It was Soren Kierkegaard who first put into words just how much difference there is between admiring Jesus and following Jesus. For instance... I admire Jesus love of his enemies, but I can be so petty when people criticize me. I admire Jesus' concern for those in need, but I spend so much time focusing on me and my comfort. I admire Jesus' welcoming attitude toward strangers, but my first thought is always safety.
1 John 2:6 says:
Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
So if I want to wear the name of Jesus, I need to be walking the way he walks--I have to live like him. In other words, I am the follower and he is the Lord.
You see, this is why I need other people with me on this journey in the footsteps of Jesus.
I need--we all need--a community of disciples in which we can be welcomed and loved--and be loved enough to be challenged when we fall into the trap of admiring Jesus instead of following him. Churches can focus on a lot of things that have no real substance (such as the Sunday morning show being as polished and glitzy as Hollywood could make it). But if the community of faith that you have found cannot provide for you a healthy call to actively follow Jesus in your life, then the community of faith you are in is missing the point. Churches are only healthy if they are focused on being a community where people experience an encounter with Jesus Christ. A church that is more connected to its cultural appeal than it is to Jesus is decapitated (Jesus is the head of the church). We don't need anymore decapitated churches--they hurt people. Find a group of believers who will not give up on you and will not settle for less than God's best in your life--that is a healthy church.
Discipleship is a communal process that can be difficult but is transformational and rewarding. It is about growing. And most usually it is not about being comfortable or casually entertained. It is about following Jesus because we need him more than we need anything else.
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