DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING IN HOPE BACOOR PHILIPPINES

On June 12, 2019, Hope Philippines held a discipleship training led by our Senior Pastor, Paul Soradej, in Hope Bacoor for the purpose of empowering and equipping Life Group Leaders and Assistant Life Group Leaders from selected Hope daughter churches. The discipleship training focused on Outreach (evangelism) and Follow-up (discipleship) to aid church growth and expansion as well as the advancement towards the salvation of people.

Ps Soradej taught us how to write our own personal testimony on how we came to know the Lord in three parts:

• How were you before you came to know Jesus Christ? 
• How did you encounter God?
• How did your life change after you came to know Jesus Christ? 

Writing our personal testimony is essential in Christian witnessing and sharing our faith to effectively link our story to the gospel. Having initiative in building up a good relationship with people is also important to meet the needs of people but more importantly, their greatest need of God.

Ps Soradej also shared with us the importance of follow up and methods of follow up for the purpose of fulfilling the mandate of making disciples. After witnessing, a 24-hour follow up is essential to help people in their spiritual walk with God and seeing them grow mature in Christ. Teaching them according to the road map should be the next step to lay down and build foundations to help them become an effective disciple of Christ. In establishing discipleship with people, we also learned some practical ways to strengthen the relationship by encouraging them and doing things with them like praying and reading the Bible together, challenging them to join in life groups and basically help them in their needs. Pastor said that we need to see ourselves as a spiritual parent who seeks to nurture and take care of the child’s need as they grow.

In this training, Pastor also shared with us about the different types of generations today which calls for us to develop strategies for connecting with them. The younger generation, especially Generation Z struggles to nurture deep meaningful relationships and to find balance between life and technology. As Christians, it is also our calling to engage the next generation to Jesus and help them to see who Jesus is by modelling Christ-centered discipleship.

Our primary purpose is to obey and fulfil the Great Commission. Let us continually be equipped and empowered to go and make disciples of all nations for our God, our Saviour wants all men to be saved. Let us step out by faith and challenge ourselves to be the Salt and Light of this world.

By Hope Philippines