Passage Into Discipleship


Book Description

Passage Into Discipleship is designed to help older children and youth more faithfully prepare for the act of baptism by teaching what it means to walk a Christian journey. This book incorporates four different learning models that stimulate young people in being excited about becoming followers of Jesus. Learning models include classroom instruction, community and communal hands-on experiences, mentors that guide youth throughout the process, and a day-long retreat that concludes the curriculum. Topics discussed in the book include confession, contrition, covenant, community, and connection, which are each coupled with key scripture texts. Each topic covered connects church theological concepts with daily life application.




Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship


Book Description

Many Bible passages are difficult to understand, especially when it comes to the issues of eternal salvation and following Jesus Christ as a disciple. In "Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship" you will find how to approach over 130 difficult Bible passages. Beginning with a clear understanding of God s grace and using a unique paradigm of A Truth, B Truth, you will discover from the context whether the passage is about salvation or the Christian life. In this book Dr. Charles Bing will help you to answer the questions: Is becoming a Christian the same as becoming a disciple? Do I have to work to earn or keep my salvation? How many good works do I need to prove I am saved? Can I be absolutely certain I am going to heaven? How should I deal with doubts about my salvation? How does sin affect my relationship with God? How can I have a richer experience of God in this life and the next? A correct understanding of salvation and discipleship is crucial to understanding the Bible and growing in the Christian life. Only when we clearly understand what God says can we effectively share a clear gospel, be assured of our salvation, and grow in our relationship with Him. I have added it to my short list of recommended books on biblical difficulties. Norman L. Geisler, Ph.D.,"




Tour of Life


Book Description

Tour of Life is an interactive learning experience designed to prepare youth for baptism or confirmation. During Tour of Life, candidates for baptism or confirmation are paired with a mentor and led as a group on a journey through the seasons of life. In a variety of settings-a hospital's birthing center, a school classroom, a funeral home, and more-youth and mentors explore connections between the church's truths and their everyday experiences. Through this journey, participants are drawn into a deeper faith as they experience God's hand at work in all stages of their lives.




Discipleship on the Edge


Book Description

Revelation is probably the most read, but least understood book of the Bible. History is replete with examples of how not to interpret it, and books featuring end-of-world prophecy claims based on Revelation consistently top the bestseller lists. But how can the message of such an enigmatic book be applied to our lives today? In Discipleship on the Edge, Darrell W. Johnson drives home the challenging and practical message of Revelation in thirty carefully crafted sermons. Paying careful attention to the original context of Revelation and the circumstances surrounding its composition, Johnson shows that the book is not a "crystal ball" but rather a "discipleship manual." Thoroughly researched and yet accessible, this collection of sermons is a helpful resource for pastors and small group leaders who are looking for models to help them preach and teach the message of Revelation in a time when there is much confusion about the end times. Darrell W. Johnson serves as Scholar-in-Residence at The Way Church and Canadian Church Leaders Network in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A popular conference and retreat speaker, he has also served as the preaching pastor for a number of congregations in North America and the Philippines, as well as serving as Adjunct Professor of Preaching for the Doctor of Ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and a Teaching Fellow at Regent College. His other books include Experiencing the Trinity and Fifty-Seven Words That Change The World.




Discipleship Essentials


Book Description

We grow in Christ as we seek him together. Jesus' own pattern of disciple-making was to be intimately involved with others. This expanded 25-session workbook by Greg Ogden, perfect for small groups or individuals, helps us influence others as Jesus did—by investing in a few. Working through it will deepen your knowledge of essential Christian teaching and strengthen your faith.




