Attracted to Jesus…Succeeding at Failing

One of the places my practice has trouble complying with my theology is in attracting people to the church. It’s very hard as a pastor to keep from enticing people and attracting people with gimmicks, programs, etc. One of my favorite quotes from 9 Marks (www.9marks.org) is “what you win them with is what you win them to.” In other words, “win” people into your church with cool youth programs and what you’ve won them to is cool youth programs. What happens when your youth minister leaves? What happens when you don’t have enough money to get the awesome new digital projector? The youth leave.

Ultimately, what has to compel people to come to Christ and join his local church is nothing other than the Gospel. Number one, if you “win” them (excuse the word) to something other than the Gospel, what has been accomplished? Excellent, you get to report one more on your Annual Church Profile survey. You get to change your little Sunday School board enrollment number. And, you’ve convinced a Hell-bound sinner still under the wrath of God that he/she has no more problems. Never mind the fact that most churches trying to compete with culture and “win” folks by clever programs and activities usually appear (and I’m just being completely honest) pathetic and/or lame.

So here’s the big problem: ultimately, a church could succeed at failing when their evangelism is essentially attracting people to Jesus. A church could seem to have succeeded by attracting a multitude into their congregation through a variety of programs and activities, but ultimately they only succeeded at failing. Coming to Jesus because you’re interested in all the things he can do for you doesn’t make you a disciple.

Check out Mark 3:7-19 (I’m writing on this because this is my sermon text for tomorrow). Multitudes were attracted to Jesus because they heard he was able to serve them, heal them, and make much of them. They thronged to him and pressed in on every side to try and just touch his body. And, Mark seems to be teaching us, they were not his disciples. Being there, being attracted to all that Jesus could do for them, that didn’t make a single one of them a true disciple of Jesus and a member of his Kingdom people.

What made a man a true disciple? Jesus. Jesus made a man/woman a disciple when he called them (according to his own will) and when he sovereignly placed himself at the center of their lives.

An important clarification: the way God does that (sovereignly chooses and appoints men and women to be his disciples) is through the speaking/preaching/teaching/counseling of his Word (Romans 10). So then, the only thing we should use to attract folks to the Gospel is the authentic, accurate, Spirit-filled preaching of God’s Word. Attract people with that, and may God give the growth.