Step One - Love

The very first step in the discipleship process is to love God with all that we have and to love your neighbor as yourself.  We find this teaching in the books of Matthew 22:37-39 and Mark 12:30-31.  The Matthew rendering says it like this "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (ESV) When we truly love God with all that we have, we naturally love our neighbors in the way we should.  To be able to love God the way we need to, we must first give our life to Him.  To do that, pray this "Lord, Jesus.  I am a sinner. I ask for your forgiveness of my sin.  I believe that you are the Son of the Living God, that you died for my sins on the cross and on the third day rose from the dead so that I can have eternal life.  From this day forward, I commit to live my life according to you Word. In your Holy Name I pray, Amen."  Now that you have made this commitment, it is on to step two.

Step Two - Grow

Now that you have committed your life to Christ, your first step in obedience to that commitment is to be baptized.  While you are awaiting baptism, you are encouraged to start being involved in a small group Bible Study or a Sunday School class. This class will help you grow as you study and learn about God's Word together.  You are also encouraged to find a daily Bible Reading Plan to help you study God's Word when you are not in class. There are several that you can find through Google or just ask the church office and we can recommend one.  Have a notebook ready so that you can write down those items that you discover while reading and to also jot down questions you may have so that you can ask in your small group time or can ask the Pastor or other trusted believer.

Step Three - Serve

Once you have made your commitment to God by loving Him with all you have, that second part of loving your neighbor can really kick in.  This area of service to your fellow man is an outgrowth of step two from your studying of God's Word and from your daily Bible Reading.  You are encouraged to find a place to serve whether in Vacation Bible School, teaching in Sunday School, participating in our Music ministry or joining one of the many outreach opportunities we have for loving on our community.  This will put the first two steps into practice with you leading someone else to faith in Christ and beginning this three-step process over again with them.  You have become a disciple who makes disciples.  That is what the church is all about. What a great reward!!