DIscipleship's purpose.

When a label is placed as a missionary, most people begin their questioning of the progress as what are the numbers of salvation. Although to see a bounty of lives transformed in the Word is a beautiful celebration, we have discovered that here in this context, the true transformation is much more of a celebration than the numbers of salvation that may not all be truly lived. We wanted to share with you the joy of a life who is deeply being molded in the hand of the Lord- who is being restored from a tainted view of the ‘church’ and is opening his life to receiving the abounding love of our Father.
Yesterday, Brett had the opportunity to pour deeper into the attitude of his heart and just process life with him. Raised in the church, he has witnessed a negative influence from the church leaders that had pushed him far from any desire to participate in what they claimed was the truth. When we first met him a year ago, his heart was hardened toward the church and it has been 12 years since he has attended. For the past 3 months, he has attended every Sunday. From ‘Christian’ examples, he became jaded by seeing church leaders in the clubs/bars indulging in ‘ladies/prostitutes’, then on Sunday clothe themselves in their best attire, attempting to appear ‘holy.’ He voiced his burden that he did not want that kind of “fake religion.”
Manning states that “Jesus comes to the ungodly, even on Sunday morning. His coming ends ungodliness and makes us worthy. Otherwise, we are establishing at the heart of Christianity an utterly ungodly and unworthy preoccupation with works.”
An area that we have poured into him repeatedly is that his relationship with God is not the same as the church- that is the beautiful part of God- we have an individual access to Him and are able to grow in maturity, apart from what others may decide for their choices. He voiced that the Vapor discipleship has allowed him to receive the “content” of the Word and separate it from the person who delivers the message of the Word. The Lord is allowing him to pull sinful man away from our holy God- recognizing that we are in a sinful world and that people will let us down, but that God is unchanging and His truths are perfect.

Marin Luther voiced “Go to the Bible itself, dear Christians, and let my expositions and those of all scholars be no more than a tool with which to build aright, so that we can understand, taste, and abide in the simple and pure word of God.”
He said that he has grown closer to God. Some months ago, he expressed that he believed many of the Biblical truths, but that he had not accepted it fully. When Brett asked him if he had come to the point where he believed and accepted Christ’s teachings, he contemplated for some minutes, then voiced that he has not yet made a decision. He continued to explain that he does not want to be wavering and when he makes this decision it will be for a lifetime. He described it like a man deciding on marrying his girlfriend- a relationship that once decided upon, is forever.

Lloyd Ogilivie truthfully states, “we have turned the tables; we try to live so that he will love us, rather than living because he has already loved us.”
Hearing his testament of searching the Lord, challenged our hearts to our actions. Have we turned the tables or are we living out of His love for us? Is our testament as believers turning others toward Christ or far away from Him? Our prayer is that he will be overwhelmed by his need for the Lord- that it is not about him getting things straight first, but coming to Him as a ragamuffin in  need of His salvation. “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints, and of marrow...”
We pray that as he continues to invest in discipleship and reading God’s Word, that he would be pierced by the truths and would accept his home into the beautiful Kingdom of God.