Growth Discipleship

[Jesse]

I was listening to a sermon on the radio the other day and he was talking about how Christianity is in crisis because many of us (especially the younger generation) are not being taught how to be disciples of Christ or what that even means. It resonated somewhat with me, it encouraged me and made me realize that I was not as Christ in some areas, but rather looked much like the world in them. I've been pondering this ever since, and realize my previous church did not spend much time teaching us how to be disciples.

I don't want to be comfortably numb (soberly ;), I want to be radically doing the work Christ has planned for me, but first things first, what does it really mean to be a disciple of Christ? What is the true cost of discipleship? What do I need to know?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Willie T]

The first thing you may have to learn is not to be "approved" by most of Christianity.

 

[Jesse]

Hi Willie T,

What I think you are saying, and please correct me if I'm wrong, and I can only answer this question from my perspective of course, but I do notice there is a certain expectation of action, behavior and words used for people at church and if these are not done or said then a person could be considered an "outcast" or maybe a babe in Christ or simply just not saved. Even though the words used or the behaviors are not all that unchristian like, they are just not the norm of the church, nor are they "christianeze" if you know what I mean.

Is this what you mean?

What I want to know is how to truly be a disciple of Christ and not a disciple of man? What would you (and hopefully others will chime in) consider to be most helpful? What are stumbling blocks others have had to jump over as a disciple? As we fellowship with others in church, how do we know it is Christ we follow and not man?

I guess I am trying to gather the wisdom of the more experienced here, that is if people don't mind.

 

[Willie T]

Hi Willie T,

What I think you are saying, and please correct me if I'm wrong, and I can only answer this question from my perspective of course, but I do notice there is a certain expectation of action, behavior and words used for people at church and if these are not done or said then a person could be considered an "outcast" or maybe a babe in Christ or simply just not saved. Even though the words used or the behaviors are not all that unchristian like, they are just not the norm of the church, nor are they "christianeze" if you know what I mean.

Is this what you mean?

What I want to know is how to truly be a disciple of Christ and not a disciple of man? What would you (and hopefully others will chime in) consider to be most helpful? What are stumbling blocks others have had to jump over as a disciple? As we fellowship with others in church, how do we know it is Christ we follow and not man?

I guess I am trying to gather the wisdom of the more experienced here, that is if people don't mind.

Yes, I think you have a pretty good grip on what I was alluding to. Vocabulary, especially, is one of the first hang-ups most "Christians" rope themselves into saddling upon their backs as just another set of laws to now follow.

I think a good indication that you might not be following Jesus is feeling any real concern for how your actions are seen by "churchgoers."

 

[Jesse]

Yes, I think you have a pretty good grip on what I was alluding to. Vocabulary, especially, is one of the first hang-ups most "Christians" rope themselves into saddling upon their backs as just another set of laws to now follow.

I think a good indication that you might not be following Jesus is feeling any real concern for how your actions are seen by "churchgoers."

Thanks for your answers, Willie T.

If a person were doing this, how does a person deal with not really fitting in with the people they attend church with then? Or does a person decide not to attend church at all? What do you do?

 

[LovethroughDove]

Ephesians 4:11-13 It was he(Jesus) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we reach "unity in the faith" and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

We as the body of Christ are slowly working on this right now. We are reaching what really matters and that is Jesus the Christ has come in the flesh and died, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. This does not have to be revelation given in a "building" church, but the knowledge given from those who have been born again of the Spirit. The Spirit will take you into the world and you will bring those who don't know Jesus, to him. We are to be the light of the world. Matthew 5:14

Only God can tell you where you are to use the gifts you have been given.

 

[Willie T]

Thanks for your answers, Willie T.

If a person were doing this, how does a person deal with not really fitting in with the people they attend church with then? Or does a person decide not to attend church at all? What do you do?

Personally, I would never recommend going it alone. I happen to be of the belief that, as aggravating and irritating as other people can be, Christianity is designed to be done in union with others.

