ex libris

"Jesus never begged anyone to follow Him. He never waited for anyone, never sang one more verse while people decided whether to follow. He barked, 'Follow Me!' and kept going. Those who immediately dropped everything became His disciples; those who hesitated were left behind.

"Yet week after week, especially in evangelical churches, we beg men to be saved. Problem is, the call to be saved is so familiar, men see no value in it. Don't misunderstand me: it's vitally important that we call men to follow Jesus. Men need salvation. But instead of pleading, what if our approach was: 'Do you have what it takes to follow Christ? Many say they do, but fewer than one in four will remain loyal. Are you one of the few, or when trials come, will you crumble?' What if we stopped begging men to be saved and started challenging them to follow Jesus Christ?"

"Christ plows through the Gospels like a wrecking ball, smashing tables, driving people with a whip, devastating the Pharisees with a word, taming the winds with an uplifted hand, toppling a detachment of armed soldiers simply by speaking His name. He never cajoles; He commands! Christ is powerful, dangerous, and un-predictable. Teachers, present Christ the man. Men will follow."

- David Murrow, Why Men Hate Going to Church, 163-164, 183.