Church Sourcing

Intentional Discipleship

Posted on August 11, 2011. Filed under: Discipleship, Small Groups |

-  Who doesn’t want to win the lottery?

-  Who wouldn’t like Publisher’s Clearing House to
deliver a million dollar check?

-  Who wouldn’t like the accolades received from an
appreciative audience at Carnegie Hall?

-  Or hear the roar of fans calling your name – coming
from the stands of the Indy 500?

Practice and Determination

Did you notice?  Two of those things happened
by luck and the other two happened by Practice and Determination.

Altar Review

What happens to the people who come to the altar at your church?  They feel the pull of the Holy spirit
reminding them that they are sinners in need of a Savior, and they walk down to
the front and confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Believing that He has created in them a new
heart … and He has.  This is called Salvation.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus
is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will
be saved.  Romans 10:9 (NIV)

But for what purpose have they been saved?

-  To fill our churches?

-  To pay their tithes?

-  To faithfully attend our events?

Or is it God’s plan for Christians to disciple others?  To help others turn from darkness to
light?

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me.  Therefore go and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

Discipleship from Pre-Christian through all of life

Early discipleship happens long before people come to the altar.  It happens in the neighborhood, on the job or
at school.  These Pre-Christians don’t
even know they are being discipled, but they are being loved by a Christian who
cares for their lost soul.  That is
Influence.  The Holy Spirit always shows
up when love flows from one person to another.
Most people label this kind of discipleship as Outreach or
Evangelism.  But true discipleship does
not stop there.   It is a life- long
process.

The Apostle Paul added some information about our spiritual journey -

So Christ himself gave the
apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,  to equip his people for works of service, so
that the body of Christ may be built up
until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of
God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of
Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13 (NIV)

Becoming mature is more obvious to us through our physical life.  We have observed that there are people who
never really grow into becoming an adult in the physical life.  Their body changes and they look like an adult,
but because of a lack of discipline in their early years, their actions are
still immature.   That is where merely biological fathers and mothers are not really parents.  They have the ability to make babies, but are
not responsible/mature enough  to follow through with  raising a child.

Growing Up/Maturing  is Not an Option

Just like in our physical life,
growing up spiritually is not automatic – it takes Intentional
Discipleship.   There should be no aborted babies at our
altars.  When you were a young parent you
learned quickly that life is not all about you.
Those early morning feedings and cries that cannot be understood kept
you up and walking the floor.  Your baby
had your full attention.  No one ever
expects a baby to grow up  without parental
influence.

What is Intentional Discipleship?

That is taking responsibility for assisting the spiritual growth of New
and Young Christians.  It is joining in
the process of helping them make right decisions and move toward becoming
Christ-Like.

We have to start reminding people that becoming Christ-Like is not
EASY.  Mistakes will happen as we go
through the process.  And for most of us,
this will be a life- long process.  I say
most of us because I know that in the Old Testament we have an example of a
life that apparently passed all of the tests – Genesis 5:24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was
no more, because God took him away.  (NIV)

Yet we read: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and
sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your
faith produces perseverance.  Let
perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not
lacking anything. James 1:2-4 (NIV)

God uses the things
that are challenges in life to make adjustments in our attitudes and actions.

You want more?  Okay – Blessed is the one who perseveres under
trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of
life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12 (NIV)

And James keeps piling it on –  My dear brothers and sisters, take note of
this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become
angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
 Therefore, get rid of all
moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word
planted in you, which can save you.    Do not merely listen to the word, and so
deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does
not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and,
after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and
continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be
blessed in what they do.

Fonzie in the Mirror

That scripture always  reminds me of an old TV program, Happy
Days.  It started with the song Rock around the Clock and showed scenes with the actors.  One scene was when Fonzie, a motorcycle
riding girl magnate would go into the men’s room, look in the mirror and not change a thing.  He liked what he
saw.

That is too often what happens when people come to church and are hearing the Word preached.  They leave without any life change.  They do not know how to apply the truth so
they left without life application, they left unchanged.

