The Pattern of Discipleship
Disciples personally respond to Christ in repentance and faith, obey His command to be baptized, and are vital members of a local church.
Acts 2:36-47
Biblically Based, Christ Centered, Caring Community in Annapolis, MD
Disciples personally respond to Christ in repentance and faith, obey His command to be baptized, and are vital members of a local church.
Acts 2:36-47
A disciple is called to live at peace with other believers, focusing on rooting sin out of their own life rather than criticizing their brothers and sisters.
Mark 9:38-50
The parable of the sower, the seed, and the soils teaches the secret of the Kingdom of God – that it has broken into the world in the Person, teaching, and work of Jesus, that is rejected by many, but that the Word of Jesus will bear great fruit in the lives of those who hear and embrace it.
Mark 4:1-20
The Church is called to be a community that worships together, shares life together, and is on mission together.
Acts 2:42-47
The Lord’s Supper is the sacramental meal Christ commanded all believers to eat, in which the death of Christ for our salvation is represented in the breaking of the bread and the pouring out of the cup, and through which the believer spiritually feeds upon Christ, giving thanks to God as the elements are received in faith.
Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:16
Water baptism is the sign and seal of our union with Christ and the cleansing He provides for sin, a means of grace to provide strength in our struggle against sin, and the medium through which we testify of our faith in Christ and membership in the church.
Colossians 2:9-15; Romans 6:3-7
Disciples are those who have personally responded to Christ in repentance and faith, obey His command to be baptized, and are vital members of a local church.
Acts 2:36-47
When a person is in Christ they are admitted into the body of Christ, a world wide community of faith. The next and most important step is to become a member of a local body!
1 Peter 2:9-10; 1 Peter 5:1-2; 1 Corinthians 1:2
The Church has been given the Spirit to empower us to be on mission together, taking the Gospel forth and displaying the love of God to others from our location to the ends of the earth.
Luke 4:16-19; Luke 24:45-49
The local church community is where we are taught humble servanthood as a virtue, where we practice acts of servanthood, and where our souls are shaped so that our whole life becomes characterized by the attitude and practices of servanthood.
Galatians 5:13-15
The Church is the community of those who are God’s people through faith in Christ and are therefore exiles in this world. Consequently, they must persevere through suffering and persecution, knowing God is worth far more than this passing age.
Hebrews 11
The Church is God’s Nation in the world today, comprised of believers from every earthly nation, scattered throughout every earthly nation, and with ultimate loyalty and affection reserved for God and His kingdom.
1 Peter 5:1-2; 2:9-12; 5:13-14
Worship is the assembly of the local church where God speaks to us through His Word, meets and strengthens us in the sacraments, and we respond as a community in spoken and sung prayers.
Acts 2:42; Colossians 3:16
Each local church must have a group of elders who shepherd the flock by God’s Word, are servant leaders for those under their care, set a godly example in character and conduct, and point people to Jesus, the Chief Shepherd.
1 Peter 5:1–7
All Christians are called to be part of local churches where they are led and cared for by elders, worship God, learn the Scripture, receive the sacraments, pray together, serve one another, and carry out the Great Commission together.
1 Corinthians 1:1-2; Acts 14:23
The Church is the communion of the saints, all of those in every age who have been united to Christ in faith and draw their life from Him and who are therefore spiritually united with one another now and in eternity.
John 10:16; Hebrews 12:22-24
The Church is God’s Temple, where He dwells by His Spirit as His people gather to worship and live in holiness and unity.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NIV2011
The Church is the Body of Christ, in which believers are united with one another and with Jesus Christ, their Head and source of life.
1 Corinthians 12:12–13
The Church is the community of those who have personally responded to the Gospel, gather for worship, and care for one another.
Acts 2:36-47
The Church is the beautiful community of those blessed by the Trinity and sent forth to spread the blessing of God throughout the earth.
John 20:21–23
The Church is the community of blessing, where those who are in Christ and walking in unity receive every spiritual blessing promised by God.
Ephesians 1:3-14
To express the love of the Trinity, the Church must be a beautiful community where the forgiveness offered in the Gospel is celebrated, received, and given.
Ephesians 4:29–5:2
If the Church is to be a beautiful community of unity and diversity, we must walk in humility, being willing to sacrifice our own rights in order to serve our brothers and sisters.
Philippians2:1-11
All humans are descended from Adam and are the image of God, but there God has reconciled us to Himself and one another through the work of Jesus on the cross, creating the Church as the beautiful community of reconciliation in which He lives by His Spirit.
Ephesians 2:11-12
Jesus is the Root of Jesse, Who sustains and nourishes God’s people through every season of life, restoring them to God’s favor and producing fruit in them and throughout the earth.
Isaiah 11:1, 10-12