THE FIVE ICONS OF

Discipleship

The purpose of the Church is to make and multiply disciples.

““All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Dallas Willard is famed for his 2 simple questions to the Church: How do you make disciples? Does it work!? This booklet is our response. It is written for those who have heard His call and who are looking for help in being or making disciples.

Icons have been around for well over a 1000 years. They are works of art created to be windows through which we see.  Down through the years the Church has used them as physical representations of the Gospel, a resource for teaching Kingdom truths, a way in which God has worked in people’s lives.

Icons invite our attention and invoke our imagination. Icons are not simply art but a means by which we can encounter Jesus and learn to walk in His company. They are simple, powerful and life changing.

Here are  5 modern day icons. Think of them as doorways through which you are invited to step into Jesus’ way of seeing and experiencing  the world  - invitations to a lifetime of exploring, discussing, learning and following.

The Cross
COSTLY LOVE
The Table
TEAM LIVING
The Fire
POWERFUL PRESENCE
The Seeds
MISSIONAL ACTION
The Vine
DEEPENING CONNECTION

These 5 Icons communicate - visually and memorably - the core elements of discipleship for our own journey and for those we are walking with.

Because they are primarily a visual thing they can work on a number of levels - uniting the Church - regardless of age, experience, culture or knowledge.

Whilst these symbols carry firm and important meanings for us they also invite your personal response. They invite each of us to read the scriptures and explore the great depths that lie behind each of them.

We hope and pray that through these symbols Jesus will speak, lead and shape us to be the people He dreams we can become.