As far as not fitting in, there are a variety of different churches out there. And the one for you is waiting for you somewhere.

BTW, where is your "somewhere" right now?

 

[Willie T]

Thanks for your answers, Willie T.

If a person were doing this, how does a person deal with not really fitting in with the people they attend church with then? Or does a person decide not to attend church at all? What do you do?

Personally, I would never recommend going it alone. I happen to be of the belief that, as aggravating and irritating as other people can be, Christianity is designed to be done in union with others.

As far as not fitting in, there are a variety of different churches out there. And the one for you is waiting for you somewhere.

BTW, where is your "somewhere" right now?

 

[Jesse]

Personally, I would never recommend going it alone. I happen to be of the belief that, as aggravating and irritating as other people can be, Christianity is designed to be done in union with others.

As far as not fitting in, there are a variety of different churches out there. And the one for you is waiting for you somewhere.

BTW, where is your "somewhere" right now?

I don't want to "go alone", I am actively pursuing to trying to find a church family, I would prefer a smaller congregation but am praying about it.

I am not going to church at all right now, to be honest I am struggling spiritually with staying focused or God is doing a work in me or whatever is going on, idk.

 

[Willie T]

I don't want to "go alone", I am actively pursuing to trying to find a church family, I would prefer a smaller congregation but am praying about it.

I am not going to church at all right now, to be honest I am struggling spiritually with staying focused or God is doing a work in me or whatever is going on, idk. .

The Bible says: "Faith comes by hearing...." Some people seem to want to make that out to only mean that your faith in God will grow as you hear. But this is only part of what that verse means. Our faith in just about ANYTHING will grow if we listen to it long enough. This includes things NOT of God, too...... and, we WILL listen to something, make no mistake about that. If it is not things of God we're listening to, then it leaves just a few other possibilities.

 

[Malachi]

Jesse,

Being a disciple of Christ is being a follower of the Lord. What this means is summed up in Philippians 2:5-8:
5Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

1. In order to be a disciple, we need to have the mind of Christ. His mind is clearly revealed in the written Word of God and that is where your focus should be. Everything we do and say must have corroboration from Scripture, chapter and verse.

2. The mind of Christ is summed up in the phrase "became obedient unto death". This means death to the old sinful nature and if necessary physical death because you have not denied Christ. Scripture shows that while God loved Paul, He put him through unimaginable sufferings (2 Cor 4:8-12). This was "death" working in Paul, which would eventually lead to great eternal rewards. Christ was exalted because He suffered and died. The same principle applies to every Christian when it comes to rewards.

3. The Lord plainly stated that in order to be His disciple, we must take up our "crosses" daily. That means that all the persections, rejections, and afflictions that come our way because we are Christians. The world hates us, and often, Christians despise those who stand on the truth and speak out against sin.

4. Whereas God is Love, and Christ is Love, the Lord Jesus says (Rev 3:19): "As many as I love, I REBUKE AND CHASTEN... Are you prepared to rebuke those brothers and sisters who sin against God, and are you prepared to chasten those whom you are required to discipline (your children)? We mistakenly think of God's love as mushy, and warm and fuzzy. That's why we need to go back to Scripture for all things which pertain to life and godliness.

 

[Jesse]

Thanks Malachi for answering. A few questions:
2). When you say death to the old sinful nature, is this what people mean when they say death to the inner man? Is this something that we can actually do - yes, we can say "no" to sin and in this God will supernaturally change us from the inside - out to transform us to the image of Christ, correct? I mean we can't actually change our inner man ourselves, right?

I have no idea what you mean by rewards? You mean rewards in heaven? Or what do you mean? The only reward I read about in heaven is the reward of the "crown of life". Thanks.

3). Do you mean in our character, in the way we react to our trials? Because I don't see a way around trials at all, they sort of smack us in the face. Of course, we do get ourselves into messes sometimes and our sin piles them on and can be avoided, but sometimes these are just there.

