The word discipleship is to Christianity what the phrase “based on a true story” is to Hollywood. It could mean almost anything… Or at least that what it seems. This word gets bandied about quite a bit, but what do we mean when we use it? Hard question to answer, because in reality, discipleship covers a lot of legitimate ground in the Christian life. So maybe it would be helpful to define it within a specific context, like say, Student Ministries Small Groups. When we say that through these Small Groups, we hope, by the grace of God, to disciple young people, what do we mean? Well, I found myself nodding right along with a man named Randy Pope, who was interviewed by the Gospel Coalition, about the intramural church discipleship program that he has been using to great effect with his flock. It’s drawn directly from the template that Christ himself used, and that we see in Scripture. It happens to be pretty much exactly what we are trying to accomplish in Student Ministries, and to a larger degree in the entire church. If you’re not in a group like this, or being discipled by someone, and if you’re a mature (spiritually) believer, and you’re not pouring your life into someone(s), would you think and pray about how you might actively pursue becoming part of the discipleship happening here at SGCC? Here is the interview with Randy Pope from The Gospel Coalition: Note: You may need ear buds, or external speaker(s) to hear the audio, it’s pretty quiet.
Deep Before Wide: A Vision for Returning Discipleship to the Church from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo. ~Geoff