Jesus' Mandate
Jesus' mandate in Matthew 28:19-20 is that we go into all the world and make disciples. The key word there is disciples--not converts. Disciples are fully devoted followers of Christ. Disciples aren't content with 90% obedience. They realize that 90% is 10% short of what God desires.
So, how are we doing in the disciple-making business? My answer is we're making progress! We're in the process of making our discipleship process clear and easy to follow. We want people to attend weekend worship, where they will be inspired to follow Christ and grow in their faith. From the weekend they attend Slice of Crossroads, where they meet the staff, get a feel for the DNA of Crossroads, and hear about what it means to have a relationship with Christ. From there we point everyone to The Core, which is our 6-week "Christianity 101" class. Then, all roads lead to Meal Groups. MG's are where we pray together, serve together, eat/connect together, and study together.
One thing we're going to add to our process is a personal, "self-feeding" step...we want to inspire everyone at Crossroads to be in God's Word daily (to learn to feed oneself). Nothing compares with personally hearing from God every day from the Bible. We'll be spending a couple of months early in '08 learning how to do this.
Like the roads in Minnesota, our process is under construction!
So, how are we doing in the disciple-making business? My answer is we're making progress! We're in the process of making our discipleship process clear and easy to follow. We want people to attend weekend worship, where they will be inspired to follow Christ and grow in their faith. From the weekend they attend Slice of Crossroads, where they meet the staff, get a feel for the DNA of Crossroads, and hear about what it means to have a relationship with Christ. From there we point everyone to The Core, which is our 6-week "Christianity 101" class. Then, all roads lead to Meal Groups. MG's are where we pray together, serve together, eat/connect together, and study together.
One thing we're going to add to our process is a personal, "self-feeding" step...we want to inspire everyone at Crossroads to be in God's Word daily (to learn to feed oneself). Nothing compares with personally hearing from God every day from the Bible. We'll be spending a couple of months early in '08 learning how to do this.
Like the roads in Minnesota, our process is under construction!
posted by Pastor Phil Print at 12:03 PM
2 Comments:
I don't think I know anyone who's functioning at 100% capacity/obedience.
If there was such a one, I think we'd all know who they were. They'd be exercising the same power and authority as Christ.
Not to take anything away from the jist of the message here though. It sounds like a good discipleship process!
I think what Pastor Phil is saying is a good thing. I don't think anyone can hit the 100% mark everyday, as only God is perfect. However, we can have 100% desire to do so each day & if we are to become obedient in his word then we can come pretty darn close! I think there are so many of us who attend regularly, serve & utilize our talents for the good of the church, however we are not seeking God's word daily through reading the Bible & having a consistent prayer life. If we were to combine all of those things each & everyday in some form we would make it to that desired 100%! I myself have been guilty of being "comfortable" in my relationship with Christ & have let my reading slide at some point.I have found that reading my Bible or a devotion helps the day be more clear in what my purpose is as a christ follower. If we are to achieve days where we can accomplish all of that then I feel we have hit the 100% mark because it will show in our obedience & in our discipleship!
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