The Great Commission is written to us individually not institutionally.
Matthew 28:18-20 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 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. ESV
Gathering as the church is God’s plan for us to experience a healthy spiritual environment together as a family helping us grow spiritually.
Growing spiritually should involve maturity. Remember those awkward classes in school about reproduction? A person is considered mature when they can reproduce, not when they are old. The process of growth, maturity, and reproduction is God’s plan for our lives as we learn to make disciples.
No generation can effectively disciple itself.
The process of making disciples looks uniquely different in each of our individual lives. At the core of making disciples is a vibrant relationship with God and a vibrant relationship with others. If you’re gifted in the area of cooking, then make meals and use that gift to serve others.
1 Timothy 3:2 clearly says hospitality is a quality that any church leader should have. The reason this is foundational for any church leader is because God’s plan is for Church leaders to model Kingdom cultural behaviors that all of us should follow. This is why the table is one of our core practices.
We read in the Gospels how Jesus always seemed to be going to a meal, sitting at a meal or coming from a meal. If you eat like Jesus but don’t walk like Jesus you’ll look like Buddha. Jesus invites us to his table, and we should do the same.
What does hospitality look like in your life? The other core practice we point to as our way to train to make disciples is Sabbath. As you’re exploring the practice of Sabbath you need to realize Sabbath is first about your relationship with God. But the Sabbath is also about our relationship with each other. Leviticus 23 makes this crucial connection: “There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly.
The Sabbath, along with other celebrations we read about in the Bible like Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Weeks, etc. These were not celebrated individually or in isolation but was a sacred day for gathering in community.
God gives us these yearly and weekly relational rhythms for us to enter into enriching, life-giving relationships enriched by God’s presence together as family.
Sabbath has never existed as individualism or isolationism. Sabbath gives a framework and context for the flourishing of ethical communities where a day shapes our relationships, not shared likes. The Sabbath draws people together not around shared likes or dislikes but around the commitment to God and each other. Scripture, it turns out, has nothing to say about the building of communities where we gather because of shared opinions. The church is the church that Christ builds, not our shared interests. And we are called to live in covenant community where we live and die for each other.
True community is not born of our efforts in creating a sense of community—it is the natural outcome from the act of loving other people. The Sabbath is the gateway to God’s dream community. Sabbath is a very countercultural practice that has always been a very clear distinction of God’s people throughout the ages.
Kingdom-cultural people have always lived countercultural lives.
God’s presence is central to making disciples. Practicing God’s presence watching for grace. The Great Commission involves learning to walk in a deep awareness of God’s presence producing confidence in who He says you are! Please do not check your individuality at the door here!
God placed important deposits within you that are part of who we are called to be. It is so important that you learn to be you as you practice God’s presence in your life. Jesus commissions us to go and make disciples saying I am with you.
John 15:4-5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ESV
We’re all uniquely and wonderfully different on purpose!
John 15:8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. ESV
Becoming fruitful is a uniquely intimate process of learning to know and love God, yourself and others.
Love God and love others as love self ?Know God says you are? We live in a society that has learned how to benefit from telling us who we are. This is why it is so important that we purpose to be defined by God and God’s Word. Uniquely different rhythms of life. Kingdom-cultural people live countercultural lives.
Everywhere we go....
We Bring GP2RL: Explore the idea of Sabbath and The Table in the context of the uniqueness of your life this week.