Matthew Shepard

We understand discipleship is crucial to the well being of Christians so there must be a plan in place for Christians to fully become disciples of Christ. I believe this is done through small group ministry. Scripture states, “We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all energy, which so powerfully works in me” (Col.1:28-29 NIV). We must strive to place people in small groups for…

the school of theology, he receives a spiritual awakening, and he sells his belongings like Saint Alexis (Waldo). The master references the Gospel of Matthew when Waldo comes to see him: "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me" (Matthew 19:21). Although Waldo does not sell all of his belongings, he takes on the role of an apostle living off what God can provide him. Waldo also…

In the book of Matthew, Jesus explains what is means to follow him in full obedience to God and Paul teaches people how to live out that obedience in his letter to the Romans. These two passages present the same viewpoint despite the different elements of humanity each depicts. Both Jesus and Paul present that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light for eternal life. However, obedience to the Mosaic Law is the affirmation of that faith. Matthew chapter five tells us that in the early stages…

Spiritual Discipleship: A Biblical Guide to Disciplining New Converts Chapter One Introduction Over the past few years, I have seen many of our churches fail in disciplining new converts. Because of a failure in training, many people believe conversion is just accepting Jesus into your heart and professing Him with your mouth along with giving your heart to the Lord and that’s it, therefore many new believers are confused when it comes to salvation. Churches are good at “opening the altar” and…

As I read the book I noticed that he had backed up his whole case for discipleship with Scripture. It almost seems like a commentary on the Gospel of Matthew as much time he gives to the Sermon on the Mount. As far as I could tell he handled the Scriptures well and I did not notice anything taken out of context. This to me strengthens his case because we cannot deny Scripture if it is handle correctly…

The Gospels are an intertwining of history because they trace the life of Jesus, his miracles, ventures and ultimately his death and resurrection as well occurrences in Israel across numerous historical accounts (Strauss, 2011, p. 1035). “The Gospels begins with accounts of “the life of the historical Jesus” (Strauss, 2011, p. 1035). It is important to remember “the Gospels are historical in that they are set in a specific historical context” (Strauss, 2011, p. 1022). History displays that “it…

His teachings and His claims during His ministry on earth. Those that read the stories have different perspectives on the relevance and significance of them. These perspectives shape the way one views Jesus and who he is. Based on John 15: 1-11 and Matthew 9:9-13, as well as many other stories in the Bible, one can get a better idea of who Jesus is, as it is asked in Mark 8:29. In John 15:1-11, Jesus talks about how he is the true vine, how the Father is the gardener, and how we are the…

In The Gospel of Saint Matthew, the author presents a theme where Jesus gathers the covenant, promise, and teachings from past prophets and remakes them, changing the message and the possible perspective the listeners may have about God. In the document, Matthew notes that Jesus said “[t]hink not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them” (199). Through this passage form The Gospel of Saint Matthew, it can be understood that Jesus…

I chose to do my analytical review on The Gospel of Mark. Mark is known as The Gospel of the Wonder-Working Servant. The book of Mark is written by John Mark, in Rome between 60-70 c.e. Mark’s beginning of religious followings came when he accompanied Barnabas and Paul on the first missionary journey. After that journey Barnabas wanted to take Mark on the second journey, but Paul would not let him go because he said he was a failure, so Barnabas and Paul went back to Cypress. According to the…

John begins his account of Christ’s life all the way back to the beginning of time and creation which is different from the physical birth found in the Gospel of Matthew and Luke. The main focus of the Gospel of John is the incredible story of a Jesus leaving heaven and coming to earth to save man. His emphasis on the deity of Christ is more so than the other three Gospels. John refers to Jesus as the Word of God…