N.T. Wright’s book, Following Jesus, is a collection of biblical reflections on discipleship which includes many of his sermons he made as Dean of Lichfield during Lent 1994 among others. The first six chapters provide Wright’s insights into major books of the New Testament highlighting key themes and connecting passages indicating the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The remaining six chapters focus on discipleship and actions we can take in the present day with an emphasis on living without fear in light of Christ’s resurrection, renewing our minds, recognizing love as the chief weapon against temptation, acknowledging misconceptions about heaven and hell, and being present as “resurrection people.” Wright’s thesis is described as the “so what?” in the preface. His reflections pick up where the New Testament writers left off. In his words, “…the ball is now in your court; the true Jesus is summoning you to follow him, to a life of discipleship.” This review will show Wright’s idea of who the true Jesus is and what it means to follow Jesus. Wright is the former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England where he served from 2003 to 2010 before retiring. He is regarded as a prominent scholar of the New Testament and currently holds the position of Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at St. Mary’s College, University of St. Andrews in Scotland. According to his biography, Wright was born in Morpeth, Northumberland in 1948 and was raised in the context of middle Anglicanism. He has said that by age seven or eight he felt called to Christian ministry. In his early adulthood, he trained in ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford at which time he also married. In 1973 he earned a degree in Theology an... ... middle of paper ... ...stians, we’re called to take the life we’ve been given in the culture and community where we’ve been divinely placed, and live in the Spirit without fear using our spiritual gifts to bring about healing and hope and help engage the culture and change the world one step and one soul at a time. To follow Jesus as his ambassadors, we must radically change our course, look beyond our earthly pursuits of success and power and find our new purpose in the Risen Christ, our very human and divine companion. As Wright concluded, this is by no means an easy task. Jesus instructs us to take up our cross and “invites us to a great act of faith and trust, to look with a clear eye at the moral choices we face and to be prepared to say ‘no’, even if it really hurts, when faced with subtle and powerful temptations…We are to live in the present as resurrection people.”
After all of the waiting for Jesus' hour, it finally arrives in John 13. This chapter, which proffers such a commonly shared story, certainly one of the most popular in modern teaching, is very powerful. In it, Jesus gives an example of direction for the students he is about to leave behind: that of service. We witness one of closest students confirm his decision to betray Jesus. Another one of Jesus' disciples will give voice to a misunderstanding of Jesus' lessons, not once, but twice (13:8-10, 36-38). As Jesus' hour draws nigh, he becomes increasingly more troubled in his spirit; as a result, he speaks to his disciples in a much more urgent way that he has up until this point.
O'Donnell, Bro. Cornelius, O.P. "A Graham of Faith: Inquiring into the Life and Preaching of Rev. Billy Graham." 2 Nov. 1995. http://digidesk.p52s.hioslo.no/niwg/bgraham.htm (16 Apr 1997).
Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Second Edition. Edited by Walter A. Elwell. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001.
The book consists of three parts. The first part has five chapters of which focuses on explaining what the key questions are and why we find them difficult to answer. The second part has nine chapters explaining in detail what N.T. Wright considers Jesus’ public career and the approach he had in first century Palestine. The third part of the book, the last chapter, challenges readers to wrestle with the questions of Jesus’ life and ministry.
Vos, B. (2012). The spiritual disciplines and Christian ministry. Evangelical Review Of Theology, 36(2), 100-114.
...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.
The Bible student, laymen, or pastor will find the principles presented by Fee and Stuart helpful despite the weaknesses presented. The author’s contribution on how to interpret each of the different genres is especially beneficial. The Bible Student will have more knowledge of how to interpret God’s Word when finished with the work. Fee and Stuart achieve their goal helping the reader not only with interpretation, but with application.
In Matthew 5-7, we have a record of the most famous sermon that has ever been preached. Most commonly referred to as “The Sermon on the Mount.” It has touched more hearts, and in turn has sparked more sermons than any other, but what is Jesus talking about in this sermon? In this brief, I will discuss its theme, its content, and how it defines “the Kingdom of Heaven.”
“First, there is the call to be a Christian. Second, for each individual there is a specific call—a defining purpose or mission, a reason for being. Every individual is called of God to respond through service in the world. Third, there is the call that we face each day in response to the multiple demands on our lives—our immediate duties and responsibilities” (Smith, ...
Throughout the course we have been reminded of the centrifugal and centripetal tension that exists as we read the Bible through a missiological lens. This tension is once again felt as we have read each of the previous New Testament books. Yet, when see Scripture as a metanarrative (Wright) it becomes clear that God is not drawing people in or spreading people out, but both. Missions is from everywhere to everywhere.
In Multiply, Chan presents a proposal to the 21st century church in support of Christian discipleship. The author feels that many have strayed from the mandates of the New Testament church by failing to make disciples and disciple-makers. Further, defining a disciple as: “a student or apprentice. [16]” Aligning his presentation with the Holy Inspired Scripture of Jesus’ teaching, training, and leading his disciples. Encouraging Christians to return to their roots of becoming disciples, then becoming disciple-makers; in other-words, multiply. Chan continues by admonishing the church to evaluate his or her Christian service as ministers versus leaving ministry to the pastor. Followed by an overview of the importance of Bible study for Christian living and a synthesis of the Old and New Testaments. Written in a manner conducive for group study, this book can very well serve individuals as well. In Multiply, Chan challenges every believer to become a disciple of Christ and to become a disciple-maker; thereby, fulfilling the mandates of the Great Commission and Command (Matt. 28:19-20).
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.
Discipleship is the core of Christian ethics, especially as the last command of Jesus (28:19). When I heard the word “disciple” in childhood Sunday School, I envisioned an eager, bearded man with dirty robes straining intently towards Jesus, like a child begging to hear more of a bedtime story. In high school youth group, we talked about being good disciples by obeying the rules: no kissing, no running, no talking in church. But as I re-read Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s stirring, straightforward work, The Cost of Discipleship as a Lenten devotional, my idea of what a disciple is and does is crumbling like old paint.
The Book of John is believed to be a testimony by the disciples of Jesus to the various signs performed by Jesus Christ (Beasley-Murray & John, 1999). The purpose of the Gospel is to guide the believers in recognizing the glory of Jesus and thus believe that he is the Messiah (Brown, 1966-70). The case study under consideration is one which involves a long one-on-one conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan Woman. The said case study gives clear reasons to the readers of John on why believing in Jesus Christ is the only source of salvation, hence enjoying eternal life.
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.