about it so much. Not because He needed our stuff, but because our stuff has a way of replacing Him as our Savior.

Entrusting Jesus with Your T.E.R.M.

True discipleship means giving Jesus full authority over our T.E.R.M. That stands for our Time, Energy, Relationships, and Material resources. Until we do, we’re still holding back. We’re still hedging our bets. We’re still following Him… with conditions.

Let’s break it down:

Time

You can tell a lot about someone’s priorities by looking at their calendar. Does Jesus get the leftovers, or the firstfruits?

Do we have margin in our schedule for worship, prayer, service, or is our time budget already maxed out with soccer practices, Netflix, and overtime hours?

Paul says:

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15–16, ESV)

If Jesus is Lord of our life, He must also be Lord of our time.

Energy

We all wake up with a certain amount of gas in the tank. And if we’re honest, most of us use it all on ourselves.

But discipleship means pouring out your energy not just on making a living, but on making disciples with your kids, your friends, your neighbors, your church.

“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9, ESV)

Where you invest your energy shows who you believe is worthy of it.

Relationships

Who gets your best? To whom do you open your heart? Who do you serve without expecting anything in return?

Biblical generosity includes the giving of yourself to people who can’t pay you back. That’s grace. That’s the whole point of the Gospel.

And that’s exactly what Jesus did.

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13, ESV)

Our relationships reflect our theology. Do we live like people are eternal, or are we too busy managing our circle for convenience?

Material Resources

Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Giving our stuff. This is where we talk about giving sacrificially, regularly, cheerfully. And it’s often the most tangible evidence of spiritual maturity.

Yet, it’s the part most Christians dodge, delay, or delegate.

“No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24, ESV)

Ouch. That one hits hard. Because most of us have tried. We keep both masters in the room and try to play the spiritual field.

But the truth is, you can’t follow Jesus with one hand on your wallet and one foot in the world.

Why Generosity Is the Final Stage

When we finally entrust Jesus with our T.E.R.M., we stop compartmentalizing our faith. It’s no longer “Jesus on Sunday and me the rest of the week.” It’s not “Jesus gets my heart, but I’ll keep my bank account, my calendar, and my comfort zones.”

It’s full surrender.

Because the goal of discipleship isn’t learning more about Jesus. It’s becoming more like Him.

And He didn’t give sporadically, spontaneously, or sparingly.

He gave everything.

“Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9, ESV)

That’s not just good theology. That’s the blueprint.

Time to Take Inventory

So here’s the challenge: take a T.E.R.M. inventory.

  • Are you giving God your time or just squeezing Him in when it’s convenient?
  • Are you spending your energy on eternal things or are you running on fumes chasing temporary ones?
  • Are your relationships a reflection of Jesus or are they curated for your comfort?
  • Are your finances surrendered or are they still “off-limits” in your spiritual life?

Until we surrender all four, our discipleship is still unfinished.

But the moment we entrust Jesus with our T.E.R.M. that’s the moment we stop calling the shots, and start living like He’s truly Lord.

So… where are you still holding back?

Christian Generosity Needs a Reboot

August 6, 2025 / / 0 Comments

It’s no secret, giving can be hard.

Sometimes it feels like kale. We know it’s good for us, but we’re not exactly craving it.

And yet, generosity is central to what it means to follow Jesus.

The problem? Most American Christians give like they eat kale, occasionally, reluctantly, and only when someone guilts them into it. That’s what I’ve heard called 3S giving: sporadic, spontaneous, and sparing.

The 3S Giving Problem

The numbers don’t lie. According to a 2022 State of the Plate report:

  • Only 5% of American churchgoers give 10% or more of their income.
  • 50% of people who attend church give $0 in a year.
  • The average American Christian gives about 2.5% of their income.
  • And giving as a percentage of income was actually higher during the Great Depression than it is today.

We’re not talking about people in dire poverty here. We’re talking about suburban believers with gym memberships, Amazon Prime, Netflix, the latest iPhone and a side hustle to pay for their dog’s grain-free diet.

Giving isn’t broken because we’re broke. Giving is broken because our hearts are.

Jesus was clear:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21, ESV)

He’s saying the way we give reflects what we treasure.

Enter the Rich Young Ruler

Remember that guy in Mark 10? This rich young ruler comes to Jesus, eager to inherit eternal life. Jesus lists off a few commandments. The man checks all the boxes. He’s nailed it. But then Jesus drops the mic:

“You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21, ESV)

And what does the man do?

“Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (Mark 10:22, ESV)

He walked away!. Not because he didn’t love God, but because his stuff had a stronger grip on him than Jesus did.

Let’s not judge him too quickly. He’s us. He’s the modern Christian who tips God with a leftover $20 once in a while but wouldn’t dare rearrange their lifestyle to become truly generous.

There’s a Better Way: The 3P Giving Framework

If 3S giving is sporadic, spontaneous, and sparing, we need a shift. Let’s talk about 3P giving instead. This giving is:

  1. Priority-Based
    Give first. Before the bills, before the extras. It’s not about what’s left at the end of the month. It’s about putting God first.“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce.” (Proverbs 3:9, ESV)
  2. Percentage-Based
    Choose a percentage of your income and commit to it. Start somewhere, anywhere! Maybe 5%, 10%, maybe even more. Percentage giving grows us in faith and reminds us that all we have is God’s anyway.
  3. Progressive
    As God blesses you, grow in generosity. The goal isn’t to check a box and stay there forever. It’s to stretch, to trust, and to keep growing. Could you imagine doing a reverse tithe? That’s living on 10% while giving away 90%! It can be done if we try hard enough.

Imagine if every Christian embraced 3P giving. Churches would have all the resources needed to expand ministry. Missionaries could be sent. Families in crisis could be helped. Needs in the community could be met with abundance instead of scarcity.

Let’s Laugh (and Then Get Serious)

Sure, giving hurts sometimes. You might hear your bank account groan a little. You might have to delay that 17th streaming service or put off the latest gadget. But you’re trading temporary comforts for eternal impact.

Generosity isn’t just a money thing. It’s a heart thing. It’s about becoming people who trust God more than stuff, who treasure heaven more than Amazon, and who know that we’ve been given everything in Christ, so we live open-handedly in response.

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7, ESV)

So here’s the challenge:
Audit your giving. Be honest. Are you living in the 3S world and giving sporadically, spontaneously, and sparingly? Or are you stepping toward 3P generosity that gives with priority, by percentage, and in a progressive way?

Let’s not be the rich young ruler who walks away. Let’s be the ones who follow and give with joy.

Endure

July 20, 2025 / / 0 Comments

There’s a reason the theme of this year’s Youth Gathering echoes loud and clear: Endure.

We live in a world where it’s easy to quit. Quit trying. Quit believing. Quit showing up. Life throws curveballs, culture applies pressure, and sometimes it feels like we’re barely holding on. But Hebrews gives us a different word. One that doesn’t ignore the struggle, but gives us power to walk through it:

“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:1–2 (ESV)

Jesus endured.
Not just pain. Not just betrayal. Not just death. He endured the cross. The most brutal, shameful, and unjust suffering imaginable for you. For the joy of your salvation, your freedom, your future. And now, we don’t run alone. We run with Him the One who already won.

The LCMS Youth Gathering theme isn’t about mustering up fake strength or pretending everything’s fine. It’s about looking to Jesus and realizing we can endure because He already has. His victory isn’t just history. It’s your hope today.

Whether you’re facing a hard school year, a friendship that’s falling apart, mental health battles, or questions about your worth and future you need to hear this: Jesus sees you. He hasn’t left you. And He isn’t asking you to sprint through life alone.

Instead, He says: “I’ve walked this road. I know how it ends. Keep going. Keep trusting. I’m with you.”

Endurance doesn’t mean you won’t get tired. It means you keep going anyway step by step, day by day, with your eyes on the cross and your heart fixed on grace. The cloud of witnesses surrounds you (Hebrews 12:1). You are not alone. The #lcmsyg community across the country is running this race too and together, we hold on to the One who holds us.

So when life feels heavy, don’t quit. Look to Jesus. Remember the cross. He endured it for the joy of seeing you free. And because He endured, so can you.

Quick Encouragement

  • Write this verse somewhere visible to you this week: Hebrews 12:2
  • Pray something like this: “Jesus, help me to keep going. Fix my eyes on You when I feel like giving up. Remind me I’m not alone. You endured the cross for me help me endure through You.”

You’re not just surviving. You’re enduring with Jesus. And that changes everything.

The Cost of Distraction

July 16, 2025 / / 2 Comments

Ever feel like you’re drowning in noise.

