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 What Does a Disciple Of Jesus Christ Look Like?
A disciple is a person who God lives in and works through to bring His redemptive message to the world... someone who is a continuous learner and committed follower of Jesus Christ.
A disciple's actions are the outward expression of a spiritually transformed heart. In other words, what you do proceeds from who you are. A disciple is constantly asking himself/herself the following question: "Is my life becoming more and more like the life and character of Jesus Christ?" (John 15:5; Galatians 4:19a)
A disciple is connecting
...to Christ & His church.
- A disciple has taken the step of faith to accept Jesus Christ as his/her Savior and Lord. (John 14:6; Romans 10:9, 10)
- A disciple is one who obediently follows Christ in the step of believer's baptism, testifying to his/her new faith in Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38,41)
- A disciple actively joins himself/herself to a church – a local family of believers – in order to make progress in his/her faith journey. Such a "church connection" includes a commitment to generously share resources (i.e. time, treasure, talent) which will contribute to the growth of the church. (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 4:12)
A disciple is growing
...& being built up spiritually.
- A disciple participates in individual, as well as corporate, worship of God; he/she also demonstrates growing hunger and habits in communicating with God through prayer and experiencing Him through His Word and other helpful spiritual disciplines. (Psalms 119:11; Matthew 22:37; John 4:23; Ephesians 6:18; Philemon 4:6; 2 Timothy 2:15)
- A disciple sensitizes his/her mind and heart to the leadings and promptings of the Holy Spirit and obediently responds to such guidance. (Zechariah 4:6; Acts 8:26-30, 16:6; Galatians 5:16, 25)
- A disciple is someone who is meaningfully connected to other believers in such a way that he/she can grow in grace, strive for purity, increase in holiness, confess sin and participate in spurring other believers on toward love and good deeds. (Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:24,25; James 5:16)
A disciple is serving
...by discovering and utilizing his/her God-given "hard-wiring".
- A disciple is someone who eagerly seeks to discover and use his/her God-given gifts, abilities and passions in service and ministry to others. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)
- A disciple recognizes that you cannot separate loving God from loving people. To love people is to see their needs and endeavor to use one's resources to meet those needs in the name of Jesus Christ. (1 John 3:17-18, 4:20-21; Matthew 25:45)
- A disciple is actively engaged with neighbors, friends and/or co-workers as they live out a life of faith. This will lead to participating in Christ's mission to bring restoration and redemption to a broken and fragmented world. (Matthew 5:13-16; Luke 4:18-21; Acts 1:8)
A disciple is reaching
...those who do not yet know Jesus, his/her God-given potential & full Christ-like maturity.
- A disciple seeks to reproduce his/her faith in others through intentional evangelism and discipleship. (Matthew 28:18; 2 Timothy 4:5; Philemon 6)
- A disciple joyfully pursues his/her unique calling and mission in life, striving to go ever deeper in this obedience and discovery pilgrimage. (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 14:1)
- A disciple never stops seeking to know and do the perfect will of God… striving for spiritual maturity and Christ-likeness in character. (Colossians 1:28)
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