Personal Development

As A Disciple of Christ

Scroll down to find useful Podcasts, Books, Videos, Phone Apps, & More to help you grow in your faith and increase your ability to pass it on to others!

What is a Disciple?

A Disciple is someone who has Discipline. (See Hebrews 12:6-11)

'Disciple' comes from the latin 'discipulus' meaning pupil. A disciple follows a Master Teacher in order to learn. The training that is received during this period is known as 'discipline.' Once the pupil has mastered the discipline at hand, receiving full instruction, the disciple will be a little copy of the Master.

Jesus is our Master Teacher and as Christians we are called to become 'little Christs.'

We are all called to be Missionary Disciples, spreading the Good News and bringing the love of God to everyone we encounter.

WATCH: Jesus and the Call to Discipleship

R.I.M.

To be a good disciple, remember the acronym RIM:

Relationship - you have access to the Father's Heart through baptism
Identity - your deepest identity is being a Beloved Child of God
Mission - how God is specifically asking you to spread the Light of Christ in the world

We must begin with a strong Relationship with the Lord, which leads us to deeply know and believe our Identity as a beloved child, which then leads us to the specific Mission God is calling us to. Often we derive our Identity from our Mission (or work), thinking that our work gives us our worth or value. However this is backwards. Our Identity comes directly from our Relationship with God. The Lord loved you into existence, He delights in you, and you cannot earn or lose His love.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AS A DISCIPLE

Revive Parishes – particularly Discipleship with Julianne Stanz and Everyday Apostles with Ryan O’Hara
Spiritual Warfare & Discernment of Spirits - FREE Video Workshop Series
Finding Peace Through Prayer - FREE Video Workshop Series
Be Formed - a 90 Day Discipleship Experience
Living As Missionary Disciples - from the USCCB
An Evangelizing Catechesis Masterclass - from Sadlier
Get Principles - Free Lectures & Classes from Christendom College
The Evangelizing Catechist - with Joe Paprocki
Institute on the Catechism Resources
Liber Christo

Baptismal Identity

Part of your Baptismal Identity includes being anointed as:

Priest - you are called to sanctify your life and the world around you, and to offer prayers & sacrifices for others

Prophet - you are called to witness to God with your words and actions, to speak the truth in love, and reveal God’s presence in the world through your life

King - you are called to order, govern, and protect what has been entrusted to you including your life, possessions, and relationships

Jesus, who is God's beloved son in whom He is well pleased, is also the Way (King), the Truth (Prophet), and the Life (Priest). [See Matthew 3:17 and John 14:6]

WATCH: Claiming Your Baptismal Identity

What is the Kerygma?

'Kerygma' means proclamation.

It is the preaching of the Good News (the Gospel) of Jesus Christ.

There are four basic points within the kerygma:

God created man and we were good,
Humans distrusted God and sin entered the world through their disobedience,
From the very first moment that humans ruptured their relationship with God, He had a plan to rescue them by sending His only Son, Jesus, to save them from their sins,
We are called to respond to the love and salvation of God by repenting from our sins, being baptized, and living new lives according to the Spirit instead of the flesh (Acts 37-41).

Witness & With-ness

Faith is Personal, not Private. Your personal witness to the Gospel and your relationship with God is the most powerful way you can pass on the faith to the youth. Be with your students, creating authentic relationships with them and their families, as you witness to them. You are a Guide for the journey that your students will embark upon, leading them to discover truths of the faith and encounter the Lord.

"Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person they are almost indistinguishable."

~David Augsburger

Reflect: How well can you see Christ in others, especially those closest to you? When is it easier to see Him and love Him in others, and when do you struggle?