|
How to Train a Disciple: Follow‑Up Introduction: A.
Begin
with Evangelism 1. Making disciples begins with the task of evangelism. 2. If
we work only with Christians in our disciple‑making ministry, then the
net gain to the 3. Aggressive evangelism is the mark of the committed disciple. 4. It is primarily from the fruit of this evangelism that he chooses his Timothy to disciple. B. Follow-up – Spiritual Pediatrics 1. If the first step in the disciple‑making process is evangelism, then the second is follow‑up. a) It is one thing to engage the enemy in combat and set the captives free, but it is altogether another thing to spend the necessary time with a new convert to see that he grows and matures into the likeness of Jesus Christ. b) In physical reproduction the responsible parents’ task only begins when the child is born. c) Afterward come years of careful nurture and training to ensure that the child develops to the point where he can marry and assume responsibility for his own family. 2. Follow‑up, then, is spiritual pediatrics a) It is the care and protection of the spiritual infant. b) It deals with the development of new babes in Christ from the time of their new birth until they grow and provide for themselves. C. A Father’s Heart 1. The
Bible teaches us that God has a father’s heart. - a) Jesus Himself taught us to refer to God as “our Father.” b) Follow‑up is relating to the young Christian the loving concern that our God has shown toward us. c) We are shocked to the point of unbelief when we hear of a baby being left alone without proper care. d) But for some reason, our consciences are dulled when we hear of new babes in Christ being neglected. e) Left alone, they slip into carnality. D. Fear of Becoming Involved 1. Many are afraid to become involved in the task of follow‑up because they feel inadequate. a) They do not think they know enough about the Christian life to assume the responsibility of becoming a spiritual parent. b) They feel that they have too far to go in the Christian life themselves to be teaching someone else. c) All of these feelings of inadequacy are quite normal and probably will never leave. d) They merely parallel the human (or physical) situation. e) I have never met parents who, while raising their children, felt they had all the answers. 2. Follow‑up is nothing more and nothing less than parental concern coupled with common sense. a) There are, however, some basic guidelines for helping a new Christian reach maturity. b) What are the responsibilities of parents toward their newborn children? c) Let us briefly analyze a few of the more obvious ones.
I.
Ensure
Proper Care and Deal with Trouble Areas Waylon Moore’s oldest child, Deborah Lynn, was born with hyaline membrane disease. A membrane formed around that part of the lung which mixes oxygen with the blood. In most cases, children born with this disease die. Their child was given just a 10 percent chance of survival. You can imagine how grateful they were when they discovered that Deborah had the most qualified pediatrician in the city taking care of her. He immediately put her in isolation and took every precaution to make sure she lived. By God’s grace, she did, and today Deborah Lynn is a healthy young woman. The care and concern the doctor gave Deborah Lynn serves as a beautiful illustration of the diligent involvement required of us when dealing with new Christians. Assuming that you have the responsibility for a new babe in Christ, here are some suggestions: A.
Go
over again carefully with him the plan of salvation – 1. “And
this is the record, that God has given to us eternal
life, and this life is in His Son. He that has the Son has life; and he that
has not the Son of God has not life” (1 2. Every person who has the Son has life. a) You can ask the new Christian, “Where is Jesus Christ tonight?” b) Wherever else this babe says Christ is, he should also say that Christ is in his heart. c) An illustration of a pencil inside a Bible can be used‑the Bible representing Jesus Christ and the pencil, eternal life. d) If the believer has the Bible (Jesus Christ), then he also has the pencil (eternal life), for eternal life is to be found in the Son. 3. Unfortunately many Christians spend years of their lives living in a fog of uncertainty. a) Because they do not understand what the Scriptures teach on the subject, they lack assurance of salvation. b) Proper growth and development can only stem from the new Christian knowing that he is a child of God for all eternity. B. Pray for him – 1. The overwhelming majority of New Testament prayers deal not with the unsaved, but with the growth and maturity of new Christians. a) Two great prayers of Paul in Ephesians, for example, deal with his concern for their growth and maturity (see Eph. 1:15‑23; 3:14‑20). 2. I find that prayer is the hardest work I can engage in as a Christian. a) At the same time, it is the most important part of follow‑up. b) If you also find that prayer is hard work, let me suggest that you simply pray for your new Christian the same prayers that you find in the Bible, such as those in Ephesians. c) You can do a study on the New Testament prayers that would be applicable and then use them as part of your follow‑up program. 3. Another thing I do is think through the areas in which I am having difficulty; then intercede for my friend in these matters. a) The
Bible says, ‘There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man”
(1 Cor. b) All of us fight the same temptations and have the same basic needs. C. Visit him soon and frequently after his
decision for Christ 1. This is particularly important during the days immediately following his conversion experience. a) Satan regroups and marshals his counteroffensive, and the new Christian is particularly vulnerable because he does not understand the nature of spiritual warfare or the great truths in the Bible that can help him through trials and temptations. 2. In the first 10 days of a child’s life, his mother must be with him almost constantly. a) The older the child becomes, the less frequently she needs to see him. b) Again, what is true in the physical realm is also true in the spiritual. 3. One of the most significant ministries you can have with your new Christian is that of encouragement. a) Let him know that he is now a part of the family of God and that the two of you are brothers in Christ. b) One of the things that Satan will try to deceive him into believing is that the temptations and problems that he faces are unique to him. c) Encourage him with the fact that we all fight the same problems; and not only this but during these times of temptation, you want to stand together with him against them. II.
