We should do no less than to love like Jesus loved, to give like Jesus gave and to extend ourselves on behalf of others like Jesus did.  Chris Brannon wraps up our Commissioned series talk about disciples and their world.  Being people who take Jesus’ commissioning seriously causes us to utilize our gifting to serve others in a way that will positively impact their lives.  It also causes us to sacrifice our time to benefit another.  We also give our money for a cause that will help relieve suffering and injustice.  The last thing it will cause us to do is exert our creative energies to help people see Jesus in the daily grind.

There are battles that we will face in being obedient to the Great Commission.  The first is we will need to work past our insecurities.  Another is getting overly engaged in this world without being agents of change in it.  Another battle we will face is being too wrapped up in our own plans and desires to have anything left to invest in the mission.  The last battle we will face is allowing ourselves to get spiritually depleted – needing the filling of the Spirit.

What is having a healthy view of our roll in the world fueled by?  The first thing is a vibrant relationship with Jesus.  We do this through time with Him, His Word and through worship.  The closer we are to Him and His heart for people, the stronger our passion to bring Him into their lives in whatever way He calls us.  The next thing are transparent connections.  We need to be a people who are learning to interact with God, making authentic connections with other believers.  Chris explains how transparent connections are different than living in community.  The last thing we are fueled by is global and local engagement.

How will you build?  What will be our legacy, both individually and collectively as a local body?

The lifestyle of a disciple is different from that of cultural Christianity.  Joe Crocker continues in our series by talking about disciples that make disciples.  Disciples are devoted followers of Jesus Christ and are growing in love for the Father and for others in their community and world.  Our daily activities should represent a redeemed life, even though the activities may not be “normal” for those around us.

So what does a biblically normal disciple look like?  A biblically normal disciple loves God and people.  Jesus does not ask us to do something that he wasn’t willing to do Himself.  A biblically normal disciple also has faith in Jesus and will go.  He recognizes the cost of following Him.  We need to understand that to follow Jesus, it will cost everything!  A disciple lives in a way that pleases God and not the culture.  Jesus understood the tension we would experience as Christians living in a hostile ideological environment.  The authors of the New Testament also encouraged us to continue in our relationships with the world around us, but to be careful to live in a way that pleases God, not the culture.

Joe leaves us with an Acronym from Dave Ferguson.  The Acronym is B.L.E.S.S.  B-begin with prayer and worship.  L-listen.  E-eat.  S-serve.  S-story.

As an individual, where do you see yourself in following the commands of Jesus?  What challenges you in the Bible verses you heard today?  What challenges you in the testimonies heard today?

Each of us is commissioned to be a disciple.  That is undeniable.  However, it is also critical that each of us involve ourselves in making disciples.  Chris Brannon continues in our Commissioned series, talking about disciples and their mission.  In the body of Christ, there is a very important place for every person of every age group and experience level.  Jesus shows us three stages of discipleship.  The first is the “come and see” stage.  This is teach you what and why stage, like parenting.  The second stage is the “come and follow me” stage.  This stage is show you how and do it with you stage, like coaching.  The last stage is the “come and be with me” stage.  This is the stage to let you do it and deploy you, like cheer leading.  Much of the most effective training and mentoring happens not in the classroom, but as we walk on together through life.

Chris shows us how this applies to us and explains the relationships between Barnabas, Paul and Timothy.  We need to be a Barnabas.  Barnabas vouched for Paul to the apostles.  Had a never done that, Paul may not have been able to fulfill his calling.  Because of Barnabas’ influence, the Antioch church found a place for Paul and helped him develop trusted relationships and a respected teaching ministry.  We need to pursue a Paul.  Each of us needs a Paul in our life – a spiritual father or mother to help us navigate through life.  Even greater is the need we have to be groomed and built up so that we can be effective in the Kingdom of God.  Each of us also needs to train a Timothy.  We all need a Timothy in our life – someone with whom we will spend the time grooming, shaping, training, teaching and correcting.  A Timothy is someone you are discipling in the Christian faith.  Who can you be a Barnabas to and encourage?  Who can be a Paul to you and mentor you?   Who can be your Timothy and come under your mentorship?

God works through each of the relationships in our lives.  He uses a Paul to guide us.  He uses a Timothy to help us mature and He uses a Barnabas to challenge us.  In response, we should always be learning, teaching and loving.

God is a gift-giver and His gifts are perfect!  Chris Brannon continues in our Commissioned series with a message on gifts.  God’s gifts are perfectly fitted for the receiver, the people who are to be affected by them and for the purpose they are intended to carry out.  God’s main gift to us is the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit imparts gifts to every believer.  God sovereignly gifts us, but we are responsible to discover, develop, kindle, and exercise our gifts.

