DISCIPLESHIP
STRATEGY
Our discipleship platform is specifically designed for two distinct audiences - individuals and organizations
Markers of Discipleship
Kingdom Stewardship
In the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11-27) Jesus teaches his disciples to invest the resources they have been given for the good of the kingdom and the glory of God. God has given us time, money, households, vocations, spiritual gifts, and natural talents to invest. Assessment of this component of our discipleship means we have to ask, “When compared to Jesus, how am I doing at stewarding all that God has given me for his glory?”
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QUESTION LIST
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I am an excellent steward of the gifts God has given me and allow him to tell me how to use them
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I joyfully leverage God's gift of time to use it, as much as possible, to the glory of God
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I joyfully leverage God's gift of treasure (money, house, possessions, etc...) to use them to the glory of God
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I know the God-given abilities I have been entrusted with and use them for the glory of God
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I trust and obey God as the giver and ultimate authority over my time, talent, and treasure
Authentic Relationships
When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:34-40), Jesus responded by saying, "And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." Jesus sums up the point of all 613 commandments in the Old Testament under two categories; Our relationship with God and our relationship with the people around us. If Jesus distills God's commands down to our relationships with God and people, then a major marker of our lives as disciples is the health of these relationships. Assessment of this component of our discipleship means we have to ask, “When compared to Jesus do my relationships contain the same qualities of his authenticity and love?”
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QUESTION LIST
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My primary relationships are marked by vulnerability, trust, and commitment
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My prayer life looks more like conversation with a friend or a loving father than a formal religious duty
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I greatly appreciate the diversity of gifting, personalities, and perspectives of the people God has placed in my life
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My love for others is real and tangible. My inward attitude of love and outward actions of being loving are consistent
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I am intimately connected to a community of people that allows me to be vulnerable and authentic with my strengths and flaws
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I put more effort, time, and energy into the relationships that the Bible teaches are the highest priority
Gospel & Doctrine
Jesus taught the crowds in Mark 8:34-35 “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it." From Christ's perspective, the gospel is so precious that it is even worth losing your life over. A disciple must grow in their understanding of what the gospel is and how we are to live in response to it. They must also understand how wrong doctrine will lead to a faulty gospel and flawed lifestyle. When assessing this component of our discipleship we must ask, “When compared to Jesus, does my life demonstrate the same level of commitment to trusting the Gospel and knowing God as he reveals himself in scripture?”
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QUESTION LIST
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I have a deep conviction that the Gospel is good news about God's saving and redemptive work in the world through Christ's incarnation, sinless life, selfless sacrifice on the cross for sinners, victorious resurrection, heavenly ascension to the throne, and glorious return
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I believe the purity of the Gospel should be preserved and never be mixed together with a cultural value, false doctrine, or political preference
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I know the Bible well enough to trust what it claims and am familiar enough with the scriptures to defend the truth it contains​
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I am not easily distracted by "winds of doctrine" or doctrinal fads that could keep me from staying on God's mission to reach the world with the pure and unadulterated Gospel
Missional Lifestyle
The "Great Commission" from Matthew 28:18-20 makes clear that Christians have been invited to participate in God's mission to redeem the world. "And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." To be a mature disciple, we must obey the great commission and embody his mission through our lifestyle. This will mean making disciples and displaying his heart for those who do not know him. Assessing this component of our discipleship means we have to ask, “When compared to Jesus, do my prayers, actions, and words reflect God’s heart to seek and save the lost?”
QUESTION LIST
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I regularly engage in spiritual warfare praying for God to advance his kingdom and defend his people
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I am able to communicate the gospel to others with ease
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I actively surrender my life, location, resources, and relationships to be used by God to reach people in my sphere with the Gospel
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I regularly use my community involvement and commitment to social justice as a way to demonstrate the values of Christ's coming kingdom
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My prayer life reflects God's heart to see others know Christ, because I am always praying for people without faith in Jesus​
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My weekly disciplines, behaviors, and actions demonstrate that I am a disciple who is also making disciples in obedience to "The Great Commission"
Authentic Worship
When asked about the proper place to worship by the woman at the well, Jesus responds by pointing her to the proper posture of worship instead (John 4:23-24). "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” Jesus condemned the Pharisees for being a people that "honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." Worship is not a mere formality in the life of a disciple. Worship is not relegated to a place or particular styles. It is a reverence for God from the heart in all of life. To assess this component of our discipleship we must ask, “When compared to Jesus, does my lifestyle exemplify the desire for God to be sincerely honored in every area of my life?”
