November 14, 2024
Discipleship / Theology

Lesson Plan: Method of Christ (Ecclesiology/Personal Disciple Making)

Shawnby Shawn
  1. Introduction and Ice Breaker exercise.
    1. United Baptist Church (UBC) has a New Members class for those that are interested in joining the local body of Christ. This training would be integrated into that class. The students will have a better understanding of how UBC is structured (and why) along with the reasoning why the ordinances are done the way they are. The students will take turns reading the Bible Scriptures as presented throughout the training.
    2. Ice Breaker – Separate into three person teams and have them all turn over the Bible Basics Quiz and give them 5 minutes to answer the questions without using their phones or their Bible.
  2. Course Outline of Content
    1. Method of Christ
      1. Definition & Role of Church
        • Foundational Statements about the church.
        • Biblical Images of the Church.
      2. Congregational Church Governance
      3. Church Leadership
      4. Gender Roles
      5. Key Ordinances
        • Baptism
        • Communion (Lord’s Supper)
        • Personal Disciple Making
    2. Create Action Plan
    3. Conclusion
  1. Content to be Provide to Team
    1. Church – Erickson states, “the whole body of those who through Christ’s death have been savingly reconciled to God and have received new life. It includes all such persons, whether in heaven or on earth. While universal in nature, it finds expression in local groupings of believers that display the same qualities as does the body of Christ as a whole.”[1]
      1. Foundational Statements about the church.
        • The church of Jesus Christ is one church where everyone is related to Him and part of the same spiritual body. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:13).
        • The church’s essence should be determined from Scripture, not from its activities.
        • The church exists to carry out God’s will by the power of the Holy Spirit.
        • The church is the continuation of God’s presence and ministry in the world today.
        • The church is to be a fellowship of Christians who display the fruit of the Spirit and use their spiritual gifts.
        • The church is made up of imperfect people and will not reach glorification (full sanctification) until He returns.
      2. Biblical Images of the church.
        • People of God – Erickson explains, “The concept of the church as the people of God emphasizes God’s initiative in choosing them.”[2] Supporting Scripture:
          1. Christians belong to God, and He belongs to them. “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people” (2 Cor. 6:16, New King James Version).
          2. God chooses, or elects, people to be part of the church, “because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thes. 2:13-14)
          3. “knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God” (1 Thes. 1:4).
          4. Jews and Gentiles alike, He chooses, “even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As He says also in Hosea: ‘I will call them My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved.’ ‘And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.’” (Rom. 9:24-26)
          5. God expects a particular quality of holiness from His people, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:25-27)
        • The Body of Christ – Erickson states, “This image emphasizes that the church is the locus of Christ’s activity now just as was his physical body during his earthly ministry. The image is used both of the church universal and of individual local congregations.”[3] This also emphasizes the connection of the church, as a group of believers, with Christ.[4] This image speaks to the interconnectedness of the members who make up the church. Supporting Scripture:
          1. Universal, “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Eph. 1:22-23).
          2. Local, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” (1 Cor. 12:27)
          3. Christ is the head of the church, “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Gal. 2:20).
          4. Together under one head, “that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him” (Eph. 1:10).
          5. All are joined and nourished from Christ, “and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God” (Col. 2:19). See also John 15:1-11.
          6. There is unity in diversity of spiritual gifts within the body of Christ. See 1 Cor. 12.
          7. There is genuine fellowship and encouragement within the body of Christ. “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Cor. 12:26).
          8. All are in unity. “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph. 4:4-6).
        • The Temple of the Holy Spirit – Erickson states, “It is the Spirit who brought the church into being at Pentecost, where he baptized the disciples and converted three thousand, giving birth to the church.”[5] “The church is now indwelt by the Spirit, both individually and collectively.”[6] The indwelling of the Spirit is the means of Christ’s presence with His people. The Spirit is the sovereign of the church as He is the one who gives people as gifts to the church and provides spiritual gifts to people to use within the church. The Holy Spirit makes the church holy. Supporting Scripture:
          1. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” (1 Cor. 12:13)
          2. “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (1 Cor. 3:16-17).
          3. “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness” (Rom. 8:9-10).
          4. “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1 Cor. 12:11).
          5. “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
