Tag: Faith (Page 7 of 24)

Hope. Worth. Power.

May 12, 2025 / / 1 Comment

There’s a prayer in Ephesians that punches through the noise of our weary, distracted lives. Paul writes to believers—people already following Jesus—and he doesn’t pray for their circumstances to change. He doesn’t ask for them to be more successful, less anxious, or more comfortable. He prays they see. That the eyes of their hearts would be opened to what they already have in Jesus.

Let’s not miss that. This is a prayer for Christians. Not that they would get something new, but that they’d finally realize what’s been right in front of them the whole time.

Hope. Worth. Power.

Let’s start with hope—not the vague, wishy-washy kind the world offers. This is hope that is anchored in Jesus. Paul says we’ve been “called” to it. And when Jesus calls something into being, it happens. This hope isn’t fragile. It’s not on backorder. It’s a done deal—certain, real, and alive. You don’t have to wonder if God will come through. The cross and the empty tomb already proved He has. Your hope isn’t hanging by a thread; it’s standing in front of you with nail-scarred hands.

Then Paul prays we’d see the “riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” That’s not just future language—some pie-in-the-sky promise. That’s worth. Right now. God has already placed infinite value on you. Not because of what you’ve achieved or how holy you act, but because Jesus chose you, adopted you, and calls you family. You’re not a spiritual orphan trying to earn your place. You’re a loved, named, claimed child of God. That’s your worth. And no failure, label, or lie can undo that.

And finally—power. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in you. That’s not metaphor. That’s resurrection reality. This is not about mustering up your own strength. This is about tapping into the power source that conquered sin, death, and hell. Paul stacks up words for it: immeasurable greatness… according to the working of his great might… that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead. That’s a power no enemy can touch. And it’s yours. Today.

We live like we’re powerless. We walk around as if we’re barely scraping by spiritually. We forget the very Spirit who raised Jesus lives inside us. Paul’s prayer is that we wake up to that power—that we stop living like victims and start standing in victory.

So let me ask you:
Do you see the hope that’s already yours?
Do you know your worth in Jesus is already settled?
Are you walking in the resurrection power you already possess?

You don’t have to beg God for more. You don’t need to prove yourself. You just need eyes to see what’s already true.

Open your Bible. Read Ephesians 1:15–23 again. Then pray this:
Lord, open the eyes of my heart. Let me see the hope, the worth, and the power that are already mine in Jesus. Amen.

Don’t Drop the Towel: What to Do When You Want to Quit

May 8, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Part 6 of the “Towel-Bearers: Redefining Leadership” Series

You’ve prayed. You’ve poured out. You’ve kept showing up.
But if you’re honest—you’re tired.
Not just physically. Soul tired.

Ministry can hurt in ways you didn’t know possible.
People ghost you.
Plans fall flat.
Recognition for carrying the extra load never comes.
The critics? Oh, they never miss a beat.

And somewhere deep inside, you hear it:

“Just walk away. Drop the towel. You gave it your best shot.”

But hear me out:
Don’t do that!

Jesus Didn’t Quit—Even When Everyone Else Did

When things got hard, the disciples scattered.
The crowds vanished.
The miracles weren’t enough to keep people loyal.

But Jesus didn’t drop the towel.
He picked up the cross.

And He kept walking—for you.

You’re not carrying something He doesn’t understand.
He felt betrayal. He knows rejection. He walked the lonely road.

Hebrews 12:3 (ESV): “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”

He didn’t quit on you.
Don’t quit on what He’s put in you.

3 Ways to Hold the Towel When Everything in You Wants to Let Go

1. Name the Burnout. Don’t Fake the Strength.

You’re not superhuman. You’re not weak for needing rest.
You’re honest. That’s holy.

Jesus rested. Jesus wept. Jesus withdrew.

If He needed it, you definitely do.
So name it. Own it. And then bring it to Him.

2. Let Others Carry You for a While

Even Jesus let someone else carry His cross for a stretch. (See: Simon of Cyrene.)

So why are you trying to be the hero?

Ask for help. Tell someone you’re worn out.
You’re not less of a leader for leaning on others—you’re just finally leading real.

3. Reconnect to the Why

You didn’t start this to be famous.
You started because Jesus flipped your life upside down with grace.
You said yes because people matter. Because eternity matters.

When the “what” feels heavy, remember the “why.”

And remember Who you’re doing this for.

Grace Is for You Too.

