We talk a lot about discipleship here at COD. Discipleship simply means several people gathering together around the Word of God to open up to the Holy Spirit and to each other, for the purpose of growing in their relationships with Jesus.
In fact, one of our 2023 Breakthrough Prayers is: Father, please launch 100 discipleship groups among us this year.
On Sunday we got a glimpse of how the Lord is at work answering this prayer. We heard reflections from two women and two men who have been meeting regularly for discipleship – why they said yes, what has surprised them, how it has helped them grow, and more.
It was such an encouragement to hear a bit of their hearts, including hesitations and fears and joys. In case you missed it, we’re sharing the four discipleship questions and their answers again below. Enjoy!
All by grace,
David Schaller
Associate Pastor
P.S. And if you’re ready to take the scary but rewarding step into a discipleship, or simply want to find out more, please LET US KNOW. We’d love to help you figure out a good next step.
1. What made you say yes to the invitation to discipleship?
I was excited when Lynda asked if I would enter into discipleship with her. This was an opportunity to further my walk in Christ, and to develop a more intimate relationship with God.
I was raised Catholic. I went to church and made my communion and confirmation, I memorized prayers and songs, but I had no feeling of a connection with God. God seemed too big, too important and too busy to be interested in me.
I now know that I have been wrong!
What I have learned with my dear friends in discipleship is that God our Father IS interested in me. He is never too busy for me, I am important to Him, and HE WANTS a relationship with me.
Learning these truths through discipleship has been life changing.
Katherine Newman
2. What has been the biggest surprise about being in discipleship?
When considering discipleship, my immediate response was, “Discipleship is great, but I don’t have time for that. Maybe I can do that later on when I’m not so busy – when I’m not work ing fulltime and the kids are grown.”
However, I have found that despite being super busy, and some evenings even feeling super tired, meeting with the ladies is always refreshing.
Although there are still times that the busyness of life does require us to reschedule a meeting, the ladies are always gracious.
I look forward to when we gather and I always leave refreshed and happy that we met. Time meeting together reading our Bibles and sharing our lives has been a huge blessing.
Lynda Diaz
3. How has being in a discipleship relationship helped your relationship with God grow?
I’m not sure if this is the right word, but “stagnant” is how I might have described my relationship with God. Webster’s dictionary defines stagnant as a state or condition marked by a lack of flow, movement, or development. That was me. Growth was not happening. My relationship with God was more or less at a standstill.
I had trusted Christ for my salvation, but I wasn’t necessarily trusting Him with the rest. Things were static and I was fine with that. I was comfortable.
But Christ calls us to more than just a life of being comfortable. He wants us to experience a deeper, richer, more fuller relationship with Him. I wanted that as well, but I knew that it wasn’t going to happen until I started trusting Him with everything else – trusting Him with my life. This meant saying yes to Him in obedience.
I began to realize that drawing closer to Christ meant drawing closer to others, sharing life like Jesus shared life with His disciples. The thought of discipleship was scary, but trusting Christ and taking those small steps of faith has made all the difference in my relationship with my Savior.
Not only is discipleship allowing me to build close and impactful relationships with others, but it is changing my heart in ways that make my Heavenly Father happy, and it has helped me draw closer to Him.
I would say discipleship has dramatically impacted my relationship with God.
Louie Diaz
4. What would you say to someone who is considering being discipled?
I would encourage anyone who wants to grow as a Christian to enter a discipleship relationship. For me it has resulted in a deeper relationship with God as well as a closer relationship with a couple of truly good men. I find being discipled by men further along in their walk with God than myself is a comfort to me.
It is a commitment, but I completely look forward to my time with Louie and Jim and feel lucky they are willing to give up their time to take me through the material. The material is a deeper more personalized dive into the Scripture that opens dialogue between us that helps me stay focused on God.
I hope to one day display my gratitude by possibly leading someone through discipleship as well.
I think everyone, no matter where they are in their relationship with God, can benefit from discipleship. For me it has been a wonderfully positive experience.
Mike Newman
