Elijah Ngule

 Disciple Making in the Local Church Written Assignment 3 Submitted to: in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of Course Code: Course Name: By Student’s Name: Date of Submission: Table of Contents Introduction3 How Disciples are made in the Context of the Local Church and a Christian Community4 The Role of Local Church in God’s Plan for being and Making Disciples5 The role of pastor, saints and Spiritual Gifts in God’s Plan for being and Making Disciples7 Conclusion8 Bibliography9 Introduction The scripture gives out various theological as well as biblical foundations to the process of making disciples. The process of disciple-making is quite delicate. In regards to this, a disciple maker need to possess certain attributes to be successful. Jesus used the occupation of fishermen in teaching the process of discipleship. “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers; Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will send you out to fish people. At once they left their nets and followed him” (Matt. 4:18-19). Jesus knew well that for a fisherman to be perfect, it is required of him to be skilled, persistent, and knowledgeable. Also, disciple makers need to master certain features which include; practical, determined, patient, using the right bait, patient, and having the right timing. These characteristics are needed of the church to attract more people to Jesus Christ and fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ of disciple-making. The primary purpose of this paper is to examine the process of disciple-making with the context of Local church and the Christian community. Also, the paper will discuss in depth the importance and role of the local church, spiritual gifts, pastors, and saints in the plan of God for being and making people be disciples of Christ, using scholarly writings as well as the scripture to support all point of view. “Being a disciple and making of disciples occurs in believer’s context that is passionately following Jesus Christ. This context is most commonly known as the ‘church.' Jesus Christ predicted in Matt. 16:18, "I will build My church!" From this prediction, the church was born on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), and since that time the church of Christ has been operational in proclaiming the gospel, making disciples, and then deploying them to accomplish the great commission."1 How Disciples are made in the Context of the Local Church and a Christian Community Apostle Paul provides an example of how one can be a spiritual parent in coaching, guiding, and mentoring disciples into full maturity. The initial stage of this process is the spiritual death in which Jesus Christ forms the spiritual foundation in an individual and works with the community of believers and the church to help people grow and become mature disciples. It involves assisting the disciples in transit from various levels, stages, as well as spheres of discipleship. 2 Timothy 2:1-2, provides a detailed description of shepherds and elders who are active in grace and knowledge of Christ. These particular persons have matured and grown to the point where they have qualified to others the Great Commission. A church leader who is involved in church planting is not only a disciple but also a disciple maker. A disciple is a person who has is obedient and has submitted his or her self wholly and transformed by Christ and joins Him on His mission. The only great desire for every believer is to be able to make disciples. A pastor has been given the task of leading the church; he is capacitated in creating a system in which individuals are taught how to be disciple makers. In other words, the pastor and the leadership of the church have been called to lead the church in the development of a system which will make disciples who can make disciples.2 The pastor, church leaders, and elders need to come up with a strategy of making disciples which includes; 1) Ensuring that all the disciples in the church receive sound and true doctrine and are capable of rightly understand the scripture. 2) The church elders will assign each disciple a partner in prayer who prays collectively in groups and as individuals as well. 3) The church leaders will ensure that all the believers are participating and attending all church services and function as required. 4) The pastor and church leaders the disciples know and functions his or her spiritual gift (s) in the church. Finally, the overseers within the church will ensure that all disciples in the church are held accountable for their functions. The Role of Local Church in God’s Plan for being and Making Disciples The roots of Christianity can be traced back to the beginning of Judaism with the first five books of the Bible commonly known as the Pentateuch. The salvation message was initially presented to Jews, and then Gentiles followed. The scripture describes that salvation first come through the Jews, but the Jews rejected the Messiah. “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in” (Rom. 11:25). After Christ ascended to heaven and the Holy Spirit was outpoured, and the church was established. It was at Antioch where the disciples of Jesus Christ were called Christians (Christ-like) as result of their attributes resembling those of Jesus Christ, being anointed like Jesus Christ, as well as doing things like Christ. The Early Church did not have a physical building, and they usually met in their homes, the body of Christ becomes the living temple of the church. The early Disciples of Christ were filled with the Holy Spirit as they become the temple of Jesus Christ. It is clearly stated in the scripture, "Do you not know that you are God's Temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" (1 Cor. 3:16). The church during that time was not a physical building but rather a living organism. “Like living stones being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifice acceptable through Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). The term church originates from a Greek word ‘ekklesia’ which means a calling out, synagogue, and body of the faithful.3 The primary of the church is to accomplish the Great Commission through teaching all nations around the world to do and observe what Jesus Christ commanded.4 Throughout the New Testament, the writers of the bible used words and which were anthropomorphic to describe the church as God's kingdom having powers, subjects, principalities, and servants. Also, the church is defined as an army with generals and soldiers who are involved in carrying out missionary assignments as well as the commands of Jesus Christ. The church as well is described as a building with a strong foundation and the chief cornerstone being Jesus Christ. The church is an organization and a community of believers who fellowship together and have personal relationships which are intimate with each other. Also, the church is a personification of the body of Christ with various parts of the same organization. The Jesus Christ body is the ground and the stepping stone of our faith as well as the source of its certainty. The body of Jesus Christ is the perfect gift via which we receive our salvation. It is in Christ's body that God has accepted us for eternity.5 Ephesians 1:22 states that, God has put everything under the authority of Jesus Christ's and has made Him the head of everything for the benefit of the Church. God requires that all parts of the Body of Jesus Christ to be tightly knitted together working in unison to be disciples of Jesus Christ to the world. The primary role of the local church is promoting the maturity of the believers. The role of pastor, saints and Spiritual Gifts in God’s Plan for being and Making Disciples The pastors, church leaders, elders, and saints of God in accompaniment of spiritual gifts which Jesus Christ gave the church play an important role in transition new believers into a mature believer. The leaders, overseers, and shepherd roles are to aid persons in the body of Jesus Christ to know and do their functions with Christ's body for the body remains healthy. Jesus Christ gave the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, the apostles, as well as the teachers, capacity to work towards equipping His people for service, for the Body of Jesus Christ to be built up until we all attain unity in knowledge and faith of God's son and be mature, and achieve the whole measure of the fullness of Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:11). It is the responsibility of the church of Christ to preach the gospel and help new believers to grow strong spiritually. As they continue to grow and understand what Jesus Christ commands them to do, the church leaders are to help them to discover and develop their spiritual gifts. As the believer uses their gifts correctly, the body grows healthy. In this respect, the organization reaches out in love to the non-believers around the world with Jesus Christ gospel, and this leads to more people to hear and accept Christ's gracious gift. The more people develop and grow, the healthier they become and this in return makes the body of Christ (church) healthier. The spiritual gifts are inclusive of discerning of spirits, healing, speaking in tongues, prophecy, and the gift of administration (1 Cor. 12:1). Therefore the role of disciple-making rests upon the community of believers as well as the church. Many of the pastors, leaders, saints, and elders have embarked on using their spiritual gifts to exhort, rebuke, encourage and teach both mature and immature believers for them to grow strong in their religious vocation. The objective and goal for every believer is to be transformed into a disciple maker who has a strong foundation and basis in Jesus Christ. Conclusion The church and Christian community need to possess attributes such as being well versed with the word of God, patient, and diligent for them be active disciple-makers. Jesus is the cornerstone and foundation of the church (head of the church) as God has put all authority under Him. The church has been given various spiritual gifts to use them for building, teaching, as well as perfecting all the saints to ensure they grow into full maturity in Jesus Christ. The task of making disciples, maturing and mentoring the disciples is not for pastor only but a calling and duty for the entire church and Christian community. The responsibility of the church and the Christian community is to develop and grow disciples who capable of making disciples. As every disciple grows into maturity in his spiritual gift, the body of the Christ (church) becomes healthier. This in return will all the church to accomplish the Great Commission which Jesus Christ commanded it to establish in all nations. Bibliography Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Works: Discipleship Volume 4 Minneapolis: (First Fortress Press). 2003. p. 214 Earley. Dave and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is…How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence. Nashville:  B&H Publishing Group, 2013.  p. 183 Jim Putman & Bobby Harrington with Robert E. Coleman. DiscipleShift, (Grand Rapid, MI: Zondervan, 2013. p. 135 Rod Dempsey, “The Role of the Church Turabian Style: LifeWay Christian Resources” (lecture, Liberty University. September 2014). Strong, James. The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc. Nashville, TN: 2010. p. 81