Sometimes the hardest person to show grace to is the one in the mirror.
You preach it to others—now preach it to yourself:

You’re not failing. You’re not forgotten. You’re not done.

The towel might feel soaked with sweat, tears, and frustration—but it’s still in your hands. And Jesus is still washing feet with you.

Before You Quit, Remember This:

Quitting might quiet the pain—but it also silences your calling.
What you’re doing matters. Even if no one claps. Even if no one sees.

So no, don’t drop the towel.
Wipe your brow.
Fall into the arms of grace.
And keep going.

Because He’s not finished with you yet.

Next up in Part 7 of the Towel-Bearers series:
👉 “Towel-Bearers in the Wild: Stories of Real Leaders Doing It the Jesus Way” — a celebration of the unfiltered, unpolished, radically faithful.

When Nobody Claps: Finding Joy in Obscure Faithfulness

May 6, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Part 5 of the “Towel-Bearers: Redefining Leadership” Series

There’s no spotlight.
No applause.
No thank-you note.
No social media post shouting you out.

You vacuumed the church hallway.
Held the crying baby in the nursery.
Prayed for someone who never knew.
Texted the hurting at 2 a.m.
Showed up again. And again. And again.

And not a soul noticed.

But heaven did.

The World Cheers the Loudest Voices. The Kingdom Honors the Faithful Ones.

You won’t trend for folding chairs.
You won’t get likes for discipling one kid at a time.
No one will interview you for spending 10 years loving a community that barely responds.

But this is what Kingdom greatness actually looks like.

Jesus didn’t praise the Pharisees for their platforms.
He praised a widow for her two coins.
He honored a woman who poured perfume on His feet.

No PR team. No followers. No fame.
Just faithfulness.

Why Obscurity Might Be Your Greatest Gift

1. Obscurity Starves the Ego

When no one’s watching, there’s no performance to maintain.
No masks. No hype. No pressure.

It’s just you and Jesus.
And that’s where real leadership is forged.

The spotlight can inflate your pride.
Obscurity? That’s where the roots grow deep.

2. God Sees What Nobody Else Does

Hebrews 6:10 (ESV): “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.”

You’re not overlooked.
You’re not forgotten.
You’re not wasting your time.

The God who counts the hairs on your head counts every act of hidden faithfulness too.

3. Your Reward Is Coming—And It’s Better Than Applause

Let the world have their claps. You’re waiting for the well done.

Matthew 6:4 (ESV): “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

One day, Jesus will look you in the eyes—not the crowd, not your peers—you—and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

No mic drop. No stage. Just resting in His glory.

So Keep Going, Towel-Bearer

If you’re tired of doing good and getting silence in return—don’t quit.
If you’re wondering if it’s worth it when no one seems to notice—keep showing up.

You’re not serving for a standing ovation.
You’re serving the One who knelt low and washed feet.

That’s where the joy is.
Not in being seen—but in being His.

Coming up in Part 6 of the Towel-Bearers series:
“Don’t Drop the Towel: What to Do When You Want to Quit” — because leadership is heavy, but grace is stronger.

Not Your Platform: The Kingdom Isn’t About You

May 1, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Part 4 of the “Towel-Bearers: Redefining Leadership” Series

Let’s say the quiet part out loud:
Ministry has a branding problem.
Not the logos. Not the livestreams. Not the fonts.
The ego that sometimes hides behind it all.

Somewhere along the way, some have stopped preaching Jesus and started promoting ourselves. They stopped building altars and started building platforms.
And if we’re not careful, we’ll confuse applause with anointing—and miss the whole point of the Kingdom.

This Isn’t About You

We say it’s for Jesus. We sing it loud. We hashtag it.
But if we peel back the layers… too many of us are more concerned with followers on Instagram than with following the Savior.

And that’s not leadership. That’s show business in a clerical collar.

Jesus didn’t come to be admired—He came to die.
And He didn’t call us to be influencers. He called us to be cross-bearers.

3 Platform Pitfalls That Kill Kingdom Work

1. Performance Over Presence

When the platform becomes the goal, performance becomes the method.
You start curating moments for likes, not for lives changed. You start preaching for a reaction, not transformation.

Here’s the truth: performance might impress people—but it doesn’t move heaven.

Presence does.
And you can’t manufacture that. You get it by dying to self and staying rooted in Jesus.

2. Applause Becomes the Addiction

If the only time you feel valuable is when people are clapping, you’re already in trouble.

