Family Discipleship

Family discipleship is valuable for the sake of passing down the faith to our children and grandchildren.  Here are three reasons why devotions are vital for the spiritual health of the whole family :-

Firstly, leading family devotions encourages timely repentance and growth in humility.  There is no better way to keep short accounts with God and with our families than by leading family worship on a regular basis.  Without confession and repentance, we have little integrity to lead our families spiritually, so if family worship is to be an ongoing feature of our lives, we must be quick to confess and repent.

Secondly, if we are quick to confess and repent of sin, regular family devotions also open up the door for loving discipline on a daily basis, not just when the junk hits the fan.  In this sense, sins and other issues can be nipped in the bud and worked on as a family and not just in solitude.

Finally, regular family devotions reminds us that ultimately Jesus is the center of all things, including the family, not Dad, not Mom, and not the kids.  When Jesus is at the center, everything else finds its proper place and life begins to find a rhythm and order that brings glory and honor to our Lord and God, Jesus Chrst.  Trials and temptations may come, but if we remain anchored in Christ, we have a deep well of grace to draw from.

[Extracted from LIVING Life - September 2013 page 37] 

Discipleship

A disciple is literally a follower of a leader.  And as Christians, we are all called to be followers of Christ, to be His disciples.  A Christian is a disciple.

Discipleship is not about a course or a program that certain members of a church take, upon completion of which they become "disciples."

Christian discipleship is the process by which disciples grow in the Lord Jesus Christ and are equipped by the Holy Spirit, who resides in our hearts, to overcome the pressures and trials of this present life and become more and more Christlike.  This process requires believers to respond to the Holy Spirit's prompting to examine their thoughts, words and actions and compare them with the Word of God.

Four key characteristics of discipleship that honors God:-

Firstly, God-honoring discipleship is about remaining in Christ - consistently walking in the way of the Lord, which is a teaching given to believers throughout the whole of Scripture.  It demand that true Christians progress and grow as we remain in Christ.

Secondly, God-honoring discipleship is about obeying Christ.  This is what Christ means when He says that His words remain in us.  Further, the Great Commission demands that we strive to obey everything that Christ has commanded.  There can be no discipleship without training.  And training requires obedience to instructions.

Thirdly, God-honoring discipleship is about bearing spiritual fruit.  If a disciple remains in Christ and is a pattern of obedience, that person will bear spiritual fruit.  Such fruit is inevitable as the nature of the fruit and the source of the fruit are both from God.

Finally, God honoring discipleship is about glorifying God in all that is done.  This is, ultimately, the goal of our lives.

[Extracted from Living Life-July 2012 "Honoring God through Discipleship" by Steven Oh]

 

Discipleship

Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

From the above Great Commission, we evangelize unbelievers, and after that, we disciple them to have a desire for holiness like Jesus Christ.

Likewise, with our Christian life. When we were saved [converted from pre-believer to believer], we were like babies. We started growing in our faith by feeding on milk, then soft diet and then solid food. Our spiritual life slowly grow from immature baby to mature adult by having an ongoing dialog with God and a growing knowledge of who God is and who we can be with in time of need. After being matured, we started to disciple other new converts to be disciple of Christ.

Even when our journey in life is marked by confinement and limitations, we can be sure that the Lord will leads other Christians to guides us and encourage us through His Word.

Discipleship is relational and experiential. As such we not only need to communicate with one another, but also live a God glorifying life. We are also to be committed to our call to fulfill the commission to share the gospel to others.

KNOWING ABOUT GOD MAY INTEREST US; BUT KNOWING GOD WILL CHANGE US.