It would not be uncommon to hear this phrase come from my mouth "Changed my life forever." You might be wondering what profound spiritual truth has changed me, but you would be disappointed.
The full phrase is "You have to download this app, it changed my life forever." At one point, I was known as the guy who had a new app every week that would "change your life." I became one of the greatest evangelists for "TED," a website highlighting presentations of ground-breaking ideas (although I maintain that they have too few religious voices in their conferences). I spread that like wildfire, encouraging people to go to ted.com or download the mobile phone application.
Perhaps you do the same thing with restaurants (I do) or new hobbies (I do) or even your favorite coffee beverage (I definitely do). This is not wrong; after all, it may have actually changed your life. To my TED example, I have found profound learning through TED and look forward to the new videos being posted. It changed my life.
The Samaritan woman in John 4 has just had a life-changing encounter with Jesus, and she immediately spread the word to her neighbors (the same neighbors who abandoned her to draw water from the well alone). Jesus shared with the Samaritans for days because of her testimony, and the Samaritans caught the same fire as the woman at the well. One can only imagine what happened in that town because there were people who knew they met the Savior of the World.
I wonder why it is that new Christians are usually more excited about discipleship and mission than people (like me) who have been Christians for a majority of their lives. I can only imagine that this comes from a faulty understanding of the task of Christians. When people are introduced to Jesus, and they faithfully receive the Kingdom, it's a life-changing moment. Most recognize that some things in their lives need to change, and they joyfully enter a process of transformation.
People who have been Christians long enough get to a point where they feel "transformed enough." They don't do what other people do, and settle into paying someone to do the work of transformation for them. (I am one of those paid transformational agents) What is needed is a re-affirmation and ignition of who we are meant to be- disciple-makers.
The term disciple-maker is not equal to "small group leader" or "mentor." It includes both of those, but those terms don't cover it. Disciples (and by extension disciple-makers) create opportunities and moments for their communities to be transformed. Just like the Samaritan woman becomes Patient Zero of a Jesus-epidemic, we need to get infected and spread the Kingdom-virus. There is simply too much suffering, too much injustice and too much pain out there for us to do anything less.
This last comment reminds me of the admonition that Jesus gave to the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2- "You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen. Repent and do the things you did at first." Isn't this why "mature" Christians fall away; they forget who they fell in love with in the first place, and who they are in Christ. It's like saying why did you fall in love with your spouse and what was it about them that made you just giddy. We need to be reminded of who Christ is and our identity in Him. The love will last if it is tended to...Urgency without fear as you said.
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