Are You A Member Or A Follower? Part 1Are You A Member Or A Follower? Part 1
Lance Johnson Ministries
Jesus was and forever will be more concerned with quality over quantity. He proved that over and over while He was on Earth. Just look at the disciples; there were only twelve! There could have been so many, and yet He chose to have a deep relationship wi
29:30•11 May 2025
Are You Sold Out or Just Signed Up?
Episode Overview
- Being a church member is different from being a follower of Jesus; true discipleship demands full commitment.
- Jesus prioritises the quality of those who follow him over the size of the crowd, thinning multitudes to reveal genuine hearts.
- Believers are called to be "sold out" to Jesus, placing his will above personal comfort, relationships, and church culture.
- Loving God more than family enables stronger marriages and parenting, as devotion to Christ shapes how you respond in conflict.
- Spiritual maturity grows through consistent obedience, refusing offence, and continuing to follow Jesus despite resistance at home or in life.
“If you're not sold out, then you're for sale.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol, distraction, or half-hearted faith? This message from Bishop Lance Johnson zooms in on that question by contrasting being a "church member" with being a true follower of Jesus. Drawing from his own past of alcohol and drug addiction and his radical encounter with Jesus in 1990, Bishop Lance talks about why Jesus focused on quality over quantity.
He reminds you that "Jesus ministered to the multitudes, drew the multitude, but then he thinned the multitudes," because crowds are not proof of success – committed hearts are. Using Luke 14, he unpacks what it means to count the cost of following Christ. A standout idea is his warning: "If you're not sold out, then you're for sale." In his view, churches shouldn’t be selling a vision; they should be calling people to fully give themselves to Jesus.
Attendance, he says, is just one small part of the picture. Real following shows up in how you treat your employer, pay your bills, handle your marriage, and respond when life gets messy. Bishop Lance speaks directly to those with unsaved or resistant spouses and children, urging them not to compromise their devotion.
He describes loving God more than family as the very thing that enables you to love your family better, calling parents to set clear spiritual standards in the home and to keep going even when teenagers push back.
Throughout, he ties spiritual maturity to daily obedience, encouraging believers to keep pursuing God, refusing offence, and allowing Jesus to change them "from glory to glory." If you’ve ever felt torn between pleasing people and following Christ wholeheartedly, this teaching may leave you asking: are you just a member, or are you truly a follower?
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