Jesus’ central message was that this in-breaking kingdom is available now, to all. That anyone, no matter who you are, where you come from, or what your station in life is, can enter this kingdom and be “blessed” (or “happy”) with God. You can have this new kind of life if you will put your trust and confidence in Jesus for the whole of your life.

We can’t force a person to become a disciple of Jesus, nor would we want to. But we can offer them a space where such a change can occur, even if slowly over time. We can actively seek out the lonely, the newcomer, the uncool, the poor, the immigrant or refugee—those with no family or no home—and welcome them in to a community of love.

Cue the heart-wrenching stats on the number of abusers who were abused, cheaters who were cheated on, criticizers who were criticized, and so on.

Like the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly, it may take a long time of darkness and struggle until we emerge beautified, and it may not be until the very end of our journeys this side of eternity. But it will be more than worth it.

Now, when we say “preach the gospel,” all we mean is to tell people about Jesus: Announce the good news of Jesus and the availability of life with him in the kingdom of God.

But if disciple is a noun—if it’s someone you are or are not—then no one can “disciple” you but Rabbi Jesus himself. You must choose to accept Jesus’ invitation to a life of apprenticeship.

To quote the tech philosopher Jaron Lanier, “What might once have been called advertising must now be understood as continuous behavior modification on a titanic scale.”

If we assume that Jesus did the stuff he did “because he was God,” we will then assume we can’t do the stuff he did because we’re not God, clearly. 1 + 1 = 2.

Spending your money on yet another thing you don’t need isn’t just playing around with “disposable income”—it’s feeding an appetite within you that will grow only more ravenous.