Rip The Roof Off!

Dear Pastor,

You preach, “Believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I will be saved.” You teach, “In order to grow in God I must belong to a local church.” Pastor, now that I am saved and a member of the church I just have one question. “What is next?” I have been a Christian and served faithfully in the church now for many years but I feel there must be more. I can’t exactly explain it, I just feel there should be more to my Christian life than believing and belonging. Is there anything more Pastor? Can you help me explain this feeling I am experiencing? What can I do to fill this void in my life?

Have you ever felt this way? I sure have, and unfortunately at the time my Pastor no longer had the answers to the questions burning within me.

Many Pastors today encourage people to believe (in Jesus) and even belong (to a good local church, especially their church!) however it appears few Pastors are eager to encourage people to become. (the person God designed them to be) I’ve often wondered, “Why is this?” It could be pride, insecurity, or fear. Perhaps it’s because leading someone to become the person God has designed them to be often results in that person leaving the church to do so? Even though the Bible clearly teaches us that “Going Therefore” is the goal to making disciples, many Pastors appear to be very uncomfortable with this. I honestly believe most Pastors start with pure intentions of teaching people to go, grow, and sow but instead the people end up being taught to stay, obey, and pay.

Do you feel like you’ve reached a ceiling in your Christian walk? Then my advice to you is… “Rip the roof off!” You see, I discovered there is something beyond believing and belonging, it’s called becoming! As Christians we are all commanded to go make disciples but the discipling process is believing, belonging, and becoming. First we believe. As a result of believing, we belong to the family of God. Once we belong to God’s family, we begin to discover the person God designed us to become. It is in this process of becoming, that our Christian walk builds momentum and our faith becomes contagious.

In my life “Ripping the roof off” has meant to take a leap of faith and plant a new church. It meant to begin coloring outside the lines again. It meant burning the box instead of just being outside of it. It meant valuing people more than a position. It meant drawing out of people what God has placed in them rather than always trying to impart something new into them. It meant spending more time ministering to people than trying to build a ministry. It meant spending more time providing for people than preaching behind a pulpit. It meant leaving the ninety-nine to go after the one.

Are you satisfied with who you are becoming? If not, what is your next step? Are you ready to pursue God’s call for your life without limitations? What would your Christian walk actually look like if you “Ripped the roof off”? I look forward to hearing from you.

-DJ Rabe

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