What is a disciple? Think of a disciple. Any disciple. Ok, who did you think of? Peter? James? John? or one of Jesus’ other close followers? How about Paul or Barnabas? Or maybe you thought of your pastor, a missionary, or a really dedicated Christian friend? How about yourself? Did you put yourself in that same category? Today, it’s a common misconception to think of the call to discipleship as something above and beyond the call of the typical believer. But the call to discipleship really applies to all believers, not just a few. In fact, the word “Christian” really means “disciple”. In the earliest days of the church, every believer was known as a disciple. The word “Christian” wasn’t …Continue reading →
The first topic in this discipleship class is Bible study because the Bible serves as the foundation of our understanding on which to build a strong relationship with God. Everything we know about God, who He is and His will for us, is found in the Bible. What is the Bible good for? Immature believers are like babies or young children – they tend to be dependent on those who led them to Christ. With new believers, for a time it seems this must be, but no believer should stay this way. Just as children must be trained to become mature adults, independent of their parents, so it is with young believers. All of us must transfer our reliance for …Continue reading →
While Bible study’s purpose is to learn more about God, quiet time is more focused on spending time alone with God, developing your relationship with Him, letting Him speak to you, and strengthening you for the day. Quiet time is also sometimes called ‘devotions’ or ‘meditation’. Don’t confuse this with the New Age concept of meditation. It is not emptying your mind, but filling it, using it. The word ‘meditation’ means in-depth thinking or contemplating. It often astonishes me that I did not see the importance of meditation upon Scripture earlier in my Christian life. As the outward man is not fit for work for any length of time unless he eats, so it is with the inner man. What …Continue reading →
Prayer is essential for the growth of your relationship with God. As in any healthy relationship, communication must go both ways. Not only must you listen to God speak to you through His word, you must also talk to Him, knowing that He hears you. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. – Psalm 145:18-19 I would rather train twenty men to pray, than a thousand to preach; – A minister’s highest mission ought to be to teach his people to pray. – H. MacGregor Prayer was something that Jesus …Continue reading →
Fasting tends to be a neglected area of discipleship today, yet fasting was common in the early church. When the Bible speaks of fasting, it assumes that it is something believers will do. Jesus began His instructions on fasting in Matthew 6:16 with “when you fast”, not “if you fast”. What is fasting? Fasting in the Bible almost always refers to going without food (and sometimes water) for a length of time. The greek word for fasting, nesteia , means “not to eat”. Types of fasts mentioned in the Bible: Normal fast: Abstain from food but not water. Much of the time the fast would be only during the daylight hours. Partial fast: Abstain from certain foods (Passover – no …Continue reading →
The topic of faith isn’t usually covered in a course on discipleship. It is assumed that once you believe in Jesus, you’ve already learned enough about faith… you just need to put it more and more into practice. However, many believers have different ideas about what faith is, so I think this topic needs to be understood better. Without faith in God, no spiritual growth is possible. You must have faith in God in order to please Him: But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. – Hebrews 11:6 (MKJV) “Saving faith” is only the beginning …Continue reading →
You can rest secure in your salvation. Jesus’ death paid the penalty for all of your sin, therefore you will not be condemned if you sin: “He who believes in Him is not condemned; … – John 3:18 (ACV) However, sin will affect your relationship with God, therefore you need to understand it and know how to deal with it. What is sin? Each believer has different ideas about what things are sin. What some think is sin, others do not. J. Vernon McGee gave this illustration. My wife was reared in Texas in a Southern Baptist church. She was brought up by a mother and father and pastor who believed that mixed bathing {swimming} was sinful. Then when she …Continue reading →
The Flesh vs. The Spirit Many, if not most, believers struggle to live the Christian life. Salvation was easy – just believe in Jesus and you’re saved. But living the life for some reason is hard. In Romans, Paul wrote about our freedom from the penalty of sin, and instructed us not to let sin reign in us (“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.” Romans 6:12). But after that he spoke of His own incapacity to live a righteous life: For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will …Continue reading →
The Bible says you were created for God, for the purpose of glorifying Him: For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. – Colossians 1:16 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” – Revelation 4:11 Man was created in God’s image which gave man a unique capacity to glorify God. However, when Adam sinned, humanity’s ability to glorify God was marred. God’s purpose in saving you was that you might fulfill your original …Continue reading →
What is worship? What do you think of when you hear the word worship? Meeting together at church? Singing hymns or praise songs? While the church meeting is called a worship service, true worship is not primarily a corporate act, but an individual lifestyle and mindset. Yes, we all meet together to worship, but this is primarily to edify the body, to build up the church, which is only one way to worship God. The hebrew word for worship, “shachah”, means to bow down, to prostrate oneself, to reverence, to do homage. The greek word, “proskuneo”, means to kiss the hand in token of reverence, as someone would do when bowing before a ruler. “Proskeneo” also means to kneel or …Continue reading →
