From Come and See to Come and…

I had dinner last night with a young guy who has been attending United now for about 7 months.  It was exciting to hear him share with me all the things that God has been doing in his life over that time.

I was reminded of Jesus first words to his disciples, “Come and see….”.  That’s what United is like…people are invited to come and check out the Experience.  And it’s just that…an Experience…awesome music, cool lighting, and some relevant teaching.  However, at the come and see level there is no commitment and people are just there for the show…nothing wrong with that, but eventually they need to go to the next level.

Jesus turned up the heat by telling His disciples over and over again…”You are really my disciple if you _________.”  That’s what I try to do with the teaching time each week.  I try to paint an accurate biblical picture of what a disciple looks like in 21st century America and I try to put it in terms people can understand and apply.   However, there is a level even beyond that…

Jesus right before His death told His disciples that they were to “take up your cross and follow me.”  In other words, they had progressed from “come and see” to “come and die.”  They and we are to be willing to lay down everything for the sake of Jesus…even our own lives if need be.  The guy I had dinner with is progressing from stage 2 to the “come and die” part.  Here’s the cool thing…he’s excited about it!  He loves how Jesus is changing his life and his families life as he lays down his own life. 

So what about you?  Where are you at?  What do you need to do to continue progressing on your spiritual journey?  It’s ok to come and see, but eventually you need to get beyond that and be willing to lay it all at the feet of Jesus.