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Introducing Biblical Discipleship: Volume 2
Introducing Biblical Discipleship: Volume 2
Introducing Biblical Discipleship: Volume 2
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Introducing Biblical Discipleship: Volume 2

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There is no programme that builds up a person as effectively as discipleship does and its strength is that it is holistic in its approach. Yet sadly, discipleship is not that well understood. This book addresses this shallow knowledge of discipleship and it is recommended to all those who wish to progress in their walk with God. This second volume deals with very profound aspects of discipleship such as the premise of discipleship, the primary goal of discipleship, metaphors of discipleship and direct and indirect discipleship, etc. The book is divided into two parts and the second part deals with practical matters such as how to start, maintain and advance discipleship. It also talks about how discipleship could benefit the Church of God at large and how those engaged in it should be careful regarding how they introduce it to the Body of Christ. This book is a must in discipleship and it will teach you a wealth of information about it. It keeps on appealing to the readers not just to gather theoretical information about discipleship but to actually be involved in it and to experience it for themselves.

About the Author

Professor P. V. Ntintili has a special place in his heart for children and young people. He is convinced that the future of any country lies with young people. He is committed to helping young people to become the best they can be in the hands of God. His primary focus is leadership training and he believes that young people are not tomorrow’s leaders but today’s. In management they talk about succession planning and he believes that we should be raising replacement sons and daughters right now. This is what Moses did in raising Joshua and what Mordecai did in raising Esther. He is committed to discipleship as evidenced by the two volumes he has written on it. Discipleship is the programme God has loaned us for raising leaders (Gal. 4:1-2) and he is therefore engaged in discipleship making both in South Africa and in the nations of Southern Africa. He is also committed to the equipping of the Body of Christ, the Church, and the best way of doing this is to focus on the clergy. He runs various workshops and retreats for professionals, youth and the clergy.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 21, 2019
ISBN9780463071687
Introducing Biblical Discipleship: Volume 2

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    Introducing Biblical Discipleship - Professor P. V. Ntintili

    Introducing

    Biblical Discipleship

    Volume 2

    Introducing

    Biblical Discipleship

    Volume 2

    Professor P. V. Ntintili

    Ph.D.; Th.D.

    Copyright © 2018 Professor P. V. Ntintili

    Published by Professor P. V. Ntintili Publishing at Smashwords

    First edition 2018

    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the copyright holder.

    The Author has made every effort to trace and acknowledge sources/resources/individuals. In the event that any images/information have been incorrectly attributed or credited, the Author will be pleased to rectify these omissions at the earliest opportunity.

    Published by Author using Reach Publishers’ services,

    P O Box 1384, Wandsbeck, South Africa, 3631

    Edited by Tony van der Watt for Reach Publishers

    Cover designed by Reach Publishers

    Website: www.reachpublishers.co.za

    E-mail: reach@webstorm.co.za

    Dedication

    This book is dedicated to the next generation, not of disciples, but of true disciples; those Christ refers to as, ‘Disciples Indeed!’ It is prompted by two Scriptures. The first one is Judges 2:10 which says, After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. This is a very disturbing Scripture in the Bible. It says that after the generation of Joshua, which had been discipled, died, another generation emerged which did not know God. The reason is that the generation of Joshua did not disciple, in the things of God, the generation coming after it. The consequences are that the generation that succeeded them did not (1) know God and (2) what He had done. May the next generation pass on to their next generation what this generation is passing on to them! The second Scripture is Ps. 78:3-4 which says, What we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. This book is an effort to pass on to the next generation what was passed on to us. So the book is dedicated to the NEXT GENERATION OF DISCIPLES. Please pass it on to your next generation.

