Theme

In line with CMCA's theme for 2012, the CMCA youth committee has chosen the discipleship theme for this year. At its simplest definition, a disciple of Christ is simply a follower / "imitator" of Christ. Simple in concept but in practice, it is a life-long journey for all Christians! Discipleship can be broken down into three stages:

The night Jesus was arrested at the garden of Gethsemane, his disciples fled (Matthew 26:56). Yet, further down the track, the very same disciples stood up boldly in the face of persecution and proclaimed the gospel. What made the difference? The Holy Spirit.

Initially, the Holy Spirit's role is to convict the person of sin, and to prompt them to salvation in Christ (John 16:8). After one becomes a believer, one of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to convict the believer into a closer relationship with the Lord and deal with issues which prevents this from happening (1 Thessalonians 1:5). The first step is always conviction. This is what turned Christian-persecuting Saul into Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. This is the "warming of the heart" experienced by John Wesley which drove him to preach the gospel in the streets and started a revival. This is what will change you from the inside out; the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Seek after it, and respond to Him.

To commit to something means to give all of yourself to it. When a person signs an agreement, they commit to abide by all the rules and regulations of that agreement. When a man and a woman get married, they commit to one another for life, till death do them part. When a person is elected into a committee and given a specific portfolio, they commit to perform the duties under that portfolio. In fact, the very word "committee" means "person(s) who commit". 

Likewise, a disciple of Christ is expected to commit themselves fully and faithfully to the cause of Christ. Jesus said, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62). There is no grey area; when it comes to following Christ one is either a disciple or not. 

Yet, we often treat Him like a washing machine; we go to Him only to get our sins forgiven, and then we go on our own way. This is not right! His first coming was as the Lamb of God, but we must always remember that His second coming will be as the Lion of Judah; the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14). This is why Jesus is not just Savior, but also Lord. Being a disciple of Christ is to acknowledge Him not just as Savior, but as Lord as well. For Jesus to have Lordship over our lives, we must deny ourselves and take up our crosses daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23). 

The symbol of the cross can be used to represent two integral connections. The vertical beam represents the connection between the disciple and God. The horizontal beam represents the connection between the disciple and fellow humankind.

One horizontal arm represents the fellowship between fellow believers (Acts 2:42-47). We are told to meet up regularly with fellow believers (Hebrews 10:25), in order for us to encourage one another as fellow disciples. In this fellowship of believers, Jesus commands us to love one another, with the same kind of unconditional love He has to us (John 13:34). By this, all people will know that we are His disciples (John 13:35).

The other horizontal arm represents the disciple reaching out to the unsaved. Another role of the Holy Spirit is to empower us to boldly proclaim the gospel to the lost (Acts 1:8). Jesus is no longer physically on earth, but it has been said that we - Christ's disciples - are the visible hands and feets of Jesus. In fact, every Christian disciple's mandate is to "go and make disciples of all nations..." (Matthew 28:19-20). 

We hope that the local MYFs can catch on this theme and actively grow youth disciples through the programs we organize (from the CMCA youth committee) and also through the local fellowship programs and cell groups.