A Discipleship Model for the Hill Portuguese Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Johannesburg
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Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Project Documents Graduate Research 2014 A Discipleship Model for the Hill Portuguese Seventh-day Adventist Church of Johannesburg Dioi Cruz Andrews University This research is a product of the graduate program in Doctor of Ministry DMin at Andrews University. Find out more about the program. Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin Part of the Missions and World Christianity Commons, and the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Cruz, Dioi, "A Discipleship Model for the Hill Portuguese Seventh-day Adventist Church of Johannesburg" (2014). Project Documents. 266. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin/266 This Project Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Project Documents by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. 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ABSTRACT A DISCIPLESHIP MODEL FOR THE HILL PORTUGUESE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH OF JOHANNESBURG by Diói Cruz Adviser: Wagner Kuhn ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Dissertation Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: A DISCIPLESHIP MODEL FOR THE HILL SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST PORTUGUESE CHURCH OF JOHANNESBURG Name of researcher: Diói Cruz Name and degree of faculty adviser: Wagner Kuhn, PhD Date completed: October 2014 Problem The Hill Portuguese Seventh-day Adventist Church is a community composed of immigrants from Portugal, who were well established in Angola and Mozambique and who moved to South Africa after escaping the independence wars in the 1970s. Despite their professional success, they have not been successful in personal ministry outreach during the past years, resulting in a clear decrease of membership. Method This project sought to create, implement, and evaluate a strategy to help bring about inner healing and discipleship in order to increase the number of members witnessing creatively and reaching out to the Portuguese neighborhood of immigrants in the southern urban area of Johannesburg. Results An inner healing-discipleship cycle was implemented and brought excellent outcomes. Members were assessed in many ways and exposed to sermons and seminars on healing and discipleship. The overall goal was reached for the fact that most of the members are enjoying being involved in mission outreach and are currently planting a new church. Conclusions The goal of every sincere Christian is to have a growing and satisfying spiritual life. The inner healing-discipleship cycle has helped the members to experience each phase of it through spiritual activities at the church and through personal communion with God. They have faced the truth about themselves and realized how great the grace of Jesus is. Through the spiritual assessments they were able to better understand themselves, their neighbors, and God. The most effective way to bring a change in a church is from within to outside, and this start in our hearts and ends in our hearts and minds when our heart is “strangely warmed” and the gracious touch of God constrains us to decide to follow him. Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary A DISCIPLESHIP MODEL FOR THE HILL PORTUGUESE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH OF JOHANNESBURG A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry by Diói Cruz October 2014 © Copyright by Diói Cruz 2014 All Rights Reserved A DISCIPLESHIP MODEL FOR THE HILL PORTUGUESE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH OF JOHANNESBURG A dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Ministry by Diói Cruz APPROVAL BY THE COMMITTEE: _______________________________ _________________________________ Adviser, Director, DMin Program Wagner Kuhn Skip Bell _____________________________ _________________________________ Nancy Vyhmeister Dean, SDA Theological Seminary Jir̂í Moskala _______________________________ _________________________________ Boubakar Sanou Date approved DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my adorable, devoted, and supportive wife Silvia, our brilliant, loving, and sweet children Giuliana and Guido, and to my always encouraging and faithful parents, Diomar and Ivani. It is also dedicated to all who struggle with damaged emotions, spiritual wounds, and need for the gracious touch of Jesus in order to experience inner healing and find self-identity iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ...................................................................................... viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................... ix Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 Background ............................................................................................ 1 The Problem ........................................................................................... 2 Purpose of the Project............................................................................. 2 Justification of the Project ...................................................................... 2 Limitations of the Study ......................................................................... 3 Delimitations of the Study ...................................................................... 4 Significance of the Project ..................................................................... 4 Personal Basis for Ministry .................................................................... 4 Family Background ................................................................................ 7 Educational and Ministry Background .................................................. 8 Six Subplots ........................................................................................... 10 Culture.............................................................................................. 10 Cal .................................................................................................... 10 Community ...................................................................................... 11 Communion...................................................................................... 11 Conflict ............................................................................................ 11 Commonplace .................................................................................. 12 Specific Personal Assessments .............................................................. 12 Conversion and Assurance of Salvation .......................................... 12 Time and Resources ......................................................................... 13 Margin in Emotional Energy ..................................................... 13 Margin in Physical Energy......................................................... 14 Margin in Time .......................................................................... 14 Margin in Finances .................................................................... 15 Spiritual Path .......................................................................................... 15 Nine Spiritual Areas ......................................................................... 15 Spiritual Stage .................................................................................. 16 Spiritual and Devotional Life........................................................... 17 Worldview.............................................................................................. 18 Temperament and MBTI........................................................................ 19 Damage Factor ....................................................................................... 20 iv Assessments in Relation to Others ......................................................... 22 Spiritual Gifts ................................................................................... 22 Leadership/Interaction Styles........................................................... 23 Task Type Preference ...................................................................... 24 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 25 Summary ................................................................................................ 26 2. BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR INNER HEALING AND DISCIPLESHIP ............................................................... 28 Introduction ............................................................................................ 28 Inner Healing ................................................................................... 28 Discipleship...................................................................................... 31 Theology of Inner Healing and Discipleship in the Bible ..................... 32 Inner Healing and Discipleship in the Old Testament ..................... 33 Inner Healing and Discipleship in the New Testament ................... 35 Inner Healing and Discipleship