Disciple Making 101 – What is discipleship?
Jeff Vanderstelt defines discipleship as follows:
This definition is very helpful and serves as a great starting point to how we want to make disciples at Grace Church. We are to live all of our lives under the Lordship of Jesus. This is a counter-cultural ideal in a world that values radical autonomy on every level. The result is a deeply wounded, selfish and broken world. When the church lives differently, we display a healing, hope, and joy that is uncommon in the world.
In the last article, I outlined obedience to Jesus using the triad of Time, Talent and Treasure. But our obedience and submission are not limited just this things. Our world is suffering from a deep sexual brokenness. Many men are suffering from a hidden addiction to pornography and feel trapped in it. They don’t think they will be loved or accepted if they bring their addiction out into the light. Additionally, our world is redefining sexuality at such as rapid pace that it is making our heads spin. We need not only a sexual ethic, we need to find a sexuality that is rooted in the historic Christian witness.
Our world is also suffering from relational deprivation as well as a distorted vision of leisure. First, our relational selves are suffering because we are basically living lives in isolation. You may be married and have a flock of children running around, but the loneliness is still there. Couples need other couples in Christ, men need other brothers in Christ and women need other sisters in Christ. As for leisure, we live in a city that boasts some of the best options for leisure in the United States. We have great music, arts, sports and outdoor leisure there is. Sadly, most of that is done selfishly and not as a means to glorify Jesus in our rest.
Recently, our elders and deacons outlined a 5 step process by which we can begin to grade how disciples are being made in our church.
- Knowing the Gospel (Gospel Fluency)
- Caring for and from the church
- Growing in the Word & Prayer
- Discovering & Deploying our Gifts
- Replicating this with others.
The reality is that EVERY person at Grace can learn to do this. Would you join us as we seek to better equip and send out disciple-makers from within our church?
In the next article, I will outline a basic vision that we have been work operating off of since our inception. It is not always readily apparent but we believe it is the vision God has for His church. In the end, when the elders shepherd well through the Word & Worship, we will see true followers of Jesus moved toward meaningful Community and Mission on their own.
Stay Tuned.
