The principal focus of this discourse centers on the distinction between mere church membership and authentic kingdom citizenship. I express profound concern regarding individuals who, while appearing devout on Sundays, revert to secular living during the ensuing week, thereby engaging in a façade of faith rather than embodying genuine discipleship. It is imperative to recognize that participation in religious activities does not equate to true salvation; rather, it is the transformation of one's heart and priorities that delineates a true follower of Christ. We delve into the uncomfortable truth that many individuals may possess a semblance of faith while lacking a substantial relationship with God, which ultimately jeopardizes their eternal destiny. The dialogue encourages listeners to reflect deeply on their spiritual state and to transition from superficial religious practices to a transformative and committed discipleship with Jesus Christ.

Takeaways:

• Authentic discipleship necessitates a transformation of identity rather than mere participation in religious rituals.
• Merely attending church does not guarantee admission into heaven; genuine faith must be reflected in one's daily life.
• True followers of Christ prioritize their relationship with Him over societal pressures and worldly distractions.
• Religious performance offers no real cost, while genuine discipleship demands a comprehensive surrender of one's life to Jesus.

Real talk.

I need to have a conversation with y' all about something that is bothering me.

I see dudes every Sunday dressed up, singing songs, shaking hands, looking all spiritual and whatnot.

And then Monday rolls around and these same cats are living like they never heard of Jesus.

Same attitudes, same priorities, same behavior, same everything.

If that's you, we need to talk.

Because you ain't following Christ.

You're just playing church.

And playing church is going to get you sent straight to hell with the perfect attendance record.

This is Discipleship Decoded, where we keep it real about getting right with God.

I'm your host, Malden Mitchell, and today I'm going to tell you the difference between church membership and kingdom citizenship.

Are you ready for some uncomfortable truth?

Let's go.

You just locked into Discipleship Decoded, where we get raw, real and relevant about what it means to follow Christ in a culture that is absolutely losing its mind.

This ain't about playing church.

We're here to make disciples preach the truth and call out everything that opposes the kingdom of God.

So if you're tired of watered down messages already for some real talk, you're in the right place.

I'm your host, Malden Mitchell.

Now let's get into it.

Hello, everyone, everywhere, and welcome to another episode of Discipleship Decoded.

I'm your host, Mal Dimitu, and I'm so excited that you decided to take a little bit of time out of your week to spend some time with your boy.

So check this out.

I grew up in church, man.

I've been around church folks my entire life.

And I'm going to tell you something that might hurt your feelings.

Most people in church ain't really saved.

They're going through the motions, playing their part, putting on a good show.

But ain't nothing real about it.

Sunday morning, they saints.

Monday through Saturday, they ain't.

They know all the church words.

Blessed and highly favored.

God is good all the time.

But their life don't match their mouth.

They sing How Great Thou Art on Sunday and then live how great I am for the rest of the week.

They praise God with the same mouth that they use to lie to their wives.

They lift up holy hands that's been doing unholy things.

And here's what kills me.

They think that they're going to heaven because they got perfect church attendance.

They actually think that salvation is about showing up on Sunday and dropping money in the plate.

They think being a Christian means knowing church lingo and participating in church activities.

Wrong.

So let me tell you what I Learned church attendance don't equal heaven admission.

Religious activities don't guarantee salvation.

You can be baptized and still be lost.

You can speak in tongues and still go to hell.

You can sing in the choir and still hear I never knew you.

And so here's what messed me up when I really started reading the Bible.

Jesus said in Matthew 7, not everyone who says to me, lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven.

So wait, what you telling me that people who call Jesus Lord ain't even going to heaven?

And check this out, though, it gets worse.

Jesus said, many will say, lord, Lord.

Didn't we prophesy in your name?

Didn't we cast out demons?

Didn't we do miracles?

These were church people, man.

Active church people, ministry people.

And Jesus going to tell them, I never knew you.

Get away from me.

Never knew you not I used to know you, but you backslid.

Not that I'm disappointed in you.

I never knew you.

And that shook me to the core, bro.

Because I realized that these people thought that they were saved.

They were doing church stuff and they were in ministry, but they were playing church instead of following Christ.

They had religious activity without personal relationship.

They had Christian performance without life transformation.

