Jesus’ command is very clear, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:19. In the book “Growing True Disciples” by Pastor George Barna, he makes an effort to help church leaders and pastors fulfill their own part in accomplishing the Great Commission. The book was created as an outcome of the Barna Research Group where they conduct research for Christian ministries and non-profits, and Barna himself is widely known for his research-based seminars for church leaders (Barna 183). Each section in this book offers great value for every reader, but the sections that really stood out to me were, “How Important is Discipleship”, and “Methods of effective discipleship”, …show more content…
Number one: Disciples must be assured of their salvation by grace alone. “Without the relationship made possible by the acceptance of His gift, a person cannot progress as a disciple; rejection of the cross is a challenging obstacle to being a committed follower of Jesus” (Barna 20). Number two: Disciples must learn and understand the principles of the Christian life. It is imperative that anyone who wishes to be a disciple commit to gaining insight into the nature and substance of the Christian faith (Barna 21). Number three: Disciples must obey God’s laws and commands. True discipleship demands that an individual constantly strive to live in harmony with God’s laws and commands and carry them out wholeheartedly (Barna 21). Number four: Disciples must represent God in the world. We are to be God’s ambassadors in the world and to be light in the darkness (Barna 22). Number five: Disciples must serve other people. It is an objective of a believer to address the needs of others with the same love and sensitivity as Jesus did during His ministry (Barna 23). Number six: Disciples must reproduce themselves in Christ. An individual who does not reproduce themselves in Christ is not truly a disciple since he does not exhibit the same selfless love that the Master has (Barna 23). The takeaway in these points is to realize that church is not about attendance or money, it is about creating disciples to go into all of the
In the book, Apostles of Disunion, author Charles B. Dew opens the first chapter with a question the Immigration and Naturalization service has on an exam they administer to prospective new American citizens: “The Civil War was fought over what important issue”(4). Dew respond by noting that “according to the INS, you are correct if you offer either of the following answers: ‘slavery or states’ rights’” (4). Although this book provides more evidence and documentation that slavery was the cause of the Civil War, there are a few places where states’ rights are specifically noted. In presenting the findings of his extensive research, Dew provides compelling documentation that would allow the reader to conclude that slavery was indeed the cause for both secession and the Civil War.
In a survey conducted in 2012, LifeWay.com inquired about the importance of evangelism among members of the Christian faith. The results of the survey showed that 80 percent of people who claimed to follow Jesus Christ and had openly devoted themselves to the teaching of Christianity, felt that they had a “personal responsibility to share their religious views and beliefs about Jesus Christ with non-christians” (Wilke, LifeWay.com). Surveys such as this reflect the Christian doctrine of evangelism and the weight it holds within the Christian faith. As can be seen back in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Christ commanded His followers “to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).” However, Jesus never told His followers how doing this.
disciples then said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
To be a true disciple of Jesus one must not disown or deny Jesus but
The book jacket art for the novel Faith of the Fallen, the sixth of a thirteen book series by Terry Goodkind, features a statue of a man and seemingly bursting from the marble which encased them, while their sculptor steps back to examine his work. This statue earns its name Life because of the inscription on its brass ring: Life is yours. Rise up and live it.
Mark's Gospel and Nature of Discipleship In Mark's Gospel, there are many accounts of Jesus' disciples and Apostles which are helpful to Christians as examples of the nature of discipleship. In this part of my coursework essay I hope to address questions involving what Mark's Gospel tells us about Jesus' disciples and Apostles, as well as defining the principle of what being a disciple entails, and defining also who the apostles were. This is because by learning about past disciples and the Apostles, a modern disciple of the Church can learn about the nature of discipleship. A disciple is somebody who is inspired enough by somebody to learn about them, listen to their ideas and follow them and their way of life.
