The Parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15:11-32 is a great story about God, Christians, and our purpose.
It’s really important to recognize that the attitude of the son turned into repentance. Repentance is a change of direction. The attitude of the father also changed. His attitude changed from mourning for his lost son to celebration!
The attitude of the other son, the repentant son’s brother, is clear: “What about me?”
We see this a lot in churches. When we focus on outreach, the faithful say, “What about me?” That’s interesting because mission is a focus on the lost. Whether it be the lost son, the lost coin or whatever, lost people matter to God. This is a Kingdom culture issue. This is the DNA of attitude.
In Philippians 2 Paul reminds those at the church in Philippi—and use—that we should consider others more important than ourselves. The issue is maturity over ego. Sadly, you don’t have to look far to find egocentric Christians. But what is the real issue?
Self-centered believers are immature Christians. They are just like little children who are, by nature, egocentric. Yet, little children who never mature properly end up to be childish adults: what about me?
Some churches have many baby Christians. They are always saying, “What about me?” The real issue is about maturing in the faith. It is about spiritual formation. The issue is discipleship. No wonder Jesus called us to be disciples who make disciples.