The Heart Matters

Discipleship

Another purpose of the church is to raise believers to maturity. White turns to Hebrews 5:12-13 where this point is made quite clear.

You have been Christians a long time now and you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things a beginner must learn about the Scriptures. You are like babies who drink only milk and cannot eat solid food. And a person who is living on milk isn’t very far along in the Christian life and doesn’t know much about doing what is right.

The author makes several excellent points concerning discipleship. Often we think that at salvation our lives will dramatically change, when actually this is just the beginning of the long process of sanctification. Next, we presume that we will naturally mature over time, when maturity requires far more than just time. Then, we assume that the change in our lives occurs as an act of our will, when change is more about training than about trying. Lastly, we deceive ourselves into believing that growth is accomplished on our own rather than as a result of team effort.

True, at salvation a person’s eternal destiny has been altered, but now the process begins. After 14 hours of grueling labor I was overjoyed when my first son was born. I gasped, “It’s over. I’m done.” Much to my surprise the wise-cracking nurse quips, “No honey, it’s just beginning.” This is what the life of the new convert is like. We too are just so elated and revel in our new found relationship, but live change is just beginning. We need to be upfront with those we disciple and let them know that this is just the beginning.

The time factor is something that should be considered. As seen in Acts 2, the new converts devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles. This too ought to be the focus for those we bring to Christ. You cannot have a deep and growing relationship with someone you do not spend time with. Not only should we spend time together in fellowship and in worship, but we should spend time alone with Christ, getting to know who he is as well as enjoying His presence in our lives, after all ”He is the way, the truth and the life.”

Life change is not merely a choice from our will. I cannot will myself to change at the heart. I can adhere to a set of moral conduct and require that I perform in a certain manner, but for all of my exertion, I can never change my heart. The prophet Jeremiah spoke of the heart as desperately wicked. Ezekiel prophesied that the Lord would take man’s heart of stone and make it flesh. Change at the heart level is what lasts. This is the work of the Lord. This change requires a willingness to submit to the will of the Lord. Paul encouraged the church to imitate him as he imitates Christ. This is the calling of the the disciple. This is what leads to transformation in thought and in heart attitude.

This submission includes a willingness to train. Just because we desire to be excellent at a particular skill, does not mean that we will just acquire expertise. This is also true in spiritual growth. Paul wrote in 1 Tim 4:7 to his disciple Timothy to “train yourself to be godly.” What was necessary for Timothy is also for us.

There is no such thing as Christian growth outside of a body or mentoring relationship. We can deceive ourselves into believing that we don’t need others to change, but what man can be sharpened without another man to assist him. Hebrews says, “Let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.”

White pointed out that often churches fail to train its members on the practices of training. He observed that often a church will teach on the need for a certain skill, but that same church will fail to effectively teach how to learn the skill needed. Though he presented it more as a church program, the principles were well stated.

Once someone becomes a believer, there is a need to train. Converts should be taught about the life of the disciple which includes basic doctrinal truths. People need to be plugged into a small group setting and encouraged to build relationship with other believers. Here each member can challenge another on what the word has to say pertaining to a particular life issue. The prevailing challenge ought to be,”What says the Word of the Lord on this matter.” There needs to be a focus on character development so that the man of Christ can be complete, bearing fruit. People should invest their time and resources in spiritual development, much like someone would for a career. The meeting the needs of others should become a vital component of daily life.

As for our fellowship, the activity of discipleship is deeply valued and emphasized. As a body, the teachings are content filled and there are plenty of opportunities to learn and to be train in becoming godly. Our home church settings offer an intimate format for delving into spiritual truths. Our cell groups emphasize relationship, service and again truth. Though these resources are in place, I have observed that often there is a lack of zeal for learning the word or for putting what is learned into practice. People are frequently just showing up or worse yet are complaining that there is work to do.

As I have stepped out and lead a cell group of post-college aged women, it seems more difficult to engage in lively discussions about what is being taught. This is different from my experiences teaching a college aged group – one that was so excited about Christ. Perhaps, this apathy arises from a lack of understanding why this truth is important for me. Christianity is not a religion. It is a relationship. The word that we study is just a means to know Christ and to guide us in our walk with Him. Perhaps, the older we are as believers, we lose our first love. Perhaps even more, it is that we cannot serve two masters. As we settle into family and career, we lose our focus on Christ and turn our eyes toward comfort and order. The world steals away our heart. We just don’t have time for Christ. Who has the energy to take a step of faith?

Take for instance this ecclesia class that is being taught this summer. What an amazing opportunity to engage in training and to learn about the mission and the purpose of the church. I must confess, that it has been difficult to focus on the work of learning and of putting my thoughts together in this paper. Summer is full of distractions. It is also full of opportunity. As I sit here typing – spending time with the Lord – I hear my call to repentance – my call to rethink how I do cell – how I interact with others when we assemble.