What Tools Should the Congregation Have for Their Own Discipleship Process

¶ … Congregation Should have for their own Discipleship Process When it comes to discipleship, one can too often think about the tools necessary for the church and church leaders in helping to motivate people to become disciples. A far more elusive question examines what the actual members of the congregation require in order to flourish and excel within their own discipleship process. It's important to bear in mind that Jesus commanded us to "go and make disciples"; not converts, social justice agents, or moralists.

Members of the congregation were called to the church in order to engage in a transformation of the inward self, as Jesus emphasized that the inward transformation would produce the outward fruits. Thus, the church does have a certain obligation to disciple those who are members of the congregation and thus, certain tools need to be used to accomplish this. This paper examines the tools that the congregation and members of the congregation can use collectively and together in order for the transformation of congregation members to disciples is complete.

Deuteronomy 6:4-6 One of the most basic tools that the congregation will absolutely need to have for their own discipleship is the act and element of love, as love is the most powerful tool within the whole universe. This passage from Deuteronomy 6:4-6, states as follows: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts." These teaching comments upon the ability of the Israelites to love their God with the entirety of their being, including their intellect, emotions and will. Thus, the value of this teaching revolves around the notion that love does not merely come from the heart, but from aspects of the entire entity. This passage demonstrates the importance of teaching this commandment to all children of a congregation.

"Love is a mighty power, the universal foundation of oneness, goodness and the very nature of God. Love is a radiating force, a magnetic energy which attracts to itself all that is good, pure and joy filled.

It has been said that, 'The heart of life is love.' Why is it that we human beings are always searching outside ourselves for fulfillment and love, rather than acknowledging and accepting the fact that we are all created, rooted and grounded in divine love? We have been loved from the beginning and are the very activity of Love" (Norman, 2002).

By teaching this tool to members of the congregation, this will set them all up with a strong foundation for achieving their goals and objectives and becoming disciples who are able to remember that it really does begin and end with love. Love should be the default emotion and facet that they go to in their work so that all actions and interactions are tempered with this emotion.

This is particularly true because even in church congregations, human interactions can become complex and overly complicated, and even in positive supportive environments like these, people can still ruffle one another's feathers and become hurt and feel hurt. Love needs to be the guiding force which arches over all interactions: not only will this create a more harmonious congregation; it will create a congregation which more aptly embodies the teachings of the Bible and which has members who engage like true disciples.

Yet another compelling reason to make love the fundamental pillar of human engagement among the members of the congregation can be found in Jeremiah 31-3: "Long ago the Lord said to Israel: 'I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself'" (Biblegateway.com).

Since God has loved his people so profoundly and so consistently, one of the best ways for them to thank him for this tremendous gift is to extend such consistent love to one another and to constant engage in interactions with one another which are founded in love and understanding. "The Apostle John called those who have been loved by God in this saving way to respond by being people of love. He called believers to love one another and obey God.

God's love is truly understood from our personal and intimate relationship with Him in Christ. Before we are able to love our brothers, we must know God's love for us in Christ. Those who have been loved by God are continually loved by Him. We know it because God continues to change us from the inside out. Every day He makes His people more and more like Christ. The believers' position before God and his intimacy with Him is all because of the Father's initiating love" (Tiscione, 2013).

This means that one of the tools of members of the congregation, before they can even engage in loving one another, is that they need to understand the love that God has for them. By truly communing with and understanding that profound sense of unconditional love, can congregation members truly understand what it means to try and replicate such a pure and unshakeable love for one another.

Creating and fostering this bond with God is the clearest and most surefire way to lay a strong foundation for engagement with other clergy members. Accepting God's love, exploring God's love and then using those findings as the basis for loving one another is some of the purest work the members of the congregation can do in order to become stronger and more dedicated and more evolved on their path as disciples.

Colossians 3:1-17- Transformation Another pillar of the congregation's disciple process is the necessity of transformation: thus members of the congregation need to be willing and able to accept that part of their discipleship journey revolves around the act of transformation into the name and image of God. This of course revolves around Colossians 3:1-17.

The very first sentiment of this passage is the notion that as a part of the process of discipleship, all members need to actively engage in setting their hearts and minds on loftier ideas and images. This notion is expressed in the following sentiment: "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory" (biblegateway.com). This passage sets a tone and a standard for how human beings need to behave, setting their ideals on factors and items of this world which are above and beyond the baseness of earthly things.

This is such a relevant point to make as modern society is often so riddled by material goods which promise to make our lives brighter, sleeker, easier and more convenient. It can be far too easy to get caught up in the idea that one needs to surround oneself with the latest bright and shiny objects in order to be happy.

It can be almost an unavoidable type of perspective on the world, particularly if all one's friends and colleagues are acting like the importance of having the latest thing or item is absolutely essential for human happiness. Modern society so aptly revolves around an acquisitional nature, where happiness and self-worth are equated to how much stuff one has in one's home: this is entirely problematic as such a mindset will always separate one from becoming a real disciple and from aligning oneself God in a true and complete sense.

The call to follow Christ is also a call to be transformed into His image. Thus, when we accept Jesus' invitation to a "with God" life…our goal is to "keep company with him" in such a way that Christ's life becomes visible in ours.

