Discipleship

At Mission Grove Church, our vision is to help every man, woman, and child experience Jesus. We believe the best way to experience Jesus is to follow Him and help others follow Him.   

This devotional was written as a simple tool to aid in your personal walk with God. It’s a guide. It cannot make a disciple, but it can help you make one through sharing next steps.  

Discipleship is not supposed to be complicated. Difficult sometimes, complicated never. Two thousand years ago, it was so simple that a carpenter explained it to uneducated fishermen in one sentence (Matthew 4:19). The fishermen understood it, acted on it, and they changed the world. If modern discipleship is confusing or complicated, it is because we have strayed from the biblical pattern that Jesus modeled for us. 

Matthew 4:19 

19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 

For Jesus, making disciples was and is His top priority. He fed the hungry, and healed the sick, but He always gave the twelve disciples His prime time. His final word to them before he ascended into heaven was a commission not just to be disciples, but to make disciples, just as He did. 

Before we take a deeper look into how to be a disciple and how to make disciples, I want to share 3 key principles with you: 

1. Discipleship is a direction, not a destination. Following Jesus is a life-long process that involves walking toward Jesus in a way that helps you become more like Jesus. It involves all that you are so that you can become all that you’re meant to be. You’re going to have ups and downs. Keep going and keep growing. 
2. Discipleship is about relationship, not rules. At the end of the day, the best part of following Jesus is… Jesus! God wants to you to know Him on a personal level. Following Jesus is not a checklist to follow, but a journey to enjoy. 
3. Discipleship starts with a new identity. As a follower of Jesus, you are called a “new creation.” This means that you live from your identity, and not for your identity. Salvation is received, not achieved, which means that we live in response to God’s love for us.  

It is my prayer that as you walk through this study with a friend, you will grow in your faith, your life will be transformed, and you will be compelled to help others do the same.  

Colossians 2:6-7 

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.