WWJD?

Do you remember that popular Evangelical catch phrase from the 90’s? I do. I never liked it – then, because I was busy acting like a heathen, and now, because anyone who has even read just a few pages of the gospels knows that the disciples blew it every time they tried to predict WJWD.

Well, I guess there’s one thing that we can be Scripturally certain that Jesus would do if he were still walking the earth today. He would be making disciples.

GO… Make Disciples… That is what Jesus said, that is what Jesus did, that is what Jesus passed on, and that is most certainly what Jesus would ‘be for’ if he were still physically present with us. We know for a fact that he is still for that because he lives, and so does his command to his disciples to GO and Make Disciples.

Jesus didn’t merely suggest that his followers preach repentance, evangelize the lost, or teach clever lessons… His earthy ministry surely wasn’t limited to just making pleasant choices in a social context either. He expected much more. He expected us to pour our very lives into a new generation of disciples just as he poured his very life into the Twelve.

The Church in America today is practically clueless when it comes to Scriptural, Jesus-commanded discipleship. I admit that I certainly don’t know it all, but it is because generations before me quit making disciples the way Jesus did it. People love to say what wrong with this country… there’s your problem right there. We need to re-discover true, biblical, Jesus-commanded, apostle-obeyed, early church-experienced discipleship.

Whatever Happened to Jesus’ Church?

Jerusalem's Golden Gate.

…on this rock I will build my church, 

and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Matthew 16:18

Jesus said he would build his church, and that the gates of Hades would not overcome it. What does that mean? Maybe a better question is this: Is the church today the anything like the one that Jesus describes here?

First, let’s table the discussion about the identity of ‘this rock’ for the time being. Suffice to say that the rock that Jesus spoke of was the revelation of himself as “the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” The rock that Jesus’ church is built on is none other than the gospel. “It is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes,” because “in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed” (Romans 1:16-17).

So, Jesus’ church is built on a message. Hmmm. Is the church today built on that message, or is it built on more than that? Think very carefully about that for a moment...

Well, apparently the gates of Hades are no match for this church Jesus builds. In the time Jesus lived, Hades was clearly understood as the unseen realm of the dead. The living had a natural fear of this realm of the dead, which no man knew anything about. So, Jesus likened it to a fortified city that his contemporaries would have been familiar with. These fortified cities had massive defensive walls, and some cities even had a double wall. These walls could be up to 20 feet thick. You might think that would make the city gate the weak point, but think again. The doors were immense, designed to withstand battering rams. Some cities even had a double set of gates so that if the attacker broke through, they were hemmed up at the second gate and slaughtered. In sum, conquering a fortified city meant the attacking force must display a fierce and resolute commitment to vanquish his enemy, notwithstanding heavy casualties.

Artist's reconstruction of the city gate at Lachish

So, the church that Jesus built was not a cowering group of saints hiding from the darkness in the world, but a fierce and resolute attacking force committed to breaking down the gates of the Enemy. Did you catch that? The church – with Christ at the Head – is the aggressor! The church is the bully! The church has picked the fight with the Enemy where he is fortified and can do the most damage.

Now here’s a question for you: Is your church really attacking the Enemy where he is fortified in this world? Be honest. What does your congregation do together that is the equivalent of suiting up for war and attacking the very gates of Hell? If you can’t answer that with something substantial, your church probably doesn’t resemble the one Jesus had in mind.

People wonder what’s wrong with this country today, not realizing that the American church has become far too comfortable. Like King David who stayed home to take it easy while Joab took the men into battle, the American church has for the most part done the same thing. The hard truth is that we enjoy all the material blessings while the persecuted church of the does the dirty work – making real disciples. They are the reason Christianity is still spreading in the world. You know why? The gospel. It’s what Jesus’ church is built on and when it’s the only thing, there’s no doubt it’s the most important thing.

Live Second

As some of you may know, I’ve been with e3 Partners and I am Second for a couple of years now. I’ve got some exciting Christmas-time shopping news for you: there’s a new book on the shelves, and you need to get a copy… or two. It’s called Live Second: 365 Ways to Make Jesus First by Doug Bender. The book springs from the I am Second website, which itself has become a sensation with over 10 million unique hits and .5 million social media followers. Doug creates our discussion guides that go with the films, and he previously wrote the bestselling book I am Second: Real Stories. Changing Lives. It was a huge success, and he spent 8 months as a bestselling Christian author.

Well, we expect even bigger success from Live Second. I’m part of the Live Second book launch team, and all of us on the team know how powerful the I am Second films and materials are; they really do have an impact on people. We’ve all received advance copies of Live Second and have been reading through it. Many of us have posted reviews. You can read my Amazon.com review of Live Second here (please leave feedback for me). But our goal is not to merely sell books, it is to put Live Second on the New York Time best sellers list. Let me explain.

Having a best selling Christian book is great, and we are thankful for that. While we do expect the book to do well among Christians, it is not something that is taken for granted. But what we want, and are praying for, is for the book to get into everyone’s hands. Just as the title says, the book is designed to make the reader second, and Jesus first. Wouldn’t it be cool if Live Second topped the most prestigious secular best seller’s list? Do you realize what that would mean? Think about that for a second…

Can you help? Yes.

Should you help? Absolutely! 

This book is far more than a devotional; it is a guide that actually teaches you how to make Jesus first in your life. It also challenges you to act on what you learn, rather than just giving you a warm and fuzzy feeling for the morning. The design is to grow a disciple of Christ based on reading the word of God and obeying it.

So, what can you do to help make that happen? I’m glad you asked.

1. Buy the book between 12/9 and 12/15. This will help its rating. Keep the receipt and email it to promo@iamsecond.com to get over $100 worth of free stuff from I am Second and two free webinars with the author, Doug Bender. Also, buy gift books, and give the receipts as gifts as well.

2. Share this blog on Facebook, tweet it, +1 it, email it, just get it to your friends, family, and church so they know about it.

3. Copy the promo postcard and save it on your computer or phone. Share it, tweet it, text it, +1 it, and email it to friends. You can print them and pass them out at church, Bible study, work, etc.