The Process Called Discipleship
Read the Text: Acts 11
Memorize the Text: He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And after saying this, he fell asleep (Acts 7:60)
Consider the Text: Acts 11
Evangelism centers on reaching the lost for Christ through the declaration of the gospel. This activity must not stand alone but be accompanied by the practice of discipleship. Discipleship is the activity of spiritual growth. It centers on the focus of being a disciple who makes other disciples. This happens when the combination of evangelism and discipleship occurs. In Acts 11, Barnabas recognized the need for the presence of discipleship while in Antioch and demonstrated several vital reminders.
Barnabas saw the NEED for discipleship. Barnabas identified that evangelism without discipleship form spiritually weak Christians. When believers live in a weakened spiritual state, they become more susceptible to falling into temptation. They quickly begin to attempt to build their lives on foundations that differ from the Lord and his truth. The activity and process propel one to grow spiritually and deepen their reliance upon the Lord.
The church today needs to recognize the continued need for discipleship. Like the first century, contemporary believers need to develop their walk with the Lord by growing in truth and love. Each believer must build their life upon the foundation of Christ and seek to become more like Christ. This occurs as one engages in a discipleship process.
Barnabas engaged in the PROCESS of discipleship. He knew that new believers did not become mature believers overnight. He grasped the truth that discipleship occurs as a process where one continues to grow closer to the Lord, which impacts their life to look more like Jesus over time. Using a process meant that Barnabas identified the need for a constant focus on spiritual growth and a proper understanding that one must continue to grow.
The twenty-first-century church needs to focus on developing a process of walking new believers into spiritually mature believers. This process attempts to strategically and systematically engage new believers to give them the needed growth tools. At the same time, the process must include mature believers continuing to grow personally and engaging new believers to aid in the teaching process.
Barnabas identified the IMPORTANCE of spiritually mature leaders. Barnabas did not want to leave the responsibility of discipleship to just any collection of believers. He insisted that mature believers be present and responsible for guiding the process. He expected those mature believers to take hold of the call to invest in new believers' lives and challenge them to grow in their faith. He knew that the leading and teaching role in the early church did not need to come from new and immature believers but spiritually mature followers of Christ.
The church today needs to recognize the importance of spiritually mature leadership. When the new believer or spiritually immature believer gains authority in the teaching and leadership aspect of the church, then the ability to practice discipleship fails properly. Throughout the early church, we find training and equipping before empowering.
Barnabas knew that the presence of the discipleship process was a need in the church. He focused on placing spiritually mature leaders in the place to impact those who were receiving Christ. The process formed an avenue to continue developing future leaders and to impact future generations. Today, the church needs to recognize the same truth and work to put others under our wings for discipling.
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
