3 Hours & 28 Minutes.

That’s how long you spent standing in the bathroom brushing your teeth in 2018 (if you’re an “average” person). Average people like you invested nearly 3 ½ hours of the past year in cleaning their fangs twice a day for roughly 2 minutes each time. You might’ve been a little more or less devoted to the process than others were, depending on your appreciation for good oral hygiene. Nevertheless, it’s safe to assume that each of us spent at least some measure of time brushing our teeth in the last 12 months.

So let me ask you, was it worth the time you spent? Any regrets? I mean, 3 ½ hours is a good number of ticks off the clock, and we need to make sure that we’re being good stewards of our time. Do you have as many teeth as you did last year? Are you happy with the way they look? Are they still healthy, or are they getting worse? You probably haven’t thought about it very much, but maybe you should. After all, three+ hours is a lot of time, and you’ve got important things to do with your life. If scrubbing your teeth isn’t helping you anymore, maybe you should consider getting rid of your toothbrush next year.

3 weeks, 2 days, & 4 Hours.

That’s how long you spent in the church communing with God’s people in 2018 (if you’re a “disciple” here). The average member of the JFB-Duluth discipleship program invested nearly one full month of the past year in building up the Kingdom of God each week. You might’ve been a little more or less devoted to the process than others were, depending on your appreciation for the things of God. Nevertheless, it’s safe to assume that each of us spent at least some measure of time at the church in the last 12 months.

So let me ask you, was it worth the time you spent? Any regrets? I mean, 23 days is a good number of squares on the calendar, and we need to make sure that we’re using God’s resources wisely. By the way, this figure doesn’t even include the time spent in the mission field, at retreats, campouts, or conferences. But between the nearly 100 sermons, the 50 hours of class time, the outreaches, the workdays, and the small group studies, was it worth the effort? Do you have as much enthusiasm as you did last year? Is the church any stronger because of your investment here? Are you still healthy, or are you getting worse? After all, three+ weeks is a lot of time, and you’ve got important things to do with your life. If your involvement in the church isn’t helping you anymore, maybe you should consider dropping your enrollment next year. Have you thought about this very much? Maybe you should.

Why The Concern?

It might sound counter-productive, or even cruel for a pastor to invite the people of his church to discontinue their participation in the fellowship. But might I remind you, this is precisely what Jesus did in John 6:67 when He asked His disciples, “Do you want to go away?” Lots of His students had already abandoned the group for various reasons, but Jesus wanted to know if there was anyone else who wanted to do the same. Simply put, if someone has a secret desire to get out, then Jesus doesn’t want them to stick around. He knows it’ll be harmful to the Church.

Jesus doesn’t necessarily want people to leave Him or the Church, He just wants them to be healthy. But a hidden craving to be freed from the burden of following Him isn’t really a sign of great strength, which is why He poses the question. Carrying on with a divided heart isn’t healthy in the least. That’s probably why He invites people to leave. Jesus forces people to reevaluate their priorities and decide whether they’ll move forward with unflinching loyalty, or walk away altogether. And it appears that He would accept either decision. He just wants honesty. He just wants a healthy Church.

Are You Healthy?

If you’re unable to look back at 2018 and feel satisfied with the time and effort you’ve invested at this church, the answer is “no”. If you’re not eager to devote another year of your life to this church and these people, then the answer is “no”. If you are living in unrepentant sin (of any kind; emotional, physical, sexual, etc.), then the answer is “no”. If indeed the answer is “no”, then Jesus wants to know if you’d like to leave. He expected His disciples to make that decision in John 6, and He expects the same of us. Sometimes Jesus gives you that responsibility.

There may not be any harmful repercussions for thoughtless tooth-brushing, but the same cannot be said for thoughtless Christianity. It’s possible to follow Jesus year after year and still go nowhere, but the consequences of living that way are devastating. For all their walking with Christ, some folks in the church are gaining no real ground, and sadly, most of them won’t realize it until the very end. People need to decide for themselves what they plan on doing with their life and their future. Jesus expects it of them. This isn’t tooth-brushing after all, this is discipleship.

Another Year Ahead…

Most of us give little thought to the practical benefits of brushing our teeth. We just do it. We do it once in the morning when we’re half-awake, and again in the evening when we’re half-asleep. It’s a short, mindless routine that we’ve been practicing for years now. But, of course, this article isn’t really about dental hygiene, as you well know by now. It’s actually meant to address your spiritual condition. Teeth-brushing just happens to be a suitable illustration for what the spirit-life can easily become for people in the church…a short, mindless routine that we’ve been practicing for years now. If you’re not really aware of what you’re doing here, then the time you’ve spent at the church holds no more eternal value than the 3 ½ hours you spent this year with a brush in your mouth.

Don’t let next year look like that for you. Find out where you’re supposed to be and commit to it. It may be here at JFB-Duluth, and it may not. You are under obligation before God to know what His will is. That takes conscious effort. Much unlike brushing your teeth, it doesn’t happen while you’re half-asleep.

What will 2019 look like for you? Do you consider yourself to be a part of this church or not? Are you happy to be here, or are you secretly restless? Is your spiritual condition healthy & stable, or are you getting worse? Being part of JFB-Duluth means investing a significant amount of your life in the activities of this church, whether that’s hours, days, weeks, or months…

Is this really worth your time?