Discipleship isn’t a program, it’s a life
When Jesus called his first disciples, he called them to follow him, learn from him, suffer alongside him, make him known in the world by word and deed, and do these things together as members of his community on earth. All those things together constitute the life of discipleship, and the place where we live out that life is the local church.
And what does that look like? The description of the newborn church in Acts 2:41-47 offers us an answer.
41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
God tells us here that a person, a family, or a congregation that wants to live a life of discipleship will seek, individually and corporately, to do these 4 things:
- Worship: gather regularly to offer adoration and praise to God with their church family on the Lord’s Day
- Grow: meet together consistently to study, learn, and apply biblical truth to their lives in the power of the Spirit
- Serve: utilize their time, energy, resources, and spiritual gifts to serve each other in love as members of the same spiritual family in Christ
- Go: stretch themselves to reach out to proclaim the gospel message and demonstrate the love of Christ in acts of mercy to those in spiritual and material need, both here and around the world
The Vehicles of Discipleship
The vehicles of discipleship are those ministry structures and activities through which we give expression to our values and commitments as a congregation.
- Worship: Sunday Morning Worship
- Grow: Sunday Communities/Growth Groups
- Serve: Servant Teams (to address needs inside the church family)
- Go: Go Teams (to take the gospel to the world around us)
These aren’t the only things we’ll do as a congregation, but they are the “trunks” from which other ministries, events and activities “branch” out. Come join us as we live the disciple-life here at Redeemer!
