When it comes to the church, church growth is naturally related to church health. Healthy churches, like healthy people, must grow.
In his book, The Purpose Driven Church, Pastor Rick Warren says that if our church is healthy, attendance will be the least of our problems. He writes that "Healthy, lasting church growth is multidimensional. His definition of church growth has five facets.
Every church needs to grow:
* larger through evangelism
* deeper through discipleship
* warmer through fellowship
* broader through ministry
* stronger through worship
Last time we looked at the dimension of church growth that says: Churches grow larger through evangelism.
In the Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament, there was always this large group of people that were following Jesus around. This group of people was what the Bible refers to as the crowd. The KJV Bible uses the word multitudes.
One objective of the church is to find the crowd and minister to the people who form the crowd. Jesus had no problem finding the crowd because it was always finding Him. The crowd followed him around because He had the good news and He was delivering the goods.
Let me interject here. God didn’t call us to make everybody Christians. He called us to make disciples. He didn’t call us to have everyone pray the “sinner’s prayer.” He called us to sow seeds and water His garden and he would cause the seeds to germinate. So it is only our responsibility to present the Gospel, He causes the growth.
One problem with many churches is that if God is gracious and causes a crowd to form at their church the church, they don't have a plan for moving people from the crowd into their congregation. The people that make up the crowd never leave it. One of the goals of the church should be to move people from the crowd to the congregation. This is accomplished by discipleship.
Not everyone who goes to church is a Christian. I used to think that this is a bad thing but I have since learned that it depends on how you look at it. Did you know that Jesus had disciples who didn’t believe? He put a lot of time into these men’s lives but some of them didn’t believe until they saw Him after His resurrection. Thomas was like that:
(John 20:25 NIV) So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
(John 20:26 NIV) A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"
(John 20:27 NIV) Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
(John 20:28 NIV) Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus taught His disciples for three years and some of them didn’t believe until His resurrection. After his resurrection he spent another forty days with them until He ascended back to heaven.
So discipleship isn’t just for Christians, it’s for seekers. Seekers are people who aren’t Christians yet but are interested enough in Christ and His church to pursue learning more. Seekers are what form this crowd that I was speaking about last week. One of the goals of the church should be to move people from the crowd to the congregation. This is accomplished by discipleship.
Education and Discipleship
Everyone is concerned about education for one reason or the other. Education is one of the primary issues debated among the politicians who are running for the office of Mayor in Baltimore City.
Michael Olesker, a Sunpapers commentator, wrote in his column, “the kids come out of schools and can't compute any numbers that don't involve kilos -- and the mayor never shows any anger.”
Well, more people are flunking and dropping out of church in our nation than ever before and many of our pastors and teachers never show any anger. Just as long as the collection plates are full, Christian education or discipleship is not a concern in the local church.
It is very possible for a person to join a particular church and after twenty years of membership to be in the same place
, spiritually speaking, as they were when they became a member.
In other words,
They never read their Bible and years later the only time it’s pages see light is in the church.
They had a problem with the tongue before becoming a member, years later they still have a dirty mouth.
They didn't share their faith before they joined the church, years later, they still don't witness.
They never gave an offering proportional to their salary before they joined the church, years later, they are still robbing God.
They had a problem with anxiety and worrying before they joined the church, years later they are addicted to mood-altering drugs.
According to the Bible, the Christian should grow. Peter writes, "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Paul writes in Romans 8:29 that it is God's goal to conform us to the image of His dear Son. Spiritual maturity should be the goal of every Christian. In fact, there is more evidence in the Scripture to suggest that if you aren't growing, either you are not a Christian or you are dead.
Christian growth is a twofold responsibility. It is God's responsibility to grow us, it is our responsibility to place ourselves in an environment suitable to growth and do the things that facilitate or promote growth. This principal is taught by Paul in Philippians chapter two:
(Phil 2:12 NIV) Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, (our job)
(Phil 2:13 NIV) for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (God's job)
The arena in which both of these responsibilities take place is called discipleship.
