Forward Relationships/ “RC Sloan”

God Gold of the Day

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

 -Isaiah 6:8-9

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

-Proverbs 27:17

Today’s God Gold message is going to be a little different. Today, I want to take some time to give a shout-out to a guy who has been one of those relationships that God has placed around me that has moved my life forward in too many ways to count. That guy is, RC Sloan! Some of you may know him, some may have seen his face in the Rwanda posts, and some may have no idea who he is but it’s okay if you don’t because you’re about to!

I want to highlight this relationship that God has given me the privilege of having so that you too can learn from and be moved forward by the Christ-like example that RC is. But also, I share this with you to emphasize the need for these “forward relationships” in our lives. By “forward relationships” I mean, those relationships you have built with someone where that person is one who moves you forward in life, to better places and closer in your relationship with the Lord. I know we all have those relationships that seem to drain us, weigh on us and actually move us backwards and farther from the Lord after time spent with that person but those are relationships that can be impacted greatly depending on how much we spent time to invest and prioritize the forward relationships God has placed by our side. I’m thankful to say that I’ve got more than a few in my life and what a blessing that is but I too struggle at times to keep those forward relationships as a priority and important place to invest the majority of my time into. It’s those relationships that literally take you places you would have never gone otherwise, they move you out of your comfort zone, challenge you for more, and teach you so much along the way. I couldn’t find any better way to describe this relationship that I have with RC as a definite FORWARD RELATIONSHIP in my life!

To give you a little background, I would say one of the main reasons I even know RC, also known as Cory, but with his middle name being Russel and one of his favorite theologians and  Pastors being RC Sproul, RC is by far the cooler and more awesome name. But like I was saying, I may not even know RC if it wasn’t for my cousin Paige getting married to him and bringing him in as a welcomed addition to our family! So shoutout to you Paige for your good taste in men and snatching up RC as quick as you could! The fam appreciates you for that! So I’m related to RC and something I always thought was cool is how in the early years of their marriage, Paige and RC would go on mission trips to Rwanda, Africa in support of the Reach the Children of Rwanda International Organization. For many years I thought it was cool because of the traveling and adventure of it but I had no clue of the real purpose of these mission trips. I honestly wasn’t in a place in my faith to get past the cool part of it and recognize the lives they were serving and leaving an everlasting impact on.

Then year 22 of life for me, my faith started to grow in ways that is too long of a story for now but I’m sure we’ll get there one day. The Lord was opening me up to the life He has called me to as a follower of Him and also in the area of ministry. So one random Sunday while visiting RC and Paige’s church to see their little daughter and probably the cutest kid in the world go through baby dedication. Just being around them for that service, the momentum of “forward” in our relationship hit turbo speed. RC and Paige talked to me after church about joining them on their upcoming mission trip to Rwanda. They knew that the Lord was turning my life in His direction and all of the stuff going on with the “call” to ministry so they just went out on a limb and asked if this was something I’d be interested in. I could honestly type out 100 pages on how thankful I am for them asking this question that after two trips with them changed my life forever! Just going back to that moment and for them to recognize my need for a place to put this fire that the Lord had been burning inside of me, for them to be intentional to ask, to not think since it was so far and wild that I probably wouldn’t want to go but for them to put the ball in my court and take the time to be intentional in serving me by asking this question to join them for a two week mission trip in Rwanda. That is quite an example in itself and one I’m extremely thankful to be on the receiving end of their generosity to open that door for me. I could just stop there and that would be enough for you to say wow, but just wait.

After taking them up on this offer, those two weeks I got to see what they had been doing in Rwanda all these years, and it was much more than just “cool” when I actually saw and got to experience the literal life changing impact that the Lord was using them to bring to those people there. I had spent time with RC before, you know, family get-together’s and at different family stuff but it wasn’t until this trip that I really got to see who RC Sloan was. They had been going on these trips for I want to say three years already so I got to see just how they had built “family-like” bonds with the people there. It was easy to see from the first moments there that the people that we served had such a deep love for RC and Paige. It was easy to notice how they had been intentional in each trip, in how they served each person and got the most out of each moment there. They were our leaders on the two trips I got to go on and RC was the epitome of what a servant leader should look like. He is defintely one planned out and passionate individual and it showed in how he led our team with the “let’s go” mentality. He was so pumped up about everything on our schedules from prayer visits with families in their homes to the physical labor jobs, and even the jobs the time we weren’t serving, he was always finding things to do that would raise our spirits after long hard days of working by taking us to Rwanda markets, different eating experiences, and whatever he could find so that we could experience all of Rwanda as we possibly could.

