Show Notes for Crossway Connected 2.8
This week’s show focused on the task of disciple-making. We talked about the basic elements of disciple-making as well as some resources that make it easier. You can listen to the podcast episode here.
We began by reviewing two books:
- Doug reviewed From Eden to the New Jerusalem by T. Desmond Alexander. This book is a work of biblical theology–it tries to put together the storyline of the whole Bible.
- John reviewed The ESV Readers Bible. Unlike most Bibles, this was on designed with readers in mind. Specifically, the text block has been formatted into paragraphs without verse numbers, cross-references, or translators notes. This leave a “clean” text that makes it easier to settle in and simmer in God’s Word for an extended period of time.
Pastor John explained the basic of disciple-making. Disciple-making is the task of every believer. We seen this in Christ’s command (Matt 28:18-20), the commands and expectation of the apostles for the Church (e.g. Col 4:2-6; 1 Pet 2:9-12), and example set by non-apostles like Epaphras and the Thessalonians.
This task of disciple-making is seen in three broad categories: evangelism, encouragement, and equipping (or, making, maturing, and mobilizing disciples). So, this process begins as we share Christ for salvation. Then, we help that new believer grow in faith, understanding, and character. Finally, we give them practical instruction on doing ministry.
Some resources for disciple-making that we highlighted include:
- The Church at Brook Hills’ “Personal Disciple-Making Plan.” Read about it here or just download the pdf.
- Jonathan Leeman’s book Reverberation, which shows the prominence of Word ministry at every level of Church life. Making disciples is, by nature, a task that is centered around the Scriptures.
- Resources from Matthias Media, specifically The Trellis and the Vine, Mission-Minded, and One-to-One Bible Reading.
