Discipleship Pathway
Sermon Recap
In our fall preaching series, we’ve been having an extended conversation about the focus of Refuge Church heading into our next season of life and ministry together. We’ve already discussed our vision statement (“To see the goodness of God’s kingdom fully realized in the Refuge family and in our city”). We also took a few weeks to explore our mission statement, “Being transformed through life with Jesus.”
We believe this transformation happens as we learn from Jesus, practice his way and are healed by God’s love and power. All this, in community and by the power of the Holy Spirit for the good of others and the glory of God.
And if this is our understanding of our mission as a church, the question at hand is, “What are we actually going to do about it?” Every church must answer, in the words of Dallas Willard, two questions: “What is your plan for discipleship? And is it working?”
As the board and staff have worked together to discern our priorities, we’ve named 4 core commitments that will guide us. These 4 things are prayer, worship, community, and discipleship pathways.
Much of this is familiar. We want to be people of prayer, because connection and dependence on God will be what fuels and sustains everything we do. From our worship together, we hope that people leave marveling at the beauty of God and the gospel, sensing the Spirit’s invitation and excited to demonstrate this life with God – ready to invite others to “come and see.” During the week, we cultivate community in small groups where we can commit to each other’s transformation and practice the way of Jesus together.
“Discipleship pathways” may be an unfamiliar expression. Discipleship pathways are a way of identifying, organizing, and honing Refuge programming, like a curriculum, to help people go deeper into life with Jesus and out into their vocation for the good of others.
Currently, this is designed as a 4-year journey. The invitation is for some to enter into a dedicated season of reordering life and lifestyle around Jesus. Our hope is that they will be rooted in community, given knowledge of the Bible and spiritual practices, equipped to create and begin living with a Rule of Life, and supported in discerning and developing their sense of God-inspired vocation.
We witness in the Bible how Jesus seemed to have a plan for his first disciples, calling them with an intention to send them on mission to make more disciples (Matthew 4:18-20; 28:16-20). Jesus lived with them for 3 years, teaching them how to reorder their lives around him. After Jesus’ ascension, the early church gathered, prayed, and practiced together, learning how to reorder their life together in the new reality of the Spirit. Even Paul, after his conversion, was apprenticed by mature Christian leaders before he began his work of church-planting.
Discipleship is life-long. Sometimes once, sometimes multiple times, we are invited into specific seasons of simplifying, settings things down and reordering our lives around Jesus. This is what the discipleship pathway is for.
This may be a season for you - because of your life stage or the Spirit’s leading or because for you it seems to be the next right thing – to consider beginning this discipleship pathway. A first step might be to join in the Alpha course this coming Spring.
On the other hand, this may be a season for you – for any of those same reasons – to consider other ways of responding. You might need to release the idea of adding anything, instead being faithful to what and how God is already working in your life. You might simplify, putting some things down in order to focus more on what you know is most important right now. As a church, we also support each other through prayer and generosity.
Maybe this is a moment for you to lean into the other three anchors: prayer, worship, small groups. Do you have a regular prayer rhythm? Is it part of your commitment to be present in our worship gatherings as often as you’re able? Are you sharing life in a small group? Bring these questions before God and invite the Spirit to guide you in whatever the next right step is for you and your family.
Entering Conversation
1. As you think about your life with God right now, what 3 or 4 words might you use to name this season for yourself? For examples: “renewed” or “ordinary” or “recovering” or “holding on.”
2. For any of you who’ve been following Jesus for some time, I wonder if you can recall a time when you were in a “dedicated season of reordering”. Maybe you were in a particular discipleship group or being mentored by a more mature believer. Maybe it felt like you were growing or changing in more than an ordinary way. What was that like for you? How might that season compare to now?
3. David invited us to consider what might be the “next right thing” for us to give attention to. The list of suggestions included the Alpha course, simplifying/releasing, giving, praying, or even something else entirely. Does anyone sense what might be the next step for them? Give space to each other to answer, but recognize this might take more time for some to answer than others.
As you close, pray together for the Spirit’s guidance and for hearts willing to respond and obey.
Practice for the Week
Write down the question of “next right thing” somewhere you’ll see it daily – on a notecard, on your phone, etc. Let it remind you to keep praying over that question, inviting God to lead you and give you faith to take that next step as it becomes clear. If you can, connect this week with someone else from your group and talk together about what you're discerning.