Not just the sound of traffic or your neighbor’s dog or the 37th autoplay video on Instagram. I’m talking about the kind of noise that sits in your brain even when it’s quiet. The constant scroll, the endless to-do list, the pressure to keep up, to stay informed, to respond right now. We live in a world addicted to input. Every second of silence feels like wasted time, and every unoccupied moment screams to be filled with something, anything, just so we don’t have to sit still.

And if you’ve ever wondered, “Why does God feel so distant?”
Maybe it’s not that He’s silent.
Maybe it’s that we’ve forgotten how to listen.

Distracted Doesn’t Mean Disconnected, But It’s Dangerously Close

We don’t need a theological degree to know that something’s off.

You open your phone to check the weather and somehow 22 minutes later you’re watching a video about penguins ice-skating in slow motion. Or you sit down to breathe, maybe even pray, and your brain jumps straight to that email you forgot to send or the headline that just pinged your smartwatch.

We say we don’t have time for soul care, for reflection, for deeper things. But the truth is that we’re giving our attention to things that don’t even remember our names. And the tradeoff is killing us.

Peace? Gone.
Clarity? Unclear at best.
Spiritual depth? Drowned in noise.

There’s a cost to all this distraction. And it’s not just that we’re tired. It’s that we’re starving. Relationally. Emotionally. Spiritually. Starving!

Stillness Feels Like Rebellion

It almost seems like stillness is weird now. It feels unnatural. Like we’re doing something wrong if we’re not multitasking. But in a world that equates noise with importance and busyness with value, stillness is straight-up rebellious.

And yet, it’s exactly where God works best.

There’s a line from the Bible that says, “And behold, the Lord was not in the wind… not in the earthquake… not in the fire… but in the sound of a low whisper.” (1 Kings 19:11–12)

A whisper. Not a podcast. Not a push notification. Not a viral reel. Not a packed schedule. He was in the whisper.

God doesn’t compete for our attention like everything else. He’s not going to shout over the chaos. He waits until we’re ready to actually listen. And that’s the scary part. It’s scary because most of us never slow down long enough to be still.

The Fix?

It’s not going to be easy. But it will be worth it.

You won’t stumble into stillness accidentally. You have to fight for it. You have to get uncomfortable. You have to turn things off and shut things out and be okay with the fact that it might feel awkward and even a little boring at first. But you also have to believe this:

Stillness isn’t the absence of something. It’s the presence of Someone.

And maybe, just maybe, when the noise dies down and the distractions fade, we’ll find that God’s been whispering all along. Not with judgment. Not with pressure. But with love, grace, clarity, and peace.

You’re not crazy for feeling overwhelmed. You’re not broken for struggling to hear. But don’t ignore the ache inside you that knows something deeper is calling.

This is Part 1 of our series “Is It Me, or Is the World Just Louder Than God?”
Up next: Digital Detox and Soul Repair.

Because let’s be honest, your soul wasn’t made for 24/7 notifications.
And it’s time to get it back.

Money Replaces Mission

June 19, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Drive through almost any county in America and you’ll spot them: gorgeous brick steeples hovering over empty parking lots, sanctuaries built for 300 now echoing with twenty voices and a stubborn furnace that costs more than the weekly offering. We’ve become better caretakers of drywall than of disciples. And the numbers back it up. Lifeway Research found 4,500 Protestant churches closed in 2019 while barely 3,000 opened, and the bleeding hasn’t stopped—Southern Baptists alone lost another 1,253 congregations in 2022.

Here’s the insane part: many of those congregations can’t even afford a full-time pastor. They hire pulpit supply by the Sunday, stash dwindling savings in a cemetery fund, and pray for a miracle while the boiler gulps their missions budget. Meanwhile church planters are meeting in school cafeterias, storefronts, and living rooms begging God for a permanent space and a little seed money. Kingdom opportunity is literally pad-locked behind stained-glass windows.

Jesus never called us to protect square footage. He said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21, ESV). When the asset owns the disciples, the heart has migrated from the kingdom to the ledger.

The Denominational Elephant in the Room

Let’s talk about headquarters. Denominational offices boast endowments that could plant a hundred churches tomorrow, but too many operate like spiritual insurance companies—hoarding premiums, paying out pennies. When has it been acceptable for a church group to sit on millions of dollars while churches close and no new ones are open? The state wide church tradition to which I belong is sitting on over 4 MILLION DOLLARS and we haven’t planted a church in over 10 years and have closed at least 4 that I know of.

