Discipling

I may have missed it in Bible College classes. My grades indicated that I missed several things. Back then, soul winning was emphasized more than discipling. In one of my classes we had to go door to door in the college neighborhood and share the Four Spiritual Laws. (I wonder how many times those neighbors had to hear that pitch over the years.) Yet the Great Commission specifically said to make disciples not converts. The original language even meant to do it “as you are going,” in other words “as a way of life.”

What then is a disciple? A disciple is a convert who has been taught by a discipler to obey all that Jesus has commanded us and then he duplicates what he’s been taught, and goes out and teaches others who teaches others, etc. even to the fourth generation. Expecting someone to disciple others without being discipled himself can lead to spiritual abuse, warped doctrine and even worse.

Where does this fit into Ephesians 4:11 gifts to the church, commonly referred to as APEST? Without a doubt, my gift is Shepherd-Teacher and that’s how I functioned as a pastor. Other “pastors” have other APEST gifts. I was not and am not an Apostle, Prophet or Evangelist. However, serving God’s people as their pastor regardless of how one perceives that role, did not excuse me from doing the work of an Evangelist. Sometimes the pastor speaks prophetically through preaching of God’s Word. Apostolic work to a lesser degree typically refers to opening new works, perhaps in church planting, missions, or maybe even outreach endeavors, but I confess I’m not sure. I am sure that when God entrusts us with the oversight of precious people who are trying to follow Jesus, we have a great responsibility. 

The Church hasn’t done this very well. I don’t think the Church has hindered discipleship. I believe I hindered discipleship in my pastorates by my lack of grasping what I’ve shared in this blog. I don’t get a mulligan. If you are reading this as a current Pastor of a church, step up. If you are not a vocational pastor, let your pastor know you want Him or Her to disciple YOU so that can be adequately taught so you can make disciples of others. What I wouldn’t have done to have someone ask me for such a PRIVILEGE.