| DISCIPLESHIP & SNEAKERS |
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“Go make the sneakers!” your boss says. So off you go to
make the sneakers. But there’s a problem. You don’t have a
design to follow. In fact, you haven’t ever seen the sneakers
completed before. But you are going to make those sneakers! What
are the chances of your success? We know this scenario is
unlikely to produce the correct sneakers, yet this is almost the
exact approach we take with disciple-making. This year we are launching our new discipleship initiative that we believe will have a major effect on FCCB. An astute observer may ask, “Haven’t we always done discipleship? What is the buzz really about?” I want to be cautious in what I say here. We have been following Jesus for 251 years as a church. Many great things have happened over the generations and even in our own midst. But if I were to ask you, “What changes have taken place in your life as you’ve followed Jesus over the past 3 years?”, how would you answer? Are there concrete changes you can point to? Are there practices you have now that were previously lacking? Are you worshipping God more fully as you’ve gotten to know his Son more? Are you more passionate now about sharing Christ by loving the lost than you were 2 years ago? And the core question: What is a disciple anyway? We are all familiar with the Great Commission to go and make disciples, but what do they look like? If we were commissioned to make sneakers, would we not be concerned that we should know what the sneaker looks like before we attempt to make it? These questions point towards what intentional disciple-making at FCCB will be aiming for. There will be a much fuller dialogue within the discipleship groups as we share the vision for this direction and begin to step our way towards developing mature disciples. It is bold. It is costly. But it is what the church needs to be all about. If no other ministry happens at FCCB, we will be in the business of making disciples. Our initial launch is targeted towards believers in the “Follow Me” phase of their journey with Christ. An investigation of Scripture seems to reveal four distinct phases of a disciple’s life. First Jesus invites them to “Come and See” (Jn. 1:39, 46). Then He offers the invitation to “Follow Me” (Mt 4:19, Lk. 5:27). Afterwards, He calls them to “Be With Me” (Mk 3:13-14) and finally they live the resurrection life of “Remain in Me” (Acts). Each phase has certain decisions, actions, and accountability associated with it. This three-fold framework (decision, action, accountability) will inform our definition of a disciple and guide our development of the process. The “Follow Me” groups will continue for about a year with breaks built in, and will explore three core areas of following Jesus: A Passion to Experience Christ, A Passion to Know Christ, and A Passion to Share Christ. Let a discipleship leader know if you would like to be a part or contact me at home (332-2829) or at the office (664-9340). This is the beginning of a much broader and, ironically, focused approach to discipleship that we envision will impact a generation. To investigate our path further, you can follow this link to an article by Bill Hull as he explores and summarizes thoughts on discipleship. Expecting changes in my life and yours, Scott |
| A DEFINITION OF A DISCIPLE |
| Coming Soon |
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| Links | |
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Sundays are for
Football and... |
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