The term "disciple" comes to us in English from a Latin root. Its basic meaning is "learner" or "pupil."
In the Greek world the word "disciple" normally referred to an adherent of a particular teacher or religious/philosophical school. It was the task of the disciple to learn, study, and pass along the sayings and teachings of the master.
In rabbinical Judaism the term "disciple" referred to one who was committed to the interpretations of Scripture and religious tradition given him by the master or rabbi. Through a process of learning which would include a set meeting time and such educational methods as question and answer, instruction, repetition, and memorization, the disciple would become increasingly devoted to the master and the master's teachings. In time, the disciple would, likewise, pass on the traditions to others.
In both the Greek and Hebrew cultures, a disciple was one who placed himself under the tutelage of another in order to learn
, to grow and pass on the teaching to another.
It is interesting to see how this method of instruction seems to be flourishing in so many places other than in the church.
In the corporate world we hear executives referring to their mentor and giving credit to that person for passing on to them certain things that contributed to his or her success.
In industry, you can't work certain jobs without going through a period of apprenticeship. As one's apprentice, you work under the watch care or supervision of this person who usually has more skill and experience on the job than you do; like a master barber or a master plumber.
One of the last things that Jesus said to His followers before He went back to heaven was, "Make disciples of all nations…"
How does one become a disciple?
You first need to have the proper attitude.
You need to acknowledge that you want to be like the Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. To have this attitude means that something supernatural is taking place in your heart. It means that God is transforming your heart by His Holy Spirit.
To understand what this means is to know what the Bible says about the condition of man's heart. The Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. It also says that before God performs this heart transformation that people are generally foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. They live their lives in malice and envy; they are hateful and hate one another.
Other places in the Bible talk about how we are so into ourselves that God has to get our attention in order to do the heart surgery. There is no one who diagnosed his or her heart disease on their own--God had to reveal this to us. In fact Jesus says in John 6:44, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…”.
You must have a desire to be like Christ.
Secondly, in order to become a disciple, one must have a desire to be like Christ. This desire is only realized as one experiences genuine salvation through Jesus Christ.
Do you have a desire to learn more about this Christian life? Do you have a desire to be more like your Lord and Savior? Do you desire to place yourself under the tutelage of shepherds or pastors that have been appointed by God to watch over your soul? If you do, then you are a disciple of Christ. However, let me warn you that you are not a disciple because you say you are, but only as you demonstrate that you are.
You see, Jesus had some disciples that were disciples in name only but were not truly followers of Christ. It’s ok to follow Christ for the loaves and the fishes and other miracles but if after a few days or a few weeks if the food is the only thing that is keeping you there you ain’t His disciple.
Every now and then Jesus would say things that would separate the men from the boys as far as commitment was concerned.
(Luke 14:26 NIV) "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.
(Luke 14:27 NIV) And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
(Luke 14:33 NIV) In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
(John 8:31 NIV) To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
(John 13:34 NIV) "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
(John 13:35 NIV) By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
(John 15:8 NIV) This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
On one occasion Jesus said:
(John 6:57 NIV) Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
(John 6:58 NIV) This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" (vs. 60)
In verse 66 John writes, “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.”
Just as evangelism is vital to church health and growth, discipleship is as well. This brings us to dimension or principal two in our Five Facets of Church Growth: Churches grow deeper through discipleship
We find discipleship taking place in Acts chapter 2:
(Acts 2:42 NIV) They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
The word devoted is proskartereo, pros-kar-ter-eh'-o in the Greek. It means to be earnest towards
a thing; to persevere, be constantly diligent. It also means to attend assiduously all the exercises, or to adhere closely to a person as his slave.
Do you know what this reminds me of? It reminds me of the relationship that Jesus had with His twelve disciples. They were together and had everything in common. They ate together; they roomed together; they worked together.
Now for many of us this wouldn't be feasible. Some of us are married with children, others single with children, etc. But let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. There is a principal that we must get here. Discipleship takes time; it takes diligence.
