Day 30 - What Comes Next?

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." - John 13:34-35

Looking through the scriptures, we see followers of Christ living out surrender to God's plan, and as a result, lives are changed and cities are impacted. Amidst it all, a clear example arises, displaying what Christianity is meant to look like. Jesus started His ministry with the word “Come”, and He ended His ministry with the word “Go”, though it was what happened in between these statements that forged what we know as true discipleship. His devotion to the relationship with His disciples was the perfect model of discipleship, making way for the blueprint Jesus set in place.

With the Bible as our example, we must ask ourselves - does my life look like these pages? When I examine the fruit of my last week, month, or year, I must allow the Holy Spirit to show me if the fruit I'm producing is an expression of the Father’s heart. It is with this perspective that we must also survey our evangelism and follow-through, as most modern day evangelism lacks the lasting relationship exemplified in the Word of God.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” - Acts 2:42

In this verse from Acts, we see a clear demonstration of how the early Church discipled their way into changing the world, using these four essential elements:

- Apostles' Teaching: Followers of Christ committed themselves to learning and obeying the teaching from the apostles.

- Fellowship: Early Christians were committed to living in community with one another, sharing their lives, experiences, and resources. They supported and encouraged each other, as they spurred each other on in their faith journeys together.

- Breaking of Bread: The deliberate practice of sharing their lives led to the natural sharing of meals, cultivating deep fellowship among them. This communal breaking of bread was a request of Jesus, that they would do this in remembrance of His life laid down for them.

- Prayer: This was a central part of their devotion. They communicated with God, sought His guidance, and interceded for one another, not just individually but during coporate times of prayer.

These essential elements of the early church: teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer - are not reserved for individual spirituality but are meant for building a community founded on the teachings of Jesus because He is the chief cornerstone to build everything upon. This was the most pure expression of discipleship that the disciples had personally experienced firsthand with Christ, now being reproduced through their lives. This blueprint must serve as our model we use to expand His kingdom.

Challenge: With Christ as the foundation for everything we are and everything we are to reproduce as Christians, read 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. Allow it to challenge previous attempts at building using external materials, other than His biblical ones.