This week we participated in Communion with our faith family. We also had a chance to hear stories from some in our church who went on mission trips this Summer to El Salvador, Kentucky and North Carolina.

Jesus modeled living life in authentic biblical relationships. This is tough in our day and age. But if we stick with it, we can bear much fruit.

Making disciples requires more than just knowing about Jesus, we are also supposed to be equipped and released to serve the Kingdom in His Name. This message looks at Jesus’ method of calling people into relationship, equipping them to serve and then setting them free to work in the world for the glory of God.

To be a disciple-making church we have to have a team mentality. There are many units functioning within the church, but we are all on one team. Each individual team serves the purpose of meeting our overall mission- to go and make disciples!

Satan loves to see us wander off from life in the body of Christ. Do you know why? We are much easier targets to take down when we aren’t surrounded by our brothers and sisters and when we are spiritually weak. For that reason we always want to be good shepherds of people and chase those who stray from worship and/or relational environments. We notice you. We value you. We pursue you. Just like Jesus!

On July 15th we had a community worship day as part of Kingsport’s FunFest Celebration. Joel spoke to our community about coming together and being united as followers of Jesus just as He prayed for us to do right before he went to the cross. Unity within the Church of Jesus is important because it clearly shows the world the power and glory of God. We can do more for the Kingdom of Jesus together!

The second essential for a disciple making church is to reach the lost. In this message former GFC Pastor, Tommy Rutledge, talks about sharing Jesus in our modern context.

As a church we are called to make disciples. Sin often pulls us away from the mission Jesus gave us, so we need some guardrails to help keep us on the right path. The 7 Essentials of a disciple-making church help us stay the course. This message explores the first essential: Abide in Christ.