Fokus ovog članka je na tome kako evanđeoske crkve, posebice u Hrvatskoj, općenito gledaju na ulogu i položaj krštenja u vodi u procesu učeništva. Međutim, odnos između krštenja i učeništva poslužit će kao prilika za istraživanje drugih aspekata procesa učeništva, posebice odnos između evangelizacije i učeništva. Stoga, u prvom dijelu članka ukratko ćemo raspraviti i ispitati neke ključne elemente „Velikog poslanja“ kako bismo stekli uvid u poslanje te vidjeli različita tumačenja i razumijevanja tog teksta. Na temelju Evanđelja, drugi dio članka istražuje kako bi Isusovi sljedbenici razumjeli i definirali učeništvo na temelju svog iskustva s Isusom, i kako bi to iskustvo oblikovalo njihovo razumijevanje Velikog poslanja. Treći dio članka bavi se odnosom (ili bolje rečeno dihotomijom) između „evangelizacije“ i „učeništva“ u svrhu postizanja razumijevanja ovih dviju aktivnosti koje je više u skladu s novozavjetnim učenjem. Posljednji dio članka posvećen je ulozi i položaju krštenja u vodi u procesu učeništva. Budući da je svrha ove rasprave procijeniti teologiju i praksu evanđeoskih kršćana u pogledu ispravnog razumijevanja krštenja u vodi i posljedično tome, procesa učeništva općenito, predlažu se četiri stvari: 1. Usvajanje definicije učeništva koja u svojoj srži ima odnose, a ne metodu, program ili aktivnosti; 2. Revizija razumijevanja odnosa između „evangelizacije“ i „učeništva“; 3. Podsjetnik da je svrha evangelizacije stvaranje „učenika“, a ne „obraćenika“; 4. Obnova biblijskog položaja krštenja u vodi koje bi trebalo predstavljati odgovor osobe, tj. njezin „da“ na poruku evanđelja.

This article focuses on how evangelical churches in general, notably in Croatia, view the role and position of water baptism in the discipleship process. However, the relationship between baptism and discipleship will serve as an opportunity to examine other aspects of the discipleship process, primarily the link between evangelism and discipleship. Hence, in the first part of the article, we will briefly discuss and examine some key elements of the Great Commission to get a sense of it and see different interpretations and understandings of that text. Second, based on the Gospels, we will see how Jesus’ followers would understand and define discipleship based on their experience with Jesus and how that experience shaped their understanding of the Great Commission. Third, we will discuss the relationship (or, better to say, current dichotomy) between “evangelism” and “discipleship” and argue for an understanding of these two activities that is, I would suggest, more faithful to the NT texts. Finally, we will discuss the role and position of water baptism in the discipleship process. Since the purpose of this discussion is to evaluate the theology and practice of evangelicals regarding a better understanding of water baptism and, consequently, the discipleship process in general, four things are proposed: 1. Adoption of a definition of discipleship that in its core, has relationships and not a method or program or activities; 2. Revision of understanding of the relationship between “evangelism” and “discipleship”; 3. A reminder that the purpose of evangelism is to make “disciples” and not “converts”; 4. Restoration of the biblical position of water baptism as a person’s response or their saying “yes” to the gospel message.

This article discusses the relationship between Christology and discipleship. It argues that Christology is the driving force, or trigger, behind becoming a disciple of Jesus and can also be used to revitalize existing disciples. The first part of the article examines the use of the term mathētēs, asking the question, “Who is directly or indirectly called a disciple of Jesus?” The second part explores concepts related to discipleship, which provides a basis for the third part of the article, which delves into why someone becomes a disciple of Jesus, i.e., questions of motivation. Since the topic is extensive, this section will only focus on the parts of the Gospel that contain explicit Christological titles and where the response to Jesus is positive. Since, in the Gospel of John, Christology is the means of initiating discipleship, the fourth part analyzes whether the main message of the gospel is centered on Christology or soteriology and how different messages impact discipleship. The article concludes that the Gospel of John emphasizes Christology as the center of its message rather than focusing on man’s fallen state and need for salvation. It also states that Christology triggers discipleship and plays a crucial role in motivating believers to commitment, zeal, sanctification, and sacrificial service within the Church today.

