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Essay Instructions: Selecting a Disciple-Maker's Message

In Mitchell: ch. 9, (see attached ch. 9 & Display)

review the sources and forms of a disciple-maker's message.

Then, reflect upon 1 Corinthians 1 - 2, 2 Peter 1, and Romans 15:18.

Write a 4 - 5-page reflective essay

describing how these principles will impact your next selection of a message/lesson for a discipleship venue.

In a concluding paragraph, anticipate the most appropriate and effective form(s) for this message.

CONTENT ??" 70 points
• Utilizes and applies readings from the textbooks.CH9 attached also cite books listed
• Describes how the principles in the Mitchell: ch. 9 will impact your next selection of a message/lesson for a discipleship venue.
• Explains in a concluding paragraph how you anticipate the most appropriate and effective form(s) for these messages.
• Demonstrates that you have properly reviewed and reflected upon the different aspects of the Scriptures given.
STRUCTURE, ASSIGNMENT FORMAT, & SUBMISSION ??" 20 points
• Assignment was submitted on or before established deadline.
• Title page includes student name, class, instructor, and date.
• The expected length (4 - 5 pages) is met.
• Turabian style is used (title page, table of contents, body, supporting documentation, and bibliography as an appendix along with Times New Roman font, 12 point, and double-spaced text with 1-inch margins.)
• Paper presentation is strong and focused.
• Sentence fluency is coherent, unified, and varied.
• Sentence structure is complete, clear, and concise.
GRAMMAR AND MECHANICS ??" 10 points
• Punctuation is correct.
• Spelling is correct.
• Words are precise, unambiguous, and appropriate.

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Essay Instructions: The word "gospel" is from an old English word meaning "good news." This and the other three canonical [i.e., on-the-official-list] Christian gospels are all announcements of the good news about Jesus, the Christ or Messiah, according to Christian belief. We can only touch on a few themes in Mark, which includes material on religious leaders, texts, and interpretations. Mark’s Gospel is a religious text about Jesus, a religious leader. The reading guide and response paper invite you to experience first hand the problems of interpretation. Reading Mark's gospel requires some detective work.

In the early chapters (1-8) of Mark's gospel, Jesus' main work is curing people, especially by casting out demons. He tells parables that people do not understand; and when he explains the parables to his disciples they do not always understand either. There is some confusion about his identity. By the end of this period his disciples have been making guesses about him, and Peter blurts out that Jesus is the Messiah. As the textbook explains, this word means "anointed." The kings of ancient Israel were anointed leaders, so many people in Jesus' time thought of the Messiah as a royal leader, who with the help of God would overthrow the Roman rulers. Some thought of him also as the "Son of Man" in the Book of Daniel.

Jesus rebukes Peter for calling Jesus the Messiah. Then at this point the gospel shifts. Jesus continues to heal people and tell parables, but from the beginning of chapter 9 attention gradually turns to Jerusalem and the striking events that will take place there. All this can make Mark’s gospel hard to understand. The questions below will guide you. There is also a map at the bottom of this page to help with the geography of the gospel.

Scripture scholars think that Mark is the first of the 4 gospel to have been written, around 70 CE, perhaps 40 years after Jesus' death. When Mark decided to write the first gospel he may have had a lot of material to work with and had to decide what to include and what not. The author gathered many sayings of Jesus and stories about Jesus and formed them into an explanation of who Jesus was. The gospels according to Matthew and Luke both copy the overall structure of Mark's gospel. The scholars think these two were written around 80 CE. They contain more stories and information than Mark. (The 4th gospel, attributed to someone named John, is quite different from these first three. Because the first 3 follow the same basic structure they are called the "synoptic" -- seen-together -- gospels.)

Two single-spaced page would be appropriate. This is a big assignment.


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READING GUIDE QUESTIONS: First read ALL of these questions so you know what to look for; then read Mark's gospel, marking it as you go to identify items that will address these questions. (A useful way to keep track is just to write down the chapter and verse. Later you can use this list to identify the items the questions ask for. Another way to mark the text without defacing it is to use tiny post-it notes. Just stick one next to any verse you want to keep track of. and, of course, you can use the "find" function under "Edit" on your computer screen to answer some of the questions.)

