DSMN 500 Spheres PDF

Preview

Summary

Download DSMN 500 Spheres PDF

Description

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY

Disciple Making in a Healthy Church Environment

Submitted to Dr. Bob Bayles, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of

DSMN 500-B-4LUO Discipleship Ministries

by

Timothy Wheaton June 8th, 2021

Contents

Introduction....................................................................................................................................1 The Five Stages of Discipleship....................................................................................................2 The Four Spheres of Discipleship.................................................................................................4 Bonhoeffer’s Call to the Cross......................................................................................................5 Conclusion......................................................................................................................................6 Bibliography...................................................................................................................................7

ii

Introduction To use a secular vernacular, discipleship is not a “hit it and forget it” proposition. If one begins the task of discipleship, it is a requirement to complete the task of making disciples of Christ–to make little Christs. Discipleship is the transformation of men and women into likenesses of Christ. This task requires energy, time, and a commitment. Commitment to the one being disciples and to the task of disciplining another person. This task should not and cannot be taken lightly, after all, it is a Christ mandated activity. As the Great Commission states, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt 28:19-20).1 Clearly, in the words of Jesus, He not commanded believers to make disciples but to teach their disciples to be obedient to the words and example that He lived during His incarnation. Jesus was calling for obedience. Putman et al., reminds readers that discipleship is an apprenticeship that will take several years.2 The genesis of this apprenticeship first requires that each potential disciple is evaluated as to their level of spiritual maturity. Each disciple begins their journey to maturity at different stages. “When you don’t rightly assess someone, you can make the mistake of putting that person

1 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the New American Standard Bible (Anaheim, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995).

2 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, Discipleshift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, IL: Zondervan, 2013),55.

1

into a leadership position he or she cannot handle,” or expecting more out of a person then they can provide.3 Putman et al., define this process as “The Five Stages of Discipleship”.4

The Five Stages of Discipleship Putman et al, provide a path of progression that a disciple follows, and how a disciple maker leads converts through growth into spiritual maturity.5 One must not look at each of these stages as an amount of time or duration. Graduation to the next stage, or reversion to a previous stage, has nothing to do with time but with the level of maturity that one obtains and maintains through the Christian walk. 1) Stage One: The Spiritually Dead. This stage refers to the unconverted, those “dead” in [their] trespasses and sin, walking “according to the course of the world (Eph 2:1-2).” One cannot expect much from someone who demonstrates “unbelief or open rebellion” to the things of God. They are acting according to their nature in death and sin.6 2) Stage Two: Infant. This stage begins at the time of conversion, or when “God gives us a new identity in Christ, and it is as saved disciples that we grow into our new identity.”7 Through living life as new creations in Christ, baby Christians require a “parent” to guide their path to prevent mishaps. Although baby Christians are new creatures, they must learn to walk in the newness that is in and through Christ (2Cor 5:17). Believers in this stage seek the milk of the living word but cannot digest the meat of deeper theological issues. Although this is the infant 3 Putman et al., Discipleshift, 57. 4 Ibid., 58. 5 Ibid., 59. 6 Ibid., 61. 7 Ibid., 60

2

stage believers can remain in this stage for most if not all of their lives. At this level believers lack the ability or the desire to nourish themselves spiritually, requiring much time, energy, and constant attention.8 Though their steps are exciting to witness and accompany, they can be excruciating slow coming. Spiritual infants require a spiritual parent (see Stage Five) for protection and guidance during this stage. 3) Stage Three: Child. In this stage, Christians have begun to walk the walk and talk the talk of being a Christian, but their life still revolves around “their needs, their desires, and their interests.” Consequently, Spiritual Christians often are self-centered, and not kingdom focused. 9 A spiritual child views the world in dogmatic ways; “seeing the world in rigid, black-and-white terms, even concerning things that are not supposed to be black- and-white.” Mentors focus on teaching what it means to be a part of the Church, through obedience that comes through knowledge and understanding of the Word and not through feeling, emotional impulses, and selfcenteredness. 4) Stage Four: Young Adult. In this stage, believers are kingdom centered and away from self. Spiritual young adults (SYA) begin to giver rather than be a consumer regarding spiritual growth, both their own and those of others. The priorities of SYA have begun to change and seek out ways to serve within the church. 5) Stage Five: Parent. Spiritual parents (SP) have grown to the point that they have disciples of their own. They are leaders, teachers, and mentors seeking to help other Christians to grow in their walk, through faith, knowledge, obedience, and service. Those in this stage are