Transformation is a gradual process, but it starts in how we transform the way that we think so that we are able to more fully and openly use our minds to consider and engage with the aspects of life which are simply more important than anything else: devoting our lives to God and God's teaching. This passage is also relevant in that it acknowledges the earthly desires and temptations that riddle many of the members of the congregation and instructs how those earthly desires should be properly dealt with.

As Colossians 3:1-17 states: "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived" (biblegateway.com). This passage both acknowledges the dangers of life on earth, the temptations present and how to deal with them.

It also presents a meaningful ideal of how in the process of becoming a disciple, one needs to bid farewell to one's former life and materialistic or baser preoccupations which characterized this former existence. As one scholar notes, "Discipleship is as dynamic and costly as the gospel. Disciples can give up anything, go anywhere, and risk everything because the gospel has filled us with good things that can never be taken away" (Starke, 2013).

This sentiment encapsulates the heart of what is at the process of being a disciple: being a disciple means that one is forging and has forged a truly dynamic and lasting relationship with God: one can thus give up so much of the tantalizing earthly treats because one has essentially been given and guaranteed the kingdom of God. Thus, giving up baser inclinations and the pursuit of material goods is a simple, worthwhile process.

However, the process of removing oneself from the baser tendencies of earthly life are not simply limited to material goods and baser pleasures. Colossians 3:1-17: "But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all" (biblegateway.com). This is yet another aspect of earthly life that scripture is using one to leave behind which can be used as a tool for transformation: leaving behind the pettiness of judging one another, along with the exclusivity beliefs and tendencies that allow things like racism and sexism to persist.

These are all ideas which urge one to engage in a higher level of existence in the world, and to shrug off all bad earthly habits which keep one at a baser level of interaction in the world. These baser ideologies keep one held back in the dark ages of spirituality and keep one's interactions with others in the world on a more one-dimensional plane.

In order for the real evolution and transformation necessary to be a disciple to take place, the disintegration of these biased thought processes and skewed communication methods needs to occur. Mark 13:9-11-Self Preparation One of the biggest tools that all congregation members will need to harness is the ability to prepare oneself to commit to their discipleship and to be prepared for scorn and derision.

As evolved as our modern society has become, there is still the ability for certain people to scorn and persecute the religious beliefs of others if they so choose. As a congregation member who is becoming a disciple, one needs to be prepared for this and to educate oneself on how to behave and to respond when this should occur. Mark 13:9-11 expresses this most aptly: "You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues.

On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit" (Biblegateway.com). Jesus told his disciples to keep following Him even when the religious and government leaders turn against them and charge them with crimes.

He does not promise protection or deliverance from the consequences of going against the leaders, but He does promise the Holy Spirit will be there. Jesus says the disciples will be persecuted because they believe in Him. Base on Jesus' initial warning to the disciples we should not walk around blindly, but to should be observant and intentional in our lives. The Holy Spirit will guide and use us when we are opposed for following the will of God.

The reality is that religious persecution is still alive and well today, and all individuals who want to engage in becoming a disciple in a real and sincere manner need to be prepared to be met with negativity from certain factions of the outside world. "Religious persecution isn't just something from the history books. The early 21st century will go down as an age of martyrs, and the situation is only getting worse.

It's hard to believe, but today, more than a billion people live under governments that suppress religious liberty. In many nations, the lack of religious freedom is a matter of life and death. Believers and non-believers alike suffer as a result of intolerance" (Dolan, 2013).

Thus, all members of the congregation who embark on this special and unique process of becoming a disciple need to be aware of these factors and need to take specific steps to protect themselves from those who wish to cause them harm, be it physical or verbal. Romans 12:1-2- Living Sacrifice Being prepared, willing and engaged in committing oneself as a living sacrifice in one's journey of being a disciple is absolutely important and one of the pillars of the entire process.

Because fundamentally, all of these aspects work together to force each individual to live their life in such a manner that their lives are in fact a living sacrifice. This sentiment is expressed in Romans 12:1-2, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will" (biblegateway.com). In this section of the righteousness of God is not only expressed, but the righteousness of what each member of the congregation possess in that they are able to engage in this process. This is not a small aspect: it's quite large. Living one's life so that one is a complete sacrifice to God is a tremendous endeavor and one which should not be viewed lightly.

This speaks to the conduct of the believer and the importance of renewing one's mind and following the way of Jesus Christ. Another crucial aspect of this sentiment to keep in mind is that this sort of self-sacrifice isn't about giving up; it's about giving to God, as selflessly as he has given to us (Holliday, 2013). "As a practice, sacrifice means intentionally leaving from the safety of sustaining our own needs as an affirmation of trust in God's provisions. In this meaning we connect with generosity.

Being generous gently loosens our grip on the money, things, and people we hold captive with our expectations, clamoring for security, and need to control. In the Old Testament, sacrifice was thought of as the specific act of making an offering to God. People made sacrificial offerings to honor God, gain favor, and atone for wrongdoings" (Holliday, 2013). This is such a pivotal idea to engage with during the process of one's own discipleship.

One needs to bear in mind that in sacrifice, there is still the act of generosity and giving, and there is still the necessity of living one's life in complete fairness and equality. In this case, the act of sacrifice is completely selfless and involves actually a process of giving and giving. The sacrifice that a member of the congregation would be undergoing would actually be an intensive act of generosity to God and an act which would no doubt inspire others.

This needs to be done in concrete ways as a form of sacrificial generosity as a lifestyle. For some people, this will mean opening up your home to others, and for other.