I was reading George Barna's book "Growing True Disciples" the other day. Barna says that we have a lot of folks who follow Christ like some people follow their favorite sports team. We just dabble in Christianity. He goes on to state that that's not what Jesus has in mind. He is seeking a much deeper commitment than that. A true follower of Jesus is a fanatic, zealot, passionate, devoted disciple. I think about the story Jesus told of the rich young man who wanted to be a Christ follower. Jesus told him to go sell all his possessions and give the money away. The young man went away sad. He didn't want to follow that bad.
Jesus gave the church a mission. That mission is to call people to be disciples, fully devoted followers of Christ. Barna says that most churches today have some kind of discipleship program, but not many disciples.
Our mission statement at Mt. Carmel is to help people Love, Grow, and Serve. That's what a disciple does. He loves the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind and strength. He seeks to grow in Christ by learning all His teachings and following them. Finally he serves Christ with the gifts given him by the Holy Spirit.
May God help us to stay focused on His mission.
Brother Mike
