Always Abounding - Fall 2016_3

MINISTRY HELPS
Discipleship
Dave Olson
The best thing that we can do for
new converts is to instruct them how to
follow the Lord. Sadly, many churches
have no discipleship program in place
to help their people train new believers.
The result is that many newly saved
people fail to grow in their relationship
with God and needlessly live defeated
lives. Discipleship must be more than
a “good idea.” We must be committed
to it. Over the past few decades, many
Baptists put the emphasis on winning
people but neglected discipleship. It is no
wonder so many churches have dwindled
in size and strength. Let’s consider several
elements of discipleship from the acronym
D.I.S.C.I.P.L.E.
Difficulty—Although salvation is free,
the cost of discipleship is quite high.
Jesus said, “And whosoever doth not bear
his cross, and come after me, cannot be
my disciple” (Luke 14: 27). A disciple must
bear his own cross, and that speaks of pain
and death to self. Another verse in the
same passage requires a disciple to forsake
all that he has. These can be daunting
steps for baby Christians to take, and they
need help and encouragement. Paul knew
how difficult it was for new believers and
spent much time “confirming the souls
of the disciples, and exhorting them to
continue in the faith” (Acts 14:22).
Importance—Discipleship is more than
just a good idea. It is imperative. One
of the main duties of every Christian is
to pass on their faith to others. Timothy
was instructed, “And the things that thou
hast heard of me among many witnesses,
the same commit thou to faithful men,
who shall be able to teach others also” (II
Timothy 2:2). Believe it or not, a Christian
who wins one soul per year can be more
valuable than someone who wins one
soul per week. How? The person who
wins one soul per week for twenty years
will win a total of 1,040 people. However,
the individual who wins one soul per year
but trains each one of his converts to do
the same thing will reach 1,048,576 in
the same twenty-year period. As you can
see, discipleship is a vital part of the Great
Commission.
Speed—We must have a sense of
urgency to follow up on new converts.
If we do not teach them, Satan will. The
Scriptures are full of warnings about false
prophets who “lie in wait to deceive”
(Ephesians 4:14). We must not forget
that “Satan himself is transformed into an
angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing
if his ministers also be transformed as the
ministers of righteousness” (II Corinthians
11:14-15). A young believer who is not
grounded in the truth can fall prey to the
many charlatan preachers on the Internet,
TV, and radio. Many of the bestselling
books in Christian bookstores are written
by compromisers and heretics. If we do
not take the necessary time to answer the
questions of a new believer, he will find
answers elsewhere. Therefore, we must
move quickly!
Command—Jesus commanded us to get
involved in discipleship. He said, “Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them
to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Failure to instruct new believers after they
get saved and baptized is disobedience
to Christ’s command. In order to fulfill
the Great Commission, we must not only
10 ‌‌‌‌│ ALWAYS ABOUNDING