I have been a member of a number of churches as we moved around.  I have been amazed at how many people "go to get," rather than "go to give."  Somewhere along the way, we have watered down what it means to be a Christian.  When you truly and sincerely come to Christ, you start a journey.  You have made a decision to agree that His will is your will.  And that you want to find out what that "will" is so that you can actually do it.

There seems to be a huge lack of personal responsibility for sharing Christ with the world.  And there is a tendency among church members to attend, listen, and leave.  With no concept of changing your life.  With no desire to grow.  With no desire to share the gospel.  And with a comfortable satisfaction that spreading the gospel is the preacher, staff, and teacher's job.

People get satisfied with the group they are in, and settle down for the duration.  Very few read their Bible.  Fewer still take the words of scripture as marching orders.   I don't blame them.  I blame us.  We have put "Doing church" in a capsule.  Come on Sunday, sing a song or two, listen to a sermon and go home.  We settle people into a rut.  God forbid that someone gets excited about anything.

And yet, the church is the body of Christ.  It is the best thing that we have going for fellowship with other Christians.  It is the best thing we have for helping us raise our children.  It is the best thing we have in times of trouble.  True Christian people are the best people in the world.  God's children.

But I fear we have lulled people into a sense of security as to how salvation becomes a fact in their lives.  We ask them to come forward.  To say they believe in Jesus.  And many times, that's it.  We baptize them and and they are left with a feeling of security that is not real.

I remember in 1954, our convention adopted a motto, "A million more in '54."  Which we got.  And never saw many of them again.  Saying that you believe in Jesus doesn't save you.  The devil himself believes in Jesus--that he is the Son of God.  That He rose from the dead.  But Satan doesn't give God his heart, his will or his allegiance.  You have to give yourself to Christ.  All of you.

We just need to take it all more seriously.  We have a job to do.  There is no Plan B.