We cannot expect that truly effective
discipleship will happen in a room filled with 100 – 10,000 people while a
pastor speaks from his heart, …. no matter how anointed he is!  People need to analyze and discuss that
truth.  They hear so many voices from
outside the church, they have been bombarded with ungodly, unbiblical
propaganda.  Sadly, our sermons have
little effect on their opinions and life styles.

We offer a FREE survey on our webpage  Does it Matter? Personal Belief Survey.

Go to discipleship.ag.org   (Put either title in the search box for your own complete copy.)

Those being quizzed are asked twenty questions that have one of three answers:

CHOOSE
YOUR ANSWER FROM THE FOLLOWING:

(a) Important          (b) Not Important          (c) Tradition/Optional

The last two questions are a real eye opener for most pastors:

 19. Guarding your
minds against impure thoughts

 20. Guarding your
entertainment selections

Too many of
adults attending church answered question #19 as (a) Important, but then
followed  with question #20 as (b) Not
Important or (c) Traditional /Optional.
This I believe is a sign that there is a disconnect between What they
believe and How they live.

Intentional Discipleship through Small Groups

They need a smaller group of believers to share their life with.  They need Christian role models.  They need to see Christians working and
living this life before them.  Just life physical growing up, it doesn’t happen automatically.  Great people are raised by caring
parents.  Who is caring for the people who are birthed in your altars?

Intentional or Unintentional – What are we creating?

Without Intentional Discipleship we are Unintentionally creating spectators NOT servants.  People who fill our pews faithfully, but come
because they like the preacher, they enjoy the worship or they feel that the
programs stimulate their families are merely spectators.  That is why we must continue to have all of
the bells and whistles.  Without those exciting lights and thumping music, they will head to the next greatest show on
earth.

The Discipleship Manual

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly
equipped for every good work.  II Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

Trying to become a Disciple without using the word of God, is like playing sand lot baseball,
the rules change according to the players and there are no real winners.  God’s Word will direct every part of your
life.  It will change your attitudes and adjust your actions.  Through the reading
of the Word you begin to understand God’s heart and you tune in to His
voice.  True discipleship does not happen through fellowship only.  We must apply
the Word of truth to our daily lives.

How should Discipleship Happen?

We’ve hired that preacher, let him do the
discipling.  I know, I’ve heard those
voices too.  But they may have forgotten
God’s plan:

Likewise, teach the older women to
be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much
wine, but to teach what is good.  Then
they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be
self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to
their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Similarly,
encourage the young men to be self-controlled.   In
everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show
integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so
that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say
about us. Titus 2:3-8 (NIV)

God’s family plan has the older/more mature people teaching the younger/less mature
people.  Sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it?

Growing Up is Painful

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live
according to it.  For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the
misdeeds of the body, you will live.  For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.   The
Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again;
rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that
we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God
and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we
may also share in his glory.   I consider that our present sufferings are not
worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Romans 8:12-18 (NIV)

 In the beginning of this article I asked:

-  Who doesn’t want to win the lottery?

-  Who wouldn’t like Publisher’s Clearing House to
deliver a million dollar check?

-  Who wouldn’t like the accolades received from an
appreciative audience at Carnegie Hall?

-  Or hear the roar of fans calling your name -
coming from the stands of the Indy 500?

Discipleship is the process of becoming Christ-Like.  It
does take practice and determination.  But
the same God who saved us,  gives us the power
to become sons of God.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power
to become the sons of God, even
to them that believe on his name:  John 1:12 (NIV)

What we really long to hear are these words from our Heavenly Father:

Well done good and faithful servant – enter
into the joy of thy Lord.  Matthew 25:23 (KJV)

Those who have been faithful, have been pouring into others.  They are Spiritual Parents to a lost and
dying generation.  We need more Spiritual Parents –who will deliver  Intentional Discipleship.

Make a Comment

3 Responses to “Intentional Discipleship”

Comments RSS Feed

Where's The Comment Form?