My husband and I have been given a tremendous opportunity to minister in the lives of others. We are laity, not clergy; yet, still, God has brought people into our lives with the desire that we pour our lives into theirs, that we disciple them in the faith. What a blessing and privilege!
In 2 Thessalonians 2, the apostle Paul is talking about his past history with the church at Thessalonica. We can look at his example and learn some principles for effective discipleship.
Jesus Christ never meant for His followers to hold tight to their salvation, their possessions or their very lives. If He is your Savior then He has given you good gifts which He intends for you to share with others. I'm not talking only about financial blessings, but also about the gifts of your talents, your time, your words, your actions. He truly intended for us to "give our lives away" for the sake of the spread of His gospel. I like to call this process "spiritual reproduction".
Without moving from a G-rating here...when a man and woman create a new human life, they do so by contributing part of their own bodies to conceive a new person. Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, gave Himself for His Bride, His Church (that body of believers who have trusted or will trust in Him and claim His name - - past, present, future). And, it is through His Holy Spirit, living in the hearts of His Bride, that more believers are created.
Do you have any spiritual children? Are there any people who have made a decision to follow Jesus Christ through your yielding to the Holy Spirit in your life? If you are seeking Him and using your talents to further the gospel, I can almost guarantee that there are people who have come to Him through your sacrifice of time, talent and sharing. We usually are unaware of the extent of the Spirit's work through us. Thank God! I'd rather not know, as pride is my besetting sin.
At any rate, let's look at Paul's example this morning to see some principles for effective discipleship.
1. Outrageous treatment of the Birth Parent (vs. 2-5)
Ok, this does not sound like a good start, does it? Who in the world would sign up for this?! Who would want to spiritually reproduce if it demands sacrifice, if it brings on persecution or slander or pain? Paul was mistreated for the sake of the gospel, most notably in the town of Philippi before coming to Thessalonica to start this church. He tells us why God allows this type of testing: to refine us (as I've blogged about before) and prove us fully equipped for this glorious task! The Message version puts it like this:
God tested us thoroughly to make sure we were qualified to be trusted with this Message. Since we’ve been put through that battery of tests, you’re guaranteed that both we and the Message are free of error, mixed motives, or hidden agendas.
God allows us "parents" to be tested, so that our message is the truth of Jesus Christ, not some false teaching - - - so that we reproduce spiritual children who know the truth and who will walk in it, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
2. Confidence in the Calling (vs. 4)
Paul and his team of missionaries were confident in their calling from God. Paul calls their efforts "God-approved". Regardless of the persecution they had experienced, Paul was undeterred. He was focused like a laser beam on his mission: to spread the gospel all across Asia Minor. He did not interpret opposition from men as a signal to quit. He was sure of the truth of the message of the gospel, sure of his Savior, and this gave him the confidence that kept him "on task".
3. Humble (vs. 6)
Often the Lord calls us to minister to those who have very different life circumstances than do we. When Paul came to the people of Thessalonica, he had little in common with them. He was born a Jew, raised in the Jewish faith, and then became a follower of Jesus Christ. He started this church of people who were non-Jews, a bunch of lost-as-a-goose idol worshippers. Yet, although he bore the truth of the gospel, he was not condescending, aloof, self-important or patronizing, as The Message version puts it. No, Paul testifies that
...we cared for you the way a mother cares for her children. We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did.
The pastor at our church writes a message to the members every week; it is on the front of the church "bulletin". At the end, he almost always says, "I love you!", and I believe that as the Chief Shepherd of our church, he DOES love his "flock". This is the type of thing that Paul speaks of.
And, listen, LISTEN! This is an area in which we tend to stumble! It is so easy to be "puffed up" with pride when ministering to others. As a result, we come across as patronizing, condescending...do you really think that such attitude is helpful to win others to Jesus Christ?!
Absolutely not!
Always we should pray for opportunities to share this "treasure we bear in earthen vessels"(2 Cor. 4:7), and also pray for the right attitude in which to share it. If we don't pray and ask the Holy Spirit to speak through us, by our words and our actions, we may unwittingly commit spiritual abortion. God forbid!
4. Hard-working (vs. 9)
The Message version puts it "working our fingers to the bone". The HCSB version translates it "working night and day". If anyone thinks that discipleship is easy, then he/she needs to "get a clue". As much as Satan opposed the conversion of sinners to saints, he re-doubles his efforts to oppose the discipleship of new believers. He knows that Christ-followers are Jesus' hands and feet in the spread of the life-changing gospel. We, God's people, are to resist him and his nefarious schemes (James 4:7).
I've not heard it in many years, but we used to sing this gospel song in my little Baptist church growing up: "Work, for the Night is Coming". You can find the lyrics if you search that title online. The song encouraged and exhorted soldiers in the army of Jesus Christ to "keep after it", to be diligent, to labor in the greatest cause ever.
5. Modeling (vs. 10-12)
One of the privileges I have in the work world is to train young teachers. One of the bedrock principles of good teaching is "modelling". In other words, the teacher shows the pupil what the learning looks like by doing it him/herself.
I had just the absolutely best Daddy! He is with Jesus now, but I still miss him every day! I remember how, all those years ago, he taught me how to ride a bike, in the front yard of our home. He told me how to do it, SHOWED me how to do it, and then gradually released the responsibility to me until I was able to do it successfully. At one point, he ran alongside the bike as I pedaled, his hands on the frame, and then his hands were gone. Filled with joy, I was biking!
This is a beautiful picture of discipleship, Christian friends.
We cannot skip that crucial step of the baby watching the elder do it.
Paul spoke of, "how devoutly, righteously, and blamelessly we conducted ourselves with you believers." Paul modeled. He walked "the resplendent walk".
6. Encouraging, Exhorting, Imploring (vs. 12)
The final principle in our meditation this morning is this: the birth parent prays over his/her baby Christian "offspring", and then by the guidance of the Holy Spirit prods him or her on to a deeper relationship with his/her Savior. At times, the parent encourages. At other times, the parent "exhorts". That is a word that is not used so often anymore, but it means "urging someone to do the right thing". The final word is (lol!) "imploring", which basically means "begging"... begging the young Christian to follow hard after his Savior. The Holy Spirit will reveal to the parent which mode of operation is needed at the moment, if we are humbly seeking His will through prayer.
I've often said that parenting is the hardest job there is. I've comforted parents with those words as I sat behind my school desk as a principal. I've said those words to myself over the past 20 years, while birthing and raising my two sons. Spiritual parenting is no different. We can effectively disciple only through the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in each person who has given his/her life to Jesus Christ.
Good morning, Father. I am astounded that You have chosen us, Your children, to spread the gospel, whether by preaching to a crowd, or in a small discipleship group, or one-on-one. My flesh tells me that I am totally unworthy of this honor. Yet, your Word tells me that we, Your children, are your preferred method of spreading the gospel, of reproducing spiritually. Oh, make us fruitful, Dear Father! May we be poured out as a praise offering to You. May our light, the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, shine so brightly that the world, the whole world will know that You and only You are the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It is in Jesus' name, that Name Above Every Name, I pray, amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment