You might have heard Christians talk about ‘discipleship’. Jesus’ followers in the Bible were called disciples, and it simply meant that they were following him and learning from him. In the same way, you can follow Jesus and learn from him today.

We’ll kick off this topic by thinking about how having God in our lives affects the way we make decisions.

Have you noticed any ways that you’ve changed since becoming a Christian?

Before you became a Christian, how would you make big life decisions? And would you approach a new decision differently now?

How confident do you feel reading the Bible, especially when researching a particular theme or topic?

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18

Discipleship – we’re better together

One of the most helpful things to remember about the Christian life is that you don’t have to go through it alone. God has given us his Holy Spirit to guide and empower us. He’s also given us the Church: a big group of friends and family on the same journey together.

Lots of people find it helpful to have someone they can talk to about discipleship. It’s really useful to have someone you trust, who you can chat to about what you think God might be saying to you and what you are going to do about it. It’s also useful if that person ‘keeps you accountable’, i.e. checks in and asks if you’ve done what you said you would do!

At Community Church Leeds, many of us are mentored by someone else in the church. If you’d like to find out more about mentoring, talk to your group leader.

Baptism

The video mentions baptism. In the New Testament, people who became Christians often chose to be baptised soon afterwards. It’s a declaration of faith, effectively going public with our decision to follow Christ. It’s also a picture of what has happened to us: being washed clean from our past, going down into the water and emerging into a new life with Jesus. If you haven’t already been baptised, I would encourage you to talk it over with someone and think about whether you might be ready for this next step.

Respond

During this session, have you noticed God drawing your attention to any particular part of your life? Set aside some time to pray about this, and see if there’s anything you need to do differently.

If you’re not sure where to begin with discipleship, why not start by thinking about what your plans and dreams for the future are, and then talking about them with God? You may find he has some even better ideas for you!

Going Deeper

Pick one of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John). Read through it, paying particular attention to Jesus’ disciples and the way that they change. There’s a lot that they don’t understand, especially at the start of their time with Jesus. Do any of the ways that they change mirror your own story?

Read Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster