Christ Community Church exists to make disciples of Jesus who glorify God by following Christ daily.
Whether you are a new or long-time believer of Jesus, our prayer for you is "that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:16-19)
We believe that there are Seven Facets of Discipleship in which believers are to grow.
A disciple of Jesus is committed to being:
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Focused on God - living all of life for the glory of God
It's not about you if you are a disciple of Jesus. Some people who claim to be Christians act as if Jesus Christ exists for the purpose of following them. They've got their plans, ambitions, agendas, and they expect Christ to come along following them and blessing it all. Jesus Christ is gracious. He gives good gifts to his people and blesses our lives because He is generous. But the way to make the most of your life is not to go your own way hoping Christ will bless you, but to turn around and follow him wherever he chooses to lead you. Like Jesus you say, “Father my desire is to glorify your name”. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"
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Selected Scriptures: 1 Chronicles 16; Psalm 24, 29, 96; Isaiah 6, 40; John 17; Romans 8; 1 Corinthians 10; 2 Corinthians 4
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Fulfilled in Christ - finding spiritual fulfillment in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ
John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. A disciple of Jesus isn't chasing fulfillment in this world. He or she is finding fulfillment in Jesus Christ. If you let Jesus Christ be the bread of life for you then your happiness does not depend on the “if onlys” of life. I would be happy “If only.... I was more beautiful, thinner, taller, smarter, richer, famous, married, single”. “If only I could just ....” “If my wife treated me better, if my husband would pay more attention to me, if my wife (or husband) was a little bit more funny, thrifty, sexy, spiritual, dependable,” ... on and on it goes. Jobs, friends, relationships, achievements, athletic prowess, fun things, hobbies, on and on the list goes. And yet.... Jesus says all those who try to satisfy the hunger of their hearts apart from him will never be satisfied.
Saving grace that brings forgiveness and eternal life is the gift of God through faith in Christ. But what God wants us to understand is that when we receive Christ as our Savior he comes into our lives, not only to be the source of our forgiveness but also to be the source of our fulfillment. Our calling is to choose to find our fulfillment in Him.
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Biblically Integrated - knowing God's Word and applying it to every aspect of life
The risen and living Christ actively speaks to his followers not only by His Spirit but preeminently in his Word, the Bible. Those who follow him are learning how to apply the wisdom of his Word to every facet of daily life; our work life, home life, relationships and ambitions are all brought under the light of his word. In John 8:31-32 Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." A disciple of Jesus wants to know the Scriptures in depth and apply them in life.
This is a large category because it addresses not only our understanding of the Bible, but also its application to all of life.
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Selected Scriptures: Psalm 1, 19, 119; 2 Timothy 3, James 1:19-25
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Growth Oriented- committed to ongoing spiritual growth
Jesus once said that when you are fully trained as a disciple you become like your master. A disciple of Jesus is committed to becoming more and more like Christ through the power of his indwelling Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 3:18 says, But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. To be a disciple of Jesus is to be a person devoted to change. You're not perfect, not by far, but you are growing more like Christ. You make the effort to address the issues in your life prayerfully and spiritually. You take time to read the Scriptures, to be with Christ and his word, in meditation, solitude and worship. You are committed to growth
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Selected Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 3:1-15; Galatians 5; Ephesians 4; 1 Peter 2:1-3
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Ministry Minded - serving together with others in the cause of Christ
A disciple of Jesus is committed to becoming like Jesus in his servanthood. A disciple of Jesus recognizes that service offered to Christ and his cause here on earth will be recognized and rewarded in eternity. A disciple of Jesus recognizes that when Christ calls us to follow Him he is calling us to join Him in the work he is doing in the world. 1 Peter 4:10 says, Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
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Selected Scriptures: Matthew 20:17-28; Mark 10:42-45; Romans 12:1-16; Galatians 5, 6; Ephesians 4, 5
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Committed to the Church - the fellowship with others in the body of Christ
A disciple of Jesus recognizes that you cannot be committed to Christ without, in a very real way, being also committed to his church. The church is his body through which he works and his bride whom he loves and for whom he died.
1 Timothy 3:15 tells us that we need to learn how to conduct ourselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
- Selected Scriptures: Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Galatians 5:13-14; Ephesians 4:1-6
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Devoted to Disciple-making - multiplying disicples of Jesus Christ locally and globally
The only way to truly be a disciple of Jesus is to not only be committed to being a disciple of Jesus but to also be committed to making disciples of Jesus. That's the command of Christ which he gave in Matthew 28 at the end of his ministry. To be a true follower of Jesus Christ is to care about his cause and his concern for leading as many people as possible, as deeply as possible, into a life of discipleship.
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Selected Scriptures: Matthew 4:19-22, 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; 2 Timothy 2:1-2
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Let us know what step you would like to take!
Download Next Step Spiritual Growth Plan
I want to be discipled
I want to be a discipler
Looking for helpful resources? Be sure to check out our discipleship books and digital resources pages.