The Work of Discipleship - Research Paper Example

The Work of Discipleship Background Study Christology is a term that originates from Greek language. It is a Christian based theological area of study which focuses on the person and nature of Jesus Christ with regards to the New Testament’s epistles and records of the canonical Gospels. The main considerations given to this study include the person and the nature of God in relation to Jesus Christ’s own person and nature. Christology per say is an amalgamation study of the entire life of Jesus Christ, his teachings, acts and everything about his ministry and understanding what salvation is and the prospects in salvation as a whole. Majorly, Christology bases on the Apostolic Age of the gospel that is during the days of the apostle Paul. The themes and ideas of Paul were built on the worship of Christ as Lord and Christ’s pre-existence, forming the epicenter of Christology. Introduction There have been arguments to the fact that there are several Christophany cases in the Old Testament and that the numerous biblical records account for the preexistence of Jesus Christ. In this aspect, the term Christophany is a term that is considered to be more appropriate as compared to the term Theophany because of the belief that God’s visible manifestations represent the pre-incarnation of Christ. 1There have been arguments pointing to the fact that the Old Testament’s records of the appearing of the Lord’s Angel were Christ’s pre-incarnate. The Angel of the Lord is understood by many to be a theophany that is true. Over the years, especially after the Apostolic Age, the early church was thrown into debates that often got politicized and fierce concerning issues that are interrelated in Christianity. Among the issues that were being debated was Christology, with the matter finding its way to the ecumenical councils as a contentious issue. These councils were dubbed as the Christological councils that base their focus on the teachings of the condemnation of interpretations that were incorrect regarding Jesus Christ’s life and works. St. Thomas Aquinas was the first to provide a systematic Christology in the 13th century. His view was instrumental in the resolution of a good number of issues that were there at that time. Aquinas in his Christology focused on the championing of the view of the perfection of the human attributes of Christ. Through the middle ages, there was the witnessing of the emergence of a different view of Christ as being a source of comfort and love and true living friend in addition to being the Lord. 2Modern Christology, therefore, seeks to formulate a belief among Christians that are based on the fact that God made man and that God transformed into a man through Jesus Christ. However, this has been subject to many mythologies and debates. Discipleship Discipleship is used to refer to a “learner” In other words; a disciple is one who is disciplined or ready to learn. There are several believers who are also followers of Jesus Christ. However, very few people are considered to be real disciples. A number of western countries consider being disciplined and teachable as some of the vital qualities of one to be called a disciple. Being a disciple needs the vision and power of the Lord. It is only through capturing and embracing God’s vision that one is made a disciple. This is a belief that Christians have held on to. Being an aspect of Christology, Christians across the globe have a deep faith in Jesus Christ, his life ministry and teachings as documented in the Bible. There is a belief that it if the power and vision of God that can propel Christians into being true disciples of Jesus Christ. Discipleship is believed to be a commission of the Lord himself which requires to be fulfilled. Christianity is based on the making of disciples. 3Failure to do this means that God’s order and wish are neglected. In Christianity, discipleship is believed to be the way of keeping new believers on the course of Christianity and everlasting life. Ignoring the role of disciple-making in Christianity usually is seen as boiling down to ignoring the new followers, hence leaving them in the brink of falling off along the way to the everlasting lie. This means that the new believers will never grow into knowing God fully, a situation that God did not design for man. Discipleship as a ministry Discipleship is not man’s vision, but it is a commission and vision laid by God himself. The history of discipleship is traced back during the days of Jesus. Jesus set the precedence for the ministry of discipleship. It involves devoting one’s life for the purpose of other people’s sake. In this instance, Jesus laid down his life for the twelve disciples, teaching and ministering with them for there and half years. Jesus had the aim of making them see how to take on the ministry and to do the same for other humans once He is gone. Throughout Jesus life, and in His ministry of discipleship, He based on teaching his disciples how to relate with God His Father up in heaven. He showed them this through His own relationship with His Father. He also taught them how to pray, made them have a deep insight and understanding of the scriptures gave them the power to minister to the world and showed them how to walk in love and humility. Al this Jesus was doing is referred to as a ministry in which He w preparing His disciples to spill over the same to the other Christians and people that they would be meeting in their ministry. In Jesus ministry, there were two categories. 