Total Life Discipleship begins with God’s vision that leads to personal transformation and results in eternal impact.
It is relationship-centered, grace-based, Spirit-dependent, love-motivated, and biblically-focused.
Total Life Discipleship is RELATIONSHIP-CENTERED
Christianity is about relationships: our relationship with God, our relationships with others in God’s family and our relationships with non-Christians.
God desires a whole-hearted love relationship with us. He wants to be our priority relationship above all others.
Total Life Discipleship is GRACE-BASED
God bestows his goodness on us, not because we are worthy, but because he is gracious.
Certainly God wants us to live righteous lives and reflect Christ-like character qualities. But we are not able to be “good enough” to “earn” God’s goodness and loving-kindness. God’s grace is given freely.
Total Life Discipleship is SPIRIT-DEPENDENT
God wants us to live supernatural lives by depending on the Holy Spirit for wisdom, power, ability, and resources that are not available though human means.
If we trust in the power of self to live the Christian life, we will fail. Self is always ultimately powerless. Self relies on the “try harder self-effort” model. Instead we must trust the Holy Spirit for the power to live each day successfully.
Total Life Discipleship is LOVE-MOTIVATED
God is love and love permeates his entire being. He wants us to be immersed in his unconditional love and share his love with others.
God is the source of the love. It starts with Him. We can’t generate it or work it up in ourselves. We just give away the love we have received. We love others only by sharing the love he first gave to us. The more we understand the depths of God’s love for us, the more fully we will love others.
Total Life Discipleship is BIBLICALLY-FOCUSED
God wants us to view life from a biblical perspective and adopt a mindset that reflects his values.
We all have a natural perspective that is influenced by our core convictions. These convictions have been developed by our education, experiences, and life circumstances.
The Holy Spirit renews our mind with God’s truth revealed in the Bible.