Establish

About ESTABLISH

ESTABLISH - A Disciple-Making Series

 Unshakeable. Firm – like a stump with roots that spread wide and deep, frustrating all efforts to remove it from the ground. The idea of being established carries connotations of all of these. Becoming established in any place or pursuit takes time – in a neighbourhood, a church, or a business. Each person, at some point in their lives, must ask themselves, “What pursuits are worth my time? What are the areas in which I want to be firmly established?” 

For all those who profess the name of Christ, the driving force behind all that we do should be our living faith in God. Therefore, it becomes of paramount importance that this be the thing in which we are the most firmly established and at peace. How does that happen? What does it mean to be established in our faith? 

As we turn to Scripture, it becomes clear. Ephesians 4:11-16 states that God has gifted certain people to be leaders among the family of believers. These leaders are then called to equip other believers who can then be involved in “the work of the ministry…building up the body of Christ.” The goal? That all in the body of believers would “attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” This would then protect them from being tossed about by deceit and false doctrines. 

 Therefore, being established in faith means that the average churchgoer is equipped to build up the body of Christ, alongside others who are doing the same. Pew-warmers do not build the church of God. Every person in the family of God needs to be grounded, established, so that they can serve the rest of the body and work in harmony with others in the place God has given them! 

The Establish Disciple-Making Series, created under Ethnos Canada, came about in order to equip the church in this very way. It is a relationally driven discipleship model built on a foundational Bible teaching method. The goal is that an entire network of believers would be built up in the truth as they study the indisputable truths of God’s Word and how they interact with real life. This happens most naturally when each person purposefully engages with a few others in deep, life-on-life discipleship. 

As fits the idea of being established, this disciple-making tool can be pictured in the form of a house (see other page). The first level of study, 101, lays the foundation of the Good News of Jesus Christ by touching on themes from Genesis to John. The second, 102, builds onto 101 and explores the believer’s security in Christ revealed from Genesis to John. A study of the Gospels – what it means to be a disciple of Christ – is done throughout the further levels of teaching that cover deep biblical truths based in the rest of the New Testament. 

 Establish seeks to use God’s Word, taught foundationally, as the natural means by which believers grow together in relationship with Jesus and with each other. Therefore, this becomes a multi-year journey with fellow believers as each person seeks to intentionally apply what they are learning to everyday life situations and circumstances. The goal is to enable each believer to both share the Gospel and to disciple others while they themselves continue to be built up. Is there anything greater that could be worth our time and focus?