And Jesus don't know performers.

He knows followers.

Jesus don't recognize church members.

He recognizes disciples.

So you can prophesy and still be lost.

You can cast out demons and still go to hell.

See, religious activity do not equal authentic salvation.

So let me keep it real with you.

I used to be one of those dudes, perfect church attendance, knew all the Christian words and participated in everything.

From the outside, I look like a model Christian, but Monday through Saturday, man, I was living like the world.

And so I thought Christianity was about going to church and being a good person.

I thought salvation was about believing the right things and doing church activities.

Man, I thought that following Jesus meant showing up on Sunday and living however I want it for the rest of the week.

But here's what I learned.

Believing about Jesus ain't the same as believing in Jesus.

See, knowing about God ain't the same as knowing God.

And church membership ain't the same as kingdom citizenship.

See, I was performing Christianity without experiencing transformation.

I was playing church without following Christ family.

I was religious without even being regenerated.

And I thought I was saved because I checked all of the religious boxes.

I thought I was going to heaven because I went to church.

I thought I was a good Christian because I believed in God.

But here's the kicker.

Demons believe in God too, and they're going to hell.

So real talk.

It wasn't until God grabbed my heart and transformed my life that I understood the difference.

See, playing church changes your schedule.

Following Jesus Christ changes your soul.

Religious performance will modify your behavior, but genuine discipleship transforms your identity.

I stopped playing church and started following Christ and everything changed.

And let me tell you, you're playing church instead of following Christ.

Your Christianity is compartmentalized, bro.

Sunday, you spiritual.

Monday through Saturday, you secular church.

You and real you are two different people.

Your priorities don't match, but they match the world's priorities.

Money, success, comfort, entertainment, reputation.

And God gets whatever time and energy that is left over to you.

Jesus is an addition to your life, not the center of it.

So check this out.

Though your conversations rarely include Jesus.

Man, you talk about sports, politics, work, weather, everything except Christ.

And you're more comfortable talking about your favorite TV show than your relationship with God.

Jesus never comes up in normal conversation.

And here's the big one.

Your entertainment choices contradict your Christian confession.

You listen to music that celebrates sin.

You watch movies that mock God.

And you consume content that contradicts biblical values.

And then you wonder why your spiritual life is so weak.

You can't feed your mind garbage and expect spiritual growth.

So here's the real talk.

When you mess up, you make excuses instead of repenting.

When you fall, you blame circumstances.

When you sin, you minimize it.

But real followers of Christ repent quickly and completely.

Church players make excuses.

Christ followers take responsibility.

Christ followers take responsibility.

But here's what separates the church from performance from following Christ.

Genuine discipleship costs everything.

But religious performance costs you nothing.

Following Christ demands transformation.

Playing church requires only participation.

And when we come back, I'm going to tell you what authentic discipleship actually looks like and show you the difference between joining church and following Jesus.

Don't go nowhere, because I'm about to share with you something that might expose whether you're performing Christianity or experiencing transformation.

This is discipleship Decoded.

And we'll be right back.

I know you sitting there right now wondering, am I really saved?

Maybe you've been going to church for years, but something feels missing.

Maybe you said a prayer when you were young, but your life don't look any different than your unbelieving friends.

Maybe you starting to realize that church attendance and heaven admission might not be the same thing.

Listen, God loves you too much to let you stay comfortable in fake faith.

He's calling you out of religious performance into authentic relationship.

He wants more for you than Sunday morning religion.

He wants to transform your entire Life, don't ignore the conviction you feeling right now.

That's God calling you to something real.

That's his spirit drawing you to genuine discipleship.

Answer that call.

Your eternal destiny depends on it.

Sam Foreign welcome back to Discipleship Decoded before the break.

I told you, genuine discipleship costs everything, while religious performance costs nothing.

Now let me break down what authentic discipleship actually looks like when you get sick and tired of playing church and start following Christ.

So real talk, real discipleship starts with identity transformation.

Playing church adds Christian activities to your life, but following Christ gives you a completely new life.

So check out what Second Corinthians chapter, chapter 5, verse 17 says.

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.

The old has gone, the new is here.

Check that new creation.

Not an improved version, not better edition, but completely new.

