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 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 being saved from Hell. This very narrow definition of Eternal-life resulted in getting saved as the end-point. If one is saved and then that is the end, why bother with discipleship. Worse still, 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 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 preaching "Jesus for Salvation" but sharing and applying the teachings of the Bible to everyday real-life issues - showing how the Bible or God sees and solves 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 losing our salvation.
    
Here is the comparison:

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 losing Salvation
Saved for Good Works to Glorify God, out of the Grace of Christ in us.
4. Eternal Life as a product.
A new beginning 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.

In summary, "Discipleship Evangelism" shifts the focus from merely converting individuals to nurturing an ongoing, intimate relationship with God. It encourages believers to grow in their faith, apply biblical principles to daily life, and reproduce other disciples, emphasizing grace and the transformative power of knowing God deeply.



No comments: