The Prescription for a Healthy Church is Discipleship
Nick Johnson
Part of Wednesday Messages & Discussion Question
August 31, 2023

Matthew 2:18-20
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”


The rich fellowship of the early church was the means that God ordained to add many souls to the body of Christ.


And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.


Psalm 133:1-3
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! 2. It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! 3. It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.


1 Corinthians 11:26
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes,”


James 5:13-18
“13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months, it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”


Acts 2:43-47a
“43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people,”


Acts 2:47b
“And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved”


Wild Balkans - Dance of the Starlings

Discussion Questions

  1. Discuss why discipleship was so important to the early church and why it’s equally important to the modern church.

  2. Discuss what have been your traditional views of discipleship regarding your responsibility and why many Christians have such a relaxed view of it.

  3. Discuss openly your thoughts and opinions about praying corporately and revealing your heart to one another during those times of prayer.

  4. Living in the present day and age, what are some major distractions that keep us from fellowship, and how can we exhort one another to be more corporate?