Family, your old identity dies, your old priorities change, your old desires transforms, and your old life ends.

Man, you don't just add Jesus to your existing life.

You surrender your existing life to Jesus.

You don't invite Christ into your world.

You enter Christ's world.

And let me tell you what I learned.

Church players want Jesus to bless their plans, but Christ followers surrendered their plans to Jesus.

People who focus on church attendance use God for their purposes.

But Christ followers let God use them for his purposes.

Church players maintain control and then ask God for help.

But Christ followers surrender control and let God lead.

See, identity transformation changes everything.

Who you are, what you value, how you think, and why you exist.

See, that's authentic discipleship, bro.

And here's what Jesus said in Luke, chapter 14.

And this is going to mess you up because it says, if anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even their own life, such a person cannot be my disciple.

Now, Jesus ain't promoting family dysfunction, but he is demanding ultimate loyalty.

And if your family opposes your faith, then Jesus comes first.

If your friends pressure you to compromise, Jesus comes first.

If your career demands ungodly behavior, Jesus comes first.

And if your desires conflict with God's will, Jesus comes first.

Carry your cross daily.

Die to self daily.

Follow Christ, my man, regardless of the cost.

Surrender everything for discipleship.

And let me tell you the difference.

Church players want Jesus plus their old life.

Christ followers want Jesus instead of their old life.

Church players negotiate with God about what they will surrender.

But Christ followers surrender everything and negotiate nothing.

I don't know how many ways to express it, but discipleship costs your comfort.

Discipleship costs your reputation.

Discipleship costs your selfish ambition.

Discipleship Costs your right to live for yourself.

But here's what you gain.

Purpose, worth dying for.

Joy that circumstances can't even begin to steal.

And peace that problems can't destroy.

It'll give you a life that death can't end.

And family.

Everything you lose for Christ is nothing compared to what you gain in Christ.

And here's what Jesus said.

By their fruit, you will recognize them.

See, authentic discipleship produces authentic fruit.

Fruit.

Fake faith produces fake fruit or no fruit at all.

So what kind of fruit are we talking about?

We're talking about character, Fu.

Love, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.

Galatians 5, 22 and 23.

See, people see Jesus in your character.

People experience Christ through your behavior.

And people witness transformation brought in your lifestyle.

So let me tell you what I learned.

Church players act spiritual on Sunday, but Christ followers live spiritually Monday through Saturday.

People who play church, they know Bible verses, But Christ followers, they live Bible principles.

People who play church talk about God, but Christ followers, they actually walk with God.

But check this out.

Ministry fruit.

Because real disciples make disciples.

Real followers lead otherwise to follow.

And real Christians produce other Christians.

So if your faith ain't contagious, you just might not have faith.

And if your relationship with Christ don't inspire others to seek Christ, you might not even have a relationship with Christ.

And if your Christianity doesn't attract anybody to Christianity, you just might be playing church.

See, authentic discipleship naturally reproduces genuine transformation, creates hunger from transformation in others.

And real disciples make disciples.

And here's what Peter said.

Don't be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you.

Family suffering is a part of discipleship.

Persecution is going to come with following Christ.

And opposition accompanies obedience.

See, people who play church expect Christianity to make life easier.

But Christ followers understand that discipleship makes life harder.

You suffer for righteousness, you going to get persecuted for preaching the truth.

And you get rejected for refusing to compromise.

In a world that's full of compromises and focuses on their truth, my truth, and everybody's got a truth, you're going to become intolerant, and you'll get criticized for choosing Christ over culture.

But suffering for Christ produces character.

Persecution for righteousness purifies our faith.

Opposition for obedience strengthens conviction.

I'm here to tell you that this easy Christianity, this American Christianity, produces weak Christians.

But costly discipleship produces strong discipleship.

You know what?

In the natural, if somebody gives you something, you know, there's not the same appreciation for it as if you.

You labor for it if you suffer for it.

And so real talk.

If your faith have never cost you anything, it might not be authentic faith.

If following Jesus has never brought you opposition, you might not be following Christ.

If your identity and your Christianity makes everybody comfortable, you just might be playing church.

And here's what Jesus said in Luke chapter nine.

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and and take up their cross daily and follow me.

