Father's Day Post

Happy Father’s Day! This morning I treated myself with a sermon in English! I miss my church family, so it was a nice to watch a piece of home. I watched Kyle Idleman’s sermon from last week. If you missed it, you can watch it here:http://www.southeastchristian.org/?page=4754

In this sermon, Kyle presented the idea that we (as Christ-followers) should be the illustration of God’s design. This reminded me of the question that I have been presented with over and over. “Am I a picture of Christ to others?” As I have stepped into this internship and my role as a disciple maker, I have to be sure that when I invite people to “Come & see” (John 1:39) my life that they are seeing Christ in me. Is there truly something impeccably different about my life? Do people see the Gospel in how I live, act, speak, etc.?

When I think about the people that have discipled me, its not only the knowledge that they shared with me, but also the actions that I saw them doing. One of the most influential women in my life taught me to love the Word. She didn’t teach me that by telling me that I should love it or that I have to love it to be a good Christian. She taught me that by simply loving the Word. She always has her bible with her, she is familiar with it, she lights up when she talks about what she learns about Jesus, and she makes decisions based on the Word/Jesus. Without a formal invitation, she invited me in to “Come & see” her love for the Lord.

Am I inviting others in to see my love of the Lord? Am I reproducing Christ-followers who fear and obey God? (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

Not only am I called to make disciples, but this summer I am called to “pull a Philip”. In Acts 8, we see Philip walking in obedience even though he has no idea what God is EXACTLY calling him to. His journey starts in verse 28. I encourage you to read it. At the end of this snapshot of Philip, we see that after he made a B-line to teaching about Jesus, they arrived at some water and the Eunuch wanted to be baptized. In verse 39, Philip is gone. It says that the Eunuch never saw Philip again, “BUT went on his way rejoicing”.

At the end of the summer, when I leave, will these students be rejoicing because its not about me (Sarah Burge) changing their lives or being dependent on me. Instead, are they rejoicing because I made a B-line to teaching about Jesus? Can I leave and it not matter because they are rejoicing that they encountered Christ?

So, my job is to be Philip. To run along side them. To sit with them and do life with them. To teach them about Jesus. To let them see how I live because of Christ. To leave and it not matter because its not about me, its about the Kingdom.

Please continue to pray for me and my team as we are pursuing being disciples who make disciples!

Love ya much,
Sarah