We are excited to launch our Discipleship Pathway! In this episode, we will talk about what it means to be a disciple, the eight signposts that we believe disciples engage in, and what Spring Baptist Church is doing to make disciples who make disciples.
To find out more, visit https://www.springbaptistklein.org/discipleship-pathway or click here.
The eight signposts are...
1. Bible Engagement:
The Bible describes believers in Christ, those who follow him, as learners. The Bible contains many commands like “pursue truth,” “seek wisdom,” “renew the mind,” “learn from one another,” and “examine the Scriptures.” It is impossible to fulfill God’s invitation to follow him and serve him without committing to a lifestyle of learning, but “learning” in a biblical sense goes way beyond merely accepting facts. Learning incorporates the intellect and the will.
2. Obeying God and Denying Self:
The Bible is filled with examples of and admonitions related to obedience and self-denial. To be a disciple is synonymous with following Jesus, and following Jesus is synonymous with self-denial in favor of obedience to God. This attribute will help you measure the degree to which you possess a “God-focus” versus a “self-focus.”
3. Serving God and Others:
The concept of service is vividly portrayed throughout the Bible. Jesus provided a great example for all Christians both through his spoken words and deeds. The apostle Paul states, “And our people must also learn to devote themselves to good works for cases of urgent need, so that they will not be unfruitful” (Titus 3:14).
4. Sharing Christ:
A key mark of a growing disciple is an outward focus. For individuals, it means intentionally befriending and building relational bridges to non-Christians, and then inviting these friends and acquaintances to church with them.
5. Exercising Faith:
A disciple is marked by a posture of weakness. Such weakness creates a great opportunity to exercise faith in a strong God. From Genesis to Revelation, the Christian experience is described using words like believe, trust, rely upon, and act upon. It’s clear that above all, God desires active faith in his people, for without faith it is impossible to please God.
6. Seeking God:
A disciple is one who seeks after and worships God. Jesus stated, “Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in Truth” (John 4:23–24). A true disciple, a follower of Christ, is to engage in a lifestyle of worship, both privately and corporately.
7. Building Relationships:
A disciple is one who is properly related to others, especially the community of faith. The Christian faith is neither a spectator sport (where self-professed Christians sit back and watch the local church in action), nor is it a solo sport (living in isolation from the body of Christ).
8. Unashamed (Transparency):
A disciple is not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This quality is exhibited in their willingness to talk openly in church and community environments about his or her walk with God. We naturally praise and talk about what we love. Those unashamed of the work and presence of God don’t wait for a predefined environment to talk about their beliefs in Jesus; rather, they embody the attitude of Peter and John who stated that they couldn’t help talking about the ongoing work of God in their lives and world.
