Dr. Ed Stetzer is the Executive Director of the Lifeway Research Division. Stetzer has obtained two masters degrees and two doctorate degrees, and he currently serves as pastor of Grace Church in Tennessee. In addition to being the Executive Director for a division of lifeway and a pastor, Stetzer is also a contributing author for Christianity Today, Executive Editor of The Gospel Project, Executive Editor of Facts & Trends Magazine, co-host of the BreakPoint This Week Radio Program, and a columnist for Outreach Magazine.
In his article, Better Discipleship: 5 Broken Views of Discipleship and How to Fix them, Ed Stetzer writes on the topic of discipleship. The thesis of this article is that there are five broken views of discipleship such as, we equate discipleship with religious knowledge, we try to program discipleship, we equate discipleship with our preaching, we think that we will grow without
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Ed combats this view with the idea that the point of discipleship is not information, but Christ-like transformation. The second “broken view” presented is the fact that we try to program discipleship. Ed infers that discipleship is so much more than a six-week course, and people are looking for relationships more than discipleship classes. The third “broken view” is that we equate discipleship with our preaching. In fact, 56% of pastors surveyed believe their weekly sermon was the most important discipling ministry in the church. Ed battles this idea with the truth of how discipleship is a daily process and commitment. The fourth “broken view” is that we think that we will grow without effort. Ed then implies that discipleship takes intentional effort to grow in their relationship with the Lord. The fifth “broken view” of discipleship is we don’t offer practical steps to discipleship. Stetzer argues that we need to be intentional about implementing discipleship
The film adaptation of the religious musical Godspell composed Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebleak attempts to revitalize Christianity by expressing the teachings of Christ as expressed in the Gospel of Matthew in contemporary terms. Structured through parables primarily sung but also enacted through puppetry, storytelling, and skits; the main point of the film is to translate complex philosophical ideas into terms easily understood by a modern-day audience. In the Bible, Jesus illustrates his teaching to his disciples through stories of everyday situations. The play/film accomplishes the same task, but because Godspell is set thousands of years later, the details of the stories are once again modernized to the intended audience. The
In the 1870s a movement called Social Gospel appeared. Walter Rauschenbusch, Charles Sheldon, and Washington Gladden, were all Protestant Ministers that led this movement to fight against social injustices. They believed that helping others was the way to salvation and true Christians should live their life through the thinking of “What would Jesus do?”. Even those not led by religion began to believe that they should help others. An example of this is the 700,000 subscribers to a newspaper titled Appeal to Reason.
The Protestant Reformation in England, starting in 1534 with the Act of Supremacy led to a disheveled nation affected by many new policies implemented by King Henry the eighth. Catholics protested the new policies with the Pilgrimage of Grace lasting from October 1536 to February 1537. Concerning participants in the Pilgrimage of Grace was Thomas Cromwell’s subjective orders and the effects resulting from the King imposing his authority over the peasants. Participants in this march were vying for the restoration of Catholic traditions and ways of life. All of this was in response to those who were against this movement and were working to raise the Crown’s authority after being worried about an uprising or revolt against the Protestant King.
In Brave New Discipleship, Max Anders makes the case that traditional discipleship is failing in the modern era. While the goal should be the same, there needs to be a different methodology. He explains that in the new non-Christian based culture, a holistic approach to discipleship is necessary. Any part of life not dealt with during discipleship will automatically be filled with the culture’s ungodly view, making Christians no different than the rest of society. According to Anders, there are seven key characteristics of a complete Christian: worshiping God individually, worshiping God corporately, growing in biblical knowledge, growing in Christlike lifestyle, growing in ministry skill, impacting the church, and impacting the world.
