Sermon Tone Analysis

Eric Meyer

CMN 8263: Discipleship & Evangelism

Professor Lanker

May 13th, 2008

 

/The Complete Book of Discipleship/ Outline

Introduction:

*Summary:*  The tendency for churches to preach non-discipleship Christianity leads to many people believing that they are saved by grace without really having to follow Jesus’ teachings.

A merger of 3 current discipleship teaching methods is now occurring which may help to alleviate the problem.

1.      Churches have acquiesced to societal pressures leading to a situation where congregations are populated with both serious disciples and casual Christians.

2.      Classic discipleship focuses on the basic disciplines of Christianity, but may not address problems in the personal lives of disciples.

3.       Spiritual formation teaches a person to take on the character of Jesus through a combination of God’s grace and individual effort, though the self directed study and theological liberalism may direct a disciple towards Eastern philosophy.

4.      Environmental discipleship builds a sense of community, but may lead to too much tolerance which waters down Jesus’ message.

*Quote: *“We have not only been saved by grace, we have been paralyzed by it” (p.

16)

*Interaction:*  In the late 18th century, William Wilberforce identified the problem of “Cultural Christianity”.

In the early 20th century, Bonhoeffer called it “Cheap Grace”.

Now Bill Hull defines the problem that has plagued Christianity for centuries as “Non-Discipleship Christianity”.

I see this problem in my church, and look forward to helping to alleviate it.

Eric Meyer

CMN 8263: Discipleship & Evangelism

Professor Lanker

May 13th, 2008

 

/The Complete Book of Discipleship/ Outline

Chapter 1, Biblical Foundations of Discipleship:

*Summary:*  Discipleship, following the teachings of Jesus, is not optional for Christians.

It is the very foundation of our faith.

1.

Jesus came to serve and to teach us to serve.

He is not asking us to do something that He didn’t do, but to model His actions as closely as possible.

2.      Disciples are not born, they are made.

The first step is to find people who need Christ.

Second, new Christians develop character by learning to obey Jesus.

Finally, the disciples are sent on the Great Commission.

3.      Disciples will spend their lives in training.

There is no simple program that will work.

Too many Christians take a class, but receive no additional training.

4.      Being a disciple will transform a life.

Discipleship requires deep faith, and this leads to the joy of working for God.

There is no such thing as faith without works.

*Quote:*  “But because discipleship is fundamentally about the choice to follow Jesus, it needs to be a way of life for all of life.”

(p.

36)

*Interaction: *In 1 Samuel 3:4, God calls and Samuel responds, “Here I am.”

We he finally realized it was the Lord calling, I imagine Samuel yelled that phrase with joy, and that the sentence would end with an exclamation point.

When I hear God calling for me, I want to act with the joy of a child, yelling, “Here I am!!!”  My goal is to teach other adults that being a Christian requires a deep commitment.

When we answer, “Here I am!” it means we have given Jesus all of our life.

Eric Meyer

CMN 8263: Discipleship & Evangelism

Professor Lanker

May 13th, 2008

 

/The Complete Book of Discipleship/ Outline

Chapter 2:  Origins of Discipleship

*Summary:  *The concept of discipleship is ancient, going back throughout recorded human history.

While the fundamentals are similar between different ages and cultures, Jesus redefined discipleship to carry his message forward indefinitely.

1.

The earliest forms of mentoring~/discipleship involved a master who taught an apprentice.

The apprentice joined a master’s school, gave his all to the master, and eventually becoming a master to his own apprentices.

2.      Jesus rewrote the rules.

The key differences are that he chooses His disciples; they will always have Jesus as a master, and will never become masters themselves.

3.      Once a disciple begins to follow Jesus, he has the responsibility of submitting to a teacher,  learning the words of Jesus, His way of ministry, imitating His life and character, and then find and teach others to be disciples.

4.      Unfortunately, Most Christians are unwilling to submit to a teacher.

They are also unwilling to look for new Christians outside of their current church.

*Quote:  *“I wonder if we’re more committed to packing our churches than to penetrating our culture.”

(p.

72)

*Interaction:  *In Luke 14:28, Jesus say what folly it is to start building without determining if we can afford to finish the project.

If we are to follow Jesus, we need to commit to the entire process.

Otherwise, we risk being called hypocrites, and damaging our Father’s reputation.

Eric Meyer

CMN 8263: Discipleship & Evangelism

Professor Lanker

May 13th, 2008

 

/The Complete Book of Discipleship/ Outline

Chapter 3:  The Story of Discipleship

* Summary:  *The story of discipleship is one of humility, courage, community, deep faith, and accountability.

Simple people of faith have kept Christianity alive for 2,000 years.

1.       Christianity has always centered on community.

By serving others as Jesus did in a worship community, people experience unity and love while having accountability partners to emphasize study, prayer, and service.

2.      Spiritual discipline is the hallmark of the great disciples highlighted in this chapter.

Most lived in very difficult times, but kept close to God through this discipline.

3.      God wants us to love Him with our hearts, souls, and *mind*.

In order to be good stewards of His kingdom, we need to exercise our mental abilities.

4.      A life with Christ means self-denial.

We are to take up our cross daily in answer to His call.

*Quote:  *“It all converged in that moment of the Eucharist, when Christ was present with His people.”

(p.

90)

*Interaction:  *Hull describes disciples who have lead by example.

They gave up their lives daily for Jesus.

I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 15:14.

These were men who /knew/ Jesus because of their spiritual disciplines.

They were willing to give up their lives because they /knew/ Jesus had, and had risen from the grave.

As Pascal said, “I believe those witnesses that get their throats cut.”[i]

Eric Meyer

CMN 8263: Discipleship & Evangelism

Professor Lanker

May 13th, 2008

 

/The Complete Book of Discipleship/ Outline

Chapter 4:  The Distinguishing Marks of a Disciple

*Summary:  *Following Jesus means living a life filled with action verbs.

The first step is choosing to follow.

Then the disciple imitates, trains, ministers, teaches, denies self, submits, suffers, and exalts.

Dedicated discipleship conforms one to Christ’s image.

1.

The first and most important thing a disciple can do is to spread the word of Jesus.

This is so important that spiritual formation should be the only work of the church.

2.      As mentioned earlier, Jesus chooses His disciples.