I could talk for days about all the lessons I have learned from RC through that first trip til now, but it was his heart that led our team and moved all of us forward in ways that we probably wouldn’t have moved otherwise. He brought his heart and passion for helping the people there that are in such great need to every aspect of the trip. Whether it was planning out our days, preparing the tools and gathering the personal connections for serving jobs in the community, or just doing the daggum work. RC was led by his heart for the Lord which led him to serve not only our team but lead us to serve others along with him at levels that I honestly had no idea could be done. His heart for the people in Rwanda and especially those kids their is the most genuine, encouraging and passionate love I’ve ever seen. It didn’t matter how tired or sick or defeated he felt by so many wild and crazy circumstances on these trips, it was obvious that he knew that mission that the Lord has called him to and all of us, so he went anyways and served people in everyway possible while still looking for more ways in the meantime. This dude is an incredible testimony to what a servant’s heart and a life lived in the mission that Christ gave us, to spread His love with world around us. RC knew what this mission meant and it meant investing into and serving others intentionally with the purpose to grow them closer to Christ. He would tell me so many stories from former trips and all the things he’s seen/learned and it’s wild but awesome that he didn’t just share these things to share them, he shared them with the intention of me being opened up to experience and feel the same powerful moves of God that takes place when serving others in need. RC has served more than he’ll ever know, more than just these kids or the people there but the people there with him also and the people in his life here in the States.

I know it sounds like RC’s heart is strictly missions but that’s only one piece of it, the guy is a crazy good guitar player and singer and he serves in the same passion as he serves with in the mission field of Rwanda in the mission field that God has placed around him daily. He is heavily involved in his churches worship team, and serves in more ways that could be noticed. What’s so RC though is even being back home from trips he is already working hard to make the next trip better, and by better I mean finding ways to be more intentional in the service done there, to hit the biggest needs directly in the mouth and knock them out. He also serves on the RCRI mission board here in the US that works to support the organization in as many ways as possible. After talking to him recently after their last trip, the guy is already making moves and scheming up ways to better support each child and family involved in the RCRI mission. That’s RC Sloan. A heart filled with so much passion and a heart that serves in as many ways as the Lord will open up.

This is RC Sloan and I could go on and tell you so much more about how awesome and what a Christ-like example this guy is but I feel like this is more than enough for you to learn from the example that God has used him to set for us and so many others. Christ has given us a purpose and mission, it’s fueled by sharing His love with not just the world around us but the people He has placed in our path. To be intentional in every relationship whether that’s across the world, or right here in front of you, to serve and never stop thinking of more ways to serve others. I pray you have learned from the example of RC here, I know without a shadow of a doubt I have and will forever be impacted by his heart to serve and his drive to GO!!! The Lord has called us to GO, to go and serve others in whatever way He makes available, but to serve even better the relationships that He’s placed in our lives. Take some time and think about who the “forward relationships” are that God has placed by your side? Who are the people that when you spend time with drive you forward in life and in your relationship with God and others? Who are those people that sharpen your iron? Find out who those people are for you, then be intentional and prioritize how you invest in those forward relationships! Why does it matter? Because on this mission Christ has called us to, we are going to face obstacles and many things that will try to push us back and stop us from living the life and loving others as God has called us to. It’s those forward relationships that keep you moving forward past all that mess and into what God has called you to, it’s those forward relationships that keep your iron sharpened at all times so that you won’t become a dull comfortable Christian, but one who is flowing with the momentum given by your surroundings and into battle, sharpened and ready to fight the good fight of loving others as Christ has loved us! Yes, those forward relationships are more important and bigger than we think at times. You know what to do, now GOOO!!!!!

Golden R-ships: “Thankful”

God Gold of the day

“I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.”

-Ephesians 6:18

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.”

