Words of Encouragement -- Discipleship

What exactly is discipleship?  There are three mottoes which I think will help.

     I.  Roots before fruits
Roots = daily disciplines of meditating upon God's word and spending time in prayer
Roots = grounded in love
Roots = built up in Jesus

“…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.  Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.  Amen.”                  Eph. 3:17-21

II.  Being before doing

Being = greater intimacy with Christ

Being = abiding in the truth

Being = having a clear understanding of who you are in Christ

  “Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.”                                              John 15:4-5     

 III.  You are an overflow of the One who is in you!

Overflowing with gratitude

Overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit

Overflowing with His power and presence

“Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.’”                                                     John 4:13-14

        “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’” 

                               John 7:37-38

        “…But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”              Acts 1:8

Conclusion:

These three mottoes are embedded in my mind.  Discipleship isn't necessary learning anything “new” in knowledge, but it is a time to experience something deep, renewing and rewarding.  In the time that I spent together with my discipleship groups in San Diego, we memorized and studied God's word, we shared and prayed together.  We learned together something that we are now able to pass on to others.  That is DISCIPLESHIP.

Discussion Questions:

1. How is your root system right now? 
2. Are you abiding or more doing? 
3. Are you overflowing or running dry?
4. How clearly do you know your identity in Christ?
5. What does your life overflow with these days?

 

Seek Him First!