The Mark Of Discipleship

Gain an understanding of basic Christian beliefs and monitor your spiritual growth using six key markers.

The earliest of the four Gospels, the book portrays Jesus as an enigmatic figure, struggling with enemies, his inner and external demons, and with his devoted but disconcerted disciples. Unlike other gospels, his parables are obscure, to be explained secretly to his followers. With an introduction by Nick Cave

An exploration of discipleship in Mark's gospel relating to Jesus' own mission and purpose.

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me..." (Matthew 11:29 NIV). Any image, no matter what kind, is simply a rendition of the original. the copy must follow the impression made by the master. In unlocking the pattern of making a "True Disciple", a close and detailed study of Jesus, the master, must be considered. Discipleship is an important charge, carrying a great responsibility. When entering the task of preparing another as a disciple, heed should be taken. Care--and caution--play a big part in the equation. In both instances, whether one serves as instructor or student, as Jesus said, one must above all, consider the cost. "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?" (Luke 14:28 NIV) Rather than being an event that one arrives at, Discipleship is more of a journey that is traveled over the course of one's life. Each step is part of a process by which we adapt, learning to grow more Christ-like along the way. We take His yoke and learn from Him, just as the men who became His Apostles did. the cost necessary involves not only a loving devotion to Jesus, but to do so from a willing and obedient heart. the Jesus Command, the command to love one another as He loved us, creates a new beginning for everyone that accepts it.

The Gospel of Mark portrays Jesus making impossible demands on his disciples. They must follow him even if it costs them their lives. And, unsurprisingly, this proves to be impossible for them to do. They fail drastically in Mark’s narrative and run from the scene as Jesus is arrested. Peter had been determined to stay by him unto death, but even he was not able to admit to knowing Jesus at that crucial moment. The strange thing is that Jesus made it clear that it is impossible to enter the Kingdom of God without this sort of radical discipleship. In this narrative study of salvation in the Gospel of Mark, this conundrum is studied closely with surprising results. An investigation of various socio-historical aspects of Mark’s background elucidate the connection that Mark makes between the death of Jesus and the following of the disciples. And a study of Mark’s narrative as a whole shows that Mark provides hope for those without courage to follow. If they continue to look and listen carefully, the mystery will be unveiled to them.

Redaction criticism attempts to identify biblical authors' theological interests by examining their adaptation of sources. Focusing on representative studies of Jesus' disciples in the Gospel of Mark, this pioneering book by C. Clifton Black has become the standard evaluation of that method's exegetical reliability. Comprehensively reviewing recent scholarship, Black identifies three distinctive types of redaction criticism in Markan interpretation. He demonstrates that diverse redaction-critical interpretations of the disciples in Mark have bolstered rather than controlled scholarly presuppositions to a degree that impugns the method's reliability for interpreting Mark. The book concludes by assessing redaction criticism's usefulness and offering a more balanced approach to Mark's interpretation. This second edition includes a substantial, detailed afterword that revisits the book's primary issues, converses with its critics, and provides an update of Markan scholarship over the past twenty-five years.

The making of disciples, which discipleship represents, forms the nucleus of God's salvation plan for humankind. In line with this noble objective, Jesus made this his main task while on Earth. He attached great emphasis on quality discipleship and consequently commanded total obedience to this great kingdom work. The Mark of Discipleship aims to open our understanding to the real meaning and scope of the divine task of drawing and winning a lost and directionless world to God, through painstaking and costly sacrifices. It helps highlight the positive roles divine grace, wisdom, prophecy, prayer, and the Holy Spirit play in achieving the discipleship work of God's kingdom. It also restates the compelling need for both quality control and urgency in the course of finishing this huge task. This book offers some biblical and contemporary models to help the church effectively build this kingdom work of discipleship.

A powerful plan to transform church members into impassioned disciples.Drawing on his experience at Prince of Peace, Foss makes the case for transforming congregations from a membership model to a discipleship model of church affiliation. The book begins with a careful analysis of recent patterns in church membership/demographics which argue for this paradigm shift. Subsequent chapters detail the unique leadership and organizational needs of a discipleship model; explore the building and maintaining of fundamental trust-in God and in His people-as the cornerstone of the model; and provide practical helps for assessing the present and strategies for moving into the future. Addressed to rostered and non-rostered professional and non-professional church leaders interested in transforming their churches into centers for discipleship and mission, Power Surge makes the case for a dynamic, functional model of church affiliation that moves away from a membership model centered on prerogatives of membership to a discipleship model centered on the notion of Christian vocation/calling. It proposes a grace-centered, rather than legalistic, model of discipleship and builds a bridge through transferable principles between congregational mission mindedness and the individual Christian's life of faith. This book utilizes assessment tools and practical helps so that congregations can make the transition between membership and discipleship paradigms, as it draws on the experience of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church as a case study illustrating the principles of a discipleship model of church affiliation.