Christian Discipleship

Christian Discipleship is the continual efforts to conform the body of Christ to his image by sharing doctrinal truth, growing in faithful holiness, and demonstrating practical love. While evangelism is directed towards the unbeliever to bring them to spiritual life, discipleship is designed for the believer to sanctify them and make them like Jesus. In the most literal form, a disciple is a person who follows the teaching of another. It comes from the Greek term mathētēs which means "learner" or "follower." While there were twelve highlighted disciples that followed Jesus throughout his life, all Christians are disciples because they abide by Christ's teachings. An important fact to always remember about discipleship is that it is never done alone. A believer can study and learn by reading the Bible by themselves, but discipleship is always an intentional shared effort to pursue godliness. 

Discipleship occurs when two or more believers gather together and push one another to love Jesus more. A few ways for Christians to disciple one another include...

1. The Local Church: Gathering for corporate worship is a basic need for a believer. Within church membership, believers experience Biblical teaching and shepherding by their pastor and get to experience a taste of heaven when gathered together. A church to join in the area is Faith Church, but even if it is not the place for you it is important to participate in a Bible believing Church that will help you grow and learn to serve others. Faith Church offers Biblically sound classes that teach on a topical basis to supplement what is being preached on Sunday morning.

2. Small Groups: Small groups are practical for diving deep into a portion of scripture. They are discussions with the intention of sharing what the Holy Spirit is revealing through the text, and constantly learning from one another. Studies are best when everyone is eager to learn more about the word of God and to share what they have learned.

3. Mentoring: Christian mentoring occurs when one believer, typically older, but primarily more mature in faith, formally disciples another believer that is less mature in faith. It is a humble act to be mentored, as it states that you accept that you need growth and that others can help you grow. Likewise, being a mentor requires wisdom and will grow you as well as grow the mentee since teaching and leading always involves learning.

4. Peer Accountability: Having a peer-to-peer accountability relationship with close friends gets at the heart of fellowship, and is essential to conquering sin and navigating through challenging trials. Friends should be constantly encouraging one another to listen and obey Jesus, and to remember the promises of God when difficulty arises. This type of relationship should be intentional, as Christians must wage a war against sin every day. A model for an accountability that we use in PBF is S.O.F.T. Accountability.

5. Spiritual Conversation: Discussing what it means to have an accurate understanding of the Bible and a structured Christian worldview is an enriching experience that glorifies God by dwelling on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Such conversations can be casual and unplanned or formal and scheduled like a Bible study.