    Table of Contents

    Dedication

    Acknowledgements

    Preface

    Introduction

    Part One

    Discipleship and the Cross

    The Premise of Discipleship

    The New Creation Man and Discipleship

    Carrying the Life of Christ in Discipleship

    The Primary Goal of Discipleship

    Discipleship and the Word of God

    The Role of the Holy Spirit in Discipleship

    Discipleship and Camaraderie

    Metaphors of Discipleship

    Disciples are People of The Way

    Direct and Indirect Discipleship

    Part Two

    How to Start Discipleship

    How to Maintain Discipleship

    How to Advance Discipleship

    Discipleship and the Body of Christ

    Discipleship is Indivisible

    The Crux of Discipleship

    Discipleship and Relationships

    Discipleship is the Family of God

    Difficulties of Discipleship

    Materials for Discipleship

    Understanding Biblical Discipleship

    Life and Lordship of Christ in Discipleship

    Bibliography

    Acknowledgements

    Acknowledging people that have helped in the writing of a book is not just a courteous gesture in which authors engage. If you were to talk to each author, they would tell you that the expression of gratitude is genuine and deep. In fact, we feel that our words are inadequate to express our gratitude.

    I want to thank every person who has had a contribution in the emergence of this book. They are too many to mention by name and one by one. I am buoyed by the resilience of disciples in various parts of South Africa and Southern Africa. Despite the challenges they have been facing, they are tenaciously hanging onto Christ and all that they have been taught in discipleship. The storm they are going through is a test of the authenticity of what they have received. This book is dedicated to all those who are ‘fixing their eyes on Christ, the Author and Finisher of their faith’ and to all that they have learned from discipleship. They are a source of encouragement indeed. I also acknowledge all those who received me into discipleship when I was just a novice and knew nothing. I want to acknowledge Femi Adebayo, who first met me in Lagos and drove about 12 hours in a very uncomfortable station wagon to a remote village town called Gboko. I learned a lot from him, not so much from his instructions but from his life. Another brother, who poured so much into my life in my early days of my discipleship, was Chile Kundam. He inundated me with the latest cassettes on discipleship. These were the days of cassettes, before the advent of DVDs. He would also buy me books that he thought might help me. While there are many others I could have mentioned, I deliberately wanted to mention these two who were very self-effacing and unassumingly humble brothers, who carried Christ as they drove people around. I saw Christ in them.

    I acknowledge my own biological daughter, Busisiwe Ntintili, who paid all the costs for the publication of this book. The amount was in tens of thousands. What a sacrifice! I pray that the Lord will reward her for her contribution to the work of God.

    I will never stop acknowledging the contribution of Felicia, ‘Sis’ Fel’, for her contribution. Every time a book comes out, I see her clutching it close to her breast, as if it is a child to whom she has given birth. She will take the book, look at it and then smile. Then she will brush it, as if stroking a little child. Indeed, every book is a birthing and it takes so much to give birth to anything that has life. Every book I have written, she has felt the birth pangs of it. I heartily acknowledge her contribution. Those who know her know that she is a lady of few words and many actions. Mbutwana, another child, has seen the light of day and we thank God. We pray that this child will be a blessing to many. God bless you my dear partner in God’s work. Even though you are not mentioned by name, your contribution is deeply appreciated and God will not forget your co-labouring with us in this push to leave something in writing to bless the next generation.

    Preface

    It is our duty to contend for the faith and sometimes we may be misunderstood for doing so. Jude, one of the half-brothers of Jesus and the biological brother of the author of the book of James, writes in Jude 1:3, Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. The Greek word used for contending is ‘epagonisomai’ from which comes our English word ‘agonise.’ This verb was used by athletes contending in the athletic contests. The word speaks of a vigorous, intense and determined struggle to defeat the opposition. As Christians, we need to engage in that intense struggle in defence of the truth. When we do so, we risk, sometimes, being misunderstood by those who take the matters of faith casually. To me, discipleship is precious and I am willing to contend for it. If we are not vigilant, it is easy for it to be distorted and bastardised. Those driven by convictions are not writing to be popular, but to advance a certain cause. I am writing this book to advance a cause; to make an effort to try and help people understand biblical discipleship and to contend for its survival and dissemination. It is also to protect it from being bastardised and prostituted.

