I have been thinking about what it really means to make disciples.

Not simply getting people into church. Not simply getting them to call themselves Christians. But helping people discover a way of living that brings them into greater alignment with God.

And I think we sometimes get the order wrong.

We are so concerned with telling people what they are doing wrong, what sins they need to stop committing, and what consequences await them that we forget something essential:

Before people can understand the depth of the truth, they need to experience the love behind it.

This doesn’t mean ignoring sin or pretending consequences don’t exist. Jesus certainly taught about both. Revelation speaks powerfully about judgment.

But there is a difference between leading someone toward God and leading with everything they need to fear about God.

Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

That makes me wonder:

What do people experience when they encounter us?

Do they experience judgment?

Or do they experience something that makes them curious about the God we claim to follow?

The Honey

I’ve been thinking about the idea of honey.

If you want someone to taste something they’ve never experienced, you don’t begin by telling them how bad the alternative is.

You let them taste the honey.

Perhaps discipleship can work the same way.

When someone who doesn’t know Christ walks into our church, maybe our first responsibility isn’t to convince them that they’re a sinner.

Maybe it’s to delight them with the experience of being loved.

Let them experience kindness.

Let them experience acceptance.

Let them experience forgiveness.

Let them experience genuine community.

Let them see people serving without expecting something in return.

Let them see Christians who can disagree without becoming hateful.

Let them see people who are humble enough to admit when they’re wrong.

Let them see what happens when people actually attempt to live the teachings of Jesus.

That’s the honey.

And once someone has tasted something beautiful, they may naturally ask:

“Where does this come from?”

Then we can introduce them to Jesus.

Truth Still Matters

This isn’t about becoming a Christianity that only makes people feel good.

Love without truth can become meaningless.

There are consequences to our choices. Sin matters. Repentance matters. Accountability matters. Jesus spoke about all of them.

But perhaps discipleship is the process of becoming mature enough to receive the hard truths.

We don’t have to start with Revelation.

We can start with Jesus.

Love God.

Love your neighbor.

Love your enemy.

Forgive.

Show mercy.

Serve.

Examine yourself.

Give.

And then, as people begin walking that path, we can explore the harder questions of faith: judgment, sin, suffering, Revelation, responsibility, and the consequences of our choices.

The foundation is already there.

Jesus.

What If We Became the Invitation?

Maybe the greatest evangelism isn’t convincing someone that Christianity is true.

Maybe it’s becoming an example of what Christianity can produce.

If someone encounters me and becomes more interested in God because of the way I treat them, I’ve given them something far more powerful than an argument.

I’ve given them an experience.

That’s what I mean by the honey.

Not manipulation.

Not hiding the truth.

Not avoiding difficult conversations.

Simply allowing love to be the first taste.

Because I don’t want people to encounter Christianity primarily as a list of things they’re not allowed to do.

I want them to encounter it as an invitation:

Come and see.

Come see what forgiveness can do.

Come see what mercy looks like.

Come see what happens when you surrender your ego.

Come see what happens when you learn to love your enemy.

Come see what happens when you put God at the center of your life.

And eventually, when we’re ready for the hard truths, we’ll face those too.

But perhaps the order matters.

Let them taste the honey before we explain the medicine.

Because discipleship isn’t about creating people who are afraid of God.

It’s about helping people discover a God they want to move toward.