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Disciplemaking - Lesson 9

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Formed in the Image of Christ as a Disciple

In this lesson, Mary Jo Wilson and Joe Handley discuss the importance of becoming a disciple of Jesus and the formation of one's identity in Christ. They talk about the powerful witness of Christians during the triple disasters in Japan in 2011, where churches became centers for relief goods and the Christ-like compassion of believers was evident in their actions. They emphasize the importance of relationships in the formation of a disciple and how these relationships are what make Christians stand out in the world. They also discuss the ongoing process of becoming a disciple and the struggle of the lifelong journey. Ultimately, they assert that as disciples, Christians are mirrors of who Jesus is and must live out their faith in a way that reflects Him.
Taught by a Team
Taught by a Team
Joe Handley, and Mary Jo Wilson
Disciplemaking
Lesson 9
Watching Now
Formed in the Image of Christ as a Disciple

I. Introduction

A. Importance of being a disciple of Jesus

B. Relationship between our identity in Christ and formation as a disciple

II. The Role of Relationships in Discipleship

A. Importance of relational dynamic in discipleship

B. Gospel of Matthew and relationships with the Kingdom of God

C. Witness as a part of becoming a disciple

III. The Lifelong Journey of Discipleship

A. Struggles and challenges of being a disciple

B. The ongoing process of formation and growth

C. Power of relationships in the journey of discipleship

IV. Conclusion

A. Summary of the importance of discipleship

B. Call to action to continue the journey of discipleship


Lessons
About
Transcript
  • 1. Introduction to Disciplemaking
    Mary Jo Wilson and Joe Handley introduce themselves and express their excitement about the upcoming discipleship course, which aims to enhance participants' relationship with God and their work in the world, and encourage them to bring transformative change to their church and ministry.
  • 2. Disciplemaking Course Outline
    Joe Handley outlines the elements that they will be covered in the Disciplemaking course: what is a disciple, the great commandment, becoming a disciple, being a disciple, fruitfulness, and multiplying disciples.
  • 3. Discipleship Concepts
    The lesson discusses the approach to discipleship, which is focused on the four gospels and building obedient disciples through the seven obedience; it emphasizes a holistic approach to following Jesus and the informed imagination, and the course will focus on the gospels of John, Matthew, Luke, and Mark.
  • 4. Suffering & Persecution
    Mary Jo Wilson emphasizes the importance of understanding the role of suffering and persecution in discipleship, as it is a recurring theme in the Gospels and is also a part of the early church experience, and discusses how enduring such hardships can be a formative experience for Christians.
  • 5. Heart of Discipleship
    The lesson discusses the importance of abiding in Christ as the key to joy in life, bearing fruit in one's life, and becoming a disciple of Jesus through a deep and communal relationship with Him.
  • 6. Abiding in Christ
    Discipleship is not a program but a relationship. Abiding in Christ is the key to joy in life and bearing much fruit and is achieved through having a deep communal walk with Jesus and allowing Him to prune us to make us stronger.
  • 7. Dependence on the Holy Spirit
    Mary Jo Wilson discusses the importance of a posture of repentance and dependence on the Holy Spirit in the discipleship process, and highlights the work of the Holy Spirit in convicting of sin, guiding in decision making, and forming believers into Christ.
  • 8. Group Discussion 1 - What does it mean to be a disciple?
    The instructors and students discuss their thoughts and experiences on what it means to be a disciple, including the importance of maintaining a growing relationship with God, the internal aspects of discipleship, abiding in God, the role of inviting God into everyday life, and the significance of pruning.
  • 9. Formed in the Image of Christ as a Disciple
    This session discusses the importance of becoming a disciple of Jesus and our identity in Christ, illustrated through the example of churches in Japan becoming centers for relief goods after the 2011 disasters and being seen as representatives of Christ by the community.
  • 10. Sermon on the Mount and the Kingdom of God
    By taking this lesson, you will gain knowledge and insight into the relationship between the Sermon on the Mount and the Kingdom of God, including the importance of Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount and how they relate to the mission of the church and the call to discipleship.
  • 11. Matthew & the Kingdom of God
    The lesson discusses the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, where Jesus describes the Kingdom of God and how his followers are to live as salt and light in the world, raising the bar on the interpretation of the Old Testament law and calling for inner righteousness, forgiveness, and love for enemies.
  • 12. How the World Sees that Inner Work
    This lesson reviews the importance of becoming like Jesus and displaying his characteristics, such as humility and generosity, to become authentic Christ-centered people in our communities, and emphasizes the need for communal support to grow in our faith.
  • 13. Group Discussion 2 - Becoming a Disciple
    In this group discussion about discipleship and the Sermon on the Mount, the students and instructors reflect on the Beatitudes and how they challenge and contrast with the values of the world, and discuss how Jesus lifted up marginalized people and called all his followers to be salt and light in the world.
  • 14. Being a Disciple who Makes Disciples
    In this lesson Mary Jo Wilson and Joe Handley discuss transitioning from becoming a disciple to being a disciple who makes disciples, with a focus on the overflow of abiding in Christ into the lives of others.
  • 15. Spiritual Conversations
    Mary Jo Wilson discusses the importance of spiritual conversations and how to approach them in our daily lives through the example of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in John chapter 4.
  • 16. Using Your Gifts as Witness
    Joe Handley discusses the idea of being a disciple of Jesus and how to share one's story and witness through different tools, including prayer, social media, and engaging with others through layering of interactions.
  • 17. Group Discussion 3 - Making Disciples
    The class discusses the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, highlighting how Jesus approached the woman with humility and respect, treating her like a real person and engaging in a conversation with her, despite social and cultural barriers. They also discuss how Jesus challenged his disciples to adopt a Kingdom way that breaks down barriers and recognizes the value and dignity of all people.
  • 18. Introduction to Multiplying Disciples
    This session focuses on the importance of reproducibility and sustainability in disciple-making, drawing on examples from the book of Acts and personal anecdotes.
  • 19. Multiplication & a Culture of Discipleship
    Joe Handley discusses the importance of a reproducible culture of discipleship in the Kingdom of God, drawing on the idea of the mustard seed and how small actions can have a big impact, and provides examples of how this can be implemented in different contexts such as micro churches.
  • 20. Small Groups - A System for Disciplemaking
    This lesson provides information on small groups in discipleship, including their definition, anatomy, purpose, characteristics, steps for starting one, the role of the leader, the discipleship process in small groups, and their importance in discipleship in general.
  • 21. Discussion 4 - Multiplying Disciples
    Instructors Joe Handley and Mary Jo Wilson discuss with students their visions of the Kingdom of God, with one sharing their goal of sharing their story to help others understand the word of God, while another likens the planting of seeds to the growth of faith, stressing the importance of patience and trust in the process of nurturing them.
  • 22. Wrap-Up
    Joe Handley and Mary Jo Wilson discuss the importance of creating a practical plan for discipleship and ministry, encouraging listeners to reflect on what they've learned, and write a strategic personal plan for following through on their learning.
  • 23. Strategy Paper – Putting It All Together
    This lesson teaches how to pull together the different sections of a discipleship plan using the model of vision, intent and means, and suggests including a vision, introduction, conclusion and rule of life, while encouraging reflection and sharing with others.
  • 24. Developing a Rule of Life
    Joe Handley discusses the importance of creating a "rule of life" as part of a personal discipleship plan, which helps to balance and organize different areas of life, including spiritual, social, intellectual, and physical aspects.
  • 25. Prayer of Blessing
    Joe Handley and Mary Jo Wilson close their discipleship course by expressing gratitude for the opportunity to learn and grow together, and offer a prayer of blessing for their students to continue on their lifelong journey as faithful followers of Jesus.