    2. Congregational Church Governance – UBC uses the congregational form of church government that stresses the role of the individual Christian and makes the local congregation the seat of authority.[7] There is autonomy in that the local congregation is independent and self-governing,[8] along with democracy in that every member of the local congregation has a voice in its affairs.[9] The principle of autonomy, each local church is self-governing, reflects the New Testament illustrations where there is no structure above, or control on, the churches. The element of democracy ensures that the congregation has voting power on most aspects of the church operations but also under the leadership and responsibility of the leadership team as representatives who are responsible for certain aspects of church operations. A degree of representative government is necessary for orderliness. This is why the leadership team exists, to serve the congregation in an orderly and effective fashion. Supporting Scripture:
      • “And He said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves’” (Luke 22:25-27).
    3. Church Leadership – UBC has a leadership team comprised of a Pastor, Ministers, Deacons, Trustees, and Ministry Directors. (Provide UBC Church leadership chart and review each position.)
    4. Role of Men in Church – The roles, and ministries, of ruling and teaching are restricted to men. There are exceptions with some of the Ministry Directors and teachers as they only disciple to other women. Practicing gay people are disqualified from such positions as well. Supporting Scripture:
      • Women are to keep silent and not teach (1 Cor. 14:34-35, 1 Tim. 2:11-15).
      • Deacon should be the husband of one wife (1 Tim. 3:2, 12, Titus 1:6).
      • Jesus did not select any women among his twelve disciples.
      • Men should not lie with other men (Lev. 18:22, 20:13, Rom. 1:26-27, 1 Cor. 6:9-10).
    5. Key Ordinances
      1. Baptism – This is an important part of a Christian’s life and a significant role of the church. “a token, an outward symbol or indication of the inward change that has been effected in the believer. It serves as a public testimony of one’s faith in Jesus Christ. It is an initiatory rite—we are baptized into the name of Christ.”[10] This is a command from Jesus (Matt. 28:19-20) and is understood as an ordinance and not a sacrament. It is a form of proclamation, and it does not produce any spiritual change as that has already been done at regeneration. Baptism is a testimony of regeneration. There is an obligation from leadership to know that the believer understands what the baptism is a token of. This is in the form of the believer providing an oral testimony and answer some questions. This is known as Believer’s Baptism as it is for those that have met the conditions for salvation. Believer’s Baptism has a prerequisite, faith in Christ. Full immersion best pictures the resurrection from spiritual death (Rom. 6:3-5) and is an outward commitment to Christ. Supporting Scripture:
        • Baptism is not necessary for salvation. This is like the traditional requirement of circumcision. The thief on the cross was not baptized.
        • Make disciples, then baptize. “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” (Matt. 28:19)
        • Repentance and confession of sin is a requirement. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”…6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins” (Matt. 3:2,6)
        • Repentance and then baptism (Acts 2:37-41).
        • Belief followed by baptism (Acts 8:12, 18:8, 19:1-7).
      2. Communion (Lord’s Supper) – Communion continues what baptism started in initiating a believer into the Christian faith. It was established by Jesus Christ and stated within the three synoptic gospels (Matt. 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:19-20). It needs to be repeated, “do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Cor. 11:24-25) and “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26). “So the Lord’s Supper is as much a symbol of the present vital fellowship of believers with the Lord and with one another as it is a symbol of the past death of Jesus. It is also a proclamation of a future fact; it looks forward to the Lord’s second coming.”[11] Participation leads to spiritual growth for the practicing believer. “The Lord’s Supper differs from sermons only in that it involves a visible means of proclamation. In both cases, as with all proclamation, responsive faith is necessary if there is to be any benefit.”[12]
      3. Personal Disciple Making – Evangelism, witnessing, spreading the good news, sharing the gospel, is the Great Commission and what Jesus commands His disciples to do. This is not optional. Some Christians have the spiritual gift of evangelism, but it is something every Christian has been commanded to do. (Refer the students to Gospel Training as it is outside the scope of this section of training).
      4. Create Action Plan
        • Each student commits to discussing the content over the course of the next month during their weekly check-in with their assigned Deacon.
      5. Conclusion
        • Review main points of training and action plan.
        • Closing prayer that asks for each student to trust God completely to understand the value and benefits of being a member of UBC.

    Bibliography

    Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013.

    [1] Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013), 957.

    [2] Ibid., 958.

    [3] Erickson, Christian Theology, 959–960.

    [4] Erickson, Christian Theology, 960.

    [5] Erickson, Christian Theology, 962.

    [6] Ibid.

    [7] Erickson, Christian Theology, 998.

    [8] Ibid.

    [9] Ibid.

    [10] Erickson, Christian Theology, 1023.

    [11] Erickson, Christian Theology, 1037.

    [12] Ibid., 1045.

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