Thoughts From Chris

Many people have a lot of different opinions and definitions on leadership.  I have had my share of thoughts over the years as well.  Over the last several years, however, I have landed on a perspective that I believe is consistent with what I read repeatedly in Scripture.  I define leadership as the stewardship of godly influence.  In other words, God has commissioned his followers to influence people toward him (both believers and unbelievers), and we have a responsibility to make an impact in their lives toward God. 

Not only have I landed on this definition, I have also landed on the perspective that God wants all of his followers to be leaders. While some people have specific gifts, skills, and abilities to lead larger groups of people, everyone has been commissioned to lead and influence at least those around them (friends, neighbors, workmates, family members, etc.).

One of the passages I find fascinating on this subject is that Jesus finds some ordinary fisherman who are not only untrained and unschooled in the area of leadership, but who had not even heard the gospel.  Jesus gives them a very basic call to the gospel, “come follow me,” and then issues these potentially new converts a call to a life of leadership – influencing others toward God.   Notice the passage:

“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.”Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”At once they left their nets and followed him.  (Mark 1:15-18)

As followers of Jesus we are called to follow him, and we are also called to help others follow him (fisher of men).  Helping others follow him is called leadership.  This kind of leadership does not have much to do about skill and nothing to do about title and position.  The best way to help people follow Jesus is by modeling that life and looking for opportunities to explain why you live that way (from Scripture).  The beauty of this is that everyone can do this.  Therefore, everyone CAN be a leader and is CALLED to be a leader in the world. 

Acts 4:13 emphasizes this as well:

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

People witnessed their character and the power they had in Christ (they had been with Jesus). How are you stewarding this responsibility with those around you?  Are you leading and influencing them by how you live? Are you explaining to both believers and unbelievers why you live and follow Jesus during unique windows of opportunities God gives?

Just some thoughts as you ponder the leadership influence God has given you.  It is certainly humbling as we will all one day give an account of our leadership.

There are two official offices in the church: overseer and deacon.  God also gives the church the use of many different spiritual gifts by those in the body.  Several passages list examples of those kinds of gifts (e.g. gift of helps, administration, healing, faith, mercy, encouragement, etc.). 

Ephesians 4:11 gives a list of equipping gifts: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.  Maybe you know someone who has one of these or another gift.

I Corinthians 12 emphasizes the importance of all the gifts working together and the need for them all to contribute to the whole (i.e. one is not more important than another).  ”Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.” (I Cor. 12:22-23)

However, when you look at the contemporary church today, this doesn’t seem to be the way we operate.  There is one gift in the church that seems to be elevated above all the others. It is the pastoral gift.  We do this in various ways:

• We point across the room and say, “there is THE pastor.”  We never say, “there is the encourager, the apostle, the evangelist, the mercy leader, etc.”
• We talk about a “pastoral staff.” We never talk about a “faith staff, healing staff, prophetic staff, etc.”
• We say, “I would like you to meet Pastor Tom.”  We never say, “I would like you to meet Giver John, Faith Frank, or Diligent governor Tim.”
• We pay “the pastor” but we don’t pay the encourager, the mercy person, the evangelist, etc.
• A newcomer today asks, “who is the pastor of the church?”  Would this question even compute during NT times?  Pastor isn’t a position of authority in the church, it is a gift that some in the body have.
• How many times do we listen to leaders on Sunday morning who are called “pastors’ but clearly do not have the pastoral gift?  Why would they be called by a gift they don’t have?

Why has the contemporary church falsely elevated the pastoral gift above all other gifts (particularly when Scripture says not to do this)?   Why has the church made the pastoral gift an official position/office of authority?

I am not suggesting that some will not exercise their gifts in more public ways than others or that all gifts will have the same level of influence in the church.  Clearly this is not the case.  However, somehow we have taken one of many gifts in Scripture, and over the years, we have made it into something bigger than all the rest. 

Personally, my primary gifts are probably leadership, apostolic, and teaching.  However, I am called to practice all the other gifts (evangelism, pastoring, serving, giving, mercy, faith, etc.)  While I understand culturally when people occasionally call me “Pastor Chris” or someone introduces me as “the pastor” or even “one of the pastors,” I think it is so ingrained in our culture, I don’t know if we can really change it. 

