Conlin's Theology of Discipleship
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655
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Religion
Date
Dec 6, 2023
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Pages
8
Uploaded by PresidentTank7013
Theology of Discipleship: Looking to Christ
Robert (Bob) Conlin
CHPL 655: Chaplain Evangelism and Discipleship
July 9, 2023
ii
Contents
Example of Jesus
...........................................................................................................................
1
Instruction of Jesus
.......................................................................................................................
3
Jesus’ Disciples in Action
.............................................................................................................
4
Conclusion
.....................................................................................................................................
5
Bibliography
..................................................................................................................................
6
1
Discipleship is intended to serve an invaluable purpose that connects
directly to God’
s
purpose for His creation, which is to glorify the divine Creator in all that we are, do, and become
through Him (1 Cor. 10:31, Rev. 4:11, NIV). In this light, there can be no greater honor and
calling than to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, who is perfectly obedient to the Father and expects
for all that follow Him to also demonstrate this through obedience. Many have and continue to
refer to followers of Christ as
Christians
but as Moody points out, Jesus never used the term,
Christian
. Rather
, “Jesus and His apostles used the word
disciple
over 260 times in the New
Testament.
”
1
Discipleship can manifest itself in many ways and therefore, it is necessary to
establish a sound theological foundation for this fundamental process that is attributed to
spiritual growth and the expansion
of God’s Kingdo
m. This paper will argue that the strongest
theological evidence found for the practice of discipleship points directly to the example Jesus
set, the instructions He provided, and the resulting action taken by all those that truly follow
Him.
Example of Jesus
Immediately upon starting His ministry here on earth, Jesus Christ began seeking out and
calling upon individuals to come and follow Him (Matt. 4:19). Those that Jesus called were
waiting for their long-anticipated Messiah, and what He was offering they accepted while not
fully understanding why He had selected them. Fo
r Jesus is always more interested in a person’s
heart as opposed to their outward appearance or present circumstances. Most have and will feel
that they are unworthy of the calling. Even Simon Peter cried out
to Jesus, “Go away from me,
Lord: I am a sinful man (Luke, 5:8)!
”
Jesus had to explain to Simon that his life and purpose had
1
Christopher Moody,
Disciple-Making Disciples: A Practical Theology of the Church
(Franklin, TN:
Carpenter’s
Son Publishing, 2021), 34.
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2
changed and that he would be fishing for people now (Luke 5:10). The way this works is that the
Lord lures people in, His disciples catch them, and Jesus cleans them. It is necessary to
understand that the chosen are made worthy of this calling and declared
righteous in God’s eyes
through Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). Moody highlights this in saying, "God does not call the equipped,
He equips the called” and when “you are call
ed to salvation, you are called to serve as a disciple-
maker."
2
The most accurate way to describe the example Jesus Christ set for all mankind, is that
He humbly, selflessly, and completely served out of love for the Father and all mankind. As the
prototypical disciple, Jesus demonstrated unconditional love, selfless service, complete humility,
and total obedience to the Father. Likewise, Jesus unselfishly gave of Himself physically,
spiritually, mentally, and emotionally to all His disciples and all those He served. Jesus shared
his life with all those that followed Him as He taught them about and prepared them for the
Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus willingly emptied Himself by putting aside His equality with God,
becoming a servant, willfully and obediently sacrificing His life for all mankind (Phil. 2:6-8).
Further demonstration of Jesus
’ servant
-leader nature is represented in the washing of His
disciples' feet as an act of compassion and an example of what they were to do for each other
(John 13:14-15). For Jesus goes on to explain that in Christlike humility, they are not to consider
themselves greater than anyone else (John 13:16). Jesus perfectly modeled to His disciples who
they were to become in Christ, and this same example applies to all that are called to follow
Him.
2
Christopher Moody,
Disciple-Making Disciples
, 173.
3
Instruction of Jesus
Any theological discussion concerning discipleship would be lacking without
acknowledging Jesus’ own words
pointing to what is widely referenced as the Great
Commission.
Jesus tells His disciples, “Theref
ore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19).