Such understanding is a reminder that the preacher is an unworthy vessel being
SINGAPORE BIBLE COLLEGE Book Reflection: The Wounded Healer by Henri J. M. Nouwen Submitted to Esther Tan CO502 – Theory and Practice in Counseling by Shongzan Chanlila Khayi Mail Box # 120 SINGAPORE 21 August, 2013 The Wounded Healer by Henri J.M. Nouwen is one such book which is simple yet very insightful, solemn yet very challenging. He stirs up our interest as he deals with the biggest concern of our modern day leaders in our churches and society – the struggle with our weaknesses. And I believe his philosophy goes much deeper than what is actually written.
It’s like a revolving door; people come and go. The message of this book is how to develop a church that keeps people in the church (willfully) and closing the door. Not necessarily through a program or new things to keep people entertained but rather a simple method which best reflects the new testament way of doing things. Sermon-based small groups work because they are focused on linear programs and relationships.
Ehrenreich, B. (2016). Class Matters. Anglican Theological Review, 98(1), 15-21. This article, written by a highly-respected author, effectively discusses topics that I will be utilizing for the problem and solution sections of my final paper.
Jeff Bridges takes the lofty goal of perfect holiness and shows how every Christian is called to live out their lives; holiness is achieved by pursuing God in every aspect of our lives, following the way of Christ and not the ways of the world, and obeying the Lord in everything we do. He emphasizes the idea that holiness is not an end result but rather a lifetime challenge. This book follows the teachings of many pastors and authors I have personally encountered and I found it very settling to know that the information I have heard for many years is still applicable and holds its truth. One very important point Bridges makes throughout this small book is how sin separates us from God and it is our duty to release this sin and work towards
3:16-17). Baxter correctly highlighted the primary duty of minister in correcting those disobedience or rebellious flock – “To bring your people to submit to this course of private catechizing or instruction; for, if they will not come to you, or allow you to come to them, what good can they receive?” However, when we look at today’s congregation, especially old believers, their mindset had changed – though at the beginning of salvation, they humbly followed all the minister’s instructions diligently for their soul’s healing, but after sometimes, they hardened their heart to any kind of pastoral treatment as though they are superior than their shepherd. They will not come to us and will not allow us to come to
In this essay i will be providing examples from scripture that show God is teaching people and people are teaching each other. One example that i can think of at the moment is "honor thy father and mother..." God is teaching us that we need to respect our parents, and from a very young age our parents teach us how to honor them. In The Book of Proverbs it says " Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding..." There is multiple people that you run into and ask for advice, some will give you just advice and other will give the advice and add on by saying to trust in God.
The sermon begins with an introduction to the story of Peter Healing a Lame Beggar and emphasizes on Acts 3:1-8. Bishop Jakes discusses that the man in the story was only expecting to receive something, no matter what it was, as long as it was something. He then goes into how people are afraid of disappointment, how to have the courage to raise your expectations, and how to break your patterns. He describes how the environment you are in can affect your success and how it’s beneficial to surround yourself with others who are better and who have different things than you do. To be able to want better and receive better, you have to surround yourself with better.
Both Os Guinness and J. I. Packer had similar ideas as presented in the reader for our class. Guinness in his book “The Call” stated that we must rightly order our primary and secondary callings (p. 38), while Packer in his book “Knowing God” demanded that we must know God to shape a foundation for our lives (p. 99). While both are unachievable in their entirety, even the attempt to do both actions is crucial for living better stories as disciples of Christ. Both also are interdependent in that they assist in undergirding each other. Our primary and secondary callings assist us in the understanding of what we as disciples are asked to do.
In chapter 14 of the John’s Gospel Jesus is speaking with his disciples at the last supper. The portion of this chapter that is most relevant to this paper are verses 1-7, so these will be there verses dealt with. This chapter begins with Jesus comforting his disciples saying, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith in me also. ”(John
Discuss the difference between numinous and mystical religious experience, and give specific examples to illustrate the difference. A religious experience is a strong experience or feeling that pulls you closer to God. There are many different forms of religious experiences, but two of the more prominent type of ones are numinous and mystical religious experiences. Both of these experiences makes one feel as if they are connected with the higher spirit world. A numinous experience is a type of religious experience when you recognize that you are in the presence of something greater than yourself.