8 Putman et al., Discipleshift, 63. 9 Ibid., 65.

3

“kingdom-centered and God-dependent.”10 SAs actively seek out ways to grow their relationships into disciple-making opportunities. The Four Spheres of Discipleship 1) Sphere One: The Centrality of a Relationship with God. Sphere One is the central message, the core, the hub that holds all other relationships together. All else in life and death revolves around this central idea. Discipleship is about relationships. However, the paramount relationship is between God and His creation. Man is dead in sin, but through the salvific work of Jesus, everyone can be saved (Eph 2:8-10). Man, yes even Christians, fail to realize and remember that righteous does not depend upon our works, but the completed and continuing work of Christ. 2) Sphere Two: Relationships within the Family of God, the Church. The family of God or the Church is secondary because faith in and on Christ is crucial and affects how one relates to fellow Christians and vice versa. One must realize and remember that the journey of a Christian is not a solitary one but as part of a group, as part of a family. Christians are called to uplift one another; to shore up one another’s weaknesses, to love one another. 3) Sphere Three: Relationships at Home. In this fallen world, the views and options of the family have become flawed. Thus, relationships within the family unit have been distorted. Biblical relationships reflect a God-centered leadership style with Christ as the center. A man is to “lead and love” his wife. A wife is to “respect her husband (Eph 5; 6).”11 With the responsibility to raise children in the knowledge and admiration of the Lord falling on both

10 Putman et al., Discipleshift, 69. 11 Ibid., 87.

4

parents. The familial relationship is so important that it is reflected with the concept of the Trinity; the working relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 4) Sphere Four: Relationships with the World. How Christians relate to the world in which we live has a significant influence upon those we interact daily, and influences witness, evangelism, and discipleship opportunities. Christians are called to be in the world but not part of the world. One is called to be an influence on others but different by way of action, Bonhoeffer’s Call to the Cross Bonhoeffer begins his chapter titles Discipleship and the Cross in Discipleship by reminding readers that to follow Christ is to share in His suffering and rejection. Jesus died and suffered as one despised and rejected. By doing anything else would have prevented “Christ from being Christ.”12 From the beginning, as evidenced by Peter through his denial of Jesus’ impending suffering and death (Matt 16:21-23), the Church has attempted to separate itself from the suffering of our Savior, thus separating the Cross from our Lord. To be a follower of Christ, one must deny everything but Him and Him alone. Through our sacrifice, He is willing and able to give back what is lost hundred-fold. Self-denial means knowing only Christ, no longer knowing oneself. It means no longer seeing oneself, only him who is going ahead, no longer seeing the way which is too difficult for us. Self-denial says only: he is going ahead; hold fast to him.13

12 Dierrich Bonhoeffer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works: Discipleship, ed. Geffrey B. Kelly and John D. Godsey, trans. Martin Kusket et al. (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003), 4:84, Kindle. 13 Ibid., 86

5

Conclusion For some time, I never considered what was required of a disciple of Christ. While driving and listening to the radio, a question was posed by a pastor that makes one ponder. The question was this, “Are you willing to give up everything to follow Christ?” In my mind, I was quick to answer a resounding, “Yes!” However, very quickly was reminded by the Holy Spirit that I was lying to myself. Since, I have learned that I am willing to give up everything, even though I do not want to. However, I know if I am asked to give it all up for the sake of Christ, like Job it will be given back. With, Sphere Four: Relationship with the World being the one that I need to submit to most. I still seek the approval of those that I interact with daily. Submission is not about being right or wrong. It is more about allowing others to have their way in order to achieve a greater goal; choosing one’s battles if you will. Christ submitted Himself to the will of the Father to achieve the greater good–the defeat of death and Satan. However, even though Christ submitted Himself to the Father that does not mean that the triune Godhead was not in complete agreement on what was taking place or what was being accomplished by Christ’s suffering and death. God the Father has turned over all authority to Christ, Jesus the Son. In obedience to the will of the Father, Jesus submitted the will of His human flesh to achieve the goal of freeing man from the wages of sin, death, and separation from God. Submission does not mean that one lords over another but is where one person bows to the will of another. God created all so it would be well of me to bow before my Lord and King, working toward the greater good of spreading the Good News to the world as commanded in the Great Commission, and making disciples. I would hope that is why each student is taking this course.

6

Bibliography

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 4: Discipleship. Minneapolis, MN: First Fortress Press, 2003. Putnam, Jim, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, Discipleshift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013.

7...