Focus
Experience silence in the midst of your busy day. Take some time to relax into a time to be with God.
Read
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Reflect
“Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Sometimes when we think about the Great Commission, we only think of evangelism. If we carefully read the Great Commission, evangelism is only step one. After evangelism comes discipleship. If you think of evangelism and baptism as being born again, think of how important discipleship is to becoming a mature follower of Christ.When a baby is born, the baby is completely dependent. When someone has a child, they do not consider the act of birth as the crowning achievement. Instead, we care for the child, and throughout the child’s life, we teach the child how to live well. We teach them right from wrong. We teach them to become mature, responsible humans in the world.
The Church is tasked with making disciples in the world. Jesus is very clear to us what it means to be a disciple. He says, “’If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?’”
Our Confession of Faith describes discipleship as Sanctification and Growth in Grace. Section 4.22 describes the discipleship of a Christian as, 4.22 As believers continue to partake of God’s covenant of grace, to live in the covenant community, and to serve God in the world, they are able to grow in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord. Believers never achieve sinless perfection in this life, but through the ministry of the Holy Spirit they can be progressively conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, thereby growing in faith, hope, love, and other gifts of the Spirit.
I pray for our churches to be places of discipleship that we help all people grow further into the image of Jesus Christ from one degree of glory to another.
Pray
Lord God, give us the desire to be more like Christ and to help others to become all you created them to be through our willingness to disciple. Amen
Go with God!
