Much of this content was developed my Mike Kahn of the Tampa Bay Baptist Association
Jesus did many wonderful things during His three years of ministry. He taught and preached, healed the sick, cast out devils, and much more. Certainly all would agree that one of His major emphases was His training of His disciples. Some of Jesus’ last words were, according to the Gospel of John, “As the Father has sent Me, so send I you.” He clearly commanded His disciples to be about the things that He was about: preaching, teaching, and of course, making disciples. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus said to His disciples shortly before ascending up to Heaven, “Go and make disciples.” These Great Commissions, as we now refer to them, are a cornerstone of how ministry is to be done. We are to follow the example and commandment of Jesus by intentionally being discipled and then committing to a lifestyle of discipling others. What exactly is a disciple? The word disciple means to be a learner. However, it is much more than just understanding theological facts. A disciple is one who continues to learn biblical truth and then applies what he learns so that he can more deeply love and more fully obey the Lord. Discipleship is the life-long process of becoming a disciple or whole-hearted follower of Jesus. In the early church a believer in Christ and a disciple of Christ were almost synonymous. In the evangelical church today many mistakenly believe that believing in Christ is all that is necessary and that really following Jesus (being a disciple) is reserved for the pastor and leaders. They seem to think that discipleship is somewhat optional. Yet Jesus taught that all of His children are to grow to be His disciples. See the definitions sketch. Believer - Trusts Jesus as Savior for eternal well-being Disciple - Trusts Jesus as Lord (Master) for every part of daily living. According to the Bible, a disciple …. John 15:1-10 intimately knows and depends on Christ v.4-7 remains in the word of God (reads, studies, & memorizes it) v.3,7 prays often to God v.7 bears “much” fruit v.8 (fruitfulness in ministry/fruit of the Spirit) obeys and loves God v.10 Luke 14:26-27,33 loves Christ much more than anyone or anything else Luke 9:23 denies himself and takes up his cross daily Luke 6:40 who is fully trained becomes like Jesus Matthew 4:19 regularly shares the gospel with others 1. following Jesus – head 2. being changed by Jesus - heart 3. sharing Jesus - hands John 13:34-35 deeply loves others John 8:31-32 remains in (reads and studies) the word of God John 14:21; 15:10 obeys God Mark 10:42-45 sacrificially serves others Luke 6:38 gives generously The truths from the scriptures from the Gospels can be summarized in a few ways that clarify what God expects for His children to become. A disciple loves … Matthew 22:37-40, Luke 14:26, John 13:34-35 A disciple learns … John 8:31-32, Matt. 5 “You have heard it said … but I say to you.” A disciple lives … Matthew 7:24-27, John 14:15 Certainly God plays the major role in making disciples. He works in the hearts of each of us to draw us into a closer, more vibrant relationship with Him. He loves us, convicts us, encourages us, and much more because He desires to finish the work He began in us when He saved us. However, God most often uses others to disciple us. He uses corporate worship, preaching, and the teaching of His word to produce disciples. He uses books and resources to help us grow in truth. However, this alone generally does not produce the type of disciple that Jesus described in the Gospels. This is probably due to the fact that there is little accountability for learning in a large group environment. Truth taught in the context of loving and accountable relationships often is necessary for real life-changing learning to take place. Following the example of Jesus, discipling takes place in a small group of like-minded believers who intentionally study what the Bible teaches about being a disciple. This group not only learns biblical truths but also loves and exhorts each other to live out these truths and then pour them into others. Much of this content was developed my Mike Kahn of the Tampa Bay Baptist Association Comments are closed.
|
Tony HoffmanCampus Pastor at First Baptist Church in Leesburg, FL where his passion is to help people discover and live out their calling in Christ. Tony regularly consults, speaks, and teaches about discipleship and Christian education. Archives
December 2017
Categories
All
|