4). I suppose I would rebuke them as long as I have removed the plank from my own eye first. When the time comes, I hope I would be a good parent to my children.

Maybe it would be good to discuss those scriptures that pertain to "life and godliness"!

 

[for_his_glory]

Discipleship means those who follow the doctrines of Christ through Gods word and Servitude means to wait on or serve. It often denotes people who dedicate themselves voluntarily to the service of another. The servants of God are devoted to his service as they take His word out into the world, but not by word only, but by that of servitude which is described in Matthew 25:35-40.

 

[for_his_glory]

Hi Willie T,

What I think you are saying, and please correct me if I'm wrong, and I can only answer this question from my perspective of course, but I do notice there is a certain expectation of action, behavior and words used for people at church and if these are not done or said then a person could be considered an "outcast" or maybe a babe in Christ or simply just not saved. Even though the words used or the behaviors are not all that unchristian like, they are just not the norm of the church, nor are they "christianeze" if you know what I mean.

Is this what you mean?

What I want to know is how to truly be a disciple of Christ and not a disciple of man? What would you (and hopefully others will chime in) consider to be most helpful? What are stumbling blocks others have had to jump over as a disciple? As we fellowship with others in church, how do we know it is Christ we follow and not man?

I guess I am trying to gather the wisdom of the more experienced here, that is if people don't mind.

Hi Jesse and welcome to CF.

If I can chime in here never be concerned of what others think of you. Only concern yourself that you are faithful in obedience to Gods will and you are walking after His statures. All God expects of us is to love one another as this is His greatest commandment and to take His word out into the world with love and compassion. The best way to do that sometimes is staring out sharing your own testimony with others that do not know Christ. You will know it is Christ that you follow if you study the word for yourself through the Holy Spirit teaching you and try the spirits of what others speak to know for a surety they are speaking in truth or error, 1John 4:1-6. We can never exhaust the word of God as we are ever learning. God bless you on your journey in studying His word

 

[for_his_glory]

Jesse I also have a class I teach on Salvation on my website that might answer some of your questions if you want to read it. Just click on the website at the end of my post and it will take you straight to it.

 

[jay55]

There is a great study available on equipping yourself for discipleship.

www.discipleshipint.org
(Equip to Serve)

 

[Edward]

You ask good questions brother Jesse.

Briefly right now, I will lay down a few things but I have to go to work again so I'll follow up later.

You other brothers and sisters correct me where I'm wrong here, but from what I can tell, there are four levels of walk with the Lord.

1. Follower/Believer. This is the sort of person who attends church on Sunday, does believe in God, but still largely lives for himself or the world and is influenced by the world.

2. Friend. This is people who are more serious about their relationship with the Lord and do work for Him, take doctrine seriously...but have more of a relationship with the bible than God. (?)

3. Son. These are people who have a relationship with Jesus, a passion for knowing Him and obeying His commandments.

4. Bride. These are people who have a passion for the Lord and a spotless relationship with Him and do not have hidden vices. The shine a light brightly, walk in the Spirit constantly and basically have the mind of Christ.

Now this is all spoken loosely, I may have forgotten something, be slightly off track a little...but generally...this is pretty much how I see it. I think "Disciple" would be in there somewhere (loosely) in or about 2 or 3 somewhere. I'm hurrying right now, to go to work, but this thread interests me, so I wanted to put something down and get into it in more detail later.

Bless you all brothers and sisters.

It's up to us how far we go with our relationship, excepting perhaps being "Bride"...that may be up to Jesus to bestow that honor upon us.

 

[for_his_glory]

You ask good questions brother Jesse.

Briefly right now, I will lay down a few things but I have to go to work again so I'll follow up later.

You other brothers and sisters correct me where I'm wrong here, but from what I can tell, there are four levels of walk with the Lord.

1. Follower/Believer. This is the sort of person who attends church on Sunday, does believe in God, but still largely lives for himself or the world and is influenced by the world.

2. Friend. This is people who are more serious about their relationship with the Lord and do work for Him, take doctrine seriously...but have more of a relationship with the bible than God. (?)

