Wouldn’t it be great if you could actually start doing less stuff and make more disciples? Heck yeah!
Many of us are super-busy on mission and with ministry related activities, but may not be focused on the right things that produce the greatest fruit.
Cut Before You Boost
For years I worked in the music business as an audio engineer and record producer. Early on, my mentor taught me that when trying to shape the various sounds of an instrument or vocal track I should always seek to use the EQ to cut frequencies instead of adding in the frequencies that I wanted to hear more of. ‘Cut before boost’ was his mantra.
In other words, you want to hear a little more of the high end? Try cutting some of the mid and low frequencies to reveal the upper end and sparkle. See what I mean?
There is a common and unlikely tale of the brilliant Renaissance artist Michelangelo. When asked about the difficulties of sculpting his masterpiece David he replied with a now classic and comical description of his creative process:
“It is easy. I just chipped away the stone that didn’t look like David.”
My point is that when it comes to managing our lives, schedules and discipleship we may need to “chip off” some of the activities that don’t actually help make people more like Jesus.
What do you need to cut before you boost? What things in your life do you need to carve and chip away to reveal the life and rhythms of Jesus?[clickToTweet tweet=”We may need to stop doing ‘Christiany’ activities that don’t actually help make disciples.” quote=”We may need to stop doing ‘Christiany’ activities that don’t actually help make disciples.”]
Here are three things you might want to stop doing or at least reconsider their effectiveness.
1. Stop doing Bible studies.
A missional community is not primarily a Bible study with a new name. Often our studies can go on for years with very little change seen in our lives. Sure, knowing the Word is very important, but far too many Christians spend years studying Jesus life without ever living it.
Take what you already know from the Bible and get out there and do something with it! Join the Mission you’ve been reading about. You get to. Discipleship rarely happens sitting in a circle or in a classroom.
2. Stop doing Small Groups.
Who or what is primarily the focus of most of our “small group” experiences? Be honest… it’s us! A missional community is technically a smaller group of people, sure. But it is people living life together for the sake of others and God’s glory.
I have been in and seen many groups that are really just self-help groups or affinity groups of people hanging out together and occasionally doing Christiany stuff. Or I’ve seen weekly meetings called missional communities where the people only see each other for that hour or two once a week.
If your small group is not experiencing an UP/IN/OUT Balance, where discipleship is happening in the regular rhythms of everyday life together, you may want to stop or restart things soon.
3. Stop doing ‘service projects’.
The scripture calls us to do justice and love mercy. The word “justice” in Hebrew is from the same root as the word “righteous” and both mean “to restore”. Our acts of service should be about restoring people back to the way God created them to be…becoming more and more like the second Adam–Jesus. That’s what discipleship and mission are all about.
That “Great Day of Service” wearing matching t-shirts with the church logo on it is not missional! Sure, we are servants as our Lord Jesus is a servant, but serving for the sake of what exactly? To get people to our church services? To look more like we care? Service that is not connected to discipleship and true restoration is not “missional”.
I know I just poked a few sacred cows. But quoting Einstein here, “insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results.”
Cut before you boost. Change things up. Re-assess where your time is being spent. You may find that the next best time to stop doing some things in order to get after what is truly important is now.
Please leave me any questions, thoughts or push-backs in the comments below, I love hearing from you.
