Day 2:
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go 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 I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matt. 28: 18-20
Our vision as a church is to be a church of disciples making disciple-makers. You’ve probably heard that phrase before, especially if you’ve been around these parts for very long. That’s what we want to see our church become, disciples making disciple-makers.
The First Part
Disciples. What is a disciple? At it’s core, a disciple is a student, a learner, a follower. It means you have chosen someone to follow and you’re modeling your life after theirs. You follow their teaching and instructions. You learn to make decisions in the same way they would. A disciple is neither male nor female. A disciple doesn’t have to wear sandals and a robe. A disciple is someone, trying to do and be like they see someone else doing and being.
The Second Part
Making disciple-makers. That’s the kind of disciple we want to be. We don’t want to just learn about Jesus. We want to be like Jesus in word and deed. A big part of what that means is to be making disciples. During Jesus 3 year ministry on Earth, he made disciples. He had three he was extremely close with, 12 he spent every day with, 70 who he shared a significant amount of time teaching and training and then the masses who followed him. If you take the disciples and Jesus’ disciple-making out of the four gospels, you would be left with a huge hole. To be like Jesus is to make disciples.
What does this have to do with Pray Through Pentecost?
It has everything to do with Pray Through Pentecost (#ptp). Because this is our vision for our church, whatever God wants us to do next MUST flow out of our desire to be disciples making disciple-makers. We do not have enough time to just try whatever the wind blows in our direction. We have to do those things that match up with our vision and mission as a church.
Prayer Focus:
Spend some time praying for SixEight Church.
- Pray for God to show us what we need to be doing now to be ready for what God has for us next.
- Pray that God would show us exactly how He wants us to be disciples
- Pray for how he wants us to make disciples.
- Pray that God would bring us people and resources to accomplish this in the LSHD-7899 area.
- Pray that God would show you how to become more like Christ in your daily walk.
Eph 3:14-21
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.