Growing Weary Of The Mundane Life: How To Create A Quality Discipleship Ministry That Produces Transformational Life Change In You, In Your Church, And In Others

The Mundane Life vs. The Quality LifeThe Mundane Life. What is it?This is what the dictionary says about the term, “mundane”:Lacking interest or excitement; dull.Of this earthly world rather than a heavenly or spiritual one.Synonyms:worldly - temporal - earthly - secular – terrestrialBlahHo humSounds really exciting, doesn’t it? I’m being factitious. But believe it or not, believers, those who consider themselves to be disciples or followers of Jesus, have allowed themselves to settle for the mundane life and calling it “Christian.” Those with the mundane mindset have more in common with the things of this world than with the heavenly one. The person who has a mundane mindset sees life through the cloudy lens of “it’s all about me; not all about others.” These are a few of the characteristics of those who are living the mundane life.They are living a hedonistic life where the only relationship that counts is “me.”They see “truth” as subjective, refusing to stake out any absolutes unless they line up with what they believe.They are never able to apply what they learn, instead stuffing their heads with more trivial knowledge that has no lasting value.They live a works-driven, performance-based life, completely lacking in GRACE.They create a poisonous habit of performing empty rituals that are void of any deep meaning, failing to rightly WORSHIP the One True God.They accept a subjective life that is molded by the ways of the world, ignoring a commitment to BIBLE STUDY that will teach them how a disciple of Jesus is to live.They believe that all wisdom and strength is contained within themselves or within other people who are just as blind and deaf as they are, refusing to engage in conversation with the Lord Jesus in PRAYER.They have given themselves permission to act like a lone ranger, unconnected from other members of the Body of Christ, avoiding authentic COMMUNITY.They are self-serving, hoarding their spiritual gifts away from the very ones who are in need, robbing others of their SERVICE.They are unable or unwilling to share the Good News with the lost, failing to SHARE and EVANGELIZE.The mundane life is not the life that Jesus wants us to live. He did not die on the cross that we might settle for a spiritually mediocre existence. Jesus has called us to live the Quality Life. The characteristics of a person who is living the Quality Life as a Quality Disciple experiences spiritual growth in these areas:They live like RELATIONSHIPS are very important. Love for God (and being loved by God) and love for one another is the foundation for living the Quality Life.They know what they BELIEVE (Doctrine) and why they believe it. For those who are Quality Disciples, the truth is found in the Holy Scriptures of God’s Word and everything we believe and practice is based upon the authority of the Bible.They put into practice (PERSONAL APPLICATION) what they know. Not willing to settle for “head knowledge” only, Quality Disciples know how to apply the truth to the affairs of their lives.These three building blocks (RELATIONSHIP, BELIEVE, and PERSONAL APPLICATION) will lead to SPIRITUAL GROWTH and are lived out every day by these seven essential characteristics of living the Christian life: GRACE, WORSHIP, BIBLE STUDY, PRAYER, COMMUNITY, SERVICE, and EVANGELISM. All of these essential characteristics will be discussed in great detail later on in this book. Read more