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Study of the Christian’s Ultimate Goal – The Training of New Christians
Lesson Two
(AN EXAMPLE PAGE OUT OF THE INSTITUTE)
Lesson Verse: Ephesians 4:11,12
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” Ephesians 4:11,12
I.
Introduction
A. Watch the operation of the New Testament church:
1. Do you know what the New Testament church was full of in the first century? ______________! (Acts 1:15; 6:1; 9:1,26)
2. As well as ____________ (Apostles) training disciples Acts 6:1-7
3. Those disciples were now on their own, doing the work of the ministry themselves (Acts 8:3,4)!
4. Go back to Matthew 10:1.
a. Start off with ____ disciples - learners, followers of Jesus.
b. Luke 10:1 says next there were ________.
c. Acts 1:15 says _______.
5. Come to Antioch, and the disciples were being called "__________" by the world’s crowd (not by themselves) - a derogatory term (Acts 11:26)!
6. Today, everybody calls themselves Christians, but so few are disciples of the Lord. The work of Discipleship has been neglected (Heb 5:12-14)!
B. Let’s define what a Disciple is:
1. Associated with Discipline - Student of someone else (Matt 9:9; 16:24; 19:21; John 12:26).
2. One willing to be taught (Mt 11:28,29, “...and _______ of me...”).
C. Let’s define what a Discipler is: A Trainer, a Coach, someone whose life, and not words are an example to someone else: as Jesus was!
D. The importance of the work of discipleship:
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This is the only “occupation” that I know of that has as its primary goal Relegation instead of Domination!!! |
1. 1 Tim 3:2
2. 2 Tim 2:2
3. 2 Tim 2:24,25
E. The purpose of discipleship then is the reproduction of the disciple! The original source of discipleship for the Jew was _______ (John 9:28). The original source of discipleship in Christianity is Jesus Christ, the Master (Luke 6:40). The role of this relationship is that the Master produces another master like unto himself! In the case of New Testament Christianity, the reproduction of the master is to be LIKE the Master. Discipleship takes a person and equips them not just to be saved, but with the goal of them producing a Christian that is able to produce another Christian (1 Thess 1:6-9)!!!!
F. The Primary Role of New Testament Christianity is ___________ from start to finish (2 Tim 1:11; 1 Cor 1:17; Mark 16:15).
G. But, preaching without ___________ is worthless. Preaching is supposed to instruct the hearers (Acts 2:37; 5:42; Col 1:28; 2 Tim 1:11). Not negating preaching, or soul-winning in the least! The issue involves what is God’s goal in winning someone to Christ? Is it to subject them to US, or to enable them to operate independent of us? Notice all the men that are with Paul everywhere he goes, always with the purpose of training them for their own ministries (Titus 1:5; 2 Tim 4:10).
H. Soul-winning produces “saints!” But if the saints aren’t producing more saints, then soul-winners are producing BABIES - it makes God sick (Rev 3:14-20)!
I. Back to Eph 4:11,12 - To “perfect the saints” means to equip them to be masters, and not dependent upon an elite class of “instructors.” The worst dependency class today is that of a laity that are terminally dependent upon professional instructors (seminars and “courses”), because they have not been equipped nor prodded to take the lead!