My preference, however, is that the word “pastor” would not precede my name or describe my role in the church because in my mind it is not a position in the church, nor is it even my gift.  All the gifts, including the pastoral gift, are so amazing when people in the body all work together and serve one another with the gifts God has given them. 

If nothing else, perhaps the best and truest title one could give to me would be to refer to me as “Triathlete Chris.”  (now there is something I can live up to!)

A couple weeks ago I challenged the church body where I serve to take more risks in 2010 than they took in 2009.  No, I am not talking about tackling a triathlon this year for the first time in your life (like I did last year), or running the Indy Mini half marathon (like I am planning to do this year for the first time).  Nor am I talking about climbing Mt. Everest, taking risks in the stock market, or placing a lot of money on a bet that the Colts will win the Super Bowl this year  (I was actually at the game during the Jets debacle – great time with friends, thank you Karl – but I was calling for Caldwell’s firing as we left – in not so nice of words). 

Anyway the kind of risk I am talking about is when you make decisions throughout the year to do things because you know it’s God’s desire for you, even though it may cause great discomfort, potential pain, and trouble in this world.

Let me give you some examples:

• You have a friend, co-worker, family member, or acquaintance, and you know that if you share with this person the way God changed your life or somehow suggest that they need to repent in their own life and place their life changing faith in Jesus, it might cause some real discomfort or trouble.  Maybe it will cause a strain in your relationship, maybe this person will be offended, maybe this person will think you  are a little weird or judgmental, or maybe this person will be moved by your words and ultimately by God’s Spirit.  You don’t know which way it will go and so there is risk.
• You have harbored unforgiveness against someone who has hurt you in the past.  Every time you think of this person you have these negative and angry feelings.  For you to completely forgive this person, it will cost you many things.  You will have to be vulnerable, you will have to release the emotional debt you feel they owe you, God may ask you to love this person in some kind of way that you would be unwilling to do today, and so you feel this sense of risk.  It may be painful for you initially to completely forgive, and you aren’t sure how hard it will be and what you will have to give up and risk doing it. 
• As a teenager, you feel prompted in your heart to take a stand on an issue with your friends, but you don’t know what the repercussions will be.   Will you lose some or all of your friends?  Will you be labeled in school in some way?  It would probably be easier and far more comfortable to go with the flow and simply fit in.  Is the risk worth it?

Why is following Jesus so hard at times? Can’t we have our cake and eat it too? Can’t we have eternal life AND have comfort in this world?  Is following Jesus really worth it?  Isn’t Christian mediocrity easier than an uncompromising love for God and others?  If most Christians I know compromise and are mediocre and lukewarm, will anyone  really notice anyway if I just fit in with the church-going masses?

My challenge for myself and for you is take more risks in 2010 to follow God in an uncompromising way.  When it comes to obedience and Jesus-centered love (which is the hardest kind), it will ALWAYS be worth it, even if it costs you greatly in this life.

A couple posts ago I wrote about the point that any truth in the world is God’s truth.  While the Bible is God’s authoritative truth, it is not the only source of truth in the world.  There are all kinds of principles and practices  in the world that are true, and God is the author of them all.

One of the complaints I have heard over the years is that the church is run too much like a business.   I think in some regards this is accurate, but I think in some regards this complaint lacks the understanding that God owns all truth. Let me comment on both.

First, when a church measures success by numbers and finances (like the business world), this is a violation of what God says in his word.  Success in the church is measured by faithfulness, love, and obedience.  This usually leads to numerical growth but not always.  The bottom line for business is money; the bottom line for the church  is obedience and love.

In the business world, leadership is often about position, rank,  authority, and power.  In the church, leadership is about servanthood, love, and influence.

In the business world, decisions are often made based on the desires of the customer.  Businesses offer a product or service tailored to the customer.  Pleasing the customer is one of the highest goals.  In the church, there are no customers. The church is not to look at attenders or potential attenders as customers of goods and services.  The church rather is to shepherd people as children of God.

Based on the above examples (and there are may more), the church can erroneously mirror a business.  This obviously does not please God.  What happens is that churches end up replacing biblical truths with secular and unbiblical principles that have no place in God’s church.

