Via Coop here is a fantastic article by Dallas Willard:
In my church we’re studying the Gospel of Matthew this year, and I’m trying to embed into each of us a deep understanding about the Kingdom of the heavens. After three months we’re about to enter the Sermon on the Mount (during the teaching of which I’ll steal mercilessly from the work of Dallas Wilard, N.T. Wright and Dietrich Bonhoeffer).
I hope that, in the course of my Christian walk, I never ever produce as a disciple Vampire Christian.
What do I mean by that?…
Quoting Dallas Willard, then:
If we are Christians simply by believing that Jesus died for our sins, then that is all it takes to have sins forgiven and go to heaven when we die. Why, then, do some people keep insisting that something more than this is desirable? Lordship, discipleship, spiritual formation, and the like?
What more could one want than to be sure of their eternal destiny and enjoy life among others who profess the same faith as they do. Of course everyone wants to be a good person. But that does not require that you actually do what Jesus himself said and did. Haven’t you heard? “Christians aren’t perfect. Just forgiven.”
Sure, and I’ve been chapped the bumper sticker amidst the other Jesus Junk at the bookstores.
There is absolutely nothing in what Jesus himself or his early followers taught that suggests you can decide just to enjoy forgiveness at Jesus’ expense and have nothing more to do with him.
Some years ago A. W. Tozer expressed his “feeling that a notable heresy has come into being throughout evangelical Christian circles–the widely-accepted concept that we humans can choose to accept Christ only because we need him as Savior and that we have the right to postpone our obedience to him as Lord as long as we want to!” (I Call It Heresy, Harrisburg, PA.: Christian Publications, 1974, p. 5f) He then goes on to state “that salvation apart from obedience is unknown in the sacred scriptures.”
This ‘heresy’ has created the impression that it is quite reasonable to be a “vampire Christian.” One in effect says to Jesus: “I’d like a little of your blood, please. But I don’t care to be your student or have your character. In fact, won’t you just excuse me while I get on with my life, and I’ll see you in heaven.”
Perhaps this seems extreme. Perhaps this seems irrational. But it sure seems like a lot of us in this nation believe exactly this. Barna writes that one of the largest mission fields in the world is previously-churched Christians (those who, at one point in their life, made a ‘decision for Jesus’ (my term, not his)).
That means that our mission field is particularly difficult – because people have heard what they think is the Gospel, and they think they’ve responded to it, but… are their lives being transfomed? is the character of Jesus continually being formed in them? Are the poor being served? Are the sick being healed? Is God’s living word a celebrated, treasured gift?
++Savior-Lord, save us from our own pathetically incomplete understanding of you.++
pat loughery 
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