THEOLOGY

THEOLOGY

I. Theology Defined - Theology is “the study of God and the relations between God and the universe.”1 Christian Theology is this same study from a Christian perspective. Christian Theology examines the doctrines developed by the Christian Church.

THEOLOGY

IV. Canon of Scripture -The word canon comes from a Latin word meaning “measuring line or rule.”2 The Canon of Scripture refers to those Books accepted by the Church as being inspired by God. A Book that is a part of the canon is said to be canonical. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and Protestant Churches all consider the books of the Bible accepted in the Jewish canon to be divinely inspired. Following the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70, a group of Jewish scholars gathered at Jabneh or Jamnia, a village about thirty miles west of Jerusalem, and from about A.D. 90 to A.D. 100, finalized the Jewish Canon.3 The Christian Church divides the twenty-four Books of the Jewish canon into thirty-nine Books.

In addition to these thirty-nine Books accepted by the three branches of the Christian Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church considers some additional Books to be inspired. These additional Books are called Apocryphal (from a Greek word meaning hidden or secretive). The Apocrypha is not accepted in the Jewish canon. The Eastern Orthodox Church considers all fourteen of the Apocryphal Books found in the Septuagint to be inspired. The Septuagint is the version of the Old Testament that was translated from Hebrew to Greek during the third century BC.4 The Roman Catholic Church accepts eleven Books of the Apocrypha, but considers them to be “deuterocanonical,” or of secondary importance to the thirty-nine Books.5 The Protestant churches may consider the Apocrypha to be useful for historical purposes, but the Protestants do not believe that God inspired the Apocrypha.

In A.D. 367 Athanasius (ca. A.D. 296–373), Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt, sent a letter at Easter presenting the list of twenty-seven New Testament Books used widely in the church today. The same canon was approved in the west by a papal declaration in A.D. 405. In North Africa, this canon was endorsed at the Synods of Hippo (A.D. 393) and Carthage (A.D. 397). But a council of the entire

church never approved the canon. While the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant Churches all agree on the New Testament canon, the Ethiopian Church has a different canon.6 It is important to know when Scripture was completed. Although the Jewish Canon (Old Testament) was not in place until the close of the first century A.D., the Old Testament was completed prior to

its translation in the third century B.C. from Hebrew to the Greek Septuagint. So the Old Testament prophecies of Christ certainly were written centuries prior to the incarnation of Christ. These Messianic prophecies were not written after Jesus lived on earth.

The Books in the New Testament Canon were completed during the first century A.D. If they had been written hundreds of years later, some people would claim that they contain legends or errors. But they were written at a time when many people were alive who had seen Jesus—the greatest man who ever lived. No doubt these witnesses had vivid memories of the Messiah who spoke with great wisdom, healed all sorts of illnesses, and even raised the dead. These witnesses would have disputed the New Testament Books, if the Books had been false. In fact, the Church has rejected many false books that claim to be Scriptural. Such false books were written between 200 B.C. and 600 A.D. and are called The Pseudepigrapha (which means “the false writings”).

In the first century, some people in the church were using the New Testament Books. But it was not until the fourth century that these Books were canonized by most of the Christian Church.Consider some tests used by the Church for determining whether or not to include a Book in the New Testament Canon.

i. Did an Apostle write it or did someone associated with an Apostle write it?

ii. Is it Orthodox? Does it agree with the traditional teaching of Scripture?

iii. Is it applicable universally? Does it apply to the whole church or merely to some small group?

iv. Does it have the power to renew and sustain Christians?

The main branches of the Christian Church acknowledge that after the completion of the Old and New Testaments, no new Scripture has been given from God. Multiplied millions of Christians, guided by the Holy Spirit, agree on this. Since that time, however, some religious groups have formed, claiming to be Christian, but presenting a non-orthodox gospel. These religious groups claim to have new Scriptures that take precedence over the teaching of the Old and New Testaments. Consider what the

Bible says about such new doctrine:

18) I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. ( 19) And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his

share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. (Rev. 22:18,19 NIV)

(For details and for free course visit <www.missionstraining.org>)

SIN

The Greek word translated as “sin” means “to miss the mark.”

