The NorthWord
NorthWord is a daily Christian podcast from St. John's Fort Smith in collaboration with the Anglican Family. Hosted by Father Aaron from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories.
Here's how it works: Every Sunday we release the full sermon preached that morning. Then Monday through Saturday, you get 3-5 minute daily reflections based on that sermon - one thought you can actually use each day. Every Wednesday we explore the rhythm of Jesus' life and how his followers have lived it out for 2,000 years.
Whether you're Pentecostal, Orthodox, Baptist, Catholic, or just curious about faith - this is for you. Ancient faith. Real life. No fluff.
The Word. The North. Your Week.
Follow @StJohnsFortSmith and @TheAnglicanFamily
The NorthWord
Disciples Are Always Being Formed
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
We want to hear from You! Send us a Text!
You don't graduate from discipleship. You never stop being a student. And that's not a burden — it's the point.
Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamily
Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWord
Good morning. This is Northword.
SPEAKER_00You do not need to graduate from discipleship. You spend your whole life in it, and that's the whole point. Good morning, this is Northword, the Word, the North Your Week, a daily podcast from St. John's Fort Smith in collaboration with the Anglican family. I'm your host, Father Aaron. Today's episode is brought to you by Fred Daniels Painting and Decorating in Fort Smith. Quality work and genuine commitment to this community. There is an idea floating around that discipleship is something you do at the beginning of your Christian journey. You become a Christian, you go through a discipleship program, you graduate, and now you're done. You've been formed, you move on. But that is not how the church has ever understood it. Discipleship is not a course you complete, it is the shape of your entire life. Jesus called disciples, not to a one-time training, but to a way of life. Come follow me, stay with me, learn from me, become like me. It is a daily, lifelong commitment to the person of Jesus and the way he lived. And crucially, it requires ongoing discipline, ongoing formation, ongoing challenge and correction. This is why the life of prayer matters, why confession matters, why community matters, why reading the Bible matters, not as a not as a once-a-week activity, but as the rhythm of your formation. You are always being taught, you are always being challenged, you are always being reshaped into who you are meant to be. And the older you get, the more deeply this works on you, not less. The saints of the church, the ones who lived the longest, the deepest in faith, were the ones who took their own formation most seriously. Augustine, after 40 years of Christian life, still talked about his ongoing struggle with pride and lust. Not because he had failed, because he was alive and honest. Teresa, Saint Teresa talks about the ongoing battle. This is not failure, it's authentic Christian life. So do not graduate from discipleship. Do not think that once you have learned the basics, you can coast. You can never coast. You're always going to be a student, you're always being formed. And that formation, if you're paying attention, will get more beautiful, more true, more radical the longer you stay in it. This has been Northward, the Word, the North, your week, a daily podcast from St. John's Fort Smith, in collaboration with the Anglican family. You will never finish your formation as a disciple, and that is good news, not bad. Because, friends, you will always be becoming. Use the text us link in the description to reach out. We would love to hear from you and where you are on your journey. And until next week, may God be with you.