If we have stripped ourselves bare of all besetting sins and every hindrance, and have begun to run with perseverance our race, we are then given the focus that guarantees our finishing well.
Articles on Discipleship
151 results found
8 Things to Remember When Teaching Kids Theology
Theology, taught well, must inevitably result in doxology—and we shouldn’t be satisfied with less just because we’re teaching children.
Which Sins Are Feeding Your Sin of Lust?
In ministry to someone who struggles with sexual darkness, you may get the breakthrough in another screening room, in an area that neither of you had noticed or considered to be related.
9 Ways to Guard Your Personal Relationship with God
Like all healthy and satisfying relationships, our relationship with God needs time and energy.
7 Tips for Keeping Your Cool When Your Kids Misbehave
Jesus came to make it possible for all kinds of people, including angry parents, to be changed into people who yield their expectations to God in service to others, specifically their children.
5 Ways Dads Can Encourage Their Daughters
By paying attention to the following five areas, you’ll give your daughter the solid head start she needs to grow into all that God has for her.
How to Help Your Kids Get Excited about Reading the Bible
We should and can encourage our children to see Bible reading as a delight rather than a drudge. And the most powerful way of doing that is by conveying our own delight in God’s Word.
The Right Way to Ask for Prayer
God did not create us to be self-protective, so being so will eventually lead to misery rather than safety.
What Did Jesus Teach about Family?
David W. Jones, Andreas J. Köstenberger
Believers are called to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, even when it brings them into conflict with natural family obligations.
6 Tips for Reading the Bible with Your Kids
Here are six practical suggestions for digging into God's Word with your kids.
How to Pray for Your Unborn Child
As dizzying as the pain we experience in raising children can be, we need to have the wherewithal to remember how it points us to God himself.
7 Tips for Reading the Bible with Another Person
Reading the Bible, like eating a meal, isn’t only for individual consumption. Some of the greatest joys come when we enjoy God and his word together with others.
The Greatest Gift a Mom Can Give Her Daughter
Mother-daughter discipleship can have a crucial role in the growth and formation of a young girl. Hear why from Jacquelle Crow.
6 Ways Moms Can Show Love to Their Daughters
Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Mahaney Whitacre
If we avail ourselves of Holy Scripture, we find the wisdom and direction we so desperately seek.
3 Lies Women Believe about Serving
It’s difficult to steward our time, talents, and treasure well in a world that invites us to self-satisfaction and self-fulfillment.
Why Did Paul Publicly Rebuke Peter? (Galatians 2)
This passage clearly teaches that this subtle but very common problem in the church is a serious distortion of the gospel and needs the corrective rebuke of the apostle Paul.
3 Questions about Small Groups
We should be asking ourselves if we act like family members of the church and whether or not our participation in the church strengthens or weakens it.
Why Our Expectations for Teens in the Church Are Way Too Low
Historically, one of the failures of youth ministry is that kids have not been seen as potential contributors in the church, and that is a disservice to them and to the church as a whole.
What Should a Youth Pastor Spend His Time Doing?
Youth pastors should dedicate their time to three primary things—spiritual growth, relationships, and Bible study.
5 Things to Consider When Confronting a Friend
Sin becomes public in three different ways: someone confesses it, we see it, or we are told about it. Here are some ways to enter into the discussion.
Help! I Can’t Stay Consistent with My Bible Reading
God is working in and through the daily, faithful, consistent discipline of Bible reading—even if it’s hard to see it in the moment.
5 Reasons Churches Should Teach Theology to Children
A focus on reading and teaching Scripture to children does not—and must not—mean that we fail to educate them theologically as well.
An Open Letter to Those Who Feel Unqualified to Offer Counsel
The Lord specializes in using people who feel weak in themselves, and your sense of inadequacy will probably protect you.
Why Study the Books of 1–2 Timothy and Titus?
1–2 Timothy and Titus are among the most personal and practical books in the New Testament. These letters are often called the "Pastoral Epistles,” but they’re relevant for all Christians, not just pastors.
Discipleship 101: How to Disciple a New Believer
Discipleship involves a lot, but one of the most important things you can do with a new believer is read the Bible with them–teaching them how to read, understand, respond to, and apply God’s Word.
We need to think of the blessings, to all concerned, of biblically responsible discipling when we are reminded of the pitfalls associated with unbiblical discipling relationships.
An Open Letter to the Younger Women of the Church
Let’s talk about why we should take the Titus mandate seriously and not miss God’s rich provisions for our growth in grace.
