Grow Training Manual

​The Goal of Discipleship
The New Testament word “disciple” conveys being a student, follower, learner, even an imitator. Perhaps even better, we can see the word illustrated in how Jesus interacts with his own disciples. He lives life with them, teaches, sends them on adventures together, interprets current events, processes experiences, and more—all in light of the Kingdom of God, the new reality he is teaching them to live into.

​Most centrally, Christian discipleship should be shaped by:

1. The Great Commandment (Mark 12:29-31)

29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.”

1. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20)

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

​ When considering this transformation, we should remember that human beings are shaped by:

1. Roots: the core beliefs and stories from our families, our culture, and our faith in which we find purpose and meaning
2. Rhythms: the way we structure our lives, including both the overall way we order our commitments and pursuits, as well as the intentional practices we take on to give God space to transform our hearts and lives (Christian rhythms are sometimes called spiritual disciplines or a Rule of Life). Everything we do is spiritual (affects our souls), but not everything is Spirit-ual, in that it is powered by the Holy Spirit.
3. Relationships: the people who teach, influence, encourage, challenge, and love us

​In each case, these will affect us in both positive and negative ways. Discipleship is being purposeful about rooting ourselves in the Gospel story and core beliefs, developing rhythms that draw us upwards into our relationship with God, inwards into the Spirit’s work in our souls and the church community, and outwards in mission.

What to Read
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“Looking like Jesus.” Dallas Willard
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Read through ch. 9 from Dallas Willard’s “Spirit of the Disciplines,” (p. 156-192) [See Church Library]

• Disciplines of Abstinence: solitude, silence, fasting, frugality, chastity, secrecy, sacrifice
• Disciplines of Engagement: study, worship, celebration, service, prayer, fellowship, confession, submission

Ruth Haley Barton's Sacred Rhythms [See Church Library]

​What to Listen to
“Streams.” Richard Foster.  https://renovare.org/podcast (#25)

What to Watch
Dallas Willard: “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_AbnvbHVB8?”
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Youtube video on Learning Styles

• Visual (seeing), Auditory (hearing), Tactile/Kinesthetic (doing)
• Individual, Group
• Environment: musical, quiet, outdoors, indoors, lots of stimulation, stillness

Ken Shigematsu on a Rule of Life. Part 1, Part 2. See also the diagram attached to this packet which depicts the “trellis” to which Shigematsu refers. (More in book, God in My Everything)

“This is Discipleship” from the FourSquare Church.
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“The Most Effective Method for Discipleship in the World” from Jon Tyson

​What to Ponder
“Who do you say that I am?”—Jesus
Reflect on the following passages which each give us pictures of what we are going for in discipleship:

• Matthew 5-7 (Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount)
• Romans 12:1-2
• 1 Corinthians 13 (“Love is patient, love is kind…”)
• Galatians 5:13-26 (the Fruit of the Spirit)
• Ephesians 4-6 (highlighted by 5:1, “Be imitators of God”)

In Luke 24, we see a number of sacred rhythms that inform our own:
· Community of open and vulnerable relationships (the disciples on the road, sharing their questions, hopes, and disappointments)
· Engaging with the Scriptures (Jesus opens up the Scriptures to them)
· Hospitality toward strangers (welcoming Jesus in to share a meal and the night)
· Breaking Bread together (Jesus is recognized through the meal)
· Sharing the Story (the disciples tell the story of their encounter with Jesus) 

​Resources to Use

http://www.3dmovements.com/ (3DM books are in Pastor Jon’s office too)

https://renovare.org/ (articles, videos, podcasts, and more on spiritual formation)
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https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/explore-the-bible/lyfe/ (you can register for free—a number of great spiritual formation resources