When we sin, we miss the mark or fall short of the standard set by God.

Sin originated in Satan (Isaiah 14:12-14), and entered the world through Adam and Eve. All people are sinners (see Romans 3:23). People do not like to admit that they are sinners.

 This is a primary reason that many people reject Christianity. If they accept Christ, they must turn away from sin. They don’t want to stop sinning. So they invent all sorts of reasons to deny the truth of Christianity.

Sin results in spiritual blindness (see John 9:39), a hardened conscience (see Ephesians 4:19), broken communication with God (see Proverbs 15:29), heartache and problems in the world, bondage and death (see Romans 6:20-23), and eternal separation from God (see Luke 12:15).

Confession of sin is necessary both for salvation (see Romans 10:9,10) and for daily fellowship—the daily walk with Christ (see John 13:6-10).

( find more in : www.missionstraining.org)

C. Discipleship for Leaders and Followers.

Different levels of training are given to disciples, depending upon their gifts and willingness to learn. Everyone in the church is important and has an important role in carrying out the work of the church. But relatively few members of the church are leaders, church planters, and evangelists. More extensive training is needed for these disciples who will plant and lead new churches.

Paul shared the Gospel with thousands of people, but he took only a few people with him on mission. He provided extensive training to a few people so that they could plant and lead churches. Timothy was one such disciple. Paul wrote the letters 1Timothy and 2 Timothy to train and encourage this disciple. Jesus taught crowds of people, but he gave extensive training to twelve disciples. Eleven of the Twelve Disciples then proved faithful and were able to reproduce themselves by making many other disciples.

How can we find church leaders to train? First, we pray intensely. Jesus prayed all night before selecting twelve disciples to train.

12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles. (Luke 6:12,13 NIV) Dr. Hudson Taylor, founder of China Inland Mission, was asked how he was able to recruit a thousand missionaries in the late nineteenth century to go to China. Taylor replied, “First, ‘Pray ye the Lord of the Harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest.’”6"Second, to get laborers, ‘deepen the life of the layperson in the Scriptures, so they won’t say no to God.’”

7How can we “deepen the life of the layperson in the Scriptures?” Wayland B. Moore,who spent many years making disciples, writes that the Apostle Paul showed how to make disciples. Read Acts 20:17-38, in which Paul is talking to the leaders of the Ephesian church. Paul’s work in Ephesus reveals three principles for training disciples. First, there must be our penetrating presence—our fellowship. We must spend time in the world of the disciples. We adapt to their environment and culture. Paul spent three years training disciples in Ephesus. Second, we must have a parentheart—building a loving relationship with the church family. Paul was like a father to the church—providing spiritual food and training for its members. Acts 20:17-38 shows the love between Paul and the church. Third, we must be the pacesetter—modeling the faith. Acts 20:17-38 reveals that Paul was an excellent role model for the church [see also Philippians 4:9]. Disciples observe the lifestyle of the teacher. Jesus told his disciples, “Follow me” (Matt. 4:19), rather than “Just listen to me.”

8

1. Progress. Moore suggests an initial six-month long training in which you meet once weekly with a disciple. [Of course, some disciples may be with you much more than once weekly.] You check on the progress of the disciple, and make sure that all assignments are completed. At the close of six months, the disciple should be ready to train another disciple. Periodically, you then check on the progress of the two disciples.

2. Principles. You relate Scriptural principles to life, and discuss pre-assigned Bible study and Scripture memory.

3. Problems. You listen to the disciple, and use Scripture to solve problems.

4. Prayer. You pray together with the disciple, increasing the length of prayers as you know each other better.

5. Practice. You regularly take the disciple together with you for personal evangelism and other ministry.9 As we pray for leaders to train, we also observe to see who is willing and able to lead. When we develop cell groups or house churches, and ask people to help in the church, some people will appear to have gifts in leading and teaching. We can then ask them to help us with certain tasks, and see how they perform.We need to see the potential in ordinary people. God often uses people of low rank to accomplish his work (see 1 Cor. 1:26-29). Jesus chose common people to be his Apostles.

