CCOG Newsletter

Last week we were reminded that the mission of CCOG is SOULS - the first "S" stands for salvation. The way we live out this mission is through the vision of Acts 1:8. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 NLT). To CCOG, each place represents a group of people. Jerusalem - closest family and friends, the people who are most like us. Judea - co-workers, acquaintances, those with whom we share common interests. Samaria - underserved groups, the people who (if we are really honest) we would rather not be around. The ends of the earth - strangers near and far.

The "O" in SOULS is for Ongoing Development. Any living organism must grow or it will die. Every day, cells in one or another part of our bodies are regenerating. The cartilage in our bodies grows little by little as long as we live (which results in bigger ears and longer noses as we age!). In order for us to stay spiritually alive, we must continue to grow. How can we continue to develop? There are so many thoughts about how Christians can be formed. But let's first think of Jesus. Do you realize that He developed spiritually? Hebrews tells us that Jesus learned how to be obedient to God by the things that He suffered. He performed miracles, not because He was fully God but because He completely relied on the help of the Holy Spirit. He found His identity in His relationship with His Father rather than in the praise or acceptance of people. Jesus went away regularly to pray. He fasted. He studied and taught God's Word. He was generous. He celebrated. He had regular fellowship. Recently, I read an author who warned that too many church goers have become Christians without deciding to follow Christ. The same Holy Spirit who lived in Christ also lives in us. In order to continue to develop, we can rely upon the Holy Spirit and surrender to His leading as we become more like Christ.

A fully devoted follower of Christ is someone who is becoming like Jesus for the sake of others. And what did Jesus spend His life doing? Making disciples. So becoming like Jesus means that we too are called to make disciples. In fact, Jesus makes that super clear in the Great Commission, His final charge before ascending into heaven.

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 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.” Matthew 28:16-20 NIV

Discipleship is the process of becoming like Jesus for the sake of others. When we break this passage down, we realize that the invitation to be part of Jesus’ mission is all-encompassing. It is the thing that answers the biggest questions in life. Questions like: Who is God? Who am I? Where do I belong? What difference do I make? Jesus invites us to discover those answers through the process of discipleship.

What is important to note, though, is that discipleship is not a super smooth process where you move seamlessly from point A to B to C. It is much more like a game of follow-the-leader. You don’t necessarily know what their next move is going to be, so you keep your eyes glued to the leader. You stick close. That’s what Jesus has invited us into—a relationship with Him where we stick close and let Him show us how to live.

But letting Jesus show us how to live means we choose to let go of our way of living. And that’s not easy. Jesus likens it loosing our lives:

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. Luke 9:23-24 NIV

Denying ourselves. Losing our lives. That’s strong language. Why is Jesus talking like this? Because, in all honesty, following Jesus is not easy. The way of life that He modeled literally got Him killed. There is a cost to discipleship, and Jesus Himself challenges us to count the cost. Not because He is trying to scare you away with how intense His boot camp is, but because He wants you to have the confidence that comes from knowing how high the cost is and finding out that He is worth it.

Challenge/Journal:Why is it worth it to you to follow Jesus? If someone asked you why you want to know and follow Christ, what would you say?

Spend some time counting the cost today. Journal your answers to those questions, and ask Jesus to speak to you. Then, invite someone to go through the rest of this Bible Plan with you! The beautiful thing about discipleship is that it was never meant to be done alone. We get to journey with Jesus together.