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City Gates is delving deeper into discipleship with the launch of a Beatitudes-inspired sermon series.

The church has embarked on an eight-month season of spiritual growth centred on Jesus' seminal teaching: the Sermon on the Mount.

This road to radical discipleship sees City Gates dedicating a month to each Beatitude and its associated teaching in the gospel of Matthew.

As part of this series, church members will be encouraged to carry out a practical task that relates to each Beatitude. These tasks will then form the basis of discussions at monthly Radical Discipleship Groups (RDGs).

The aim of the RDGs is to help participants take 'eight heart journeys towards Jesus' - by embracing and applying the Beatitudes to their own lives, at their own pace.

These groups are designed to provide a space for believers to uncover the significance of Jesus' discipleship priorities, and also to align their hearts closer to his counter-cultural agenda.

The Beatitudes play 'an important part in Christian discipleship' since they teach us 'how to live in the Christian way', says RDG co-leader Anna Watson, who is facilitating the group sessions alongside two others.

She explains that the church is dedicating this next season to the Sermon on the Mount 'because we want to follow Jesus: we want to be faithful in that and we figure this is a good place to start'.

Since the RDG initiative first began at City Gates a few years ago, many Christians both new and old have used it as a practical tool for progressing in their walk with Christ.

'I think it's helpful because it's not an intellectual, theological exercise – although theology is very important,' Anna says.

'It's about our hearts and it's about becoming people of character, rather than become people who know a lot of stuff,' she adds. 'It's about having character that looks like Jesus, because that's the thing that has the most impact.'

For more information about Radical Discipleship Group, email office@citygateschurch.net