Remember that those who we train one-to-one will be of the same sex as ourselves.We can train people of the opposite sex in small groups. Typically, people our age or younger will respond best to our training.In addition to training leaders, we need to make disciples of the rest of the church.Such discipleship may occur through sermons and through small group Bible studies. Teachers within the church may lead such small groups. Also, we encourage each member of the church to be involved in the work of the church. We encourage the members to follow the Holy Spirit in choosing where they can best utilize their gifts in meeting the goals of the church. Also, we ask people to take certain roles within the church. (For details and for free course visit <www.missionstraining.org>)

Should Christians celebrate Christmas?”

Answer(Question.org) : The debate about whether or not Christians should celebrate Christmas has been raging for centuries. There are equally sincere and committed Christians on both sides of the issue, each with multiple reasons why or why not Christmas should be celebrated in Christian homes. But what does the Bible say? Does the Bible give clear direction as to whether Christmas is a holiday to be celebrated by Christians?
First, let’s look at the reasons why some Christians do not celebrate Christmas. One argument against Christmas is that the traditions surrounding the holiday have origins in paganism. Searching for reliable information on this topic is difficult because the origins of many of our traditions are so obscure that sources often contradict one another. Bells, candles, holly, and yuletide decorations are mentioned in the history of pagan worship, but the use of such in one’s home certainly does not indicate a return to paganism. While there are definitely pagan roots to some traditions, there are many more traditions associated with the true meaning of Christmas—the birth of the Savior of the world in Bethlehem. Bells are played to ring out the joyous news, candles are lit to remind us that Christ is the Light of the world (John 1:4-9), a star is placed on the top of a Christmas tree to remember the Star of Bethlehem, and gifts are exchanged to remind us of the gifts of the Magi to Jesus, the greatest gift of God to mankind.

Too Much of a Good Thing

By GodLife on December 2, 2012,From the series Prayer Letter

Scripture: "He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness" (Proverbs 5:23)

Each year, we look forward to our festival of Thanksgiving in America. Being with family and celebrating God's blessings with visits, delicious food, family activities, and other fun. We have so much – both spiritual and physical -- to be grateful for!In the same way, giving gifts to friends and family for the Christmas season is a nice tradition. However, it has become a tremendous stress to many people as the holiday season becomes more and more packed with activities. Additionally, we've just taken time to be thankful for what we already have -- before rushing out to load up with more "things".

How much is too much? What would God say about the focus moving from celebrating Jesus’s birth to the desire for more stuff?We can learn a lot from the Bible about self-control… and the sad consequences of the lack thereof.

Freedom through Christ -As Christians, we have the great joy to live with the Holy Spirit as our guide. That means "the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). Those are some excellent, nice traits; they are also some evidence of our allowing God to work in our lives.These lives should be Christian lives lived in freedom, because “you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love" (Galatians 5:13). In other words, we can work to better the lives of our fellows, rather than selfishly pursuing the things this world values.

Excercise Good Judgment -When we overindulge, it is so easy to get distracted from the way of the Lord and get caught up in the ways of the world. We Christians live in the world, but we should not be of the world.The Apostle Paul instructed his friends in Ephesus, "Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs amongst yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts." (Ephesians 5:18-19).Paul wanted to be sure the Ephesian Christians kept their focus on the Lord, and that is a good standard for us today. We have to leave room for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, and that won't happen if we've crammed our lives full of earthly pleasures.We must use good judgment. God gave us many good things in the world for our enjoyment. But that doesn't mean that we are allowed to use them to fall into the trap of having too much of a good thing! Let us use our Christ-based freedom to live a godly human experience, deciding when enough is enough.

B. Spiritual Multiplication.

Spiritual multiplication is the Biblical way to make disciples among all peoples.Spiritual multiplication involves making disciples, and sending them to make other disciples. Spiritual addition is making disciples without sending them to make other disciples. The following link compares church growth by multiplication with church growth by addition.

http://biblestudycd.com/spiritualmult.html

The website above shows that if a church converts and disciples 100 people per day but fails to get the new disciples to make disciples, it would take 164,000 years to make disciples of the 6 billion people on our planet. The Great Commission cannot be fulfilled through spiritual addition. But if an individual converts and makes a disciple each 6 months, and if those disciples convert and train 1 person each 6 months, the entire world would be converted in 16.5 years! Spiritual multiplication is the process by which disciples reproduce themselves. Like cells in a human body, one becomes two, two becomes four, four becomes eight, and so on. A small body grows to be a large body.

