The 3 Levels of Discipleship Taught by Jesus Christ

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Introduction 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. The Three Levels of Discipleship A casual look at the world today reveals the evidence that Jesus’s efforts were effective. Christianity is currently throughout most parts of the world, and ... ... middle of paper ... ...ecessary for the start of Christianity. Jesus took a band of 12 ordinary men and changed the world. 2000 years of success is hard to refute. Works Cited Chung, Y. (2011). Why servant leadership? Its uniqueness and principles in the life of Jesus. Journal Of Asia Adventist Seminary, 14(2), 159-170. Hull, B. (2010). A reluctant prophet: How does professor Willard propose to take over the world? Journal Of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care, 3(2), 283-295. Northouse, P. (2010). Leadership: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. West, R. (2013). Situational Discipleship: The five-fold ministry roles of Ephesians 4:11 and their relationship to the Situational Leadership model. Culture & Religion Review Journal, 2013(3), 124-144. Willson, S. (1990). Discipleship according to Jesus : a sermon on Mark 3:13-19. Presbyterion, 16(2), 73-80.

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