What is a spiritual gift?  We are recipients of grace and it is our duty to disburse this grace for others.  The vehicle by which we make these disbursements is our spiritual gift.  We glorify God through serving and by using the gifts He’s given, we honor Him.  An important part of growing up as a disciple is to serve.  We are incomplete in our life in Christ if we do not serve.  Chris goes through excuses that people use for not using their gifts and tells us why we should serve.  How can you start using your gifts today?

Have you ever felt inadequate? Have you ever been given a task that you just weren’t capable of doing? Chris Brannon continues in our series with a message on the Holy Spirit. Misunderstood or not understood at all, the Holy Spirit has the reputation of being the weird, scary uncle of the Holy Trinity. In modern western Christianity we tend to rely on rational thought blended into the Scripture to come to a syncretistic hybrid that does not allow for the supernatural. In fact, our brand of Christianity does not allow for much at all in the spiritual realm that we cannot control or get our minds around. Chris continues by describing the Trinity, the promise of the Holy Spirit and how we need the Holy Spirit for the power that we need.

What does it mean to be “filled with the Holy Spirit”? Different people define being filled with the Spirit differently. Here at Cedar Springs, we believe that it is not a gradual growing into the release of the Spirit. It is a receiving of the Holy Spirit.  Chris shows us five different encounters with the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts.  He goes on to talk about the benefits of being filled with the Holy Spirit.  One benefit is an enhanced prayer life. Another is power beyond ourselves. The last one he mentions is that it gives us boldness to be a witness for Jesus.

Why is spiritual maturity so important?  Chris Brannon continues in our Commissioned series by talking about our walk as disciples.  Closeness with God brings us true freedom and fullness.  However, many people, including Christians, find their lives fall short of the kind Jesus promised and proclaimed.  We are eternal beings, but have lost sight of eternal living.  We spend time, energy, and money on our physical needs, but neglect our souls.  This makes us feel powerless and detached from God.  That is not how God intended it to be!  We are meant to be in relationship with God and others in a way that is dynamic, whole and fresh every day.

Chris continues and talks about what it looks like to be immature and what it looks like to be in maturity.  There are three different phases of spiritual growth.  The first is putting off the old self.  We must put off ourselves before we can put on Christ.  In putting on Christ, we are manifesting on the outside who we already are on the inside.  The next phase is being renewed in the spirit of your mind.  God does the renewing as we obey Him by saturating our minds with His transforming Word of truth.  So God’s Spirit performs the work of renewal in us, but we are responsible to use the means of renewal, namely, His Word.  The last phase is putting on the new man.  We must live by applying the truth of the new man in every situation that we face.

Growing up, at it’s essence, is really all about a close relationship to Jesus.  Everything good that we are or do comes from our intimacy with Christ.

We are to pursue Jesus with no holds barred, full-on commitment!  One part of that commitment is being part of a church body.  Chris Brannon continues in our series by talking about disciples and the Church.  Jesus intended His church to be the focal point of Kingdom extension.  The value of the church has been undermined and demeaned in our culture – even in the Christian world.  It is in direct opposition to Scripture to be a lover of Jesus and yet discount the church to a point of little relevance in our normal, daily life.

There are two primary facets of church life: the social element and the spiritual element.  In the social element, we need to realize that we are not here for only ourselves, but others as well.  We need to love, honor, forgive, rejoice with one another.  The language that the Bible uses when talking about the church are phrases such as people being “added” or “held together”.  God calls us “members”.  In the spiritual element, spiritual growth happens best in community.  Mission is a team activity and we do all the important work of Kingdom extension when we work together.

Chris tells us what it looks like to be a member of a local church and why he loves the local church!

What is the goal of our existence as Christians?  Is it any different from any other average American?  Are we truly a city on a hill?  Are we actually living as salt for society?  Chris Brannon kicks off our new Commissioned series by talking about what a disciple is.  It all starts with the way that we love God and others.  He gives us the following questions for self examination:

Has your relationship with Jesus significantly changed the way you live?

Are you willing to say to God that He can have whatever He wants?

Do you believe that wholehearted commitment to Him is more important than any other person or thing in your life?

Do you realize that nothing you do in this life will ever matter, unless it is about loving God and loving the people that He has made?

Is there evidence of the Kingdom of God in your life?

How much of your time, money, energy, creativity and thought are on the things of this world?

Are you satisfied with being “godly enough” to get yourself to heaven?

Are you trying to gauge your spirituality by comparing yourself to others?

Can you honestly say, along with Paul, “you want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death”?

He continues on and gives us six characteristics of a disciple.  The first one is that a disciple puts Kingdom first.  The second one is that a disciple is marked by self-sacrifice.  The third one is that a disciple obeys Jesus’ commands.  The next one is that a disciple is known by love.  Another one is that a disciple is a producer and not a consumer.  The last one is that a disciple reproduces.

Don’t waste your life, living selfishly with little impact on the world around us.  We were created for more.  God has placed within each of is the ability to impact lives around us for eternity!!