In this installment of my Messages About Purpose and Strategy, I want to harmonize with the sermon I'm teaching this weekend. But rather than contributing quietly, I want to loudly proclaim that the church must not soft sell the Christian faith. I guess the instrument I'm playing is some sort of percussion. I want to hammer home the importance that God's people don't market a version of Christianity that is less than true discipleship. The kind of Christianity you see portrayed on TV is a shocking caricature, handmade by charlatans to perfectly fit our crazy culture. Here at Dayspring we must cut across the grain and make the cost of following Christ very clear. If the focus is only on attracting people to our show, then the temptation is to present Jesus as the one who will make everyone happy, healthy, wealthy and wise. We must not suggest we can deliver what God never promised. He doesn't exist to make our lives easier; we exist for Him!

What do you hear when people critique a church? Maybe lines like these: I don't always feel good when I leave. The music didn't minister to me. I don't want to be asked to do something uncomfortable. It just isn't meeting all my needs. These comments betray that we have acquiesced to cultural consumerism. We aren't to conform to the world. It is all about serving God, not being self- serving.

An old mentor of mine, Bill Hull, wrote this, "The church exists for mission. This collides head-on with the self-indulgent ego-driven psychobabble mentality that dominates evangelicalism. Look at the best-selling Christian books; listen to the television evangelist, talk to the average parishioner; the common thread is a preoccupation with felt needs. If the church is going to obey Christ, this must stop.

I want to lead Dayspring to stand out. We desire to be different here for Christ's sake.