AAEVS - Practicing Discipleship (Part 1)

"Our vision is to be a community of discipleship. We will practice discipleship primarily through older men teaching younger men and older women teaching younger women how to fulfill their callings. We desire to support parents as they raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We will seek to serve God’s people within our community and in the kingdom of God at large with the spiritual gifts God has given us. We want to be known for our warm and hospitable fellowship, both as a church and as families. We will seek to be a community who can disagree with one another on non-essentials (meaning things that do not define one as a Christian) without dividing. Our vision is multi-generational. We realize that the advancement of God’s kingdom is a long-term process, therefore we desire to be examples of faithfulness that future generations would desire to follow." ~ Community Paragraph 3

"Let all things be done decently and in order." ~ 1 Corinthians 14:40

"This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men." ~ Titus 3:8

Practicing Discipleship, you could say, is like Part 2 of the previous section. What's different is that I'm placing the emphasis on the system of Church Community rather than the spiritual foundation. How does a Church Community function? The answer that our pastors provided is a system of discipleship.

What is discipleship? Discipleship is a relationship where an apprentice (called a disciple) submits himself to his teacher to learn how to think and to act. The Greek word for disciple is where we get our word "Mathematics." In the study of mathematics, we learn how to solve problems and think logically. We put away our play time and press ourselves mentally into the textbook. In the ancient times, disciples would follow their teacher around and observe his words and actions. They learn how to think and act according to the profession they are seeking. That's how our training is with Jesus. We pay attention to His words and seek to imitate Him in our walk with Him.

But there is a problem; Jesus is not with us in the flesh. We don't hear His audible voice with our ears. We are far removed from first-century Palestine. How do we 'follow' Him here and now? Jesus solved that problem in His Ascension by giving gifts such as apostles, evangelists, and pastors/teachers. (Ephesians 4) He set apart some disciples to represent Him before other disciples to lead them to God. (1 Corinthians 11:1; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Hebrews 13:7) He gave us His Spirit and His Word to challenge and encourage us in our daily growth. And lastly He gave us one another to cheer us up and rebuke us.

What does it cost to be Jesus' disciple? It cost us our right to look out for only ourselves. It cost us our idolatrous affections for our loved ones and things. It cost us our time and energy. It cost us our life. What does a disciple gain? He or she gains: people to look out for, a deep relationship with the triune God and with fellow believers, peace that passes understanding and strength to persevere, and eternal life that cannot be taken away.    

So in what ways is discipleship displayed? I'll be showing them in the following posts:

Part 2: Mentorship

Part 3: Education and Social Relationships

Part 4: Christian Synergy and Hospitality

Part 5: Unity and Respect