A loving disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ who remembers the command to love God and love your neighbor. When considering who is a neighbor, a disciple of Jesus is reminded of the parable of the Good Samaritan who risked time, wealth, and reputation to help his fellow traveler in need.
The Vision of Christ Lutheran Vail Church is to be a life-changing connection to Christ in our world. Imagine a world where Christ's followers listen, love, and serve the needs of their neighbors.
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| Discipleship Life Cycle |
Creation of a loving disciple begins when God plants a seed. This seed is watered, nourished and nurtured. The seed turns into a sprout. The sprout continues to be watered and nourished and grows into a plant that bears fruit. The plant continues to grow and bear fruit throughout its life. Christ Lutheran Vail calls this process the Discipleship Life Cycle and which has four components:
Seed Planted
The first step in creating a loving disciples is that a seed is planted. This seed comes from the Word of God. Through the miraculous power of God's Spirit, the seed begins to germinate and the beginning of new life in God occurs.
Sprout
As the seed continues to develop, it breaks through the ground where it continues to grow. At this stage, great care is taken to make sure that this new life receives adequate sunlight, water, and nourishment. In the early church, people in this stage were called, "Neophytes" from the Greek word meaning "new plants".
Grow
The tree has developed a strong root system of faith. It has grown in such a manner that it is able to receive sunlight, water, and nutrients. At this point the tree is self-sustaining. In gardening terms, the tree stakes are no longer necessary and the tree is able to withstand the high winds, droughts, and shifting grounds.
Bear
The tree is not quite yet finished. To be truly complete, the tree will do what God created it to do, bear fruit. This is the "loving" part of "making loving disciples". It is where the tree finds purpose and blesses the world. Inside the fruit are more seeds and the process begins again. A world filled with fruit-bearing-healthy trees brings a life-changing connection to Christ and God's creation finds restoration.
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