It seems odd that the word disciple does not occur in the scripture after the book of acts. He also provides helpful examples of what this kind of relationships looks like. Stephens address and martyrdom 1st martyr, chapter 7. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that jesus christ is in you. Best discipleship books meet your next favorite book. Joseph a alexander acts commentary 1857, 1866 over pages. Most bible scholars agree that it is unlikely that the believers themselves thought up the name christians. Theyre not just freely roving disciplers among unaffiliated groups of people. How to help others follow jesus by mark dever is one of the most practical books on discipling ive read on the subject.
What todays church needs to learn from the book of acts. Acts of the apostles essay examples 1496 words bartleby. Discipling in a multicultural world ajith fernando. In philippi in acts 16, a great earthquake shakes the prison and broke each prisoners bonds acts 16. Jesus dominated the four gospel accounts, but the holy spirit dominates the book of acts. Many have debated who discipled saul before he became the apostle paul. May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our minds and hearts here together be acceptable to you, o lord, our strength and our redeemer. Last, an acts based sermon series provides an opportunity to connect your core group with john wesleys teachings about personal. First, the phenomenon of speaking in tongues caught the peoples attention and thus stimulated their inquiry. This work, originally out in 1857, has proved helpful to many, though it is now far out of date as to literature commenting on acts. This term is found in the new testament only in the gospels and acts. The agency connects leaders with needed resourcing, training, consulting, and. The first instance of the word christian is found in the book of acts.
Christian reflection is the ideal resource for discipleship training in the church. Many great leaders act as mentors to someone younger, and such was the case with paul and his true son in the faith, timothy. Apr 25, 2016 living in the book of acts in the presence of god and of christ jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, i give you this charge. It is the account of what god continued to do through the holy spirit after jesus assended to be with the father in chapter 1. Each student is required to memorize two points from each chapter in the book of acts. The book of samuel reports israels history from the birth of samuel through the reign of king david. Responsibilities and duties of elders and licensed pastors1. Cockram presents the five gifts of apostle, pastor, teacher, prophet, and evangelists. Following the disciples in the book of acts, this message looks at the first sermon ever preached, by a forgiven and transformed peter. Purposes of the book of acts reformed bible studies. Be dynamic acts 112 the be series commentary kindle edition by wiersbe, warren w download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Neither the third gospel nor the acts provide an explicit statement of authorship, but the testimony of the early. The purpose of this project is to utilize the four e principles of discipleship implicit in acts. An outline of the book of acts will be turned in by session 11. Judaizers try to force gentile believers to be circumcised, precipitating the council of jerusalem, where salvation by grace rather than by law is. What is the difference between a christian and a disciple. Discipling involves training in gods wordwe want the word to reform and change people, and not our opinions and personal ideas. May 06, 2016 1 dever writes, moving into the book of acts and the epistles, we find the apostles discipling program. Think of the lord in goodness, and seek him in simplicity of heart. Be dynamic acts 112 the be series commentary kindle.
The book of acts is a thrilling account of the early church discovering what it means to be christian. The book of acts can in many ways be seen as an apologetic for peace between jews and gentiles in the body of messiah. And that may not be the christianese church language that is used in many churches. An acts based sermon series can help your core group embrace empowerment by the holy spirit. Jan 25, 2016 so, discipling in that sense is as varied as there are ways of saying the gospel or living the gospel in front of people to draw them in. In christianity, the disciples were the students of jesus during his ministry.
Feb 28, 2019 in discipling in a multicultural world, ajith fernando moves beyond techniques and programs to the lifeonlife realities of discipleship in the emerging context of multiculturalism. Pastors and church leaders especially need to revisit the book, immerse themselves in it, and not leave until it produces some radical changes in their thinking and practice. Iscariot was saul of tarsus, chosen personally by the lord jesus christ galatians 1. Discipling in a multicultural world by ajith fernando. His concept that we have a dominant one but use all of them seems much more ontarget than so many presentations on gifts. Dever provides the biblical support for the call for every christian to help others follow jesus. Conversion of ethiopian eunuch son of ham, chapter 8. They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the. The spiritempowered discipleship in acts yan chai liberty baptist theological seminary mentor. Much like signs and wonders, god here is using a physical occurrence to point to a spiritual reality. Acts has been called a transitional book because it serves as a bridge between. Bryn smallwoodgarcia congregational church of brookfield ucc third sunday of easter annual meeting sunday april 26, 2009 the new disciple acts 1. If we fail to learn about what real christianity is from the book of acts, we will just keep on playing church, pleasing men, and displeasing god. The acts of the apostles often referred to simply as acts, or formally the book of acts, is the fifth book of the new testament.
