This past winter I have focused, personally, on discipleship. During this time I wrote a book on discipleship, 31 Letters to the Church on Discipleship. Pastors and Christian leaders - you could use this resource with your people in May, which has 31 days.
The core of a pastor's ministry is making disciples. (See Matthew 28:19-20; and Ephesians 4:11-13.) "Church" is about making Jesus-followers. Here's an excellent resource from Tim Keller - "The Call to Discipleship: Luke 9:20-25, 51-62," He begins:
"There is a growing recognition in churches today about the need for discipleship. In what follows, I would like to describe from the Gospel of Luke what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Luke has some helpful insights about discipleship. The first eight chapters are focused on “who is Jesus?” But there’s a shift in chapter 9, where Peter with the help of the Holy Spirit realizes that Jesus is not one more in a succession of prophets and teachers. Peter says, “You are the Christ of God.” You are the Messiah, the one who is bringing the ruling power of God back into the world to heal and repair all the brokenness—whether it’s spiritual, psychological, social, or physical.
From the time Jesus’ identity is revealed, he begins to say, “Follow me.” If he is who he says he is, what does it mean to follow him? Being a disciple of Jesus Christ means setting a new priority, finding a new identity, and living a new mercy. All three are critical; they all fit together. Let’s look at them."
And then, he does. This is an excellent read!
