A-Z of Discipleship

By Matthew Porter

An accessible introduction to the Christian faith which helps readers to grow in their relationship with God, help them connect with church and live as followers of Christ in contemporary culture.

The A-Z of Discipleship is an accessible look through 26 aspects of discipleship that will help believers to grow deeper in their faith. The concepts are deliberately jargon free and simple enough for anyone new to the faith to understand , but have enough depth to help and refresh all believers desiring to deepen their faith. Extensive references are included at the end of the book if the reader wants to study any subject in more detail.

Each chapter has a couple of pages of introduction and insight around the topic, an action section for reflecting and thinking deeper, and then a prayer to help ground the lessons learnt. This allows the reader to not only gain a deeper understanding of the faith, but encourages them to nurture their prayer life and relationship with God.

With its combination of both biblical and practical approaches this is a great book to equip believers to be agents of change wherever God places them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Authentic Media
• Release date: Jul 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781780784571

Matthew Porter

After a brief career in law, Matthew Porter has served churches in the North of England and increasingly speaks on the subject of discipleship, wanting to help others build strong foundations for a life of following Jesus. He's passionate about discipleship and leadership, and serves as the senior leader (Vicar) of The Belfrey in York, a church with a rich heritage and with a vision to be serving God's transformation of the North.

Book preview

A–Z of Discipleship

‘Matthew’s A–Z of Discipleship provides an easy-to-follow road map for someone starting out on their Christian journey, yet possesses a level of depth to challenge even the long-term disciple. Filled with insights from a man on his own personal journey, the reader is introduced to the wonderful person of Jesus Christ. Wisdom permeates the text, but none more so than the encouragement to read the Bible and pray every day. How helpful this book will be for those searching, those with questions and those starting out on the road to a life of faith . . . I will use Matthew’s book in mentoring young believers.’

Iain Boyd, senior executive at an S&P 500 international corporation

‘A–Z of Discipleship is an excellent resource for both new Christians and seekers alike. Each of the twenty-six chapters is precise, pithy and punchy, and provides a wonderful overview of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Matthew Porter has done a great service in producing this informative and accessible resource and I heartily commend it.’

Greg Downes, Theologian and Missioner, The Belfrey, York

‘This book is a prayer answered, the definitive post-Alpha-course, must-have read. A straight-talking, practical guide to following Jesus and exploring the liberating joy and freedom that discipleship brings. Like the gospel, this book is refreshingly simple, and a satnav to Christ.’

Warren ‘Ace’ Furman, evangelist and TV gladiator

‘Don’t be fooled by the size of this little book – it’s powerful stuff! As Matthew says in his introduction, it might be best read in a few minutes each day over a month. But the themes are so rich that you’ll find the words running around your mind throughout the rest of the day.’

Paul Harcourt, National Leader, New Wine England

‘A book for anybody, whether new or mature in the Christian life, who seeks a deeper and richer faith. It overflows with virtues: realistic and scriptural, accessible and profound, compassionate and challenging. Read this book slowly over a month and let the effects bless the rest of your life.’

Revd Canon J. John, evangelist, minister, speaker, social activist and writer

‘Matthew has written a supremely accessible guide to the Christian life for those wanting to follow Jesus.’

Nadine Parkinson, Network Relationship Manager, Tearfund UK

‘I am delighted that my brother Matthew has distilled the wisdom of his many years of church leadership into this book on basic discipleship. Full of Bible insights, personal illustrations and practical advice, it should be a helpful resource for those entering into the journey of following Jesus. As my wife and I network across houses of prayer and prayer networks in the UK, we are aware that God is on the move in fresh ways. We are anticipating that there will be many thousands of new young Christians who will need a book like this to help them get good foundations of faith. I warmly endorse Matthew’s writing.’

Revd Dr William Porter, Beacon House of Prayer, Stoke on Trent

‘Discipleship is not an end in itself – it is the adventure of finding God’s purpose in our lives and living it out, as we seek to follow Jesus in the power of the Spirit, to the glory of God the Father. Whether you have been on this journey for a while, or you have just begun, reading this book will help you grow in your relationship with God, in your service and witness to others, and in your participation in the life of your local church. Full of practical, biblical wisdom, it’s a great book either to read at a stretch or to dip into each day. Remember, too, that to be a disciple also involves discipline where our thoughts and feelings, which result in our actions, are ruled by the Holy Spirit.’

The Rt Revd John Sentamu, Archbishop of York

‘Matthew is an accomplished church leader, a lifelong disciple and profound writer. He lives what he writes. I know because I have seen it year in and year out for over twenty years. He is the kind of person you would want and trust to write a book like this.’

Ric Thorpe, Bishop of Islington

‘As a lifelong follower of Jesus, I found this book tremendously helpful. Matthew has taken the key components of our faith and created a wise, pastoral and deeply usable guide. It is designed for new followers of Jesus but rich enough in content that I learned and gleaned from it myself. I am thankful to know Matthew personally and witness the way he lives out his faith. As a church and ministry leader, I look forward to using this book as I invite friends to follow the God we love.’

