Discipleship ministries at TCF
The goal of discipleship ministries at TCF is to assist believers in the process of transformation that they agreed to cooperate with when they gave their lives to Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul said it best in Ephesians 4:22-24, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
If we are going to be transformed into the image of Christ then it appears that we must let go of the old in order to take hold of the new. There are many ways that we are put in position to let go of the old way of thought or old patterns of behavior, such as having a responsive ear to the Word when it is taught or read and allowing it to instruct us, rebuke us, correct us and train us.
God in his wisdom, sovereignty, power and love also allows trials that are designed to break our stubborn independence streak, strengthen our faith, and bring us to a place of dependence before him in humility. Service, submission, accountability, and involvement in a community of believers are important components of growth as well. There is also a high value in the spiritual disciplines in helping a disciple grow in his or her knowledge of God and in Christlikeness. There is no substitute for hanging out with God. This is how a person is enabled to go the extra mile, turn the other cheek, love their enemy, and bless those who curse them. If that could be learned just by hearing a good sermon we would see many more of our members practicing these spirit led-responses in daily life.