-Philippians 1:3

“Rejoice evermore. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Pray without ceasing.”‘

-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I don’t even know where to start with this message but I guess the only place I can is by saying, “THANK YOU!!” Today, I had another birthday, actually my 25th birthday so I’m another year older and a few more grey hairs into this life. The birthday was so awesome in so many ways but there was a few things that stuck out to me above the rest. It was you, and all of the people God has placed in my life. Today, I received so many messages of “Happy Birthday,” along with some extra lines of encouragement throughout different messages. From the shortest to the longest messages, each word sent my way today continued to hit me in ways that seems to be magnified even more with each year of life. To have people reach out to me and speak words of encouragement and thankfulness over me, I’ve been so humbled in each message. Just to know that someone would take the time to show how much they care about me and how much I mean to them, that’s the most humbling experience I’ll ever go through. I don’t feel deserving for any of it at all but the one word to sum up the rush of emotions I feel is, THANKFUL!

I could never explain how genuinely thankful I am for you! But I figured, all I can do is show you how much you mean by speaking these truths over the God Gold with the hopes that this message today will bring you a sense of encouragement and hope to your life that moves you forward in your walk with Christ. I could type all day about how thankful I am but I want you to know that it’s because of your messages that God revealed to me a truth in relationships that is much over looked in our busy everyday lives. I pray this truth will open you up to experience the relationships that God has placed in your lives to the fullest and the ways that God has intended.

I noticed in these letters that Paul and others would write to churches in the New Testament, called the “epistles.” They would always take the time and be intentional in telling the people at the churches they were writing to how genuinely thankful they were for them. That struck me and I also noticed that majority of the times, the reasons that these early church leaders had to write these letters were because of wrong-doing or fixing a problem the church was causing or facing. That made this act of thanks expressed by Paul and others so much bigger to me that despite the hurt and problems caused in these relationships, they spent the time to write letters of encouragement and correction anyways. They showed a beautiful picture of the Gospel right there as they continued to love, encourage and help these people throughout there mistakes. It’s the sense of thankfulness that opened up the door to for these men to treat relationships with others in a way that would never be handled the same according to the world’s standards then or now. This thankfulness starts with Jesus, how even though we made our fair share of mistakes, committed sins, and did and still do so much that rejects Jesus in so many ways, despite all of that Jesus still took the punishment that we deserved on the cross so that we wouldn’t have to. He literally went through hell and back so we didn’t have to make that journey ourselves. Jesus did all that without hesitation, even though we were so undeserving. WOW!!!

I can’t put to words how thankful I am for what Jesus has done for me but I still to this day often overlook and live a life that so easily forgets the price that He paid so that I can have the LIFE that He’s given me. It hit me earlier that it’s the gospel that drives our lives but also in a closer view, it’s the gospel that drives relationships with others also. It blows my mind to see these early disciples spend so much time loving and encouraging people that by all means probably didn’t deserve it but it seems to be how they lived their lives through the lens of the gospel that brought out this awesome example of how to treat others and how to build golden relationships with them. When you get down on someone or don’t feel like giving that extra breath or word of encouragement, just take a few deep breaths and open your hearts back up to the gospel. It’s there that you will see Jesus and all that He has done despite our lack or deserving it, it’s there that you will experience this same sense of thankfulness that will overflow from your heart into the lives of others. And golly bum, I can’t explain what experiencing other’s words of thankfulness has done for me today. I see now a little bit of how these early believers must have felt being told by these big time disciples of Jesus how thankful they are for them. It’s those intentional words that changed their lives and spurred them on in this mission we have with Christ and these words have also brought me to a place of thankfulness and fullness that has lit my fire in so many ways. All because of others took time out of their day to share words of love and encouragement, these words have fueled me and made me thankful to the point that I just want this 25th year of life and this year of sending out God Golds, I just want to show you how thankful I am, serve you in every way possible, constantly think of ways to encourage you and spur you on to living a life for Christ. Because of these words I have received today I want to add value to your life in anyway I can and ultimately make you feel the way I do right now, encouraged, full, and most of all thankful.