Applause is a drug. And it will never be enough.
Ask the preachers who burned out trying to chase the next standing ovation. Ask the worship leaders who lost their joy when the setlist didn’t get a standing ovation.

Kingdom leadership isn’t about being celebrated. It’s about being faithful, even when no one notices.

3. Jesus Gets Drowned Out By Our Name

We slap His name on events, but our faces are front and center.
We say “To God be the glory,” but let’s be honest—we’re tracking analytics like stockbrokers.

Let this sink in: If people remember your name but forget His, you failed.

John the Baptist had it right: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30, ESV)

That’s not poetic. That’s the point. It’s time to show Jesus to others not require them to hail us as king or pastor or president or whatever our title might be.

The Platform Is a Tool—Not a Throne

God may give you influence. That’s fine. Use it well.
But the moment you start climbing the stage like it’s your throne, the towel’s slipping out of your hands.

Jesus washed feet. And then He went to a cross.
The only crown He wore down here had thorns on it.

If you’re going to follow Him, leave the spotlight behind. You can’t carry a cross and your brand at the same time.

Let’s Get Back to the Mission

The Kingdom is not about building your name. It’s about surrendering it.

Drop the need to be known.
Let go of the platform you’re building.
Pick up the towel. Take the lower seat.
And let Jesus be the only name that echoes when the lights go out.

Up next in the Towel-Bearers series:
“When Nobody Claps: Finding Joy in Obscure Faithfulness” — because sometimes, the holiest work happens when no one’s watching.

How to Spot a Counterfeit Leader (And Why It Matters More Than You Think)

April 25, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Part 2 of the “Towel-Bearers: Redefining Leadership” Series

Not everyone with a Bible and a microphone should be leading people.
Yeah, there are counterfeit leaders in the Church. And they’re not always easy to spot. They sound holy. They know the lingo. They wear the “right” clothes. They inspire crowds, cast vision, and quote Scripture on demand. But behind the scenes, it’s not about Jesus—it’s about their own control, ego, and power.

Jesus warned us: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”(Matthew 7:15, ESV)

We should’ve been listening.

4 Signs of a Counterfeit Leader

1. People Are Used, Not Shepherded

Counterfeit leaders don’t build people up—they use them to build their platform. If you’re only celebrated when you’re useful, and ghosted when you’re not, you’re not being pastored. You’re being leveraged.

Servant-hearted leaders walk with you—especially when you can’t offer anything in return.

2. Disagreement Is Punished, Not Processed

Try questioning their decision. Watch what happens.

If the response is silence, guilt-tripping, or spiritual intimidation (“Touch not the Lord’s anointed!”), that’s not leadership. That’s dictatorship in a title or position.

Jesus welcomed correction, modeled vulnerability, and still stooped to wash His disciples’ feet.

3. Fear Replaces Freedom

If you constantly feel anxious around your leader—like any wrong move will cost you your place—you’re not under godly authority. You’re under human control.

Jesus sets people free. Leadership that leads with fear doesn’t come from Him.

4. Their Private Life Doesn’t Match Their Platform

This is the hardest one. You don’t always see it right away. But true leadership shows up in the home, in the staff culture, in the way they treat the least powerful around them.

If their public presence is polished but the people closest to them are walking on eggshells—pay attention.

There’s Grace for This

Maybe this stings because you’ve followed a counterfeit leader.
Maybe it stings more because you’ve been (or are) one.

There’s grace. There’s always grace. But grace doesn’t mean silence. And it doesn’t mean ignoring the pain of those who’ve been hurt in the name of “leadership.”

You’re not crazy. You’re not bitter. You’re just waking up.

The Call: Watch for Fruit, Not Flash

We need leaders who bleed love, not demand loyalty.
Who show up in silence, not just in the spotlight.
Who carry towels, not just sit on their personal thrones.

Don’t settle for stage lights. Look for the ones who stay when the lights go out.

Want more?
Stay tuned for Part 3 of our Towel-Bearers series:
“The Weight of the Towel: When Serving Hurts” — how to lead with a servant’s heart when your soul is tired.

Real Leaders Bleed for Their People: Not Themselves

April 23, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Let’s stop pretending. Not all leaders are actually leading. Some are just collecting titles, hoarding influence, and stepping on people to build their brand.

That’s not leadership. That’s ego dressed in a suit and given a fancy title.