”
Essentially,
this is the primary mission of all true followers of Jesus so that mankind can receive salvation
through C
hrist and become prepared for God’s Kingdom. This is exactly what Jesus’ disciples
did to advance the Gospel, grow the early Church, and this mission has continued for two
millennia. Earley and Dempsey support this in saying the role of disciples
is, “purs
uing the lost,
preaching the gospel, baptizing believers, and training them to live for Christ and make more
disciples.”
3
Jesus calls upon men and women to follow Him and Jesus’ disciples serve as their
examples on how to carry this out. Jesus is never misleading in either the cost or reward
associated with following Him.
Jesus makes it clear that, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must
deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me (Matt. 16:24).
”
Jesus also exhorts to His
disciples that they must be willing to give up their earthly lives and possessions to receive the
gift of a glorious and eternal life (Matt. 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 17:33, John 12:25).
A pertinent question to ask is, why would men and women choose to give up everything
they know and have in order to follow Jesus Christ? Bonhoeffer suggests that it is precisely
because of who is asking, “Jesus summons men to follow him not as a teacher or a pattern of the
good life, but as the Christ, the Son of God.
”
4
The love of Christ is so incredibly pure and so
powerful that when an individual experiences it, their hearts, minds, and souls become
3
David Earley and Rod Dempsey,
Discipleship Making Is...How to Live the Great Commission with
Passion and Confidence
(Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2013), 5.
4
Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
The Cost of Discipleship
(New York: Touchstone, 1995), 58.
4
intertwined with God. Love is the essence of Jesus and He ensured that His disciples fully
understood that they can do nothing without a foundation of love.
Jesus said to His disciples, “A
new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:34-35).
”
Jesus also expressed to His disciples that it would be through their love of Him that they would
be capable of obedience
to all He instructed and commanded. He said, “If you love me, keep my
commands (John 14:15).
”
Jesus fully expected that His disciples love Him and others as deeply
and fully as Jesus demonstrated.
Jesus’
Disciples in Action
From John, to Matthew, to Peter, and Paul, Jesus’
early disciples were equipped with
His teachings, example, and fully committed to carrying out their mission of advancing the
Gospel and creating more disciples for Christ.
Empowered and guided by God’s promised Holy
Spirit as an Advocate for the truth of God’s Word, the disciples did miraculous things and
brought many to Christ by carrying out their God-given duties of discipleship (Acts 2:41, 4:4).
The process of making new disciples requires sharing in the lives of others through teaching,
guiding, modeling, encouraging, correcting, redirecting, and leading others to become
loving, obedient, and holy followers of Jesus Christ. Paul provided an excellent example of
Christlike humility and service in his expansive efforts to share the Gospel. In his epistle to the
Thessalonians he writes, “Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardshi
p; we
worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the Gospel of
God to you (1 Thess. 2:9).
”
Jesus’ disciples took to heart that they
were required to carry a heavy
load in caring for God’s children as a
shepherd cares for their flock. Jesus asked Simon Peter to
care for His sheep and he fully took this to heart (John 21:16). Sharing in each other's burdens
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5
and caring
for God’s children is the calling and responsibility of Jesus’ disciples.
Peter shares
these
instructions to all of Jesus’ disciples, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care,
watching over them
—
not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to
be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve (1 Peter 5:2).
”
Conclusion
By identifying a sou
nd theological basis for discipleship rooted in God’s Word, it
has
been clearly revealed that all who truly follow Jesus Christ are by default His disciples. Jesus
Christ established Himself as the prototypical disciple through His loving, humble, and
sacrificial servant-leader role. In sharing His love, life, and wisdom with all those that followed
Him, Jesus effectively created a troop of disciples that grew into an army over time. This paper
has provided substantial support for looking to the example of Jesus Christ, His clear
instructions, and the lives of His early disciples as a biblically and evidence-based theology for
discipleship.
6
Bibliography
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich.
The Cost of Discipleship
. New York: Touchstone, 1995.
Earley, David, and Rod Dempsey.
Discipleship Making Is...How to Live the Great Commission
with Passion and Confidence
. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2013.
Moody, Christopher.
Disciple-Making Disciples: A Practical Theology of the Church
.
Franklin, TN:
Carpenter’s Son Publishing, 2021.