Off-Roading

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. (Mark 16:15)

I spent a good portion of my day today at the car dealership transitioning from leasing my Subaru to financing it. One of the things that drew me to Subaru a few years back was their marketing. You've probably seen the commercials about taking your Subaru Outback or Forester off-road and exploring the great outdoors. Being a fisherman, this marketing spoke my language and sure enough, I ended up branding myself as a Subaru guy. However, I have done very little "off-roading" in this car save a trip to my friend's lake house one year.

Though I love the off-road appeal, I try to avoid pushing my car's limits and taking what I feel are unnecessary risks. I'd much rather spend my time on the Garden State Parkway or a well-paved roadway. I know I'm probably missing out on some of the cooler features my car has to offer. After all, my car was made to be in the mud and climb hills. The designers' intentions were to build a vehicle (like many others I'm sure) that can take your kids to school but also take you places where you otherwise wouldn't be able to go in a family car.

If you have been reading my blog every week, by now you should be expecting me to make a connection to the way we should live as disciples of Christ. Well, Jesus didn't drive a Subaru - He walked everywhere he went and occasionally, at least once, rode a donkey. But He did command us to take our faith off-road. He commanded that we go into the world and preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins by faith in Him.

Consider this - I'm drawn to Subaru because they fit my personal branding (and they have high safety ratings) but at the end of the day, I'm not actually going to take my car off-road unless I find myself in a situation where I am forced to. When was the last time you took your faith off-road and outside the church walls? This generalization doesn't support everyone I know but I do know some people that brand themselves as Christians but don't take any interest in living as Christ or His disciples did. Some people just want the benefits of Christianity (salvation) but they aren't willing to follow Him and make the necessary sacrifices (go off-road).

The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. (Isaiah 29:13)

God is not fooled. He knows our hearts and how far we are willing to go to follow Him. Showing up on Sundays at church service and serving Him within the safety of those walls shouldn't be where our love for Him ends. It could be a beginning for many but it cannot end there. Our love for God must push us to go off-roading. It should overflow into the workplace, at family gatherings, running errands, at our kids' sporting events, and anywhere/everywhere we happen to be. Taking our faith off-road and beyond the church walls is what we are called to do. Discipleship is not centered around improving our daily lives. The pinnacle of discipleship is reaching the point where we want to share Jesus with everyone, no matter what it costs us.

I would be lying to you if I said I'm good at that. I'm not. But I am seeking growth in that area. I am starting small by trying to slow down my conversations, take interest in people, and not always feel like I'm in a rush. My goal is to be living for Christ with abandon, ready and willing to share with whoever God brings into my life, even if just for a brief moment. Now, if you only recently discovered Jesus' grace and forgiveness, this might sound overwhelming. But like any good parent, God wouldn't send you off-roading without at least learning how to get behind the wheel first. I do believe there is a time in our relationship with God where we are nurtured as what the Bible would call being a "baby." But as babies grow and mature, so must we as disciples.

The LORD didn't send Peter, John and James into the world while the other disciples stayed back. No, He sent all of His disciples into the world. These men and women planted communities of faith everywhere they went. These communities were likewise expected to create new communities and so on. This is how the Gospel spreads and how God's plan is fulfilled, which is to save as many people possible from hellfire.

Jesus suffered and died for us on the Cross to open up the gates of Heaven for us. If we believe that people will perish unless they too become His disciple, we should want to do everything we can, whenever we can, to lead others to Christ their Savior. If you are like me and you're not "going off-road" with your faith, or maybe you simply desire to please Him and obey Him, pray with me that God would send His Spirit to help.

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8)