New Discipleship Classes
For several years, and even more so recently, I have had a burden on my heart to focus on the discipleship of each and every believer attending Pea Ridge Baptist. In the New Testament, the word “disciple” is used about 260 times, while the word Christian is used only 2 times, So being a disciple must be pretty important. So what is a disciple? A disciple is a person who is in a growing, dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ that moves toward transformation and spiritual maturity. Clearly, the New Testament church was about making disciples. Jesus commissioned his early followers by say, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…”(Matthew 28:19 – 20, NIV). Over the past years, the church (both our own and the church in general) as strayed about from this important dimension of church life…but God is calling us back. This fall we are beginning a journey in discipleship as a congregation. I am so excited about this direction for our church.
In a recent letter to the congregation, I spoke about our need to focus on people as the church and not just the church as a building. People are the most important gift that God has given to our church. One of the ways we will begin to make disciples is through giving every person attending the same foundation. This is going to be accomplished by offering a series of discipleship classes that teach foundational truth about the church and our life as a Christian. There are four classes: Disciple 101, Disciple 201, Disciple 301, and Disciple 401. These are a systematic, sequential group of classes, teaching subjects such as, spiritual growth as a believer, our Baptist identity, the importance of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, spiritual gifts and more. Each class will be designed to move believers into a deeper level of spiritual maturity.
It is our goal to move every person in our church through these classes. You don’t have to be member of the church to participate in Disciple 101, but it is a critical step for every member and regular attender at Pea Ridge. In fact, this class will help you have a deep understanding of how our church is structured, giving a clear picture of our mission, vision and values and how you can be an active part.
You might be saying, “I don’t need to take this class. I have been a member here for many years”. That is a logical argument. If you have been a member for several years you know about our church and hopefully you are part of some ministry within the congregation. But being part of this class will help to keep you focused on the purpose of God’s church called Pea Ridge…it will help you to reaffirm you call to serve and give your life to kingdom work here…it will help to develop new ideas and it will give you to opportunity to network with others who are newer to our congregation. We never arrive at a point where we know all there is about our Christian walk. You might even learn something new if you come to the class.
So, I am calling on everyone in our church to participate in Disciple 101 beginning August 27th. The class will meet in the fellowship hall for six weeks. If you can’t begin at that time, it will be offered again beginning October 15th. Please pray about your participation this important foundation study.