We’re willing to fund committees to study decline while the children next door never hear the gospel. If the metrics in heaven track baptisms, why do the budgets on earth track square footage?

Imagine divesting 10 % of those frozen assets each year for a decade. Local plants could purchase used sanctuaries for pennies on the dollar, immigrant congregations could inherit facilities designed for worship instead of taking third-hand warehouse leases, and digital-first discipleship platforms could reach teenagers who will never set foot in a 1960s fellowship hall. That’s not charity; that’s stewardship.

A Different Kind of Legacy

If your church owns more pews than people, your greatest ministry might be letting somebody else inherit the pews. Hold a celebration service, sign the deed over to a gospel-centered planter, and watch resurrection outrun resuscitation. Legacy isn’t granite nameplates; it’s new believers who will never know your name but will praise your God because you handed them the keys.

Denominational leaders: close the loopholes that let dying congregations hoard property until the last member’s funeral. Create a fast-track for transferring assets to mission-driven plants. Sell what can’t be handed off and funnel every nickel into training disciple-makers, funding campus launches, and building online platforms that meet Gen Z where they already live—on their phones. And for goodness sake, establish and implement a church planting strategy that brings the gospel to more people!

Local churches: start the conversation now, before the roof caves in. Ask, “If we dissolved tomorrow, how could this building bless the kingdom?” Put that answer in your bylaws and—better yet—in a signed agreement with a planter you trust.

Because when Jesus returns, He isn’t coming back for heritage committees or capital campaigns. He’s coming for people. Let’s make sure our treasure sits in lives transformed, not in limestone slowly eroding behind a For Sale sign.

Stop propping up the corpse. Transfer the assets. Plant something that can actually grow. The kingdom is advancing—with or without that building. Decide which side of the locked door you want to stand on.

Raising Kids in a Confusing World

June 19, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Ever have this thought go through your mind? Raising kids today feels like building a straw fort in a windstorm.

The world is loud.
The rules keep changing.
The pressures seem to start earlier with every generation.
The questions get heavier.
And half the time, we don’t even feel confident in our own footing, let alone how to guide someone else.

Screens scream for attention. Culture pulls in every direction. And no matter how intentional you try to be, it feels like you’re always five steps behind and one mistake away from doing some kind of irreparable harm.

But here’s the thing: Kids don’t need perfect adults. They need present ones.

They need adults who are grounded enough to admit they don’t have all the answers. And steady enough to keep showing up anyway.

So how do we raise kids when the world feels upside down?

1. Choose presence over perfection.

You won’t always get it right. But showing up consistently with patience, hugs, boundaries, and grace builds something stronger than any flawless strategy.

2. Teach what’s true and model what’s real.

Your kids don’t need a scripted life. They need to see you wrestle with real things and come back to real values. Honesty, humility, faith, kindness. That’s the stuff that sticks.

3. Turn down the noise.

You don’t have to keep up with every trend. Instead of chasing what’s new, anchor your family in what’s timeless: love, respect, service, wonder, joy.

4. Let them see your limits.

It’s not a bad thing for your kids to know you’re tired, unsure, or struggling sometimes. That gives them permission to be human too. Vulnerability teaches resilience.

5. Pray more than you panic.

You won’t always have the right response in the moment. But your quiet, constant prayers over your kids matter. They matter more than you know. More than they’ll ever see.

Your job isn’t to raise perfect kids in a perfect world.
Your job is to raise loved kids in a messy one.
To point them to what’s good and true even when it’s hard.
To be a steady voice when everything else is spinning.

And if you’re doing that even just a little, you’re doing better than you think.

Keep going, even when it’s confusing. You’re raising hope in human form.

We’ve Made Church Too Safe

June 12, 2025 / / 0 Comments

I think it’s safe to say. The modern American church is addicted to safety.

We’ve built sanctuaries that feel more like coffee shops than spiritual battlegrounds. We’ve traded sermons that pierce the soul for talks that soothe the ego. We’ve made small groups “low commitment,” worship “non-offensive,” and mission trips “Instagrammable.” Somewhere along the way, we stopped following Jesus—and started selling a sanitized version of Him that fits nicely into a 70-minute service with great parking.

But here’s the problem: Jesus was never safe.

