Three Principles of Discipleship (Part 2)
2. Teaching
The next step in discipleship is teaching. The relationship side of discipleship gets off target because we have been taught that these two go together. The relationship may produce opportunities to share and teach each other, but the focus isn’t to teach. In most churches, there are ample opportunities to teach and have Bible studies. Teaching is equally as important as relationships. The biggest failure in teaching discipleship is that the teachers often do not have adequate preparation. Some people are very good at spontaneous teaching without notes or outlines. I am not. Even those who are unstructured in their teaching style must take time to study and be preparation in order to be effective.
I once had a Sunday school teacher who never studied and believed it was unnecessary. He would open the Bible and say, “Lets see where God leads us”. That might have been ok if he understood what he was reading, but he had nothing to offer. He believed (and I have heard this said many times) that we are to take no thought for what we will say, for the Spirit will reveal it when we need it. That is quite a bit out of context. This idea is a misinterpretation of Matthew 10:18-20. If you read that statement in context, Jesus was warning His disciples that when He was gone, they would suffer great persecution. He followed this warning by saying not to worry about what you will say when you are brought before governors and kings, for your Heavenly Father will speak through you by the Holy Spirit. That passage is not saying that we will miraculously know scripture that we haven’t studied when we stand before a class.
The Bible teaches quite the opposite. Proverbs 16:1 says, “The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.” Time to study is the responsibility of a teacher. We are to prepare our heart by conforming to Christ and knowing the word. Understanding the message will come from God. It is a serious matter to teach or to preach. The book of James warns us not to seek to be a teacher for we shall receive a stricter judgment. Teaching is a calling of God; we don’t determine that by our own purposes. It is a serious matter because if we teach error, we affect many people and lead others toward or away from God’s purpose. God has given us various gifts and different styles. How we teach should match the gifts and talents God has given us, and study prepares our heart for the task.
One thing about teaching that I believe to be important, our goal is not to teach people what to think, but how to think. Our calling is to point people to Christ and encourage them to have a personal relationship with Him. Many times we teach tradition as though it were scripture. Many teachers mistake dogma as boldness. To boldly stand on God’s word does not mean I stab my flag on top of the hill and criticize those who don’t agree with everything I say. We should welcome criticism if it is productive. The Apostle Paul praised the Bereans for listening to his teaching, but questioning it against the scripture. If I am not confident that I am rightly dividing the word of truth, then I will fear and react harshly to criticism. The Bible tells us to be ready for criticism. 1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.
Notice the key phrases here: be ready; give a defense; asks a reason; hope in you; meekness; fear. We are to be ready for the question. That does not mean that we know all the answers, but if we are teaching something, we must have a scriptural basis for our belief. Not only using a passage, but understanding how it fits into the whole word of God. You can teach almost anything if you take it out of context or remove it from the setting for which it was intended. Meekness and fear are often pushed aside when we have a passion to persuade someone to our point of view. We should not make ourselves into martyrs, nor are we condemning those who question us. On the non-essentials, sometimes we may agree to disagree. I have seen people attack others when their doctrine was questioned. The Bible praises those who question doctrine and commands teachers to prepare to give an answer when we are questioned. A teacher who gets into the ‘boss mode’ is missing the purpose of teaching and shows a need for spiritual maturity.
We should not teach people only what doctrine to believe, but how to think for and study for themselves. People should be encouraged to compare and question. Otherwise, if someone comes along with a compelling argument, people who lack the ability to critically examine the word will be led astray. Today we see this as a growing problem. People will take anything fed to them if it is presented with charisma and a claim of authority. The word of God holds authority over any teacher, preacher or self-proclaimed prophet. Anyone who teaches anything contrary to the scripture is in error. Paul put it in a very stern warning:
Galatians 1
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
The Bible couldn’t make it any clearer. Even if the apostles that God revealed the holy scriptures to would be cursed by God if they should deliver another gospel contrary to what has been delivered. The word translated into ‘cursed’ is the Greek word ‘anathema’. Literally translated this word means “cursed by God without hope of being redeemed; appointed to destruction; doomed.”
Those under this curse of God will do anything to prevent scripture from revealing the truth of their false doctrines. Cults keep people in bondage by fear and threatening people to damnation. I listened to on TV Evangelist proclaim a “curse on any man or woman that dares to speak anything” against his ministry or doctrine. However, the scripture clearly tells us to love our enemies, be ready to give an answer and to bless and not to curse our adversary. This often repeated curse is in direct violation of the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. That alone should make people question many teachers.
It is because of this failure to fulfill Jesus’ command of discipleship that crowds flock to the very teaching the scripture warns us over and over to keep watch for and stand against. It is not enough to teach people the scripture, we must teach people to think and examine scripture and all doctrine in light of scripture. To teach knowledge without understanding is no better than ignorance. That is why I believe it is so important to present the scripture as a whole. God has painted a picture of understanding that we will miss if we hover only around our favorite verses. The teaching principle of discipleship should be to impart critical thinking skills along with knowledge and understanding. 1 John 2:27 says, “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.”
