Gospel.com Blog

We’ve been talking about discipleship all week here on the Gospel.com blog. Discipleship encompasses a lot of different things, and is something that all Christians should be practicing in their lives. But what about those for whom discipleship is not just a good spiritual idea, but part of their actual job description?

I’m referring to church leaders—pastors, small group leaders, youth ministers, worship directors, volunteer coordinators, and everybody else who has a leadership role in their church or community. How does one be an effective leader of others? Here’s a sampling of articles that address different aspects of leadership in the church today.

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Each week, Past the Popcorn offers a thorough look at the latest round of films opening on big screens.

The week sandwiched between Enchanted and The Golden Compass doesn’t have a lot to offer—and what it offers doesn’t satisfy, either.

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Are you in a mentoring relationship that needs some direction? New Christian Life Ministries “passion is to see believers live Spirit-empowered lives.” Their web site is run by the author Rev. James Hall, who has this to say about his ministry:

After years of careful study of the Scriptures, much thought, and countless personal witnessing and discipling exchanges, God has birthed these guidelines and lessons in Jim’s spirit and made them available to others under the title “The Harvester’s Handbook.”

His eWorkbook and curriculum is designed as a program for young believers to walk through the basics of the faith with an older believer. Advice and support are provided for the more mature believer in this process as well.

If you’re interested in trying out the discipleship eWorkbook, you can find the first two units for free online here (free sign-up required). Each additional lesson costs $1. The eWorkbook allows you to keep a daily journal and guides you through some of the basics of Christianity with plenty of biblical backing.

Their prayer “is that through this ministry, many will come to know Christ, and many will truly learn what it is to follow our Lord and Savior.”

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” It’s one of the more famous proverbs in the Bible, and it points to a basic truth: one of our most important jobs as Christians and as human beings is to help each other grow in the faith.

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We’ve all had times where we’ve neglected reading the bible. Frankly, sometimes it’s just hard to make time. This week we’ve been focusing on discipleship, so if you’d like to revitalize your bible study, we’ve compiled some helpful resources for you.

Personally, bible reading has been a foundational aspect of my faith; one that continues and will continue to transform me. Still, on occasion the bible leaves me scratching my head. Without honest study and good teaching, passages like, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you,” can be very confusing.
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Our last post looked at some prayer resources at Delve Into Jesus to help you understand the basics of prayer. But if you’ve gotten through the basics and are ready to lead others in building up their prayer lives, here’s another ministry that can help: Bible Prayer Fellowship. Bible Prayer Fellowship helps pastors and church leaders cultivate healthy prayer practices in their churches, small groups, and Bible studies.

First and foremost, BPF has the full text of their Forgotten Secrets to a Live Prayer Meeting. It’s a full-blown leader’s manual for running a successful prayer meeting, including 12 lesson and student workbook exercises to accompany them. If you’re studying the topic of prayer in your small group Bible study, this would be a great resource. Also of interest to small group leaders is the full text of Andrew Murray’s classic textbook on prayer With Christ in the School of Prayer. BPF has added discussion questions to each chapter to help you get a group dialogue started.

One final set of resources worth checking out at BPF is their set of email newsletters about prayer—one meant for pastors, another for prayer group leaders, and the third for anyone interested in prayer as a means of spiritual revival.

I think we’ve all had questions about prayer: when should I do it, what’s appropriate, what should I say? For the disciple of Christ, prayer is a necessity that shouldn’t be taken for granted; yet, on a personal note, I know I so often do. There’s plenty of information out there to help guide you in your prayer life, from the Prayer of Jabez to the Book of Common Prayer.

Today, we’d like to highlight Delve Into Jesus, a site that is devoted to providing accurate information about Jesus on the internet.
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In our last post, we pointed out some classic sermons about discipleship. Soulation is another ministry with some excellent sermons and essays about drawing closer to Christ in your everyday life. Their sermon library has a large number of sermons in audio and PDF format on a variety of topics. Keeping with this week’s theme on discipleship, be sure to check out Loving God With All of You (PDF; part 1 of a seven-part series), which talks about the process of deepening your relationship with God. Loving God With Your Soul (MP3) is a good companion to that series.

Strangling Your Soul is a short, insightful look at the everyday care and feeding of your mind and spirit. There are many more good resources in their library—take a look around and spend some time reading and listening to their sermons!

“Jesus said, Follow Me (Matt. 4:19; 9:9).” He called us to be, “set apart, challenged, and taught so we see and adhere to the call and mission Christ gives us. The word “disciple” literally means someone who pledges to be a ‘learner.’ Moreover, it is someone who follows another’s teaching, and adheres to it. It is a commitment and a process to undertake the learning, and, as a Christian, a yearning to imitate Jesus!” —from Call to Discipleship at Into Thy Word Ministries

Discipleship is answering the call of Christ in your life. This week, the Gospel.com blog is focusing on providing links to community resources that can help you deepen your walk with Christ. We’d like to start by pointing you towards some sermons from Sermonindex.net, which has over 14,000 sermons available online!

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It’s Black Friday! Thanksgiving is over, and Christmas is on the horizon—but unfortunately, it’s easy for us to let this time between Thanksgiving and Christmas become a celebration of materialism and not of the coming Christ child. For Christians, Christmas can be a delicate balance between giving and good stewardship. So how do we manage our spending in a way that honors God?

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