Going All In

There's a powerful tension in the Christian life between where we are and where God is calling us to be. It's the space between "I think I can" and "I know I can"—between merely surviving the shaking and thriving in it. As we navigate these uncertain times, when the world itself seems to be trembling, we're faced with a fundamental question: Are we truly all in?

God is shaking everything—the world, the heavens, even the comfortable places we've settled into. But here's the remarkable truth: when you shake a tree, the fruit falls. The shaking isn't punishment; it's preparation for harvest. The question isn't whether we'll experience turbulence, but whether we'll see it as a problem or an opportunity.

Too often, we approach life's challenges with a defeated mindset, viewing obstacles as insurmountable problems rather than divine opportunities. But God is calling us to shift our perspective—to move from "I think there's victory" to "I know there's victory" to "I am walking in victory." That's not positive thinking; that's faith in action.

Jesus didn't mince words when He gave us our assignment. In John 15:16, He declared, "You did not choose Me, but I chose You and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain."

Notice the emphasis: fruit that remains. God isn't interested in temporary conversions or emotional decisions that fade with the morning sun. He's calling us to help people come into His kingdom, get planted, and remain until Jesus returns. That's the business of the church—not programs, not buildings, not even services, but people coming in and sticking it out until the end.

The Great Commission in Matthew 28 reinforces this mandate: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you."

Making disciples isn't about conversion numbers. It's about transformation. It's about immersing people into the reality of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded. That's a lifelong process, not a one-time event.

What does a true disciple look like? Three characteristics stand out:

• First, disciples follow Jesus. This isn't passive agreement with doctrine; it's active imitation of Jesus. We're called to look like Him, act like Him, and do the things He did. Jesus promised in John 14 that we would do the very works He did—and even greater works. That's not hyperbole; that's our calling.
• Second, disciples live transformed lives. In the mid-1800s during Hawaii's Great Awakening, congregational churches didn't accept members simply because they claimed to believe. They interviewed neighbors to see if there was evidence of transformation. What a standard! Are we more like Jesus today than we were last year? That's the measure that matters.
  
  
• Third, disciples become fishers of men. Transformation isn't the finish line; it's the starting block. Once we're changed, we're commissioned to help others experience that same life-altering encounter with Jesus. We're all about building His kingdom, expanding His family, and bringing in the harvest.

Ephesians 4 reveals God's brilliant strategy for kingdom building. He gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers not to do all the work, but to equip the saints for the work of ministry. The word "equip" is a military term describing not just providing supplies, but training soldiers how to use them, maintain them, and repair them when they break.

God has given you everything you need to be who He made you to be and do what He made you to do. But having the equipment isn't enough—you need training. You need practice. You need to get in the game.

The goal? That we all come to unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect (mature) man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. In other words, we're growing until we accurately represent Jesus to the world, until we're so full of Him that when people look at us, all they see is Jesus.

In the corporate world, success is measured by attendance and offerings—butts and bucks. While those metrics have their place, they don't capture what truly matters in kingdom work.

What if we measured something different? What if we asked:

• How many Jesus conversations did you have this week?
• How many Holy Ghost moments did you experience?
• Did you read God's Word every day?
• Do you have someone in your life encouraging you and holding you accountable?
• Are you participating in a community where you can practice discipleship?

These are the metrics that matter because they measure transformation, not just attendance. They measure engagement, not just presence. They measure whether we're truly following Jesus or just showing up to a building once a week.

1 Timothy 4:12-16 issues a powerful challenge: "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity." Whether you've walked with Jesus for decades or days, you have something to offer. You already know more than most people in your life about the One who matters most.

Being all in means:

• Speaking words that impart grace and bring life
• Conducting ourselves in ways that accurately reflect Jesus
• Representing the Holy Spirit so powerfully that the atmosphere changes when we enter a room
• Living by faith, expecting God to move in every situation
• Pursuing moral excellence and purity according to God's Word

When we walk into a room, something should shift. Conversations should change. The very atmosphere should be different because we carry the presence of the living God.

We're living in a season of unprecedented opportunity. The shaking that's happening isn't random chaos—it's divine preparation. Thousands of people are waking up, realizing they need something more, something real, something that lasts.

The question is: Will we be ready when they come looking?

This isn't the time to learn about representing Jesus. This isn't the time to need someone holding our hand. This is the time to get in the game and accurately represent Jesus to a lost and dying world that desperately needs Him.

The harvest is ready. The question is: Are we?

Being all in isn't about perfection—it's about direction. It's about making that one-degree shift in focus that positions us for what God wants to do. It's about moving from spectator to participant, from learning to doing, from thinking to knowing.

The world is shaking, but God never changes. And He's calling us to stand firm, never give up, never give in, and help as many people as possible find their way home to Him before He returns.

That's not a job. That's not a career. That's a lifestyle. That's what it means to be all in.