The period we are entering will be marked I believe by the refreshment of our foundations. In my book “The Genius in the Kingdom: How Discipleship Impacts Church Planting” I write:
“From John 13–17, there is a kind of compendium on the heart of discipleship. It’s the heart not only of the internal world but it is also the heart of the missionary work that each disciple will do in obedience to the commission they have received from the Lord Jesus. I refer of course to the decision to live a life of love…
It all begins with the modelling Jesus uses around the washing of the feet of His disciples (Jn13:1–20). The point of the modelling comes early in the narrative when John reflects on Jesus’ love for His disciples saying, “having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them till the end” (Jn13:1 ESV). This, I find, sets the tone for everything that follows for it tells us how Jesus is motivated and it shows us how love must be at the core of everything that happens to us, in us and around us. The idea of a universal call to service, of course, is usually what we see here but I would encourage you to see that our service is not meant to be the motivation for what we do as disciples. Instead, I would commend to you that it is a deep love for God and for those who are right in front of us that properly motivates us for service.”
The book is now available on paperback and Kindle from Amazon.
Peace
Colin
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