Is this saying there is no need for teaching? Of course not. Otherwise we would not see the commands to teach and preach the word. If you look at the passage in context, it is discernment for truth and abiding in Him. We all have the Spirit of God within us. If we abide in Him, He teaches us. It is true that we don’t need someone to intermediate between us and the scriptures, but we also benefit from those who are gifted in teaching. Part of teaching is pointing people to this principle of discerning all things according to the scripture and by the power of the Holy Spirit. We who are in Christ, have the Holy Spirit within us and we are commanded to study scripture and find out what is true and what is a lie. You can’t teach discernment in the classroom. You can only use teaching or discipleship training to encourage others to pursue an abiding relationship with Christ and use His word to measure truth.
3. Mentorship for Service
This is where the ‘Timothy Principle’ comes in. My ministry is not what I do, but who I can equip. I can only teach a handful of people in my lifetime. But if I equip others to go out and do, then it truly becomes God’s ministry. Ronald Reagan had a plaque on his desk that said, “There is no limit to what you can accomplish when you don’t care who gets the credit”. That should be the motto of the church. This idea was taught in scripture long before it ever hit a plaque. Jesus taught that our works should not be broadcast. If we get the praise of men, we already have our reward, but if God sees our deeds in secret, He will reward us openly. I would much rather have God’s reward than credit from man.
The ultimate goal of mentor discipleship is to give our ministry away. We see leaders jealously guard their position because they forget that it doesn’t belong to them, but has been entrusted to them by God for His glory. If God exalts someone over me or raises up someone who takes my place, that is His will. If I fight against God, what value does my position hold outside of God’s plan? How do I know that God isn’t raising up someone because he has bigger plans for me? Even if God doesn’t, the greater benefit is not the position I hold, but the fruit God produces through my life for His eternal purposes. What could be greater than to be chosen by God to touch someone’s life that will go where you cannot go and do what you cannot do? Who led Billy Graham to Christ? Consider this chain of God’s providential events:
A layman by the name of Edward Kimball led Dwight L. Moody to Christ. Dwight went on to be one of the greatest preachers of modern history. It was D.L. Moody that impacted F.B. Meyer and Meyer touched Wilbur Chapman. Chapman partnered with Billy Sunday and Billy Sunday had a major impact on Mordacai Ham. Mordacai Ham felt like a failure in his ministry and decided to quit. He felt burdened to do one more revival circuit. A sixteen year old boy with little interest in the revival was persuaded to go on one of the last days. That boy was named Billy Graham.
How many people would know who Mordacai Ham is? For that matter, how many people have ever heard of Edward Kimball? Did God use Edward Kimball to reach the masses? I guess it depends on how you look at it. God produced the fruit of his obedient labor. Edward Kimball is as much of an heir to the fruit God produced as D.L. Moody and Billy Graham are. God is not interested in what you can do. God is interested in your obedience and faithfulness. How effective would Paul have been if he continued to be the leader of every church he founded? The entire world has benefited from the fact that the Apostle Paul did not care about being in charge. He cared about spreading the gospel and equipping others to take over the churches he founded. That is mentorship. It is not what I can do, but being faithful to pass on the vision God has given me. The results belong to God, but the obedience belongs to me. Mentorship doesn’t begin until after the relationship has been established. Even if someone is ready to be mentored, the relationship is still the foundation that mentorship must be built on. As God raises up leaders, mentorship is born. We don’t seek people to mentor; God calls future leaders and brings others into the vision that God has given. More times than not, mentorship is sought by the one being ‘mentored’ and not by the ‘mentor’ himself.
As we follow Christ and are faithful to the vision God has given, God will bring others into our life. Mentorship may be as simple as teaching others how to fit into support for a ministry or as detailed as training those who will be the leaders that God will call us to give charge over our ministry. Leadership is taking ownership of the ministry God has given me. That is true for personal or for organizational ministry. I take my ministry, nurture it and develop it. I reach out to others who show the same desires and I mentor them to either take the ministry or go out and replant the ministry. God decides which direction we should take. A mentor is not the boss, but the servant. That has always been Jesus’ model of leadership. With a servants heart we lift others higher than ourselves and toward God’s call. Unfortunately, human nature teaches us to climb over others and use them as steps to accomplish our goals. Spiritual leadership is always to lift others above ourselves and to serve others as though we are serving God. When leadership becomes status, we are no longer in the spiritual domain, but the worldly domain.
When we are going where God is going, He will send us people with the same heart, vision and principles. If the first two principles of discipleship have not been established (relationship and teaching), new leadership will not have the maturity to handle the vision. Leaders will be intimidated by rising leaders and envy and jealousy will follow. I have seen pastors try to destroy people that God has sent. Instead of a ‘God-sized’ ministry, the ministry struggles and begins to fall apart. I believe that God is patient and always gives us the opportunity to repent, but God will abandon a ministry that loses its Christ-centered focus. Apparently God is more willing to allow embarrassment to the church than tolerance to hypocrisy.
When I talk of taking ownership, I do not mean possessiveness. I mean that I take what God has entrusted to me and am faithful until He calls me to release it to those He has sent and equipped for my ministry. I don’t drop ministry and let it die, but through prayer, and the three principles of discipleship, I give it away as God leads faithful leaders to me. A pastor may not be able to give his pastorate away, but he can faithfully equip others and pass on his God-given vision. A pastor can equip and give most positions away if he is equipping others as God has commanded.
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