Discipleship Groups

Whether we realize it or not, the thoughts, feelings and actions that make up our daily lives are shaped by who and what we love far more than by what we “know.” We may cognitively “know” that loving others around us is the most important thing we can do in any given situation, but why is that so hard to do in real time when we’re just trying to get through whatever is happening today? 

Many of us need a reimagined approach to discipleship that taps into the way in which character is wired into our brains. 

Christian discipleship involves much more than learning new information about God. If we’re really going to see character transformation it involves actively being with Jesus as his apprentices, eagerly striving to become more like him in every facet of our character. 

Three main themes of living as a disciple that we work on together are:

1. Learning how to live joyfully with God, primarily fueled by his love rather than living from anxiety about how to solve the next problem that we’re worried about.

2. Bonding deeply with the body of Christ as a spiritual family

3. Developing curiosity about what’s happening inside of others’ hearts and minds (this involves imagining what Jesus sees and hears to be most true about them and what their needs really are) 

A reimagined approach to discipleship emphasizes: immeasurable trenches of pure joy, deep-seated aspects of hesed love, growing in awareness of God’s thoughts, and intimately connected relationships with others. 

We need methods of doing life together that bring out shared experiences, powerful memories, and a fresh awareness of God’s continual presence with us. Before we can know what to think, we have to know how to love–and we learn to love from the One who first loved us. 

In our small groups we have been talking about the power of joy and God’s presence in our lives. This relational experience coupled with God’s Word allows us to grow and be transformed into his likeness. We long for our lives to reflect that of our Jesus, but too often we find ourselves stuck. What has been missing, what we are now discussing each week, is how the power of God’s presence with us in joy, community, and love can shape us in ways that knowledge on its own never will. 

And so each week, we show up early in the morning to take this journey together. As we smile, greet one another, and share our lives together something significant takes place in our midst. It’s as though God himself was smiling upon us and granting us his peace. 

We believe that becoming enchanted with Jesus is the most important thing any of us will ever do. Our hope is to develop a clear vision and new habits with Jesus that rewire our thoughts and desires, transform our emotions, and increase our creativity and capacity for loving action toward others. And we would love to take this journey with you.