    I am aware that sometimes, as a writer, you are not celebrated by your own generation. But long after you are dead, there will be people to benefit from your writings, with all their flaws; people will follow the logic of your arguments. Soren Kierkegaard, a Danish existentialist philosopher and theologian, wrote prodigiously and produced twenty books in the last twelve years of his life. But he was never really discovered during his lifetime. It was only after his death that his works became popular and shaped the thinking of many. Millard Erickson says about this, His writings had relatively little acceptance in his day, but have had considerable influence upon twentieth-century existentialism and neo-orthodox theology. I do not want to be misconstrued as espousing the existentialism and neo-orthodoxy of Kierkegaard. All I am saying is that authors should draw solace from the fact that if your writings are not celebrated by your generation, there may be another generation that will rediscover them and run with the things you wrote. After all, as I have said in the Dedication, this book has been written for the next generation or, even, generations.

    I am prepared to contend for the truth of the Word of God, even in this apostate generation that celebrates things that tickle their fancies. Truth may not amuse you, but it will set you free. I pray that this book will be laid in the hands of serious-minded young people, who will embrace the truths of the Word of God expounded in it. We will be dealing with very profound truths, which do not only require intellectual discernment, but also spiritual insight and revelation. To those who are thirsting and hungering for righteousness, is this book written. Read it slowly, prayerfully and reflectively. Ask the Holy Spirit to interpret the truths explicated in this book. May God add blessings to the feeble explanations of deep truths from His Word!

    Professor Vuyani P. Ntintili

    Mthatha, Eastern Cape, South Africa

    November 2018

    Introduction

    In the first volume, I gave elementary information about discipleship, explaining what it is and what it is not. We dealt with many pertinent, issues such as the challenges, the demands and the conditions of discipleship. We also discussed practices that could distort discipleship, such as the ‘my personal disciples’ syndrome, the idolisation of those who disciple us, the ‘Elijah syndrome’ which is the ‘I am the only prophet of God left’ syndrome. We talked about the dangers to be avoided in discipleship. I do not intend to summarise what is in the first volume. If you have not read it, I urge you to read it and it will give you the necessary background you need to have to understand what discipleship is all about. The focus in Volume 1 is on what discipleship is.

    In this volume, the emphasis will be on what will make discipleship work. It is one thing to know what it is. It is yet another thing to actually live it out, not theoretically, but practically. We have stressed that discipleship is concerned with life - how to actually live the life of Christ. This volume will be concentrating on that. It will help you to be conformed to the image and likeness of Christ. Even if you do not know what discipleship is, if you know how to live it, you will have succeeded.

    This volume is divided into two parts. The first part deals with God’s provision to make discipleship possible and liveable. Without this provision, discipleship will not be possible; it will be a good ideal, but one that is too lofty to be attained. I would like to urge you to pay special attention to this first part. The second part will deal with practical matters. It follows Paul’s style of writing. Those who are familiar with Pauline writings will agree that most of Paul’s epistles comprise two parts: the theological/theoretical and the practical. Rom. 1-11 deals with the explanation of what righteousness is and what it is not and, even more importantly, how righteousness can be attained and how it cannot be attained. Chapters Twelve to the end of the book, deal with how one can practise righteousness.

    We also will deal with how discipleship can be successfully lived out. Then, the last part will deal with practical issues or the application of what is taught in the first part. Both parts are necessary and complementary. It is not possible to successfully practise what you do not understand, i.e. something for which you do not have any theoretical foundations. On the other hand, theory without practice is what is called in politics ‘arm-chair pontification.’ But in this book, the first four chapters are extremely critical. I implore you to pay special attention to them. Other chapters are also very important. Do not ignore them or take them for granted.