The Gospel Is Good News for Mothers
What we say and write reveals what we place our hope in. Our words are the overflow of what is going on in our hearts.
An Open Letter to the Hesitant Host
Are you busy? Are you important? Do you work on a tight schedule? Are your boundaries well-fortified?
3 Barriers to Spiritual Growth Faced by Teens Today
Christian teenagers attempting to grow in godliness tend to face a series of unique challenges.
An Open Letter to Parents Feeling Unequipped to Disciple Their Kids
God calls us to disciple our children into him—to walk with them into his kingdom and help them be conformed to the image of the one, true King.
Why You May Want to Take a Silent Retreat after Christmas
You may not know how badly you needed silence and solitude until you get to know them.
Why Mentoring Is Better than Asking Alexa
In our digital age, it’s helpful to remember the importance of real-life relationships and the benefits of older believers in the faith who can offer us wisdom, presence, and pursuit.
Sanctification is a process that lasts a lifetime—it follows no formula or schedule. God's grace sustains us to grow as we simply point in the right direction.
There is not an uninfluenced day, hour, or minute in our lives. We are constantly discipled by the cultural, relational, and spiritual forces around us. Which discipling forces influence you the most?
4 Tips for Discipling Younger Women
Older women are to be faithful examples as they teach younger women. As you think about Paul's message to older women, consider these questions from the book of Titus.
6 Questions about Raising Daughters
As we continue to plant seeds of faith in our daughters, we must shape their understanding of what it means to grow in godliness.
Help! My Kids Don’t Like Going to Church
One of parents’ chief responsibilities is to train our children to be worshippers. And bringing our kids to church, whether they like it or not, is an essential act of discipleship.
Your Kids Need You to Talk to Them
The Spirit makes godly conversations possible, and he expects you to give yourself to them because the people around you—your children—need them.
J. I. Packer’s Thoughts on Holiness
Repentance begins with a recognition of the multitude of ways in which our thinking and attitude and belief system are contrary to what is revealed in Scripture.
What to Look for in a Spiritual Mentor
A spiritual mentoring relationship is one where a younger believer is tethered to a more mature believer for a season so that he or she might grow stronger in faith and be equipped for ministry.
The ministry of the deacons is an extension of the ministry of the elders to care for the flock of God.
8 Real-Life Questions about Children and Discipline
You might feel overwhelmed by the amount of parenting advice that exists. Take a breath. Break the goal down into small steps, and take one step at a time.
6 Ways to Help Your Kids Love Reading the Bible
What could be more important than teaching your kids to read the Bible? What better habit would you want them to have?
Why a Pastor Needs to Learn His Context
To faithfully pastor those who are culturally different from you, the first thing you should do is learn as much as you can about your context.
Why Study the Book of 2 Corinthians?
The Christian life is impossible to live without 2 Corinthians.
Why Youth Ministry Can’t Function Like Little League
The job of a youth pastor involves equipping the whole church to invest in the whole lives of young people.
5 Myths about Teaching Theology to Youth
Everyone is a theologian. The question for Christian parents, church members, and friends is: how do we help children be good theologians?
Podcast: Is the Church Facing a Discipleship Crisis? (Ajith Fernando)
Has the church neglected one-on-one discipleship? Why should an emphasis on this kind of intensive discipleship be recaptured today?
Understanding Teen Anxiety and Depression
One of the best things we can do for our teens is to explain to them that many teens suffer in the same way.
5 Things to Remember When Helping Someone Read the Bible
As we read the Old and New Testaments through the lens of redemption in Christ, we will understand
the whole Bible as God wants us to.
8 Bible Reading Habits to Establish as a Young Person
How can we establish healthy Bible-reading habits so that we are connected to God, have a God-centered worldview, grow in confident faith, and enjoy spiritual peace and confidence?
How to Train Your Youth Group for Real Ministry
The first priority for students is increasing their ability to competently read, study, understand, and apply the Word of God.
The Most Important Part of Youth Ministry
What attracts people to ministry to youth? Why are they in this field?
How Women Can Disciple Younger Women
How should you disciple younger women? Keep the gospel in mind.
What Family Discipleship Is (and Is Not)
Put simply, family discipleship is leading your home by doing whatever you can whenever you can to help your family become friends and followers of Jesus Christ.
The same grace that saves sinners from the penalty of their sin also instructs them in holiness.
Help! I Don’t Know If I’m Doing Enough for Christ
Following Jesus is costly. But, Jesus is a giver, not a taker. He calls us to die so that we can live.
