One Desire Fast is HMCC’s annual fast so we can start off the year hearing from God, both individually and as a church. This year’s theme is Locked In.
Think of it this way: in this fast, accountability is how we support each other to pray and persevere. But discipleship is why we’re praying and what we’re becoming through it. It’s the lifelong process of learning, growing, and being sent together. It’s about letting God’s Word and God’s people reshape our character into the likeness of Christ, so we can live as His disciples every day and in every place.
This happens in the context of life-on-life relationships. Just as Jesus didn’t simply lecture the twelve disciples but ate, traveled, served, and prayed with them, true discipleship unfolds in the ordinary rhythms of shared life. It’s in the honest texts during a hard week, and the simple act of doing errands or sharing a meal with a spiritual brother or sister. This is where faith moves from being something we believe to something people can see in how we live. It’s what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote, “Imitate me, as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). It’s the everyday living that shows others what it looks like to walk with Jesus.
The purpose of life-on-life discipleship is never just about our own growth. It’s about multiplication. Jesus trained His followers and then sent them out (Matthew 10). Paul invested in Timothy so that Timothy could teach trustworthy people, who would then teach others (2 Timothy 2:2). The pattern is clear: equip and send. We don’t gather to stay in a Christian bubble, but to be built up and sent out as disciples who make more disciples, fulfilling the mission Jesus gave us in the Great Commission.
If you want to see this principle clearly, take the time today to read 2 Timothy 2. In just one chapter, Paul shows Timothy how discipleship works: by faithful example, intentional teaching, and intentional sending. Read it slowly. Ask two simple questions: “What is God saying in this passage?” and “Who could I share this with, or encourage in this truth?” Then act on it! Whether over coffee, a text, or in your LIFE Group. Discipleship begins when we open God’s Word and then open our lives to walk with others.
Reflection and Application
- Paul’s instruction to “imitate me” (1 Corinthians 11:1) implies a high level of transparency and availability. What fears or other hindrances (time, openness, vulnerability, past hurts) make you hesitant to engage in or invite someone into this kind of life-on-life discipleship relationship?
- Who are the people in your life that you are walking with or want to engage in life-on-life discipleship? Choose one of these today to apply what you have learned about life-on-life discipleship!
- Reach out to someone who has helped you grow in faith. Thank them and tell them specifically what their investment meant to you.
- Read 2 Timothy 2 together with your accountability, share one verse that stood out to you, and ask, “What would it look like for us to live this out in the next few days?”
Prayer Requests – HKU
- Obedience: to respond to God’s Word with practical and bold steps of faith
- Discipleship: to grow a culture of discipleship amongst peers and across generations
- For the Lost: to be united in reaching the lost in our campus and witness more salvations
Click here for full devotional link and other pre-fasting materials!