Dear Sad S.A.C.

Dear Suburban American Christian,

This is an open letter to you. You are proclaiming Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. First things first. Let’s get this out of the way. He can’t be one and not the other. We need not argue about works based salvation or lordship salvation or any other theological straw man. If Jesus is not your Lord then He is not your savior. If He is your Lord then let’s get real for a minute.

Jesus did not suffer, die, and rise from the dead so you could live a fat, happy, self-centered life. There I said it. How do you feel? I feel much better already. Proclaiming you believe in Jesus won’t get you into heaven. See James 2 and Romans 10:9-10. If your faith does not produce good works then ask yourself what James asks in chapter 2.

I meet a lot of Christians in my work. Here is my insight for you to digest. I am sure that none of this describes you. It is a generalization of the characteristics of the majority of self-proclaimed suburban American Christians that I meet. Very few have a sound grip of the major orthodox doctrines of the faith. They don’t understand what others believe and why. They don’t feel they can adequately share their faith with others. Many struggle to establish daily spiritual practices in their life. These practices include reading scripture, a meaningful prayer life, sacrificial giving, or serving outside their church. I meet many that are convinced that their faith will be a struggle for them their entire life. It is as if they have been taught that the Christian life is a life of struggling to find God and not a life of walking victoriously with God.

I can safely say that most have no idea what spiritual gift God has given them. Because of this they do not function in the church through their gift. Most are aware that something is very wrong with the way church operates in America today. They are plagued with sin that they never get victory over. The same sin that plagued them 5 years ago still plagues them today. They never have time to do anything else once they work, take care of chores, go to church, and see to their recreation. Most have never personally experienced a miracle or the power of God working through them. They think that studying the Book of Revelation is “deep teaching.” They know the poor exist and when the news shows them their plight they may text $10 bucks to help.

For the most part these self-proclaiming Christians lead lives that look exactly like their non-professing neighbors with one exception. They occasional go to a building on a set day at a set time to hear a guy talk about their faith. Other than that and an occasional bible study, they are watching the same movies and television shows, listening to the same music, building their retirement, fixing up their homes, drinking the same beer, struggling with the same problems, yet proclaiming they have found something that others have not. They know every winner of American Idol, what Jack Bauer is up to these days, and the next trend in reality TV. Yet they don’t know the history of their faith and have not yet taken it serious enough to practice most of what is written in the bible they claim to revere. Most have never even read the entire book.

So here is a dilemma for you if you know a Self-proclaiming Suburban American Christian. Can we continue to allow them to be the public face of the Christian faith? When you question them they get defensive. They don’t have any answers so they don’t want you to ask them questions. You can’t even hint that they may be stuck in a false system of church that does not resemble what is described in the Bible. That possibility is off the table. Immediately any opposition is labeled heretical or rebellious. What is a disciple of Christ to do? (See John 15:8 for definition)

It is time to come out of the system. It is too far-gone to be reformed from the inside. It’s time to make new faith communities built on the practices taught in Scripture. This must be done from the top down. To change practices and leave an unbiblical structure in place is self-defeating. The structure is not biblical so it cannot produce a biblical faith community. (Luke 6:43) It is time for you to be serious about your faith. You must throw off what hinders and deny yourself. You must discipline yourself for the sake of godliness. You must find your spiritual gift and walk in it. You can claim the freedom from your sin that Christ died to give to you. If you are not learning how to do this where you are, then contact me. I would love to help you live the faith you read about.

Removing More Structure...

Disciple Driven Church ceased being a corporation on December 31, 2009. The official government structures that are required in order to be considered a legal church have been dropped. I am no longer "ordained" in the eyes of the state. I am not a pastor. I am officially unemployed.

What God compelled us towards 3 1/2 years ago is now more true for us than ever before. We are engaged in a work of reformation. The reformation cannot take place from within the current church structures simply because the structure is what needs to be reformed. To reform the current church structure is equal to doing away with it. This is what we have done.

What does that mean for Disciple Driven Church? It now becomes what it always has been. It is a call to a way of life. A life dedicated to personal consecration and fulfilling the Great Commission. The name remains and the vision stands firm. The main difference is that there is nothing to join apart from the universal body of believers.

The web site remains and will be used to teach, equip, connect, and empower people who share the same passion for reformation as I have. The site is a resource for those that share my concerns about age segregation, invitational and attractional ministry, unbelievers in the worship gathering, and a lack of personal discipleship, Holy Spirit led ministry and the missional supremacy of the Great Commission.

I have placed many resources on this site and all can be obtained at no charge. I have a link to a free downloadable copy of my book, Disciple Driven Church - The Coming Reformation. I have videos explaining some of the major doctrines of reformation and things I see hindering the church. I have a music page where songs are posted for free. These songs are original works that are coming out of those that have answered to call to reformation. Many more will be coming in the near future.

Do you hear the call to reformation? Examine the site and see if you share my passion for reforming these things. If you do then contact me and let's communicate. I hope to begin connecting like minded people around the country in this organic and unstructured passion for reform.

Disciple Driven Church