No Christian who wants to be more like Jesus should have any problems with discipleship and its requirements. When Jesus set the standard for discipleship, the Scripture says, "many people turned away from Him and walked with Him no more." But what was interesting was the brief discussion that Jesus and Peter had after this walkout.
(John 6:66 NIV) From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
(John 6:67 NIV) "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.
(John 6:68 NIV) Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
(John 6:69 NIV) We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
A disciple is one who realizes that Jesus alone is the One who has the words of eternal life and there is no one else to go to.
Jesus is the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except by Him.
Jesus is the Bread of life, he who comes to Him will never go hungry.
Jesus is the Living Water, he who believes in Him will never be thirsty.
Jesus is the Door of the sheep. Whoever enters through Him will be saved and will come in and go out, and find pasture.
When Buddha was dying, his disciples asked how they could best remember him. He told them not to bother; it was his teaching, not his person, that counted. With Jesus it is altogether different. Everything centers around Him, His person. Discipleship means knowing Him, loving Him, believing in Him, being committed to Him.
There are about twenty occurrences in the Bible where Jesus is commanding men to follow Him. Now it is obvious that Jesus isn’t here in the flesh so He has given each one of us in the Body the responsibility to compel men, women, boys and girls to follow Him. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be you followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”
When I think of discipleship, I think of holding hands. I think of how I have had to hold each of my children’s hands when they were young, to help them cross the street. As they grow older and learn how to cross a street I no longer need to hold their hand.
It should be enough for me to say that Jesus commanded us to “make disciples” and you and I would obey. However, according to the Scriptures, there are five benefits that come with being a disciple:
Teaching - Preparing the believer to live a Christ-honoring life
(Psa 119:1 NIV) Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD.
(Psa 119:2 NIV) Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.
There is a blessing that comes to the one who learns God’s ways and keeps them. In the Bible God uses people to teach people His ways with only rare exceptions in which God chooses to do it Himself.
Teaching is to be a regular part of
discipleship according to the Apostle Paul. I don't think that Paul was making an allowance for TV and the radio. Notice what he says in 2 Timothy, chapter two.
(2 Tim 2:2 NIV) 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.
(Titus 2:3 NIV) 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.
(Titus 2:4 NIV) Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children,
(Titus 2:5 NIV) 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.
(Titus 2:6 NIV) Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.
Paul wasn't describing a one-way transmission, he was describing a teaching session in which he was in the student’s presence; in other words it was a personal encounter.
One pastor said, if you are one of those who “gets their religion by watching religious broadcasts on the TV, or listening to the gospel via radio, you might want to step up to the set after a service and "Give your TV a great big hug."
Try calling one of these TV or radio preachers and telling them your problem or asking for some advice. If you get a form letter or a letter from an associate, that’s a miracle in and of itself but that’s not discipleship.
Encouragement - Propping the believer up when he or she is faltering
; it is taking hold of one’s hand and providing support.
The word "encouragement" comes from the Greek word parakaleo, which means "to walk alongside" Encouragement is a spiritual gift that is given to the Christian by Christ to build up the body.
I don't think there is no one in the church that needs to be encouraged more than the new Christian. He or she needs to be taught and to be encouraged.
One on hand they are so excited and concerned about pleasing the Lord and on the other hand they are so vulnerable to the enemies deception. They are performance driven and have a hard time handling failure.
A baby Christian is like the untrained distance runner who starts
his race like a sprinter. He takes off running and runs out of gas. With this person, you and I need to be there for him or her with encouragement.
(1 Th 5:14 NIV) And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
We encourage them by living a life of integrity before them and by exemplifying Christ-like character.
We encourage them by exhibiting a consistent walk of faith.
We encourage them by living a life of purity.
We encourage them with encouraging words; words that build up.
We encourage them with empathy; you’ve probably been in his shoes; let him know that he isn’t the first to fail.
When he is running his race; you are there right beside him.
