Demystifying Discipleship: A Fresh Look at the Great Commission

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- After quadruple bypass heart surgery, which led to a near-death experience, Dr. Raphael Thomas decided to do something about what had been weighing heavily on his heart.

In "Demystifying Discipleship: A Fresh Look at the Great Commission," Dr. Raphael Thomas provides an exposition of the "Great Commission," a reference to Matthew 28: 18-20 of the Bible, in which Jesus commands his followers to make disciples of all nations. Dr. Thomas' book contains seven principles with practical insights to accomplish this goal.

"After 30 years of being a pastor," Dr. Thomas said, "I have observed that the church often expends its resources on what is periphery, instead of primary. Thus, believers must be intentional and strategic in fulfilling the divine mandate."

At just 100 pages, Dr. Thomas provides a concise, yet comprehensive study of what Christ-followers are called to do, with pragmatic steps to becoming effective disciple-makers. He is convicted that, generally, the church has "not been following Jesus' model of making disciples" in the ways intended, and that a shift in thinking is what is needed to get on the right path.

"Our call to follow," Dr. Thomas said, "cannot be separated from our commission to make Jesus known."

"Demystifying Discipleship"
By Dr. Raphael J. Thomas
ISBN: 978-1-6642-4019-3
Available at the WestBow Press Online Bookstore, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the author
Dr. Raphael Thomas is the president of Blessing Basket International, a missions organization that he cofounded with his wife, Velda, in 2017. He also currently serves as director of missions and evangelism at the Germantown Christian Assembly, Philadelphia. He and his wife served in Jamaica for over thirty years in full-time Christian ministry before they relocated to the U.S. in 2020. Dr. Thomas was pastor of the Annotto Bay Gospel Chapel in St. Mary, Jamaica, for 32 years. He also served as chairman of the Gospel Chapel Education Centre, which he was instrumental in founding in 1990. He is a former chairman and executive director of the North-Eastern Missionary Conference. He continues to serve on various boards in Jamaica, including Gospel Chapel Education Centre, Midland Bible Institute, Choose Life International, and North-Eastern Missionary Conference. Dr. Thomas holds a doctor of ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary, a doctor of clinical Christian counseling from Central Christian University, a master of arts from the Caribbean Graduate School of Theology, a bachelor of arts in theology from the Jamaica Theological Seminary, a diploma in teaching from the University of the West Indies (through Shortwood Teachers' College), and he is also a graduate of Haggai Institute (now Haggai International), of which he now serves as an international facilitator.

Dr. Thomas has been an Adjunct Lecturer at the Caribbean Graduate School of Theology since 2001 and, in 2003, he was certified as a behavioral consultant with the Institute for Motivational Living. He is a licensed clinical pastoral counselor with the National Christian Counselors Association. In 2017 he received a National Award from the Prime Minister of Jamaica for his contribution to education.

To learn more, please visit: https://www.westbowpress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/824333-demystifying-discipleship.

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SOURCE Dr. Raphael Thomas