Breaking the “Us Four and No More” Mentality

Growing up in the church as a little boy and a teen was an exciting time filled with many great memories and awesome Bible teaching. As I have grown in the Lord since the early ’70s, as one of the redeemed, the importance of 2 Timothy 2:15 has never been more necessary. I/ we must study to shew ourselves approved! Remember, Pastors are just men and, too, fallible. Many times, they say things from the pulpit because it’s what they grew up hearing, or are just mimicking another Preacher whom they admire. Although this is very easy to do, it makes for substandard theology.

One of the phrases I heard as a kid was “us four and no more.” The importance of evangelism and love for the sinner and saint alike can’t be overstated. The purpose behind the phrase was to encourage us, as members, to step outside the comfort of the familiar and attempt to reach those around us.

Here is a great example of what the church has become over the years as the trend toward a recluse method of worship has become a reality.

If our desire is to further the Cause of Christ, then we must be more like Christ. Agreed?

Later, when my wife and I became involved in a local church and began attending Bible studies, something unexpected stood out. Instead of being equipped to reach the lost, much of the focus shifted inward. Rather than cultivating a heart for mission, the emphasis often leaned toward insulation—protecting ourselves and our families from the world, rather than engaging with it through the gospel. In some settings, spiritual growth appeared to center more on self-preservation than on participation in Christ’s mission. At times, it even felt like an unspoken “us four and no more” mentality had taken root. Gray, D. L. (2019). Us four and no more. Just Marinating (blog by Pastor Derwin L. Gray). Archived location unavailable; article not publicly accessible as of this writing.

Matthew 9:10 is very explicit and shows our need to become more like Christ. The church today manifests little desire to be as the verse teaches.
“And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.”

Suggestions and exhortation

• Drop the cliques
  • Yep, easy to love and help those in your clique
    • Doesn’t take a lot of effort or skill
  • Oooh, Church politics
• Step out of your clique (comfort zone)
  • Help those outside your intimate circle of influence
    • It may take some effort and skill you lack, so learn
• Brotherly love
  • It’s just not your 4 and no more
  • Don’t fear sinners, publicans, and other saints
  • Quit investing your spiritual energy into your favorite Christian relationships
    • Watch Facebook and Twitter! It is sickening to watch the cliques chase each other around in hopes of getting a like or retweet from a comfortable relationship, or a well-known preacher or evangelist.
• Have you noticed the lack of fellowship between churches?
  • Youth rallies?
  • Revival meetings?
  • Where are the random gatherings for fellowship?
  • Genuine love and concern for a Christian outside the protected walls of your church, where did it go?

Many Christians are looking for a mentor to help with their walk with God or the calling in their life. If you are walking with God and working within the vocation wherewith you have been called…Don’t be selfish, but strive to be selfless; you haven’t arrived. Don’t be like the Dead Sea and hoard the gifts God has entrusted to you, but be an outlet. A responsibility to be a conduit of help is a burden you must own and therewith engage. This week, reach out to a Christian, a publican, a sinner (saved or not)

Brotherly love is, indeed, evidence of salvation; be in the world but not of the world.