Embrace the transformative power of solitude with God and discover the joy of a fulfilling relationship with the Almighty God.

Intimacy with God requires time alone with God (Mark 1:35; Mark 6:31, Mark 6:45-46). Close friendships aren’t instantaneous; they must be cultivated over time. In the same way, walking in an intimate relationship with the Almighty must be diligently pursued. We will never achieve closeness with the Lord unless we invest time alone with Him to get to know Him.

A neglected relationship simply won’t grow in richness or depth. Are you too busy to spend time each day with Him? If that is the case, the immediate demands of your schedule are robbing you of an awesome, eternal treasure. A deep, satisfying communion with God (Luke 10:38-42). 

We can pray while others are around but we need solitude to be able to feel truly connected to God as Jesus did. We need quality time alone with God without distraction. It’s hard to hear the whisper of the Spirit with all the noises around us. So it is important to take some small part of each day and set it aside for solitude and closing the door (Matthew 6:6). It simply means walking to a quiet place as Jesus Himself did and not doing anything but leaving ourselves open to the Lord. 

Time alone with God is more than just a daily appointment with God. It’s more like a visit with our closest friend. It is very important if we want God to speak to us. Good relationships need the investment of quality time. In solitude, we withdraw from people, noise, cell phones, family, and the demands of work to be with God. We get away from all of the ministry activities and all of our roles in order to be with God alone. There is great joy in getting away from everything just to be alone with Him.   

Our time with God should be in a solitary place where there is no distraction, just us and God. This is the time when we lay down every struggle and every pain, and wait on Him in silence. It is also the time that we praise and thank Him for everything He has been doing and will do in our lives. This is the best time for us to present all that is in our hearts to God. It is also His time to talk to us and reveal to us His wonderful and perfect will for our lives.  

If we are struggling with a major decision, let’s spend time alone with God and He will answer us. If we need advice on some issues, let’s talk to Him and He will answer us.  

Let’s make a commitment to set aside “Time Alone with God” and make this time just for Him. He’s waiting for us. 

When was the last time you spent quality time with God alone?

How often do you take time alone with God to pour out everything on your heart to him?

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective training and coaching strategy, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

While you don’t have to be a Christian, read your bible, or attend church to be a generous person. There are many biblical examples that provide a great framework for anyone wanting to live a life of generosity.

Gods Kingdom is opposite to ours. For example,

One of those seemingly “upside down” kingdom principles that we see Paul addressing with the church is in Acts 20:35 is when he quotes Jesus’ words saying “It is more blessed to give than to receive”.

Jesus teaches us that there is something significant that happens in our souls when we give.

At first, this may be very difficult to understand or even accept but it is much easier to be experienced. It is impossible to out-give God.

Giving is in the very fabric of God’s Character. God is a giver.

One of the greatest hallmarks of the life of a follower of Christ should be one of generosity. We give because God gave.

Jesus’ life modeled and was characterized by one of generosity. Here are just a few examples:

In Luke 10:25-37, we see how two religionists passed by a man lying half-dead on the road. After being ignored for hours, the man was finally rescued by a Samaritan.

This story is undoubtedly a great example of generosity. And, the extra-mile attitude and approach we are called to have in modeling the extravagant love of Christ.

Jesus’ compassion for one of the less fortunate people was very evident in this particular story in which he raised a widow’s son from the dead (Luke 7:11-17). Her gratitude was so great that when Jesus came out of town, she followed him on her son’s newly-restored cart.

This act of generosity is one that we can all learn from. Not only is it a good example of generosity, but it shows us that generosity starts internally before it ever is externalized. Jesus was moved by compassion (Luke 7:13) and out of that place of compassion was generous.

Jesus was often criticized for not following the religious norms of the day but instead showing generosity and care for those others overlooked. In both Matthew 9-10-12 and Mark 2:15-22, Jesus invites sinners to eat with him and his friends.

Jesus’ priority was not about keeping up appearances or being overly concerned about what onlookers thought of him but more so with his ability to be generous with his love, his attention, and his time with whosoever.