True leadership is bleeding for people, not basking in applause. It’s wiping the tears of the hurting, not curating a platform for personal glory. It’s making late-night phone calls, sitting in hospital rooms, helping someone move, delivering meals in silence, showing up again when nobody else does. Leaders aren’t called to be adored—they’re called to serve.

Let’s call it what it is: the world is packed with self-aggrandizing leaders. They love the microphone, the likes, the platform, the “vision casting,” and the endless meetings where they get to hear themselves talk. They talk at people, not with them. They think being “up front” is proof of anointing. They say phrases like, “If I don’t lead, who will?” as if God’s church would fall apart without them.

Newsflash friend: if your “leadership” ends when the camera turns off or the praise team stops playing your favorite walk-up song, you’re not leading—you’re performing.

The servant-hearted leader lives differently.

They lead from the back of the line, not the front of the stage. They’re not chasing attention—they’re chasing people who are slipping through the cracks. Their heart beats for the broken, the ignored, the exhausted. They don’t keep score. They don’t manipulate with spiritual language. They don’t delegate compassion. They do the work themselves.

When someone’s world falls apart, servant leaders are the ones who cancel their plans to be there. When someone’s marriage is struggling, they listen without judgment. When a church member can’t pay a bill, they quietly cover it without a word. No social media posts. No public applause. Just a heart that says, “I’m here because you matter.”

Jesus didn’t build a brand—He washed feet.

He didn’t hold strategy meetings to decide whether the disciples were “aligned with the mission statement.” He knelt on the floor, grabbed a towel, and scrubbed the dirt off their feet like a lowly house slave. And then He said, “I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” (John 13:15, ESV).

He meant it. Leadership in the kingdom is not power—it’s posture. A towel, not a throne. A cross, not a crown.

So here’s the gut check: Are you the kind of leader who lays down your life—or just one who talks about sacrifice while protecting your own comfort? When your people are in need, are you reaching down, or are you too busy reaching for a microphone?

Servant-hearted leadership is not glamorous. It’s not always visible. But it’s real. It looks like someone who shows up with groceries when the fridge is empty. Someone who stays after the meeting to listen to the one who didn’t speak up. Someone who prays with others, not just over them.

It’s raw. It’s inconvenient. It’s beautiful.

We need more of it.

Let’s stop chasing titles and start chasing towels. Let’s be the leaders who go out of our way—who go the extra mile without anyone watching. Let’s bleed love. Let’s live low. Let’s lead like Jesus.

That’s the kind of leadership the church needs. It’s the kind of leader the world needs.

Is America Losing Its Soul?

April 15, 2025 / / 0 Comments

I tend to say out loud what many people are smart enough to only think quietly:
Something is deeply wrong in this country.

Our country feels angry, anxious, divided, and hollow.
We’ve got more outrage than ever, more opinions than ever, and yet—less peace, less unity, and less truth.

We are witnessing the slow erosion of something deeper than policies and headlines. And we’ve been watching from the sidelines for decades, so don’t think this is about one person or one party. It’s a process that’s been unfolding for the past 60 years or more.
We are watching a nation lose its soul.

And here’s the scary part:
Most people are too distracted, too entertained, or too tribal to even notice.

Politics Can’t Save Us

Let’s be honest:
Both sides are playing the same game and we’re falling for it – hook, line, and sinker.
Leaders scream, “They’re the problem!” while feeding division to their base like it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Mainstream culture doesn’t care about unity.
It cares about clicks, controversy, and control.

Our feeds are curated for outrage.
Our kids are being discipled by TikTok trends.
And our churches are often too quiet—afraid of offending the very culture Jesus came to challenge.

No political party has a monopoly on righteousness.
No movement owns the truth.
Jesus is not running for office.

“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.”
— Mark 3:24 (ESV)

Sound familiar?

The Soul of a Nation Isn’t in the Laws. It’s in the People.

You can’t legislate morality into a broken heart.
You can’t vote your way out of spiritual decay.

The real crisis isn’t in Washington. It’s in the human heart.

We’ve traded humility for pride.
Conviction for comfort.
Truth for opinion.
God for government.

And now we wonder why our foundations are cracking. We think throwing a graphic on social media fixes the problem. Newsflash – it generally only feeds the algorithm of hate.

“They did what was right in their own eyes.”
— Judges 21:25 (ESV)

History repeats when truth is ignored.

So, What Do We Do?

