“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”  Philippians 4:9

In the last few months, I have sharpened my focus to disciple-making. Some foundational pieces to be able to do disciple making may not appear to be but are foundational.

• Quiet time in the morning – studying the word and sitting and praying and listening for the Lord – deepening my intimacy with the one true God.
• Learning, teaching and preaching
• Ministering to others.
• Corporate Worship
• And other aspects of using the Lord’s gifts.

I have been involved with some men who have taken the path of disciple making, and I can say unequivocally – these type of men are the most authentic Christians I have ever met.  There is no hypocrisy; they are not faking humility, nor conversely trying to convince you of how important leaders they are as they rattle off their accomplishments and good works.  They are broken and transparent men.  Patient and forgiving – yet holding each other to account. Servant leaders who are following Jesus’ command in The Great Commission Matthew 28:19-21 to go and make disciples.

The very first thing that such an individual must have is a heart for the Lord. This supersedes every other characteristic that I just described. “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”2. 1 Samuel 16:7.  Think about that the Lord looks at the heart; people on the other hand look at appearance.   How often I have seen this in organized churches.

These authentic Christians have a burning passion to be with, walk with and serve the Lord, and that comes from a deep, abiding love for Jesus.  On this journey of earthly living, I hope to grow into such a disciple, where as Paul who has just written in Philippians 3 his righteousness he counts as “garbage” or “filthy rags” based upon what Bible version you read. Humility! Something all men need to practice.

Go forth and make disciples. That is our role.  And once we adopt that as our mission, the need for people’s approval will diminish, and people will see that we are growing in the image and have a deep relationship with our Savior. 

We have thousands of thoughts daily, some repetitious, some negative. I pray that His light will shine through this writing, and today that you will think on  “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely”  Philippians 4:8.  All which describe our Master,  our Lord, Jesus Christ.   It all starts with the heart and a passion above all that the world has to offer,  for nothing greater than our love for the Lord.