Discipleship

While every discipler is by necessity a soul winner, not every soul winner is a discipler. Jesus strongly admonished us in Matthew 28:18-20 to make disciples. By dictionary definition a disciple is one who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another. The New Testament implication is much deeper and broader. Included in the idea of New Testament discipling is to:

1. INITIATION of contact and the establishment a relationship with a person whom the Holy Spirit seems to be attracting to the gospel. Aggressive witnessing is the launching pad for establishing a discipling relationship. Two analogies are used in the scripture for witnessing, fishing and sowing.

A. Fishing. Jesus called to Peter and Andrew, saying: Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Like fishing, witnessing requires a broad scale approach, addressing many potential hearers. When one is fishing, every fish in the lake is a prospect for the hook, therefore presentation of the bait should be broad enough to catch the attention of many. Ultimately, though, the number of fish caught at one time depends on the number of hooks offered.

B. Sowing. The Psalmist described witnessing as one who sows seed: He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him" (Psalm 126:6). The risk involved in sowing seed is illustrated by the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-9). Witness is like the broad scale distribution of seed in spite of being perfectly aware that the devil will steal the truth from some, others have little depth of understanding and will soon wilt and fail, some will be receptive but the clutter of their priorities in life prevent them from flourishing while still others will receive the truth and flourish. These are the ones on which we pour our attention.

2. ILLUSTRATION of truth to others. Peter admonishes us to "Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15). People learn quicker by example than they do by words. The child's observation of the modeling of truth in the lives of his parents is probably the earliest and most profoundly impacting learning device he has. So it is with the people that we disciple.

This brings up a question over which I have puzzled for many years: What did Paul mean in Philippians 4:9 when he said: Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do, and the God of peace shall be with you." At first sight he seems to be filled with arrogance and pride, either that or he had risen to a stature of holy living that escapes most of us. Actually, it is neither.

Paul knew his limitations, typifying them by what he said earlier: "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13, 14).

In essence, what Paul is saying is that one should watch him and how he handles the real issues of life. In no place does he intimate that he has arrived at a state of perfection that should be emulated by his disciples. We are perfectly aware of the struggles of life that Paul faced both within himself and his relationship with others. Real discipleship requires real life settings where one's faith and obedience is actively practiced. The question with Paul was not how bad he looked to begin with when faced with the conflicts of life but how he ultimately resolved them. Transparency is a terrible risk when discipling others, resulting in our pride and reluctance prohibiting openness in living. Consequently our temptation is to be "plastic people" who appear to be perfect in every situation covering the real person that we are. Such a practice can be devastatingly destructive to the one being discipled when faced with similar situations and finds failure in his own life in living up to the image portrayed by his mentor. The disciple should learn early on that we are real people with real problems but have spiritually proven ways of resolving them.

3. INSTRUCTION. At the heart of all discipleship is the necessity of instruction. That can occur in sterile academic environments where concepts are presented systematically and definitively or it can occur in the laboratory of real life situations. The New Testament model calls for the disciple to walk the same paths that his mentor walks. It is in such settings that problems and questions arise that demand explanation or instruction. When truth is given in such settings as the basis of faith, practice and life, it is powerful, applicable and quickly entrenched as a model of spirituality in the face of life issues.

Jeff