exceptionnoted

In our evangelistic efforts, are we making disciples of Jesus Christ, or are we merely seeking to get sinners to “make a decision for Christ”?

Judging by the results, it seems obvious that the latter is the case.

In his book, Christ’s Call to Discipleship, James Boice writes,

There is a fatal defect in the life of Christ’s church in the twentieth century: a lack of true discipleship. Discipleship means forsaking everything to follow Christ. But for many of today’s supposed Christians – perhaps the majority – it is the case that while there is much talk about Christ and even much furious activity, there is actually very little following of Christ Himself. And that means in some circles there is very little genuine Christianity. Many who fervently call Him “Lord, Lord” are not Christians (Matthew 7:21). (p.13)

That is a sobering observation.  And, sadly,  it still seems…

I attended the wedding of an old friend recently.  He is one of the few among my group of college friends who didn’t marry in the rush to the altar that occurred for most of us between the ages of 21 and 25.  A sizeable group of us gathered after the ceremony to visit.  Virtually everyone there came from the community of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship students who attended Florida colleges in the late 1980’s.  In this case, we had alums from Florida State, Florida, and Stetson University.  

I was impressed by the fact that even those of us who hadn’t known one another directly during that time enjoyed an easy fellowship as we convened around the nuptials of mutual friends.  It occurred to me that the reason for this effortless bonding is that we are the products of a particular time and place.  A Christian Brat Pack, if you…