In the first book, o theophilus, i have dealt with all that jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the holy spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. Historical context the book of acts, or sometimes known as the acts of the apostles was written between 62 and 70 a. Dec 19, 2011 if you want a discipling culture, you therefore needs a language that supports it. The book of wisdom of solomon chapter 1 1 love justice, you that are the judges of the earth.
Any charge must relate to an action listed as a chargeable offense in the discipline. The bible prophesied that jesus christ, the son of god, would come to our earth. Sssh the book of acts misunderstood, maligned, mistreated, and often reviled, paul nevertheless pressed on in faith. Introduction course information the book of john seeking god the word of god discipleship the coming of the kingdom light and darkness new testament conversion the cross the medical account of the crucifixion of christ baptism with the holy spirit miraculous gifts of the holy spirit the church the book of acts after baptism, now what. Today, discipline is a word used to refer to the instruction and nurture of the believer. For many basic details verse by verse, it still is of good value and often. Effective discipling in muslim communities intervarsity press.
She was a faithful disciple, full of good works and charitable deeds. Luke is pauls disciple and has taken pains to research and put in order the written and oral material that he gathered in israel and in the diaspora. Effective evangelism will add believers to the church, and intense discipleship will multiply them. Sermon for catm may 10, 2015 empowered by the spirit we are still in the afterglow of easter, and weve decided to keep following the earliest disciples of jesus, also called the apostles as they move forward, after. The book of acts is about the discipling of the nations. Principles of evangelism from the book of acts truthonlybible. In christianity, disciple primarily refers to a dedicated follower of jesus. Elders have a fourfold ministry of word, sacrament, order, and service and thus serve in the local church and in extension. This book is a gem for those who are prepared to come facetoface with the real cost of discipleship. In his first of two books covering the book of acts, be dynamic focuses on peters ministry, mostly in israel and centered in jerusalem. If discipling were the preferred methodology in making a christian, then surely the epistles would strongly emphasize the process. Acts records, and he came also to derbe and to lystra.
The acts of the apostles is the second book written by st. Chapter 2 records the fulfillment of pentecost, peters sermon, and the primary church. When the prophet samuel was born, israel was in disarray under the failing leadership of the judges and levites. Apostle vs disciple difference and comparison diffen. I encourage you to begin thinking now how you can grow in your own discipleship of christ by becoming an intentional, deliberate contributor to the culture of discipling at capitol hill baptist church. Jesus had shown himself alive by many proofs for 40 days. The disciples were first called christians in antioch acts 11.
Outline of classes session 1introduction and seeking god. Spiritual discipline is an essential part of an individuals ability to grow in his or her personal. A history of the early church gene taylor2an outline of the book i. The book of acts is focused on gods mission, as god draws people into his. In the ancient world, a disciple is a follower or adherent of a teacher.
The other breakthrough i had with this book was personal gifts. Then it shall be in the language of the book of discipline in effect at the time the charge was filed. Living in the book of acts in the presence of god and of christ jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, i give you this charge. The story of ananias and sapphira is found in acts 5, and it is a sad story, indeed. Whereas missions and church planting tended to occupy center stage in the study of the book of acts, and discipleship was often overshadowed. But we are not always sure how to get a handle on it, or what it looks like.
The statute of limitations went into effect as law on a prospective basis starting on january 1, 1993. In discipling in a multicultural world, ajith fernando moves beyond techniques and programs to the lifeonlife realities of discipleship in the emerging context of multiculturalism. The lord has been sending us so many new people in recent y. To better understand the meaning behind acts, one should look at the history and what lead to the writing of this book. The accounts in the gospels and the book of acts put a huge emphasis on doing when it comes to making. Acts 2 enterprise a2e is a strategic and holistic urban outreach initiative of the michigan district, lcms based on the work of jesus and his disciples in the early church as recorded in the book of acts. Building healthy churches series, this short book explains how discipling should function in the context of the local church, teaching pastors and church leaders how to cultivate a culture of edification and growth in their congregations. Many believe that barnabas had a profound impact on his life and even became a discipling influence. Jani ortlund, executive vice president, renewal ministries here is a churchstrengthening book full of downtoearth advice about the nuts and bolts of discipling. The discipleship of the early church making disciples. Rather, they baptize people into churches, where any oneonone discipling and fellowship would then occur kindle locations 634635.
