This is a course where the basic principles of the Christian faith are taught. Every member of the church is encouraged to attend this course at it equips one with the basic understanding of the Bible; this in turn gives one the opportunity to grow in their walk with God. Discipleship Course is there in order for people to establish a good foundation in their Christian faith.

 

TESTIMONIES BY STUDENTS

 

Since I started attending discipleship my life has developed as a person and a child of God, because it is the place where I first experienced being touched by the Holy Spirit in a way so great that I cannot explain. It is also the place where I decided to obey the Lord and get baptised by water for the first time, these where great steps in my life. Discipleship has given me basic knowledge about God and the Bible, things that I didn’t really think of taking note of. Teachings about the word, the baptism by Holy Spirit and water gave me knowledge of what exactly I was going to go through and its importance and significance. Topic about judgement really opened my eyes and gave me a better understanding of why God is the only one who has the authority to judge, how powerful, great and majestic the God we serve is.

Discipleship has brought me much closer to God and it has enlightened the parts that were dark in my life. It has given me the urgency of wanting to know God more, as I see that there is so much to learn and know and knowing God is one of the most important things. In attending discipleship I saw the importance of being involved in the church and that it does not only end on Fridays or on Sundays but I should do more things that glorify God other than doing things to satisfy my own desires.

 

All in all attending discipleship was not a mistake its probably one the best decisions I have ever made and I thank God for the church and provision of such opportunities.

By Anathi Sisilana

 

First I want to thank GOD for such opportunity&impact that these classes has

done in me.secondly the MIGHTY POWER that HE has put to the man of GOD that he

daily teaches us. These classes has lifted my spirit&reminded me of how favoured

I am in GOD. Since that i'm far from home sometimes not knowing anyone in a place

its very difficult to mingle with the others & my spiritual life was beginning to

starve but these classes are filling my cup every day. I've realised that GOD is

not moved by our problems but HE wants us to commit ourselves with HIM and have an

intimate relationship with HIM. I thank Christ THE only LAMB i know for living

HIS throne & died for me in order for me to be called HIS own.

By Shireen Kota

 

 

Firstly l would like to thank God the Almighty for using our Pastors and leadership of the church through his holy spirit for them to see the importance of this course as it changes the inner spirit of a human being and makes me understand God as my saviour and Lord through Jesus Christ. According to my understanding discipleship gives Christians foundation to Christianity and discipline. Today because of this course l now understand and fear God, l know how to worship him and l understand how to pray a powerful prayer. Yes its true churches are not the same but this course is filled with the Holy Spirit and it makes me understand what God expect from me.Today l understand that God does not want me to worship other gods and l used to tell my self that l can worship God own my own, like l thought there was no significance for one to go to church this is what most people especial traditional men think. I leant that God made leaders like Moses of the past generation and pastors for the present to guide us through Holy Spirit and if we don’t have good leadership it’s easy for us to fall into temptation of the devil.

 

The baptism was another topic that was very interesting now I understand that its not one of those things Christians just do as a routine but it plays a significant role in the transformation process for me, from a sinner to a child of God. It symbolises the dearth of the old me and my sins and the birth of me to Christ ,it connects me to where I belong and cleanse my spirit to allow the holy spirit to dwell in me in abundance ,it’s a covenant between me and God. Discipleship make me understand that Christianity is not a tradition, but it’s a way of life that maintains my righteousness and makes me understand that God made the heavens and earth and after making all the things on earth that a human need to leave a good life and he created man with his image .All the things I need have already been taken care of by God before I was even created. When I started attending the cell group it was a boring process and a long hour and a half class because I was empty in my spirit but now by the Grace of the Lord I have matured in my spirit and I enjoy to attend let alone when I’m busy with business I fill that there is something that I did not done, I just fill guilty. Now Im a new creature in Jesus Christ thanks to Pastor Mtshali all old things have passed and I do understand how to serve and please God and the desire for the Heavens.

