Christian Discipleship

A disciple is a follower, one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another. A Christian disciple is a person who follows Jesus Christ and accepts and assists in the spreading of the good news of salvation through Him. Christian discipleship is the process by which disciples grow in the Lord Jesus Christ and are equipped by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 

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Discipleship is a journey of intentional decisions leading to maturity in your relationship with Jesus so that you become more like Him in your attitudes, focus and ultimately behavior. It requires a commitment from the potential disciple and the disciple-makers. It’s not something that happens by accident or overnight, and it can’t be completed in a six-week class. This is a lifelong commitment to follow God with your whole self and to both learn from and eventually teach others about how to follow Him.

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In a letter to a group of Christians in a city called Ephesus, Paul, an early follower of Jesus who wrote much of the New Testament, explains that God gives His followers gifts to help them make disciples. He begins by encouraging them to do whatever they can to maintain the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3). This is critical because discipleship is intended to happen among a community of fellow disciples, which the Bible calls “the church” or “the body of Christ.”

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Discipleship is not easy. When Jesus calls us to follow Him, He beckons us to lay down our old way of thinking, living, and believing. By God’s grace alone, we crucify our former life and obey the divine summons of cross-bearing: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me," Luke 9:23.

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In the Word Ministries is focused on ensuring each person has someone dedicated to Christ as he or she dedicates to journey through life with others.