August 26, 2011

Discipleship

One of the most important responsibilities of the believer is to “go and make disciples” as Jesus lays out in Matthew 28:18-20. If we are not making disciples we are failing at our job as Christians. What does it exactly mean to make disciples? How do we make disciples?

Disciple making is about relationships. Making disciples means we are intentionally seeking out others to come along side and walk the journey of faith together. So many times in the church I see the church being about baptizing and forgetting about making disciples in the process. If all we are doing is baptizing, then maybe we need to look at our egos and make sure we are not just about numbers of baptisms. It is a travesty to leave someone at the baptistery because we are out trying to dunk the next one. So, what does discipleship look like? Here is a suggestion…

1. Discipleship is mentoring – Making disciples is really about mentoring a younger believer in the faith. Age does not matter…it’s not about younger in age, it’s younger in the faith. I think we really miss an opportunity when we do not immediately begin studying and praying and leading those who make salvation decisions. If we help lead someone to Christ, it is also our job to follow up by helping them in their walk with the Lord so that they can go and make disciples…it’s a chain reaction.

2. Discipleship is encouraging – As we mentor and make disciples we need to remember that it is our job to encourage. New believers will fail…just as you and I will. Encouragement is somewhat of a “lost art” in our “what have you done for me lately” culture, but it is crucial that we do not miss the opportunities to do so early and often for a new believer we are helping. Encouragement is being there when they fail, believing in them when they are trying something new, and being their biggest fan when they succeed. Encouragement is essential to making disciples. Don’t miss it.

4. Discipleship is follow-through – Discipleship takes time and it is hard work. Discipleship is also very time-consuming, especially in our self-serving culture we live in. I think that is why Jesus put a high priority on discipleship in Matthew 28. One of the last things Jesus told his followers was to make disciples. He didn’t want them hiding out any longer, and he sure didn’t want them to think their job was done and have them go back to their jobs and lives they left behind. Jesus placed a priority on discipleship because he knew they would change the world. When you keep your commitment to making disciples you are helping change the world.

I hope this helps as you think about discipleship. I would recommend that as you meet with someone in a discipleship setting that it be a one-on-one setting, or a group of no more than 3-4 of the same gender. This elevates the importance of the relationship with the person you are discipling and shows the importance of what is happening. It is also easier to share when the setting is more intimate. I also would recommend that you only disciple 1 or 2 people at a time, or if you do a group only do 1 group…many more than that takes too much time and cannot be done well.

The important thing is not how many you are discipling, but who are you discipling? Who are you pouring your life into so that the message of Christ will be spread all over the world? Discipleship…yeah, it’s that important. Thanks for reading!

August 18, 2011

Accountability

We hear the term, accountable or accountability a lot it seems, but what does it really mean? What does true biblical accountability look like?

Matthew 18:15-17 says:

15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses.17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.

So, how does this really look in our day to day life? First, let’s define what accountability IS NOT…

1) Accountability is not pronouncing judgment – Holding someone accountable is all about calling out a sin or behavior in another believer. It is not about judging someone’s relationship with God or salvation.

2) Accountability is not about being right or wrong – Accountability is all about enforcing a standard of living that God has laid out in scripture, not about someone being right or wrong.

So, what is accountability then and how do we do it?

1) Accountability is about relationships – Everyone responds to being held accountable based on the level of relationship with the person who is holding us accountable. This does not mean you cannot call out sin or behavior of a believer if you do not know them, just know that the less they know you the less likely they are to respond the way you intend…why Matthew 18:16 is important. If you do not know the person well, get to know them and find out who does know them well and have them go with you.

1) Accountability must be done in love – If you care about someone enough you will eventually need to confront and hold them accountable. When you do this it must be done in love. Saying things like “I care about you and am concerned about _____” is better than condemning or being derogatory towards them…and it will go farther to doing the next item on accountability.

2) Accountability must be about restoration – If your intentions to holding someone accountable are not about restoring a relationship or keeping a relationship, your intentions need to be checked before you confront. Caring enough to confront or hold someone accountable means you care enough to keep the relationship.

3) Accountability must have follow through – You are not done once the confronting is over! Check back on the individual and see how they are doing and pray for them. If you are not willing to follow through, find someone who can or the accountability will be done in vain.

I hope this helps as you go through your life as a Christian. This is something that Christians don’t do real well, mostly because we don’t totally understand how to do it well. I have had people hold me accountable and it was more like a verbal firing squad, but I have also had people hold me accountable who were very much into the Matthew 18 model and sought to have our relationship restored or continued.

Thanks for reading!