The article explores the need to read the Bible as one comprehensive story despite the fact that it contains different literary genres, plots and subplots, characters, etc. Also, it is pointed out that even the non-historical parts of the Bible contain a story and/or are part of some larger story that we must have in mind when we read and/or interpret these parts. For this purpose, the first part of the article describes and defines the concept of God's comprehensive story, and the second part shows, using selected examples (the Law, genealogy, Psalm 1), what the interpretation looks like when God’s comprehensive story is taken into account or neglected. The article concludes that the rediscovery of God's comprehensive story as it is written in the Bible is crucial because otherwise, Christianity not only harms Judaism, but also deprives itself of knowing the fullness of God's word if it reads the Bible only in accordance with theological systems that have developed during the history of the Church.

The Church in the New Testament is described with various images, and this article argues that one image that is implicitly present in the New Testament is the Church as a “court” or a “community of trial.” First, this can be argued because the God of the Bible – YHWH - is Creator, King, and Judge. That means that YHWH’s community is responsible, per YHWH’s revelation, to maintain the purity of its members in all aspects of life. Second, in the New Testament, we find examples where the Church functions as a court. However, the question is, does the biblical requirement for “two or three witnesses” also support the claim that the Church should function as a court? The purpose of this article is to identify places where the biblical command about “two or three witnesses appear,” to trace its development and to see what role and place it plays in the Church. By doing so, we would demonstrate that the presence of this stipulation in the New Testament is additional proof that we should sometimes view the Church as a “court.” The first part of the article explains that the context for the concept of witness is the Mosaic covenant and underlying assumption that governs the command about “two and three witnesses.” The second part analyzes the appearance of “two or three witnesses” in the Old Testament. In the third part, we will argue that the Church is truly a community of trial. We will so argue by observing selected examples from the New Testament where the Church functions as a court, and by tracking the development of the requirement about “two or three witnesses” in the New Testament. Based on this research, we will end by offering a reflection and a conclusion.

This article deals with the relationship between form and content in the context of a church service by observing and comparing church services and forms of worship in free churches in comparison to liturgical churches.Special emphasis has been put on the reflection about the »liturgy« among free churches, on the detection of possible wrong practices and on offering solutions in light of the New Testament.Furthermore, the »liturgy« among free churches is compared to churches with a strict liturgical structure, aiming to conclude what liturgical churches can offer to non-liturgical or free churches in terms of worship through a comparative overview of the two worship traditions.In the first part of the article, the sources and basic characteristics of worship in both free churches and in liturgical churches are presented and compared.In the second part of the article, an overview is given of the mutual misconceptions between the free and liturgical churches.Arguments for the criticism of liturgical worship services as well as free church worship services are presented.In the third and concluding part of the article, special focus is put on the existent issues in free church worship services, while offering viable solutions on how to potentially correct problematic areas of worship services in free churches based on the New Testament and on certain aspects present in liturgical churches that are also in harmony with the New Testament.

Both in Judaism and Christianity Jesus was to some extent separated or detached from Judaism. However, as Matthias Henze says, in the last 50 years we have been witness‐ ing significant changes in the approach and view of the Jewish world of the Gospels and consequently the New Testament. This positive shift should affect not only our view of the »Jewishness of Jesus« but also of biblical interpretation. Namely, we can expect that Jesus lived, thought, spoke and taught as a Jew and not as a »Christian« in the historical sense of the word. In terms of biblical interpretation, that means that the proper context for interpreting the Bible is the context of the biblical writers. Accordingly, our goal should be studying his‐ torical, cultural or literary contexts in order to discover a worldview context of the biblical authors and with these »glasses« approach to reading the Scriptures. Based on this reasoning, in the first part of the paper, we will address certain theological and historical reasons for the exclusion of the Jewishness of Jesus from both Judaism and Christianity. In the second part, we will discuss the importance of the Jewishness of Jesus for understanding the worldview context of the biblical authors. In the last part, as a case study, we will demonstrate through the interpretation of Matthew 16,13‐20 (the issue of »the rock«) and Luke 11,1‐4 (the Lord’s Prayer) through »Jewish eyes« that we can gain a different and even better interpretation of these two texts that better fit the context of the biblical writers.

