Conversion and Discipleship

Introduction Chapter 1 - The Gospel The definition of the gospel is the source for discipleship. It defines the life of a disciple, the disciple's purpose, calling, and message. This chapter looks at several of the most common gospels preached, including: the gospel of forgiveness only, the gospel of the left, the gospel of the right, the gospel of prosperity, the gospel for consumers, the radical gospel for activists, the good for nothing gospel, and the gospel of the kingdom. Chapter 2 - The Call My life is an answer to the call of Jesus. We answer with our lives. This chapter will discuss the impotence of systems and why Jesus called us to be and make disciples rather than start churches or governments. Discipleship is the only hope for the world. Only when a person submits to a community of serious Christ-followers can they learn to do all that Christ commanded. This chapter will exegete relevant passages, define terms, and look at various definitions of discipleship from the Reformation, Wesley, Post WWII evangelicalism, the para church, etc. Chapter 3 - Salvation Saved means the possession and the experience of new life, eternal life right now. It also assumes significant and ongoing change into the image of Christ. Additionally, the grand goals of a life in Christ are attainable and are expected as one lives an obedient life. This quality of life does matter regarding the level of success and amount of time it takes the church to accomplish its mission. It also sorts out the reasons that a substandard understanding of Salvation creates a passive worldwide congregation with low expectations and "Christians" who contradict their own testimony. Chapter 4 - Ways and Means The problem in the world is not just bad people doing bad things. It is good people doing good things badly. Modifications of time hardened practices is required if what has been advertized as a new person in Christ and in the case of the church, as a new humanity is going to realized. As it always does, it comes down to the ways and means of getting there. This section will talk about spiritual exercise, spiritual disciplines, and if there are "must haves?" meaning, if you don't do them, you cannot grow because God set it up that way. Chapter 5 - The Church The New Testament shows us the church we never see. The church is as grand as one could imagine and as low and gross as the depravity of man can take it. The reality of the church is that we are people of dust daring to shoot for the stars. The majestic beauty of theological grandeur inspires our hearts and the mundane, the boring, and the vast wasteland the church can become disillusion us. The balance that calls us is to never let the vision of the church we want to have become the enemy of the church we do have. If disappointment in the church could cause Christ to quit running it, he would of left us long ago. Chapter 6 - The Pastor What is the role of the pastor in calling people to discipleship? This chapter begins with several common pastoral mistakes. It draws on some of the background from The Disciple Making Pastor and the Complete Book of Discipleship. Chapter 7 - The End "And the good news about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come." Mt. 24:14 NLT. This not about how the story ends but about the fact that it does, indeed, end. We will also deal with where we end up and why it matters. I want to show that this is all connected to our understanding and practice of discipleship. The end compels us to define what is driving our discipleship. Conclusion