As most proclaiming Christ know Matthew 28:19 states:
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
As to the definition of a disciple; that would be an interesting topic for those more familiar with the meaning of the original language. It certainly involves being a follower of those with true teachings; and is a group activity. Such should be the case in regard to evangelism; but from my experience it is often lacking. There is often inconsistency if group efforts to evangelize whether on the street or in a retirement community so that the routine relationships and the time spent and frequency of appearance for the recipients of the message discourages building deep and long lasting relationships. Such relationships are the basis for further instruction of doctrines from those in church leadership. It is admittedly hard when we are reaching those who are elderly or infirmed to establish a method of transportation to church; and hence it is easier when we can find those qualified to bring a service to such a location as a nursing home which I have seen with some success in the past. The same issue; of course has to be considered for those on the streets who may need special attention that may be violent or have substance abuse issues.
As believers; I have stated before that it is helpful on the streets for example to have some focusing on praying for others while others preach. We also can't undervalue prayer for the saints who are laboring as to their safety and reaching the individuals God has predetermined to meet on a particular day.
I am hopeful that funding for church missions can be more focused on activities in local communities rather than being funneled overseas in totality. If there is a disconnect between Christians fellowshipping in a building and how we to operate in evangelism going to church won't be understood properly.
The grk for "disciple" is "mathetes". It comes from the verb "mathaino" which means "to learn". So the precise meaning of the grk for disciple is "a learner, a student, pupil". In the ancient world, the followers of the greek philosophers (from the verb "philo" which means "to love" and "sophia" which means "wisdom") were also called "mathetes". So the word had a broader meaning, it was used for those who follow/spend a long time with, and learn from somebody who played the role of a teacher. Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and many others had established academies/schools and had disciples who were learning their wisdom about the world.
It seems today more than ever there are few examples of discipling in terms of the closeness of relationships at least in this country except from some small groups I have participated in. Churches that actually have truth taught with love are rare enough; but finding ones that are small and personable enough and have a good structure of elders and other teachers that can commit to this is even more unusual. I suppose one could qualify service type work as something where we can learn by example; but again it seems most in leadership are too busy with their conferences and other church business to have much time for that.
Again not sure how things are out there but have some idea. We should be learning by using spiritual gifts and interacting with those gifted in other areas. We should be able to do charity work and other things and be assured correct doctrines are being taught; but sadly there are many organizations which once examined are spurious in that and it takes a wise and discerning church leader to pick up on it sometimes. Sadly part of the issue are those who are so immature in their faith that they don't have a clear gospel message when witnessing; not to mention many who if believers at all are either too busy or make themselves to busy to be relevant as far as participation other than showing up Sunday mornings. The other side of he coin are small groups that may indeed be committed to the cause of evengelism; prayer; etc. but which tend to be separate from churches and therefore often subject to doctrinal error or tend to be argumentative without accountability in regard to leadership; etc. I have seen this type of thing veer to full Preterism; or extreme Calvanistic persuasion at the expense of a balanced approach to scripture as a whole.
In general finding someone we wish to emulate who is also approachable is hard these days. Also finding those who see the value in discipling us; or are teachable themselves.
As most proclaiming Christ know Matthew 28:19 states:
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
As to the definition of a disciple; that would be an interesting topic for those more familiar with the meaning of the original language. It certainly involves being a follower of those with true teachings; and is a group activity. Such should be the case in regard to evangelism; but from my experience it is often lacking. There is often inconsistency if group efforts to evangelize whether on the street or in a retirement community so that the routine relationships and the time spent and frequency of appearance for the recipients of the message discourages building deep and long lasting relationships. Such relationships are the basis for further instruction of doctrines from those in church leadership. It is admittedly hard when we are reaching those who are elderly or infirmed to establish a method of transportation to church; and hence it is easier when we can find those qualified to bring a service to such a location as a nursing home which I have seen with some success in the past. The same issue; of course has to be considered for those on the streets who may need special attention that may be violent or have substance abuse issues.
As believers; I have stated before that it is helpful on the streets for example to have some focusing on praying for others while others preach. We also can't undervalue prayer for the saints who are laboring as to their safety and reaching the individuals God has predetermined to meet on a particular day.
I am hopeful that funding for church missions can be more focused on activities in local communities rather than being funneled overseas in totality. If there is a disconnect between Christians fellowshipping in a building and how we to operate in evangelism going to church won't be understood properly.
The grk for "disciple" is "mathetes". It comes from the verb "mathaino" which means "to learn". So the precise meaning of the grk for disciple is "a learner, a student, pupil". In the ancient world, the followers of the greek philosophers (from the verb "philo" which means "to love" and "sophia" which means "wisdom") were also called "mathetes". So the word had a broader meaning, it was used for those who follow/spend a long time with, and learn from somebody who played the role of a teacher. Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and many others had established academies/schools and had disciples who were learning their wisdom about the world.
It seems today more than ever there are few examples of discipling in terms of the closeness of relationships at least in this country except from some small groups I have participated in. Churches that actually have truth taught with love are rare enough; but finding ones that are small and personable enough and have a good structure of elders and other teachers that can commit to this is even more unusual. I suppose one could qualify service type work as something where we can learn by example; but again it seems most in leadership are too busy with their conferences and other church business to have much time for that.
Again not sure how things are out there but have some idea. We should be learning by using spiritual gifts and interacting with those gifted in other areas. We should be able to do charity work and other things and be assured correct doctrines are being taught; but sadly there are many organizations which once examined are spurious in that and it takes a wise and discerning church leader to pick up on it sometimes. Sadly part of the issue are those who are so immature in their faith that they don't have a clear gospel message when witnessing; not to mention many who if believers at all are either too busy or make themselves to busy to be relevant as far as participation other than showing up Sunday mornings. The other side of he coin are small groups that may indeed be committed to the cause of evengelism; prayer; etc. but which tend to be separate from churches and therefore often subject to doctrinal error or tend to be argumentative without accountability in regard to leadership; etc. I have seen this type of thing veer to full Preterism; or extreme Calvanistic persuasion at the expense of a balanced approach to scripture as a whole.
In general finding someone we wish to emulate who is also approachable is hard these days. Also finding those who see the value in discipling us; or are teachable themselves.
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