I'm reading a little book published by Cell UK entitled Walking Together by Liz West and Trevor Withers. It's kind of a "what's a disciple" kind of book.
In the first chapter, Liz and Trevor make a brilliant distinction I wanted to share with you.
"Disciples are different from converts. A convert is someone who understands that Jesus is who he says he is and has accepted his or her need of him. In making that change in belief he or she has taken the momentous first step in the kingdom of God. But that is not where it ends. 'If I am going to be a disciple of Jesus Christ I need to take responsiblity for my own growth. I have to welcome this journey of change. I need to discover what I need to do and then take all courage and move forward.' "
That, my friends, is what we must help each person in our small groups understand. It's not enough to be a convert. We must pick ourselves up by our own bootstraps and become a disciple regardless of the ongoing challenges it will require. No one is going to spoon feed us or coddle us in our spiritual infancy. If we become mature in our faith, it's because we decided to do it ourselves and we will seek to include others in the journey who are also self-motivated ... (driving home the second point made in the book which explains the title.)
BTW, here's a direct link to the book if you're interested. It's not available in the US, but can be ordered from London...
Walking Together
On a totally separate note, I was finally able to find a video server to post the video of the orphanage director I met in Malawi. This pastor drives a taxi during the day and self-funds an orphanage of 149 children on $120 a month, believe it or not!
If Pastor Enoch's story moves you the way it moved me, you'll want to donate to his orphanage so he can feed 200+ more homeless, parentless children in the area of Malawi where his orphanage resides. You can do that through my non-profit organization and every dime will go to the orphanage, I assure you. Contact me at 713-884-8893 if you want more information on how to give toward this amazing man's ministry.
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