Discipleship Beneath the Surface: EHS at Família em Cristo

We really want to be a church that not only teaches the way of Jesus, but also learns how to live it together in everyday life.

Over the past two years, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, or EHS, has become an invaluable tool for helping us put that commitment into action. It has helped us concentrate on the kind of formation we have been praying for: disciples of Jesus who are growing in spiritual maturity, emotional honesty, love for God, and love for one another.

Moving beyond the superficial is hard. It takes time, trust, courage, and grace to speak honestly about what is happening beneath the surface of our lives. EHS has given us helpful language and practices for that kind of journey.

This most recent EHS course marks our fourth time walking through this material together. We began with 13 members of Família em Cristo and were blessed to welcome 4 people from the community who found us through Instagram. That is a meaningful step for us. What began as a tool for strengthening discipleship within the church has also become a doorway for others to connect, reflect, and grow with us.

We also want to spotlight the table leaders who are helping make this possible: Saíle, Suelem, Cacau, Maria Zilda, Daniel, and Edson. Daniel and Edson are co-leading the men’s group, and each of these leaders is helping create space for honest conversation, prayer, reflection, and spiritual practice.

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These table leaders are not simply guiding discussion. They are first putting these practices into action in their own lives, and then leading from there. That matters. Healthy discipleship cannot be passed on only through information. It is formed through example, humility, presence, and practice.

This is one of the reasons EHS has been so valuable for us. It is helping us give structure, rhythm, and shared language to commitments that are already at the heart of who we want to become.

We are also embracing this discipleship commitment on Sundays. Lucas is creating a companion message series that follows alongside the EHS course, helping the whole church continue reflecting on these themes through our worship gatherings and through the messages available on Spotify.

For anyone that understands portuguese or wants to practice here are Lucas'sermons on Spotify

All together, the weekly gatherings, table conversations, spiritual practices, and Sunday emphasis are helping us concentrate on a deeper kind of formation. We are learning to slow down. We are learning to listen. We are learning to tell the truth about what is happening beneath the surface. We are learning to follow Jesus not only in what we do, but in who we are becoming.

Our prayer is that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit would continue to help Família em Cristo grow and bear fruit as disciples of Jesus Christ — serving, learning, worshiping, and practicing the way of Jesus together. Please join us in prayer!