Good Monday morning!
Today is supposed to be another good day in terms of weather at least! Yesterday was a great day not only weather wise but in terms of fellowship. An awesome morning of worship followed by a wonderful time of sharing in a meal, conversation and encouragement. Sherry and I thank you for the “welcome lunch” and your time yesterday. We continue to learn more about you and we learned that you all really love desserts!
We have been focusing on witnessing and the sharing of the Gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ. I continue to remind you about praying for your “three.” Why three? Well, any time you see the list of disciples you will notice four are always at the top. They are Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John (Matt 10:2-4, Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:13-26 and Acts 1:13). However, when important matters arise, we find that Simon Peter, James and John are the three in Jesus’ inner circle. He had 12 disciples but shared his most intimate moments with the three. Jesus taught the 12 but really poured into the three in his inner circle.
That should be a lesson for each of us and why I ask you to pray about three. We can try and spread ourselves out to reach as many people with the gospel as possible and try to get them to come to Jesus but to effectively fulfill the Great Commission we need to adjust our thinking. The Great Commission is not just going out and making converts. No, Jesus says make disciples. I don’t think we can effectively do that with more than three people at a time. To make disciples is a process that takes time and energy, a great personal investment. This investment is extremely important if we are to listen to Jesus’ command in John 15:16 that we are to “make fruit that lasts.”
Disciple making is the hard part for most of us. We can learn to share the gospel effectively as we overcome our fear and get out of our comfort zone but disciple making requires more of us. Jesus, the master teacher and disciple maker, spent anywhere from 18 months to 3 years with the disciples depending on the timeline of their calling. And, after having spent that much time with Jesus, they still didn’t always get it! He walked miles and miles with them, camped out with them, went through tough family times with them, and went through personal struggles with them. We will have to do the same with those who we engage in the disciple making process with. I currently have three men that I am really doing life (disciple making) with. I am with them at least weekly and for two of them, because of proximity, I will engage them two to three times per week.
Pray for three and make a conscious effort to invite them into a disciple making relationship with you. They could be somebody from your family, a social group, work or a hobby group. Get to know them…really know them…and begin to see lives being changed.
Have a great week!
P.R.