When we think about someone becoming a disciple that means that the person accepts Jesus’ sacrifice. Jesus did not say, rely on your pastor or the evangelist to share the gospel, He called you and me to go and make disciples of Jesus. A large reason why  church is not growing is because the enemy has caused the church as a whole to sit back and believe that the gospel is true but it is not our job to share.

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Full Transcript Below:

One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan is Telling the Church
Written By: Emma Danzey

Matthew 28:19-20 says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Have you wondered why the church is not growing as rapidly as you hoped? Is it as shocking to you as it is to me that the church in America is not growing from conversion, but from church transfer? In 2015 Bonnie Kristian shared from Relevant Magazine, “So while the statistics about the American church are troubling, American Christianity is far from the only thing going. Consider:
In 1900, Europe and North America housed 82 percent of Christians worldwide.
• By 2010, just 38 percent of professed Christians lived on these two continents.
• By 2050, that projected figure is a mere 27 percent.”

She goes on to share how although the church is dying here, it is exploding in Africa, Asia and Latin America. This was almost 10 years ago, and today Emma Davis from Reach Right Studios shares, “Only 16% of churches in the US are experiencing growth or hyper expansion.”

One of the sneakiest lies that Satan is telling the church is, “It is not my job to share the gospel.” Jesus’ last words to His disciples on earth was for them to go and make disciples of all nations and that He would be with them. This is still a command for every believer in Jesus today. 

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations”

When we think about someone becoming a disciple that means that the person accepts Jesus’ sacrifice. Jesus did not say, rely on your pastor or the evangelist to share the gospel, He called you and me to go and make disciples of Jesus. A large reason why  church is not growing is because the enemy has caused the church as a whole to sit back and believe that the gospel is true but it is not our job to share. We do not want to “step on toes,” we fear what others will think about us, we like staying in our Christian circles, or we just simply do not know how to share our faith because no one has ever taught us. 



We are all coming from different backgrounds and experiences, but the Lord wants to use us as His vessels to share the hope of heaven with others. He has invited us into building His kingdom. The response of another person is not on us, but we are called to offer the gospel and trust the Holy Spirit to move. We leave the results up to Him. I was recently speaking with a 60-year-old friend and he shared that if he heard that the results were left to the Holy Spirit, he would have felt freer sharing his faith growing up. Unfortunately, he was taught that if a person did not accept Christ, then it was his fault. This caused him to feel defeated at ever even trying to share the gospel. He had a defeated mentality. The enemy so often uses this lie and redirects our eyes to the wrong thing, instead of resting in the work of the Spirit and relying on the living and active Word of God.

Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

We do not just share the good news of the gospel with others, we disciple them. Just like Jesus taught and walked alongside the disciples, we too are invited to walk alongside others on their faith journeys. We celebrate when they are baptized, we help them when trials come up, we pray with and for them, we study the Bible with them, we are in genuine relationship with them. No, we cannot do this with everyone we meet. However, this is why it is not just the pastor’s job, this is the role of the church. We are the body of Christ, we function best when everyone is involved and connected. We know that we serve the Triune God who is still working and still baptizing people.

And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

We disciple and we teach others to grow in God’s Word and relationship with Him. We also model to them how to share their faith with others. Spiritual multiplication happens when believers in Jesus begin to disciple others and send them out to share the gospel. It is the great commission. It is our calling as believers in Christ to share Him with the world. This starts right in our communities, thinking about who is around us who needs Him.

Intersecting Faith and Life:

Have you ever been tempted to believe that sharing your faith was a pastor or evangelist’s job and not yours? Who is someone specific that you believe God has placed in your life who needs the gospel? Begin praying for this person and spend some time asking into their faith, then share the gospel with them in the power of the Holy Spirit. There are many wonderful resources out there to guide your conversation, such as God Tools.

