The Great Commandment:
Matthew 22:37-39 “He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Love: Unconditional love that is not a feeling or an emotion but is rooted in action.
Joy: A deep sense of contentment and satisfaction that does not come from circumstances but rather comes from God’s presence, our relationship with Him and our future hope in Him.
Peace: A relationship between two people that are no longer at conflict with each other. True peace is found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Patience: Slow to anger and able to endure through undesirable circumstances.
Kindness: Treating people with honor and respect. It is not acting harshly or inflicting pain upon another person.
Goodness: That which is morally honorable and pleasing to God. It is beneficial in its effect on others.
Faithfulness: A strong confidence in God that enables a person to be dependable in all circumstances.
Gentleness: One who shows sympathy and concern for others.
Self-Control: The power to control yourself enabled by the work of the Holy Spirit within a believer.
Humility: Recognizing the chasm between the Greatness of God and man.
Wisdom: The ability to see and act according to God’s perspective.
The Great Commission:
Matthew 28:19, 20: “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 everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
7 Marks of A Disciple of Christ: (The Conduct of Christ)
Member: Disciples are members of Christ’s Church both universally and locally.
Magnifier: Disciples live a lifestyle of both private and public worship.
Maturing: Disciples continuously grow and mature in their faith.
Minister: Disciples use their gifts and abilities to serve and meet the needs of others.
Manager: Disciples manage their money, time, relationships, and bodies in a way that glorifies God.
Messenger: Disciples consistently look for open doors to share the message of Christ with as many people as possible.
Multiplier: Disciples reproduce and multiply more disciples.
Goal: To build fully trained disciples who will be sent out to reach the untrained (Lost, un-churched, de-churched) and help them become fully trained disciples of Christ. Building fully trained disciples begins by understanding the process of spiritual growth:
Stage 1: Spiritually Lost
Currently living in unbelief and is separated from God because of sin. Needs the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Stage 2: Infant
When a person gives their life to Christ they are now an infant in Christ. Just a newborn baby needs milk, an infant in Christ needs to the learn the basic truths of God’s word. At this stage, the new disciple is dependent upon others to help them grow spiritually.
Stage 3: Child
At this stage, the disciple begins growing in knowledge of God and His word. As a result, they begin to grow in their relationship with God. They also begin to have a greater desire to be with other disciples. They still struggle with self-centeredness and with habits/issues from before they were saved. It is critical for disciples in this stage to join a small group, if they are not already, in order to continue to grow.
Stage 4: Young Adult
A disciple in the Young Adult stage knows and understands key biblical truths. They can communicate the gospel and are becoming “others focused”. They begin to have a desire to serve. Finding a place to serve and be a part of a ministry team is vital for continued growth.
Goal: To create a pathway for believers that leads to being a fully trained disciple.
We cannot make people grow in their faith, but we can create environments that are conducive for growth. The pathway is designed to naturally help believers grow through the five stages of spiritual growth.
Reach out – all disciples are called to reach out into the culture and share the message of Jesus Christ.
Lift Up – We want to invite people to come be a part of our worship service where we “lift up” Christ and magnify his name.
Plug In – The next step is to plug people into a life group, (where they can build relationships and growth in their faith) and in ministry (where they can serve and help reach others for Christ).
Build Up – The key to reaching more people in our community is to develop disciple making leaders. We do this through IMPACT groups. These are smaller discipleship groups of 3-6 people. These groups are designed to help people grow in the character and conduct of Christ. These are closed groups that last for about 18 months. The goal is that a disciple will be fully trained and ready to be a leader in the church.
Send Out – Every year we want to start new groups and expand the ministry of WayPoint. The only way we can do this is by sending out new leaders once they are fully trained.