However, the business world does contain many principles that are effective and true (not contained in the Bible) that the church should practice.  Let me give you some examples.

In the business world, you must not allow your expenses to exceed your income.  Many checks and balances are created within the financial arena to prevent this from happening.  In the church, these same principles are true and should be practiced as well.

In the business world, employees must be held accountable to certain job descriptions, ethical standards, and management of time.  When employees compromise these areas of accountability they are often let go.  When a church has paid staff, these same principles must be practiced in order for the leadership to be good stewards of the resources they oversee.  These business practices should be used in the church.

In the business world, leaders often cast vision, establish values, set short term and long term goals, establish teams, develop better communication practices, and make unpopular decisions based on what is best for the future of the company.  All of these principles can enhance the effectiveness of ministry within the church as the body attempts to live out the mandates of Scripture and properly steward every resource he gives each church body. 

The bottom line is that the church can glean many truths from the business world as well as other secular disciplines (e.g. sociology, psychology, finance, accounting, armed forces, engineering, etc.).  Many of these principles and truths developed within these settings are not contained in the Bible.  There is no chapter and verse on how to create a balance sheet and budget, but churches that do not practice these truths can compromise the biblical values of stewardship, frugality, and responsibility.

As we engage in various secular fields and discover helpful principles and truths (that God has created in the world), it becomes imperative that we test these supposed truths in the light of Scripture.  Although God has created an immense amount of truth in the world outside of Scripture, something is never true or from God if it contradicts or compromises Scripture.   Scripture must be our lens as we decipher truth out in the world. 

Almost all secular disciplines in our society practice strands of truth and strands of worldliness.  It is not as simple as positioning God and his word against business or psychology or simply secular society.   That would simply be throwing the baby out with the bathwater as they say.   No, there are strands of extrabiblical truth in most of the disciplines of our society.  It is our job, therefore, to decipher that truth, put it into practice, and thus enhance our ability to live fruitful, effective, and obedient lives to God. 

Be on the lookout for God’s truth whereever you are.  It is all around us.

A few months ago I began to post several reflections I had during my sabbatical earlier this year.  One of those reflections, that I have yet to write about, is in the area of leadership succession.  Most people do not engage in succession planning, but when they do, the most conventional approach is to begin developing a succession plan in connection to an exit strategy.   In other words, when I feel my time is drawing to a close in my position (either because I am moving on or because I am nearing retirement), I look for a successor to groom who will eventually take my place. 

What if, however, I was not thinking about an upcoming exit strategy, but yet I began grooming a successor (or several possible successors) anyway?    Would this be unwise or healthy?

Prior to this year, I always assumed I would not begin grooming a successor until there was a “reason” for it.  I feel challenged, however, to believe differently about this (both for myself and as a matter of principle for every leader in the church). 

We see this practice of succession throughout Scripture:  Abraham to Isaac, Isaac to Jacob, Jacob to his twelve sons, Moses to Joshua, Saul to David, David to Solomon, Elijah to Elisha, John the Baptist to Jesus, Jesus to the disciples, and so on.  I recently taught on Elijah’s transition to Elisha.  What was interesting to me is that God named Elijah’s successor well before Elijah was nearing retirement (well before he developed an exit strategy).  In fact, Elijah and Elisha spent ten years together as Elijah groomed Elisha.

What if every leader was engaged in grooming a succesor or potential successors on a continual basis?  What would it look like if no one ever stepped down from their position or left it unexpectedly without having someone already waiting in the wings?  What if there was a culture of succession within the DNA of everyone in the church? 

I am sure many people already have this mentality and are living it out, but for me, this is something that has not been on my radar.  I always thought this is something that you think about sometime down the road. 

Jesus spent three years developing the greatest succession plan in history: people like us taking his place and filling his shoes.  Succession was critical to Jesus’ overall strategy for ministry. 

Think about your position of leadership or where you serve.  What if you began grooming possible successor now?  We don’t know how long we will be on this earth, in our position, or able to lead.  One thing we do know, we will all step down from our leadership position at some point.  We are all leading on a temporary basis until we hand our leadership over to someone else.  This may be 10 weeks or 10 years from now.  Regardless of the timing, it seems we will be a little more like Jesus if we are grooming others right now to eventually take our place in the future.