The Meaning of Discipleship In this piece of coursework I will be writing about the meaning of
No chapter in this book is more convincing than the very first one. In chapter one Bryant and Brunson address God’s call to preach. “The church may call a man to be its pastor, but God calls a man to preach.” (Bryant and Brunson 2007, 14). The authors make it clear that preaching the Word of God is at the core of the pastoral ministry. They suggest that the call to preach is a calling from God, which may result in the obedient one pastoring a church; but, will always result in that man preaching the Word of God. All that is needed is a commitment to the Word from the one whom God has chosen. “You make the commitment. God will make away.” (Bryant and Brunson 2007, 15)
A favorite among small, Christian, liberal arts colleges, Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship exposits what it means to follow in the Christian tradition. The book was published in 1937, at the rise of the Nazi regime in Germany, thus making it a very politically charged book. He works through the Sermon on the Mount account as indicative that the church is a manifestation of Christ on earth and it must follow him accordingly – which he too exposits. The book is bold, certainly, as indicated by his statement: “Nothing could be more ruthless than to make men think there is still plenty of time to mend their ways. To tell men that their cause is urgent and that the kingdom of God is at hand is the most charitable and merciful act we can perform,
...Today as a Christ follower, we will never be satisfied if our life is not bearing lasting fruit because we are not fulfilling the purpose for which we were “grafted “into the Vine. Let’s examine the “fruit” of our lives. Is it the kind of fruit that reveals the character of Christ? Let’s not settle for fruitless Christianity. God will do the work of making us fruitful – we must only abide, surrendering our lives to His mission of making disciples of all nations through us. The whole notion of mission is to stretch out to work the work of evangelism not through hierarchy, sovereignty, rather through humbleness, hospitality, affection love for the others. That is what Jesus who portrayed as the one who we do not deserve to untie His sandals straps in the first Chapter of John, later become feet washer, intimate with humanity leaving His equality with God.
God is the focal point for spiritual gifts, talents, and training for leadership. The disciples were trained by Jesus. He did not take disciples into a classroom but He taught by examples.9 Many times the disciples were put in situations by Jesus to help them learn on-the-job. Even in missions, leaders cannot be prepared for every circumstance that may arise; however; with his talents, spiritual gifts, and the Holy Spirit, one can have the resources necessary to be successful. With one’s failures, spiritual gifts, and talents, the Holy Spirit will use these things to train leaders as they continue to aspire in
Wilkes, C. G. Jesus on Leadership: Timeless Wisdom on Servant Leadership. Carol Stream, Illnois: Tyndale House, 1998.
The five of the teachings of Jesus are the following: Be Merciful (Luke 6:36, Matthew 5:7, Forgiveness (Luke6: 37), Seek Goodness (Luke 6:45), Respect Others (Luke 14:11), and Be Kind (Luke 6:31).
When Jesus called His disciples, His invitation was simple. He invited them to follow Him. The same is true today. In Matthew 28, Jesus gave His last charge to His disciples, and the charge was simple. He called his followers to go and make disciples. Much effort has been placed by Christians to fulfill this charge, commonly referred to as the Great Commission. Jesus chose to fulfill the implementation of the New Covenant through 12 men who He called, appointed, and commissioned, and he only had a few short years to prepare them for the task (Willson, 1990). His methods were unconventional and were revolutionary for that time. His disciples were to be trained extensively by Jesus, living with Him for three years prior to His ascension. He taught about servant leadership and its meaning for both the leader and follower Matt. 20:25-28). From the beginning, Jesus put in place a careful plan, and an examination of His actions in the Gospels showed that Jesus left behind the pattern to be replicated. His methods, which included the incorporation of three different levels of discipleship, included His interaction with Peter, His closest three (Peter, James, and John), and finally the group of 12. This paper identified and analyzed the three levels of discipleship Jesus modeled, these discipleship methods were then measured against modern leadership theories, and Jesus’s level of involvement and interaction with his disciples were critiqued in light of these modern theories in an effort to determine the effectiveness of this approach.
Evangelism is one of the key component for changing people’s lives. McRaney states, “The word evangelism comes from a combination of Greek words for “good” and “messenger.” Evangelism involves bringing the goods. Kent Hunter reminded us that “when Christians witness, they tell how Jesus Christ has changed their own lives. The change in their own lives gives them the desires to share the Good News with others.” Christians must share their testimony to people and spread the gospel so that they can bring lost souls to Christ. God has commissioned every Christian to evangelize so that people will learn about Jesus Christ and accept Him as their personal savior. Matthew 28:19 states, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. Christians are required to spread the Gospel throughout the world and can no longer just attend church. Christians must plant seeds and water the seeds so that lost souls will be saved.