There is no better feeling than this feeling I have right now so that is why today, I want to challenge you to text one person, call someone, write a letter even, in whatever way you feel led, take some time and be intentional in letting someone know how thankful you are for them. Encourage them and share with them in what you appreciate about them, what ways do they add value to your life. Seriously, don’t overlook this anymore, take the time to spend sitting under the truth of gospel and let that thankfulness overflow into the lives around you. You have no idea how much those words may mean to someone or how those words may pick someone up, it’s those words of thankfulness that changes lives forever, and even the lives around those people. You have no idea just how far those words of encouragement and thankfulness will travel in someone’s heart and the lives around them. That’s the challenge today, make somebody feel like it’s their birth day, whether that person deserves it or not, live in that same grace that Jesus lived in for us so that others will get to experience what it feels like to be set free and have LIFE to the fullest breathed into them! There is nothing more powerful than the gospel and what stems from that good news is it’s power and love spread into action among people’s lives.

Golden R-ships: “Disciple”

God Gold of the day

Today’s Gold, we are continuing to dig into the question of what does it look like in your life to build Golden Relationships with others while living on mission for Christ? I greatly urge you to take seven minutes out of your day and watch this video!!! I can’t even begin to explain the amounts of God Gold that God is speaking through David Platt. He hits home so much with what these messages have been about lately and I just encourage you not to miss this awesome truth!!!!

Golden R-ships: “Listen more, talk less”

God Gold of the Day

“My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,”

–James 1:19

Had a bit of a revelation today while talking to a friend at work. He was telling me about how God had been moving in the relationships in his life by being intentional to others in sharing the love of Christ with them. I was so excited!!! Everything he was saying was so spot on to the God Golds this past week and in the days to come. I got so jacked up because all of these lessons about relationships God has been revealing to me, my buddy was speaking of living that same truth. My immediate thought was to share with him all that God has been doing in my life and teaching me because it was all so similar, so I did. I began talking and I was so focused on sharing with him all God has taught me lately that what looked like an awesome opportunity and a really good thing, it slowly began to not be good at all. I was so consumed to talk and share all these things that it got to the point of being somewhat selfish. My friend would chime in here and there but during the conversation I was so driven to get all of this stuff out that I would talk over him at times, when he would talk I would already be thinking of what I was going to say next, giving no time to truly listen and take in the God Gold he was sharing with me.

Of course, sharing what God has done and is doing in your life is the mission but there is a way in which God’s truth is meant to be shared in the context of relationships, while also a way that is not what God intended at all. God began to show me the wrong I was doing mid-way through the conversation and I was pretty upset at myself. I had let my selfish motives get the best of me to the point I wasn’t listening hardly at all but only speaking. During this it was just like my friend was a ghost where I only saw right through him and past him into my own thoughts and desires to get MY point across. Sharing with someone the complete Gold God has been teaching me about relationships, I was so caught up in me that I overlooked a relationship that God has placed in front of me.

What was really cool about this experience was seeing why the God Gold started this week with the truth Jesus has spoken to us about losing self and following after Him alone. When I was in the way, and this fits into more contexts than just my example today. When we, ourselves, is in the way, attacking this great commission God has called us to comes to a halt. We only seek out what makes us feel good, such as self recognition, compliments, other’s views of us and so much more. When ourselves get in the way, the relationships around us begin to have a lot of negative momentum. Others in front of us and around us are like ghosts that we see right through while on the way to fulfilling our selfish desires and pride. You see now why Jesus would emphasize the truth of leaving ourselves behind and if we don’t do that, it’s impossible to follow Christ on this mission He’s given us.

After being convicted and God opening up my eyes to see how I was getting in the way, I just prayed and surrendered myself before God for His service, seeking His wisdom and discernment on how to handle this conversation. I don’t say that to toot my own horn, I just want you to know that the truth is we don’t have what it takes and are in such great need for Jesus during conversations with others such as this but even to get ourselves out of the way. Then God went to work. It’s so crazy how it’s not that we need to plan things out, learn a script, or do anything more but it’s actually doing less and surrendering ourselves that opens up the door to being a vessel used by God and acting out of the control of the Holy Spirit.

I went back to the conversation and God did what only He could do and what I obviously couldn’t do. God moved me to just speak less and listen to my friend more. It was then that I actually heard the God Gold that was being spoken from him and his words pierced me with much needed encouragement in so many ways. Instead of seeing past him, I saw his heart and was moved by many different examples he used from his own life and lessons he’s learned. By letting go of self, God moved me to listen more and showed me in those moments the beauty of relationships. When we are just focused on us and getting our points and opinions across, that moves us nowhere and also moves the person you’re speaking with nowhere. That’s why it’s called a relationship, because you have relations with someone else, not just speaking and never listening. At that point we’d be better off talking to a wall. I can’t begin to tell you how much I learned from my friends words and that would have never been so without Jesus at the lead.

