“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
The Discipleship Driven Church
The Discipleship Driven Church is marked by those who will accept the Call to Discipleship by a commitment to the personal practice of their faith.
Disciples are people who make a personal commitment to spiritual growth by striving to:
- Pray Daily
- Worship Weekly
- Study God’s Word
- Serve Others – both at Peace and beyond
- Share God’s Grace with others by their personal witness
When Jesus called people to be disciples, He began an intentional process of teaching.
A Discipleship Driven Church continues this process of – “making disciples . . . by teaching them to obey everything Jesus taught us.”
The Process of Making Disciples:
Worship → Bible Study → Prayer → Service → Witness → to the Un-churched
- Worship flows into Bible Study
- Bible Study leads to Prayer
- Prayer fosters Christian Service
- Christian Service manifests itself in Personal Witness and Evangelism
- Witness and Evangelism – brings Invitation to the Un-churched and into Worship
This Process – by which the Disciples of Christ are made and strengthened, is the foundation of a Discipleship Driven Church. Our goal is to excel in all steps of the Discipleship Process. We will strive to be the people of God who accept the Call to Discipleship by a commitment to the personal practice of our faith.
Our mission remains the same – we are to be the people of God:
“Reaching Out to Help People Experience a Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ!”
The Acts 2 Church – A Discipleship Driven Church
Our God used the first disciples to change the world. He began with twelve – then sent out the seventy-two and now calls us to change lives with the good news of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit releases the power of God’s grace and love through the lives of Christ’s disciples. We are to be the instruments by which the Holy Spirit can change lives. We will equip ourselves – to be Christ’s Disciples – so that we are ready for His call to serve. Again, we will equip ourselves for discipleship by:
- Worshiping Weekly
- Studying God’s Word
- Praying Daily
- Serving Others
- Sharing God’s Grace
Just imagine a church where the people devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. It would be a church where everyone was filled with awe – a place where all the believers were together and had everything in common. It would be a place where the people would use their possessions and goods, and give to anyone as they had need. They would break bread in their homes and eat together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord, by His grace, would add to their number daily those who were being saved.
God has called us to build a church that patterns itself after the Acts 2 church – a church that models community and has a heart for making disciples. We are God’s people who will build a community of faith that is marked by faithful disciples who have as their core desire for:
“Reaching Out to Help People Experience a Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ!”
May the Holy Spirit, equip us, grant us courage, and use us for His purpose.