INTENTIONAL
DISCIPLESHIP
continued
And
when he had completed his ministry on earth and was about to
ascend to heaven he reaffirmed this intention with the
instruction, which we have termed the Great Commission:
"All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded
you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the
age." (Matt 28:18-20 NIV)
In a sense, we can say that
Jesus did not only come to save us from our sins but to call
us to follow him as his disciples. In a sense, we can also say
that what he intentionally did with his early followers,
equipping them for the life of discipleship, he wants to also
do among us through the church. If this is so what does this
entail? A quick look at the Great Commission will help us
understand what discipleship involves:
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“go
and make disciples of all nations”
is
a call to reach out through various means to those who
do not know the Lord that they too may hear the good
news and be able to respond to him. |
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“baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit”
is a challenge to us to not only reach the lost but to
also challenge them to commit themselves to ‘take up
their cross’ and follow the Lord in obedience to him. |
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“teaching
them to obey everything I have commanded you” emphasizes
the need to teach and train those who commit themselves
to following the Lord as true disciples, just as Jesus
equipped his early disciples. This involves teaching the
basics for Christian growth and training for ministry. |
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“And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the
age” encourages
us with the assurance that the Lord himself will be with
us as we endeavour to grow, live and minister as his
disciples. |
In
a nutshell then, to be a disciple is to receive the Lord as
one’s Saviour, commit oneself to following the Lord, learn
and be equipped for the life of a disciple and for ministry
and do whatever ministry the Lord would entrust to us.
The
leadership of our church has made the commitment to
intentionally disciple our members. We have put in place an
intentional process to help each one be discipled and grow
to be what the Lord intends for us. And we will be doing
this through our Care Groups. Through the process of
discipleship you will:
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Learn
and cultivate the basic spiritual disciplines
necessary for spiritual growth. |
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Learn
and develop Christian characteristics that will
glorify the Lord. |
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Learn
and discover your spiritual gifts so that you
can minister to others as Jesus intended for you. |
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Learn
how to be a witness for the Lord, in a
non-threatening way. |
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Learn
and develop leadership qualities for leadership
roles in God’s kingdom. |
Our prayer
and challenge to you is to respond to the Lord as a true
follower and disciple by signing up to join a Care Group that
you may grow to your full potential as a true disciple of
Christ.
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