Sometime last year, I received the following e-mail asking me my perspective on the emerging church movement.  If you don’t know what that is, this e-mail exchange will still make some sense.  I would say we probably have a lot of different opinions on the movement within Grace, but here was my response as simply some food for thought.  Here was the original e-mail. I have changed the name to make it anonymous:

Hi, Chris

What are your thoughts on the Emerging Church Movement?  How would you define it, are there things associated with it that we should learn from, and are there things associated with it that are dangerous (and if so, how do we combat those things)?  These are questions that my wife and I are processing and would appreciate your input as we seek clarity on this issue.

Thanks,

Joe

My response:

Thanks for the e-mail, Joe.  Again, sorry it has taken me a little while to get back with you.  I didn’t want to give you a trite answer.  Here is how I will answer your question.

There have been, are, and will be many “movements” within the Christian church.  An example of some of these movements are the following:  Seeker sensitive movement, Parachurch movement, Charismatic movement, Dominion theology movement, Contemporary Christian music movement, Young Earth/Old Earth Movement, Church Growth/mega church Movement, Liberal Theology Movement, Conservative/Fundamentalist Movement, Liberation theology movement, Home School Movement, House Church Movement, health/wealth movement, emerging church movement, etc.  

Most movements are reactionary and while they usually emphasize a good point (and can serve as a correction in the church), they often take things to an extreme and swing the pendulum over to one side.   Believers in the church often negatively react to their positions and arguments, and this becomes a reaction to the reaction.  The end result is that you have polar opposites who argue for and against their positions.   Most of the time the most biblical and balanced truth is somewhere in the middle.  The polarization is unfortunate, because generally there is healthy truth contained within the movement outside of its extreme.

The emerging church is no different.  In my humble opinion (and it is only that) this movement is by nature reactionary.  It is a reaction against the traditional church (go to a building to get your spiritual goods and services), it is a reaction against the “Seeker Sensitive” church (performance oriented and spectator oriented), it is a reaction against approaching doctrine as logical proofs that make perfect sense while minimizing mystery and the transcendental, it is a reaction against viewing God and the church through the lenses of Greek culture versus Hebrew culture (left brain/linear in thinking versus right brain/creative and nonlinear in thinking),  it is a reaction against emphasizing the distinctions among denominations versus emphasizing the likenesses, and it is a reaction against these things and much more (both in approaching style and in approaching doctrine).

What happens in any movement is that extreme statements are made by some public voices in any given movement, and the critics on the other side use those examples to show the error of the movement as a whole and why it is so unbiblical and dangerous.  And while it is true that those extreme statements are usually unbiblical and should be called out, most don’t have the ability to avoid “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” while they do this.  In other words, most pounce on the extreme statements and cannot look past them to see some of the truth contained in the movement.   Even if a movement can have an overall positive effect and correction to the church at large, the focus becomes exclusively on the extreme statements and further polarization occurs. 

These kind of polarizing debates occur within the peak of all these movements.  I really like reading from authors of all the different movements I mentioned above.  I find solid truth in all of them, and at the same time I find some error with some of the more extreme statements and ideas in all of them.  I cannot think of any of these movements that don’t make extreme and unbiblical arguments at times.  If someone were to ask me, I don’t consider myself in the seeker sensitive camp, the mega church camp, the emerging church camp, the liberal church camp, the fundamentalist church camp, the charismatic church camp, or even the house church movement camp.  Yet, at the same time, the polar opposite of each camp would probably label me in all of these because I do believe and practice some of the biblical truth I see in all of them. 

As it pertains to the emerging church (or any other camp for that matter), I don’t like some of the extreme statements that I hear from some leaders within these camps, and I would not shy away from declaring them as error.  As you can imagine, if you take any of those issues I raised regarding what the emerging church is reacting to, and you take them to an extreme, you will move into unhealthy and unbiblical perspectives.  I am sure it is not hard to see what those unbiblical positions might look like. While we should never shy away from declaring truth from error, I have really appreciated much of what has been written from this particular movement, and it challenges me to look back into Scripture, to shed some of my presuppositions that I perhaps didn’t know I had, and to make me more biblically balanced. I think most of the movements I have studied have done this for me. 

