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CONNECT
Disciples Connect With God and People.
Disciples Connect and grow by serving and sharing in the knowledge of God…
Disciples Connect and grow by serving and sharing in the knowledge of God
Connection is an essential part of discipleship. To be and grow as a disciple it requires connecting with God and other people. The awesome part is that Knowing, Growing, Serving and Sharing are all connected as well.
Disciples can learn from anyone. When we connect with people through service and sharing, we will grow in knowing God better. One of the best ways to have a deeper understanding of any subject it to teach it to someone else. That is how this site started out. A disciple wanting to know more about discipleship. Then discovering that it is an area that most churches do not excel at.
Connection to God is the core.
Our relationship to God is the core of being a disciple. It is what makes all other pieces work.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NIV)
Without a connection to God we cannot Know him and cannot be a disciple. If we do not know more we will not grow. Sharing and serving would also be meaningless. Serving and sharing just to be seen and honored by people may have a reward on earth. That earthly reward is temporary and will only last a short time. Disciples need to connect every part of their lives to God. We serve to honor him. We share because of what he has done for us. We grow because we love him and are loved by him. We know Him because we belong to him.
Connecting with people is also necessary.
Without connecting to people it is not possible to follow what God and Jesus have taught in the Bible. We are told to do many things throughout the Bible. Most of those commands involve other people. Things like:
- Honoring your father and mother.
- Caring for the widows and orphans.
- Bearing other’s burdens.
- Supporting ministries.
The list goes on and on. The idea is we serve God by serving people. It all goes back to God being the core. Our service to people is through and for God.
Connect with Gods people
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)
Connecting with a local church is one of the best ways to accomplish many of the pieces of being a disciple. It gives you an avenue to connect with other believers so you can serve and share. A local church should also provide a way for you to grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus.
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13 (NIV)
We are all servants and we are all served. Just as Jesus came to serve us, it is a disciple’s duty to connect with others and serve them. It is also important to remind Christians that our service does not grant us salvation. That is a gift freely given to all who would ask for it and the result of Christ’s service to us.