Discipleship

God has tasked the church to make disciples.

Below is how we seek to be faithful to do that here at

White Oak Baptist Church

The Command

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:18-20

1. In Jesus’ last words to His followers, the main command He gave them was to make disciples.

2. In order to make disciples, Jesus’ followers must go with the Gospel starting with our neighbors and going to all nations.

3. While going with the Gospel, those who come to faith are discipled through baptism into the church and taught all that Christ commanded us.

At White Oak, we want to be faithful to the command of Jesus to make disciples by going to the ends of the earth with the Gospel, and baptizing those who repent and believe in Jesus Christ into the local church to then be taught to obey the commands of Jesus through the ministry of the church.

Now that we know the Command, we must look to the Practices that define the life of a disciple. To make disciples, we need to know what a disciple looks like so that we are truly teaching them to obey Christ and being faithful to Christ’s command.

The Practices

  • Love God

    Disciples should love God whole heartedly since this is the greatest commandment. We should respond to the love of God seen clearly in the Gospel with faithful love, devotion, and worship to the Lord.

    And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. Matthew 22:37-38

  • Love God's Word

    God, in His great love, has spoken to His people, revealing His nature, His plan of salvation, His will for us, and His desire for a relationship with us. As disciples, we should love God’s Word, study it, and live by it.

    So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

  • Love God's People

    Through the Gospel, God has saved a people and brought them into a relationship with Himself and with one another in the church. Disciples should love one another as brothers and sisters of the family of God.

    A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

  • Love God's World

    Disciples should love all people everywhere and desire for them to know the Good News of Jesus Christ. As clearly stated in Christ’s command above, disciples are called to make disciples to the end of the earth.

    But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8

The Plan

We’ve been commanded to make disciples, and we know the practices a disciple does. Now we’ll see White Oak’s plan to make disciples.

Gather

We gather in corporate worship to love God together. We can love God in a variety of ways, but one of the main ways we prioritize this as a church is gathering in corporate worship on Sunday mornings. Getting together weekly to worship God as the body of Christ stokes the fires of our hearts to greater love for the Lord, making gathering in worship an essential practical part of our discipleship plan.

Connect

We connect with God’s people through fellowship and events. We cannot walk life alone, and God has not called believers to remain in isolation. In order to encourage our faith, live out the commands to love one another, and use our gifts to build one another up, we must be in each others lives. At White Oak, we provide events and fellowship opportunities so that you can develop relationships with and live life with other believers who can help you be a faithful disciple.

Discover

We discover God’s Word in Classes and Community Groups. In order to go deeper into God’s Word and further apply it to our lives, we must make time to study Scripture in groups outside of our corporate worship gathering. Whether it be a Sunday School Class or Community Group, we encourage all members to grow as disciples by consistently engaging with the God’s Word with other believers.

Go

We go into God’s world in service and on mission to show and share the Gospel. As disciples, we should seek to grow the kingdom of God by being on mission locally, nationally, and internationally through prayer, sending missionaries, giving to support missions, and going on mission. Each of us, no matter our background or life stage, has a part of play in getting the Gospel to the lost. We want to equip you and send you out into your neighborhood and around the world with the Gospel.

This is our plan and pathway to make disciples and help members grow in their faithfulness to Jesus. Members are expected to gather in worship, then plug into a Class or Community Group, go further into fellowship, and begin to serve and go on mission through prayer, giving, sending, and going where God takes them with the Gospel.

We have the goal that every member of White Oak would be participating in each of these four areas in some way, understanding that how each person does so will depend on a variety of factors.

Another goal as a church is that all we do would fall into at least one of these four categories. We want everything White Oak does to be helping us grow as disciples of Jesus Christ.

If you have any further questions about discipleship at White Oak and how to get plugged into our discipleship plan and pathway, reach out to our pastors or deacons.