Remember, your job is to interact with the text, to study it and try to make sense of it as best you can. Do not trust that what you learned before will be reflected in this Gospel the way you learned it. In answering the question indicate what the text actually says, not what you think it ought to say or must mean. Even when you are asked to "speculate," be sure to consider whether the words of the text are compatible with your speculation.

1. Jesus sometimes tells demons not to reveal who he, Jesus, is. Find three examples of this, citing the words the demon(s) say, as well as giving chapter and verse. Speculate a bit (in a paragraph) on why Jesus would do this, if his job is to announce the coming of the Kingdom of God.

2. What are the names of Jesus' brothers in the text. Does he have sisters also? What does his family seem to think of him (both chs 3 & 6 have information relevant to this question). Cite lines (give both the words and the chapters and verses) indicating what his townspeople think of him. Be thorough.

3. Take note of 1:15, which sums up the role of Jesus, preaching that "the kingdom of God is at hand." In the minds of Jews of Jesus' time, this kingdom was announced in the Book of Daniel, which says that "one like the Son of Man" will come with the clouds of heaven . . . "and was given dominion [power] and glory." (Dan 7:13-14). The coming of this kingdom earlier includes mention of angels. Identify at least two places in Mark's gospel where at least three of these precise nouns are given together. [You can use the "find" function for this.]

4. Some have claimed that Mark did not think highly of those we call the Apostles. Find and cite lines that might justify such a conclusion.

5. What ideas in this gospel seem more strange or surprising to you? Cite the lines (with chapters and verses) that say something odd. Speculate as best you can on why those lines are part of the gospel. With an enormous number of tales to tell, give some guesses as to why Mark included the lines you find odd.


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Essay Instructions: A consideration of Paul's "thorn in the flesh" mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12. What are the various theories regarding this problem? Which one seems to best fit the context of 2 Corinthians?
Need help with my Introduction and Thesis Statement: Introduction
Reading and studying the Bible, we learn that Jesus handpicked a number of men to be what I consider His front line disciples. These men would become the leaders of the movement called, ?The Way?, after Jesus ascended to heaven. Yet we find that the Apostle Paul, who was not among the original disciples, was the only one who received a thorn in the flesh. Scripture tells us that Paul was given this thorn to keep him humble because meekness is a virtue of Christ. That being the case, why would Paul pray three times to God to have this thorn removed? If the intent was to keep him from exalting himself, why were no other disciples afflicted? Was this an act of Satan or of God?

Thesis Statement
Paul was given a ?thorn in the flesh? to keep him humble, because meekness is a virtue of Christ that being the case, why would Paul pray three times to God to have this thorn removed. If this were to keep him from exalting himself, were not the other disciples worthy of this affliction?

These are some of the books I am using:
Barnett, Paul. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997.

Dawson, Audrey. Healing, Weakness and Power: Perspectives on Healing in the Writings of Mark, Luke and Paul. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2008.

Deane-Drummond, Celia. Brave New World?: Theology, Ethics, and the Human Genome. London; New York: T&T Clark, 2003.

Garland, David E. 2 Corinthians. The New American Commentary. Vol. 29. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999.

Hawthorne, Gerald F., Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid, eds. Dictionary of Paul and His Letters. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Janet Everts Powers, ?A ?Thorn in the Flesh?: The Appropriation of Textual Meaning,? JPT 18, (2001): 85-99

Kreitzer, Larry. 2 Corinthians. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996.
Ronald Russell. ?Redemptive Suffering and Paul?s Thorn In The Flesh.? Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 39, (December 1996): 558-70

Ryrie, Charles C. Biblical Theology of the New Testament. Dubuque, IA: ECS Ministries, 2005.

Essay Instructions: In a 4 - 5-page paper formatted in Turabian style, critique the assertion that the essential activity of Christian ministry is "to make a disciple who worships Jesus."
Use Books: Leading, Teaching, and Making Disciples by Dr Michael R Mitchell & Growing True Disciples by George Barna and your own research. In Mitchell: ch. 8

Also, address the following issues in your critique:
• Identify education, discipleship, and spiritual formation.
• Describe the similarities and differences among them.
• In which of the three is a church's ministry most interested? Why?
• Does it matter which one is of most interest to a ministry? Explain.
• What is the connection of each of these 3 areas with worship?
• If making disciples is not the essential activity, then what is?
• If worship is not the evidence of discipleship, then what is?
Use at least 6 sources