I grew up in communist Romania knowing both of my grandfathers—both church members. The grandfather from my mother’s side was very affluent. He owned a big, prosperous farm and two homes. He had plenty of money, yet he was very greedy, never satisfied, and never happy. Easily angered, he punished anyone for any little infraction.
The grandfather from my father’s side was a carpenter with modest means. He was always singing, friendly, humble, and patient. He would pray for people, help those in need, and was always happy and kind. He would go from place to place and give Bible studies, distribute books, and talk about Jesus. The police caught him a few times. They beat him but they could not stop him. He kept on preaching, canvassing, and singing.
Two grandpas, two different types of church members.
Two categories
Luke 6:17, 18 says that Jesus “stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, . . . who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases” (NKJV). We see two categories of church people here: the multitude and the disciples.
The multitude are church folk from Judea and Jerusalem who go to the temple on the right days to worship and bring sacrifices. They go where Jesus is to see a miracle, get bread and fish, and be healed. They attend church when they ought to, sing “Kumbaya” when they’re supposed to, and even do some sacrificial things when it doesn’t affect them much. They want to hear a good sermon and be healed, blessed, fed, served. They want to receive, consume, and benefit.
The disciples, on the other hand, don’t just go to the temple once a week; they follow Jesus everywhere—daily. Following Jesus’ example, they serve, work, give, and sacrifice. They are not necessarily looking for a blessing; they are there to bless others. They have left everything and surrendered all. The disciples are constantly trying to learn from Jesus and become more like Him.
Be blessed versus be a blessing
These two types of church people will be around until the Second Coming (Matt. 25:31–46). As Jesus addresses them, one group is under the impression that they should be OK. They think, We preach, we do evangelism, we lead out in church boards, we give tithes and offerings.
This group, we’ll liken them to the multitude, wants to be around Jesus but only when it’s convenient and comfortable. They want to be fed and to be served. They don’t want to put much effort into anything, but they do want a blessing.
The other group, the disciples, wants to always be with Jesus. They want to absorb all they can from Jesus, just to be like Him. Ready to leave all and sacrifice everything, their passion is to serve and be a blessing.
The multitude wants to model God after their plans. The disciples give up personal plans and follow His plans. The multitude wants Jesus to answer their requests. The disciples are ready to follow Jesus’ requests.
Which are you?
The practical question is, are you a disciple or part of the multitude? How much are you willing to surrender? The things you have a hard time giving up are the things that limit God’s work in and through you. To the degree you are willing to surrender, to that specific degree God is willing to control your life and bring heavenly results. He who wants to save his life will lose it, and the one who is willing to lose it for God will save it.
There is nothing wrong with receiving a blessing as long as you keep passing it on, giving it away, and sharing the blessings with others. But if you are part of the group that has a hard time fully surrendering all, fully committing, and joyfully serving, you won’t grow, and God won’t know you.
Follow the leader
As a leader you cannot expect the people you lead to fully commit to God if you don’t fully commit. You cannot expect them to get to a specific point if you aren’t there yourself. They follow the leader—you.
Jesus is coming soon indeed. God is calling you and me to seriously search our hearts and make sure we belong fully to Him. Not only in action, but fully living for Him. We are called to know Him, love Him, and fully commit to Him. If you want results, you need to fully surrender. The time is short! Jesus’ true disciples follow Him everywhere and live like Him and for Him. Be a disciple!
