I want to share about two different approaches to discipleship that are quite common in the church.
Knowledge-Based Discipleship:
Discipleship is based on gaining and attaining knowledge of God and the Scriptures. Discipleship is measured by the amount of information you have and the level of knowledge that you have of the Word of God. This is the most common approach to discipleship in most western churches. Which is why we have so many programs, classes and bible studies. As an example, many of the same people attend the same Bible Study at the same church year after year. As a result, their knowledge increases, meanwhile they make no changes in their lives and they obey little to nothing of what they learn. The more you know, the more discipled you are (so they think). I will let you find verses to support this approach. Best of luck.
Obedience-Based Discipleship:
Discipleship is measured when you obey and DO what you are learning. It is not merely gaining knowledge for the sake of knowledge, but for the sake of action. Learn, do. Learn, do. Hear, obey. Hear, obey. Even radically. Obedience based discipleship means serious commitment to following Jesus, not just knowing him. The demons knew Him and believed. Will you follow what you hear? Three times in John 15 Jesus says if you love me, you will obey me. The very heart of the Great Commission in Matthew 28 is for us to GO and teach people to OBEY EVERYTHING that he has commanded.
This is serious! I hope that you catch this. Understanidng the difference between these two approaches can transform your life and your church. What if preaching became about obedience instead of knowledge…in a way that people actually had to show how they are oberying what the hear each week? What if we decided that everything we do as a church will now consist of hearing God and obeying him?
noah kaye
A very Good Free for download workbook to make Obedience-Based Discipleship: Obedience-based Discipleship
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The following promises from God’s Word can be taken corporately and individually.
Jn 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be 72 in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” (NIV)
This passage from the Gospel of John gives us tremendous insights into the results of obedience for individuals and groups. Examine this list of benefits.
• Jesus will ask the Father to give us a Counselor (the Holy Spirit) who will be with us forever
• The Holy Spirit will live with us and be in us
• We will not be abandoned as orphans, but Christ will come to us
• We will see Christ even if the world cannot see him
• We will live because Christ lives
• We will be loved by the Father
• We will be loved by Christ
• Christ will show Himself to us
I could write a book explaining these benefits alone, but John is not finished.
David watson
Knowledge-Based Discipleship:
Discipleship is based on gaining and attaining knowledge of God and the Scriptures. Discipleship is measured by the amount of information you have and the level of knowledge that you have of the Word of God. This is the most common approach to discipleship in most western churches. Which is why we have so many programs, classes and bible studies. As an example, many of the same people attend the same Bible Study at the same church year after year. As a result, their knowledge increases, meanwhile they make no changes in their lives and they obey little to nothing of what they learn. The more you know, the more discipled you are (so they think). I will let you find verses to support this approach. Best of luck.
Obedience-Based Discipleship:
Discipleship is measured when you obey and DO what you are learning. It is not merely gaining knowledge for the sake of knowledge, but for the sake of action. Learn, do. Learn, do. Hear, obey. Hear, obey. Even radically. Obedience based discipleship means serious commitment to following Jesus, not just knowing him. The demons knew Him and believed. Will you follow what you hear? Three times in John 15 Jesus says if you love me, you will obey me. The very heart of the Great Commission in Matthew 28 is for us to GO and teach people to OBEY EVERYTHING that he has commanded.
This is serious! I hope that you catch this. Understanidng the difference between these two approaches can transform your life and your church. What if preaching became about obedience instead of knowledge…in a way that people actually had to show how they are oberying what the hear each week? What if we decided that everything we do as a church will now consist of hearing God and obeying him?
noah kaye
A very Good Free for download workbook to make Obedience-Based Discipleship: Obedience-based Discipleship
source:http://www.revivaltimes.org |
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The following promises from God’s Word can be taken corporately and individually.
Jn 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be 72 in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” (NIV)
This passage from the Gospel of John gives us tremendous insights into the results of obedience for individuals and groups. Examine this list of benefits.
• Jesus will ask the Father to give us a Counselor (the Holy Spirit) who will be with us forever
• The Holy Spirit will live with us and be in us
• We will not be abandoned as orphans, but Christ will come to us
• We will see Christ even if the world cannot see him
• We will live because Christ lives
• We will be loved by the Father
• We will be loved by Christ
• Christ will show Himself to us
I could write a book explaining these benefits alone, but John is not finished.
David watson