Posts about Jay Fennell

Making Disciples

Are you curious as to what your life’s calling is?  While every single one of us has a journey laid out before us that is unique and crafted by the wonderful creator of the universe, there is a calling that we all share.  If we dive into Acts 1:6-8, we see Luke describe the disciples’ last encounter with Jesus before His ascension and the offering of this common calling.

 ⁶ So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, are You restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” ⁷ He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority.  ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  

This passage is one of the accounts that is referred to as “The Great Commission.”  It is not simply an event that applies to those in attendance in the first century context, but rather is a calling that we all take on upon coming into our relationship with Jesus.  The minute that we make that decision to follow Him, we are saved from the death sentence created by sin and onto God’s mission of making his name famous among the nations.
Here, the disciples propose a question concerning Jesus’ timing and, by His response, we gain insight that this is not an issue that we should concern ourselves with.  Our minds should not be geared towards His timing but the task that he has laid before us, that being making disciples among the nations.  While we are all anxious for that wonderful day where our faith will be our eyes and we see Jesus face to face, the closest that we can come to the Parousia, as we know it, is the evangelization of the world.
At this time, all of us at Brentwood Baptist are in the utmost need of your help and prayers as leaders as we seek to plunge in even further into The Great Commission and God’s call for us to make disciples.  Many of you may already know that on August 23, we will be hosting an event called “Group Connect” where we hope to initiate 30 new LIFE groups in hopes of connecting the unconnected to healthy relationships and community where they may be pushed onward towards Christ in daily life.  So please, first and foremost, what we ask of you is to join us in relentless prayer as we fervently hope to change the world around us and connect everyone here at Brentwood Baptist to a LIFE group where they may find intimacy with the Risen Lord on a whole new level.
Things to Pray for:

• Pray for a hunger to spark among everyone here to dive deeper and plug into a LIFE group so that they may grow in intimacy with Jesus.
• Pray for the preparation of Group Connect, that all efforts may be lifted up as first fruits so that God’s name may be glorified.
• Pray for Group Seekers, that they may feel catered to, comfortable, and loved, and that they may truly find family here.