Anyone who understands shopping is keen with spotting real bargain deals. Bargain hunters are swift in smelling blood in the malls. They would prey on designers at a reasonable, at times, very cheap price. One of the favorites are outlets that sell overrun labels. These labels get easily siphoned off in a matter of hours. Most overruns are excess produce of tailoring companies authorized by hot selling brands mostly based in the States or Europe. They station their productions in third world cities to cut production cost and somehow provide job security. When production exceeds the demand or order in the States, outlets would readily buy the excess produce. They will rip off the labels and sell the shirts at a much cheaper price. Thus, they are called overruns.

Some overruns are damaged ones, but most are excess ones. These stuff go through the same processing, they go to the same sewing machines, same printing and they get the same hot press and packing thereafter. Just that, at the end of the day, they’re simply not needed. They’re authentic but not needed.

So much for an introduction to what I really intend to say. Some Christian cults have propagated and have clung into the poorly thought overrun theology. They believe that the slot is full. Production continues but whatever is produced are simply overruns. Accordingly, the children of God has been marked and sealed a long time ago (in reference to Revelations). I do not symphatize with that theology. Well you don’t expect anything from a cult in the first place. So we shift to our own Christian worldview. It is sad that an overrun mentality is quite a fixture among many of us.

The post conversion experience of a believer is crucial. They know their authenticity and there is no question to that. But with the everyday lies of our adversary, he wins a day when he succeeds in making us believe we are overruns, excess, and not needed. Thus, according to Robert Coleman, any day that we are indifferent with the gospel is a day lost to the cost of Christ.

We understand who we are in Christ, we know our label and our worth, yet this mentality has allowed us to be passive, compromising, tolerant, and cold. It’s because we have propagated amongst our minds that there is such things as a legitimate misfit in the rank and file soldiers of God. In an interview by Ed Stetzer, Ptr Steve Murrell points out some myths in discipleship that runs prevalent in most churches. One of which he says is the Myth of Mentoring. “This myth causes church people to demand that pastors spoon-feed them, care for them, and meet all their spiritual needs. It turns pastors into spiritual superheroes and regular Christians into passive spectators at religious shows. Another myth is the Myth of Maturity–that no one should minister until they are mature. This myth convinces people they don’t pray enough, don’t know enough Bible verses, and are too young to engage in ministry–leading Christians to believe that only after another discipleship course or leadership seminar or seminary degree would they possibly be mature enough to be used by God. The sum effect of these myths is an ineffective church with overworked ministers, overfed members, and unengaged communities.”

It is my prayer that I get to see a people more passionate in engaging, evangelizing, and discipling their friends and families this coming 2012