    Part One

    We have divided this book into two parts, as we have said above. The first part deals with issues that are extremely critical to discipleship. If you miss understanding them, you will be stranded in discipleship. I can dare say that there is no discipleship without them. Any kind of discipleship that escapes them will only be nominal discipleship. Chapter One deals with the centrality of the cross in discipleship. The cross must be allowed to do its thorough work in those who desire to be disciples. Those who have missed the cross or, rather, those whom the cross has missed, will struggle in discipleship. The cross must be allowed to cross and cancel everything that is not wanted in the new- creation life. Chapter Two deals with the premise of discipleship which is death; death to sins, self, world and Satan and his forces of darkness. There are three dimensions of death that this chapter discusses. All those who want to do well in discipleship must die to self; they must die every day and they must die at every moment. Chapter Three briefly discusses the matter of the new-creation man. It answers the question: Who is the new-creation man? It also points out that in discipleship, it is the new-creation man we are discipling. The old man cannot be discipled; he is intransigent and belligerent and does not submit to the Word of God and the Ways of God. Chapter Four talks about how to carry Christ around in discipleship. Since we have died to SELF and we have received the Person of Christ, it is He Whom we are carrying around. Chapter Five discusses the aim or goal of discipleship, which is to become like Jesus. If, in discipleship, we fail to progressively become like Jesus, then discipleship has really failed us. When we are discipling people and we do not help them to become more and more like Jesus, we have wasted their lives. Chapter Six emphasises the role of the Word of God in discipleship. Biblical discipleship is based squarely on the unadulterated Word of God. Without the Bible, there can be no discipleship. Any discipleship that does not base everything it does on the Bible, is spurious discipleship; it is not Christian discipleship. Chapter Seven discusses the role of the Holy Spirit in discipleship. The new-creation life is originated by the Holy Spirit. There is no new birth without the Holy Spirit. It was Christ who said that one must be born of water (the Word of God) and the Spirit. Disciples must be born of the Spirit, baptised in the Spirit, live in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, led by the Spirit and filled with the Spirit. Chapter Eight explains that discipleship and friendship or camaraderie go hand-in-hand. Disciples are friends of Christ and they are friends of one another. Love, therefore, plays a very critical role in discipleship. Chapter Nine discusses the metaphors or pictures that are used of discipleship in the Bible. It does not discuss every metaphor used. Disciples are called salt, light, city built on a hill, sheep, etc. There are other metaphors that are not quite as direct, such as disciples being asses that are tied down in discipleship until Christ is ready to ride on them, and many others that we could discuss in this chapter. Chapter Ten points out that disciples are called, in Acts, ‘people of the Way’. We discuss the characteristics of the Way of discipleship.

    Chapter 1

    Discipleship and the Cross

    It must be emphasised that discipleship is completely and utterly impossible without the cross. In the first place, we are discipling people who are born again, as we have pointed out in the first volume of this book. It is true that evangelisation is part of discipleship and we shall discuss it later in this book. However, the people we are actually discipling are those who have given their lives to Christ. It was Christ Himself who insisted that people be born again before they could be His disciples and they cannot be saved without the cross. Paul Himself stressed that salvation is impossible without the cross. He points out that the cross is the power of God unto salvation (1 Cor. 1:18).

    For us to appreciate the role of the cross in discipleship, we need to know what the cross actually does or what it has accomplished. I can state quite boldly that the cross crosses everything that God does not approve of in a person’s life. The phrase ‘to cross’ means, among other meanings, ‘to terminate, resist and to cancel.’ It is no exaggeration to say that the cross actually does all these things. That is why Satan does not like the cross and he regrets sending Christ to the cross. Retrospectively, he would have chosen any other death, but not death by the cross. The Bible says in 1 Cor. 2:8, None of the rulers of this age or world perceived and recognised and understood this, for if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. The phrase ‘rulers of this age’ often refers to the hordes of hell. They did not know what the cross would do to the kingdom of darkness. In hindsight, after they had seen the havoc the cross had done to the kingdom of Satan, they regretted it. In crucifying Christ, they overplayed their hand and it boomeranged on them. Now we want to look at what the cross has accomplished; and all these accomplishments are critical for discipleship.