That means daily surrender, daily death to self, daily choose to follow Christ.

Discipleship ain't a one time decision.

It is a daily commitment.

Every morning you choose Christ over self.

Every day you choose God's will over your will.

And let me tell you the difference.

People who play church made the decision years ago.

Christ followers make a decision every day.

People who play church prayed a prayer once, but Christ followers live in prayer constantly.

Today you choose Christ.

Tomorrow you choose Christ again.

And every day for the rest of your life, you choose Christ.

That's authentic discipleship.

That's genuine Christianity.

That's following Jesus.

Bro.

But you know what you're thinking?

How do I know if I'm saved?

What have I been playing church my whole life?

How do I move from religious performance to authentic discipleship?

When we come back, I'm going to give you the steps to stop playing church and start following Christ.

The practical path from performance to transformation.

Stay with me because this next part could determine your eternal destiny.

We'll be right back.

Maybe you're realizing right now that you've been going through the motions instead of experiencing transformation.

Maybe you scared because you recognize yourself in the description of church players instead of Christ followers.

Maybe you wondering if it's too late to get real with God.

Listen to me carefully.

It's never too late to get real with Jesus.

God loves authentic repentance more than religious performance.

He'd rather have your broken honesty than your perfect pretending.

Right now, in this moment, you can stop playing games with God.

You can surrender your fake faith and embrace genuine discipleship.

You can move from religious performance to spiritual transformation.

Don't wait.

Don't delay.

Don't go another day pretending to be something you're not.

Get real with God today.

Your soul depends on it.

Sam Sa, we're back.

You're wondering, how do I know if I'm really saved?

How do I move from religious performance to authentic discipleship?

Now I'm going to give you some practical steps to stop playing church and start following Christ.

I need you to get brutally honest about your condition.

That's the first thing you got to do stop pretending, stop performing.

Stop playing games with God.

Ask yourself the hard questions.

Has my life actually changed since I became a Christian?

Do I love Jesus more than anything else?

Am I more concerned about God's opinion or other people's opinion?

Would my co workers know I'm a Christian without me telling them so?

Be honest about your priorities.

What gets your best time?

What gets your best energy?

What gets your best resources?

What gets your most passionate attention?

If it ain't Jesus, you playing church.

If it ain't God's kingdom, you're performing Christianity.

If it ain't Christ's glory, you're faking faith.

See, brutal honesty is the first step to authentic discipleship.

Because you can't fix what you won't face.

You can't change what you won't acknowledge.

So get real about where you actually are.

The next thing, we got to repent of religious performance.

Repentance ain't just feeling sorry, but repentance is turning around and going in the opposite direction.

Confess to God that you've been playing church instead of following Christ.

Admit that you have been performing Christianity instead of experiencing transformation.

Acknowledge that your faith has been fake and your discipleship has been shallow.

I'm not trying to come at you.

I'm not trying to make you feel worse than you may feel.

I'm not even trying to position myself as I'm this superior Christian.

But here's what we all have to stop doing.

We got to stop making excuses, stop justifying spiritual mediocrity.

And we got to stop blaming the church, pastors or other people for your lack of authentic faith.

For the love of God, take responsibility for your spiritual condition.

Own your religious performance and confess your fake faith.

And let me tell you what I learned.

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble family.

Humble yourself before God and watch him lift you up.

And you also got to surrender everything to Christ.

I mean, everything.

Your career, your relationships, your money, your time, your dreams, your plans, your will for your life.

Stop negotiating with God about what you're willing to give up.

Who do you think you are?

Who do we think we are?

Stop holding back parts of your life from Christ, man.

Stop trying to be in control while claiming to follow Jesus.

Full surrender, Complete submission.

Total commitment.

If you really want to do this, man, pray something like this.

God, I surrender everything to you.

My career, my relationships, my money, my time, my dreams, my plans, my will, my life.

I stopped playing church and start following Christ.

Take control of everything.

Make me new.

Transform me completely.

I'm Done with performing and I'm ready for transformation.

Mean it, live it.

And then, bruh.

Prove it.

And then you got to start living like a disciple.

Change your daily habits.

Maybe wake up early to pray and read scripture or in your day with worship and reflection.

Make Jesus the first and the last thing on your mind.