4The first category is the ministry of Jesus to His disciples who were twelve, and the second one was the ministry to the multitudes. Jesus’ ministry to multitude of people is well defined in the Gospel according to St. Luke 4:18-19 which says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord”. Moreover, the ministry of Jesus and His dedication of His life to the twelve disciples is reflected in the book of John 17:6-8 where it is written, “I have manifested your name to the men whom you have given me out of the world... I have given to them the words which you have given me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from you; and they have believed that you sent me”. Discipleship is an important aspect in the life of Christians and in Christianity in general. As expressed in the Gospel according to John (John 17:18 ), the disciples, were sent out into the world with some work of winning back souls and bringing people back to the Lord. Among the duties given to the twelve disciples were convincing others that there is a divinity when speaking about Jesus. The disciples were also to go out into the world, teaching people about God’s love and character and to heal the sick. Preaching the gospel of God and the truth of Jesus Christ as the son of God was a base for the disciples’ work across nations. Fundamentally, the disciples were supposed to teach the people the meaning of having a true relationship with God the Father through being obedient and following His commandments. This set the base for Christianity as this was the start of discipleship, which has continued to be applied up to this date. The church of today derives its authority, teachings and inspirations from the teachings and ministry of Jesus. Being a Christian means being “Christ-like”, doing what Christ did and continuing with His work on earth. This is purely discipleship, as it is the responsibility that was bestowed upon the twelve disciples by Jesus Christ Himself. Discipleship and today’s Christians Present day Christians also have a calling to discipleship. Just as Jesus installed and started the discipleship in the original disciples, so does that apply to Christians? Of course yes! Christians are called to carry on with the ministry that was started by Jesus Christ Himself. 5This means that the Christians are supposed to minister to the masses through healing, teaching Gods word and preaching the Lord Jesus Christs Gospel, just as the original disciples were doing along with Jesus Christ. There is no way Christianity can be divorced from the ministry of discipleship. This is because it is Jesus Christ who started the discipleship. Christianity is built on the life of Jesus and His teachings, and the gospel truth, one cannot purport to be preaching and ministering without doing as Jesus did. Christians are charged with the responsibility of ministering to others in a way to help the build a relationship with the Lord, who is the Father in heaven. In making disciples, it’s also important to note that Jesus was not trying to discipline every person. He only focused on those whom the Father gave to Him to discipline. It is only the twelve disciples that He dedicated and poured out His life for. Jesus gave these twelve men commissions, which should form a strong basis in the lives of today’s Christians. In Luke 10:2 and in Matthew 9:37-38, one of the commissions given by Jesus to His disciples is expressed. The Bible says, “Then He said to His disciples, ’the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.’ ”This clearly shows that Christians have a great responsibility of praying for fellow Christians in the walk of discipleship. Praying this prayer more often leads to the making of disciples that God wants and continuing the work of God as was started by Jesus Christ. In Mathew 10:7-8, Christians are commissioned to obey the will of God and work in preaching the Gospel. It is upon the Christians to make sure the good news about God’s Kingdom is preached, and include prayers for the ill in the society. 6Casting out demons is also a responsibility given by God to Christians through the power of God in the name of Jesus Christ. In a letter to Corinthians, Apostle Paul says, “And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God”. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5) Christians are also called upon to be fishers of men. This is a commission that is always referred to as the Great Commission. Found in Matthew 28:18-20, Christians are expected to do more than just believing, but go as much as following the commands of God and obeying whatever God says. This has been the basis of today’s evangelism and preaching. The making of disciples requires modeling one into the lifestyle that Jesus lived mentoring and teaching in the way of the Lord. Discipleship is not only the knowing and possession of the knowledge about Jesus Christ and God, but the deep understanding and impacting of lives. 7Christians have to move a further step and have direct contact with those they disciple. 8Discipleship works on a multiplication principle, where one person impacts the life of another, who in turn disciples another and the chain is completed. It is the bringing of believers to a level in which they will deeply understand Gods will, and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Conclusion Christianity must be lodged upon discipleship. A perfect illustration is this: suppose an individual gets to win 1000 souls in each day to Jesus, it is not possible to win over his generation. For instance, if he lives for 80 years, that will be 29,200,000 souls. This is not enough. However, if the same person disciples four people in a year, and each of the four disciples do the same in the next year, the result would be amazing. In just over 33 years, the world will have a number of close to 4 billion people converted. Bibliography Hardy. E. (1954). Christology of the Later Fathers: Philadelphia. Westminster John Knox Press. Ogden. G. (2009). Discipleship Essentials: A Guide to Building Your Life in Christ: Verdana. ReadHowYouWant.com.. Sanders. J. (2007). Spiritual Discipleship: Principles of Following Christ for Every Believer: Chicago. Moody Publishers. Longenecker. R. (1996). Patterns of Discipleship in the New Testament: UK. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. Johnson. D. (2004). Discipleship on the Edge: An Expository Journey Through the Book of Revelation: Canada. Regent College Publishing. Ogden. G. (2010). Transforming Discipleship: Making Disciples a Few at a Time: New York. InterVarsity Press. Bonhoeffer. D. (2003). Discipleship: London. Lightning Source Incorporated. Watson. D. (2014). Discipleship: UK. Hodder & Stoughton. Read More