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Making Disciples for the Glory of Christ by Pastor Charlie Handren

By Anonymous
Since our early days, it has been our practice to devote the Sunday after Easter to local or global missions because it was the risen Christ who said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). So, while we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, we can best honor what he accomplished by going into the world and making disciples for the glory of his name. Indeed, obeying Jesus from the heart and by his power is one of the greatest joys of the Christian heart!

Earlier this year, the elders decided to insert three- to four-week blocks into the Revelation sermon series so that we can speak into various things throughout the year. Therefore, this Sunday we begin a three-part series on local missions that will begin with a message by Pastor Kevin on the Good Samaritan and what might be called “mercy ministry.” Next week I will bring a message on evangelism in which I will teach you a method of sharing the gospel, encourage you to continue praying for your “one,” and then challenge you to practice explaining the gospel to believers and unbelievers. Finally, on May 3, we will hear a message from Jacob Hatfield who is planting a church in Monticello later this year, and who will help us refresh our vision of church planting in the northwest metro and beyond.

As we progress through this series on local mission, I want to encourage you to watch the four-part video series I’ve posted on our YouTube channel entitled, “Making Disciples in the Midst of the Crisis”. Here you will learn what it means to make a disciple, and how you can make progress in our calling to make disciples, even in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.

My prayer for the next three weeks at Glory of Christ is that Jesus will equip us with a renewed vision of our calling, with a refreshed sense of all that he’s provided for us to carry out our calling, and with a strengthened resolve to walk in his ways on the basis of his absolute authority. And I invite you to join me in praying that the Lord will allow us to baptize and disciples new believers in the weeks and months after we begin meeting in person again!
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