Hello, hello, and welcome to another episode of Staying With God.
Today, I wanted to talk about something that I think is quite important at the moment, and that is the idea of a kind of discipleship gap that we seem to have in the church nowadays.
In a lot of churches throughout the West—and possibly throughout the whole world—we seem to be suffering from a bit of a lack when it comes to supporting people properly. Especially when it comes to discipleship and helping people grow in their faith.
Now, I don’t want to say that this applies to every church. My own church, for instance, has actually been quite good. I’ll admit openly that I haven’t had the best mental health, and the church has really made an effort through different people to reach out and help me feel better. They’ve done their best, I think.
But even with that being said, there are still ways for all churches to improve—even the ones that are already doing quite well. So I thought it would be helpful to look at what the Bible says about this, and try to figure out what we should actually be doing to improve.
First, we can look at Ephesians 4:11–13. In this passage, we’re told that God gave different gifts to people—some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and others pastors and teachers. And He did this to prepare all God’s people for the work of Christian service, so that the body of Christ can be built up, until we all come to unity in faith and maturity in Christ.
I think the main thing we can take from this is that God is the one who gives us our gifts. Everyone has a place in the church. Whether that’s in a more visible role like teaching or preaching, or something quieter—like being a family man, as I mentioned in a previous article—we all have a part to play.
We all belong to the body of Christ, and because of that, we need to work together. If we don’t—if we all just go off on our own, doing our own thing, with our own ideas—then, really, not much gets done. It just doesn’t work.
That’s why discipleship matters. We need to be able to support people, walk alongside them, and help deepen their relationship with God. Because through that, they can grow, reflect God’s love more clearly, and in turn help bring others closer to Him as well.
Next, we can look at Colossians 1:28–29, which talks about preaching Christ to everyone, warning and teaching people with all wisdom, so that each person can be brought into God’s presence as a mature individual in Christ.
Again, the point is quite clear: we are called to teach, to guide, and to help people grow.
This isn’t just the job of one person—it’s something we do both individually and as a church. Everything we do should be directed towards serving God and reflecting His love and grace. And importantly, it all has to be done in love. The truth has to be spoken in love, and everything we do should come from that place.
I also think this connects to a wider issue. Over time, both in the church and outside of it, we’ve become quite atomised. People are more isolated, more on their own, and because of that, a lot of people end up struggling without support. And that’s just not how it’s meant to be.
Finally, we can look at 1 Thessalonians 5:14, which gives us very practical instruction: warn the idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.
This really lays out what discipleship should look like in practice.
We’re called to encourage those who are struggling or unsure, to help those who can’t manage on their own, and also to challenge those who are being idle—those who have things they should be doing but aren’t. That kind of honesty is important too.
At the same time, we’re told to be patient with everyone. And that’s key, because growth isn’t the same for everyone. It’s not uniform. We’re not all moving at the same pace, and we’re not meant to. People learn differently, grow differently, and struggle in different ways.
So we need to be patient with that. Of course, we won’t always get it right—but when we fall short, we should try to make it right again.
This is why I’ve spoken before about things like building stronger relationships within the church—whether that’s friendships or even helping people form romantic relationships in a healthy, Christian context. Not in a forced or arranged way, but simply by bringing like-minded people together. That’s one practical way the church can support people better.
Overall, the point is this: we need to come together more as a community. Discipleship isn’t something that just happens automatically—it requires effort, intention, and care for one another.
If we want to grow as Christians, and if we want the church to function as it should, then we need to take that responsibility seriously.
Prayer-
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the faith You have given us through the Holy Spirit. We thank You for the gift of being able to come together as one body in Christ. Help us to learn what we need to do to grow, both individually and as a church. Help us to become a stronger community, supporting one another as we should.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