 

For every word of the Lord it helps me to grow spiritual and to understand the spiritual part of my self that helps me to be always hungry for the Holy Spirit. When I was a child not born again, church was a tradition something I have to do on weekends, before I did this course I did not understand the Holy spirit in full but now instead of understanding him His taking control of my life in full all the projects I do are a success my life is turned from misery and is fruitful as I believe its because now God is blessing me. Knowledge and understanding God through Jesus and the holy spirit makes praying a joy something you long for something you can do not only when eating ,sleeping or when in church but as I am walking I find myself worshiping God in my spirit, at any given time I pray to Him giving glory and praise, praying used to be a difficult task for me and I used to go days without praying even if I did it was only when things did not go well in Life in my family yes I was lost and now I am found I was in dark but now I can see the light I am no longer a ordinary person but I am extra ordinary my God is with me when I lift up my hand he is lifting it with me he is in my thoughts and the devil wont deceive me any more.

 

I pray that if all my fellow brethren will attend this course as it changes the way we see and think about God it shows us the true revelation of Him. The class is always saturated with His Holy spirit, God speak direct to us through His servant. A wise man once said a person is a product of what he have been taught ,these teachings helps us to have a know how, then its when you know how to pray, worship, praise and do things Gods way according to how you have been taught , you made me understand faith and how to use my faith. Most of brethrens have faith but they don’t know how to put it in use in action to their benefit and to the church I’m happy now I know with my faith I will not fail as my Lord is not a failer and He will never forsake me if I always keep his word, Faith is a tool not to be kept but to be used accordingly.

 

To conclude l would say that THE discipleship give the foundation to Christians as it brings about the understanding of Christianity as a whole and l feel that this cell group my not be attended once by the newly saved Christians but should be re-visited by the brethrens who has already graduated for boasting their spirituality.

 

 

I would like to thank the elders of the church for this group and the pastors.

 

By Alex Andile Ndlovu

 

I accepted Jesus as my Savior last year in July 2010, exactly at the time my wife (to be) and I started our marriage counseling at Cornerstone. I must admit at the time I didn't have a slight clue of how important a decision we had taken. Thanks to Mfundisi and Mam'u Mtshali in particular for being the channel through which the "seed" was planted.

 

In simple terms I find the discipleship to be a complete "guide" to living a life that is dedicated to worshiping and giving all Glory to God. This is especially true for new born again like myself as the course covers a wide range of issues like baptism, laying of hands, maturing in spirit, judgment etc.

 

These teachings are beginning to sink in to me and are becoming my new way of life. This may sound like "I heard it before" but to me the following were very distant about 6 months ago.

 

Reading the word: I get joy in reading the word everyday (almost). It is even more gratifying when I get a revelation and often I find that speaks directly to me or the old ways I use to follow.

 

Praying: I pray daily, and I feel I am able for the first time to communicate clearly with God. I was one of those that only pray when in trouble. Otherwise I generally prayed from within (uthandazela ngaphakathi),

because I felt the Lord hears me anyway.

 

I no longer worry about outside influence whether it's from friends or even family. This was one of my main challenges in the beginning. I found it difficult to leave the old ways and habits and afraid to stand up and say

that I am Born again therefore I cannot do A, B and C.

 

It is also very important to me that most of what was taught at the counseling is becoming clearer (ever since I started attending the discipleship course) and I am beginning to put some of that in practice.

 

I do not have a very good English background so it was also good to discover new powerful words like exalted, intercede, anointed as these are not in everyday vocabulary but very powerful words indeed. It is equally interesting to get deep spiritual meanings of familiar words like grace and faith.

 

These may be sound "small" things but I have never at any point of my felt this close to the Lord. I also realize that this is just a preparation for long journey ahead, but I have faith in the Lord and I will reach my destination no matter what happens along the way. I am reminded of Psalm 23, which I use to recite with confidence in my pre teen days, I can say today with more confidence and faith, yes indeed the "The Lord is my Shepherd".

By Sazi Nyikana

 

When i joined this course, i was not sure about what i am doing and about the salvation. I was not sure if i am in a right direction, was out there drinking, dating, clubing and doing all the wrong things. But on the 13th of february the Lord found me. I commited myself to him, and told myself that am gonner work for him. This course helped me a lot, through my anger and hatred.

 

I am a new person now a born again christian. Hey, i was even afraid to pray telling myself that praying aint for sinners like me, did not know hoe to use a bible, but guess wat now it is my favourite book. M y favourite scriptures are Ephesian ch 6 vs 10-12 and Timothy ch 2 vs 15-16, 19- 20..God is great and i thank him for his faithfullness.