This article deals with the relationship between form and content in the context of a church service by observing and comparing church services and forms of worship in free churches in comparison to liturgical churches. Special emphasis has been put on the reflection about the ≫liturgy≪ among free churches, on the detection of possible wrong practices and on offering solutions in light of the New Testament. Furthermore, the ≫liturgy≪ among free churches is compared to churches with a strict liturgical structure, aiming to conclude what liturgical churches can offer to non-liturgical or free churches in terms of worship through a comparative overview of the two worship traditions. In the first part of the article, the sources and basic characteristics of worship in both free churches and in liturgical churches are presented and compared. In the second part of the article, an overview is given of the mutual misconceptions between the free and liturgical churches. Arguments for the criticism of liturgical worship services as well as free church worship services are presented. In the third and concluding part of the article, special focus is put on the existent issues in free church worship services, while offering viable solutions on how to potentially correct problematic areas of worship services in free churches based on the New Testament and on certain aspects present in liturgical churches that are also in harmony with the New Testament.

U Novome zavjetu, Crkva je opisana raznim slikama, a ovaj članak ukazuje na to kako jedna od slika Crkve, koja je implicitno prisutna u Novome zavjetu, jest slika Crkve kao „suda“ ili „zajednice suđenja“. To se može tvrditi zbog toga što, prije svega, Jahve – Bog Biblije – je Stvoritelj, Kralj i Sudac. To znači kako je Jahvina zajednica, u skladu s Njegovim otkrivenjem, dužna održavati čistoću svojih članova u svim aspektima života. Drugo, u Novome zavjetu nalazimo primjere gdje Crkva funkcionira kao sud. No pitanje je podržava li biblijska zapovijed o „dvama ili trima svjedocima“ također tvrdnju da bi Crkva trebala djelovati kao sud? Svrha je ovog članka identificirati mjesta na kojima se pojavljuje zapovijed o „dvama ili trima svjedocima“, pratiti njezin razvoj i vidjeti kakvu ulogu i mjesto ima u Crkvi. Time bismo pokazali da je prisutnost ove odredbe u Novom zavjetu dodatni dokaz kako bismo na Crkvu ponekad trebali gledati kao na „sud“. Prvi dio članka objašnjava kako je kontekst za koncept svjedočenja Mojsijev savez te on ujedno predstavlja i temeljnu postavku koja upravlja zapovijedi o „dvama ili trima svjedocima“. Drugi dio članka analizira pojavu i korištenje ove zapovijedi u Starome zavjetu. Treći dio članka utvrđuje kako je Crkva uistinu zajednica koja sudi i ta se tvrdnja temelji na promatranju odabranih primjera iz Novog zavjeta koji nam pokazuju da Crkva ponekad djeluje kao sud te praćenjem razvoja odredbe o „dvama ili trima svjedocima“ u Novom zavjetu. Na kraju, na temelju poduzetog istraživanja, članak završava refleksijom i zaključkom.

The usage of the terms “disciple” and “discipleship” are very common among evangelical Christians and meanings of these terms seem self-evident. However, although these circles adopted such language, it was already present in the Jewish culture of Jesus’ time. The purpose and the goal of this article is to analyze the concept of discipleship in its original context and see how much the meaning of this term is removed from the meaning that this term has today. This topic we will address in two parts. In the first chapter, we will study the Old Testament (OT) roots of discipleship, and in the second chapter, the Jewish educational system in Jesus’ time. In the third chapter, we will analyze whether Jesus himself, and in what measure, passed through that Jewish educational system, and how and in what ways he used this model in the discipleship process of his disciples. In the second part of the article, we will address the practice of discipleship in the first Church, and after that offer some guidelines on how to apply Jesus’ concept of discipleship in the Church today. The key focus of this article is the problematic of applying principles of discipleship that were present in the context of Jewish culture, on the Church today, since our analysis reveals that understanding of discipleship today does not correspond entirely to the understanding of that concept in Jesus’ time. Although discipleship then and now contained passing on information, more importantly was to follow the rabbi and learn from him in a close relationship. It is concluded that a possible solution for this challenge must be sought first and foremost in the change of thinking about what discipleship truly is (change of focus), and then in the practice through mentoring or working in small groups purposefully expose both sides (both “teachers” and “students”) to the experience of teaching through example.