Family Worship and the Day I Made My Daughter Cry
Many times after family worship, I wondered if anything good had been accomplished.
How to Help Your Teens Use Their Phones for Good
How can you help your teen wield their technology for good purposes, while avoiding the inherent dangers?
3 Goals of Pastoral Counseling
We need to rely on the gospel like this throughout our lives. Remember, Christ is both the means and the goal of counseling.
A Word to the Youth Pastor Who Feels Discouraged
To a youth pastor who is feeling discouraged, your reward is in heaven where you’ll see in glory the things that Jesus has done through your ministry, you’ll see the fruit of your labor.
8 Passages to Read about Parenting
Parenting requires all kinds of help, most helpfully from the God who created us. Find encouragement from Scripture for the task.
5 Myths about Counseling and the Church
We come to Jesus as people in need, and we continue in Jesus as people in need.
An Open Letter to Pastors about the Teens in Their Congregation
The relationships, the preaching, the teaching, and the admonition of a specific church body are as vital to teenagers as they are to every other believer.
The Most Important Thing Parents Can Do This Summer
Being faithful to the ABC’s of Christian living can have such a profound evangelistic impact upon your children.
Why Teens Must Read the Bible for Themselves
Teenagers who are wondering if the Bible is relevant to their lives are often starting off on the wrong footing with Scripture.
Living an Others-Oriented Life
Being a disciple of Jesus means orienting our lives toward others, just as Jesus did.
Podcast: Tips for Leading an Effective Bible Study (Lydia Brownback)
What does it look like to lead an effective Bible study? How can a leader keep the conversation on track and guide people to discover the treasures of God's Word?
Why You Don’t Need to Be a Super Saint to Be a Spiritual Mother
Spiritual mothering may involve mentoring and coaching, but it is broader.
The Difference between Legalism and Discipline
Paul hated legalism but he enjoined discipline upon all of his followers for the purpose of godliness.
Why Youth Pastors Must Be Gifted to Teach God's Word
Historically, churches have had a false paradigm for what youth ministry should look like. It's far more than getting kids in the door and keeping them out of trouble.
Podcast: How to Create a Plan for Family Worship (David Murray)
Why and how should we implement a routine of family worship? What are the reasons it's hard for families to remain consistent and see fruit?
Podcast: Family Discipleship 101 (Adam Griffin)
What is family discipleship, and how can parents start discipling their kids?
5 Things Jonathan Edwards Teaches Us about the Christian Life
Dane Ortlund talks shares five things Jonathan Edwards teaches us about the Christian life.
5 Things Your Children Need from You
Parenting is not a behavior-control mission; it is a heart-rescue mission. The only hope for a lost child is a radical transformation of his heart.
When you’re talking about discipline for the purpose of godliness, it’s with an eye on the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who enables godliness.
Why Your Youth Group Needs Generational Integration
Offering students opportunities in the church makes them feel as if they are contributing—here and now.
How Discipleship Yields Restoration
The Acts of the Apostles is basically an account of how the Holy Spirit transforms the earliest followers of Jesus into the restored people of God, the beginnings of God’s new creation.
How and When Kids Learn Theology
Kids really learn theology when it moves from being information in their heads to truth in their lives.
2 Ways Our Motives Can Be Twisted in Discipleship
When Christians discuss any given topic, our aim should be to align our thoughts with God’s thoughts, not his thoughts with our thoughts.
An Open Letter to the New Christian
Now that you're a Christian, what do you in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead? Here are a few practical suggestions as you seek to follow the Lord.
Men: Pursue Others Like Jesus Pursues You
All the biblical stories of the Lord moving toward people are stories of grace. Grace is God’s moving toward us in Christ.
Why Should We Disciple Younger Women?
Disciple-making is helping others to see Christ for what he is
Why Godly Discipline Is about Learning to Fail Better
We're sinners and are not striving for perfection, but aiming to please God.
Meditate On and Mutter God’s Word
Slowly and prayerfully turning over Scripture engages the eyes, the ears, and the mouth, and drills through the granite to the heart—maximizing internalization and devotion.
Help! My Teenager Won’t Open Up to Me
Now, as a parent of a teenager, it’s easy to feel locked out. It is painful to stand on the wrong side of the door of your son or daughter’s heart as though they’ve changed the locks.
Podcast: How to Pursue Meaningful Mentoring Relationships (Melissa Kruger)
What are some core aspects that should be in place in every mentoring relationship, and how can we build relationships that actually help others follow Christ?