Further Reading:
Mark 16:15
Psalm 96:3
Ephesians 2:8-9

When we think about someone becoming a disciple that means that the person accepts Jesus’ sacrifice. Jesus did not say, rely on your pastor or the evangelist to share the gospel, He called you and me to go and make disciples of Jesus. A large reason why  church is not growing is because the enemy has caused the church as a whole to sit back and believe that the gospel is true but it is not our job to share.
SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts: Your Daily Prayer: <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/">https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/</a> Your Daily Bible Verse: <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/">https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/</a>
Full Transcript Below:
One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan is Telling the Church Written By: Emma Danzey
Matthew 28:19-20 says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Have you wondered why the church is not growing as rapidly as you hoped? Is it as shocking to you as it is to me that the church in America is not growing from conversion, but from church transfer? In 2015 Bonnie Kristian <a href="https://relevantmagazine.com/faith/america-not-future-church/">shared</a> from Relevant Magazine, “So while the statistics about the American church are troubling, American Christianity is far from the only thing going. Consider:
<ul>
<li aria-level="2">In 1900, Europe and North America housed 82 percent of Christians worldwide. • By 2010, just 38 percent of professed Christians lived on these two continents. • By 2050, that projected figure is a mere 27 percent.”</li>
</ul>
She goes on to share how although the church is dying here, it is exploding in Africa, Asia and Latin America. This was almost 10 years ago, and today Emma Davis from Reach Right Studios <a href="https://reachrightstudios.com/church-statistics-2024/">shares</a>, “Only 16% of churches in the US are experiencing growth or hyper expansion.”
One of the sneakiest lies that Satan is telling the church is, “It is not my job to share the gospel.” Jesus’ last words to His disciples on earth was for them to go and make disciples of all nations and that He would be with them. This is still a command for every believer in Jesus today. 
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations”
When we think about someone becoming a disciple that means that the person accepts Jesus’ sacrifice. Jesus did not say, rely on your pastor or the evangelist to share the gospel, He called you and me to go and make disciples of Jesus. A large reason why  church is not growing is because the enemy has caused the church as a whole to sit back and believe that the gospel is true but it is not our job to share. We do not want to “step on toes,” we fear what others will think about us, we like staying in our Christian circles, or we just simply do not know how to share our faith because no one has ever taught us. 
 
We are all coming from different backgrounds and experiences, but the Lord wants to use us as His vessels to share the hope of heaven with others. He has invited us into building His kingdom. The response of another person is not on us, but we are called to offer the gospel and trust the Holy Spirit to move. We leave the results up to Him. I was recently speaking with a 60-year-old friend and he shared that if he heard that the results were left to the Holy Spirit, he would have felt freer sharing his faith growing up. Unfortunately, he was taught that if a person did not accept Christ, then it was his fault. This caused him to feel defeated at ever even trying to share the gospel. He had a defeated mentality. The enemy so often uses this lie and redirects our eyes to the wrong thing, instead of resting in the work of the Spirit and relying on the living and active Word of God.
Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
We do not just share the good news of the gospel with others, we disciple them. Just like Jesus taught and walked alongside the disciples, we too are invited to walk alongside others on their faith journeys. We celebrate when they are baptized, we help them when trials come up, we pray with and for them, we study the Bible with them, we are in genuine relationship with them. No, we cannot do this with everyone we meet. However, this is why it is not just the pastor’s job, this is the role of the church. We are the body of Christ, we function best when everyone is involved and connected. We know that we serve the Triune God who is still working and still baptizing people.
And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
We disciple and we teach others to grow in God’s Word and relationship with Him. We also model to them how to share their faith with others. Spiritual multiplication happens when believers in Jesus begin to disciple others and send them out to share the gospel. It is the great commission. It is our calling as believers in Christ to share Him with the world. This starts right in our communities, thinking about who is around us who needs Him.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Have you ever been tempted to believe that sharing your faith was a pastor or evangelist’s job and not yours? Who is someone specific that you believe God has placed in your life who needs the gospel? Begin praying for this person and spend some time asking into their faith, then share the gospel with them in the power of the Holy Spirit. There are many wonderful resources out there to guide your conversation, such as <a href="https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/help-others-grow/digitalministry/apps-tools/godtools.html">God Tools.</a>  
Further Reading:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Mark 16:15</li>
<li aria-level="1">Psalm 96:3</li>
<li aria-level="1">Ephesians 2:8-9</li>
</ul>

Are you a Christian looking for a daily devotional podcast to encourage, inspire, and convict you in your walk with Christ? 7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Daily Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life. Let's study the Bible together and through the experiences of other believers, learn how to apply the Word of God to our lives.

Here’s just some of what we cover in The Crosswalk Daily Devotional Podcast:

☕️ Why the Tongue Can't Be Tamed (And What to Do about It)
☕️ The Quickest Way to an Attitude Adjustment
☕️ Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life
☕️ Noticing God's Blessings in the Hardest Moments of Life
☕️ One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan Is Telling the Church
☕️ How to Push Through the Weariness of Prayer
☕️ 3 Steps to Take When Facing Temptation
☕️ What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year

If you love what you're listening to on the podcast, be sure to check out our companion devotional at https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/.

Are you a Christian looking for a daily devotional podcast to encourage, inspire, and convict you in your walk with Christ? 7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Daily Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life. Let's study the Bible together and through the experiences of other believers, learn how to apply the Word of God to our lives.
Here’s just some of what we cover in The Crosswalk Daily Devotional Podcast:
☕️ Why the Tongue Can't Be Tamed (And What to Do about It) ☕️ The Quickest Way to an Attitude Adjustment ☕️ Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life ☕️ Noticing God's Blessings in the Hardest Moments of Life ☕️ One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan Is Telling the Church ☕️ How to Push Through the Weariness of Prayer ☕️ 3 Steps to Take When Facing Temptation ☕️ What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year
If you love what you're listening to on the podcast, be sure to check out our companion devotional at <a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/">https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/.</a>

7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life.

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