If you’re reading this and feeling the weight of all this—you’re not alone.
But you’re also not powerless.

You don’t have to be a politician to make a difference.
You just need to care more about people’s hearts than winning arguments.

Here are 5 practical, soul-restoring things you can do right now:

1. Turn Down the Noise

You weren’t built to carry the weight of 24/7 news cycles and algorithm-fueled rage. If you don’t take the time to research the whole story before forming an opinion, then you probably should just zip it! Before forming your opinion and changing your profile pic in support of your side of the story, you probably should make sure you know the other side as well.

Unfollow the accounts that fuel anxiety.
Take a Sabbath from headlines.
Spend more time in Scripture than on social media, unless you like being a hate monger.

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
— Colossians 3:2 (ESV)

2. Build Bridges, Not Echo Chambers

Sit down with someone who doesn’t vote like you, worship like you, or live like you. Listen without correcting. It’s time we did a lot more bridge building and a lot less ditch digging!

Real unity isn’t uniformity—it’s understanding.

Jesus sat with Pharisees and prostitutes. Maybe we can sit with someone across the aisle.

3. Raise the Next Generation with Backbone

Teach your kids truth.
Not watered-down, fear-of-offending, culture-approved truth—but biblical truth, soaked in grace and courage.

They are growing up in a world that is at war for their souls. Give them armor that lasts not just opinions from your favorite pundits!

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
— Proverbs 22:6 (ESV)

4. Be the Church Again

Not a political rally.
Not a spiritual country club.
Not a content machine.

Be a place of truth, repentance, restoration, and mission.
The local church is still God’s Plan A for healing this world. But only if we stop playing it safe. The Church needs to step onto the battle field and stop believing the politicians are going to do it for us.

5. Pray Like It Matters—Because It Does

This isn’t just a cultural moment. It’s a spiritual battle.
Policies change. Presidents come and go. But prayer moves the hand of God.

We don’t need more talking heads.
We need knees on the ground and eyes lifted up.

Is America losing its soul?

Maybe. But the Church doesn’t have to.
Your home doesn’t have to.
You don’t have to.

The world is loud. And division is real.
But revival starts in small places—with bold people who refuse to bow to culture.

If you’re ready to do more than complain, if you’re ready to live with conviction, if you want to help restore what’s broken—the time is now.

I’m Sick And Tired of Boring

April 8, 2025 / / 1 Comment

Warning – unpopular topic: A lot of church is boring.

Not just “I didn’t like the music” boring.
Not just “the sermon went too long” boring.
I’m talking soul-numbing, mind-wandering, when-is-lunch boring.

And people—young and old—are done pretending otherwise.
But here’s the kicker: It’s not Jesus’ fault.

Jesus is anything but boring. I mean check this out.

He turned water into wine at a party (John 2:1–11).
He walked on water (Mark 6:48–50).
He told off the religious elite and made friends with the people they hated (Luke 7:34).
He rose from the dead (Matthew 28:6).
Jesus lived the most electric, revolutionary life in history.

So why does following Him sometimes feel like sitting through a committee meeting?

Here’s the truth most churches don’t want to admit: Church is boring when it stops looking like Jesus.

The Early Church Was Anything But Dull

Read the book of Acts. The early church wasn’t a weekly religious event—it was a movement. People sold their stuff to take care of each other. Healings broke out. Prison doors swung open. Thousands came to faith in a day. They gathered daily and couldn’t get enough.

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers… And awe came upon every soul.”
— Acts 2:42–43 (ESV)

Did you see that? It’s about Awe. Not apathy.

Something has gone terribly wrong.

So What’s Making Church Boring?

  • Predictable routines. Same songs. Same words or phrases sung ad nauseam Same format. Same surface-level sermons. We do the same thing the same way and often forget why we’re even doing it.
  • Performance over participation. People watch, but don’t engage. When you look at it honestly, worship is mostly people observing what one dude does from an elevated platform for about an hour. That’s a performance even if we call it Divine Service.
  • Safe topics. We avoid hard questions, real pain, and messy issues. So much of what is taught in churches today is vanilla at best. We tend to tow the party line or blend in with culture. That’s not the way of Jesus by the way.
  • Disconnected community. You can attend for months and never be known. When all we do is sit and watch then leave for lunch, we’ve missed the whole point of what God designed worship to look like.

And while churches argue about traditions, people are walking away—because they’re starving for something real. And they’re finding it anywhere but the church!

What Do We Do About It?

