Resources for Discipleship

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’” — Matthew 16:24

“Disciple” is not a term we often use today, although most of us are intimately familiar with the concept of being a “follower” thanks to social media. The two terms are actually quite similar in meaning, and the act of following Jesus is known as discipleship. 

Darrell Delaney, co-host of Groundwork, describes discipleship this way: 

“Discipleship is the process of learning to love and follow Jesus and becoming more like him in our attitudes and actions… A disciple is one who is committed to live in a way that pleases God.”

But how do we know what it means to live in a way that pleases God? Jesus reveals what it means to follow him through his Word. As we seek to know his heart through Scripture, prayer, and spiritual disciplines, we become more like him—and we show others how to become more like him too.

Here are four free resources from Groundwork to guide you in your journey of discipleship:

1. “Growth in Discipleship” audio Bible study series: Dig into Scripture to define discipleship and explore what it looks like to be disciples of Jesus Christ today. 
    
2. “Christlike Virtues” audio Bible study series: Study virtues of compassion, humility, thankfulness, gratitude, generosity, truthfulness, and forgiveness, characteristics Jesus displayed in the gospels.
    
3. “Spiritual Disciplines” ebook: Discover the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, study, service, giving, and silence, and why they are so indispensable to the disciple of Jesus Christ.
    
4. “Seven Deadly Sins” ebook: This is an in-depth discussion examining this ancient list of infamous vices and identifying their biblical antidotes.

Looking for more? Explore these free resources from our sister programs at ReFrame Ministries for guidance in practicing spiritual disciplines and discipleship in our daily lives:

1. “Life in the Spirit” devotional series from Today: Having the rich, intimate presence of God in our lives is called life in the Spirit. In this 30-day series, New Testament teacher Dean Deppe explores the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
    
2. “Spiritual Disciplines for Family Life” from Family Fire: The Holy Spirit is pleased to use certain disciplines to cultivate faith. In this blog, Rev. Dr. Rob Toornstra explores three basic building blocks for nurturing disciples in your family.
    
3. “Cultivating a Habit of Prayer” from the ReFrame Prayer Ministry: It’s always a good time to deepen your prayer habits. In this blog, Rev. Emily Vanden Heuvel encourages believers to pray and describes frequent prayer as an accessible and worthwhile habit.

May God bless you richly as you seek to take up your cross and follow him faithfully each day!

Groundwork is a free half-hour weekly audio program that digs deeply into Scripture as the foundation for our lives. Explore the complete catalog of Groundwork audio programs here.