Friday, September 28, 2012

More On Discipleship

Another way to look at discipleship is to think in the area of being pleasing to God. We all want the creator of the universe to be pleased with us.
   We become very much like then person or thing we spend a great amount of time with. If we work and don't spend time with our family, we become workaholics. We may lose our family.
   That is not good.
    So we need to be spending time if we truely want to be discipled and be like Jesus, we need to spend that time with Jesus.
   Jesus spent a good three eyars and more with his disciples. They heard what he said. They ate what he ate. They slept where he slept. And one day they became disciples and did what he did.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Wrong Ideas About Discipleship

More about discipleship. Maybe it would be better to say what discipleship is not.
   I know a church that has a pastor who thinks that discipleship just happens . He is telling his people that they are all to be making disciples and he feels the whole things is taken care of by small groups and Bible Study Fellowships, and witnessing.
   That may be part of it but it is not discipleship.
   First off a disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ. A person can not follow someone they have not studied and know. Discipleship is a process, not a moment in time.
    Discipleship is two people sharing life together, the good times along with the bad times. Two sharing failures as well as successes. It is putting life in boot leather.
      It is being free to cry and cheer in each others presence.
      It is not leading a person to the Lord and then leaving him to figure out the rest. To find out how the Bible relates to life.
       I believe that when you set up a disciple there should be at least eight years between the two of you and no more than eleven. Too close and it is too soon for the discipler to have enough to share. Too long and there is the problem of relating to the needs expressed.
    Discpleship is sharing life and wisdom with another person. You can't do that if you make a convert and run. You must stay and work with the person until they can turn and duplicate.
    Complete the process.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Training Places

  The church needs gifted individuals. Yes. but also trained individuals.
   A good foundational University to attend for Bible training and literacy is Biola University. You will get 30 units of Bible no matter what your declared major. You get it even if you are not a Bible major.
    Another good school is Moody Bible Institute.
   And if you wish to beccome a leader in the church you can consider Talbot School of Theology which meets on the same campus as Biola University.
   I also would recommend Dallas and Western. Masters Seminary is also a good training ground.
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Discipleship Is Needed

Pastor Joe has a vision for the ACTS family. We need to get a program going of discipleship. So the question is, what is discipleship? Yes, it includes Bible study and prayer.
  As I see it discipleship is a one on one relationship between two people. Our example for discipleship would be Jesus. He had twelve and of those twelve he had three. And those who were his disciples ate with, walked with, talked with and observed Jesus.
     It has been sugegsted you have an eight to ten year age difference between the two of you. Man should disciple men and women should disciple women.
     This sounds like a good way to grow the church. Small groups are not discipleship. Needs groups are not discipleship.
      Go slowly. but move forward.
   Pastor Joe states we will need a gifted person to take on the training and leadership to duplicate in the life of others. I think he means we need a trainer who is a Christian who is gifted by God, the Holy Spirit, with the exact gift of discipleship
   True, all Christian should be discipling yet we aren't.
    God has given to the church gifted individuals to train and build up other believers. I think this is what Pastor Joe is talking about.