Dokument Capetownski iskaz o predanju jedan je od važnijih dokumenata evanđeoskog kršćanstva koji sažeto progovara o mnogim temama. Jedna od tih tema je i učeništvo. Članak se osvrće na spomen teme učeništva u dokumentu te u nastavku nudi teološki osvrt na temu sadržaja i važnosti učeništva za današnje evanđeosko kršćanstvo. Nakon uvoda i prvog dijela, u kojem se adresira tema učeništva u Capetownskom iskazu, u nastavku članka nudi se teološki osvrt na temu učeništva. Drugi dio članka nudi raspravu o sadržaju i formi učeništva, dok se u trećem dijelu pojašnjava važnost učeništva, ustvrđujući kako je učeništvo (Mt 28) način ostvarivanja izvornoga stvaralačkog blagoslova obećanog Abrahamu u Postanku 12. U zaključku članka ističe se da, ako želimo ozbiljno uzeti temu učeništva iz Capetownskog iskaza o predanju, onda bismo trebali: a) razumjeti kako učeništvo nije „slobodna aktivnost“, već sredstvo kojim Bog želi proširiti svoj otkupiteljski blagoslov svim narodima; b) u naše crkve i teološke institucije vratiti poučavanje primjerom jer su broj crkvenih ili akademskih aktivnosti dio učeništva, ali ne smiju biti zamjena za pouku primjerom; c) otkupiti pojam „kršćanin“ na način da taj pojam bude rezerviran za one koji su „učenici“.

The Cape Town Commitment: A Confession of Faith and a Call to Action is one of the significant documents of evangelical Christianity that briefly addresses many important topics; one of such topics is discipleship. This article traces the theme of discipleship in the document and offers a theological reflection on the content and form of discipleship for contemporary evangelical Christianity. After the first part where the topic of discipleship is addressed, the article continues to offer a theological reflection on the topic of discipleship. Hence, the second part discusses the content and the form of discipleship. While the third part explains the importance of discipleship arguing that discipleship (Matthew 28) is the channel through which God realizes the return of the original creational blessing that was promised to Abraham in Genesis 12. In the conclusion it is pointed out that if we want to take the topic of discipleship from The Cape Town Commitment seriously, the following is needed: a) to understand that discipleship is not an after-school or extracurricular activity but a channel through which God wants to spread his redemptive blessing to all nations; b) in our local churches and academic institutions we need to return teaching by example, because various church or educational activities are part of the discipleship but they are not a supplement for teaching by example; c) to redeem the term “Christian” in a way that this term is only used for those who are “disciples.”

Both the Catholic Church and Evangelical Churches celebrate the Eucharist; however, they differ extensively in theology and practice. What both traditions have in common is the fact that the Eucharist is removed from the context of a meal. The purpose of this article is to explore how these two traditions comprehend the connection between the table and the cross, the meal and the sacrifice, in the light of the fact that today our celebration of the Eucharist comes after the event of Jesus’ cross. In other words, we want to detect the Jewish roots of the Eucharist and in a comparative analysis see how Christian and Jewish traditions have interpreted this relationship between the meal and the sacrifice, between the table and the altar. In the second section, we explore the relationship between the altar and the table in the Catholic Church, and in the third section, we do the same thing for Evangelical Churches. In the fourth section, we compare the Eucharistic theology and ecclesial practice of the Catholic Church and Evangelical Churches. We reach the conclusion that there are major irreconcilable differences in the theology of the Eucharist between the Catholic Church and Evangelical Churches, but in practice, both traditions take a similar ,altar‘ approach. The Catholic Church is faithful to its teaching and understanding of the Eucharist, while Evangelical Churches display inconsistency when they treat the Eucharist as ,a table‘, but observe it more like ,an altar‘.

