Discipleship & Spiritual Formation
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
In the Great Commission, our Lord Jesus Christ makes it clear that disciple-making is the core purpose of His Church: we are to grow as disciples and make disciples. We should collectively pursue this goal in obedience to Christ’s instruction. SAC thus prioritises the spiritual formation and discipleship growth of her members, and you can read more about this below.
Our Lord Jesus Christ makes it clear in the Great Commission that we are to make disciples. Discipleship is therefore central to the mission of the church: we are to grow as disciples and make disciples. But what does it mean to be a disciple? To be a disciple is, in essence, to follow Jesus. We are to follow His teaching and example, submit to Him as Lord, and seek to become more and more like Him.
Discipleship growth should be pursued in every dimension of our lives, which means it should not take place only when we are in church, but anywhere and everywhere. Acknowledging our reliance on Jesus (cf. John 15:5), we should continually ask these questions: “What is Jesus saying? What am I doing in response?” Bobby Harrington and Alex Absalom describe them as the two questions of discipleship, and they urge us to use them to analyse each situation we are in and take the next steps as followers of Jesus. Discipleship is a lifelong process of growing in our obedience to Christ.
This is not meant to be practised in isolation, but in fellowship with other believers. Practising “discipleship in community” is essential to our spiritual formation, and Scripture calls us to spur one another on to love and good deeds as we meet together (cf. Hebrews 10:24-25). This goes beyond enjoying each other’s company. Our community life—worshipping together in church, serving together in ministry, or even spending time together in informal gatherings—is a vital means by which we can grow spiritually. All that we do as a church should be aligned with our core purpose of disciple-making; it should help us to grow as disciples and make disciples, and this must entail sharing the good news with non-Christians and leading them into the joy of following Jesus.
Two further questions can help us deepen our practice of discipleship in community: “What is Jesus giving me here and now through this group? What am I giving to this group that will strengthen our discipleship?” Cultivating an expectancy that God will use us to encourage one another’s growth will contribute significantly to the spiritual formation of our church community. Let us pray fervently for the strengthening of SAC’s discipleship culture, so that together we may fulfil the mission that God has given us.
How are you growing as a disciple of Jesus? How are you helping others to do likewise? How are you making disciples through mission and evangelism? If you would like to receive guidance in these areas, please write to discipleship@cathedral.org.sg, and we will get in touch with you soon. God bless!
Christian Education Courses
The Christian Education programme supports SAC in fulfilling our core purpose of disciple-making by helping us to grow in different aspects of discipleship. The goal of these courses is not merely the acquisition of knowledge, but its application: they guide us to live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ and become more like Him.
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