Disciple

housing the disciples is being fiercely beaten by the waves in the ocean. The disciples have been alone, straining at the oars and struggling against the wind and the water for hours to keep afloat and they are tired. It isn’t until the fourth watch of the night that Jesus appears to them in the middle of the sea, walking on water. The disciples are fearful and Jesus dispels any doubts they may have had by using words of reassurance. Jesus says, “It is I. Don’t be afraid”. The disciples’ fear is…

All the attention is supposed to be drawn to Jesus. The point that stands out most about Jesus is his reaction to the situation. While all the other disciples are fueled with anger, confusion, and disbelief, Jesus can remain calm. By Da Vinci depicting Jesus in this way, we can infer the importance of Jesus compared to that of the disciples. Jesus is the example that people should follow. When discussing the way Jesus was painted, it can easily be seen that his body resembles a triangle or…

sleep, his stilling the storm, and his asking the disciples why they are scared rather than trustful. The story closes on the note of the disciple’s awestruck fear at Jesus, for the storm no longer threatens (Gundry 1993). The theme of this biblical passage in Mark is fear and faith. What is most important to note is the fear of the disciples, the calmness of Jesus (his sleeping), the miracle of Jesus rebuking the wind and sea, and the disciples awe of Jesus. Form and Literary Setting…

Christ has called us to go and make disciples in His name; he wants us to go and share the saving the Gospel of His name so that others may find eternal life. Our job does not just stop at showing others the Gospel, but stretches far beyond sharing and into the realm of discipling new believers in their walk with Christ. It is my philosophy that when discipling a new believer, you will have to develop personal specific plans for the new believers. There are some basic principles to fallow when…

John 14: John 14 begins a four chapter section (14-17), commonly known as the “Farewell Discourse”. It is primarily composed of Jesus' utilizing his final moments with his disciples to teach them and assure that his ministry will not fail upon his impending crucifixion. John’s theology here becomes dense, as a lot of what Jesus addresses here would have been relevant to the Johannine community in particular. The Farewell Discourse follows a basic pattern, as it was a recognizable genre at…

“Follow Me”. Being a disciple requires knowing what discipleship…

looks small, but when we center our attention on God the problems look small. When we turn to Jesus, he takes the weight of our burdens in order to heal us. In the Gospel of Matthew, 17:14-20, Jesus heals a boy who is possessed by a demon after his disciples failed to caste out the demon. Following this miracle, Jesus explains that even little faith can move mountains. The story of The Healing of a Boy with a Demon in the Gospel of Matthew is relayed differently in Matthew compared to Mark,…

confession at 8:29 is a turning point in the life of the disciples’ walk with Jesus as it solves their problem of Jesus’ identity raised at 4:41; ‘Who can this be that even the wind and the sea obey him? He is the Christ! However, the problem of understanding Jesus’ mission now emerges and it is this problem that we shall concentrate on from 8:31:10:45. There are three subsequent points that demonstrate Jesus’ appreciation of the disciples’ progress in their walk with him after the Petrine…

to focus not on the narrative regarding Jesus and his disciples but on the theology expressed by Jesus. Many scholars, such as Wilkins (2010: 159), believe that each Gospel gives a unique account of discipleship and according to Wilkins ‘the central characteristic of the disciple is belief or acceptance of Jesus’ claims vis-á-vis the Father’ (Wilkins, 2010: 212). The Gospels Matthew’s Gospel In the five great discourses addressed to disciples (chs.5:3-7:27; 10:5-42:…

corrected or else the church will not be able to make more disciples. Today's society needs disciples desperately, but it is difficult to find depth in such a superficial world with many people who claim to be Christians but refuse to follow Christ. "When the majority of Christians are immature in their faith, is it any wonder few want to be Christians?" (Putman, 89). Evangelism is not the goal it is the first step in making new disciples. When the church…