It’s time to be done playing church. We need to be the church. That means making some changes:

1. Authentic Worship

No more karaoke-style singing. We want worship that invites the heart, not just the voice. So let’s choose songs with depth, passion, and space for people to connect with God—not just perform for Him.

2. Sermons That Punch

If Jesus confronted culture, challenged religious systems, and offered hope to the hopeless, our preaching should too. We don’t preach to fill 25 minutes—we preach to spark life change.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…”
— Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)

3. Participation Over Performance

NO more spectators. We want soldiers. We’re building teams, creating space for stories, and asking people to serve, speak, and show up.

4. Messy Conversations

Life’s not clean, so church shouldn’t pretend to be. It’s ok to talk about addiction, anxiety, doubt, divorce, and purpose—because God meets us in the middle of our mess.

5. Relentless Mission

Church shouldn’t just be a holy huddle. It’s time to get out in the community serving, giving, inviting, and loving people toward Jesus.

Your Move

If church has bored you, I get it. But don’t give up on Jesus because His people got boring. Don’t settle for stale religion when there’s a wildfire kind of faith available.

Here’s what you can do:

  • Re-engage. Don’t just attend—join a team, ask questions, show up early, stay late. Try something we call worship + 2. In addition to sitting in worship, join 1 group that allows you to grow in your faith. Then jump onto 1 team to serve and live it out in real time.
  • Be honest. Talk to a leader or a pastor. Tell someone what’s missing for you. What about worship feels dull? Maybe there’s a way to meet that need. Maybe there’s a ministry that can be started to move the needle a little.
  • Pray dangerous prayers. Ask God to shake things up. He will. If your prayers are things you can make happen, then they’re not prayers! It’s vocalizing your wish list. Pray bold prayers. Experience bold moves of God.
  • Invite someone. It’s amazing how church changes when you’re on mission, not just maintenance mode. When you invite someone to join you, you take ownership not just of the church to which you belong but the faith you say you have.

Jesus didn’t die to make church safe.
He died to make people alive.

So let’s build churches that reflect Him—bold, real, powerful, alive.

We Don’t Need a Safe Jesus

April 7, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Jesus isn’t safe.
And the longer we keep trying to make Him safe, the further we get from who He really is.

We’ve created a sanitized version of Jesus—a gentle motivational speaker who sprinkles feel-good wisdom into our week, stays politically neutral, avoids conflict, and mostly wants us to be nice people. That’s Tinker Bell. It’s NOT Jesus!

That Jesus doesn’t exist.
And frankly, if he did He’s not worth following.

The real Jesus flips tables (Matthew 21:12–13).
He calls religious leaders snakes and hypocrites (Matthew 23:33).
He casts demons into pigs (Mark 5:1–13).
He tells rich, successful people to give it all up (Mark 10:21).
He demands total allegiance—even over your own family (Luke 14:26).

The real Jesus is dangerous. Not because He harms, but because He disrupts. He shakes kingdoms, flips power structures, and demands your entire life. He doesn’t ask for your Sunday morning. He wants you.

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

That’s not a self-help plan. That’s a call to die.
To your pride.
To your control.
To your idols.

The Jesus of Scripture walks into storms, not away from them.
He embraces outcasts, welcomes prostitutes, eats with corrupt tax collectors, and calls cowards to become courageous.

When people saw Him coming, they either ran toward Him or plotted to kill Him. No one stayed neutral. That’s how you know you’re meeting the real Jesus—not the sanitized one.

The Safe Jesus Keeps You Comfortable.

The Real Jesus Sets You Free.

The sanitized Jesus is a reflection of us. He never offends. Never challenges. Never transforms. He fits neatly into our political parties, lifestyle choices, and Instagram aesthetic.

But the real Jesus? He doesn’t fit anywhere but the throne.

He’s not your homeboy. He’s not your mascot. He’s not even the man upstairs.
He’s the King of Kings who walked out of a tomb and claimed authority over your story.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
— Matthew 28:18 (ESV)

We keep asking Jesus to bless our plans. He keeps asking us to drop everything and follow Him.

So What Do We Do With a Jesus Like This?

You’ve only got two options.

  1. Keep following the sanitized version.
    He’ll let you stay the same. He’ll even keep you safe for a while. But ultimately, he’ll fail you—because he’s just a mirror of your comfort zone.
  2. Or follow the real Jesus.
    He’ll stretch you. Challenge you. Lead you into places you never thought you’d go. But you’ll never be alone. And you’ll never be the same.

