One of the most popular shows on television for the last several years is "The Walking Dead." My son recently informed me that there is also a commentary show that follows it called "Talking Dead." The storyline, characters, and plots of the "The Walking Dead" have stolen away many hours of American lives. I actually shared at a summer camp recently how unhealthy it was for us to  spend hours watching shows that focused so much attention on death and gruesome images. Healthy spiritual minds are to focus on things that are lovely, pure, and things of good report (Philippians 4:4-8). If you spend hours consuming unhealthy television and Netflix shows, I urge you to fill your mind with better things.  But this is not the focus of my blog post today. Rather I want to share with you a spiritual calling that is perhaps the highest calling for all of us. It is the very opposite of what we may think when it comes to being fully devoted Christ followers.
 
The call of following Jesus means we are to consider Him our Lord and Savior. His desires and wishes are to become our desires and wishes. His plans are now our plans. In every sense the one who truly follows Christ becomes consumed with the things of Christ and dies to himself. 

Luke 9:23-27  — Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God." NIV

Jesus makes it clear that if we want to save our life we must sacrifice our life.  He tells his devoted disciples that they must deny themselves, die to themselves (take up the cross) and then they will be considered those who "follow” Him.  In every sense we are to be the dead who live for Him because He died for us.  
 
Now consider what those of us who are dead are to be doing. The big three items on our to-do list as Christ-followers are: 

1. Witness to others. Tell what Jesus has done for you.  The former blind man in John 9, the former immoral, racist Samaritan at the well in John 4, and the crazy former demoniac in Mark 5 all witness to others what Jesus did for them. Witnessing is easy for anyone. Tell what happened before you knew Jesus, how you met Him and how He impacted your life, and tell how things are different now that you follow Him. Every Christ-follower is to be a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. It requires no formal training and no seminary degree.  Mark 5:19-20 says “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." NIV (Listen to my recent message on witnessing here.) 
2. Spread the Gospel. Every sincere Christ-follower is to be one who echoes again and again the good news that Jesus Christ came to save us, while we were still sinners. He was crucified for our sins, and He died and rose again according to the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:1-3)  Have you echoed the gospel out this week in your community? It is your calling and your responsibility to the One who paid for all your sins. Romans 12 says it is our "reasonable service." 
3. Make disciples. Jesus last instructions to his devoted followers was to go and make disciples of all nations. To put it plainly, to make a disciple you have to help others follow Christ as you follow Christ.  Your cousins, co-workers, barber, chiropractor, lawn-man, next-door neighbors and Zumba partners are all good candidates for discipleship. Every Christian should be discipling someone. Who are you teaching to follow Christ? (Listen to my recent message on discipleship here.) 

So not only are we to be the DEAD who live again and follow Christ in our new life, but we are to be the "talking dead" who bring the good news. At 6.14 Ministries, we long to see every church — no matter how big or small — teach its membership how to live out this high calling. Is your church family filled with the "talking dead?" Are your church members trumpeting forth the gospel like the believers at Thessalonica? (1 Thessalonians 1:6-10) Let us help by bringing some practical steps to your church family and encourage them in spreading the good news and making disciples. Contact us at 614rebuild@gmail.com. We would love to visit your church! 

Eighty-thousand churches in America are struggling this week. Eighty-thousand churches are wrestling with bills that they need to pay, salaries that they want to pay, and — most importantly — souls that they want to impact with the message of the Gospel. When a church is in any type of decline, whether it's financial, spiritual, or numerical, there is often a tension and a tone that the fellowship itself can take on, and that the leadership can exude, which is unhealthy for the entire church family. Negative comments, excessive analysis of past issues, finger-pointing, and whispering conversations can lead to a defeated body of believers. The great Enemy, Satan, can easily control a congregation that is struggling with doubts, fears, and practicing gossip and blaming. But thankfully, there are steps that a shepherd can take in order to overcome these temptations and to lead his congregational flock back into rich, God-honoring fellowship and service. 

Questions 

A congregation's expectations of its ministry team and a minister's expectations of its congregation are central issues when a church is struggling. Is the minister doing enough? Is he carrying out his ministry correctly? Is there any unconfessed sin in his life or in the life of other staff members which might bring about this decline? Has his zeal for ministry and his devotion to God waned? These are all normal questions that a devoted church member will ponder.

But, the minister will also ponder about the flock that he is tasked with guarding. Are they devoted more to the things of the world than the things of the Kingdom of God? Do they share their faith in the marketplace? Do they really believe in the mission and value of the local church? 

While all the questions are good to use to evaluate oneself and evaluate a church, they can simultaneously become harmful and even damaging if done without a spirit of encouragement. The process of evaluating one another must be done with the clear goal of building each other up in the faith. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-22) Also, evaluation and analysis must have an ending point. Questioning and questioning can quickly become exhausting. Analysis paralysis is a real thing! You cannot move forward and improve if you're still wallowing in your past, analyzing your mistakes to death. Be sensitive to one another as staff and as congregants. Trust the Lord to work in everyone who is seeking to build your church family and move forward. 

Answers 

First, in the midst of hard trials, a church family must remain stable. The answer to stability will always be to return to the basics of the church's purpose and faith values. If you as a pastor have found yourself in this situation, I suggest preaching a series on sharing the Gospel. Teach on the basic catechisms — "the chief end of man is to glorify God." Returning to the basics helps to stabilize the issues and calls everyone, staff and flock, to simply obey. 

For our church, it is a return to witnessing and discipleship. We believe the goal of any church is to glorify God and that is best done by sharing the Gospel (evangelism) and bringing people who are far from God into a healthy relationship with Him (discipleship). Stability is easier when your foundation is strong. So, be sure to strengthen the foundation. 

Second, relationships must be nurtured and everyone must choose to care for each other. Church leadership should be sensitive to the stress of core staff and ministers. Let your speech be seasoned with grace (Colossians 4:6) and strive to be an encourager through the challenging times. Do not wait on others to step up and encourage. Take the initiative, read encouraging verses, and bring a positive spirit of hope and faith into your church family. 

Third, be open with your church in your messages about the struggle. Acknowledge the struggle and be open to questions. Let the church ask questions through text, e-mails, or in person after the service. Invite them, welcome them, and thank them for caring enough to ask. Ask them to find the positive work God is doing in the church and focus on the positives. 

Every church goes through trials and struggles. Satan longs to defeat and divide believers and to let them hurt one another and damage the testimony of Jesus in the community. At 6.14 Ministries, we want all good churches to function as light, hope, grace, and encouragement in their communities. If your church — or you as a minister — are going through a difficult time, please reach out to us at 614rebuild@gmail.com or by visiting the official contact page on our website. You can also write me directly by visiting the contact tab on this blog. We will gladly help and encourage you as you follow your calling. There is no charge for your church or for you. Prayers and help are only an e-mail away!