Make disciples of Jesus Christ
for the transformation of the world.
for the transformation of the world.
A disciple is someone who is…..
Inwardly Becoming More Like Jesus
by Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit
Outwardly Living More Like Jesus
by Practicing Holy Love
Inwardly Becoming More Like Jesus
by Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit
Outwardly Living More Like Jesus
by Practicing Holy Love
Once someone accepts Jesus’ invitation to new life by following him, a person becomes a disciple, a follower of Jesus, an apprentice of Jesus. Being saved and born again is the starting line to a lifetime of spiritual formation in Christlikeness known as sanctification.
From that point forward, the goal for a disciple can be summed up in three words: More Like Jesus. Our objective in life is to inwardly become more like Jesus and to outwardly live more like Jesus.
God desires to form us into Christlikeness. As we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, we are transformed inwardly to become more and more like Jesus and that leads to outwardly living more and more like Jesus. And it works both ways. As we outwardly live more and more like Jesus, we inwardly become more and more like Jesus.
More is an important word in the life of a disciple because sanctification is an ongoing lifelong process. We are hopefully more like Jesus today than we were yesterday, but not as much as we will be tomorrow. The word “more” allows us to gauge progress.
This definition of discipleship gives us great self-reflection questions to ponder often-
This transformation happens in three key environments:
Above all, transformation happens in a deep, personal relationship In Communion with Jesus. Jesus said, “Abide in me as I abide in you.” (John 15:4).
Our lives are to be spent in continual connection with Christ. We don’t just show up to visit Jesus at church on Sunday. Jesus is with us as we live life, every moment of every day. As we spend life with Jesus, we are formed in Christlikeness.
Discipleship also happens In Community. The Christian walk is not a solitary journey. We invest in deep relationships within the church and in the world. The early church gives us a wonderful example of a life lived together (Acts 2:44-47, Hebrews 10:24-25, Romans 12:5).
And finally, a disciple lives life On Mission. We are all missionaries sent by Jesus (John 20:21). We live our lives as Jesus’ witnesses (Acts 1:8) and ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20).
There are two key activities that are vital in moving us closer to Christlikeness:
Cultivate the Fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 (NRSV) informs us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. While this list is not exhaustive, it is enough for a lifetime worth of cultivation. This is a really good checklist to gauge how well you are inwardly becoming more like Jesus.
Practice Holy Love. John 14:12 - Jesus: “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these.”
I do what Jesus did- put other before self, love my enemy, go the extra mile, break off pieces of myself and share with world, have passion for the harvest and a burden for not-yet Jesus-followers. This is how we outwardly live more like Jesus.
From that point forward, the goal for a disciple can be summed up in three words: More Like Jesus. Our objective in life is to inwardly become more like Jesus and to outwardly live more like Jesus.
God desires to form us into Christlikeness. As we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, we are transformed inwardly to become more and more like Jesus and that leads to outwardly living more and more like Jesus. And it works both ways. As we outwardly live more and more like Jesus, we inwardly become more and more like Jesus.
More is an important word in the life of a disciple because sanctification is an ongoing lifelong process. We are hopefully more like Jesus today than we were yesterday, but not as much as we will be tomorrow. The word “more” allows us to gauge progress.
This definition of discipleship gives us great self-reflection questions to ponder often-
- Am I more like Jesus today than yesterday, this month than last month, this year than last year?
- Am I inwardly becoming more like Jesus?
- Am I outwardly living more like Jesus?
This transformation happens in three key environments:
- In Communion with Jesus
- In Community
- On Mission
Above all, transformation happens in a deep, personal relationship In Communion with Jesus. Jesus said, “Abide in me as I abide in you.” (John 15:4).
Our lives are to be spent in continual connection with Christ. We don’t just show up to visit Jesus at church on Sunday. Jesus is with us as we live life, every moment of every day. As we spend life with Jesus, we are formed in Christlikeness.
Discipleship also happens In Community. The Christian walk is not a solitary journey. We invest in deep relationships within the church and in the world. The early church gives us a wonderful example of a life lived together (Acts 2:44-47, Hebrews 10:24-25, Romans 12:5).
And finally, a disciple lives life On Mission. We are all missionaries sent by Jesus (John 20:21). We live our lives as Jesus’ witnesses (Acts 1:8) and ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20).
There are two key activities that are vital in moving us closer to Christlikeness:
- Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit
- Practicing Holy Love
Cultivate the Fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 (NRSV) informs us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. While this list is not exhaustive, it is enough for a lifetime worth of cultivation. This is a really good checklist to gauge how well you are inwardly becoming more like Jesus.
Practice Holy Love. John 14:12 - Jesus: “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these.”
I do what Jesus did- put other before self, love my enemy, go the extra mile, break off pieces of myself and share with world, have passion for the harvest and a burden for not-yet Jesus-followers. This is how we outwardly live more like Jesus.