Listening also opens up the door to hear what the person is saying and responding to his words with encouragement to stir him on in continuing to live for and seek out the Lord. Listening opens up doors that would always be closed if we choose to put speaking in it’s place. Doors to offer wisdom, to be intentional in hearing what the person is saying and thinking of ways you may be able to add value to their life. Listening takes humility and leaning on God but at the end of the day, actually listening to someone and showing how much you care to hear about what they have to say may be the exact encouragement they need in their lives. You can see it all over Jesus’ example throughout His time on this earth, Jesus lived on mission and gave us such a great visual of what that looks like. It starts with surrendering yourself to God and trusting in Him, then God leads us to live on mission in ways that Jesus so often did. And what is living on mission? That’s simply just serving others and adding value to their lives.

During the end of that conversation God was continuing to take control of my words and actions, so I felt led to ask my buddy a question that I will also leave to you. I would absolutely love to hear your feedback on this because just like my friend today, I saw the importance of listening to others as I was able to learn from him. So please leave me feedback on your answer to this because I would love nothing more to hear your perspective on this to better learn about relationships outside my narrow vision.

What does serving and adding value to the people that God has placed around you look like in your life? Or what could it look like if you embrace this attitude by being intentional in those relationships?

Golden Relationships: “He>I”

God Gold of the day

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

–Proverbs 3:5-6

I bet you’re probably wondering, “why are these messages called ‘Golden Relationships” and in the context of the great commission but we haven’t dug into relationships with others yet?” Well, I didn’t expect these messages to go this way, but that’s why it’s God’s Gold and not mine. God just keeps hitting me with this HUGE truth that before we ever step foot into what “living on mission” for Christ and building golden relationships with others looks like in the context of our lives, we must first start in the RELATIONSHIP above all relationships, and that is our relationship with Jesus.

After yesterday’s lesson about “surrender” and just how crucial it is to surrender ourselves before Jesus daily, today’s message bounces right off of that. I’ve just noticed a lot this week that as soon as I start digging into “Golden Relationships” with you, the time I’ve spent with the relationships God has placed around me has been really tough. It’s wild when we have these revelations and breakthroughs in our faith where God shows us just how important it is to live life on mission for Him, to love, encourage and share Christ with others through word and example, we even feel the fullness of what living in that surrender to selves for the glory of God brings to our hearts, we simply see that this is what this life is all about, serving Jesus by loving others and serving them. All of this has been so real to me lately but it’s been like as soon as the Lord revealed to me that this is what life is all about, that’s when life hits. It’s funny how the enemy attacks us when we begin moving in our faith towards the mission Christ has called us to. He sees that we’re getting it, we are taking more and more steps to truly being a disciple of Jesus, so he attacks us, he attacks us with distractions, busyness, temptations that urge the lusts of our flesh and the selfish/sinful desires of our old nature. Basically, Satan hits us with all he has because he wants nothing more than to stop us from following God faithfully in this Great Commission.

I want to share something I’ve learned this week though that has gotten rid of all excuses and my wants to blame these attacks of the devil to why I’ve struggled so much. Take a look at this truth found in James 1:13; “‘But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire.” We see here that it’s not Satan that is to blame here for the reason behind why we aren’t following God on this mission, it’s actually someone much closer to you, you see them in the mirror everyday, yep! It’s YOU!!! It’s ourselves that follow the temptations laid before us, it’s ourselves that get so caught up in our busy lives, making all these priorities that we see as “important” that are really nothing compared to our personal relationship with the Son of God or living a life on mission for Him. It sucks to realize that, I know because that’s what has hit me so deeply this week. Why would Jesus tell us to take up our cross and follow Him??? Well, it’s simple, Jesus calls us to die to self and find life in Him. That’s is what I’ve seen personally this week as the biggest barrier to why I don’t spend more time being intentional with others, spending time to love them, encourage them and serve them. It’s not easy to here but the biggest barrier we face from following Christ and being a true disciple of His, living life on mission to make disciples for Christ, that barrier is us!

