Dear Church of the Open Door family,
God has given our church family four distinct and eternally significant assignments. He has called each and every one of us to trust Him as we:
- Teach God’s unchanging Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17, Heb. 4:12, Ps. 119:89)
- Trust grace in community (Gal. 6:1-2, Eph. 4:1-3, Heb. 10:24-25)
- Move forward through bold prayer (Heb. 4:15-16, John 16:24, Matt. 7:11)
- Make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18-20, 2 Tim. 2:2, Col. 1:27-29)
What we have discovered as we shepherd our people is that one of the most difficult steps in the Christian life is to trust grace in community — to be known, to trust and to allow imperfect Christians to love us with Jesus’ perfect love. For most of us, this is risky and loaded with possibilities of pain and disappointment.
As the Gospel heals our brokenness, discipleship (Christian mentoring — take a look at our Discipleship Survey below) allows God an opportunity to shower us with His grace as He heals our failures through His protective love and the love of others.
Discipleship relationships allow a few people to know you well, to love you, and to pray for you and encourage you in areas that your soul longs for.
Ed Underwood, our Assistant Pastor who oversees discipleship and community development, shares the following about the impact of a grace community on his life:
Risking trusting grace in community has made all the difference in my own spiritual journey, because it saved me from me. When grace is expressed in the love that tells you the truth and accepts you on your worst day and with all of your weaknesses and hang-ups, it releases you to your destiny in Christ, protected by love. Not only has this process protected me from me, it’s protected those I love the most from me.
We are enamored by the grace of God that privileges us to be a part of each other’s lives in this way, and we want to invite you into this life changing opportunity!
Much love,
David Anderson
Lead Pastor
P.S. Ed Underwood has created a Discipleship Survey to help us better understand how we can do this process well. Please take 45 seconds and fill it out (I’ve timed it!). He would love to hear from you and help you take the next step.
