Jesus slimmed the crowd to get to the real ones

In week two of Elan's 21 days of prayer and fasting, Pastor Max asks how many disciples Jesus had. Not twelve, not seventy-two, but likely hundreds, and the number fluctuated with how hard his teaching was that week. After a hard word in John 6, many turned back. Jesus never chased the crowds, but he did slim them down to the ones whose hearts were right. The Greek word for church, ekklesia, means a called-out assembly, so you cannot be the church by yourself; the church is the people of God, not a building.

Shaking up the church

Pastor Max recalls his family's lake cabin, nicknamed "the pit," and the day he and his cousins dumped buckets of water on his dad and uncle to get them outside. Sometimes it takes drastic measures, and he believes Jesus has done something similar with the American church over the last five to ten years after gentler nudges went unheeded. Churches like to measure success by the three Bs: butts, budgets, and buildings. But Jesus does not care about the size of the church; he cares about its weight. Pastor Max would take a hundred all-in disciples over ten thousand Christian consumers. Gen Z, now the most consistently engaged generation in church, is proof that the world is not looking for an echo of the culture but an alternative.

Attenders versus disciples

Using Indiana's surprising football run against a Nike-bankrolled Oregon, Pastor Max points to a coach who refused to recruit selfish players who would not pay the price. Jesus likewise is not looking for the most gifted or well-connected people, but for those who will lay down their lives. An attender spectates, hears, consumes, and looks for a blessing; a disciple follows, obeys, carries, and accepts the assignment. "Attendance consumes, but discipleship commits."

Instructions for the seventy-two

Walking through Luke 10:1–9, Pastor Max draws out Jesus' directions. The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few: there is no shortage of need in the world, only a shortage of wholehearted disciples. Jesus sends them as lambs among wolves, so following him will not be easy. Elan began as a church of four in January 2021 in the middle of a pandemic, with real highs and lows, yet God has been faithful at every step; resistance is often a sign of heading the right direction. Carrying no bag and greeting no one on the road means staying undistracted and on mission: put down the phone and get into the Word. Healing the sick is part of the mission too, and he recalls praying as a brand-new believer for a friend's wife whose lump disappeared before it could be tested.

Rejoice that your names are written in heaven

When the seventy-two return rejoicing that even demons submit, Jesus says he saw Satan fall like lightning. God and Satan are not in the same league; the devil is our enemy far more than God's. Jesus gives his followers authority, yet tells them to rejoice most that their names are written in heaven. An attender tries to earn salvation and slides into legalism; a disciple knows there is nothing he can do to save himself, and out of gratitude wants to know, love, and serve Jesus.

Two by two: you cannot follow Jesus alone

Why did Jesus send them out two by two? Because living on mission requires community. God himself exists in community as Father, Son, and Spirit, and we are made in his image. Jesus never accumulated money or power, only people. Pastor Max shows photos of mountaineers tethered together, which can feel restrictive until someone slips, and reads Ecclesiastes 4: two are better than one. Being tethered together is not a lack of freedom; it is the reason everyone makes it home.

Temple courts and house to house

In Acts 2 and Acts 5 the early church met in the temple courts and from house to house, in rows and in circles, the model behind Elan's Sunday Gatherings and Groups. Groups devote themselves to fellowship, the Word, and prayer. A healthy church is not one where everyone attends and the pastor ministers, but one where the pastors equip the church to minister. Pastor Max closes by announcing that Groups are launching that day and challenging everyone to join one not to be served but to be a generous, kind friend to others, because as you sow, so shall you reap.