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"Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch... telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.... The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch."
How would you define "Christian"? Better yet, can you define it using only words commonly heard beyond church walls? Many theology words hold tremendous meaning, but may hinder rather than help communication when used in conversation with those who are not familiar with such language.
What about "discipleship"? This page is devoted to discipleship, and our denomination's mission is "to make Christlike disciples in the nations." This truly is an incredible mission! But what does it mean?
A "disciple" is one who trusts and follows the teachings of another. This word is more commonly used in Christian circles, where it refers most specifically to people who trust Jesus and devote themselves to discovering and following him. This happens best in community.
Discipleship -- that is, a lifestyle of following Jesus -- has many faces. Sara and two of her friends represent some of those faces. Sara met regularly for a time with these women friends in one of their homes, focusing first on foundational beliefs. In addition to reading and discussing the Bible together, they got to know each other better, prayed for each other, and gave support in difficult times. She wrote, "We are all on separate life journeys, but having people to walk alongside is helpful to all of us."
Sara is pretty excited about their discipleship adventure, and challenges others to do something similar. Here is Sara's account of one who chose to pursue this kind of relationship:
"I challenged a friend to pray about who
she could disciple, and she committed it to prayer. Then at our
church's Ladies' Retreat one of the ladies got saved (hallelujah!) and
God made it clear that she was the one! They have been meeting
weekly to study about spiritual disciplines, and they have been walking
through difficult issues, such as forgiveness. They are forming a
strong bond, and it is really exciting. Isn't that how it should
be? They both learn from each other."
Interested? This kind of relationship does not happen on accident. Pray for God's guidance, and create a list of 3-5 people you'd like to invite to join you. Then make a list of two or three books that you might like to study together, so you can talk about those as options as you invite the others. Finally, once the group members and reading plan have been established, work together to arrange a regular time when all can meet. Commit to each other that you'll all do the agreed reading each week, and that you'll make the meeting a high priority.
Remember: Following Jesus is a journey; don't walk it alone!
Intentional discipleship like this is a powerful way to help new believers develop strong foundations in faith. If you're looking for some good books for this purpose, here are a few you might want to check out:
- The Discipleship Series (Zondervan)
- Basic Bible Studies for New and Growing Christians (NPH)
- Basic Bible Studies for the Spirit-Filled and Sanctified Life (NPH)
- The
Life You've Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People
(Zondervan)
Other Posts:
- Communion With God, Communion With Each Other
- Intentional Discipleship
- In Your Corner
- "Follow Me!"
- "Come and See"
- Creating Space
Following Jesus:
Connecting with God
Connecting with the Word
Connecting with Each Other