Disciples

Our mission as a congregation is spelled out beautifully in our mission statement: Actively reaching out as a strong Christian influence in our community by showing God’s love through kindness, caring and involvement with others inside and outside our community of faith.

It speaks of witness, showing kindness, being outwardly focused, and importantly, being a Christian influence.

But what does that mean “being a Christian influence”? Does that mean simply calling ourselves “Christian”? Or does it dig deeper into something of more substance? Does it indicate our willingness to live and move and breathe differently as the people of God in Cat Spring and the surrounding area?

For those who follow Jesus, being a Christian means being a disciple. It means placing ourselves under Jesus’ teaching and guidance. It means learning as His apprentice. It means learning the craft of following God’s will under his tutorial. And, as such, it means learning to imitate Him as best as we can in this day and age in whatever life situation we find ourselves.

But how can we become better disciples if we are not spending time with Him? How can we become better apprentices if we are not sitting at His feet and watching His every move? How can we accomplish our mission if we are not allowing the Master of the mission to instruct us?

Simply put: we cannot. We will never grow in our mission unless we learn more about and from the Master Himself. Therefore, I would like to ask you to join me in reading about Jesus on a daily basis. No, I do not ask you to buy any other book than one you probably already have. The Bible. Yes, read the Bible on a daily basis, but not the whole book. Just read about Jesus. Read in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I know you can spare at least five minutes per day. In that space you can read a paragraph or two at the very least. You might find that you start spending more time than that.

And when you finish those four books. Re-read them. Re-read them until you have internalized His message, His teachings. Bet you, it will take you a lifetime to do just that. But in that span of time, you will grow. You will understand. You will become a better disciple and better able to help the church in its mission. That, I promise.