Leaving a Legacy

We recently co-sponsored a discipleship conference called the Legacy Discipleship Conference. The focus of all of the workshops and general sessions was to grow as and to make disciples of Jesus Christ. More specifically, conference attendees were able to choose from four different workshop tracts: Basic Doctrines, Hermeneutics, Evangelism, and Community Impact. All of the general session speakers focused on what it means to “make disciples.”

We were reminded that the command within the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is to “make disciples.” We are instructed to “go,” but this is not a command. As Herb Hodges puts it in his book entitled “Tally Ho The Fox,” “The verb means ‘as you are going’ or even ‘since you are going (pg. 39).’” What that means is that we don’t have to “go on a trip” in order to fulfill the Great Commission. We should be fulfilling the Great Commission “as we go” to work, to school, to the store, etc. “As we go,” we are commanded to make disciples.

The question then becomes, “what is a disciple?” A disciple is a student, a pupil, a learner, a follower. In other words, our command is to make fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ with a vision for impacting the world. The Great Commission reminds us that God has “the nations” on his heart. It is truly an amazing mission and vision. Hodges later asks:

"Christian, is your vision God-big for his glory? Where are the plans, the dreams, the visions, the strategies for total world impact that truly tax the miracle resources of God? Where is the strategy that requires ongoing miracles for its sustenance? Where is the vision that is so big that human resources (whatever the kind or amount) cannot possibly sponsor it? The only eternity-sized vision any of us will ever need is in the Great Commission given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ (17).”

At the Legacy Conference it was evident that God is doing a work within the urban centers of our nation, raising up world changers for his Name’s sake, who are committed to the Great Commission and who have the neighborhood and the nations on their hearts. I was humbled and challenged over the course of the 3 days there. There were approximately 350 youth and young adults in attendance at this multi-site Chicago based conference. Please pray for all that were in attendance as we continue to build on the momentum that the work of the conference created.

For more information you can check out the Legacy Conference website. This year's conference was from August 14-16.

Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.”

Written by Dave Clark, City Team Leader for Sunshine. Dave is celebrating his 30th birthday today! And, he has been spending his last few days preparing for and training others for the our after-school tutoring programs.