The primary question this research explores is the significance and impact of πνeῦμα ἅγιος on the concept of witness in Luke’s theology. Why does Jesus make his disciples’ reception of πνeῦμα ἅγιος a necessary condition for them to be his witnesses in Acts 1:8? How does πνeῦμα ἅγιος impact their witness? In order to answer these questions, we study the Lukan concept of witness within the biblical context. After introducing the problem in Acts 1:8, we first analyze the concept of witness and its aspects in its wider biblical context. We do this by analyzing the concept of witness in the OT and the NT and synthesizing results after treating each testament. The results will show that, due to the fact that the activity of repetition can be taken as a general characteristic of the concept of witness, the temporal aspect of witness and mode of witness must be taken into consideration when defining and categorizing witnesses. Second, after establishing the wider context, we will analyze the Lukan concept of witness, its aspects and characteristics. We will show that within the biblical context, Luke’s writings, notably Acts 1:8, assert a unique condition for being a witness, and that is to receive the πνeῦμα ἅγιος and δύναμις. The result is that πνeῦμα ἅγιος provides kerygmatic and δύναμις provides charismatic types of witness. This condition is important because it enables disciples to repeat and continue Jesus’ ministry. Just as it was with Jesus, witnessing for the disciples is both a matter of the manifestation of the πνeῦμα ἅγιος through speech, and of the manifestation of δύναμις through miracles. Accordingly, for the Lukan concept of witness, the unique element is not the element of repetition but the content of repetition. We will also argue that, although Luke offers a unique concept of witness, the whole church can participate in it equally. Third, we will summarize current challenges to the Christian faith, and suggest some ways in which we can implement the Lukan concept of witness in the church’s ministry today.

Upotreba pojmova „učenik“ i „učeništvo“ vrlo je uobičajena u evanđeoskom kršćanstvu, a značenje tih pojmova smatra se samo po sebi razumljivim. Međutim, iako je u tim krugovima došlo do svojevrsnog usvajanja ovih pojmova, oni su već ranije postojali i u židovskoj kulturi Isusova vremena. Svrha i cilj ovog je članka proučiti značenje koncepta učeništva u njegovu originalnom kontekstu i vidjeti koliko to značenje odudara od značenja koje ovi pojmovi imaju danas. Ovu ćemo temu obraditi u dva dijela. U prvome dijelu članka proučili smo starozavjetni korijen koncepta učeništva, sagledali židovski sustav obrazovanja u Isusovu vremenu, razmotrili smo je li i sam Isus, i u kojoj mjeri, prošao židovski sustav obrazovanja te kako i na koji je način primjenjivao taj model u poučavanju svojih učenika. U drugome dijelu članka prvo ćemo razmotriti praksu učeništva u prvoj Crkvi, a nakon toga ponuditi smjernice za primjenu Isusova koncepta učeništva danas u Crkvi. Ključan je fokus ovog članka na problematici prenošenja principa učeništva shvaćenih unutar konteksta židovske kulture na Crkvu danas budući da istraživanje otkriva kako suvremeno razumijevanje tog pojma ne odgovara načinu na koji se shvaćalo učeništvo Isusova doba. Naime, premda je učeništvo i tada sadržavalo prenošenje informacija, važnije od toga je bilo slijediti učitelja (rabina) i učiti od njega u bliskom odnosu. U članku se zaključuje da moguće rješenje za ovaj izazov treba potražiti prvo u promjeni razmišljanja o tome što učeništvo uistinu jest (promjena fokusa), a onda u praksi kroz mentorstvo i male grupe ciljano izložiti obje strane (i „učitelja“ i „učenika“) iskustvu poučavanja primjerom.

Započevši navođenjem suvremenih prevladavajućih vrijednosti tolerancije, dijaloga i političke korektnosti, članak analizira Isusov govor i učenja u sinoptičkim evanđeljima u svjetlu navedenih vrijednosti. Prvo, članak analizira Isusov govor o ljubavi, a nakon toga usmjerava se na njegov oštar govor i učenje. Potom, članak analizira reakcije različitih pojedinaca i grupa ljudi na Isusov govor i učenje. Na temelju poduzete analize, u posljednjem dijelu članka uspoređuje se Isus iz sinoptičkih evanđelja s iskrivljenom slikom Isusa koja je ponekad prisutna u suvremenom kršćanstvu. Zaključuje se kako je suvremena zapadna kultura izopačila Isusovu sliku iz evanđelja, stvorivši suvremenog Isusa koji u svojem govoru i učenju odražava današnje prevladavajuće vrijednosti. Međutim, Isus je isti jučer, danas i zauvijek, i trebamo biti pažljivi da ne slijedimo nekakvog suvremenog Isusa, već onoga iz evanđelja.