Dynamics of Discipleship, Part 1
Matthew 28:19-20
Introduction
- Personal Background
- Time with Coach Landry and introduction to Coach John Wooden
- Building a friendship with Wooden and learning from him
Anecdotes and Lessons
- Bill Walton Story
- Walton’s long hair and beard against Wooden’s rules
- Wooden’s approach to handling Walton’s convictions
- Impact of Wooden’s mentorship on Walton’s life
Discipleship in Ministry
- Importance of Discipleship
- Question: What guarantees impact for Christ in the next generation?
- New Testament teaching: God's Word and His people will last
- Critical need for a legacy built on God’s Word and discipleship
- Challenges in Evangelical Churches
- Failure to make disciples as commanded by Jesus
- Example from a seminary class with low discipleship experience
Key Issues and Solutions
- Church Growth vs. Church Health
- Misplaced focus on church growth rather than health
- Importance of developing mature followers of Jesus Christ
- Need for a ministry of multiplication, not just addition
- Misconceptions about Ministry
- Informational vs. transformational ministry
- Significance over size in effective ministries
Biblical Foundation
- The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20)
- Main command: Make disciples
- Process: Going, baptizing, teaching
- Not just making decisions but making disciples
- Emphasis on obedience and transformation
- Example from Early Church
- 2 Timothy 2:2: Passing on teachings to reliable individuals
- Ministry of multiplication through discipleship
Practical Applications
- Personal Convictions and Experiences
- Testimonies of individuals transformed through discipleship
- Building relationships and foundations for presenting the gospel
- Examples of significant life changes and effective discipleship
Conclusion
- Call to Action
- Emphasis on obeying Christ’s command to make disciples
- Reflection on the significance of discipleship in ministry
- Encouragement to engage in transformational ministry
- Prayer
- A prayer for strength, guidance, and commitment to discipleship
*The above summary is AI-generated, so discrepancies may exist. Please refer to the audio or video file to verify accuracy.
About the Contributors
Howard G. Hendricks
Dr. Howard G. Hendricks, known simply as “Prof,” directly or indirectly touched millions of lives in the evangelical community and beyond. For more than sixty years Prof served on the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), where he taught more than ten thousand students. He served as the chairman of the Center for Christian Leadership for over twenty years. He also ministered in person in more than eighty countries. Through speaking engagements, radio, tapes, films, the sixteen books he authored and coauthored, countless journal and popular-market articles, his service on numerous boards, and his work as a chaplain to the Dallas Cowboys (1976–1984), his reach was and is worldwide.
His legacy, in partnership with Jeanne, his wife of more than sixty-five years, includes four children and six grandchildren. Holding large audiences enthralled at venues such as Billy Graham’s conference center or Promise Keepers’ stadium rallies, Prof would confide, “It’s wonderful to be here with you, but I have a group of delicious students waiting for me back at the seminary.”
Contributors
