Spiritual Growth Helps
I recognize that being a disciple of Jesus Christ is first and foremost a relationship. It is a restored relationship with the Father through the Son who paid the price for our sin and gave us purpose and a mission. It is living like and looking like Jesus. It is…
What actions would benefit a disciple at each of these discipleship (spiritual maturity) phases: baby, child, teen, adult? In what actions/activities should the individual be involved and which ones could the church provide that would encourage spiritual progress? I am still chewing through these thoughts. Naturally some of the actions/activities…
Disciples are not super-Christians. They are followers of Jesus Christ. At the same time, disciples are more than converts. They have moved beyond profession of faith into a lifelong pursuit of living life like Jesus. Some have come to view discipleship as a extra activity for the those who have…
What would be the result of parents who celebrated the birth of a child and then went about their own pursuits, neglecting the child? The child would suffer from neglect and die. The parents would be guilty of child neglect and abuse. Observers would be condemning. In the words of…
I want to invite every person (pastor, staff, volunteer) who has a passion for and questions about discipleship to set aside October 24-25, 2013, to be a part of the DiscipleShift: 1 conference at Eastside Community Church, 2010 Catalpa Loop, Richmond, Kentucky. DiscipleShift: 1 is a unique two-day experience that will both…
One of the most obvious evidences of our walk with Christ is joy. The word joy appears 218 times in the Bible. Deep joy should be a constant quality in the life of a follower of Christ. Happiness is more dependent on your circumstances. Things go well at work or…
A new year is a good time to take a spiritual inventory. One great place to start is making sure you know what your spiritual gifts are. Ken Hemphill defines a spiritual gift as…“an individual manifestation of grace from the Father that enables you to serve Him and thus play…
The way churches view and conduct discipleship is changing. In the past we have seen discipleship primarily as offering a series of un-connected courses or doctrinal training. We assumed that a mature Christian was someone who really had Bible facts nailed down. Our mistake was assuming that a cognitive experience…
As we look back 10 years to 9/11 all of us remember where we were and exactly what we were doing on that dreadful day. It was a day that changed all of us in many ways. Even the numbers 9/11 denote a day that causes us to explode with…
Roland Allen tells about a veteran missionary who came up to him one day after he had delivered his sermon. The missionary introduced himself & said, “I was a medical missionary for many years in India. I served in a region where there was progressive blindness. People were born with…
Two encounters are critical. First, the leader encounters God in His Word and is changed. Second, the leader guides the group to have a life-changing encounter.