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
— John 10:10 (ESV)

Ready for the Bold Life?

If you’re tired of safe religion…
If you want more than churchy routines and feel-good platitudes…
If you’re ready to go all-in on the dangerous, beautiful, real Jesus—then now’s the time.

Here’s your move:
Get a Bible. Read the Gospels (I start with John—it’s fast and raw and shows exactly who Jesus is).
Ask Jesus, “What are you calling me to leave behind?”
Then leave it…right there…right then.

Don’t settle for a safe Jesus.
Follow the One who walks on water, calms storms, and calls dead men out of graves. That Jesus is worth everything.

Want more of this bold journey with Jesus? Shoot me a message or come visit us this Sunday. We don’t do sanitized religion—we follow a Savior who changes lives.

Let’s go.

Rediscovering the Church’s Mission

April 3, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Time for some hard truth and real self assessment.  The Church has gotten comfortable. For too long, we’ve relied on cultural Christianity to do the heavy lifting for us. We built impressive buildings, filled pews with people who knew how to play the church game, and assumed that because our communities had churches on every corner, Jesus was winning the culture war.

But that era is gone. And maybe—even probably—that’s a good thing.

We live in a post-Christian world. Christianity no longer holds the cultural dominance it once did. People aren’t coming to church out of obligation or habit anymore. And let’s be real—many of them don’t see the Church as a beacon of hope but as an outdated institution, riddled with hypocrisy and filled with irrelevance.

So, what now? Do we keep tweaking our programs, hoping that if we make church just a little more attractive, people will magically show up? Do we throw in some coffee bars, trendier worship music, and another round of shallow small groups to keep people entertained? Or do we actually do what Jesus called us to do—make disciples?

Moving Beyond Consumer Christianity

For decades, churches have operated like spiritual vending machines: show up, get your inspirational message, grab a cup of coffee, and get on with your life. We’ve trained people to be religious consumers rather than transformed disciples of Jesus. And now, as culture shifts, those consumers are checking out.

But the mission of the Church was never about drawing crowds; it was about making disciples. It was about sending capacity not seating capacity. Discipleship isn’t about attracting people to a weekly service—it’s about equipping people to live out their faith in a world that no longer assumes Christianity as the default. That means:

  • Getting back to relational evangelism. Jesus didn’t build a marketing strategy—He built relationships. We can’t just preach at people; we have to walk with them. And “we” isn’t the pastors – it’s the men and women and children who make up the church.
  • Shifting from programs to presence. We don’t need more events; we need more people willing to invest in the messy, real lives of their neighbors. It’s not about calling people out of daily life but embedding ourselves into their everyday routines.
  • Making faith an all-week thing. Sunday morning Christianity is dead. The future Church will thrive when believers see themselves as missionaries in their workplaces, schools, and communities every single day. This is what we call the places where they live, work and play.

The Church as a Movement, Not an Institution

When Jesus launched His ministry, He didn’t build a brand. He didn’t craft a strategic plan. He invited people to follow Him, to surrender their lives, and to join a movement that would change the world. The early Church spread like wildfire not because they had great programming but because they had people on fire for Jesus. None of these things are wrong, but if they replace our fire for Christ, then they have to go.

Somewhere along the way, we traded that movement for maintenance. We became more obsessed with keeping people in the seats than sending them out into the world. But the post-Christian era is forcing us to reckon with a truth we should have never forgotten: the Church isn’t a building or a brand—it’s a people, empowered by the Holy Spirit, sent into the world to love, serve, and proclaim the Gospel.

The Future is Missional

The good news? Christianity thrives when it’s in the margins. Historically, the Church has always been at its strongest when it wasn’t the dominant power but the disruptive force of love, truth, and grace in a broken world.

So, let’s stop wringing our hands over declining attendance numbers. Let’s stop measuring success by how many people sit in our pews and start measuring it by how many people are sent into the world, living as bold witnesses for Jesus. Let’s be the kind of Church that doesn’t just ask, “How can we get people in the doors?” but instead asks, “How can we send them out as disciples?”

The world doesn’t need another comfortable, consumer-driven church. It needs a movement of Jesus-followers who refuse to settle, who live out radical love, and who bring the light of Christ into a dark world.

If you’re ready for this kind of life transformation, then welcome to the church. If you want soft, then maybe you should find a day spa.

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