Matthew 28:18-20(NKJV) 18And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Without a directive vision, a local church will not accomplish what God has called them to do. The bible exhorts us to “write the vision and make it plain” so that the people called to be part of it can “run with it.” (Hab. 2:2) All local visions flow from the great commission. Jesus tells us to preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations. In Acts 1, we are told that “the uttermost parts of the earth” must begin with our own Jerusalem. We must make disciples in our own city or area of responsibility before we can make disciples of “all nations.”
In 1987, the Lord took my family and me out of the church we had established in Rome, NY and brought us to the southern part of our state near the city of Binghamton. Binghamton is not a large place, but the village God directed us to was even smaller. Greene is a village of less than 2000 people. How could we build a church that would fulfill the great commission in such a small place? In the 25 years since then we have seen God establish a quality church, provide us with 64 beautiful acres and we are nearly done with an expansion of our facility that provides us nearly 50% more sanctuary space and more than doubles our office capacity. All of this has been done without borrowing.
We are still a small congregation with much yet to accomplish, however we have been able to impact some twenty nations for the Lord. Our main responsibility remains a circle centered in Greene, NY and extends for some 50 miles. We have accomplished what we have because God gave us a vision to guide us. We will accomplish our goals for the future by following that same vision. Today I want to share how God has instructed us to “make disciples” of this part of our nation.
Before I do that let me share one thought with you. Discipleship is not something that professional ministry accomplishes in the lives of the “laity.” Discipleship is the responsibility of every believer. We all know something we can share. If you are part of a local church, look around you. Is there someone in your church that may be a little younger in the Lord than you are? Do not look to the pastor or church leaders to help them. Do not wait for a professional to reach out to them. You reach out to them and share with them the things the Lord has instructed you.
I believe we have allowed ourselves to become far too dependent on plans and programs. We expect organizations and bureaucracy to meet the needs of people that we should be touching ourselves. There is a place for those trained in certain types of ministry to bring specialized help to those in need. This includes those in need of physical, emotional or spiritual healing as well as those in need of training in the things of God. However, each one of us is called to share our lives with someone else. We all must pass on what we have if we are going to make disciples.
As you read the following description of how we at Living Word go about making disciples, remember that you have a role to play in their development. Some of the things I describe are certainly done by those trained for the job. However, as you read it, I want you to look around and ask yourself, “How can I apply these principles for those around me? How can I grow in discipleship myself so I may help others as well?”
LWCC AS A DISCIPLESHIP CENTER
The second part of our vision is the desire to produce strong believers in every area of Bible revelation. The idea of discipleship is people sharing their lives with people in order to help them grow in the Lord. The goal is that they truly function in the reality of Christianity. The Lord has called Living Word Christian Center to accomplish this in your life.
One of the main offices that I function in is the office of teacher. As a teacher, there is nothing I cherish more than the transmission of the life in the Word of God to an individual. LWCC will always remain committed to providing you with the best teaching available to help you live as a successful person and a light for Jesus in your community. We believe in all kinds of ministry to meet the needs of people, such as counseling and the laying on of hands, but the only way for you to walk in Christian maturity is to build the Bible into your life. Jesus was the Word made flesh. Our goal is that the Word will become flesh in your lives as well, and this will be the primary motivation in every aspect of our church ministry.
This teaching and training will be in three major areas:
THE UNCOMPROMISED WORD OF GOD Our first line of teaching will be the basic and fundamental truths of the Bible. These truths are the most important things any person can learn because they are the foundation upon which we build our whole life. These things include faith, righteousness, redemption, holiness and love. We will teach them in an uncompromising manner that says the Word is absolutely true and the final authority in your life. If you are grounded in these areas, you will be a successful Christian.
HOW TO TRAINING The second line of teaching will be training on how to walk in various areas of life. These teachings will be of a more practical nature and will include instruction in marriage and child rearing, healing, witnessing and financial planning.
PERSONAL ENCOURAGEMENT AND INSTRUCTION At some time in each of our lives we need a personal word of encouragement or council in order to help us understand why we do not seem able to “do the Word”. LWCC will endeavor to provide hands on attention whenever needed. This will be in the form of personalized teaching on how to apply the word in the area of need. Secondarily it will be ministry to whatever area of the person, spirit, soul or body that is hindering him from being successful in receiving the freedom promised in the Word.
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