So many moments I looked over my week and the time I was around others, people that God has placed in my path and given such a great opportunity to stir their hearts towards Jesus and a life with Him. My biggest struggle was myself, it wasn’t the attacks I faced or any other excuses, it’s just me. At the end of the day, Satan can attack us til he’s blue in the face, but that is no excuses because God has showed us clearly that “He who is in you is GREATER than he who is in the world. Jesus has defeated Satan already, He’s given us the victory over any scheme the devil can throw at us, the problem we face isn’t an enemy out to get us, anyone or anything else in this world, our biggest problem, enemy, and resistance is us.

This verse from Proverbs is one I refer back to often and it seemed so fitting for this exact occasion. Such wisdom is written hear, to lean on God, with ALL of our hearts. That means not just some of our hearts and then leaving some open space for some fleshly desires that we don’t want to get rid of. When God says all, He means ALL! Then it simply says, “lean not on your own understanding.” Why? Because when we lean on our own understanding, we are so suspectible to falling for the lies of temptation that the enemy dangles in front of us. When we operate out of self, our view of others is skewed completely from how God sees them and wants us to see them. Also, our understanding is filled with selfish wants, seeking out what pleases our flesh the most. When leaning on our own understanding is what we decide to do, the result is having one jacked up, sideways, sloppy life. Think about it? When you are operating off of you, what you think is right, doing what you think is best, everything is centered around you. Our priorities get so jacked up that we become so easily distracted and caught up in all of these worldly things that make us feel good and comfortable instead of being focused and completely consumed by the only One who matters, Jesus. And the only priority that matters, following Him on this adventure of life He calls us to. There is so many examples and ways that this could be spoken of and written about but I don’t want to distract you from the main point, which is, trust in the Lord with all of your heart, surrender yourself to Him completely, your wants, your desires, your want to be comfortable and feel good, all of it. Let it go, because there is nothing about this life of following Jesus that is comfortable, it’s actually the complete opposite of what our understanding tells us is good and right.

To live on mission for Christ and make disciples, we must first learn what it means to truly be a disciple of Jesus and what it really looks like to follow Him. It all begins by coming to Jesus and letting go of self, despite what you think, want or feel, your understanding is not to be leaned on here. Our goal is to follow Christ, not ourselves so everything that goes with self is out the window. Like I’ve experienced lately and so many other times in my life, and I’m sure these are experiences you’ve had to, when we lean on self and our own understanding, the path of life gets crazy, crooked and completely messy. I’m not saying that trusting in God will lead to smooth roads and no obstacles, but leaning on His understanding and acjowledging Him in all you do, He will make your path straight. There is a process in becoming a disciple of Christ where we face a life of suffering, and that suffering produces a melting away of self and in that process God forms us more into the image of His Son. It may not be easy but when we fully surrender ourselves before God, and really trust Him, that He is who He says He is and continually seek Him out in all situations we face, the path may have bumps but with God He gives us the eyes to see the direction He wants us to go. When we are living humbly under His leadership in our lives and in His ways, our perspective of everything is molded into how He sees life, people and ourselves for that matter. God shows us exactly the way He wants us to go, the suffering or you can call it “training” that He takes us under to shape and mold us, to prepare us for the mission He has in store for us ahead.

That’s what I noticed this week, it sure has been a struggle and I’ve had to endure some suffering, but when we remove ourselves, we realize quickly that God is doing something much bigger here. God is transforming us and taking us through times of humbling so we can better see that if we want to live life on mission for Him, if we want to build Golden relationships with others and leave an eternal impact on their lives, there is no place for self but only room to lean on God and God alone. The less we lean on our own understanding, the more we lean on God, He is shifting our perspective more and more to see the truth of what a disciple looks like. It’s surrender of self and God, nothing but Him!!! As we take up this verse and hold it tightly in the days to come, let’s lean in here before we move onto anything else. We first must know what being a true disciple of Jesus is and what that looks like because if we don’t how are we ever going to attack this mission that God has given us? It’s impossible to go at this mission without Christ 110% in the lead of our lives and it’s impossible to make disciples if we try to detour the route of surrender that comes with becoming a true disciple ourselves. To live more like Jesus and live on mission for Jesus, you first have to seek more of and lean on Jesus.