2007-02-09

Discipleship Evangelism - What's the Difference


What is the key difference between our past way of evangelism and "Discipleship Evangelism" http://www.delessons.org/ ?

Jesus in Mark 16:15 and Mat 28:19-20 commissioned all to preach the Gospel and to make disciples of all nations. 

The traditional evangelism over-stressed on part 1 - preaching to get people saved and unintentionally making the 2nd part, the discipleship part, almost an optional item. 

The Gospel message is "Believe in Jesus and receive Eternal-life". 
While this is not wrong, eternal-life is usually defined as going-to-heaven after death; or saved from Hell. This very narrow definition of Eternal-life resulted in getting saved as end-point. If one is saved and then that is the-end, why bother with discipleship. Worse till, if I have been already saved by Grace, hell-proof, then I can do what I want. 

But Eternal life, defined by John 17:3 , is about knowing God, not escaping of hell. ("This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.") . It, Zoe Life, is God's kind of life for fellowship and union with God (vs. animal, plant kind of life).

I suggest that we change our message from "Believe in Jesus and receive Eternal Life." to "Believe in Jesus and be Born Again with the New Life of , with and in God now." The purpose of creation and of salvation is the same, life with God.
Another key difference in Evangelism & Discipleship is not just preach "Jesus for Salvation" but to share and apply the teachings of the Bible to the everyday real life issues - showing how Bible or God sees and solve the issues of lives.
The third difference, not clear in the title itself, is in the message of Grace - the completed work of Christ gives us the ability the live the life that we should. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ for good works to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. We are to live out the Christ within us. We are not to work in fear of loosing our salvation.
    
Here is the summary:
Traditional
Discipleship Evangelism
1. Conversion is the objective.
Re-Birth is the Beginning.
Intimacy with God is the purpose starting now.
2. Multiply by Preaching & Getting others to preach Salvation
Multiply by reproducing disciples
3. Work to maintain Salvation.
Performance out of fear of loosing Salvation
Saved for Good Work to Glorify God, out of Grace of Christ in us.
4. Eternal Life as a product.
A new beginning and continued as a process, relationship, togetherness, in God and with one-another.
5. Teaching
Sharing of Life or Role-Modeling
Knowing and Applying the Bible to everyday life.

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