Discipleship

Centering in on Jesus for the Journey

Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
— Colossians 3:1-2

We center in on Jesus this way...

Those who know Jesus as Lord, are actively involved in worship and serving the body, are those that are part of the family at Countryside. As a community we value the daily rhythms of our lives in Christ, it's part of how we live our lives as disciples of Jesus. These are practical ways that we move towards the center, who is Jesus, and express our belonging.

We intentionally follow Jesus, expressed initially in water baptism, as we journey forward in loving God and loving others.

We participate in the worship life of the church family.

We experience an on-going connection with God through reflection on Scripture, in prayer, and at the Table.

We further develop our faith-family relationships, relationships that nurture our faith and mature our following of Jesus (through small groups, and in other ways).

We commit to serving God, usually in some specific form of ministry (ministry is service, “giving away however much or little of God we have.”)

We are generous in our financial support of the church and our neighbors in need.

And, we learn to make choices shaped by our faith. We can't be a follower of Jesus unless we're actually following Jesus.

This is one way we journey on in Jesus...

At Countryside, a primary way we contribute to the ongoing discipleship of the family is using the Bible to teach about Jesus. We don't study the Bible to get God into our world, but to get us in God's world. Countryside we study through the Bible chapter-by-chapter, book-by-book with a view to ongoing growth as a follower of Jesus. As we study this way the Lord reveals Himself, His will and His love for us all. The teachers are consistently bringing something refreshing from the Scriptures as they teach and share through the Scriptures. 
 
On Sunday mornings we usually study in one or more verses from the upcoming Thru the Bible Study. This allows us to study some verses, passages or topics in a more in-depth way, and take more time than we would be able to on Thursday nights.
 
During our mid-week study on Thursdays we move through the Bible in survey fashion, generally a chapter or more at a time, studying verse by verse. The Sunday morning and Thursday night expositions are not usually separate studies, rather, they are two parts of our complete discipleship study through the Scriptures.
 
From time to time we leave our book-by-book studies for topical studies of special interest.

We offer audio versions of our times together here. Podcasting is a fun and easy way to get teaching you may have missed delivered to your home computer or personal device. Register to receive podcast updates and the work is done. You can now have the most recent teachings available at your fingertips.

The purpose of all of this is, first, to be a resource for those who are a part of the congregation who have been unable to gather when the church heard the studies, therefore helping God's people grow in faith and fruitfulness. The Scriptures admonish us to "set our minds on things above," and so, in providing this ministry, we seek to focus more of our attention on Him.