John Owen’s Ministry to Young Christians
John Owen specialized in ministry to young people, though that’s not how he tends to be remembered.
How to Do Family Worship with Young Kids
Several specific situations commonly prompt questions about the feasibility of family worship.
Parents, Disciple Your Teens (While There's Still Time)
Teens need discipleship, and parents are some of the best disciplers.
To Lead Others, Become a Disciple
A disciple of Jesus follows in Jesus’s steps, doing as Jesus taught and lived. But it means more than that.
Pastor: Equip Your People to Counsel Each Other
The leadership of the church has been commissioned to equip the congregation in caring for each other’s souls.
Do You Orient Yourself Toward Others?
The discipling life is an others-oriented life. It labors in the power of God to proclaim Christ and present others mature in Christ.
Why Christians Must Remain Dissatisfied
The Christian is not merely a man who knows now that he’s been forgiven, and that’s the end of it all. Not at all. That’s merely the introduction.
Are Grace and Works Compatible?
If you really have experienced the grace of God and you are in fellowship with him, your heart will desire to discipline itself for the purpose of godliness.
Podcast: How to Intentionally Disciple Your Kids (Lindsey Carlson)
Lindsey Carlson discusses what it looks like for parents to thoughtfully disciple teenagers during a pivotal point in their lives.
Parents, Don’t Miss God’s Plan for the Mundane
God is a personal God, and you have the chance to continually reintroduce your family to him while praising him for who he is and what he’s done.
Husbands, It’s Time to Start Leading Family Worship
The worthiness of God to receive your family’s worship each day is reason enough to start practicing family worship today.
Introducing a Bible Study Resource for Kids
Learn more about this resource designed to lead children ages 6–12 to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.
11 Notable Quotes from Parenting
As caregivers, parents act as ambassadors of God’s love and care to their children.
Podcast: The Rewarding Risks of Church Membership (Thabiti Anyabwile)
Thabiti Anyabwile reflects on the value and benefits of local church membership, showing what the Bible really teaches about the idea of formal membership.
Why You Should Disciple Your Child during the Teen Years
We are so used to training up our children when they’re very young, but it's just as important when they hit the pivotal growth point of the early teen years.
5 Tips for Teaching Your Kids about Church History
Learning about church history can be exciting, uplifting and often funny. But if taught badly, it can also be turgid, pedestrian and dull.
An Implicit Biblical Command for Families
Don’t let perfection become the enemy of progress. Keep a regular time of family worship and encourage your kids to explore the Bible together with you.
Play-Doh, Flannelgraphs, and Teaching Kids Biblical Theology
When we teach the stories of the Bible without helping them connect those stories, we’re giving them puzzle pieces only without the context of the larger picture.
3 Questions Leaders Should Ask Themselves about Equipping the Church for Ministry
Here are three questions for church leaders to ask themselves before trying to help their people love each other better.
Fasting = Homesickness for God
Christian fasting is not only the spontaneous effect of a superior satisfaction in God; it is also a chosen weapon against every force in the world that would take that satisfaction away.
Will You Be a Lifelong Learner?
For Christians, the stakes are even higher for cultivating holy curiosity and the mindset of a lifelong learner.
Growing a Disability-Effective Church
How can churches become equipped to be disability effective? By living transparently with weakness and allowing these weaknesses to issue forth in fruitful labor in Christ’s church.
3 Ways Youth Leaders Can Help Parents
Many youth pastors are young, but they still have valuable insights on teenagers that can be of great help to parents.
Help! I Can’t Find Someone to Disciple Me (Garrett Kell)
In this episode, Garrett Kell discusses why all Christians are called to be discipled and to disciple others.
How the Gospel Speaks to Motherhood
The gospel has a practical effect on every aspect of life, including the way you raise and shepherd your children.
Why It’s Surprisingly Easy to Reward Disobedience
Reward the behaviors you want and don’t reward the behaviors you don’t want.
Why Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry Is Important
When we’re so concerned with keeping the youth entertained or promoting a moral lifestyle, we can easily forget the message of first importance.
Why Titus 2 Is a Great Commission Passage
Few would argue against the fact that the Scriptures clearly require every Christian to both be a disciple and make disciples.
6 Questions about Finding a Mentor
We need mature believers to help us resist sin, grow in godly affection, and to persevere in faith.
When it comes to family discipleship, low-hanging fruit is everywhere. Family discipleship does not have to be intricate or complicated.
