It is reasonable for us to realize that new believers have a long walk of obedience to learn about their new-found faith! It is not fair to expect new followers of Jesus to walk, speak, respond, and act in the same manner of an experienced follower. Maturing takes time, but not time alone! It also involves study, growth, feedback, patience, and perhaps a teacher or mentor.
Most churches have no plan for maturing new believers. It they do, it is often a class led by the pastor that is primarily focused on attaining membership in the church. Lay people rarely play any role in this developmental process, although Jesus’ expectations were clearly that WE WOULD ALL BE INVOLVED IN HELPING NEW CONVERTS GET GROUNDED IN THEIR FAITH!
Remember Matthew 28:19-20 [NASB]?
Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them
to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age.”
There’s a considerable difference between making converts and making disciples!
A convert is a person who has faced a crisis of belief and has consequently decided to recognize Jesus as their Lord and Savior!
A disciple is a person who has engaged in a learning, growing process of
·
incorporating
God’s Word into their lives,
·
actively
becoming part of the fellowship of the “body of Christ”, and
·
growing
into the responsibilities of the Great Commission and the Great Commandment!
The latter is NOT a process that can be hurried or completed in a short period of time. It is best illustrated in the way that Jesus facilitated growth and maturity in the apostles’ lives during His three years of ministry! If you recall His interactions with them, it involved:
- teaching
- daily contact
- dialogue
- modeling
- correction
- practical experience
- retreat
- public ministry
- prayer
- rebukes
- living in community
- danger
And even on His last night with these men, they began to argue between themselves – this must have been so discouraging for Jesus!
Luke 22:24-27 [NASB]
…there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.
The discipling process has many similarities to the parenting process! A young child has so much to learn! Pinnacles are achieved when they can feed themselves, dress themselves and put themselves to bed. They must learn appropriate language and appropriate expressions of joy, pain, anger and sadness. They must grow in understanding that in order to get along with others, you must balance give-and-take. You must respect elders. You are compelled to become effective at communication. All of this is accomplished through day-to-day exposure to and teaching by parents who love them and want them to succeed in life and have many friends!
New followers of Christ must learn:
ü
how
to confess and seek God’s forgiveness for sinful thoughts, words or actions.
ü
how
to use God’s Word and become familiar enough with it to be able to find help in
times of specific need.
ü
how
to fit into the “body of Christ” by loving and accepting others.
ü
about
their unique spiritual gifts and how to use them for the benefit of the body!
ü
how
to let their light shine so that they can influence others to follow Christ.
ü
about
respecting authorities and loving your neighbor.
ü
about
liturgy and the purpose and flow of worship.
They will need personalized guidance to answer the many questions that come up in between Sundays! A Sunday school class or pastor’s class could NEVER completely scratch where they itch! They need a DISCIPLER – one who disciples - [mentor, coach, travelling companion]! Availability is the key to effective disciple-making!
_______________________________
If this process is not initiated and continued, then we can expect the new follower of Christ to be stunted in their growth.
Instead of exploring God’s Word regularly, they depend on others to do the work of study and deliver it to them in a Sunday School class or a Bible study group.
Without the full, rounded experience of discipleship, they may find it difficult to fit in and contribute to the goals of the whole body of believers.
It is reasonable to assume that vast numbers of American Christians have never been properly through a discipleship process. They consider themselves ‘believers’, but it is probably inappropriate to refer to them as 'followers of Christ'.
As harsh as it sounds, they exemplify immaturity. They quickly become discontent and dissatisfied. They hop from church to church looking for a rewarding experience that scintillates and entertains. They leave churches because they “aren’t being fed”. They do this unapologetically – never seeming to realize that in doing so, they are admitting to immaturity - “I need someone to feed me!”
It’s a sad reality for many today. The church has failed them! It simply didn’t provide the kind of follow-up training that allows/encourages the new convert to press forward and mature in their faith! It is also a key reason why so many ‘believers’ are fruitless! They have never led a single person to faith in Christ! Why? They were never taught that influencing others is an essential part of following Jesus! They were not trained to go, make disciples, baptize and teach…[Matthew 28:19-20] which were among the final words that Jesus spoke to His followers!
Many American churches have a steep, upward climb to reclaim the lost ground of decades of ignored discipleship training!
The core of the church is experiencing natural attrition as lifelong members die or move to assisted living centers. I have led a couple of churches that lost their children to the faith. Consequently, older leaders have had to continue to lead well past their prime because a generation or two have simply been lost! And eventually the church must close its doors because it can no longer pay its bills! Such is the plight of the American Church in many cases and places.
________________________________________
Ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be opened to
you.
For everyone who asks receives,
and he who seeks finds,
and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8 [NASB]
