Reviving Discipleship: Discipleship Was the Plan

Discipleship is rooted in personal relationships, as God designed the church to function through intimate connections. Jesus’ approach to discipleship emphasized the centrality of personal relationships in His teachings and commands. Speakers emphasized God’s desire for a close, relational discipleship with humanity, and the importance of prioritizing discipleship in all aspects of life. They highlighted the need for personal connection and intimacy with God and others in discipleship, and the importance of being intentional about discipling others in a relational manner.

Action Items

• Evaluate relationships with God, other believers, and non-believers to identify areas for growth.
• Prioritize relational discipleship by spending meaningful time with other believers through activities like small groups.
• Look for opportunities to build caring relationships with non-believers in order to share the gospel in a natural way.

Outline

Restoring discipleship’s original purpose in expanding God’s kingdom through relationships.

• Speaker 1 prays for God to equip and excite believers to spread the Gospel and expand God’s kingdom.
• Speaker 1 believes discipleship is God’s plan to use relationships to make disciples and expand the kingdom.

God’s relational nature and desire for intimate connection with humans.

• God is a relational God, existing in the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• God created man in His image, taking special care in the creation of humans due to their unique relational nature.
• God created Adam and Eve to have a deep, personal relationship with Him.
• Jesus, the Holy Spirit, walked with Adam and Eve in the garden, discipling them.
• Sin tainted God’s initial intent for relational discipleship with Adam and Eve.

Relational discipleship and intimate connection with Jesus and others.

• Jesus prioritizes relational discipleship, connecting with his followers personally and intimately.
• Jesus appoints the 12 apostles to be with him and send them out to preach, emphasizing relational discipleship from the beginning of his ministry.
• Jesus emphasizes relational discipleship with intimate connection and love for one another.

Jesus’ discipleship plan, emphasizing relationship.

• Jesus longs for intimate relationships with His followers, desiring them to know Him deeply and make disciples of all nations.
• Jesus’ plan for discipleship involves being in relational intimacy with others, as seen in the early churches’ practices after His ascension.
• The speaker emphasizes the importance of relationship with Jesus and God’s people in the first century church’s impact on the world.
• The speaker encourages the audience to prioritize intimate connection and deep love for God and one another in order to reach the world.

Prioritizing relationship in discipleship for impact.

• Speaker emphasizes importance of relationship in discipleship, citing Jesus’ example and the early church’s close relationships.
• Encouragement and daily meetings are key to maintaining relational connections and discipleship, according to Hebrews 10:24-25.

The importance of relational discipleship in Christian life.

• Speaker emphasizes importance of gathering for mutual encouragement with other believers.
• Speaker addresses concerns about discipleship, arguing that it’s a committed relationship.
• Speaker 1 emphasizes the importance of relational discipleship in Christian life, citing biblical examples and personal experiences.
• Speaker 1 encourages listeners to prioritize intimate relationships with God and others, despite potential hurdles and challenges.

Relational discipleship in the first century church.

• Speaker 1 describes the growth of the early Christian church through relational discipleship, citing estimates of believers in the first century (12 dudes, 72, 120, etc.).
• Relational discipleship and intimacy with Jesus draw people close, as seen in the growth of the church from one person (Jesus’s mom and ladies hanging around the cross) to many before Pentecost.
• Speaker 1 emphasizes the importance of honoring Jesus’ wishes and the relationships he formed with his followers.
• Speaker 1 shares personal anecdotes to illustrate the idea of honoring loved ones’ wishes, even if they don’t align with one’s own preferences.

Loving and connecting with others through relational discipleship.

• Speaker 1 emphasizes the importance of loving and caring for others, as demonstrated in Acts 13:1-3.
• Speaker 1 encourages listeners to go out and do what Jesus taught them to do, which is to be relational with people and love them.
• Speaker emphasizes the importance of loving and being relationally connected with others to share faith.
• Discipleship involves studying the Bible, bearing fruit, and obeying teachings, with a focus on loving and relating to others.

Relational discipleship and its importance in Christian life.

• Speaker 1 emphasizes the importance of relationships in discipleship, citing God’s plan to create a people group that loves Him and loves others.
• Unknown speaker highlights the lack of information as a relationship issue, emphasizing the need for personal connections in discipleship.
• Speaker prays for intimate relationship with God and discipleship of others.