Ensure
a Proper Diet When little Deborah Lynn finally came home from the hospital, victorious over her disease, we had to bear the responsibility for feeding her regularly. We fed her not when we wanted to but when she wanted to be fed‑and often this was at the most inconvenient times. One thing was certain: we did not ask her to manage for herself. It would have been cruel to say to her, “Sweetheart, if you want to eat, there is plenty of food in the refrigerator; help yourself.” The proper spiritual diet for a new Christian should include at least: A.
A
consistent quiet time - 1. In
a) Each day should begin with a brief period of fellowship with the Lord, for thus the believer gets his spiritual nourishment for the day. b) The quiet time should include a time of prayer and some time in the Word. 2. The simple acrostic ACTS is useful in helping a person get started in prayer. a) Adoration- Psalm 147:1 (1) Begin with a time of worship, praying over the greatness of God. (2) Encourage
the new Christian to use some of the great prayers in the Bible such as that
in b) Confession – (1) This is a time of acknowledging our sinfulness and our dependence on the Lord. (a) “If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 (2) This verse is the Christian’s bar of soap. (3) Let us imagine that my little child, acting in disobedience, goes outside and plays in the mud. (a) As she comes in crying and asking for forgiveness, not only do I forgive her, but I take her into the bathroom, wash her from head to foot, and wash her clothes so that, when we are through, it is as though she had never been outside. (4) This is
the promise the Lord Jesus makes to the believer in c) Thanksgiving – (1) The long list of sins mentioned in (2) Early in the Christian life the believer must learn the importance of being thankful. (3) This part of the prayer time consists of enumerating the many blessings bestowed on us by our gracious God. (4) Scripture
says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down
from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning” ( d) Supplication - (1) We spend time praying for others‑our family, friends, church, country. You can help the young Christian in this aspect of prayer, teaching him how to use prayer pages. Take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle, entitling the left‑hand column “Requests” and the right‑hand column “Answers.” Beside each request list the date entered. When the prayer is answered, jot down how it was answered with the date. In a graphic way, this will show the new Christian the marvelous way that God answers prayer. 3. Of the many good helps available to the Christian for his quiet time, two favorites of mine are: a) The Quiet Time, published by InterVarsity Press, and b) Seven Minutes with God, published by The Navigators. 4. Help the young Christian to be consistent in having his quiet time by initially having it with him. a) For example, have a quiet time with him every morning during the first week of his new walk with the Lord. b) During the second week, meet with him every other morning, and then once a week for the next month or two. 5. Encourage him to begin with a short period of time with the Lord rather than with a protracted time. a) This is the beauty of the little plan mentioned in Seven Minutes with God. b) It is better to have seven minutes with the Lord consistently every day and stay with it, than to begin by having one hour with the Lord every morning, and then quit in discouragement. B. Bible reading – 1. “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). Start the young Christian with a small portion, preferably from the New Testament or the Psalms and incorporate it in his quiet time. 2. One method that has worked with a great deal of success is to read a paragraph or two and, as you meditate on it, circle or mark one verse that is particularly meaningful. a) This becomes the favorite verse for the morning. b) Do this for six mornings, each morning picking out a favorite verse. c) Then during the quiet time on the seventh morning, review the six favorite verses, and pick out the one that is the favorite among the favorites. d) That verse can then be written on a small card and memorized. C. Bible study – “So now, brethren, I commend you
to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give
you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” 1. The most important goal of follow‑up is to teach the young Christian how to feed himself from the Word of God. a) Expose him to mature Christians who can feed him, and thus teach him “the whole counsel of God,” but remember this can never be a substitute for the person learning how to feed himself. b) I remember in those early days of little Deborah’s life what a joy it was to hold her and feed her. (1) There she was, nestled in my arms‑two eyes, a nose, and a bottle. (2) As she became older, however, we encouraged her to learn to feed herself. (3) So important was this to us as parents that we did not even mind when she used her fingers to eat. (4) We knew that the process of teaching her how to eat graciously would be slow and arduous. (5) But it was also essential. 