Growing One Another


Book Description

Discipleship was one of the central themes of Jesus' teaching, yet it is not a major emphasis today for many churches. This short study guide explores the Bible's teaching on discipleship, and covers such topics as the need for discipleship, the demands of discipleship, and the enemy of discipleship. With discussion questions at the end of each chapter, groups will work through guided discussions together as they learn about the centrality of discipleship in the Christian life. A series of ten 6–7 week studies covering the nine distinctives of a healthy church as originally laid out in Nine Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever. This series explores the biblical foundations of key aspects of the church, helping Christians to live out those realities as members of a local body. Conveniently packaged and accessibly written, the format of this series is guided, inductive discussion of Scripture passages and is ideal for use in Sunday school, church-wide studies, or small group contexts.




DiscipleShift


Book Description

Question: What is the God-given purpose of the local church? Answer: Relational discipleship. DiscipleShift walks you through five key "shifts" that churches must make to refocus on the fundamental biblical mission of discipleship. These intentional changes will attract the world and empower your church members to be salt and light in their communities. Over the last thirty years, many influential church leaders and church planters in America have adopted various models for reaching unchurched people. While many of these approaches have merit, something is still missing, something even more fundamental to the mission of the church: discipleship. Making disciples—helping people to trust and follow Jesus—is the church's God-given mandate. Devoted disciples attract people outside the church because of the change others see in their Christ-like lives. And discipleship empowers Christians to be more like Christ as they intentionally develop relationships with non-believers. Through biblical and professional insights, Jim Putman and Bobby Harrington discuss the transformational effectiveness of making disciples and just how to do so, in practical terms. You’ll learn: The specific roles of a disciple-making pastor. The components of person-to-person discipleship. How each ministry in your church leads to discipleship. How to implement discipleship in your church. Disciple-making leaders will not produce perfect churches, but they will create effective churches.




Discipleship by Design


Book Description

"As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me, ' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.'" The relationship between Jesus and these brothers started with the simple words, "Come, follow me." In essence, a disciple of Jesus is a follower. Eventually, Jesus' twelve followers will change the world. However, it is an inconspicuous and unremarkable beginning for an eventual team of world-changers, don't you think? How will an assortment of "unschooled, ordinary men" be transformed into courageous and substantive heralds in just three short years? Transformation, complete and deep-seated transformation, is the answer. How does a total metamorphosis take place within a new follower? Jesus' discipleship begins with a personal relationship and an invitation to join a missional community. Before followership is a program it is a leadership development process experienced within a culture. This book seeks to initiate a dialogue on how to foster a culture of discipleship. No program can fulfill The Great Commission. However, a community of believers committed to transforming the world through the process of disciple-making can. Harvey A. Herman is a missionary serving university students. Over the previous three decades he pioneered five campus groups, pastored a university church in Seattle, and served on the national staff of Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship. Presently, he serves as area director over the Northeast. His doctorate is in strategic leadership and organizational management.




The Transformational Role of Discipleship in Mark 10:13-16


Book Description

Katherine Joy Kihlstrom Timpte addresses a gap in scholarship by answering the question: “how is a child supposed to be the model recipient of the kingdom of God?” While most scholarship on Mark 10:13-16 agrees that children are metaphorically employed because of their qualities of dependence, Timpte argues that it is more specifically an image of the disciple's radical transformation, which both mirrors and reverses the traditional rites of passage by which a child became an adult. Timpte suggests that Jesus, by insisting that one must enter the Kingdom of God as a child, invokes two interlacing images. First, to enter the Kingdom of God, one must be fundamentally transformed and changed. Second, this transformation reverses the rite by which a child would have become an adult, removing the adult's superior status. Beginning with a summary of the scholarship surrounding children in the Bible, Timpte explores the perception of children in the ancient world, their rites of passage and entrance into adulthood, and contrasting this with the processing of entering the kingdom of God, while also highlighting childish characters in Mark. Timpte concludes that to enter into the kingdom as a child means that one must strip off those things one gained by leaving childhood behind: wealth, respect, family, much like Jesus, who throughout Mark's Gospel moves from powerful to powerless, respected to despised, and accepted by all to rejected even (seemingly) by God. Jesus models transformation to childhood in an emphasis on what the Kingdom of God is like.







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