Theology of Discipleship 5-21-2023-1

Theology of Discipleship Assignment: The Great Commission and Spiritual Warfare Training Daniel Hall (ID: L31981576) CHPL 655: Chaplain Evangelism and Discipleship (B01) May 21, 2023

ii Contents The Great Commission .................................................................................................................. 1 Going and Preaching ..................................................................................................................... 2 Baptizing and Teaching ................................................................................................................. 3 Spiritual Warfare ........................................................................................................................... 4 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 5 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................. 7

2 captured in all four Gospels as well as the Book of Acts. 2 Being an obedient servant of our Lord Jesus Christ and making disciples is a primary way in which we can glorify God and enjoy Him forever, which is the chief end of man. Dave Early, in Disciple Making Is… , states “The will of God is for you and me to give our lives urgently and recklessly to make the gospel and glory of God known among all peoples. God’s will for your life is fulfilling the Great Commission. God’s will for your life is making disciples.” 3 Discipleship is not merely a suggestion to be carried out by a select few or a command to be obeyed when convenient. 4 Jesus invokes His authority over all creation, over all heaven and earth, in making this command. Making disciples must be paramount in the life of an obedient, mature Christ-follower. 5 Early writes, “The primary term in the Great Commission is the imperative verb ‘make disciples.’ The other words ‘go,’ ‘baptize,’ and ‘teach’ all modify and explain how we are to fulfill the primary task: make disciples.” 6 Going and Preaching We cannot fulfill the Great Commission by simply waiting in church and expecting the lost to wander in; we must intentionally go into the world to seek them. 7 Jesus Himself came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). Jesus is the good shepherd (John 10:11) who pursued the single lost sheep (Luke 15:4). Jesus did not come to minister to those who are spiritually well but rather those who were sick with sin (Mark 2:17). We must emulate our Lord’s example by 2 Dave Earley , “Introduction: Fulfilling the Great Commission,” in Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013), 2. 3 Ibid., 3. 4 Ibid. 5 Ibid. 6 Ibid. 7 Ibid., 4.

3 establishing a ministry of presence as pastors and chaplains to the lost, hurt, and broken-hearted. We must be committed to “proclaim God’s love to a world tha t may never step through the doors of a church;” therefore , disciple-markers must step out of the doors of the church and go into a world full of pain and suffering. 8 It is not enough to go; we must also preach the good news of the Gospel to all people and all nations. 9 While it is the conviction and work of the Holy Spirit that brings a person to the acceptance of the gift of salvation given by God’s grace , the Great Commission makes it clear that all believers must be ready and equipped to evangelize. 10 Baptizing and Teaching Authors Benjamin Forrest and Chet Roden make an important distinction on discipleship in their book, Biblical Leadership: Theology for the Everyday Leader, writing that disciples are not made by the work of human hands. 11 Jesus has the sole authority to make disciples as He stated in Matthew 28:18. Forrest and Roden write, “You have not ‘ discipled ’ people until you have both baptized them and taught them. 12 It is clear that creating disciples through the power of the Holy Spirit requires baptism and teaching that the body of Christ has the honor of sharing with Jesus at the head of the church. 13 Baptism is an ordinance of the church that requires new believers to be a part of a “community of believers who identify themselves by the name of the 8 Naomi K. Paget and Janet R. McCormack, The Work of the Chaplain (Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 2006), 116-117. 9 Earley, “Introduction” in Disciple Making Is, 4. 10 Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciples for the Christian Life (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2014), 121. 11 Benjamin Forrest and Chet Roden, Biblical Leadership: Theology for the Everyday Leader (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2017), 331. 12 Ibid. 13 Ibid.

5 (Ephesians 4:27). 18 To allow darkness to gain a foothold is the same as “consciously or unconsciously have hun g a sign to demons saying “Vacancy – Rooms Available.” 19 This is an area that I feel the modern evangelical church is particularly vulnerable. A 2009 Barna Research poll of Christians found that 59% of them agree or strongly agreed that Satan “is not a liv ing being but is a symbol of evil.” 20 The church cannot properly stand firm against our Adversary if it does not even acknowledge his existence. To be effective disciple-makers, we must make ourselves available to the tools that God gave us to wage spiritual battle, namely the whole armor of God, prayer, and the word of God (Ephesians 6). We must remain vigilant and sober-minded (1 Peter 5:8). We must give our entire body, mind, and soul to God (Mark 12:30). Conclusion In his first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul outlined that purpose of mankind is to glorify God in all things stating, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God,” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Every aspect of our lives should be centered on t his goal. Jesus told His disciples, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples,” (John 15:8). In order to bear much fruit, Christians must follow the command Jesus gave us before his ascension which was to make disciples of all nations. Once a new believer accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they become an enemy of the world (James 4:4) with an active adversary prowling around like a hungry lion seeking to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Therefore, it is vital that that we train new Christians in spiritual warfare. Disciple- 18 Karl Payne, Spiritual Warfare: Christians, Demonization and Deliverance (Alexandria, VA: Republic Books, 2020). 88. 19 Ibid., 89. 20 “Most American Christians Do Not Believe that Satan or the Holy Spirit Exist,” Research Releases, Barna Research, last modified April 13, 2009, https://www.barna.com/research/most-american-christians-do-not- believe-that-satan-or-the-holy-spirit-exist/ .

6 making is clearly commanded by Jesus in the Great Commission. We are to go forth into the world, making new disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to follow the ways of the Lord, while training them in spiritual warfare.