Daily writing prompt

Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.

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A Fire Alarm and Trumpet Sound

Church attendance without discipleship is:
* Listening to a talk about Jesus instead of becoming more like Him, (2 Corinthians 3:18)
* A passive audience without participatory interactive action, (James 1:22-25)
* A lecture instead of a way of life, (1 Corinthians 4:20)
* Religion without power, (2 Timothy 3:5)
* Hearing without doing, (Matthew 7:24-28)
* Words without application, (Romans 2:13)
* Being mere laity instead of “a royal priesthood,” (1 Peter 2:9)
* An hour or two instead of 24/7/365, (Luke 9:23)
* Being a religious consumer rather than an ambassador for Christ, (2 Corinthians 5:20)
* Passivity instead of Spirit-led activity, (Romans 8:14)
* An assembly that doesn’t allow people to encouraging one another, (Hebrews 10:25)
* A gathering without testimonies, (Revelation 12:11)
* Focused on what happens in a building instead of on “Christ in you, the hope of glory, (Colossians 1:27)
* Being pastor-fed instead of Spirit taught, (John 14:26)
* Pastor dependent instead of allowing open sharing, (1 Corinthians 14:26)
* Religiously entertaining without hands-on “training in righteousness,” (2 Timothy 3:16)
* World conforming instead of mind reforming, (Romans 12:2)
* Sermon focused instead of mission focused, (Matthew 28:19)
* A weekly theological meeting instead of daily Christ-seeking, (Matthew 6:33)
* Obligation instead of inner transformation, (2 Corinthians 5:17)
* Merely sitting in a religious location instead of daily experiencing true heart renovation, (Ezekiel 36:26)
* Information-heavy but obedience-light, (John 14:15)
* Ever learning but unable to come to a deep, experiential knowledge of the truth, (2 Timothy 3:7)
* Stereotypical and hypocritical. (1 John 4:20)

The Pharisees, the religious conservatives of the day, wanted Jesus dead so they pressured the Roman government to kill Him. To be content with a dead, ceremonial Jesus is to walk in the self-righteous way of the Pharisees. True disciples however carry the risen Jesus within them (Colossians 1:27) and rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. (1 Peter 1:8) The discipleship path is amazingly rewarding but oh so difficult!

Rely on,
Depend on,
Surrender to,
And trust in
Christ Himself;
Not in self,
Religion,
Government,
Or money.

The most common question that Christians ask one another is “Where do you go to church?” A much better question is “How are you being daily discipled and trained to listen to and obey Jesus more effectively?

Thanks for asking. My answer to the second question is: I read the Bible daily as a love letter instead of like a textbook. I ask God the Holy Spirit to open my heart to understand it and to give me the courage to obey it throughout each day. I listen to the still small voice of the Spirit throughout each day and do my best to obey His inner promptings. When the Spirit points out a sin in me, I quickly confess it and turn away from it. I walk in the light and seek to always be open and honest. My wife and I open our heart to each other, pray together every day, and hold each other accountable. I have a heart-to-heart spiritual relationship with numerous men who know that I’m willing to listen to and pray about their correction if they see me off track. My wife and I frequently get together to pray and connect heart-to-heart with other Christ-followers in person, on the phone, or through other media. We both spend a lot of time worshipping Jesus and also praying in tongues. I listen to the Holy Spirit every morning and post what He tells me on Facebook and on my blog.