Over the next three blogs (which will take us to 10) I want for us to explore the ‘How-to’ of discipleship. We have already talked about the necessity of the body of Christ for our continued sanctification; a church that faithfully preaches teaches and ministers the gospel. We have also understood that a disciple of Christ needs to develop relationships that are focused on sanctification; relationships that allow us to “grow in the grace and
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18) These last blogs will explore what is at the heart of true discipleship relationships; the things that are necessary for building a relationship that allows each person to grow maximally in their faith in Christ. At the heart of discipleship is a relationship in which one or more believers assist or invest in each other in order to grow to maturity in Christ. (cf. Ogden, Transforming Discipleship, ch 6)
(NOTE: I will conclude this blog with a word to Pastors and church leaders regarding how to foster these kinds of relationships in your church) Continue reading “Understanding the ‘How-to’ of Discipleship: Part 8 of a (probably) 10 part series on Discipleship”
context of the local church. God does not intend for us to grow in our faith alone, in fact it is clear that this is not really possible. We also saw that there is a great barrier to growing in our relationship with Christ – sin. We understood that it is a pervasive problem for us that cannot be solved by anything we can do. The last blog examine the need for the gospel alone to reverse our sin problem. The gospel is easy enough to understand in four words – God, Sin, Christ, Response – but is so often neglected when we seek to be disciples of Christ or help others in their discipleship. The gospel is, as Tripp says, our only hope — “Hope is only to be found in Jesus Christ… In him, lasting, personal change is possible. Any other message encourages false hope.”
in the open mouth of their beloved and beautiful white tiger, Mantecore. It was supposed to be another show in a long line of shows, but this time, when Roy stuck his head in the gaping maw of the tiger, the crowd gasped, not in amazement but in horror. The 380 lb tiger bit down on Roy’s head and neck and dragged him away. Once freed from the animal, Roy was left critically injured, fighting for his life. Though he would survive the ordeal would end their decades-long run at the Mirage hotel. 
Christ desires his followers to be disciples. Actually, that’s not entirely right. True followers of Christ ARE disciples. As we discovered in our last post there are not two categories of people who follow Christ – Christians, and disciples. There are only to be disciples. Somehow we have bought into the idea that we can be merely Christians, have public and private convictions that are Christian, without sacrificing what is needed to become disciples of Christ. In this usage of terms, the Christian is someone who assents to Christ and his work, assents to his need for salvation and may even live some parts of his life to that end. But the disciple, the kind of follower that Jesus truly desires, is someone who, as Dallas Willard states,