    The Cross Destroyed Sin

    The first thing that the cross did was to deal with sin. We need to bear in mind that it was sin that separated Adam and Eve from God and caused their banishment from the Garden of Eden. Genesis Chapter 3 begins with the temptation of Eve and her enticement of her husband and how that both fell into sin. But it ends with Adam and Eve being banished from the Garden and cherubim, with flaming swords, guarding the way to the Tree of Life (Gen. 3:23-24). Isa. 59:1-2 tells us that sin separates men from God. Rom. 3:23 says that sin makes us ‘come short of the glory of God.’ Rom. 6:23 states that ‘the wages of sin is death.’ Sin is the one thing that brings problems and enmity between a holy God and sinful people. When people are in sin, we can’t even talk about discipleship. Before we can talk about discipleship, whose purpose is conformity to Christ, we must first deal decisively with sin.

    The Bible teaches that God dealt with sin on the Cross of Christ. We want to see in the candidates of discipleship the results of the cross. 1 Pet. 2:24a says, in the New Living Translation, He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. Christ paid the penalty of our sins. He did so by dying on the cross. We were supposed to die for our sins, according to Rom. 6:23, but He decided to die on our behalf. Heb. 9:28 says that Christ was sacrificed ‘to take away the sins of many people.’ 1 Pet. 2:24, which we quoted above, says that He bore our sins on the Tree so that we might ‘die to sin and live for righteousness.’ Discipleship is about helping people to live righteously and it is not possible without the cross. When we confess our sins, God has a basis for forgiving us our sins. The ground of forgiveness is that our sins have been paid for in full by the death of Christ on the cross. Rom 3:24 says that we are ‘justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.’ Rom. 5:9 says that we have been justified by His blood. We could be forgiven and the guilt of our sins removed because Christ died on the cross as a payment for our sins; as a worthy propitiation for our sins (Rom. 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10 KJV).

    There are things that are mentioned in the Book of Colossians about the cross and how it dealt adequately with our sins. Col. 2:13 says that God forgave us all our sins. Then, Verse 14 says that the record of our sins was cancelled and then nailed to the cross. It says in the New Living Translation, He cancelled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross. Because of what took place on the cross, the record of our sins was cancelled and nailed to the cross. The accuser of the brethren, Satan, has no basis for accusing us, because the record has been cancelled; all this because of the cross.

    The cross does not only deal with past sins. When we receive Christ and we cling to the cross of Christ, the cross gives us victory over current sins. 1 Cor. 15:57 says that God ‘gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!’ (See Rom. 8:37). We will explain later how this victory is realised. Again, it is through the cross.

    So, the cross deals with that which is a bone of contention between us and God, namely our sins. Christ died so that we might be forgiven. Even when we stumble, after being born again, it is still the cross that beckons us back to God and forgiveness is ready because of it (1 John 1:8-9). The result is that there is reconciliation between us and God. That which caused enmity has been removed and we can be accepted into God’s Presence. This is all because of the cross. How we thank God for the cross. After our sins have been forgiven and we have been reconciled to God, then proper discipleship can begin to take place. We argue that discipleship is not possible without the cross. We are arguing, from the Bible, that the cross deals, first of all, with sins.

    The Cross Nullifies the Allurements of the World

    Secondly, the cross deals with the world system. The biggest problem today is that there is little teaching on worldliness and, as a result, the world has invaded the church and the people of God. That is why it is very difficult to differentiate between the children of God and those who are not, because our lifestyle is the same. Yet the Bible says in Col. 3:1-2, Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. There is very little teaching on the influence of the world on our walk with God. We actually do not know what worldliness means and its erosive impact on our spirituality. It is necessary to comment very briefly about the world, before we can talk about how the cross is an answer to it.

