Discipleship: Faith and Practice
This page is intended to be a resource for believers who are seeking to grow as disciples of Jesus. Too often believers are satisfied with a surface relationship with the Lord. Being saved and living a decent life is good enough for them. But we have been called to be more than that. We are to die to ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow Jesus.
The articles on this page roughly fall into two categories. The first concerns our faith, the doctrines that believers hold to. Knowing doctrine goes beyond just an intellectual exercise. The goal is to become better acquainted with our Lord and what he is about. The second category concerns our practice as believers. These are disciplines that every believer should seek to incorporate into their lives.
Basic Topics
Disciplines
- Bible Study: Spending time in the Bible, reading, studying, and meditating on its words is one of the most important things that you can do as a believer.
- Spending Time Together: As believers, we are called to be in community, spending time together. To edify, encourage, and positively influence each other.
- Worshipping Together: One of the activities of the early church was worshipping God together as a body. Worship will draw us together and into communion with God.
- Drawing Near in Prayer: One of the most important things we can do as believers is to draw near to God in prayer. It is a great privilege that he has given to us.
Doctrine
- Understanding Who God Is: This article looks to provide a simple answer to this question. It is part of a larger series on discipleship.
- What Is Humanity?: Where did we come from? What was God’s purpose in creating us? And what are we like? This article will explore these.
- What Is Sin?: Sin is acting on my own selfish desires and counter to God’s desire for me. Sin leads to eternal separation from God.
- Who Is Jesus?: What humanity could not do for ourselves, God did by sending Jesus, his Son, to be our savior. He gave up his life on the cross for my sin.
- What is Salvation?: This basic overview of salvation looks at salvation from three perspectives. An initial experience, an ongoing walk, and a final culmination.
Advanced Topics
Disciplines
- Gifted to Serve: Every believer within the body of Christ has been gifted to serve the body. Discover your giftedness and be faithful to your calling.
- Meditation, Solitude, and Fasting: Meditation, solitude, and fasting are all spiritual disciplines that will greatly benefit the one who practices them.
Doctrine
- What Is the Bible?: The Bible is a collection of writings, by a variety of human authors. It is inspired by God, truthful in its teaching, and authoritative for the believer.
- The Holy Spirit: The nature and work of the Holy Spirit is an important topic. He is essential to our lives as believers and as the church.
- The Church: What is the church? The church is both the universal body of believers over time and space as well as local gatherings of believers.
- Creation and Providence: Creation deals with God’s involvement in the origin of the universe and life. Providence is concerned with the management of his creation.
- The Kingdom of God: What is the Kingdom of God that is spoken of so much in the New Testament? It is the spiritual rule of God in the life of believers.
- The Second Coming:
Miscellaneous Articles on Discipleship
- Discipleship: What Does It Mean to Be a Disciple of Jesus? – As followers of Jesus, we are called to discipleship. Not to sit on the sidelines and cheer. But getting involved in the kingdom.
- How to be Effective and Productive in Christ – 2 Peter 1:5-9 – Being effective and productive in the work of the kingdom requires that we be growing in the virtues of our faith. Never be satisfied.
- Discipleship: How To Become a Disciple of Jesus – How does a person become a disciple of Jesus. It first requires a new birth. And then it requires a commitment to give up all and follow.
- Discipleship Starts with Being a Learner – At the foundation of being a disciple is being a learner. Learn the lessons that Jesus has to teach us in his Word and through the Holy Spirit.
- The Cost of Discipleship – Luke 14:33 – What is the cost of discipleship? Jesus says here that unless I give up all that I have, I cannot be his disciple. Discipleship requires that I give everything to him.
Disclaimer
The views expressed here are solely mine and do not necessarily reflect those of any other person, group, or organization. While I believe they reflect the teachings of the Bible, I am a fallible human and subject to misunderstanding. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions about this post in the comments section below. I am always interested in your feedback.
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