SPEAKER_00: Hello, and welcome back to Celebration Baptist Church's Live Boldly Podcast.
SPEAKER_00: Today is a special day.
SPEAKER_00: I'm Jessica, and today Pastor David is going to conclude our week on discipleship with a challenge.
SPEAKER_00: Will you just start off by telling us why growing in our faith is so important?
SPEAKER_01: Well, when you take the time to grow in your faith and make an effort to uh to just pursue Christ through studying the word, uh connecting with other people, what happens to us is we begin to know God better.
SPEAKER_01: And the better we know God better, the better that we can actually live in ways that honor and glorify Him.
SPEAKER_01: So the whole real point of discipleship is just to get to know God better and to better be able to pursue Him.
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
SPEAKER_00: So what are some steps of discipleship that we can take here at celebration?
SPEAKER_01: Well, there are a lot of things that we can do, both uh within the context of our church family and independently.
SPEAKER_01: For example, it would be, I think, essential for every believer to set aside time uh every single day to look at the word, spend some time uh in the Bible, spend some time in prayer, and just have that conversation, that two-way conversation with God.
SPEAKER_01: Then beyond that independent effort or beyond that self-study, I think it'd be really important for uh you get engaged with a local church.
SPEAKER_01: We're designed to best function as a part of a body.
SPEAKER_01: And so when we get involved with other people, uh we really can begin to learn from their experiences.
SPEAKER_01: The Holy Spirit begins to move among those in uh within the group, and it just has this multiplicative effect on our ability to grow in Christ.
SPEAKER_01: So some things that I would say uh to our folks at celebration that you want to make sure that you've done or are doing if you want to be uh in discipleship is first of all, make sure that you're actually fully invested in the church as a member.
SPEAKER_01: If you haven't taken that step of joining the church, then do that.
SPEAKER_01: Identify yourself with a specific local body of believers in Jesus Christ so that you can say to the world, this is who I am and this is who I belong to.
SPEAKER_01: And then that allows for accountability, it allows for encouragement, and we just have this mutual investment in one another.
SPEAKER_01: Then I would encourage you to take the step of being in a group.
SPEAKER_01: We've got a lot of different kinds of groups, but one that I'm really particularly excited about right now is a group that we're calling a conversation group.
SPEAKER_01: So we're we're a conversation group, it's a group that meets in someone's home throughout the week, and it's all based on the sermon on the Sunday prior to the that group's meeting.
SPEAKER_01: So uh on our on our app, you've got um the sermon from the week prior, you've got a Bible study that was written that supports that, you've got some video excerpts, you just basically have all the tools that you need to do a little bit deeper dive into what was discussed on Sunday morning.
SPEAKER_01: So a conversation group comes together in someone's home, they share a meal, they have some fun, and then they listen to some excerpts from the sermon and they have a conversation about what they learned and focusing in particular on the applications.
SPEAKER_01: What is it that I'm supposed to do differently because I had this growth experience, because I had this opportunity, because of the sermon that I took part in.
SPEAKER_01: So I would encourage everybody to get involved in a conversation group.
SPEAKER_01: And our goal uh over the course of this year is to launch 40 brand new conversation groups in people's homes.
SPEAKER_01: So that's a big effort that we're trying to make here.
SPEAKER_01: Another thing that you could do if you really kind of stretch yourself and reach out there, I would encourage everybody to uh consider taking the step of hosting a conversation group in your home.
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
SPEAKER_01: That's a big deal because obviously a group needs a place to get together, needs a place to meet.
SPEAKER_01: But that also gives you a chance to invite your friends, your family, people that you know, folks who are outside of the circle of church, and get them involved, get them coming uh into hearing God's word, being a part of that discussion, and who knows what impact that has on your friends and family.
SPEAKER_01: So if you know people, for example, who aren't interested in church or who don't really have a religious affiliation or who you really wonder, is that person a believer in Jesus Christ?
SPEAKER_01: Man, I would say invite those folks into a conversation group.
SPEAKER_01: So if you're taking those steps, then a couple of things are happening.
SPEAKER_01: One, you're being a disciple, and two, you're also making a disciple.
SPEAKER_01: And I would submit both of those are pretty important steps for us to take.
SPEAKER_01: Now, there's other things you can do as well.
SPEAKER_01: You can get involved in a T group, and we've had a lot of people over the years at celebration get into those T groups.
SPEAKER_01: You can also lead a T group, which goes back to what I was saying.
SPEAKER_01: If you really want to be a disciple, you need to be making a disciple.
SPEAKER_01: And so taking those steps, I think, is mission critical if you're gonna grow in your faith in Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00: Discipleship is a really important topic here at church.
SPEAKER_00: And so, how are you personally involved in um group life or discipleship?
SPEAKER_00: What do you personally do?
SPEAKER_01: Well, I mentioned T groups just a moment ago, and I think I've got the record of the most T groups of anybody at celebration.
SPEAKER_01: I I'm I'm gonna say I've done 15 T groups.
SPEAKER_01: And uh it may be a little more, but it's it that's a pretty rough number, but it's a pretty close, pretty close guess.
SPEAKER_01: I've been involved in T groups almost nonstop since we started them several years ago.
SPEAKER_01: And uh we have you know, there's basically like three levels of T groups.
SPEAKER_01: There's T1, which is kind of an introduction into what it means to be a Christ follower, then T2 is about leadership, and then T3 is just kind of fielder's choice.
SPEAKER_01: It's just kind of a, you know, if you want to study, for example, the Holy Spirit, you can get together with a a group, a T group, and do just that.
SPEAKER_01: Uh but I've done mostly T1.
SPEAKER_01: So I just enjoy that chance to sit down with folks who are newer to their journey and have that conversation.
SPEAKER_00: That's really exciting stuff.
SPEAKER_01: It is, it's fun.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Pastor David, for talking to us about discipleship today.
SPEAKER_00: Uh to everyone listening, make sure you find Celebration Baptist Church on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, so that way you can keep up with our current sermon series, Live Boldly, as well as explore other things that are happening in our church family at this time.
SPEAKER_00: Pastor David, would you pray for us today?
SPEAKER_01: It'd be my pleasure.
SPEAKER_01: Let's pray.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, I just thank you so much for the church.
SPEAKER_01: It's a wonderful gift to us.
SPEAKER_01: And I'm grateful that it helps us grow.
SPEAKER_01: It helps us to just become more like you, to get closer to you, to know you better.
SPEAKER_01: And so I want to pray for the folks of celebration as they consider what steps they're going to be taking in their discipleship over the next two years.
SPEAKER_01: Help us to take steps that are bold, that are challenging, and that will enhance our walk with you.
SPEAKER_01: In Jesus' name we pray.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Pastor David.
SPEAKER_00: Tomorrow we begin a new week focused on serving.
SPEAKER_00: We'll see you then.