Be committed

It's useful to agree some standards to help us in our lives together as disciples; this guide doesn't give you any rules to follow so you will need to work out your own. Every group is different, but getting into some sort of discipleship rhythm is useful. Our aim is already clear (1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1) but the details need working out.

Litter needs clearing up

Try hard to discover what really matters most to you. You'll need to talk about it, and pray together, and you'll need patience because it may come gradually. You're looking for the group's sense of purpose, something that really grips you, a shared passion. Once you understand why your group exists you can begin to work out some of the details together. You'll be searching for objectives that are both exciting and challenging. As soon as you recognise these group purposes start working towards them.

Choose one or two activities for each of them. Some examples might help. Suppose you really care about the state of your local area, you might organise or join a weekly walk to clear litter or adopt a piece of waste ground and turn it into a beautiful flower bed. Or perhaps you're passionate about homeless people in your town. If so, find practical ways to regularly bring them food or give them shelter. Maybe the group feels driven to dig deep into the Bible: in that case work through a study course together, find and watch a relevant DVD or online video together each week, or share something significant that you've learned or found challenging. One or two could do this every time you meet, different people each time so that everyone is active in sharing.

If enough people in a group are actively growing as disciples it will become the norm. Talk about what you are doing, demonstrate it, give plenty of examples, tell stories of successful outcomes, and encourage others to share too. Try to get more groups of people engaged, tell them about your activities, invite them to come and see for themselves, suggest they try working through this guide with their own group, help them get started.

Discuss – Spend a little time right now talking about the group's passions and purpose. Consider options for practical ideas like the examples above, and decide how you could work on these together. If it's difficult to make progress give yourselves more time and come back to it in a few weeks or months. Oh, and pray about it.

Really mean business

We can begin by setting ourselves the highest standard for discipleship – the standard Jesus himself set us. This includes loving the Father with all our heart, mind and strength; denying ourselves; lifting our own heavy cross; and following Jesus and loving those around us in active and meaningful ways (Luke 10:25-28, Matthew 16:24-25, James 2:14-17).

Living and travelling together

It will help us if we talk about these commitments daily, read what the Bible has to say about them, and pray and work together to sharpen our focus. Read the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17), especially the gospels, with a view to what we must do (not just what we must think). Regular patterns of prayer, together and alone, are essential (Philippians 4:6). Don't forget worship (Hebrews 12:28, Romans 12:1) another key part of becoming a disciple. And worship includes serving one another and the wider community, offering everything back to the Father.

So we need to become kinder, more generous and more patient. We must think about justice, and giving and using our spiritual gifts. And we will need to meet around Jesus and encourage one another. We are responsible for the way we use our time, our skills and our money. These resources are not just for our own pleasure; the way we live speaks volumes about what we value – and the world is watching and listening.

We need to care about our neighbours and about the environment. How can we release more time for friends and family? Are there ways we can represent the Almighty's deep concern for justice? How can we better care for our surroundings? Try to become an ace recycler, or help keep the locality clean and tidy. Save fuel by turning down the heater or the air conditioner; drive less and walk or cycle short distances instead.

Jesus' disciples lived and travelled together, ate and talked and listened and learned together. Community is an essential part of being a disciple, for us as for them. He calls us to love one another as he loves us (Ephesians 4:32, Galatians 5:22-23).

Discuss – Pick one or two of the ideas in this section (or ideas of your own) and consider together how you could use them regularly to focus more on living as disciples of Jesus.