Accountability - Provoking and stimulating the believer to love and good deeds - Hebrews 13
Since the Christian life is more like a marathon than a 100-meter dash, sometimes we forget about the things we said we would do and the vow or promises we said we would keep. One of the last things a preacher says in a ceremony is, "In the presence of God and these witnesses, I now pronounce you husband and wife." The witnesses are there to hold the couple accountable in keeping their vows.
The Christian life is like a narrow road. Sometimes we veer over to the edge. Christians hold one another accountable by way of encouraging, admonishing and rebuking.
Encouragement is for the times when we are weak and can't hold the steering wheel right or are
getting sleepy behind the wheel, spiritually speaking.
An admonishment is a warning that we are about to veer off the path.
A rebuke is given when the brother or sister has become disobedient.
Jesus said to the church of the last days, in Revelation 3:19, "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline." Paul uses both the words encourage and rebuke in the same thought:
(Titus 2:15 NIV) These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
I remember the time as an immature Christian I graffitied the restroom wall at work with a plea to the reader to trust Christ. An older coworker who was a Christian asked me had I done it and I proudly answered "yes." He gently rebuked me.
Commitment - Pouring yourself into the life of a believer.
Another benefit of discipleship is the commitment of the seasoned Christian to pour
his life into the younger-in-the-Lord Christian.
Paul referred to Timothy as his "true son in the faith." (1 Tim. 1:12) Paul was committed to Timothy's growth and development as he would have been to his own son. Listen to Paul's heart as he speaks to the believers in the church at Thessalonica:
(1 Th 2:7 NIV) but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.
(1 Th 2:8 NIV) We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.
(1 Th 2:9 NIV) Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.
(1 Th 2:10 NIV) You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.
(1 Th 2:11 NIV) For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,
(1 Th 2:12 NIV) encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
Whose life are you pouring yourself into?
Haven - Providing protection for the believer - prayer
Jesus had twelve disciples. He taught them: He encouraged them; He held them accountable; He was committed to pouring Himself into them. He was also a haven or a refuge for them. He was their protector. One of the most important things He did for His disciples was pray for them.
(John 17:6 NIV) "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.
(John 17:7 NIV) Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you.
(John 17:8 NIV) For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
(John 17:9 NIV) I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.
(John 17:10 NIV) All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.
(John 17:11 NIV) I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one.
(John 17:12 NIV) While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
(John 17:13 NIV) "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
(John 17:14 NIV) I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.
(John 17:15 NIV) My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
(John 17:16 NIV) They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
(John 17:17 NIV) Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
(John 17:18 NIV) As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
(John 17:19 NIV) For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
(John 17:20 NIV) "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
(John 17:21 NIV) that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
(John 17:22 NIV) I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:
(John 17:23 NIV) I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
(John 17:24 NIV) "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
(John 17:25 NIV) "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.
(John 17:26 NIV) I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
If you are discipling someone, you have the responsibility to pray for that person. Before the Roman soldiers and chief priest laid hands on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus told Peter that He has prayed for him:
(Luke 22:31 NIV) "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.
(Luke 22:32 NIV) But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."
Closing
Albert McMakin was a twenty-four-year-old farmer who had recently come to faith in Christ. He was so full of enthusiasm that he filled a truck with people and took them to a meeting to hear about Jesus. There was a good-looking son of a farmer whom he was especially eager to get to a meeting, but this young man was hard to persuade --- he was busy falling in and out of love with different girls, and did not seem attracted to Christianity.
Eventually, Albert McMakin managed to persuade him to come by asking him to drive the truck. When they arrived, Albert's guest decided to go in and was ‘spellbound' and began to have thoughts he had never known before.
He went back again and again until one night, he went forward and gave his life to Jesus Christ. The man, the driver of the truck, was Billy Graham. The year was 1934. Since then Billy Graham has been used by God to lead thousands to faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot all be like Billy Graham, but we can all be like Albert McMakin --- we can all bring our friends to Jesus and this is what discipleship is all about.
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