In the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), the tax collector, we see people’s distaste of Jesus for his willingness to befriend and enter the world of a notorious thief and sinner. Jesus shows, again and again, his ability to be generous with his ability to notice those others had overlooked. Jesus’ generosity is so outrageous that Zacchaeus is immediately changed and begins modeling the generosity he has seen modeled by Jesus. Zaccheus gives half of his possesssions to the poor and four times what he has stolen to those he has stolen from.

“Listen carefully to what I am saying and be wary of the shrewd advice that tells us you how to get ahead in the world on your own. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets Generosity.” – Mark 4:24-25

Jesus death on the cross was the ultimate sacrificial act of generosity. As followers of Christ, let us not complicate what it means to live generously. Generosity will often go unnoticed and unapplaud but will always do more for you than it will ever do for others.

Would you make the commitment today to live a more generous life living a life of generosity with your time, money, attention, compassion, and efforts?

How would our communities look if our focus was on what we could give rather than what we could get?

It truely is better to give than receive.

Global Disciples Canada trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective training and coaching strategy, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and make disciples, connect with us today!

People groups in the southern regions of the DRC are largely unreached with the Gospel. Global Disciples Canada is helping bring light to darkness.

They practice sorcery and fetishism, seeking blessing from spirits and worshiping things they believe have magical powers. Additionally, diamond mining and its supporting business have created a boomtown in the region.

However, one of the few believers from this area, attended Global Disciples training in another city in DRC. Luc was quick to embrace the vision of making disciples among least-reached people. He was commissioned to return home as a mission worker once he was equipped to train others

Over the years, many mission workers and church planters have come to this region. But the spiritual opposition from the sorcerers and the other practices has often proved too much and they give up. With diamond mining, there are added temptations for pastors and church leaders. The temptation always exists to abandon their efforts and “follow the money” into mining and business.

So Luc faced a significant challenge on his return home. However, God honored his efforts. And Luc is making a difference among his people.

He started a discipleship-mission training program, and he led outreach to communities around the region. The disciple-makers he sends out have planted and multiplied churches in DRC and over the border in Angola. He’s equipping elders and deacons to lead these new churches. And some local leaders are even seeking out Luc for leadership training!

What a joy to see God bringing new life and transformation to least-reached people in Central Africa!

We also need to pray for Luc, the disciple-makers, and the church planters he’s training. We pray that the Holy Spirit will protect them from the temptations around them. That they will be faithful to His calling to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

We are all called to be disciples of Jesus Christ who live our lives fully for His glory, ordering our priorities around the global mission of Christ no matter where we are called to live or what our vocation might be.  

As disciples, we have joined a new order of life—a life of discipline and accountability that can transform us into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29; 12:2). But before we start making disciples, we must be sure that we are disciples of Jesus who are growing in our relationship with God (Colossians 2:6-7). All disciples are meant to live the life that Jesus displayed for them.

So how can we grow as disciples?  

Knowing Jesus Christ and making Him known is the responsibility of every disciple, and it must be the top priority in life. Nothing compares to knowing Him as our Savior, Redeemer, and Lord of our life. For the sake of knowing Christ, Paul not only considered everything to be lost—he actually lost all things. Because of his allegiance to Christ, he lost everything he had. He considered any possessions or worldly pleasures as “rubbish” or garbage so that he could gain Christ. Even if Paul knew Christ personally and intimately, it is clear that he wanted to know Him more. (Philippians 3:12-14; John 14)  

Mary of Bethany possessed a pint of expensive perfume, but she thought nothing of pouring it on Jesus’ feet as an expression of her love for him (John 12:2-3). She not only released a valuable possession, but she also did so eagerly in order to embrace something much more valuable—the love of Christ. This great love caused her to express her lavish love in return.  

It is the same for those of us who experience the love of Jesus. Even after Jesus died, Mary was the only one at the tomb looking for Him while others were hiding (John 20:11-18). The problem of many of the early New Testament churches and the churches of today is the tendency to pursue principles of living rather than intimacy with Him (Galatians 1:6-10; 3:1-6; Revelation 2:2-5).  

