Posts with the category “discipleship”

So how do we make our love for Christ put skin on bones and be a living example of it? One way is through our giving.   Read More

When it comes to giving, let's remember that it's not just about money. It's about our hearts, our trust in God, our commitment to being true disciples of Christ and being thankful for all that He has given us.  Read More

Let's get real for a second. Unity isn't always easy. We all have our quirks and differences, and sometimes those can lead to misunderstandings or conflicts. We can have the best intentions, yet our follow-through can be lacking.  Read More

We are incapable of taking on the forces of evil without the support of the big "C" church. The Church is a force for the Kingdom of God. We exist to take on the forces of evil, and we aren't supposed to do that alone.  Read More

As Christians, we're called to live with an eternal perspective, focusing on the things that truly matter. We're called to be salt and light, preserving truth and illuminating the darkness.  Read More

Here’s the funny thing about power. In order to satisfy that hunger, you have to have more than the others around you. Otherwise, you don’t really have power, because others don’t have to bow to you.  Read More

Love isn’t easy, and it isn’t cheap. Truly loving one another only comes through time and connection.  Read More

Discipline is one of those things that isn’t fun to talk about, but it is so important in the life of a disciple. Notice, the root of “discipline” is “disciple”.  Read More

When we walk as disciples of Christ, we walk with confidence in knowing that we win in life and in death.  Read More

When we live out our freedom, we realize that we are free to love and serve others. Our joy is no longer in feeding our stomachs or bank accounts. Instead, we find joy in following Christ’s commands and example. Putting others first isn’t a chore. It’s pure enjoyment.  Read More

It is impossible to lift your eyes when you have your hand on the plow every day. Work takes focus. Rest helps us refocus. With that refocus comes gratitude.  Read More

What is more hateful? Is it rebuking a brother or sister when they are incorrect, or is it letting them continue to spread false teaching? Is it better to keep the peace by letting a brother or sister keep living in sin, or is it better to correct them in love?  Read More

One of the flaws of greed is the feeling that we are defined by what we have; better houses, cars, jobs, and social standing. Jesus tells us that these do not define us.  Read More

As disciples of Christ, the Word of God must be our ultimate authority. We can’t be lazy and simply accept any teaching that we hear. We MUST hold it up against God’s Word and see if it matches up.   Read More

Food is not your psychologist, your life coach, or your treatment program. It’s there to feed your body what it needs to live. When it goes beyond that and becomes our savior, it begins to take the place of our true Savior, Jesus.  Read More

Hope is one of the greatest tools of the Christian. It is with hope that we continue on in hard times. It is with hope that we realize this world is not our home.  Read More

When we put everything we are, everything we own, and everything we love under God’s authority, allowing Him unfettered access to all of it, that’s when we find ourselves living in a way that far exceeds any other lifestyle you could ever find.  Read More

The most important discipleship you will do will be inside the walls of your house, on family vacations, and going out to eat. How you react to tough situations, the way you spend your time, and how often you pray will all be viewed through the most impressionable eyes in your world.  Read More

Discipleship isn’t a program we do. It’s pouring ourselves into people.  Read More

Discipleship takes work. One of the most important aspects of discipleship is the character of the discipler. If you want to disciple someone, you have to take inventory of WHO you are.  Read More

Many would see following Christ as the easiest part of being a disciple, but it may be the hardest, and it is definitely the most pivotal.  Read More

Discipleship is not a program. It’s not a “6 months and move on” kind of thing. It took Jesus three years to train the disciples, and He was the Son of God.  Read More

We hold our leaders to a different standard, and we absolutely should. However, there is no one who is without sin. There is no one who can say they’ve lived the perfect life.  Read More

God’s grace is more accessible than we can possibly understand, but we need to understand that it is very, very real. God chose to give it to us even though we don’t deserve it.  Read More

This life isn’t easy. There will be trials. There will be hard times. People will let you down. You will lose loved ones. Thankfully, we serve an amazing God who has set us up for success in this crazy world.  Read More

Christ’s sacrifice became the bridge that connected the chasm we’ve created and gave us access back to God. Now, we have the ability to follow the Spirit’s leading and find ourselves no longer condemned but adopted.  Read More

Our service has an end goal. We are to make disciples. Our service has one source. That is Christ Jesus. Our service comes from one place, worship. When the day comes that we finally get to receive the very thing we have lived our lives for and our hope is made complete, worship will still be there.  Read More

A disciple is easily broken down as someone who is following Jesus, being changed by Jesus and is committed to the mission of Jesus. Notice, that there are no Bible College degrees in there. There’s nothing about putting in years of service. It doesn’t say that you have to have half the Bible memorized. Instead, we are to go, share, and do life.  Read More

Each of us has a place in the church where we can serve, but not everyone has the same giftedness. While some have the “out front” gifts; public speaking, musical talent, and the ability to teach and preach, most will serve behind the scenes. That’s what really makes the Church thrive.  Read More

Christ served right up until death. He knew His life would be short-lived. He knew His ministry wouldn’t last even half a decade. That didn’t sway Him from giving every ounce of everything He had to serve His Father. In just a few short years, Jesus started a revolution that became a movement that became the Church.  Read More

A passion that is led by sin though; perverted sexuality, greed, power, and jealousy can also attract us to what we think is warmth, but those fires burn out of control. We suddenly find ourselves burning up with our sin and it’s killing us spiritually.  Read More

It’s not a suggestion to love. It’s a command. If we are to love like Jesus did, we will find ourselves in some very unenviable situations. There will be times of discomfort. Awkwardness will happen often. Yet, despite all of that, when we learn to love like Christ, we see people differently.   Read More

Our testimony is a powerful thing. People who do not read the Bible will rarely be impressed by your knowledge of scripture. They definitely won’t be moved by it. Your testimony, however, the story of how God rescued you and brought you out of death and into life, that story will move them.  Read More

The cost of discipleship is great. If you’ve been a believer for any significant time, you know this. To ask someone to be willing to give up their life as they know it and follow after Christ is a huge decision, and it’s one that each person needs to make for themselves. Unfortunately, many people will never get that chance, because someone makes that decision for them without them even knowing.   Read More

It’s obvious that Jesus wanted us to tell the world about Him and His Father, but what does that look like for us today? I would dare say if we took Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:8 to heart, we would get a very clear picture of what God has called us to do.  Read More

If the human body doesn’t prove that there has to be a God, I’m not sure what else does. It is the most intricate of creations. Everything works within systems to keep your health running optimally. Each organ works to provide for the rest of the body. It isn’t an accident.  Read More

We try to keep such a breakneck pace going that we eventually crash and burn. We tell ourselves we can handle it, but we know that’s not true. We start to get short with the ones we love out of frustration. We drop the ball on things that we can’t keep up with. We begin losing relationships with people we care about because we don’t have the time to invest in the relationship. We’re a bunch of control freaks who want to have control of our time but find ourselves losing control because of it.  Read More

We allow ourselves to be led by our stomachs, our eyes, and our desires far too much, and we lose focus on what is right in front of us. God sees a much bigger picture than we do, and He’s leading us by His Holy Spirit to greater things than what we see ourselves doing.  Read More

As fellow believers, we need to urge each other on to a holier way of living and build each other up.  Read More

There’s a lot of talk these days about self-care. That’s exactly what scripture memorization is all about. When we fill our minds with God’s Word, we are putting high-octane fuel into our souls. Not only does this kind of self-care help us defend our faith, but it also gives us the confidence to actually do it.  Read More