Click the link to view this week’s message from Center City Church (The Gospel: Make Disciples – Part 2).
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Jesus left us with a clear command to make disciples, but before we can do that we must ask ourselves this question: Am I available?
The final command of Jesus to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20) has gripped my heart. This charge has captivated my attention, passion, creativity and intrigue.
I am well aware that this charge of making disciples – while simple in nature – is not at all easy. To make a disciple you have to find a person, share the message of Jesus and then be willing to walk with them through the ups and downs that are sure to follow. Let me put some skin on this…
It should be normal for us to bring up matters of faith in our daily conversations. It should be normal for us to wake up early to meet a friend for breakfast to talk about Jesus. Getting together with a friend for an hour over coffee should be a common occurrence. And those meetings should be filled with conversations about the Word of God, prayer and the lifelong journey of getting to know Jesus more. After all, it’s this message of Jesus that sets us free from the chains of death and separation from God.
Let me be very clear: this is not about a new discipleship program. This is about creating a culture of discipleship. Huge difference. This is who we are and why we have come together as a family of faith at Center City Church. I am charged with a simple, yet deep and meaningful, call to make disciples who will then make disciples. And I plan on giving the rest of my life, energy and passion to continuing to create a culture of discipleship in Uptown Charlotte and beyond.
If you are a follower of Christ, this same call is yours. Let’s respond together.
Click the link to view this week’s message from Center City Church
Jesus left us with a very simple command to make disciples, but are we really doing it? The charge is given to create a culture of discipleship and passionately respond to this command.
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Vince Lombardi – the championship coach of the Green Bay Packers – used to start off his pre-season practices with five simple words: “Gentlemen, this is a football.” He would hold the ball high over his head and begin to go through the fundamentals of football. How to run, catch, throw, etc. The point was made that to be truly successful, you have to excel at the fundamentals.
I taught this weekend on that very concept at Center City Church (Click here to view this sermon online). The Gospel message that Jesus taught included a very simple command in Matthew 28:18-20: Go into the world. Make disciples. Such a simple command. So simple, in fact, that is it largely overlooked in our current Christian culture.
My charge to Center City Church is to excel at the fundamentals. If it’s so simple, then we all should do it. If it’s the last command that Jesus gave, then it should be on our mind daily. Discipleship is not a program of the church. It is the responsibility of every person that has felt the love and freedom found in relationship with Christ. This relationship is not our secret to keep.
If you have a relationship with Jesus, who is one person that you can intentionally share your faith and your story with today? After all, the call to make disciples is not an option to be weighed for followers of Jesus. It is a command to be obeyed.
Make disciples.
I will be taking a blog break for the week as we take our kiddos on a family vacation! Please direct any questions regarding Center City Church to [email protected]. Thanks so much and have a great week!
Baptism is an outward expression of a personal decision to follow Jesus. It’s a very simple, yet very powerful demonstration of faith. If you have given your heart to Christ, but have yet to be baptized, we will be celebrating this moment together at the end of August at Center City Church. Email us at [email protected] if you would like more information!
For a little glimpse at someone’s story of baptism, check out this blog post from a couple of years ago. This was my recounting of describing what baptism is to Masha Malinsky (who had just recently given her heart to Jesus). This never, ever gets old.
