HOW DO WE GROW AS DISCIPLES?

 

To become strong disciples of Jesus Christ, there are 3 Dimensions or areas that we need to continually grow in –  upward, inward and outward (Link to page 1 of the Discipleship section) and we have been given the Holy Spirit to guide us and help us in this. (Link to page 3 of the Salvation section).

 

When Jesus came to the earth, He gathered and grew disciples who continued to grow and disciple others after Jesus' resurrection. As we look at some of the ways they did this, we can learn some practical ways to grow as well.

 

ACCEPT HIS INVITATION TO FOLLOW HIM

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The first thing that the disciples needed to do to become His disciples was accept Jesus' invitation to follow Him. This was an invitation into a new lifestyle that involved leaving some things behind and embracing new teaching and ways of living. Becoming a disciple of Jesus is not just about our acceptance of the Gospel but our acceptance of a new lifestyle which comes through our ongoing obedience to the leading, teaching and correction of the Holy Spirit.

 

LISTEN AND LEARN ABOUT GOD

 

When Jesus walked on the earth, He gathered His disciples around Him to teach them about God's heart, nature and ways.  The main way that we listen and learn about God is through the Bible which is His Word.  The Bible is not just a book or collection of books, it is the inspired Word of God which is living and active.  As we read and listen to the Bible, God's Word supernaturally works in our hearts to reveal the truth about God and helps us to discern the attitudes and behaviours that are from the world that need to change.

 

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HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH JESUS

 

Jesus' disciples regularly asked Him questions and looked to Him for answers. They shared their concerns and confusions with Him and listened to His answers and direction. Prayer is the word that we usually use to describe the process of talking with the Lord, sharing our concerns and confusions, asking for His help and wisdom, thanking Him and praising Him. We also listen to His answers and look for His response in our lives. 

  

RESPOND TO REVELATION OF THE LORD

 

Throughout the Bible, when people encountered God, the revelation of Him moved them to worship Him.  Their response took many forms – bowing down, singing, dancing, building, clapping, shouting, giving, being still in awe and wonder are just a few. Worship is a response of our whole being, our mind, our will, our emotions, our body to our awesome Creator God and to His Son, Jesus Christ.  As we grow in our revelation of God, our desire to respond to Him grows and we discover ways to express our love for Him and respond with our whole being to Him through our worship of Him when we are alone and with other disciples.

 

APPLY HIS TEACHING

 

In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus spoke about the importance of putting His words into practice.  He said that when we do this, we are like a wise man who built his house upon a rock. In other words, we create firm foundations for our lives built upon Him.  Becoming a disciple is not just about learning Jesus' teaching but living it and the more that we apply it to our lives, the more we grow as a real disciple of Jesus Christ.

 

LIVE AS FAMILY

 

Jesus described His disciples as His brothers and sisters and they lived together as a family.  In this environment, they learnt to live together, love one another, care for one another, forgive each other, help one another, accept each other and so much more.  As disciples, we are meant to do life together, committed to a spiritual family called the Church. In this environment, as we do life together, we have opportunities to put Jesus' teaching into practice and we really learn the character changing lessons needed for us to grow into the likeness of Christ.

 

VALUE MENTORING

 

Jesus first discipled those He had chosen to be His disciples then He told them to go and make disciples of all nations. In the New Testament, we see people being mentored or discipled and mentoring or discipling others. The apostle Paul was first mentored by Barnabas and, later, Paul mentored Timothy and Titus.  Mentoring is when a more experienced person passes on what they have learnt, helping to guide and support a less experienced person so that they can grow more quickly.

 

BE A WITNESS

 

Jesus made it clear that His disciples would be His witnesses. A witness is someone who speaks about and shares what they have seen, heard or experienced.  As we share about Jesus Christ and what we have experienced, we grow in our faith and our ability to share Him with those around us. If we are continually growing as disciples, our lives changing as we discover more about Him, we will always have something new to share about Jesus Christ!