LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Christian in Discipleship
Submitted to Dr. James Wood, in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the completion of the course


DSMN 500-D06 LUO
Contemporary Evangelism


by
Shamyra Kennedy-Jones
July 30, 2014


Christ is Central
The centrality of Christ in Christian discipleship is vital. Paul best discusses this in
Colossians 3 where he tells the people of Colossae to seek the things that are above and not to
seek those that are earthly. Colossians 3:1-11 states that:
1
If then you have been raised with
Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2
Set your
minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
3
For you have died, and your life
is hidden with Christ in God.
4
When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear
with him in glory.
5
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity,
passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which are idolatry.
6
On account of these the wrath of God
is coming.
7
In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
8
But now you must put
them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
9
Do not lie to
one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
10
and have put on the new
self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
11
Here there is not
Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all,
and in all.
In the last part of this scripture Paul uses is, Christ is all, and in all. As a disciple of
Christ we need to put away our old self. And the only way for us to this is through Christ.
Without Christ as the center of our Christian discipleship and that we need to focus on what not
to do so that our action as Christians will not dilute the message of Christ. Our action should not
take the focus off God. In his Unchristian, David Kinnaman talks about the many current
negative views that modern Christianity has, by providing this answer for the negative outlook
on Christianity:
Why would present-day Christianity inspire such unfavorable reactions? Our studies
explored the nature of the perceptions about Christianity not just pro or con but the substance
of how people feel about Christians and Christianity. The central goal was not just to determine
if people feel negatively but why. What are we known for? One Crucial insight kept popping up
in our exploration. In studying thousands of outsiders impressions, it is clear that Christians are
primarily perceived for what they stand against. We have become famous for what we oppose,
rather than what we are for.[1]
Disciples of Christ should not be known by what they oppose. Jesus said in John 13:35
all will know His disciples, if they have love for one another. Discipleship begins at salvation. At
the center of salvation is the Gospel. At the center of the Gospel is Christ. Christian discipleship
can only begin with and exist within a relationship with Jesus Christ. Christian discipleship does
not deal with theoretical ideas or a set moral code the disciple must follow in order to be worthy.
A Christian disciple is one that has a relationship with the risen living savior Jesus Christ. His
life, his teachings, prayer and devotion to him must be the central invading force within the
Christian. That is where the disciples growth and transformation comes from.
Once the disciple has Christ as the center submission and obedience in all aspects of life
are demanded. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus explains how important submission and
obedience is for his disciples. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth Matthew 5:5.


[1] (Kinnaman and Lyons 2007, 26)

The word meek used here is a husbandry term. Its not an idea of weakness but one of a
powerful draft animal using its strength to fulfill the will of its task master. Christ does not desire
mindless drones for His disciples. He wants use our personalities, quirks and uniqueness to His
glory. This requires submission of every aspect of the disciples life to the will of Christ.
Bonhoeffer describes the idea of discipleship without submission or obedience as cheap grace.
Cheap grace means justification of sin but not of the sinner. Because grace alone does
everything, everything can stay in its old ways.[2] Christian disciples should instead be seeking
after costly grace. It is costly, because it calls to discipleship; it is grace, because it calls us to
follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs people their lives; it is grace, because it thereby
makes them live.[3]
This call to obedience on the Christian is not selective to certain aspects of life. Christ
wants submission to him in everything. Looking at the example in Christs own life he submitted
everything and expects the same from us. Matthew 26:39 And going a little farther he fell on
his face and prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless,
not as I will, but as you will. Knowing that complete submission to His Fathers will required
His life Christ submitted.
This perfect submission and obedience is not something easily achieved by the disciple. It
is only obtainable as the Gospel transforms the disciples life. In the Earley and Dempsey text a
disciple is described as a protg. The word disciple means student or learner. It describes a
[2] (Bonhoeffer 2003, 43)
[3] (Ibid., 45)

protg who learns and follows his teachers precepts and instructions. It speaks of a follower
who adopts the lifestyle of his master. In the first century, a disciple-making relationship was
based on intimacy and obedience.[4] Being a disciple of Christ requires a biblical world view.
That means that every aspect of the disciples life must mirror that of Christ when
interacting with the world. George Barna Writes: If you are to act like a Christian, you must
think like a Christian. And to think like a Christian, you must be fully immersed in the
knowledge of your faith and the application of its principles in godly practices. Because every
thought, word, and deed has consequences, every choice we make must be carefully considered.
The only way to truly ensure that we represent Christ well in every aspect of our lives is to
respond to reality on the basis of a Bible-based worldview. In other words, we must filter every
choice through a mind and heart so saturated with Gods perspectives that our choices reflect His
choices. Our fallen nature prevents us from flawlessly representing the ways of God, but the
more we own His truths and principles, the better we will be at living a truly Christian life.[5]
This shows how imperative it is that every aspect of the disciples life is lived in
submission to Christ. The disciple must completely submit because Christs way is superior to
that of the world. Jesus lovingly rules our lives, and as He does He replaces the falsehood we
were handed from the world with the truth.[6]

[4] (Earley and Dempsey 2013, 49)
[5] (Barna 2001, 100)
[6] (Putman, Harrington and Coleman 2013, 47)

Three Stage Discipleship
According to the Earley and Dempsey text there are three stages of discipleship. Stage
one is Declaration. This stage is where investigation leads to repentance and faith in Jesus. Stage
two is Development. This stage focuses on immersion into the new life, abandonment of the old
life, and apprenticeship into ministry. The third stage is Deployment or intentional global
commissioning.[7]
These stages are a representation of how the Discipleship process should work. It should
be a progression of salvation, training and sending. Where the end goal is for the disciple being
sent in turn begins presenting salvation through the gospel to future Christian disciples. These
steps are progressive and disregarding one step and skipping to the next is detrimental to all
steps.
Salvation must come first. Without the act of acknowledging sinful nature, repentance
from sin and acceptance of Christ as savior submitting to the teaching and calling of Jesus Christ
is impossible. The goal is to arrive at a place of committed belief.[8] This committed belief is
the foundation for the rest of discipleship. The main act of obedience in stage one is submitting
to the initial call of salvation and repentance.
Stage two and three are ongoing processes these two stages never end. However stage
two must be begun and accomplished to a certain point prior to stage three beginning. Stage two
is the act
[7] (Earley and Dempsey 2013, 59)
[8] (Ibid.)
of being made perfect or fit to serve. This stage the act of obedience is submitting all of the
disciples life to the better way of Christ. This is where the disciple does away with the things of
the world and replaces them with the things of Christ. The reason stage two is never completed
is because our sinful nature and desire is never completely gone until we are with Christ in
heaven. So stage two will constantly require maintenance as evident by Pauls words in 2
Corinthians 12:7, Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn
in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me, even though Paul was most definitely
pursuing stage three being sent out to do ministry he still required maintenance in stage two.
Finally the third stage is that of being sent out to be a disciple maker. The obedience
required of this is to willingly go where ever it is that God sends the disciple. This stage is not
fulfilled until the disciple is called home to be with Christ in heaven. This is the fulfillment of
the great commission.







Bibliography
Barna, George. Growing True Disciples. Colorado Springs, Colorado: WaterBrook Press, 2001.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 4: Discipleship. Edited by Geffrey B.
Kelly, & John D. Godsey. Translated by Barbara Green, & Reinhard Krauss. Vol. 4.
Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003.
Earley, Dave, and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Publishing
Group, 2013.
Kinnaman, David, and Gabe Lyons. Unchristian. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2007.
Putman, Jim, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman. Discipleshift. Grand Rapids, Michigan:
Zondervan, 2013.