EVANGELISM AND DISCIPLESHIP II. Relationship Between Evangelism and Discipleship Evangelism is proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to the lost. The lost are those people who do not believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. They are like lost sheep, which a good shepherd seeks and brings to safety (Matt. 18:12). The goal of evangelism is to win converts. Ab convertb is one who becomes a believer in Christ he is converted from being a nonbeliever to being a believer. Ab discipleb is a convert who adheres to the basics of the Christian faith. The word "disciple" means a pupil, someone who learns by following Such knowledge is more than head knowledge—it is also “heart-knowledge.” True disciples not only know about Christ, they also follow the teaching of Christ. In Christian theology, discipleship is the process of training individuals to become mature disciples. Discipleship is more than just sharing information—it involves developing individuals to love and obey God. Evangelism and discipleship are linked together. Evangelism results in converts, and converts are trained to become disciples. Disciples evangelize to reach more converts, who are trained to become disciples. So evangelism leads to disciples and disciples evangelize until the Gospel is spread throughout the world. Whenever possible, discipleship should follow evangelism. Evangelism results in people being spiritually reborn (see John 3:3), so new converts are spiritual babies Converts need discipleship in order to grow to maturity. It is not right to create a physical baby and then abandon it. In the same way, it is not right to create a spiritual baby and then abandon it. Converts need to be trained by other Christians. Consider the relationship of evangelism and discipleship with missions. Christian missions involve proclaiming the Gospel across cultures. So a missionary spreads the Gospel to a people group or culture different from his own. Evangelism and discipleship are the processes by which mission work is accomplished. Evangelism and discipleship also occur within one’s own culture, so not all evangelism and discipleship falls within the context of missions.
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