Taking the Next Step

19 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will send you out to fish for people.' - Matthew 4:19

Discipleship is being called to walk with Christ, equipped to live like Christ, and sent by Christ to love and serve others in the world! I think that there are six marks of discipleship that become a part of the life of someone who is following Jesus. The marks are: Prayer, Worship, Scripture, Service, Relationships, and Giving. By helping people develop these areas of their lives, we help people to grow in their relationship with God and their discipleship in the world.

Growing in these six areas allows us to live out the mission we set forth for ourselves in our mission statement and to live whole, healthy lives in the sight of God.
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Over the coming weeks and months I'd like you to think about how you might grow in each of these areas. On the next page I will give you a fuller definition of each of the six areas.

Six Essential Tools For Your Faith Toolbox:

• Worship Every Week! We offer regular worship experiences each weekend with special services on Wednesdays during Advent and Lent. There are also other special worship opportunities such as healing and prayer services. These experiences are centered on God's Word, given to us through the Bible and in the bread and wine of Communion. Seasonal changes are made to each service.
• Pray Daily. There are a variety of prayer possibilities! Table prayer before eating is the most common form of prayer. Prayers such as "Come Lord Jesus, be our guest. Let all these gifts to us be blessed. Blessed be God, who is our Bread. May all the world be clothed and fed. Amen." The Lord's Prayer is another often-used prayer. Informal conversational prayer may include giving thanks, asking for help and praising God.
• Serve faithfully. Find a ministry (such as being a greeter or singing in the choir, helping with fellowship or youth ministry) and become involved in your congregation and in our outreach mission in our community. Just ask us for ways to serve!
• Grow in your faith and understanding of God. Nurture the gift of faith within you. Attend a Bible study or other educational or nurturing experience to grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Relationships matter. We believe that God has modeled relationship for us in the Holy Trinity. We believe that being a part of a faith community allows us to glimpse what God intends for us. We encourage each other and support each other. We celebrate our joys together and we worship and serve as the most central way of being in community, together.
• Generosity. A life of generosity means living with an open hand, ready to give but also to receive. Generosity looks like many things, and people measure that in different ways. Most people associate it with giving to support something. There are many great ways to put your dollars to work to change the world. We ask people to make an intentional financial commitment to grow God's kingdom through Lord of Life Lutheran Church. We emphasize percentage giving with the tithe (10%) being our Biblical example, but we recognize that giving is a journey of growth. Not everyone will begin with a tithe. Consider growing your giving by 1% each year until you reach a tithe.

I am here to help. If you would like to have a conversation about which step to take first or next, feel free to reach out to me to chat. The key is to do something. What might the Spirit be calling you to do first?

​In peace and hope,

​Pastor Paul

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