This may be a little broader answer to your question about my take on the emerging church (and may not be specific enough for you).  I think, though, that explaining this broader perspective as a whole on church movements in general helps you understand how I approach these kinds of things, and how I would not agree with certain aspects of emerging church and wholeheartedly agree in other areas.  

Feel free to ask me any follow-up or clarification questions – or if you want me to get more specific.  I am certainly no expert in all this – just trying to learn and grow as I journey through it. 

Thanks, Joe.

Chris

As we begin this series called “An Ancient Walk with God – a survey of the OT” we have some inherent challenges we must recognize as we approach an understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures.  We will spend some 35 messages covering the main themes of the OT, but we cannot go into it without recognizing our own cultural and presuppositional biases and assumptions.  Here are some things we need to remember:

3000 years removed from the authors

Different way of life

Different language

Different geography

Written from an Eastern mindset

Higher value of experience over knowledge

Higher value of truth within story over abstract truth

Higher value of mystery over systematic answers

Higher value of holistic thinking over linear thinking

I had an opportunity earlier this week to pray with some pastors at “A Hope Center” (formerly known as Crisis Pregnancy Center).  We prayed with board members and staff members on behalf of unborn children, parents who are hurting and confused, as well as for the ministry itself. This ministry has been in Fort Wayne for 23 years.  The last 22 years they have had one executive director at the helm – Judi Hapke. 

Judi retired last month, therefore, there is a current search for a new leader.  This ministry has had significant expansion in recent years and is certainly a beacon of light in our community for the marginalized in our society. This Sunday is “Sanctity of Life” Sunday.  Please pray for “A Hope Center” and pray in particular for wisdom as they select their new leader.

This past Sunday I gave everyone at Grace Gathering a very practical but significant challenge.  In our quest to become more like Jesus in the depths of our character, and in our quest to become more engaged in his mission as a missionary to those around us (loving them, serving them, and calling them to repentance and faith for the forgiveness of sins), here was our challenge:

1)  To grow in two specific areas of Christ-like character.  The first one I would choose for all of us and the second area each person would choose on his/her own.

The first area is to be more sensitive to the promptings of God’s Spirit in 2009.  As God prompts us in our hearts to help someone, to seek someone’s forgiveness, to challenge someone, or however he prompts us, we should attempt to follow through on that even if inconvenient or uncomfortable. 

I then encouraged everyone to select a second character trait of Jesus to more intentionally pursue this year from the following list (this is just a beginning list of Christ-like traits): compassionate, humble, firm, loving, prayerful, submissive, truthful, approachable, persevering, patient, bold, gentle, giving, faithful, empathetic, merciful, flexible, Spirit-led, discerning, self controlled, sexually pure, joyful, forgiving, disciplined, caring, thankful, simple, self-denying, content, uncompromising, servant-oriented, gracious, etc.

The other major area of challenge I gave was in regard to taking on more of a missionary mindset in 2009 as we intentionally engage in the mission Jesus gave us of loving people and calling them to repentance for salvation. 

I challenged us all to think of two specific people that we interact with:  1) the person we think is the least likely to become a follower of Christ in 2009, and 2) the person we think is most open to repenting and placing faith in Christ this year.  My challenge is that we pray for these two people as regularly as we can, and we pray for the opportunity to love them, serve them, and share the gospel of repentance and faith with them this year. 

Are you willing to take the challenge of becoming more like Jesus in your character and life this year and becoming more engaged in the mission Jesus has given us?

It is time for us to stop talking about what God calls us to do and start living it. 

The most common way church people answer the question, “how are you doing spiritually?” is by basing their answer on the evaluation of their “devotional life,” which is typically Bible study and prayer.  If we are consistent in our Bible reading and prayer, we have a tendency to think we are doing well spiritually.  If we are not consistent, however, in our Bible reading and prayer, we have a tendency to think our spiritual life is in the tank.