How Often Do You Examine Your Fruit?
Examine your life. Is there fruit? How would you describe your growth in godliness?
How to Host a Summer Bible Club
A home-based club that can and has been literally life-giving are children’s Bible clubs.
Making Disciples Like a Soldier, Athlete, Farmer . . . Mom
Your prayer-full, hope-filled work of evangelism and discipleship—done through the strengthening grace of Jesus—gives him praise that echoes in eternity.
How to Comfort the Comfortless
Involvement in someone’s pain gives a dimension to a relationship that nothing else is able to do.
Why Your Youth Ministry Should Serve the Poor
What does it look like to seek the welfare of our cities? How do you train your high school and junior high students to do this? Why is this important?
What C. S. Lewis Can Teach Us about Youth Ministry
C. S. Lewis provides a case study of what is missing from most youth ministries in the United States.
Pastor Jeff Vanderstelt recalls the mission that Christ left his followers before his ascension.
Podcast: Overcoming Me-Centered Discipleship (Jonathan Dodson)
Jonathan Dodson talks about what a gospel-centered approach to discipleship entails, highlighting the importance of transparency for everyone involved.
You Are Being Changed for the Good of the Church
When we join Jesus, we join his family and his mission. When Jesus Christ is Lord, he integrates disciples into a missional church family.
One Reason We Shouldn’t Get Rid of Youth Ministry
We need missionaries and evangelists out there reaching teenagers and sharing the gospel with them.
Bill Clem drew up a compass to help explain these aspects of discipleship.
We all need help and we are all helpers—that’s part of being human.
Help Wanted: Looking for Someone to Make My Kids Love the Bible
What can we do to make it easier for our kids to love God’s Word, instead of merely forcing it on them?
Why Your Parents' Limitations Aren’t Limiting
Limits force you to come to grips with both your humanity and your sin nature by showing you that you are not God, but you sure want to be.
It is God’s intent that every person who comes into a relationship with him through Jesus Christ eventually will grow up into maturity. And maturity looks like Jesus.
The Grace of Mentors in Pastoral Ministry
We need not only solid teaching and preaching about obedient Christian living, we also need to see holiness in practice.
Video: Being Disciples of Jesus in the Everyday Stuff of Life
Many Christians have unwittingly embraced the idea that “church” is a once-a-week event rather than a community of Spirit-empowered people.
Parents: Expect Your Kids to Make Mistakes
When you don't know what to say (or you're tired of repeating yourself), remember that this is normal, but God is exceptional.
What It Means To Be a Missional Mother
Our responsibilities may have shifted, but our role in the kingdom remains unchanged.
Training Parrots or Making Disciples?
We can’t always say everything, but we want to help people read the Bible well, not merely train them to parrot our conclusions.
Imagination is everywhere in the Christian life.
Following Jesus in the Everyday Stuff of Life
In this video, pastor Jeff Vanderstelt calls us to look beyond the special "church" events that so often dominate our calendars and start focusing on reaching the lost in and through our everyday lives.
If we are honest, our real image is nowhere near as attractive as we want it to be.
Trust Your Savior, Not Your Efforts
When we trust Jesus, we displace rules from the center of our discipleship and replace it with his gospel
The Heart of a Disciple-Making Pastor
Bobby Jamieson explains what he thinks is the essential quality of a disciple-making pastor.
What Family Worship Is (and Is Not)
Put simply, family discipleship is leading your home by doing whatever you can whenever you can to help your family become friends and followers of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Jeff Vanderstelt explains why it's important to realize that God has called the church to be in community and on mission.
pastor Jeff Vanderstelt helps us recapture a vision for everyday discipleship.
Video: Discipling through Anger
Join Dodson and Matt Chandler as they discuss the topic of discipling through anger.
Video: Justin Taylor and Jonathan Dodson on "Gospel-Centered Discipleship"
The terms "disciple" and "gospel-centered" are thrown around often in Christian circles these days, but what do they really mean?
Podcast: The State of Women’s Ministry in the US (Courtney Doctor and Joanna Kimbrel)
Courtney Doctor and Joanna Kimbrel delve into the key questions and concerns that arise in women's ministry, touching on practical issues like how to get started and how to encourage discipleship.
When it comes to family discipleship, low-hanging fruit is everywhere. Family discipleship does not have to be intricate or complicated.
Podcast: Family Discipleship 101 (Adam Griffin)
What is family discipleship, and how can parents start discipling their kids?