The acts of the apostles was written by a physician named lucian in english luke. For those of you who are guests with us at our conference, were going to let you eavesdrop on a series that were involved in as a church. Through the power of the holy spirit, they lived out a triumphant faith in the face of opposition and persecution, established order for the growing movement, and took the gospel to the ends of the earth. Purposes of the book of acts in my former book, theophilus, i wrote about all that jesus began to do and to teach v. Peter had such an influence in marks gospel that justin martyr, a halfcentury later, called the book the memoirs of peter. However, a close look at the book of acts lets us know that we are not left alone with his commands. The book of acts tells the story of the beginning of the church of jesus christ. Prepare yourself for a lifechanging experience as you read this book. It actually begins at the end of chapter 4 with the description of the early church in jerusalem, a group of believers so filled with the holy spirit that they were of one heart and one mind.
By answering our questionsthe why, the what, the where, and the how of disciplingpastor mark coaches us in how to follow christ by helping others to follow him, to know the truth, and to live it well. Gentiles, contextualizing the gospel, plus pauls team discipling and establishing leadership acts 14. In my previous post we began to consider the leadership training in the book of acts. Jesus told us to make disciples, which means it is a basic part of the christian life. While jesus attracted a large following, the term disciple is commonly used to refer specifically to the twelve apostles in addition, the gospels and the book of acts refer to varying numbers of disciples that range between 70 and 120 to a growing multitude the word disciple is used today as a way of self. Live with passion the christian life is meant to be vibrant and exciting. Discipling and disciplining much is said and written about the important function of discipling new christians, while at the same time the function of church discipline has almost vanished. Learning from the apostles christian bible studies. The series can also help your core group determine how it will engage the world as christians empowered by the holy spirit. It is not the same as being a student in the modern sense.
Read acts prayerfully, objectively, thoughtfully, and attentively as you listen for god. Frank schmitt discipleship study had unavoidably been focused on the gospels, and rightfully so. Here are 5 attacks of satan against the church in acts 49. It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of this century in the development of gods kingdom. Apostle paul passionate discipleship, a free email. Acts 2 enterprise michigan district, lcms michigan.
Effective discipling in muslim communities is an insightful, wellinformed and wideranging exploration of this challenge. This is in stark contrast to the gospels and the book of acts where. The miracles in the book of acts miracles where wrought recorded in peter heals a lame man jerusalem 3. While we are familiar with peter and paul in their work of expanding the gospel through church planting, luke also clues us in on others involved in this work, some by inference and others by name. In acts 9, the lord appears to ananias in a vision and tells him where to find paul acts 9. Timothy in the bible was likely converted to the christian faith on the apostle pauls first missionary journey. Senior lecturer, african christian university, lusaka, zambia this book convicts, exhorts, and instructs followers of christ concerning the call to a life of discipling others. As far as training christians how to think and feel and act as a christian that is, discipling in the sense of growing them into more and more maturity that happens in so many ways in the new. Acts begins with jesus teaching the apostles about the kingdom of god outside jerusalem, and ends, about thirty years later, with paul teaching gentile christians about the kingdom of god in rome. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named timothy, the son of a jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in lystra and iconium.
The responsibilities of elders are derived from the authority given in ordination. Acts tells us how the christian movement came into beginning. Fully come means that this was the fulfillment of the. The second part of the book explains this discipling language breen talks about. From this we should conclude that the command of the risen lord was to carry out the. Looking back in the gospels we are reminded that the term disciples was used of those who were the followers of jesus. First principles a member of the soldout discipling movement.
This book is a great primer on the whatwhyhow of discipling in the church. Apostle paul passionate discipleship, a free email bible study. The miracles in the book of acts miracles where wrought recorded in peter heals a. Devotions with scripture from acts today daily devotional. Through explaining lukes record of the gospels advancement and church expansion, wiersbe opens the door to understanding the work of the church today. This is essential reading for trainers and practitioners alike and all those god is calling to labor in the vast, ripening harvest fields of the muslim world. The first was drafted by a committee of six johns, including leading reformer john knox. Nevertheless, spiritempowered discipleship, undoubtedly, had played a crucial role in the explosive growth of the early church. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading be dynamic acts 1. Leadership training in the book of acts, part 2 founders. An agency of the united methodist church, discipleship ministries helps local church, district, and conference leaders fulfill the shared dream of making worldchanging disciples. Shop online at cokesbury christian bookstore for books, bibles, church supplies, vbs, curriculum, united methodist resources, and more. The book of discipline refers to two works regulative of ecclesiastical order in the church of scotland, known as the first book of discipline 1560 and the second book of discipline 1578, drawn up and printed in the scottish reformation. Senior lecturer, african christian university, lusaka, zambia this book convicts, exhorts, and instructs followers of christ concerning the call to a life of discipling.