Spiritual Disciplines
Discipling
Is discipleship important?
I think most believers would agree it is. Christ spent three years discipling his disciples, building them up in the faith.
Why Aren't We Discipling?
Is discipleship important? I think most believers would agree it is. Christ spent three years discipling his disciples, building them up in the faith. So why are so few Christians discipled properly? If you were to poll your church asking how many believers have experienced true discipleship in their lives, you may be surprised to learn how little this number is. We live in a generation that has lost the art of disciple-making.
We have developed a "come and see" instead of a "go and tell" mentality, and the need for equipping the saints for the harvest field has been sidelined. Three polls conducted since 2000-by Focus on the Family Canada, Time Canada, and the Vanier Institute of the Family-show weekly church attendance going up in Canada for the first time in a generation due to immigration and a hunger for truth.
The question is how many of these people are being trained in how to have an effective and productive Christian walk? George Baarschers, Director of Discipleship International says, " In my 21 years of ministry I have asked hundreds of believers this question; "Can you quote to me five of God's promises you are standing on right now?" To date, no one has ever quoted five. We are in danger of no longer standing in faith and on the promises of God. We are too preoccupied with leaning on our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5-6).
If someone makes a decision to become a hockey player he must progress past the infancy stage and train, persevere and grow in his game. Throughout this process, a coach or parent is guiding him and encouraging him to grow.
This same principle applies to Christians, we begin in infancy and if without training, perseverance and growth, we remain infants. We need a coach to come along beside us and train us to have an effective walk with Christ. Hebrews 5:13 says - "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness".
Discipleship International is an organization that focuses on winning, building and mobilizing the saints to do the work of the ministry. Matthew 28:19-20 - "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing in the name of the Father and the Son and 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."
It is unreasonable for Christians to leave the job of discipling solely in the hands of Pastors and Elders. Their workloads are often such that few of them really have the time for one-to-one discipling. That leaves discipling up to the rest of the body of Christ.
Through the training called "Equip to Serve", Discipleship International takes Christians through a three-part approach: Win, Build, Mobilize. According to Bill Hull only 7% of Christians have been trained to share their faith. Out of the 7% only 2% actively share their faith. Is it because they don't want to or is it because of improper training taking place?
In the physical realm there are reasons why a person will not reproduce, just as there are reasons why we do not reproduce in the spiritual realm. Let's look at some of these reasons and compare them.
| Physical | Spiritual |
|---|---|
| 1. Immaturity (no desire for physical contact) | 1. Immaturity (no burden for the lost) |
| 2. Socially inept | 2. Lost all contact with unbelievers |
| 3. Fear of responsibility | 3. Fear of responsibility |
| 4. Over-commitment to work | 4. Over-commitment in Christian activities |
| 5. Lack of communication skills | 5. Never been equipped to share their faith |
| 6. Physical problems | 6. Sin in a persons life |
| 7. Over dependence on parents | 7. Over dependence on the church |
| 9. Fear of how to raise children | 9. Fear of not knowing how to disciple someone new in the faith |
How do we teach people the basics of growing in the Christian faith? Equip to Serve disciplers teach and train Christians how to deal with the above problems, along with many other Biblical concepts of the faith such as daily quiet time, memorizing scripture, developing an effective prayer life, studying God's Word, discipling others and sharing their faith effectively.
It is not enough for a Christian to go to church every Sunday for true growth to take place any more than it is for a person to spend just one hour a week with their spouse and expect their marriage to grow.
Along with building a relationship with God is the relationship between the discipler and the disciple. Teaching them to pass it on is of utmost importance as stressed in 2 Timothy 2:2 "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others."
As a future disciple maker start with getting some training then begin your ministry by pouring your life and your training into one other person as Christ poured His life into His followers.
-- Travis Whims. Discipler
For more information, answers on disciple making, or to register for the once a week Equip To Serve training program, you can contact us.