As I was speaking this weekend I was challenged again by the fact that we are called to walk a narrow path and we are calling others to a narrow path.

It is the road less travelled – the less desirable road – the road of true, cross carrying discipleship.

This is what Jesus says:

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Mat 7:14

For an evangelist that’s a hard message to hear! We all want to see as many people as possible come to faith, but I have had a gutful of trying to motivate people who don’t want to be disciples to live like disciples.

Dallas Willard sums it up well when he says:

“The leading assumption in the American church today – and the Australian one I’ll add – is that you can be a Christian but not a disciple. That has placed a tremendous burden on a mass of Christians who are not disciples. We tell them to come to church, participate in our programs and give money. But we see a church that knows nothing of commitment. We have settled for the marginal, and so we carry this awful burden of trying to motivate people to do what they don’t want to do. We can’t think about church the way we have been.”

It seems that Jesus sees disciples as being few and far between – a rare commodity. I am still wondering what this means for how I lead and live my life in this community.