Disciples of an Eschatological Kingdom, Part Three: “We Have Been Set Free”
Jesus liberated those who lived their whole lives in fear of death. If you truly understand what he did, it is not that you will not be afraid of death, but rather that death no longer has the final say because we have already died in him. We have been set free.
Disciples of an Eschatological Kingdom, Part Two: “You Cannot Be a Disciple All By Yourself”
You cannot be a disciple all by yourself. If one person is missing, the whole is incomplete. Jesus says the last day will not arrive until the gospel has been preached throughout the whole world. Only when all the elect people have been gathered together will they be fully remade.
But this is not all. The universe will also be restored. Eschatological discipleship is spiritual formation in the kingdom of heaven. The reason we are able to follow Jesus is because the kingdom of heaven has come. Thereafter, we are citizens of it.
Disciples of an Eschatological Kingdom, Part One: “Reality Above Impacts Reality Below”
Discipleship concerns restoring the image of God and becoming more and more like the second person of the Godhead in our appearance, behavior, and emotions. Jesus’s call to discipleship is radical and extreme. But at the same time, it is achievable, because he sent the Holy Spirit and created the church.
Persecution and Suffering Are a Part of the House Church’s Identity
For the contemporary, urban house church in China, suffering remains integral to its identity; but unlike in the West, there are no sharp divisions between political suffering and the suffering that has been brought to this world through the Covid-19 pandemic. In the theological legacy of Wang Mingdao, the house church generally believes that suffering and walking the way of the cross is integral to our union with Christ. Precisely because the Chinese church believes suffering is a foundational part of Christian discipleship, it does not make persecution by the state a bigger deal than it is.
Discipleship from the View of the Church, Part 5: The Church is an Intimately Connected Community
The church is a place where you can find personal freedom (for we have been set free in the Lord Jesus), but the church is also an intimately connected community. Gospel-centered discipleship put the individual and the collective in their correct places, and bring us back to God’s original will for creation.
Discipleship from the View of the Church, Part 4: Only the Holy Spirit Gives Growth
The Holy Spirit will lead the church in the right direction to witness to the Lord Jesus and inspire her to pray continually and earnestly. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, Christians are incapable of bearing witness to Jesus Christ.
Friday Reflection – Corporately Preaching the Kingdom
If their faith is to be connected to their vocation and if they are to serve in the marketplace, we need to teach the brothers and sisters so they know that the church is organized and passionate. They need to understand that it is not only when believers are gathered that the church exists, but the church also exists when it is scattered and witnessing unto the Lord.
Discipleship from the View of the Church, Part 1: The Gospel is to be Realized in the Church
Discipleship refers to the mutual relationships and building up of Christians. Of course, through discipleship, we also hope to see growth in the depth and number of the church. Your view of the church will affect your choice of discipleship model and determine how your church will grow.
Discipleship from the View of the Church, Part 3: Discipleship that Guards the True Church
Jesus Christ has already accepted the poor, the rich, the weak, and the strong into him. By his grace in salvation, all of us have been received into him and all relationships have been restored. If we humiliate other Christians, if we sin and do not repent, we are guilty of profaning the Lord’s body and damaging to the church.
Discipleship from the View of the Church, Part 2: The Church as a Kingdom Established by Christ
Proper discipleship is related to living out the gospel. If you refuse to build gospel-centered relationships with other Christians, you reject vital growth in Christ.
