Developed at Grace United Methodist Church in Conway, Arkansas, the Seven Holy Habits are: (1) Daily Prayer, (2) Accepting Jesus Christ, (3) Worship, (4) Reading the Bible, (5) Hands-on Service, (6) Sharing the Good News, and (7) Financial gifts. This page reflects our church's adaptation of the Arkansas Program for our congregation. We begin with excerpts from the introductory sermon and will provide links to the full-text of select sermons as they become available.
SHIP BUILDING MATERIAL (A DISCIPLESHIP PLAN)
We have used the analogy of a ship to talk about how the L&S Jesus Christ is a Disciple Ship headed to heaven. The grace of God has offered us the way of salvation in and through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and we are called to get aboard. As we begin this journey of building discipleship, we can take solace in knowing we have been given the plan, the tools, the equipment, all we will need. Yet we have to learn how to use them. Guided by God, Christ and Holy Spirit, the Discipleship Plan will give us opportunity to study the plan and use the tools and equipment. The hoped-for outcomes of this Discipleship Plan are that we will
- grow closer to understanding and abiding in all that Jesus taught us - Like the wise man who built his house on rock
- come closer to understanding what Jesus means when he says, “You are the salt of the earth,” or “You are the light of the world.”
- come to believe we can change the world for Jesus through our words and actions, just as Jesus came and in his words and his actions of love, grace and mercy changed the world
- go from this place and invite others into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
- go from this place and no matter where we find our discipleship, as disciples, we embrace and assist Jesus in making disciples of all nations.
Here’s the plan.
Throughout the year, we will build on our understanding of who we are as disciples using seven themes; Prayer, Accepting Jesus, Worship, Holy Scripture, Hands-on-Service, Sharing the Good News, and Financial Giving. We will give each theme 4 weeks for study and implementation. We have set up times on Sunday at 9:15am and 6:30pm, and on Thursday at 10am and 7pm for more in-depth study. During these times, members of our Stewards Team will help guide our conversation so that we may grow in our understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. We hope everyone will take the opportunity to be in one or more of these gatherings. If you cannot attend any of these times, it does not mean you cannot participate in the Discipleship Plan. These times have just been set aside for added study and fellowship.
PRAYER
|
Prayer of Confession | Prayer of Thanksgiving | ||
ACCEPTING JESUS CHRIST |
||||
WORSHIP
|
||||
READING THE BIBLE |
||||
HANDS-ON SERVICE |
||||
SHARING THE GOOD NEWS |
||||
FINANCIAL GIFTS |
.