This is the second lesson in a series adapted from Dana Morey’s discipleship guide Your New Life.
Right at the start, it is important to understand something: you became a Christian in a moment, the moment you repented of your sin and believed in Jesus Christ to forgive you and give you eternal life. But growing into all that God has for you is the journey of a lifetime. This happens as you become a true follower, a disciple, of Jesus Christ.
What Is a Disciple?
A disciple is someone who follows, learns from, and obeys a leader. In the Bible, the followers of Jesus were called disciples. And this is what God wants for you too. You were created to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Being a disciple is built on a deep and personal relationship with Him. God wants you to build your new life around knowing Him, loving Him, and enjoying Him. And as your love for Him grows, you will begin to obey Him, not out of obligation, but out of relationship.
Walking with Jesus is how you will learn to live in peace and joy. It is what will give your life meaning and purpose. And it is how you will experience the satisfying and abundant life that God has for you. Everything comes from our relationship with Jesus, and Jesus said:
My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
John 10:10 (NLT)
Being a disciple of Jesus is a great honor, and the best way to live. There are countless reasons to follow Him. But at the center is this truth: Jesus is who He said He is. He is “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16, NLT). You will never regret becoming a true follower of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit: The Key to Living with God’s Power
Many people think that the key to living a powerful Christian life is to follow a lot of rules and rituals, lists of things you must do and not do. But that is not true. Christianity is not about rules. It is about a real, personal relationship with God, a relationship made possible through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and our faith in Him. Yes, our lives will dramatically change. But those changes happen because God Himself changes our hearts.
God does this by His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus. When you put your faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit came to live inside you. That means God Himself is now living inside of you, and He promised to never leave you.
The Holy Spirit will lead you through your life. He will teach you, guide you, and comfort you. When you need courage, He will give it to you. When you need strength, He will provide it. He will help you live the life God has called you to live. The Holy Spirit also speaks to you, not usually out loud, but in your heart. Soon, you will begin to recognize His voice.
And the Holy Spirit will begin to change you from the inside out. He will work in your heart, shaping your desires. You will begin to want what God wants for you. You will begin to want to turn away from sin and the things that destroy your life. As He works within you, those changes will begin to show up in the way you live. You will think differently, speak differently, and live differently, not because you are trying harder, but because God is transforming who you are.
Another important role of the Holy Spirit is an experience called the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a work where the Holy Spirit supernaturally empowers you for ministry to others. The best place to experience this is in a local church that teaches on the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
So what is your part in this process? Your part is to keep your heart open to God and pursue a relationship with Him. As you take the simple steps of following Jesus, spending time with other believers, praying, reading the Bible, and seeking God, the Holy Spirit will use those moments to change you. What may seem small at first will become powerful over time.
The Christian life is not about trying to change yourself. It is about walking with God and allowing His Holy Spirit to shape you into the person you were created to be.
In the next lesson, discover what it takes to grow strong in Christ, starting with the church family God has for you.