Category Discipling

Feb 2 2020

Family Focused February – A Discipleship Initiative for Your Home

Family Focused February

I recently announced another new discipleship initiative here at the Mayfair Church of Christ that I’d love for all of you who are reading to participate in as well.  We’re calling it simply “Family Focused February.”

The idea behind this month is simple – spend time teaching, admonishing, encouraging those you are closest to – your family.

Some simple ways to do this:

  • Family bible readings each night
  • Family prayer time
  • Visit someone in the hospital
  • Make a visit to encourage people in the nursing homes
  • Make some homemade cookies and take them to a neighbor
  • Cook a large home cooked meal and take it to the local fire station
  • Make a commitment to be in church every Sunday of the month
  • Make a pledge to reach out to one nearby neighbor you don’t know
  • Memorize scripture together
  • Perform some random acts of kindness for people you don’t know

The list goes on and on – and it’s not something that ends at the end of February.  Make this is a pattern in your family.

If you’re not married, or if you don’t have a family living with you – find some of your closest friends and make a commitment to do some of these things.  The goal is this: to grow in your relationships with each other as you grow closer to God.  Do all these things for HIS glory.

What ideas can you come up with?

Jan 21 2020

Bottles of Blessings – How YOU Can Be Ready to Help Next Christmas

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Perhaps you’ve heard of churches that did an all out benevolent campaign to help others at Christmas by simply giving members of the church money from their budget, or from a wealthy benefactor, to give to those in need at Christmas.  This is a wonderful idea, and I’m so glad there are churches and people who are able to make this happen.

But it got me thinking – what if instead of me handing out someone else’s money, I handed out my own?

I believe with all of my heart that deep within every person is the desire to be benevolent to others.  The biggest hindrance to that almost always seems to be this: “I want to help, but I just don’t have enough extra in my budget to give and help others.

As part of the Mayfair Discipling initiative, I launched a program on Sunday simply called “Bottles of Blessings.”  The idea is simple – take this bottle, place it in a spot in your home where everyone sees it, and as you have spare change, dollar bills, etc., you place it in this bottle.  At the end of the year, tally it up, and use it to bless someone’s life.

Do you give your kids an allowance?  Give them their allowance in such a way where they can automatically put something in the bottle to bless someone at the end of the year, so they are a part of it.

I set a goal for our members – to save at least $100 for this cause.  They won’t be turning it in to anyone, there won’t be any checks and balances on it – it’s all between them and God.  But it’s always good to have a goal, right?

If you’re a member at Mayfair, we have a few bottles left at the front desk and by the auditorium doors.  If you’re just reading this and you won’t to participate – grab a mason jar or a cup at home, and put it somewhere with a sticker/label on it to remind you to participate.

But here’s the next step – start praying for someone to come into your life that you can help at Christmas in 2020.  Start praying that God will place someone in your life that needs the blessing you have to offer.  That way, when you hand them the blessing, you can tell them “I’ve been praying God would put you in my life so I could help someone.  Let me tell you about the mighty God I serve…”

Blessings to you all.

Jan 1 2020

3 Ways to Be A Better Disciple of Jesus in 2020

3 Ways

We all try our best to either start or stop something when a new year arrives.  I’m not sure what it is about the date changing that causes us to intentionally focus on doing something new with our lives, but I’m glad it gives us a time to reflect and challenge ourselves to a new path.

In 2020 – what would it look like if you decided to take the calling of Jesus more seriously?

When Jesus went home to the Father to go and prepare a place for us – He gave us a task that is deeply intimate and personal.  He asked us to live a life like His, where we create relationships that are based on the relationships that He had with His disciples.  He asked us to teach others about Him, to teach them everything He had taught us, to live like He had lived here on this earth.

For too long, the church has not focused on teaching this idea.  The church has focused on growth through baptism, through adding numbers, through programs, by offering benevolence – and while all these things are wonderful things that should indeed happen – we’re missing out on one key component: being a disciple.

You are a follower of Jesus.  And when you put on Christ in baptism, it is so much more than just being forgiven of your sins.  You have decided to go on a new adventure where you put Christ at the front of every decision you make.

Here are 3 ways to be a better disciple of Jesus in 2020:

  1. Live like Jesus.

    How did Jesus live His life?  With purpose, with His eye focused on the goal.  He lived His life knowing that He had a job to do for all mankind.  He was going to go to the cross.

    You have a purpose as well.  You have a task of telling others about Jesus.

    You live your life like Jesus lived His – with intentionality.  Everything he did, He knew was a reflection of the Father.  The way he interacted with strangers and friends alike demonstrated that He was the Son of God.  Since we are part of God’s family, and since He is our Father, shouldn’t we do the same?

  2. Look like Jesus.

    What does it mean to look like Jesus?

    I know Jesus got angry when He overturned the tables in the temple – but He did that because of how it was offensive to God that people were turning the temple into a place full of corruption.

    What does it look like when you defend God?  What does it look like when you live like the Son?

    Be consistent.  Be disciplined.  Be focused.  Live your life so that people see the Father, the Son, and the Spirit in you by your actions.

    The old saying of “What would Jesus do?” works very well here – but replace it with this: will others see Jesus in this action?  If the answer is no, perhaps you should rethink what you’re doing.

    When people see you – do they see Jesus?

  3. Love like Jesus.

    Ephesians 5:2 tells us this: “Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” (NLT)

    It looks like in order to love like Jesus, we simply follow His example.  Christ did this best when he told us to love our enemies.  In our world today – this probably looks like praying and loving those who have it out for us, who gossip about us, who spread rumors about us.  But it also means praying for those who don’t look like us, sound like us, or act like us.

    How better to love each other than in a year of political strife, campaigning, and fighting – you resolve to not look at whether or not people are in a red state or blue state, but instead examine their spiritual state.  Love conquers all.

Dec 19 2019

What’s Your Faith Story?

We all have a faith story.  Some of your faith stories may be more elaborate, and some of them may be pretty vanilla.  But your faith story consists of more than just the day you became a Christian.

Someone taught you.  Someone showed you.  Someone helped you.

And your faith story may just help someone see Jesus.

One of the easiest ways to be a disciple is to live out your faith daily.

What is keeping you from sharing your story of faith?