Life in the Kingdom was never meant to be static. We are called to follow Christ, not simply pray a prayer and wait for Him to return. The Christian life is a journey with Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, toward our Heavenly Father. There is a reason that the church was originally known as “The Way.”
We have found the circle above to be a helpful guide in the life with God journey, we hope it helps you as well. The outside of the circle are the 4 commitments, the inside of the circle are the 4 disciplines to accomplish the commitments. Each stage of the circle should drive you toward the following one. As a circle, the process never ends but continues to take us further up and further in.
1) God: Nothing else matters if you don’t have this one right. Our commitment to closeness to God is primary and essential. Without this step, all you have is dead religion. To know Him is our greatest goal, commitment, and desire. Our primary means of growing in our connection with God is through the discipline of worship. We worship through song, prayer, and obedience. We give God our head, our heart, and our hands as a living sacrifice.
2) Community: Our commitment to God will naturally lead us to a commitment to community (Matt 22:36-39). We need each other to be the body of Christ. Nobody can be the church by themselves. Jesus prayed that we would be one, just as He and the Father are one. This can only happen through the discipline of fellowship. This means so much more than just hanging out or doing a bible study together. We have to live our lives with each other. Praying for one another, edifying one another, carrying one another, and confessing to one another.
3) Christlikeness: Our community connection will drive us to grow and challenge us to be more like Jesus (Gal 4:19). Our greatest desire is that Christ would be formed in you and expressed through you. When people see us, we want them to see Jesus. We are committed to being more and more like Jesus, and this can only happen through intentional discipleship. It isn’t a matter of trying harder, but of training harder. We seek to learn from Jesus how to live like Him, this is discipleship.
4) Purpose: As we grow in our Christlikeness, our purpose will reveal itself. We will meet the world with love, just like Jesus did (John 15:12). We will actively seek and pursue the best for those around us. We will be light in darkness. We will be salt and awaken thirst. Our commitment to purpose is developed through the discipline of service. We will use our hands to reach out to the lost. We will use our feet to carry the gospel here, there, and everywhere.
1) God: The circle brings us back to where we began, only we have grown since our last lap. As we go and live out our purpose through service we have been drawn closer to the God who is with us always (Mat 28:18-20). And so the great dance continues; round and round, further up and further in. Won’t you join us?