Potential candidates for discipleship are believers. If you came to Arkansas to 'make disciples' where would you look to find candidates?

Paul would have had a tougher time getting around to all the gatherings of the church - the ecclesia - in that 1st century if they weren't all gathered as the Body of Christ in Antioch, Thessaloniki, Ephesus, and all the rest. The ancient church never promoted me and my Jesus, but rather us and our Lord. And we know they gathered as one body, as members, to worship God.
Now-a-days, how did we get to the point of the Body of Christ, gathered as it always has been since Christ Ascended, and what Paul wrote of as being a witness, a testimony to the spiritual powers in the heavens as being me, me, and more me?

The spiritual journey, Scripture speaks of, is one paved with individual sanctification and collaboration with other people of God.

Blessings,
Mark

Thankfully a Baptist preacher went looking on a street corner where a group of kids were hanging out smoking cigarettes stolen from their parents. lol

But even choosing to believe is a work of Gods grace otherwise we could boast in that. God doesn’t have to make us deny him, that is in our very nature, we are sinful, as the Bible says there is none that are righteous not one. However to chose Him, to turn from the flesh that was our master to follow a new one, that is a work of God in us. So I do believe in Gods election, because I know that without it I would still be lost in my pride, and because of it I am humbled daily at the magnitude and majesty of my God.

I disagree with believing being a work. Work is something you do and receive payment for on your own merit. Jesus did all the work all we have to do is believe the record that God gave of his Son. The grace we receive in return for believing is something someone else paid for. we can't earn it on our own power so we therefore cannot lose it by our own power.

And I know Jesus used the term work while teaching the gospel in John 6:29 and this was an assurance that there was no actual work a person could do to be saved.

John 6:28-29 KJV
Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? [29] Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Jesus was very clear about what he will say to those who trust in any amount of works for salvation

Matthew 7:21-23 KJV
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? [23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Evidence of the Trinity. Yet, the word Trinity isn't found anywhere in the bible either. Manmade, Triune God.

Thanks Derek, your recent posts are helpful in calling these debates back down to what matters.

Sometimes the intense debate between all of the different -ists, -isms, and -ologies gets disconnected from the realities of life and the meaning or purpose of the story. Yes, organizing doctrine and theology is important and necessary if one is to live out that theology, but we have to be careful not to let our organizational categories distract or detract from the Gospel. Our attempts to make (and follow) all of these neatly defined -ologies are often attempts to make God fit neatly into some human-defined category. God doesn't belong in a philosophical box. Maybe that's why the debates rage on like they do: none of the boxes are adequate. Yes, there is (extreme) danger in following false doctrines. Of course there is. We must adhere to the story of the Bible as our baseline theology and be careful not to get too wrapped up in the -isms and -ologies that have developed as we've tried to work out its meaning. If we aren't living from the ideas presented in John 3:16 and Matthew 22:36-40 (useful as biblical summary statements at the very least), then we probably need to reevaluate. Are we disciples of doctrine or Jesus? Are we making disciples of doctrine or Jesus? Again, I understand the desire to have"right" doctrine and to tell other believers about it. I get it. I'm doing it. But sometimes that desire spreads strife and discord among the Church. Sometimes it's helpful to remember the basics.

Derek, your posts have shown a humble acceptance of God's love, which is given back to Him and spread to others. That's exactly where the Gospel should take us. Thanks.

What if I disagree with you jht? The faith has always had great minds working alongside other faithful to seek the magnificent truth of God. Who He is and why we fall in love with Him.
But, the consensus in the secular world, bathed in dichotomy (pick one they say!) as it is, has a different aim. The secular aim mightily at declaring one the winner and the other a loser... but that generates a question of "How did followers of the Way in the ancient church gather together as Luke wrote in Acts 2:42?" and "continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer?". Did they gather to see who had the best exegetical knowledge and could argue best? Did they gather together to declare a scholarly winner of the week? We don't really know, but the historical writings from Church Fathers Polycarp (a disciple of John), Origen, Cyprian, apologists like Justin Martyr, theologians like Augustine, and bishops such as Irenaeus would, all point towards people throughout Christian history gathering together as a body, devoting themselves to the Apostles' teaching and to fellowship.... with multiple focuses. Maybe try to explain the faith to others. Maybe seek God's Truth and apply it in our lives. There are countless reasons doctrines, ologies, and isms were crafted by very faithful followers. We're foolish to discredit or discount them as they have God's majesty written all over them. Literally and figuratively.

What we should do when we discuss our "ologies" and "isms" is realize that Christianity has a deep, rich, divinely orchestrated history and God is that history. Every piece. Every miraculous portion. And in that we realize how small we are and how grand God is... to reveal Himself in His Word and His Son.

So when we "argue" in the theological sense, it's not as the world does. If I disagree with you jht, it doesn't mean I have to be right. It doesn't mean I have to win. It doesn't mean I have to hate you or call you names attempting to manipulate the argument in my favor. That's the world's tact and we have been called from that to the Light.
The "they" is us who believe and have been called by grace through faith in Christ and so we should always "continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" and relish the opportunity to bounce ideas off one another, pay respect to all those who labored and sacrificed more than we can imagine over the span of 3500 years of biblical narrative, as we seek the Truth of our Lord individually and together as one.

Blessings,
Mark

All I ever wanted to point out is this!

https://www.facebook.com/RealBrigitteGabriel/videos/10153990833777581