Sarah Yardley, Festival Coordinator, Creation Fest

A–Z of Discipleship

Matthew Porter

Copyright © 2017 Matthew Porter

23 22 21 20 19 18 17    7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First published 2017 by Authentic Media Limited,

PO Box 6326, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK1 9GG.

authenticmedia.co.uk

The right of Matthew Porter to be identified as the Author of this Work

has been asserted by him in accordance with the

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying. In the UK such licences are issued by the Copyright Licensing

Agency, Barnard’s Inn, 86 Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1EN.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978-1-78078-456-4

978-1-78078-457-1 (e-book)

Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised. Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.

Quotations marked niv 1984 are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised. Copyright © 1979, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.

The quotation marked kjv is taken from The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown’s Patentee, Cambridge University Press.

The quotation marked net is taken from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996–2016

by Biblical Studies Press, LLC http://netbible.org. All rights reserved. Scripture quoted by permission.

Cover design by Luke Porter luke-porter.co.uk

Printed in the UK by CPI Group (UK) Ltd., Croydon, CR0 4YY

Contents

Foreword by Ric Thorpe

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

A is for Abba

B is for Bible

C is for Church

D is for Disciplines

E is for Encourage

F is for Faith

G is for Giving

H is for Holy Spirit

I is for Identity

J is for Jesus

K is for Kingdom

L is for Love

M is for Mission

N is for New

O is for Obedience

P is for Prayer

Q is for Quarrel

R is for Repentance

S is for Sacraments

T is for Trinity

U is for Underprivileged

V is for Vision

W is for Worship

X is for X-rated

Y is for Yes!

Z is for Zeal

Notes

Index

Foreword

Discipleship is one of the most profound activities a human being can choose because it is a determination to live differently, to live not for oneself, but for someone else. That life is one of following Jesus in every area, with everyone, all the time. It is not exclusive to the holiest of saints but is for every person who decides to follow Jesus. It is simple, and yet profound; accessible to the youngest believer, and yet a lifelong journey of depth and transformation. It is one of the keys to living life well.

And that is why I am so grateful to Matthew for writing this book. Matthew has given us a book that helps start the journey, and accompanies us along the way. It is a book that is for today’s church. It doesn’t assume prior knowledge and, at the same time, doesn’t patronize the reader who has some understanding already. It is laced generously with biblical references that can be followed up later or enjoyed at a slower pace. I loved the breadth of drawing on other sources and writers and speakers too. As I read it, I found I got a feel for the big picture, as well as finding the depth when I dwelt in a particular theme. As such, it is an ideal follow-up to the Alpha course, or other introductions to the Christian faith, and very useful for helping others to grow in their faith.

As for the man behind the words, it is no surprise that Matthew has written this book. He is an accomplished church leader, a lifelong disciple and profound writer. I have known him since we were at college together in 1993 and we have met and prayed regularly together several times each year since then. Matthew lives what he writes. I know because I have seen it year in and year out. Throughout this time, he has always been the thoughtful one, always consistent, always dependable. Personal stories come through in every chapter. He is the kind of person you would want and trust to write a book like this.

And it is no surprise either to see a book like this come from the church Matthew is leading. The Belfrey in York has deep roots in encouraging discipleship. David Watson, who wrote a book with a similar name, was a previous vicar. This church has discipleship as part of its DNA. And yet this book is different from Watson’s version. This one is written for today’s missional context where new Christians are more likely to have no understanding of the Christian faith at all. It feels accessible too – something that is not a scary book for seriously committed saints but easy to pick up, easy to read and absorb, and yet drawing the reader into a journey that will last a lifetime.

So let me encourage you (see chapter E!) to go on the journey using this A–Z of Discipleship. It will help you to deepen your relationship with God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and give you a solid foundation for following Jesus every step you take.

Ric Thorpe

Bishop of Islington

Preface

It was the birthday of my third son, Luke – 3 March 2013. I recall waking early, having had one of those dreams that stirs the heart and won’t go away. In the dream I saw a book that I had authored. While I didn’t see any of its chapter headings, I recognized that there were twenty-six chapters and they were all fairly short, simple and compact. It was a book for those who want to grow in discipleship. It had no long theological words and didn’t assume any prior background knowledge. It was called the A–Z of Discipleship. This is that book.

I waited over three years to begin writing, partly because finding the time was not easy. We’ve been going through many changes at The Belfrey – the church in York that I’m honoured to lead – and leading my church has rightly dominated my time. But the delay was also because I wanted to cover the writing of this book in much prayer and make sure that it wasn’t rushed and the timing was right. I also needed space to write and didn’t find that until the summer of 2016 when I had a three-month period of sabbatical leave. I’m grateful to the Diocese of York and to the people of The Belfrey for that time. It was a time of profound rest, regeneration and experiencing the beauty of the wonderful world our good Father has made. Out of that rest I wrote this A–Z.

Much of the book was written at Bethel Church in Redding, California, in the context of worship, teaching, sunshine, and the kind hospitality of a church family committed