To fulfill the Great Commission, we need not only to reproduce individual disciples; we also need to reproduce churches. The training module “Missiology” gives strategies for reproducing churches. (For details and for free course visit <www.missionstraining.org>)

Call to Mission - H. Overcoming Hindrances

H. Overcoming Hindrances

1. Fear.

One of the greatest hindrances to evangelism is fear. People are afraid of evangelizing because they don’t want to be rejected. They don’t want to look foolish. Or in some countries, they may fear persecution by authorities or by the culture around them.Scripture teaches Christians to expect some rejection (see John 15:20; Matthew 24:9).

 What appears as foolishness to the natural man is wisdom to God (see 1Cor. 2:14). So we should obey the Great Commission. As we obey, we become more comfortable in evangelizing.While in prison, the Apostle Paul asked that the Ephesian church pray for him so that he would fearlessly proclaim the Gospel (see Ephesians 6:19,20). We should pray that each of us boldly shares Christ.

2. Other Priorities.

Unless we give priority to evangelism, other priorities will quickly take up our time. There is a tendency for churches to focus on their own needs and become a social club. Church members have many needs, and they can easily forget that the world is dying around them. When a local church forgets about the dying world, the local church dies.

IX. Discipleship

A disciple is a “learner” or “pupil.”4 The Great Commission teaches us to make disciples. In Christian theology, the process of making disciples is called “discipleship.” Scripture teaches disciples to become mature. The Apostle Paul wrote that people within the church should work together to bring disciples to maturity. Disciples become mature by becoming like Christ.

11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.(Ephesians 4:11-16 NIV)

It is the job of the whole church to make disciples. Some in the church focus on evangelism, some on teaching, and some on various other tasks. By working together, church members bring disciples to maturity. And churches and mission organizations plant new churches, making more disciples.

A. Process of Discipleship.

A church should have a plan for developing disciples. The plan should include the following elements.

1. Evangelism and Immediate Follow-Up.

The church plans and conducts evangelism, and then quickly visits people who pray to receive Christ. Preferably within a day or at a minimum, within a week, a couple of people visit the new convert. Ideally the person who led the convert to Christ will be one of the people who go back to visit. The visitors from the church should assure the convert of his salvation by sharing Scripture (see 1 John 5:13). Visitors should encourage the convert to attend church meetings, and help the convert to get there.

2. Confession and Baptism.

Soon after a person professes faith in Christ, that person should make a public profession of faith by being baptized. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are two ordinances of Christ for the church. The convert should also verbally confess his faith. Confession is an important part of the salvation experience (see Romans 10:9 above ).

3. Developing a Devotional Life.

The convert should be trained to spend “quiet time in prayer” with God daily. Christians should not only pray, but also listen to God as he guides their thoughts. If the convert can read and has a Bible, the convert should be taught to study the Bible daily. Christians may start by reading the Book of John, then the other Gospels, then the rest of the New Testament, and then the Old Testament. Christians should memorize key verses that have an impact on them as they study and meditate on Scripture.

4. Bringing Converts into a Local Church.

Every Christian should be integrated into the life and work of a local church (see Hebrews 10:25). Disciples should be encouraged to discover their particular spiritual gifts. Disciples are not to be given responsibilities greater than their spiritual maturity, but they should be given some work in the church. Either a church uses disciples or loses them. Each convert should be in a small group that meets for Bible study and fellowship.

5. Disciples Should be Taught to Bear Fruit.

Jesus said, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8 NIV). 

There are three types of spiritual fruit: converts, character, and conduct. As soon as possible, a new convert should be invited to go with a more experienced disciple to learn to evangelize and win converts (see Romans 1:13).

 The convert should be encouraged to develop character—the fruit of the spirit (see Gal. 5:22,23). 

