Your Discipleship Toolbox

Are you ready to have a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God? Then, you are in the right place. We designed this page to provide you with the tools you need to grow as a disciple.

The tools are designed around two easy-to-understand sections. In the first section, The Four Stages of Relationship with Jesus Christ, you will learn exactly what the path towards a mature relationship with Jesus looks like. Understanding this will help you discern where you are right now and how to move forward. You will have a solid foundation for how to grow in your faith.

The second section, The Six Marks of Discipleship, lays out essential elements of being a healthy disciple. These six marks are taken from Rev. Glenn McDonald’s book, The Disciple Making Church. In the book, McDonald shares how to move from being a seeker to an advanced practice of each of the marks.

Our pastor, Rev. John Arnold, through an illuminating sermon series, explores each of the six marks. He reveal how the path to maturity in each mark parallels the four stages of relationship with Jesus. And most important of all, he offers practical concrete guidance you can use to take your practice of each mark to the next level. You will find links below to the original sermon series outlining both the stages of relationship and the six-marks. We  just started the marks of discipleship series, so please return regularly for links to videos and step-by-step worksheets, as the series unfolds.

The Four Stages of Relationship with Jesus Christ

“Who do you say Jesus is?” How you answer this question literally can shape every aspect of your life. Jesus asked the disciples a similar question, “Who do people say I am?”.  His response reveals the first three stages of relationship with him: the Celebrity Stage, Savior Stage, and Lord Stage. You can learn all about those three stages in the first sermon link below. The fourth and final stage, The Friend Stage, is explained in the second sermon link.

Please note, while the videos provided are roughly an hour long, the relevent sermon portion is only about 20 to 25 minutes and time stamps have been provided so you can leap directly to the sermon. This is true for the Marks of Discipleship sermon series as well. We’ve also included a downloadable quick reference guide to The Four Stages of Relationship with Jesus. You may want to open this as a guide while you watch the video or download as a reminder sheet of the key characteristics of each stage of growth.

If you have any questions, please contact Rev. John Arnold directly at pastor@fpcrogers.com.

 

A Brief Introduction to Each Stage

Stage 1, The Celebrity Stage – During the first stage of relationship with Jesus Christ, he is much like a celebrity to people. He is a famous person with little to know influence over your life.  At this stage, you do not have a commitment of any kind to Jesus. You don’t understand his identity well enough yet to understand your need for him. You likely do not see or believe God is at work in your life. Moving through this stage is primarily INFROMATIONAL in nature.

Stage 2, The Savior Stage – During this stage you understand who Jesus is enough to realize your need for him. You may reach out to him and “invite him into your life.” Oftentimes people are brought to this stage by difficult events, but sometimes just through study, or the witness of others. You may begin to see God at work in your life, but largely only in fortunate circumstances. You also tend in this phase to call on God for things frequently or express gratitude. This stage is highly TRANSACTIONAL. ie. I believe and God saves me. I pray and God answers prayer.

Stage 3, The Lord Stage – Now you start to realize that having a relationship is not all about you and your need for God. You start to recognize that a life of discipleship actually involves following Jesus Christ. You begin to recognize the need to surrender to God’s will in your life. You also, start to recognize God at work even in “bad” events or circumstances. This stage is highly TRANSFORMATIONAL as you seek to be in Christ and live more like him.

Stage 4, The Friend Stage – Jesus told the disciples, “I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing, but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.” John 15:15. At this stage, you have a fully surrendered heart and are Spirit-led in your life. You now are co-laboring with Jesus for God’s glory and kingdom. You realize God is at work in all things. This stage is INCARNATIONAL because you are manifesting the Spirit in all you do.

 

RESOURCE LINKS

Sermon outlining the First Three Stages of Relationship with Jesus, begin viewing at 25 minutes into the video.

Sermon outline of the Fourth Stage of Relationship with Jesus, being viewing at 31 minutes and 12 secs.

Quick Reference Guide to The Four Stages of Relationship with Jesus, downloadable PDF.

 

The Six Marks of Discipleship

The following six marks of discipleship are not the only possible marks, but as Glenn McDonald explains in his book, these are essentials of what should be typical of every healthy follower of Jesus regardless of background, context, generation, or geography.

As he sought to identify the foundational characteristics he strove to make sure each one was biblical, simple, teachable, practical and visionary.

The profile he has embraced and countless people have used to grow includes these marks:A Heart for Christ Alone

  1. A Mind Transformed by the Word of God
  2. Arms of Love
  3. Knees for Prayer
  4. A Voice to Speak the Good News
  5. A Sprit of Servanthood and StewardshipBelow you will find a sermon related to each mark, a downloadable overview, and links to related resources offering step-by-step instructions to help you grow.

This sermon series is in process currently. New content will be posted weekly until the sermon series is complete, so please check back regularly for new resources.

Also, if you know of a resource that would benefit others related to any of the marks please inform Pastor John, so we can add them. You can reach him at pastor@fpcrogers.com.

 

Mark 1:  A Heart for Christ Alone

 

Mark 2: A Mind Transformed by the Word of God

 

SUGGESTED READING: 

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. This is a skeptical  journalist’s exploration into the evidence for Jesus Christ as Strobel sought answer to if Jesus existed and was he who he said he was.

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart. In clear, simple language, this book helps you accurately understand different parts of the Bible, it’s meaning for ancient audiences, and it’s importance for today. This book has been used by thousands to unlock a deeper understanding of the Bible.

 

Mark 3 Arms of Love

Mark 4 Knees for Prayer

COMING SOON:

AVAILABLE NOW:

Tips On Prayer the Quickstart Guide to Improve Your Prayer Life by Rev. John Arnold. Don’t buy this book on amazon, download your free copy right here and start praying better today. John Arnold breaks down prayer into five easy understand pillars and then show step-by-step exactly what to do to have a better prayer life. This book is packed with actionable strategies that you can read and put to use in less than an hour.

Mark 5, A Voice to Speak the Good News

Does the thought of sharing your faith make you uncomfortable? You aren’t alone. In this sermon, we unpack common causes for being uncomfortable with Evangelism and Rev. John Arnold reveals how simple sharing your faith can be. Watch this sermon to gain more confidence in how you share you faith.

 

Mark 6, A Spirit of Servanthood and Stewardship

Discover a simple three-part recipe for understanding your God given your purpose. If you miss even just one of these elements, you can be lost in meaningless activity, live a depleting lifestyle, or descend into resentment. However, when you master blending all three elements of purpose at once the result is making a meaningful difference in a way that is energizing and marked by gratitude.

 

 

Have Questions?

Feel free to contact Rev. John Arnold, click here to email him.