Discipleship Matters
It is clear throughout Jesus’ life that discipleship was incredibly important to him. So important, in fact, that it was included in some of his last words to his disciples before he left earth. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus says, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 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 everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
As followers of Jesus, is one of the foundational reasons why discipleship matters at Northstar.
We also take seriously the Apostle Paul’s words in Colossians 1:28, “We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” Simply put, discipleship is the lifelong process of spiritual growth, aided by the Holy Spirit and personal relationships. We see in Scripture that discipleship is the important, joyful, and at times difficult process of learning and maturing spiritually.
At Northstar, discipleship has taken many forms over the years. In 2019, we launched the Discipleship Initiative, a discipleship curriculum developed by us that we encouraged all of our covenant members to participate in. We are now expanding this opportunity in a couple of ways. First, anyone (member or not) is encouraged to join a discipleship group, and second, we are giving groups the option to continue to meet after the initial Discipleship Initiative curriculum is completed.
A discipleship group at Northstar will have some key elements.
The group will be made up of a leader and 2-3 participants, all of the same gender. They will meet once a week at an agreed upon time (online options will be available), and there will be some homework and reading throughout the rest of the week. There will also be time for prayer and sharing in these groups as part of the meeting time. Our goal is to have these groups become an open and honest place for participants to be vulnerable and encouraged in their walk with Christ.
Discipleship matters at Northstar because discipleship matters to Jesus.
Please fill out the discipleship interest form today! This will start the process of matching you with your group and a leader. There is no deadline to sign up, but do so as soon as possible! You can indicate on the form when you are available to start. We are excited to see how God uses our discipleship ministry to encourage and grow us in our walk with the Lord. We hope that you will join us in this exciting opportunity!
Please visit dontgo.be/discipleship to fill out the discipleship interest form.
