Discipleship
Jesus said,
"If you hold to my teaching you are really my
disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you
free" (John 8:31).
And, "By this everyone will know that you are my
disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35).
Jesus comanded his own disciples:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptising then in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you"
(Matthew 28:19).
At Crossnet we want to learn how to be and make
disciples. Following Jesus is more than just believing certain things;
it's a whole lifestyle. We believe that this is best done, not just on
programmes and courses, but by living alongside each other,
enchouraging each other to listen to the teaching of Jesus, to learn
from him, and to understand what it means to live and obey him. We do
this in different ways, but mostly through our small groups, huddles,
pods and one2one's. It means not just talking but learning and doing
together. The philosophy is not to program people to do certain things
in certain situations, but to enchourage one another to be Christ-like
in all the situations of life that we find ourselves in. We try to
follow the leading the Spirit and to trust that it is his work to
transform us into Christlikeness.
Anyone who wants to be involved in discipling at
Crossnet should look to cover the following areas, either in a one2one
by mutual arrangement or in a huddle. This is not exhaustive, but a
minimum of some of the things we think we should study, learn and live
as Disciples.
Topics to cover:
Covenant:
Covenant in the Old Testament
Kingdom:
What is the Kingdom of God? How do we seek His
kingdom above all else?
The Life of the
Spirit
Baptism in the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, the
fruit of the Spirit and being led by the Spirit
Jesus'
Teaching: the Sermon on the Mount
Relationships, handling anger, forgiveness,
conflict, sex, marriage, money, love for our enemies
Evangelism
What is it and how do we do it?
Love in practice
Truthful speach, the love languages, dealing with
conflict
Spiritual
Exercises
Understanding spiritual exercises
Exercises of abstinence - fasting, simplicity
Exercises of engagement - study, prayer, Bible,
giving, worship, and celebration
Lifeshapes
The Circle, the Square, the Pentagon, the
Semi-Circle and the Triangle
Enduring
Hardship
Learning how to endure in hard and confusing times,
living through a 'desert' experience and
understanding the Cross.
Recomended Books
Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest (London: Marshall, 1970)
Wesley Deuwel Mighty Prevailing Prayer (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1990)
Vincent Donovan Christianity Rediscovered (Indiana, USA: SCM, 1978)
Gordon Fee Paul, the Spirit and the People of God (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1996)
Pete Greig God on Mute (Eastbourne, UK: Survivor, 2007)
John Stott The Cross of
Christ (Leicester, UK:
IVP, 1986)
John Stott Issues Facing
Christians Today (London:
Marshall
Pickering, 1999)
John Stott The Incomparable Christ (Leicester, UK: IVP, 2001)
Dallas Willard The Divine Conspiracy (London: Fount Paperbacks,
Harper Collins, 1998)
Dallas Willard The Great Omission (NY,NY:HarperCollins, 2006)
Tom Wright Simply Christian (London: SPCK, 2006)
Phillip Yancy What’s So Amazing about Grace? (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan,1997)