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QUESTION LIST
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I consistently listen to teaching and study the Bible so that I can grow as a friend and disciple of Jesus instead of simply desiring to grow in knowledge
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My Christian service is a loving act of worship, it is not an obligation I perform in order to alleviate guilt or look spiritual
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My committed involvement in my local church is motivated by a desire to love God deeply and to love his people the same way that he does
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I consistently practice spiritual disciplines like reading scripture, prayer, private worship, silence, solitude, and fasting as a means of connecting to God from the heart
Godly Character
Our character is the measure of who we are on the inside. Put another way, our doing flows from, and is downstream from, our being. Jesus said in Luke 6:45, "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Therefore, a disciple is someone who is growing in Christ's likeness from the inside out. A mature disciple is not measuring the external adherence to rules but the inner character that produces the fruit of right actions. To assess this component of our discipleship we must ask, “When compared to Jesus, do my actions spring from changed desires in my heart?”
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QUESTION LIST
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In moments of self-reflection, I am more concerned with accurately seeing myself as I am rather than how others perceive me
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I make it my aim to have my outward actions be consistent with who I actually am internally instead of something I do from religious constraint
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I am humbly dependent on the Holy Spirit to lead and empower all that I do for the glory of God
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There is ample evidence in my life that God is continuing to change me to be more and more like Jesus. (i.e. I am growing in integrity, honesty, humility, love, joy, peace, etc...)​
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My good works flow naturally out of who I am rather than something I do to appear spiritual
Emotional Health
We cannot be conformed to the likeness of Jesus and be emotionally unhealthy. In Matt 10:28-30 Jesus invites those who are burdened and heavy-laden to come to him and learn from him. He explains that by stepping into his yoke, he will share the weight of the work with them. Jesus promises that all who learn from him and walk with him will find rest for their souls. During his earthly ministry, Jesus felt the full range of human emotions. From joy to sadness, compassion to anger, and distress to peace. Jesus set boundaries with other people to keep from being manipulated by them. Yet, he was undistracted and fully present to people around him. He expressed empathy towards the suffering of others and embraced grief and sorrow rather than trying to avoid it. Jesus knew when to engage in ministry, crowds, and busyness. He also knew when to withdraw and recharge his spiritual and emotional batteries. Jesus showed us how to live emotionally healthy lives. To be a disciple who is growing in the likeness of Christ, we will need to pursue being emotionally healthy. Assessing this component of our discipleship requires us to ask, “When compared to Jesus, is there evidence that demonstrates I am living an emotionally healthy life?”
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QUESTION LIST
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I am able to be fully present to the relationships in my life. I am never disconnected from others by emotional disengagement or distraction
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There are deep relationships in my life where I am able to be fully known and still feel safe
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I demonstrate self-control and an ability to express and regulate my emotions in healthy ways
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There are no unaddressed issues of addiction or comfort-seeking behaviors in my life (Ex. food, sex, overworking, media consumption, etc…)
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I never avoid God's gifts or lessons that come through pain, sorrow, and grief​
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There are no topics or memories in my life that are too painful for me to talk about
Willing Submission
Jesus said in John 8:29, "And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him." He was fully committed to the will of his father. A follower of Jesus adopts the same attitude of heart that Jesus had. It was most fully displayed in the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed, “Father if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42) A disciple exemplifies the words of Psalm 32:9 "Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you." A disciple is not coerced unwillingly into submission, they surrender their will to God, his word, and the Holy Spirit as an act of loving worship. To assess this component of our discipleship we must ask, “When compared to Jesus, does my life prove that I am submitted to God the way he was?”
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QUESTION LIST
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I am sensitive, obedient, and responsive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in my life
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I surrender my will to God even when it is painful or uncomfortable to obey Him
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My life demonstrates a deep desire to do God's will in all areas. It is not compartmentalized by areas that I allow God to speak into and areas that I don't want his input
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I embrace moments when God tells me by conviction from the Holy Spirit or by his Word that I am not permitted to do something that I desire to do
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I embrace moments when God tells me by conviction from the Holy Spirit or by his Word that there are things that I must do, even though I do not desire to do them
Create Custom Categories and Questions That Fit Your Needs
We recognize that each ministry is unique. Therefore, you need a discipleship platform that is fully customizable and adapts to your specific context. You have the freedom to add as many categories as you want and fill those categories with as many questions as needed. It's fully customizable with your ministry in mind.