Making disciples is a part of our mission because it’s a part of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Many of you are already involved in it and some without even realizing! If you’re not sure, it’s not as difficult or intimidating as you may think or as it may sound. Hopefully, we can clear that up a bit…
For starters, you could consider someone or a few people (of the same gender) who you know well in the church and that you would commit to praying for regularly. Maybe you start out by committing to call each other in the middle of the week to check up on how things are going and look for opportunities to encourage each other with the Word.
For starters, you could consider someone or a few people (of the same gender) who you know well in the church and that you would commit to praying for regularly. Maybe you start out by committing to call each other in the middle of the week to check up on how things are going and look for opportunities to encourage each other with the Word.
Or consider someone you don’t know too well and make an attempt to get to know them! Share with them of how you came to know Christ and maybe they would like to share with you as well. It may sound like you will have to go out of your way and many times you will. It doesn’t require rearranging your life but it does require commitment.
You don’t have to be having an all-out theological discussion for it to be discipleship. You don’t have to be doing an inductive study on a book of the Bible. Those things are great if that is what you are up to but that is not the first step for many.
What’s most important is that you have a purpose and that you are “on purpose” in your efforts. What purpose is that? To put it simply, it is to seek the spiritual good of your brother or sister in Christ! This is not something we can do apart from the Word and prayer but it does not have to be as complicated as we often make it.
There are a few ways that the members of Providence are already actively pursuing this kind of discipleship as a church. Some of those are built into the week already. We have different groups of men and women who are meeting at different times of the week and in different locations all with different routines; some groups of 2-3 and others of as many as 15; some of exclusively members of Providence and some open to the community; some more focused on fellowship, some prayer, and some Bible study. In all of these, relationships are being built and progress is being made in spiritual growth. If none of these things fit your schedule, that’s okay! If you need help thinking more on how to become a disciple-making-disciple, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our elders or to someone close to you in the church. We also have many resources that could be of help to you at the back tables on Sunday.
Life is busy and very crazy at times but God in His grace has not created us to walk alone in the Christian life. That is all the more reason to stay connected to each other in prayer and purposeful relationships as we pursue faithfulness to the mission as disciple-making-disciples.
If you would like to read more about discipleship, below is a document that may help you to understand and to commit to this joyful and needful work in the Lord: