"Incarnational Christianity doesn't try to get people to God. Large numbers of men and women don't want to get to God. Others are unaware there is a God to get to! The incarnation was God coming to us; in a similar way, incarnational Christianity brings Jesus to men.
That's the basis for true evangelism: in the believer the presence of Christ reaches out to the unbeliever. It's also the basis for true discipleship: in the believer the presence of Christ walks alongside the new believer. Thus, the two main activities of the church -- conversion and discipling -- are wed, as they were meant to be. The Great Commission, after all, does not simply say to go into all the world and make converts; we are to go and make disciples.
Jesus said simply, "I am the way. If you have found me, you have found God." Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, the church added a debilitating step to the divine program. We said, "Jesus is the way to God, and the church is the way to Jesus. Come to the church to find Jesus, then Jesus will take you to God." Any training that we do, any leadership we exert, must correct this error. We must never allow the church institution to be the way to Jesus. Jesus himself is the Way. The goal of the church on Monday is to make the Way present and visible in a world where people are lost. And, through incarnational Christianity, he is!"
The Monday Morning Church by Jerry Cook.
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