Community-Based Discipleship: Oikos and Ekklesia in the New Testament

Community-Based Discipleship is a book whose time has come. It is meant to both challenge and encourage "salt and light" disciples, people who have chosen to live within the realm of the Lordship of Jesus Christ in their own life as well as to represent his interests in the world. Ironically, these exemplary people often live with a hidden pain. They struggle to be faithful and fruitful disciples. They fear that they may ultimately be unable to fulfill the Lord's calling in their life. But he has left us with an illuminating, liberating pattern for discipleship At the core of the book is an integration of the four Gospels into a single Narrative. Reading this single, harmonized Gospel with special attention to the usage of oikos and ekklesia will reveal the discipleship philosophy of Jesus. We refer to this as O-2-O, oikos to oikos. Jesus formed an oikos of disciples who extended discipleship to the oikos communities that shaped their world. Jesus made disciples in community and for communities. Once salt and light disciples realize the extent to which human community informed how Jesus made disciples, they will clearly understand that the Lord has given them permission to create "new wineskins" that empower faithful and fruitful discipleship to Jesus in the world of tomorrow.Come join the adventure, as we explore together the unparalleled genius of Jesus' O-2-O oikklesia model...