In this class, you will explore the foundations, methods, and models of disciplemaking, drawing from biblical principles, historical perspectives, and theological insights. You will examine the disciplemaking approaches of Jesus and Paul, as well as modern examples and strategies. Additionally, you will learn how to develop a personal disciplemaking plan through the assessment of spiritual gifts and identification of ministry opportunities. Finally, you will delve into disciplemaking in the local church and beyond, including church-based strategies, cross-cultural disciplemaking, and equipping and multiplying disciplemakers.

Joe Handley and Mary Jo Wilson
Disciplemaking
EM520-09
Formed in_ the Image of Christ as a Disciple
Lesson Transcript

Mary Jo Wilson [00:00:01] Welcome back. We are moving into the next section where we focus on becoming a disciple of Jesus and also our identity in Christ and the formation of that. And this is such an important topic, and we see it's grounded in our relationship with God. But then it begins to show in our lives. Wonderful. Yeah. We were both in Japan with our Mission family when the triple disasters hit in Japan in 2011, and it was horrifying. Obviously, it was horrible to be there and to hear of the devastation. We were in the hills of Nagano, but we could still feel the tremor. But then subsequently, we really journeyed with our brothers and sisters in that in the Tohoku region. And it was amazing to see. And when I think about our formation and being a witness in our life of Witness of Christ, that in that area, the churches, there are not a lot of churches in that area, but they became Centers for Relief goods. And they were that were once they were maybe a building that people would walk by and not notice much. It became a center that was supporting the whole community. And it was amazing. The people in Japan would say. Sun came today, Crystal sun. And that's like the Christ person, Mr. Christ or Mrs. Christ. It was the Christ person came. So no matter where they came and people came from all over the globe, people came from all over Japan and different denominations, different groups. But in that setting, it was the Christ was bringing us food, bring us water, the provisions, and also standing with them and having that compassion of Christ and bringing that and sustaining it, really staying with them over. And there's still our mission family is still involved in that area. And so it is I just think I just realize how powerful that is that just by our being and living out that compassion and living is formed in our life, they see Jesus, you know, so cool.

Joe Handley [00:02:12] It is such a powerful picture of what it means to become a disciple. You know, as we live out this life, it is really relationships where it matters. And that illustration is so powerful as we talk about what it means to be a disciple, what it means to become a follower of Jesus. And that's what this section is going to be all about, where we talk about the relational dynamic. We're going to dig in a little bit into the Gospel of Matthew and the importance of relationships with the Kingdom of God. And I think you're really going to enjoy it. It's really how we stand out in the world, too. We'll be talking a little bit about the witness that we have as a part of becoming a disciple, that that illustration is so powerful and it's an ongoing process. We don't we don't all of a sudden become perfect. You know, part of being a disciple is the struggle of a lifelong journey. But the power of those relationships is poignant. I'll never forget some of the stories that Mary Jo described as Mr. Christ. You know, I remember one of the stories being told where our partners were holding barbecues for the neighbors. And, you know, they pull out a barbecue because folks didn't have meals to eat or they were in these shelters and just doing something special for them. And as the workers would come in to sir, set up the barbecue, there was overheard this little girl telling her grandmother pulling on her shirt, Grandma, Grandma, Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming. And it's that idea. They're Mr. Christ, you know, they're there. They're Jesus to them. And so it's so indicative of what we talked about in the last section of this idea of abiding in Christ, because we are a mirror of who Jesus is. And that's what we're going to be talking about in this section today. And I think prepare yourselves. I think we're going to really learn a lot together.