 

Even when i went home for holidays, they saw a new person. I thank God for all this if it wasnt for him i havent been here attending this meeting every friday. I remember the second meeting Tat' Mtshali said "soince we are Gods dear children we must try and be like him. Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave us his life for us as a sweet- smelling offering and sacrifice that pleases God: ephesians ch 5 vs 1-2.

By Andiswa

 

Firstly I can say I joined the course unsaved and I was just a visitor but as it is alway said that God puts you in a place simply because He wants to do something in your life and indeed I was at the right place at the right time.The discipleship course has changed my life for the better.

 

It is as I take a u-turn and look at the life that I lived before joining this ministry that I realise how much my life has been changed and also how far from God I had been. I have been a church-goer all my life but its when I joined this course that I began to see that I knew so little about God and His word and also that I did not have a relationship with my Lord and Saviour. This course has helped me to form a bond and true relationship with Christ Jesus and to regularly communicate with God through prayer.I used to stress about money and all other materialistic things but now I have learnt to rely on God ,to trust in Him for all provisions and most importantly to be content with everything.

 

As a young person who lives by herself in Central and who had all the freedom to do anything of this world and felt no shame but its through this course that I got the conviction from the Holy spirit of God to repent of the old ways and became a new being in Christ and thats when I felt truely liberated from the devils schemes and the water baptism is the other thing that completed it all. I can now say that I do have self-control over my wordly cravings and also do thirst and read Gods word which is something that has never been a part of me before.

 

Lastly I have seen how Mighty and powerfull God is through this ministry,in as much as I still struggle with a few weaknesses here and there but I am still going forward and believing that God is still going to keep on moulding and moulding me into what He wants me to be, but the bottom line is that my life has been influenced by the discipleship course and yes my foundation on Gods word has been built.

By Alungile Tshisa

 

When i look at my life and how far i have come since joining discipleship, i see a noted change in the way i look at things. Its no longer about me anymore. I find myself thinking more about other people, especially those that are less privileged, and how i can help them improve their lives. A new world is opening up to me and the word is coming alive in me. There is a thirst in me that i do not know how to quench. I find myself hungering for more. I used to look at Christianity as a religion, but now ever since i sought out to have a personal relationship with Christ, i see it as a way of life. A life with purpose. I still have a long way to go and there are still some challenges in my life. I find that I'm still short-tempered . Everyday I am renewing my mind and i know by the grace of God i will get to where He wants me to be and become the kind of a person He wants me to be.

By Sipho Kanyemba

 

I would like to thank our heavenly Father for blessing us in the Discipleship with the presence of Pastor Mtshali to lead us, I truely am thankful. I am a born again christian who is commited to Jesus Christ and with Pastor Mtshali's weekly discipleship teachings I can say my life has changed for the better. I have been in the discipleship for a month but the teachings so far have impacted my spiritual life tremendously. I have always been a Chriastian (a believer) but have never looked in to what Christianity really is, there was always a missing piece to my christianity. The first time I came to discipleship I came as a lost sheep, I came hungry, I came with a sincere heart. That day Pastor Terry was present and we were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 were the ladies who had never been water baptised, Group 2 the men who had not yet been baptised and the last Group were those who were already filled with the holy spirit and who were already water baptised. I had fallen under Group 1. We all went and prayed together asking Our Father in heaven to fil us with the holy spirit. What happened in that room that day was AMAZING! At that moment we were all filled with the holy spirit and it was at that moment I felt the change in my life. On the 13th of March 2011 I was water Baptised for the first time and that was the happiest day of my life! I believe that if I had not been at the discipleship on that friday I would not have known the importance of being water baptised and probably would not have been baptised. What I have learnt from discipleship with Pastor Mtshali is mostly the importance of PRAYER. I came as a lost sheep, hungry, but now I can say that I am found and filled.

In remembrance of our late fellow brethren: Brother Chicco, We thank God for embracing us with Your presence while you were still with us.

By Zizipho Ximiya

 

I thank GOD for cornerstone leadership, becouse we have discipleship course. Since i attend this course pastor all i can say is that m growing spiritually...my relationship with God is growing, i pray, speak in

toungs read the bible everyday...the holyspirit is helping me..

 

God is really with me in, my health, financialy, academically really i see the grace of God...the more you gave us homeworks is the more i read my bible n understand the truth of life........i thank God for everything. God bless you now and forever more.

