The Spiritual Tradition Of The Church

Discsipleship is based on the belief that being a Christian and follower of Jesus comes at a he literally odifferentiates between costly grace and cheap grace. Costly grace is what is required. Cheap grace will destroy the church. We are called to be disciple and it is necessary to include Jesus Christ and give your life to following Christ. Simple obedience to God is necessary. There is a need to suffer as Christ suffered if we pick up the cross to follow Jesus.

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Small group environments help every part grow into their right place in the body. “Discipleship is about providing a means by which we begin to shepherd people in the direction of maturity.” It requires effort and intentionality to help people grow, discover their gifts and use them for the health of the body.

Discipleship is about engaging in the Word, following and obeying Jesus and going out to make disciples. An essential element in being a disciple is to be open to learning, to be teachable. It is a mindset to be continuously adopted and cultivated. For us to disciple others, we must be a better disciple ourselves. When making disciples, we are instructing others to be willing to be a discoverer. It applies to both spiritual growth as well as personal development, openness to new techniques, ideas and methods in all aspects of life. Our spiritual learning comes from delving into His

Program of discipleship is the lifelong activity of transformation that begins when a person becomes a Christian and progresses as spiritual maturity is achieved through Bible study and Christian service and experience (Welch.315).

According to Early & Dempsey, “a disciple is a person, while discipleship is a process. A disciple is a passionate follower of Jesus Christ who is intimately involved in the mission of Christ. On the other hand, discipleship is the process of moving the disciple towards spiritual maturity and the mission of Christ. Being a disciple is God’s perfect will for every individual life; however, discipleship is God’s will for every individual church” [1]

Rediscovering Discipleship emphases the importance of both evangelism and discipleship. While the two are different and distinct, both are crucial aspects to building the church. Gallaty gives helpful tips and insight on what discipleship looks like and how to cultivate discipleship groups in a church setting. The three most important things that I took away from this book are the following: thinking Hebraically, encouraging new believers to engage in ministry, and how to cultivate a healthy discipleship group.

Throughout the book, the author carefully details the need for balance between theology and spirituality, and psychology and Christianity. Though the author discusses methods and approaches that are spiritual but based on a strong theological foundation. “Nothing is more crucial to an effective Christian life that a clear awareness of its foundation” (p. 25). Essentially Crabb (1977) maintains that spirituality is a product of the correct thinking associated with strong theological foundation.

Discipleship students, or those who already have a faith commitment, tend to immediately join one of two categories. The first, or Stagnant, students are those who “made a decision to follow Christ at some time in life but never really grew in faith.” These students, from the outside, look very similar to the world as “the distinction between churched and unchurched students is rapidly shrinking.” These students require time to draw them into a

So discipleship can be summed up; to follow, to learn, to preach, to believe, to serve. All factors are

Spirituality and religion hold different values and truths depending on your personal beliefs. Being religious is a belief or practice that contains certain values one should follow. When looking deeper into religion you can find spirituality which is the part of religion that effects our spirit and soul, it is not tangible. “The Sacred within” is spirituality and pertains to God dwelling inside of our heart and soul. When looking at “the sacred within” there are certain senses that we can tap into so, we may obtain that sort of spirituality. Through solitude, silence, imagination, and nature, we can have a better sense of spirituality.

Over the years, many models have been developed and implemented to endeavor to make disciples. Some of the models have been effective and others have not. Among some of the most biblical and efficient models are the ones that involve small groups. Within the small groups models, they can be broken down into further detail, such as pastoral involvement, the church’s goal, missions mindedness, etc. In this paper, I will explain my philosophy of small groups in a church and the importance of the relational group in authentic disciple making. I will also explain how missional groups can help the body of Christ move out into the community. Finally, I will summarize my status in regards to living in community with other believers and being missional with that community.

In 1974 Dulles published Models of the Church to address questions concerning ecclesiology-the study of the church. Many people believe that they know the meaning of the church, which is a place to become closer to God. However, there is more than what meets the eye when it comes to the Church, since it is a very complex organization. Dulles' book identifies and describes the different functions the Church possesses which Jesus Christ founded and continues to oversee today. He categorizes the models into five aspects: Church as institution, Church as mystical communion, Church as sacrament, Church as herald, Church as servant, and lastly his new model Church as community. In this

Relational. The ministry of Jesus was focused on people and meeting their needs. Spending time with others, both individually and through corporate gatherings, is modeled throughout the Bible. Fellowship with other believers in small groups allows individuals to forge relationships and develop accountability at some level. These deeper bonds demonstrate to others their love for God and others by loving God’s Law, obeying it by God’s grace, and allowing it to lead to Jesus Christ for transformation into His image.

In his book, Student Ministry and the Supremacy of Christ, Richard Ross states “the goal of student ministry is students who, for the glory of the Father and in the power of the Spirit, spend a lifetime embracing the full supremacy of the Son, responding to His majesty in all of life, inviting Christ to live His life through them, and joining Him in making disciples among all peoples.” This goal is highly inconceivable if discipleship is neglected. Upon interviewing my Youth Minister, Benjie Mathis, I arrived at the conclusion that discipleship is a weakness in the programming of the youth ministry.

Small groups are crucial to the life of any new church. These groups are much more than a place to learn Bible stories. Rather, the ability to connect with fellow Christians in a real community is what defines discipleship. Traditionally, small groups such as Sunday school focused on what you need to know, but successful groups focus on who you need to be with. Ultimately, if a church member connects with a few other people in a small group setting, then they will eventually learn essential doctrine required for sanctification.