Why a C1:28 Development Group?
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. — Colossians 1:28
“Make disciples!” That is the command of the Great Commission - Jesus’ last words while walking on our planet. I remember studying the Great Commission passage in detail in seminary when it hit me that while Jesus had converts, he didn’t come to make converts, he came to build disciples. He took a group of misfits, screw-ups, flakes, and jokers — people the world had given up on — and invested three years of his life into building their lives for the purpose of making them like Him. His last act on earth was to promise the Holy Spirit and then tell these same men to do the same. Then, one life at a time, that group of men went on to change the world. God’s kingdom plan being fulfilled one developed-life at a time.
Presenting everyone mature in Christ is Paul’s way of expressing his heart for that same mission from Christ. This mission is the heart beat of my calling. It was put into me at the age of 16 when I used to spend two hours every Sunday afternoon in the office of my mentor, pastor Jerry Daley. In his study I learned about the Bible, about how to love God, about how to be a better man, minister, husband, person. Jerry Daley, a pastor of a church and leader of a church network, took two hours out of every week to help present me mature in Christ. It was watching him follow the commission of Jesus that birthed this love for developing others in my heart and soul.
C1:28 (short for Colossians 1:28), is a call to be developed for the purposes God has called you. Every person has a mission from God. It may be at home, in a factory, at a 9-5 job , in politics, in social work, or as a pastor or missionary. But we all have a calling to discover and fulfill. These 26 weeks are designed to develop you in this calling. In it are the core tools every believer needs to understand God, his grace, the Bible and the mission and ministry of the local church as it spreads the gospel all over the world. Welcome to the adventure!
VIDEO SESSION LINKS
Video: The Mission of Harvest and Your Part