Going One On One In Discipleship

"... Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass the on to others"  (2 Tim. 2:2, NLT).  

What is the chief function of the gospel but it to spread to all the world?  (When it is preached to all the world, then the end shall come according to Matt. 24:14.)  We all must do our part in exercising our specialized gift in the organism of the local church as it corporately fulfills the Great Commission (the chief function of the church and believer), as well as the fact that we have individual responsibilities due to our gifting. If we want to keep our faith, we must let it shine and be willing to make it known to others.  Billy Graham says we must "give it away!"    NB:  In God's economy we keep it by giving it away!   We must be people on a mission!  Some sow, some water, some reap; but God gives the increase.  We must be ever aware of the fact that it's God working in us and through us and we are just vessels or tools of honor doing God's good pleasure and will, to which we are the called according to His purpose (per Romans 8:28).

Before service comes prep.  The key to discipleship is discipline and experience or on the job training in the trench warfare of real-life--Reality 101, the divine curriculum.  Only battle-tested warriors for Christ can defeat Satan in the angelic conflict because they know the full armor of God and are not ignorant of the schemes of the devil.  His chief strategy is to divide and conquer and that's where party-politics can divide a church if not done according to the Christian worldview. "They do not reckon God in their worldview"(cf. Romans 10:4).   Literally, "there is no fear of God before their eyes"  (cf. Psalm 36:1; Rom. 3:18, NIV).   Example: the principles of the rule of law, and the concept of liberty and justice for all are paramount (the church has a duty to teach these core values as taught in Scripture).

NB: the Bible endorses no political party or type of government just so that the rule of law is observed and people's God-given rights protected. By the rule of law we must agree that no one is above the law and we are not governed by the arbitrary whims of men, but of duly passed legislation and consent of the people.  This was first delineated in 1644 by the Rev. Samuel Rutherford in Lex Rex, which means "the law is the king," [the king is not the law].   And so, true and ready discipleship includes familiarity with the Christian worldview. There should be unity concerning what the Bible does teach and note that God isn't partisan and that means we shouldn't be either (He is no respecter of persons and shows no partiality).

Paul taught the one-on-one principle or that we should invest ourselves individually into the life of someone and teach them what the Lord has taught us.  There are no shortcuts or easy formulas, just hard work, faithfulness, and discipline.  We must be gung-ho for the Lord--spiritual lukewarmness will not do.  We must follow the Lord wholeheartedly and single-minded so as not to be distracted by the world's temptations and what the devil has to offer--"Love not the world."  So, this means a full commitment or surrender is necessary without reservation, full relinquishment and I say this because most believers haven't really had their wills tested yet to see just how far they are willing to go with the Lord or how close to walk with Him.  It may turn out that we may have no friends but the Lord, and we must know how to cope spiritually with that relationship intact.

If the above principle were actually practiced, the world would be evangelized in one generation; all it takes is for everyone to commit to someone and then that person returning the favor to the Lord by doing likewise.  In discipleship, one thing is important:  keep it simple and put into practice what you learn realizing what you are or are not good at--don't get in over your head but be patient with the small responsibility God has granted you by grace.  Remember, the goal is to spread the gospel and that entails knowing the gospel (and most believers don't) and how to present it should someone ask them how to be saved.

If they don't know how to help someone else to salvation or show the way, how can they be assured themselves?   If they do get saved, we must never offer false assurance for it's not our job to grant it, but God's; we only offer reassurance. Assurance comes solely by the Word of God coupled with the testimony of the Holy Spirit per Romans 8:16 ("The Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit that we are sons of God.") and this is done by searching one's heart and examining one's fruit.   This is vital to know because the believer's assurance is a key to his witness and if he has any doubts it will stifle, cripple, paralyze, or disable his witness or it may even jeopardize or compromise his testimony and he will be neutralized as a witness and paralyzed in growth.   "Our lives are known and read by all men," (cf. 2 Cor. 3:2, NKJV)."

Confidence breeds confidence!  Love begets love; faith, faith!  Faith is not conjecture but certitude and confidence about our salvation and we need not be stunted by doubts.  Doubt is an element of faith, not its opposite!   No one has perfect faith; the best we can have is sincere, honest faith (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:5).   But being honest with them takes fortitude and courage and one step to growing in faith is to admit them and not repress them.  It's our duty to be assured and this is not a sin of presumption (it's commanded in 2 Pet. 1:10), it's faith!  We all live on the doubt-faith continuum and must overcome our fears and questions as we grow in the faith; little faith is still faith!  We are to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 2 Pet. 3:18).  We go from "faith to faith in a continuum (cf. Rom. 1:17).   Doubt is an element of faith, not the opposite of it, and must be dealt with. So, the chief duty of the mentor is to build this confidence in their gift and salvation itself and prepare them to pass the baton or carry on this work of spreading the Word.   

The main error of evangelism is lack of follow-up (too many evangelists count heads and end there).  One must realize that it takes commitment and faithfulness to the person wherever needed.  We can accomplish little without a firm foundation in the Lord and this begins with the boldness to confess Christ before men, not to be ashamed of our Lord but to look for opportunities as He opens or shuts doors. Timothy was taught that he does the addition and God the multiplication (2 Tim. 2:2). Remember, investment will pay dividends.

But don't forget that the word disciple means learner and that means we are all learners and matriculated in the school of Christ and never stop learning, also that we only need be a step ahead of the learner to teach or mentor.   Anyone can do it; availability, not ability is the key, for the filling of the Spirit is what's needed and one's dependence on God for guidance, not human wisdom or fancy gimmicks to teach. When we have been discipled, we owe a debt of gratitude to that person and are eager to pass it on and share what we have come to experience in Christ--to know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge.  Our mission doesn't end with making disciples, but to contend for the faith, defending it in the open marketplace of ideas in the public square.  This entails the ideals of  1 Peter 3:15 and 2 Tim. 2:25:  being prepared to defend our faith and making an effort to know the Scriptures via study or other means available 


CAVEATS:  DO NOT TEACH OVER SOMEONE'S HEAD, FASTER THAN THEY CAN LEARN, OR ASSUME TOO MUCH KNOWLEDGE OR BACKGROUND INFO,  BUT DON'T INSULT THEIR INTELLIGENCE EITHER.  KEEP IT SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE, BUT NOT MORE SO!    DON'T GET AHEAD OF YOUR STUDENTS BUT KNOW WHERE THEY ARE SPIRITUALLY AND INTELLECTUALLY.  WE DARE NOT GO IT ALONE AS A SPIRITUAL LONE RANGER OR LONE WOLF, BUT MUST GO ONE ONE ONE AND BE ACCOUNTABLE SUBMITTING TO AUTHORITY.  TOO MANY OF US BELIEVE OUR DOUBTS AND DOUBT OUR FAITH; WE SHOULD DOUBT OUR DOUBTS AND BELIEVE OUR FAITH!       FINALLY, KNOW, RESPECT, AND SET PERSONAL BOUNDARIES.   Soli Deo Gloria!