2. In the initial stages of follow‑up, you and your pastor will have to do most of the feeding of the new babe. a) For many new Christians, the task of learning how to feed themselves from the Word of God is laborious. b) It has a tendency to appear legalistic and unfruitful. c) For this reason, the new Christian will often be tempted to quit trying. d) Realizing this temptation, you will have to work closely with him, encouraging him to stay with it. 3. There are many good Bible‑study helps on the market but, unfortunately, there are few that I know of that teach a person how to feed himself. a) The Navigators have a Bible study series, Design for Discipleship, the objective of which is to teach the young Christian what it means to become a disciple and to wean him from Bible‑study aids in the process so that eventually he can take the Bible and feed himself without any outside helps other than the Holy Spirit. b) Another excellent book for the mature Christian on how to do Bible study is Independent Bible Study by Irving L. Jensen (Moody Press). 4. Whatever Bible‑study method is employed, it should include a period of time when the young Christian prepares the study on his own, and then a period of time when he meets together with a group of people who also have done the study and who share their results and learn from one another. a) In the early weeks of learning how to do Bible study, you will want to prepare the lesson with the new Christian. b) There is just no substitute for going through these growth processes step by step. III.
Ensure
Love and Affection There is one thing it is impossible to give people too much of, and that is love. People misunderstand what love is all about and imagine it to be synonymous with spoiling people. The two are in no way related. Sociologists and psychologists tell us that if a child is deprived of love in the early years of his life, it is questionable whether he will ever be able to understand what it truly means to love and be loved. One of the basic needs in life is to be loved and wanted. We need to apply the principle of TLC (Tender Loving Care) to our babes in Christ. Envelop the young Christian with love! A.
Invite
him over to your home for meals and make him feel a part of the family – 1. Bob Wheeler, a carpenter by trade, was the person who led Waylon Moore to Christ many years ago. a) One of the most significant things he did was to involve Waylon in his family life. b) His home was Waylon’s home and they always felt welcome. c) 2. We should all adopt this verse and claim for our own home. B. Involve him in the warmth and fellowship
of the church – 1. The
writer of the Book of Hebrews warns, “Not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another; and
so much the more, as you see the day approaching” (Heb. 2. There is a certain chemistry that takes place in the fellowship of believers which produces an environment that is conducive to growth and stability. a) I can remember when Bob took me to church for the first time. b) His friends became my friends. c) The fellowship and encouragement they showed me was a major factor in my development as a Christian. 3. Church was where I had an opportunity to observe other believers and to adopt their lifestyle as mine. a) There was a great deal in my old life that had to be discarded, and a great deal of new life that had to be incorporated. b) That small church played a major role in my making that transition. C. Take him with you – 1. It
is written of the Lord Jesus, “And He ordained twelve, that they should be
with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach” (Mark a) Travel together b) Take vacations together c) Play sports together d) Do things together 2. What
will take place is described in IV. Ensure an Atmosphere of Acceptance - A.
What
All Children Desire 1. One of the things all children appreciate is being able to talk to their father about any subject that is on their mind without fear of being misunderstood or reprimanded. a) The older we become the more precious this heritage becomes. b) It is something that we all need to work on with our own children. 2. Often there are things on our hearts that we would like to talk to someone about, but we are apprehensive simply because we are afraid of being misunderstood. a) When following up a Christian, it is essential that he feels free to share his doubts, fears, and personal problems no matter how intimate they may be, without feeling he will be condemned or rejected because of them. b) Peter says, “Love covers the multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). B. Overcoming Feelings of Inadequacy 1. Probably no better counsel is to be found in how to overcome the feelings of inadequacy that all of us have, particularly in our interpersonal relationships. a) In meeting the needs of my wife, in raising my children, in helping others mature in Christ, this feeling of inadequacy is sometimes overwhelming. b) But somehow it all turns out well by adding this ingredient called “love.” 2. The apprehension you will feel in assuming responsibility for helping the new Christian is quite natural. a) The application of these simple principles will help, but will not eliminate all apprehension. b) Stick close by the person and love him as you would love a member of your own family. 3. God will do the rest. |
|
Copyright © 2008, by ToBeLikeHim
Ministries