ROOT OF DECAY

Root of Decay:

Do you know the context of this verse: “...teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” If not, hold off on looking it up and hang with me for a bit.

Preaching is not only king in our Christian churches, but unfortunately it tends to be the comprehensive Christian experience in America. Preaching is not an option for the Bride of Christ, but rather a mandate given by our LORD. Romans 10:14 is explicitly clear regarding preaching. Preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ provides the opportunity for people to hear, hearing affords the opportunity to believe, and believing manifests as a “calling out” to God. Therefore, without anyone preaching the love and grace of Christ no one can call out in desperation to our Savior.

Preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ targets the heart. It is a supernatural “weapon” against our satan, accuser, and adversary. Preaching is the literal, mighty, and perfect Word of God manifest via imperfect human conduits, which instructs both the fatally depraved and the redeemed saints on what we must do. These divine instructions include actions like: repent, obey, believe, surrender, return, give, love, and serve.

What preaching, by the biblical definition, does NOT do is instruct the audience regarding “how” we are to accomplish repentance, obedience, belief, surrender, reconciliation, giving, loving, and serving. Instead, that falls under the category the bible refers to as “teaching.”

Consider the fact that with all of our technological advancements and access to the Bible and Bible studies, with the Bible being the #1 best selling book in American history, the freedom and ease of access to Christian churches in America - with all that - yet the number of unchurched people in the United States stands at nearly 115 MILLION people. According the the Barna Group that’s enough to populate the 8th largest country in the world. (Source)

That statistic may lead one to believe that 115 MILLION people have never heard the gospel preached, but that would be inaccurate. According to the Barna Group only about 23% of the unchurched in the U.S. have never identified as Christian. That translates to about 92 MILLION people in the United States who have attended church services, who have (most likely) heard the gospel, and who have subsequently returned to the world.

Consider that of the 323 MILLION people in the United States only 26% identify as evangelical Christians, i.e. those actively participating in, or supporting, the expansion of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.

So what’s the disconnect?

Imagine a school where the staff only tells children what they should do. That they should learn how to read, learn to solve math problems, learn about geography, social studies, economics, health & fitness, etc. Week-in and week-out students come, hear about their deficiencies, inadequacies, failures, and flaws, but the school doesn’t actually employ any teachers. The school never tells students “how.” The school only employs advocates of higher learning and support staff (admin, facilities, etc.). The school has a wonderful school mascot, colorful lockers, clean restrooms, numerous brochures on colleges, universities, and trades, pristine white boards, desks, etc., but not a single teacher.

Every week students arrive eager to learn, but instead they keep hearing the same message over and over and over and over, “You’re deficient in a whole host of categories. You should improve. You should aspire for bigger and better things.” There are numerous younger, naive, students filled with hope and vigor, but “oddly” there are few older/mature students. Initially the new students conclude, “They must all have graduated on to university!” But eventually, after weeks, months, or possibly even years of repetitive preaching on “doing higher education,” bereft of any actual training or functional knowledge, those starving students instinctively conclude “those answers” must reside elsewhere. Tragically, they return to the world and never return to this so-called “institution of higher learning.”

Consider the likes of the big name TV preachers in America. Now consider how many big name Christian teachers you know? Preaching is often fiery, electric, entertaining, and brief. Preaching fits into our tidy, comfortable lives, and our self-serving schedules.

Teaching, on the other hand, demands investment, transformation, improvement, maturation, discipline, effort, and forfeiture. In our culture of entitlement, comfort, security, and privilege is it any wonder why more and more of our churches are bereaved of teachers and devoid of classrooms? We’ll pay for musicians, stage lighting, instruments, sound equipment, etc., but if we a church even has teachers they are typically “volunteers” rather than paid staff.

We justify and rationalize it via the cost of land, buildings, staffing, etc., but ultimately it betrays our motives - entertainment and convenience. Consider our Christian lingo: We go to church, whereas the New Testament calls us to be the Church.

Take a look at any of the countless Christian ministry job/career sites: indeed.com, churchstaffing.com, vanderbloemen, etc., and you’ll find countless positions and descriptions for preachers, but very rarely any for teachers within the context of the local church. We have conveniently left the heavy lifting to para-church organizations.

Ask virtually any pastor at any church to quote the “Great Commission” from Matthew 28, and they will probably respond, “disciple every nation.” We rightly use that as biblical support for our local and global mission. Some pastors might even correctly continue the quote, “baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” which we use as biblical support for the ordinance of baptism.

But, tragically, the final portion is virtually universally truncated. Jesus’ imperative command to disciple (not “make disciples” -product oriented, but rather to “disciple” -process oriented) in the Great Commission concludes with “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The imperative command to “disciple” includes both manner, i.e. baptism/immersion in the character, community, and culture of our God of Holy Trinity (of which water baptism is merely a symbol), and method, i.e. teaching.

It is there, exclusively in our comprehensive obedience to His imperative command to disciple via baptism and teaching, that Jesus promises to become manifest in our midst as both LORD (“I am”), and IMMANUEL (“with you always to the end”).

We’re doing a marginal job at going. We’re great at getting people wet. But we’re horrible at teaching in our churches. Without teaching we proclaim that Jesus is neither LORD nor Immanuel in our congregations and communities.

92+ MILLION Americans have already heard the gospel of Jesus Christ preached. 92+ MILLION Americans have heard/sung songs of praise. Many of those 92+ MILLION Americans have been baptized. And those 92+ MILLION American have subsequently returned to the world.

Why? Why isn’t Christ manifest? What is the root of decay?

Our churches in America are frequently pristine institutions of religious preaching, entertaining music, and cultural convenience. We are perpetually telling people what they must do. Tragically, we are failing to instruct them regarding how.

Christ didn’t issue an imperative command to RightNow, seminaries, Bible Study Fellowship, or Zondervan to teach. He commissioned His Bride, the local church, with that privilege and promised that in doing so He would be with us, Immanuel, to the very end.

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com