    The first thing the Bible tells us conclusively is that the world is under the influence of the devil. In John 12:31, he is called ‘the prince of this world’ (See also John 14:30; 16:11). What is notable is that it is Christ who stated this. The prince rules and if Satan is the prince of this world, it means he rules the affairs of this world. Eph. 2:2 states that the world is under ‘the ruler of the kingdom of the air’ and this ruler is ‘the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.’ The world, then, is associated with disobedience and the ruler of the air is the one who inculcates this disobedience in those over whom he rules. The Bible tells us in 2 Cor. 4:4 (in KJV) that Satan is the ‘god of this world.’ John concurs and emphatically states, in 1 John 5:19, that the world is ‘under the control of the evil one.’ When we soberly notice who is in charge of the world, we cannot expect much from it. We expect it to be adversarial to the things of God.

    Then, Christ talks about His relationship with the world. In John 15:18, He says that the world hated Him first. It is no wonder it hates those who follow Christ. In John 17:14, Christ says, I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. Christ explains why the world hated His disciples; it is because they did not belong to the world, just as Christ did not belong to it. This means that the ways of the world are alien to believers and the ways of believers are also alien to the world. The world calls the ways of Christians ‘old fashioned,’ ‘outdated,’ ‘outmoded,’ or ‘behind the times.’ The world despises anything that does not bow to its lifestyle and value system; it denigrates it.

    Now, we also need to notice God’s attitude to those who embrace the ways of the world; people who are worldly. In 1 John 2:15, we are exhorted not to ‘love the world or anything in the world.’ We are told that anyone who loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him or her. Verse 16 begins to give us a glimpse into what constitutes the world or what makes it tick. It says, in the New Living Translation, For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. The world is concerned with lusts; for pleasure and accumulation of material goods and then pride. The Bible calls people who love the world adulterers. When you speak of love, the issue of adultery comes in. When you love the world, you are spurning God or you are committing adultery with the world. James 4:4 says, You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. To love the world is to be an enemy of God.

    We are beginning to get a picture of what the world is and what it consists of. It is a mindset or worldview that is opposed to God and to anything that has to do with God. The word ‘worldview’ is instructive, because it talks about looking at things from the point of view of this world. The world refers, rather, to the philosophy of those who do not know God and who have no relationship with Him; it is their way of thinking, doing things and of reacting. Lawrence O. Richards explains that one of the Greek words used for ‘world’ is ‘kosmos’ and its basic meaning is ‘order’ or ‘arrangement.’ So, this means that the world is how the devil has ordered and arranged it, because the Bible says that it is under his control. He goes on to explain that As a theological term, kosmos portrays human society as a system warped by sin, tormented by beliefs and desires and emotions that surge blindly and uncontrollably. The world system is a dark system (Eph. 6:12), operating on basic principles that are not of God (Col. 2:20; 1 Cor. 2:16). The entire system lies under the power of Satan (1 John 5:19) and constitutes the kingdom from which believers are delivered by Christ (Col. 1:13-14). Its basic hostility to God is often displayed (1 Cor. 2:12; 3:19; 11:32; Eph. 2:2; James 1:27; 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17; 3:1, 13; 5:4-5, 19). I have given this long quotation, because it aptly explains what we mean by the world. Now we can understand why the Bible tells us not to be conformed to this world (Rom. 12:2).

    It must be noted that the influence of the world is all-pervasive. There is no aspect of our life that it does not touch. It affects the arts and culture. The music we listen to and the TV programmes we watch and the plays or drama we see, have all been heavily influenced by the world system. It affects academia and that is why theories that are anti-God, such as the theory of evolution that does not want to acknowledge God’s being behind Creation, have been virtually accepted as scientific and plausible. Other dimensions of education are also influenced by this anti-God philosophy. I was shocked to learn that at one of the prestigious universities in South Africa, students who are studying drama and film were required to watch a movie of people having sexual intercourse and then they were required to discuss it in class. The world of fashion has

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