And the convert is encouraged to conduct himself in a righteous manner (see Romans 6:21,22).

6. Transmitting a Vision for a Church Planting Movement.

Each convert should be given a vision for a church planting movement (see the training module “Missiology”). Converts must learn that one of the objectives of a local church is to reproduce itself. (For details and for free course visit <www.missionstraining.org>)

THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD Metaphysically, God is Self-Existent, Eternal, and Unchanging

Other spirits are invisible, personal, one, living, and active.  How does the divine Spirit differ?

First, God is self-existent.  All other spirits are created and so have a beginning.  They owe their existence to another.  God does not depend upon the world or anyone in it for His existence.  The world depends on God for its existence.  Contrary to those theologians who say we cannot know anything about God in Himself, Jesus revealed that God has life in Himself (John 5:26).  The ground of God’s being is not in others, for there is nothing more ultimate than Himself.  God is uncaused, the One who always is (Exodus 3:14).  To ask who caused God is to ask a self-contradictory question in terms of Jesus’ view of God.  Another term conveying the concept of God’s self-existence is aseity.  It comes from the Latin a, meaning “from,” and se, meaning “oneself.”  God is underived, necessary, nondependent existence.  Understanding that God is noncontingent helps to understand how God is unlimited by anything, or infinite, free, self-determined, and not determined by anything other than Himself contrary to His own sovereign purposes.

God is eternal and omnipresent (ubiquitous).  God’s life is from within Himself, not anything that had a beginning in the space-time world.  God has no beginning, period of growth, old age, or end.  The Lord is enthroned as King forever (Psalm 29:10).  This God is our God forever and forever (48:14).  Although not limited by space or time, or the succession of events in time, God created the world with space and time.  God sustains the changing realm of succeeding events and is conscious of every movement in history.  The observable, changing world is not unimportant or unreal to the omnipresent Lord of all.  No tribe, nation, city, family, or personal life is valueless, however brief or apparently insignificant.  God’s eternal nature is not totally other than time or totally removed from everything in time and space.  The space-time world is not foreign or unknown to Him.  History is the product of His eternally wise planning, creative purpose, providential preservation, and common grace.  God fills space and time with His presence, sustains it, and gives it purpose and value.  The omnipresent and ubiquitous One is Lord of time and history, not vice versa.  God does not negate time but fulfills it.  In it His purposes are accomplished.

In Christianity, then, eternity is not an abstract timelessness; the eternal is a characteristic of the living God who is present at all times and in all places, creating and sustaining the space-time world and accomplishing His redemptive purposes in the fullness of time.

God is unchanging in nature, desire, and purpose.  To say that God is immutable is not to contradict the previous truth that God is living and active.  It is to say that all the uses of divine power and vitality are consistent with His attributes such as wisdom, justice, and love.  God’s acts are never merely arbitrary, although some may be for reasons wholly within Himself rather than conditioned upon human response.  Underlying each judgment of the wicked and each pardon of the repentant is His changeless purpose concerning sin and conversion.  Unlike the Stoic’s concept of divine immutability, God is not indifferent to human activity and need.  Rather, we can always count upon His concern for human righteousness.  God changelessly answers prayer in accord with His desires and purposes of holy love.  Hence, although speaking in terms of human experience God is sometimes said in Scripture to repent, it is in fact the unrepentant who have changed and become repentant or the faithful who have become unfaithful.

God is the same, though everything else in creation becomes old like a garment (Psalm 102:25-27).  Jesus shared that same unchanging nature (Hebrews 1:10-12) and vividly exhibited it consistently throughout His active ministry in a variety of situations.

The immutability of God’s character means that He never loses His own integrity or lets others down.  He “does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).  God’s unshakable nature and Word provide the strongest ground of faith and bring strong consolation (Hebrews 6P:17-18).  God is not a man, that He should lie (Numbers 23:19) or change His mind (1 Samuel 15:29).  The counsel of the Lord stands forever (Psalm 33:11).  Though heaven and earth pass away God’s words will not fail (Matthew 5:18; 24:35).

