Strengthening Disciples

Job 9-10; Acts 13-14 

“…Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. ‘We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,’ they said. Paul and Barnabus appointed elders for them in each church and with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.”

Acts 14:21-23

As Paul and Barnabus contended for healthy DNA in the new churches they had planted, preparing these disciples for persecution was an essential discipleship-topic. They modeled fasting and prayer as the way decisions were to be discerned and trust in God expressed. It was their lives as much as their words which provided the discipleship-message.

How are we strengthening and establishing new believers in their faith and in discipleship?

Are we living a costly discipleship, or have we forgotten the core curriculum of the early church?

“Lord Jesus, thank you for your goodness and love in the midst of testing and hardships. You are faithful. For your glory…”