Change, bro.

Your entertainment choices.

You can't be watching all of this skin and all this flesh.

We got to stop feeding our minds garbage that contradicts our faith.

And we got to start consuming content that strengthens our relationship with Christ.

Choose music, movies and media, and that includes social media to honors God.

We got to change our conversations.

We got to start talking about Jesus naturally.

I mean, we got to share what God is doing in our lives and bring spiritual perspectives to everyday conversation.

And you got to change your priorities.

Put God's kingdom first.

Seek first his righteousness.

Make your decisions based on biblical principles.

And you only going to know what the biblical principles are is when you spend time in the Word of God.

I'm talking about principles, not personal preferences.

You're going to have to change some relationships.

You're going to have to surround yourself with people who challenge you to grow spiritually.

I want to encourage you to find mentors who model authentic discipleship and build friends that strengthen your faith.

And you're going to have to join a community of disciples because no man has an island.

You can't do this by yourself.

Because here's what I learned.

You need brothers who would challenge you to grow.

You need a community that will hold you accountable and not be in agreement with your foolishness.

And we need fellowship that will strengthen our faith.

If you haven't already done so, find a church that preaches truth without compromise, not this watered down prosperity gospel, pop culture philosophy stuff that comes across a lot of the pulpits.

And find yourself a small group that studies scriptures seriously.

Find men who are committed to authentic discipleship because iron sharpens iron.

Authentic disciples produce authentic disciples, and genuine community creates genuine transformation.

I know a lot of us like the music, but we got to avoid churches that entertain more than they transform.

You got to avoid groups that make you feel comfortable in your mediocrity.

But you should be around brothers that are stretching you with the scriptures.

You got to seek community that calls you higher and join believers who are serious about following Christ.

And here's what happens when you stop playing church and start following Christ.

Your relationship with God becomes real instead of religious.

Your prayers become powerful instead of repetitive.

And your Bible reading becomes transformational.

Instead of informational Your worship becomes authentic instead of performed.

People start noticing the difference in your life, bro.

Your character is going to reflect Christ's character and your priorities are going to align with God's priorities.

And your love for others are going to demonstrate God's love.

And you start this by making real impact in the kingdom.

People are going to be drawn to the Christ in you through your life and your testimony becomes powerful because it's authentic.

Your influence is going to grow because your faith is genuine and you'll find purpose worth living for and dying for.

You've discovered that joy and circumstances can't steal.

You'll experience peace that problems can't destroy, and you'll gain a life that death can't end.

That's discipleship.

That's authentic discipleship and genuine Christianity that follows Jesus.

So listen carefully to me.

This ain't about improving your religious experience, but this is about your eternal destiny.

Many people who think they are saved ain't saved.

And many church members are going to hell.

And many religious people will hear, I never knew you.

Don't let that be you.

Don't play games with your eternal destiny.

Don't gamble with your soul.

Stop playing church and start following Christ.

Stop performing Christianity and start experiencing transformation.

Your eternity depends on it and your soul is hangs in the balance.

And your destiny is determined by your response to this message.

Choose wisely.

Choose today and choose Christ.

And lastly, if this message upholds a religious performance in your life, and if you're tired of playing church and ready to follow Christ, and if you want to join a community of men who are serious about authentic discipleship, then here's what you need to do.

Reach out to me in the comments about a group that we have called the Huddle.

See, the huddle was where men stopped playing games with God and start following Jesus.

Seriously.

Where we practice authentic discipleship, where we hold each other accountable to transformation, and where we become the disciples that Christ called us to be.

We.

We don't do religious performance.

We don't do church games.

We don't do comfortable Christianity.

But we do authentic discipleship.

Real faith, genuine transformation, authentic following.

And so the huddle is where church players become Christ followers.

So if you're interested in that, reach out to me in the comments.

Look, if you made it this far, God is calling you through authentic discipleship.

He's done with your religious performance, he's finished with your church games and he's ready for your genuine surrender.

Thank you for spending these minutes with me examining your faith.

And if this episode convicted you, share it with someone else.

Who needs to stop playing church.

Hit that subscribe button.

Spread the word about discipleship.

Decoded.

And tune in next week.

I love you and God bless.