He touched lepers. He flipped tables. He confronted religious leaders to their faces. He loved the wrong people, said the wrong things, and died the most scandalous death imaginable. And then He had the nerve to look us in the eyes and say:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23, ESV)

The cross is not a metaphor for a mild inconvenience. It’s a symbol of execution. So why are we so desperate to make Christianity comfortable?

Safety Has Become Our Idol

We don’t say it out loud, but it’s everywhere: safety first. Don’t offend. Don’t challenge. Don’t talk about sin, sacrifice, repentance, or surrender. Keep it light. Keep it nice. Keep it moving.

But here’s the truth: a gospel that never confronts won’t ever transform.

We’re raising generations of Christians who think following Jesus means showing up to church when it’s convenient, tossing $20 in the plate, and maybe posting a Bible verse on Instagram. Meanwhile, people are starving for something real, something dangerous, something that calls them out of mediocrity and into mission.

We have all the right branding. We have polished worship sets and clever sermon series. But Jesus didn’t die to make us marketable. He died to make us holy.

Discipleship Is Dangerous

The early church was anything but safe. Read Acts. Those Christians were bold, reckless, filled with the Holy Spirit, and completely unconcerned with cultural approval. They faced prison, persecution, and death—and they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for Jesus.

Now we can’t even handle a negative comment on social media. Now we get all bent when someone challenges us. Now if someone disagrees with us they get canceled and forgotten.

We’re not called to blend in. We’re called to stand out. We’re not called to be liked. We’re called to be faithful. And sometimes, being faithful means taking real risks—sacrificing time, money, comfort, and popularity to love radically, serve sacrificially, and speak boldly.

Jesus didn’t play it safe. So why do we?

It’s Time to Be Dangerous Again

We need churches that stop measuring success by attendance and start measuring it by obedience. We need pastors who preach truth even when it stings. We need communities where it’s okay to get uncomfortable—where confession, accountability, and repentance are normal. We need Christians who are more concerned with holiness than hashtags.

“So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:16, ESV)

Jesus didn’t come to build lukewarm institutions. He came to light a fire. And maybe it’s time we let Him burn down our addiction to comfort so He can rebuild us into something powerful.

Not safe. Not soft.

But holy dangerous.

Bringing Meaning to Monday

June 3, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Out There – Part Three

Let’s talk about Monday.

Not the highlight reel kind of Monday.
Not the coffee-cup quote, “new week, new goals” kind.
No, the real kind.

The one where your alarm drags you out of bed.
The one where your inbox is overflowing before you even brush your teeth.
The one where you feel more like a cog in the machine than a person with purpose.

Yeah. That Monday.

Most of us don’t associate mission with that kind of day.
We assume “real ministry” happens somewhere else, somewhere like on Sunday mornings or during church trips or when we finally get out of this 9–5 grind and can do something that really matters.

But what if Monday matters more than we think?

What if God’s not waiting for you to escape your routine so He can use you? What if He’s already using you right where you are?

Jesus didn’t say, “Go into all the world… once you’ve landed your dream job.”
He said:

“As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” (John 20:21)

That includes boardrooms, break rooms, school pickup lines, job sites, spreadsheets, classrooms, and yeah even chaotic Zoom meetings where your mic won’t unmute.

If you’re “out there,” you’re already in mission territory.

You’re not just a nurse. You’re a healer who brings compassion where it’s in short supply.

You’re not just a teacher. You’re forming lives with grace and patience in a culture desperate for both.

You’re not just working retail. You’re offering dignity and kindness in a world that often ignores both.

You’re not just a parent holding it together. You’re raising humans who are watching what it looks like to live with purpose.

Ordinary places are holy ground when you show up with Jesus.

That means when you offer to pray for a co-worker, that’s mission.

When you speak peace into gossip and chaos, that’s mission.

When you listen instead of scrolling, help instead of ignoring, show grace instead of snapping, that’s mission.

Even when nobody notices. Especially when nobody notices. That’s mission.

This isn’t about trying harder. It’s about seeing clearer.

God doesn’t need you to change jobs to be useful. He needs you to recognize that where you already are… matters.

Because He’s already at work there. And He’s inviting you to join Him in that work.

So next Monday, don’t just survive. Step into your office, your school, your home like it’s a mission field. Because it is.

And you’ve been sent there for a purpose.

Next Up: Part Four – “You’re Probably Already Doing It.”

We’ll talk about how some of the most powerful acts of faith look nothing like what you expected, and why that’s actually great news.

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