3. Son. These are people who have a relationship with Jesus, a passion for knowing Him and obeying His commandments.

4. Bride. These are people who have a passion for the Lord and a spotless relationship with Him and do not have hidden vices. The shine a light brightly, walk in the Spirit constantly and basically have the mind of Christ.

Now this is all spoken loosely, I may have forgotten something, be slightly off track a little...but generally...this is pretty much how I see it. I think "Disciple" would be in there somewhere (loosely) in or about 2 or 3 somewhere. I'm hurrying right now, to go to work, but this thread interests me, so I wanted to put something down and get into it in more detail later.

Bless you all brothers and sisters.

It's up to us how far we go with our relationship, excepting perhaps being "Bride"...that may be up to Jesus to bestow that honor upon us.

very good summary Edward

 

[Kathi]

Question: "What is Christian discipleship?"

Answer:By definition, a disciple is a follower, one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another. A Christian disciple is a person who accepts and assists in the spreading of the good news of Jesus Christ. Christian discipleship is the process by which disciples grow in the Lord Jesus Christ and are equipped by the Holy Spirit, who resides in our hearts, to overcome the pressures and trials of this present life and become more and more Christlike. This process requires believers to respond to the Holy Spirit’s prompting to examine their thoughts, words and actions and compare them with the Word of God. This requires that we be in the Word daily—studying it, praying over it, and obeying it. In addition, we should always be ready to give testimony of the reason for the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15) and to disciple others to walk in His way. According to Scripture, being a Christian disciple involves personal growth characterized by the following:

1. Putting Jesus first in all things (Mark 8:34-38).The disciple of Christ needs to be set apart from the world. Our focus should be on our Lord and pleasing Him in every area of our lives. We must put off self-centeredness and put on Christ-centeredness.

2. Following Jesus' teachings (John 8:31-32).We must be obedient children and doers of the Word. Obedience is the supreme test of faith in God (1 Samuel 28:18), and Jesus is the perfect example of obedience as He lived a life on earth of complete obedience to the Father even to the point of death (Philippians 3:6-8).

3. Fruitfulness (John 15:5-8).Our job is not producing fruit. Our job is to abide in Christ, and if we do, the Holy Spirit will produce the fruit, and this fruit is the result of our obedience. As we become more obedient to the Lord and learn to walk in His ways, our lives will change. The biggest change will take place in our hearts, and the overflow of this will be new conduct (thoughts, words and actions) representative of that change. The change we seek is done from the inside out, through the power of the Holy Spirit. It isn’t something we can conjure up on our own.

4. Love for other disciples (John 13:34-35).We are told that love of other believers is the evidence of our being a member of God's family (1 John 3:10). Love is defined and elaborated on in1 Corinthians 13:1-13. These verses show us that love is not an emotion; it is action. We must be doing something and involved in the process. Furthermore, we are told to think more highly of others than of ourselves and to look out for their interests (Philippians 2:3-4). The next verse in Philippians (verse 5) really sums up what we are to do when it comes to everything in life: "our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." What a perfect example He is to us for everything we are to do in our Christian walk.

5. Evangelism - Making disciples of others (Matthew 28:18-20).We are to share our faith and tell nonbelievers about the wonderful changes Jesus Christ has made in our lives. No matter what our maturity level in the Christian life, we have something to offer. Too often, we believe the lie from Satan that we don't really know enough or haven't been a Christian long enough to make a difference. Not true! Some of the most enthusiastic representatives of the Christian life are new believers who have just discovered the awesome love of God. They may not know a lot of Bible verses or the "accepted" way of saying things, but they have experienced the love of the living God, and that is exactly what we are to share.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-discipleship.html#ixzz3JkYTYpd1

 

[Edward]

very good summary Edward

Thank you sister.

That was very hurriedly. I'm trying to get out the door to go work, two more jobs to do yet today. I wish my boy would hurry up!

I shall return...