It's Not About Making "A Difference", It's About Making Disciples

On Sunday I spoke about how our core calling is to make disciples, men and women who joyfully organize their lives around Jesus to the glory of God.  If you're part of LBC let me encourage you to have a listen, it's an important message. http://lymingtonbaptist.org/mp3s/Called%20to%20make%20disciples.mp3

I referenced Malcolm Duncan who has done more to mobilize the church in the UK to social action and community engagement than probably anyone else.  But for all that's been done he's the first to say that it's not enough.  All authority was not given to Jesus in order that we could "make a difference" but so that we could make disciples, apprentices of Jesus who, in all areas of life, are becoming like their Savior.

Here's an extract of the lecture he gave at LICC.

“We can build a society that looks healthy, without God. We can create activists and campaigners who change the world, without God. But the change will be temporary and it will not last.

But if we give ourselves to forming Christ in those who have surrendered their lives to him, if we make growing disciples our central purpose as a body of Christ. If we help one another to encounter, walk with, and serve Christ in every area of our lives in the fullest sense of the word, then the world around us will feel the impact and we will also feed the hungry, clothe the naked and end the injustices that we confront.

But we will do it in his power… not in our own.

A Church for the nation must surely seek to enable those who own the name of Christ to live for him, to serve him, to honour him and to obey him in every single area of their lives - even if it means the redefinition of worship, discipleship, teaching and mission.”

Malcolm Duncan