In the last couple of years, the LORD has
faithfully led us as a church in the journey of being an intentional disciplemaking church. We praise
Him for granting us so clearly the mission to “live
the gospel and make disciples to reach the world for Christ”.
Living the gospel involves the state of being. It is about who we
are. It is about the work of the gospel in our lives. It is about the power of
the gospel to transform our inner man so that our life displays the joyful
outcome of trusting and obeying Christ.
Making disciples involves action. It is about what we
do. It is about the passion of wanting others to experience the saving power of
the gospel too. It is about bringing the gospel to the lost, and engaging in
life-to-life discipling.
We praise God that He did not call us to
be isolated believers. It is His intention that we express our discipleship in
a community – the body of Christ. All that happens in the church is to help us
fulfil this mission of living the gospel and making disciples. Our pulpit
series, mid-size groups, small groups and other platforms, all exist to serve
our mission.
Nevertheless,
these platforms can become mere activities in the church calendar if members
have no ownership to grow as disciples of Christ together. To be a child of God
is to become Christ’s disciple. As Pastor David once mentioned in his sermon: “Being
a Christian means becoming a disciple of Christ; there is no difference between
the two”. Will you seek to grow
as a disciple of Christ in the year 2013? Let us take ownership of our walk
with the Lord.
In the coming weeks, we will be using the
pulpit to share with you the main thrusts that the church will be having in
2013. They shouldn’t surprise you. Since the Lord has so clearly given us our
vision and mission, we will do well to excel and deepen in these specific
areas.
We have also prepared an exciting handbook
to articulate our desire to grow as an authentic community of Christ’s
disciples. A companion guide that goes along with this handbook points us to
the platforms available in the church to support us in the areas we desire to
grow in. The handbook and its companion guide will be made available next week
during our corporate worship gatherings. Remember to collect them!
Finally, we must not be mistaken to think
that the center of our existence is
Intentional Disciplemaking, or our Mission and
Vision Statements. Rather, all these serve the Center of our existence. Jesus Christ is the Center of existence! He is
our all in all. May Jesus Christ always be the center of our lives, and this church.
Amen?
By Rick Toh, Lead
Pastor
