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If Discipleship is the Heartbeat of the Church, Is the Heart Still Beating?

JoannaNg


If discipleship is the heartbeat of the Church, is the heart beating?

If priesthood of the 99% called outside of full time ministries is downgraded to church volunteers and spectators, the heartbeat is faint.


Discipleship needs 'debugging' because it isn’t functioning according to Christ’s design, leaving the Body of Christ weak and unable to demonstrate the transformative power of the Gospel or live out the ways of Christ’s kingdom on earth.


We see this dysfunction when renowned Christian leaders, who are presumed spiritually mature, suddenly fall from grace, revealing an inner spiritual infant enslaved by sin and walking in the flesh rather than yielding to the Holy Spirit. The ripple effect is profound, leaving those around them suffering from spiritual PTSD, as their misplaced trust in human leaders, rather than in God, is exposed.


Discipleship began with Jesus and the twelve, not to establish 'church' as a lasting religious organization, but for His disciples to know and live out the power and authority of God's kingdom on earth. Even in His last forty days, Christ did not leave behind church constitutions but spent His final moments speaking about establishing the Kingdom of God through the Body of Christ, i.e. His people, so that the lost might be drawn to Him and find life in Him (John 20:31).


Just as physical growth is measured by age-appropriate increases in height and weight, what are the markers of spiritual growth toward maturity? How do we gauge the journey from spiritual infancy to adulthood, where one is counted among the cloud of witnesses? How can we refocus on building up the Church as His people, to establish His Kingdom on earth—fruit that lasts—rather than on the transient goals of Christian organizations and corporations—fruit that perishes?


''Debugging Discipleship" seeks to address these questions through the lens of the Relationship Maturity Model (RMM), from the perspective of the 99% called into the world’s domains, not the 1% called to full-time ministry. It emphasizes taking ownership of our spiritual journey and offers a framework for evaluating your walk with Jesus, as well as a valuable tool for discipling others.


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© 2024 Copyrighted Material. All rights reserved by Joanna Ng

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