July Discipleship Focus

​Each month this year our staff will choose a different aspect of discipleship to share as the focus for that given month. Discipleship is the process of growing to be more like Jesus, part of The Journey every Christian embarks upon when surrendering their life to Christ.
 
The discipleship focus for the month of July is teaching and discipling others. Many of us can remember a significant Christian leader in our lives that was instrumental in our coming to faith in Jesus Christ. One of the most amazing parts of Bible Christianity is how God empowers people to lead in great and mighty ways to impact the Kingdom of God. Those impacts may be explicitly stated and noticed, maybe from a pastor or church staff member, but they may also be more implicitly made, perhaps from a Sunday school teacher or discipleship/accountability partner.
 
The beauty of The Journey that we are all on together at Wilmont Place is that there’s a place for every believer on that journey. Teaching and discipleship fall under “Developing Relationships” in The Journey. Developing relationships constitutes two things: developing relationships with Christ, and developing relationships with each other and fellow believers.
 
Teaching and discipling others cover both of those bases! Teaching is a means by which disciples, or believers in Christ, are continually transformed to become more like Christ. That can be accomplished through Sunday school and our small group Bible study opportunities, as well as through our Sunday morning sermons. At Wilmont Place, we confess to be a Bible centric, text driven church. We desire for the Scriptures to stand on their own, to allow the Lord to speak to our hearts, and we ask for our teachers to hold fast to that truth with us, too.
 
What does true discipleship look like? Jesus tells us in Luke 9:23-24: “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, this is the one who will save it”. It requires discipline from us to commit time, energy, and effort to the Lord as we seek Him through His Word, through prayer, and through serving others.
 
Here’s some exciting news! In 2021, we officially launched Discipleship Groups at Wilmont Place! Discipleship Groups, or D-Groups, are an opportunity for a small group of people, ideally 4-6 individuals, to walk through life and Scripture together. This does not substitute or replace the need for our Bible study opportunities on Sunday morning like Sunday school, but this is a great way for believers to dive deeper into God’s Word with a group of people to build accountability and deepen relationships as we grow in faith with one another.
 
Jesus said to His disciples in John 8:31-32, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” How is God challenging you this month? Maybe God is challenging you to engage in a small group Bible study during our Sunday school hour on Sunday mornings, maybe for the first time! Or, maybe God is calling you to invest time in a Discipleship Group and dig deeper into your relationship with the Lord. Make a commitment this month to plug in to one or both of these teaching and discipleship opportunities, and watch how the Lord will grow your faith in Him, and your relationships with one another.
 
(Written by Jacob French, Music and Youth Pastor)