Somehow, particularly in the Western World, we have made our pursuit of reading, study or engagement with the Bible the marker of spirituality.   The more we study and learn the Bible, the more we come under the illusion that this equals spiritual growth.  What many do not realize is that this is deception.

What we often do not understand is that the Bible is a means and not an end.  Reading it and learning it is simply a tool or channel that we should use to get to our goal or end. 

What is the goal or end?  To live out a Christ-like character and to be engaged in Christ’s mission of serving and reaching the world with the gospel. 

James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.” 

Why would James warn us against deception as we engage the Bible?  The answer is because reading and studying the Bible as an end, and not a means, can lead us to a false sense of spirituality.

Jesus also rebuked the Pharisees in a similar way when he said, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life.  These are the Scriptures that testify about me.”

What was the problem?  The Pharisees were great studiers of the Bible but were not transformed into the likeness of Jesus.  They used the Scriptures as an end and not a means. 

Jesus was the greatest example in the history of the world of what it means for a human to follow God. 

Here is a list of some of his attributes or character traits: compassionate, humble, firm, loving, prayerful, submissive, truthful, approachable, persevering, patient, bold, gentle, giving, faithful, empathetic, merciful, flexible, Spirit-led, discerning, self controlled, sexually pure, joyful, forgiving, disciplined, caring, thankful, simple, self-denying, content, uncompromising, servant-oriented, gracious, etc.

If we want to evaluate our spiriutal life, Bible reading and prayer do not cut it.  Don’t get me wrong, they are both very important, but if they don’t lead to transformation, they often lead to deception.   Are we becoming more like Jesus by the way we live our lives and are we more engaged in his mission of reaching unbelievers with the gospel?  There is the measuring stick of spirituality. 

In our sermon this past Sunday I suggested that the church should spend more time and more energy on Bible living and not simply Bible reading and study.  The church in America is one of the most theologically advanced churches in the world and yet one of the least transformed churches in the world. 

Probably not one of my safest messages of the year, but one I think all of us, including mostly myself, need to hear.  

As we move into this new year, this is a good time to set our sights more clearly on the goal.

More to come on some of this later …

Throughout the OT God communicated to his people that they should repent and have faith in him:  “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!”(Eze 18:32)

John the Baptist enters the scene and he has one main message as he prepares people for the Messiah:  “And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mark 1:4)

Jesus comes on the scene and guess what his message is: “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)

Jesus’ apostles and disciples took the mantle and followed Jesus’ example: “They went out and preached that people should repent.” (Mark 6:12)

The early church then relayed this same message: “First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.” (Acts 26:20)

The message of repentance, which is to turn from sin and turn to God  in some area of life or in all of life, is the dominant message God gives to humanity all throughout human history.  It is the consistent message throughout Old and New Testament.  

As the church today, we are called to love people, serve people, be a blessing to people, live out Christ-like character, and with humility call people to repentance of their sin and turn to a loving and forgiving God.    

This past summer I asked our church gathering how many people have communicated the message of repentance for the forgiveness sins to an unbeliever in the last 12 months.  About 10% acknowledged they had.  This means that 90% of the church is not regularly engaged in communicating the very message Jesus commissioned his church to give (the dominant message in all of Scripture).

If this is true, and if this is true generally speaking in the contemporary church today, does this mean something is broken in the church today?  If 90% are not involved in communicating the mission, the very reason Jesus has left us on the earth (to live out and speak the message), has the church departed from the mission?

Being a witness, in the Acts 1:8 kind of way, means we communicate Jesus to the world both by how we live and what we communicate as the message.  Are we losing the message?  Have we lost the boldness that John the Baptist had (that cost his life), that Jesus had (that cost his life), or the early church had (that cost many of their lives)?

Maybe it is simply sharing our faith story with someone and applying it to them at the end, or asking them to do a Bible study on the gospel, or simply looking for windows of opportunities in our conversations with others.    Encouraging people to repent and believe in Jesus can happen in all kinds of ways.

What price are we willing to pay to be bold in calling people (with gentleness and humility) to repentance for forgiveness?  Apparently, 90% of us aren’t willing to pay any price at all.  We are not even engaging people with the message. 

Is something wrong or am I missing something?