By Ornate Mathebula

 

Since I am new in salvation and do not know much it is helping me know more about the Word. It is also helping me with my relationship with God because now I read the bible with more understanding.

 

I have matured spiritually, and is not only helping me with my salvation but also I have a relationship with my brothers and sisters in the Lord. Discipleship course has helped me with the way I think and do things because they were at my own understanding but now I have realised they should be according to God’s will.

 

It is also helping me understand what it means to be saved, before I got saved I used to struggle with a lot of things but now I know everything that troubles me God has taken care of it already for his Word tells me so, I have a better understanding of who God really is and that has given me faith in him.

 

It has taught me commitment because now I know I have an appointment with God everytime I come to attend the discipleship class. I pray that the Lord continues to help me transform and change me to be a great woman of God and most of all to grow in spirit.

 

I would also like to thank you for the good work you are doing for the Lord and may God bless you.

By Vuyokazi Dumalisile

 

General

 

It is a bid difficult to single out just one area of one’s life that has improved since.

 

When other young guys around my age are enjoying Friday nights in different ways, i am at church, getting to know the lord more. Before i came to salvation, Friday night use to be a day of spending, traveling and meeting people who these days i have divorced.

 

Now that i am saved by grace, i now spend my Fridays in discipleship, where i fellowship with the brethren who care for every aspect of my life, i know that if i don’t show up one Friday, someone will call and find out if I’m alright or not, which proves the care and unity that is developed by being together and growing together in the lord.

 

Now about discipleship, there is just so much that one can single out about the classes, but one can’t help but highlight the growth potential that one stand to gain by attending the course. You get to meet scriptures that will challenge, motivate, rebuke, encourage, and teach you of the right way of living as a saved person.

 

Different churches have different ways of doing things, and cornerstone is no exception. There are ways to conduct yourself (i.e.) around others, especially opposite gender, ways to get involved, in ministries, for the church growth. Discipleship is there to equip us with such things. So in terms of getting involved, one can say we are being paced to keep up with the pace of the church.

 

Personally

 

1. The topic about soul ties.

 

This is one topic which after i was taught about, i will have to be very ignorant to involve myself in activities that result into soul ties. This needs to be taught to more and younger brothers and sisters in Christ, that they may know also what they get themselves into by being ignorant.

 

2. Family involvement

 

The building that we call our church, church operation, equipment, expenses. All these need me to be faithful in my tithe, which of Couse has its own measure blessings in return. There is respect and getting involved, which also is taught under the same topic, where we are taught to submit to authority and to also get involved in ministries after completing the course.

 

I would really advice everyone to go through discipleship, in odder that they may be equipped with the right foundation, that way, no meter what may blow their house of salvation later; they know that their foundation is solid on Jesus Christ, through all the teachings of discipleship.

By Fhatuwani Rudolph Matshivha

 

Before I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and saviour I used to all the sins that u could think of,I drank,worshiped ancestors even thought that love was about having a boyfriend. I prayed the sinner's prayer in 2009 but through out that time I kept on back sliding.

 

I waz fellowshiping at another church (which I won't mention). I used to go sunday morning and evening services,midweek meeting,bible study meeting and even started with the foundation for faith clases,but through out that time I wasn't living a holy life and I ddnt even try 2 change I thought what I waz doing was right,until last year when I decided to visit The cornerstone assemblies of God,because I felt that I was being pushed to go to the other church,like I was doing it for others and not for me.So I decided to start something on my own,and try to build a personal relationship with God.

 

This year I decided 2 start attending the discipleship coarse and ever since I started God is revealing things to me through his holy spirit,God is blessing me not with material things but with his spiritual gifts,I have inner peace and I look at every situation with spiritual eyes.

 

I'm not saying that I'm perfect now but as Pastor T always says "we are not perfect but we are being perfected". I'm not yet matured but I am growing in the Lord through prayer. I thank Pastor Mtshali for the descipleship lessons,he might not know this but most of the times his lessons inspire me,because like a child I fall,get up,dust myself off through the words and scriptures that he

gives us. Now I can even do things that I ddn't do b4 like prayer and fasting and reading my bible regularly.

 

I'm looking forward to growin in the house of the Lord.

By Melissa Mbete