a. Church Attendance
b. Home Group Involvement
c. Baptism
d. Joining a Church
e. Becoming a Disciple of Jesus
I will speak from my own experience as I give the answers. I became a Christian in January 1982, I have been Iientified with and faithfully Attended church almost every week for those 28 years, I was Baptised in May 1982 and during the last 10 years I have attended some type of Home Group. I did not experience great long lasting change because of any of those things. The change began when I became a disciple of Jesus.
Dallard Willard in an article "Looking Like Jesus" describes three sides to a Golden Triangle that make up being a Disciple of Jesus. One side is "Acceptance with Joy everyday situations", Another side is "Interaction with God's Holy Spirit" and the Last side is performing "Spiritual Disciplines"
I will briefly explain each but for a more indepth look visit "Looking Like Jesus" .
1. "Acceptance with Joy everyday situations". It is explained simply in James 1: 2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
2. "Interaction with God's Holy Spirit". This can be summed up in three scriptures:
John 16: 8-11 "When he comes, he'll expose the error of the godless world's view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He'll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control; that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted.
Galatians 5: 22-23 But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
2 Corinthians 3: 16-18 Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We're free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.
3. "Spiritual Disciplines". 2 Peter 1: 5-9 So don't lose a minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can't see what's right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books. Spiritual disciplines include solitude in Bible study, service in secrecy, fasting with worship.
Being a follower does not come automatically from church membership, church attendance, small group invovlement or baptism. If you are interested in studying how to become a Disciple of Jesus I recommend the following books or articles and that you find a mature biblically sound mentor to study under.
"The Great Omission" by Dallas Willard
How Does the Disciple Live? by Dallas Willard
"Passport" by Tim Davidson
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