Do we know why many people start well and fail to finish well in their faith journey as disciples? The reason is that they started their life by enjoying intimacy with Christ, but later they began to learn principles of morality and they began to rely more on that than on their intimacy with Christ. That is the reason why many people are not finishing well even if they started well.  Nothing satisfies the heart like intimacy with Christ.  

For I am convinced that neither money nor possessions nor marriage nor health nor success nor recognition nor affirmation nor anything else one might consider valuable is able to be compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus as our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39) 

The more we get to know Him, the greater the opportunity for His to influence us. As we grow in knowing Him, we begin to see as God sees. 

We grow in our relationship with God when we are able to see as He sees.  Occasionally, it is good to reflect on how God might be looking at people, things, or situations.  How does God see this thing I’m so proud of?  How does God see my relationship with Him and others? And how does God see the way I am doing things? What does God see when He looks at us and others?   

One of the most vivid examples of seeing as God sees is found in Isaiah 6:5. When we start to see as He sees, we will not be the same. Whatever is evil before Him will be evil to us as well. It is clear that the more we see ourselves and the world around us the way God sees, the more we see God at work in our lives and in the lives of those around us.  

It is very important to learn to see as God sees (1 Samuel 16:7). His view is complete and perfect (Hebrews 4:13; 1 Corinthians 12:15-16; 12:21). When Samuel saw Jesse’s eldest son Eliab, he assumed he would be the one God would anoint as king. But the Lord told Samuel he was not the one. He said, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (Numbers 13:28-33; 2 Kings 6:15-17). 

Love first 

In John 15:12, Jesus says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (emphasis added). What does He mean when He says, “As I have loved you?” Simply, it is God’s self-sacrificing love He gives to us. Our love for Christ flows from His love for us because He first loved us and gave His life for us (John 15:13). Jesus told us that we can abide in God’s love if we keep His commandments. We are to live just as Jesus lived.  

Obedience next 

There is always joy in doing the right thing. Knowing Christ will increase our love for Him. We obey simply because we love Him (John 14:15, 23-24; John 15: 9-10). When God asks us to do something, then we must obey Him; and the more we love Him, the more we want to obey Him; and the more we obey Him, the more we abide in Him and bear more fruit. A servant does what his master orders, but a friend does the will of his friend. We know the will of the Father, and we obey because it is His will. 

In order to be a good friend of Jesus, we need to learn to know Him and know what He likes and dislikes. Webster defines “friend” as “A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts; one with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade.” Webster’s definition also says that a friend is one who holds another in high esteem, respect, and affection. A friend is one whose happiness and prosperity you desire to promote.   

The disciples of Jesus were hard to befriend. But Jesus considered them to be friends, and He opened up His life and shared everything He knew with them. The same is true with us. No matter who we are, what we have done or not done, Jesus still calls us “friend.” It is our choice to be the friend of Jesus Christ or the friend of this world (James 4:4). Being a friend of Jesus involves fellowship with Him. Friends like to spend time together; if we want to be a true friend, we must spend time with our friends. Because good friendship requires spending time together and sharing thoughts and ideas, hopes and dreams, we must spend time with God through prayer and the study of His Word.   

Jesus is the best friend that anyone could ever have. He wants to have a personal relationship with all people around the world. He sent us into the world to let others know that they can be His friends. We were sent, not to compete with one another, but to love one another so the world will know Him through our love (John 13:34-35). If we truly have a love for each other, and have one heart and one attitude, then it is easy for us to bring others to friendship with Jesus.  

As disciples, we should realize that we have been sent by Christ as He Himself was sent by His Father to preach the Gospel and make disciples. If we do this in our lives and through our deeds, at the end of our earthly ministries we will say, “We glorified you on earth by finishing the work you gave us to do.” 

As we get to know Him more, our love for Him increases; as our love for Him increases, our obedience to Him grows; when we obey Him, we are abiding in Him and that will bring forth fruit; when we are bringing forth fruit, we are fulfilling life’s purpose and glorifying God. 

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective training and coaching strategy, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!