By Gordon R. Lewis from The Portable Seminary

Love in Jesus, Mick

Jesus Changes Water Into Wine

Friends, May God bless you as you study these lines of His words in the Bible. I found one thing here. Jesus was just starting His ministry when He attended wedding ceremony at Cana. No one, even Theologians, says about His works before this event, the Bible is also silent about this. There is one interesting to note here. Jesus must have done miracles in His home, in the eye of His own mother even before He started His ministry. He must have shown love and mercy to others by helping the needy even by doing miracles even before He started His public ministry. This made His mother informed Him the helpless condition of the bridegroom at Cana. (see John 2:3) Jesus, though not responding well, obeyed His mother and help the bridegroom.

Oh, Friends, the hidden lesson, I learnt from this is that we must shine out at home first. Our family members must know first our new life in Jesus Christ, our good manners, our ability to do something good. We must do good works in the sight of our  father, mother, brothers, sisters, children and then among our neighbours and then we will automatically shine outside. What a great lesson I find out here. Let us pray that God may help us to be like Jesus.

Please read this with prayer, God will bless you as you study His words. May God help you. Read :   John 2 - Jesus Changes Water Into Wine

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Woman,why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.” (John 2:1-12 NIV)

IX. Discipleship

IX. Discipleship

A disciple is a “learner” or “pupil.”4 The Great Commission teaches us to make disciples. In Christian theology, the process of making disciples is called “discipleship.” Scripture teaches disciples to become mature. The Apostle Paul wrote that people within

the church should work together to bring disciples to maturity. Disciples become mature by becoming like Christ.

11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.(Ephesians 4:11-16 NIV)

It is the job of the whole church to make disciples. Some in the church focus on evangelism, some on teaching, and some on various other tasks. By working together, church members bring disciples to maturity. And churches and mission organizations plant new churches, making more disciples.

A. Process of Discipleship.

A church should have a plan for developing disciples. The plan should include the following elements.

1. Evangelism and Immediate Follow-Up.

The church plans and conducts evangelism, and then quickly visits people who pray to receive Christ. Preferably within a day or at a minimum, within a week, a couple of people visit the new convert. Ideally the person who led the convert to Christ will be one of the people who go back to visit. The visitors from the church should assure the convert of his salvation by sharing Scripture (see 1 John 5:13). Visitors should encourage the convert to attend church meetings, and help the convert to get there.

2. Confession and Baptism.

Soon after a person professes faith in Christ, that person should make a public profession of faith by being baptized. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are two ordinances of Christ for the church. The convert should also verbally confess his faith. Confession is an important part of the salvation experience (see Romans 10:9 above ).

3. Developing a Devotional Life.

The convert should be trained to spend “quiet time in prayer” with God daily. Christians should not only pray, but also listen to God as he guides their thoughts. If the convert can read and has a Bible, the convert should be taught to study the Bible daily. Christians may start by reading the Book of John, then the other Gospels, then the rest of the New Testament, and then the Old Testament. Christians should memorize key verses that have an impact on them as they study and meditate on Scripture.

4. Bringing Converts into a Local Church.

Every Christian should be integrated into the life and work of a local church (see Hebrews 10:25). Disciples should be encouraged to discover their particular spiritual gifts. Disciples are not to be given responsibilities greater than their spiritual maturity, but they should be given some work in the church. Either a church uses disciples or loses them. Each convert should be in a small group

that meets for Bible study and fellowship.

5. Disciples Should be Taught to Bear Fruit.

Jesus said, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8 NIV). There are three types of spiritual fruit: converts, character, and conduct. As soon as possible, a new convert should be invited to go with a more experienced disciple to learn to evangelize and win converts (see Romans 1:13). The convert should be encouraged to develop character—the fruit of the spirit (see Gal. 5:22,23). And the convert is encouraged to conduct himself in a righteous manner (see Romans 6:21,22). 5

6. Transmitting a Vision for a Church Planting Movement.

Each convert should be given a vision for a church planting movement (see the training module “Missiology”). Converts must learn that one of the objectives of a local church is to reproduce itself. (For details and for free course visit <www.missionstraining.org>)