In the school of discipleship, we are taught by the Lord. Preachers and teachers have influenced us, but we do not attach too much importance to what they have done for us and given to us. Our chief focus is on the Lord. From the Lord, we learn about what he has done for us, …
Category: school of discipleship
The School of Discipleship (2): God has done great things for us, and he will keep on doing great things for us.
In the school of discipleship, we must never forget where we have come from. We all have one thing in common, and it is something we must never forget. We have been saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. Before Jesus can ever be our great example, he must be our wonderful Saviour. In the school …
The School of Discipleship (3): Growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ
If we are to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18), we must read the Word of God and let its teaching shape our way of thinking and our way of living. As we make our way through our life's journey, we find that there are …
The School of Discipleship (4): Looking away from ourselves to Jesus and being changed by him
We speak about growing in faith, becoming a stronger believer. We speak about growing in grace, becoming a more gracious person. Is this what we learn about in the school of discipleship? Should we not place the emphasis on the faithfulness of God and the grace of God? What are we to say about our …
The School of Discipleship (5): The Lord will be with us, every step of the way.
The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So, I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land …
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The School of Discipleship (6): God doesn’t stop loving us when bad things are happening to us.
The Lord refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:3-4). "The Lord refreshes my soul." When our desire for spiritual growth is …
The School of Discipleship (7): Fixing our eyes on Jesus, let us move forward into the great future he is preparing for us.
Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen …
The School of Discipleship (8): Looking beyond the beginning of the end to the end of the beginning
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith …
The School of Discipleship (9): We grow as disciples, as we build our lives on the truth of God.
We grow as disciples as we build our lives on the truth of God. Jesus emphasizes this point very strongly in John 15:7 - “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.” If we are to grow in prayer, we must …
The School of Discipleship (10): Salvation and Discipleship
Jesus brings us salvation - “Friend, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5) - and He calls us to discipleship - “Follow Me” (Mark 2:14). We cannot be His disciples without, first, coming to Him for salvation. We must emphasize that salvation leads to discipleship. Our discipleship demonstrates the reality of our salvation. We must hear …
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The School of Discipleship (11): A Circle of Friendship, Discipleship and Apostleship
John 15:12-17 Jesus' circle of friendship, discipleship and apostleship: first friends, then disciples and, after that, apostles. * Friendship - the foundation of discipleship and apostleship Personal - Discipleship and apostleship are not based on an impersonal contract of employment. It’s based on love. It’s about people - not numbers. They were known by name. …
The School of Discipleship (12): The Life of Discipleship
In John 8, there are three very important verses, which teach us a great deal about the life of discipleship. These verses are John 8:36 “If the Son makes you free, you are free indeed”; John 8:32 “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free”; John 8:31 “If you continue in …
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The School of Discipleship (13): We are not to be secret disciples.
Luke 11: 29-54 Christ is 'greater than Jonah' (32). Jonah was preserved alive (Jonah 1:17-2:10). Christ 'died...was buried' and 'was raised' (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Through His resurrection, He has been 'declared with power to be the Son of God' (Romans 1:4). We are not to be secret disciples (33): Believe in your heart that God …
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The School of Discipleship (14): Strengthening the faith of all the disciples
“Paul … strengthened the faith of all the disciples” (Acts 18:23). Strengthening the faith of all the disciples: This is such an important ministry. We are not to be content with the faith that we have. We are to press on to a stronger faith. What do we mean when we speak about a strong faith? …
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The School of Discipleship (15): Learning from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book, “The Cost of Discipleship”
What can we learn from Bonhoeffer's book, The Cost of Discipleship? This book was first published when Bonhoeffer was only 31 years old. Page references are to the edition I was using at the time I wrote these notes. I've included the page references. It will give you a rough idea of the part of …
Learning From God's Word 