witnessing,discipling, accountability for new believers and even established believer

mr. messy · Apr 12, 2005

I have been concerned for others in the witnessing, discipling, and accountability aspects for new believers and for "established" believers, older believers in the Lord.

How do we as individuals or as a church or a group of churches help a child, a young adult or just a adult come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and then help train or grow that person(s) for fruitfulness in Christian life?

It did might easy for a new believer or one who has been in church for 1 or 2 or 3 years to begin to compromise and drift away from the Lord, from the fellowship of the local church and drop out of church?

Is discipling and mentoring the same? When should it start and when should it end?

Is accountability to another person or persons good or not?

Could there be different stages of growth in the Christian believer? For a child, there may life stages or life tasks such as crawling, walking, running. If there are such christian life tasks for a believer, then what would these be?

I am viewing this from my American culture at this time. The culture in your town may be different from mine.

Can we learn from the Bible principles, characters?

Can we learn from each other as believers?

How did Jesus do it in His physical lifetime?

These questions may be too much for one topic or thread.

Thanks for reading, mr. messy

gb93433 · Apr 12, 2005

Originally posted by mr. messy:
Can we learn from the Bible principles, characters?

Can we learn from each other as believers?

How did Jesus do it in His physical lifetime?

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Jesus sent them out to do ministry and to build their faith and dependence on God for their needs. Before H3e did that though he took them with him in doing ministry. It is much the same way you would train one of your own children in a physical and spiritual sense.

mr. messy · Apr 15, 2005

Let me quote one of the above questions. "Is discipling and mentoring the same? When should it start and when should it end?"

When does discipling end?

When is a believer "full grown" or an adult?

When is the believer capable of reproducing...that is leading another person to the Lord?

Does leading another person to the Lord qualify as being grown up as an "adult" or a "mature" one?

thanks. mr. messy

av1611jim · May 5, 2005

Originally posted by mr. messy:
Let me quote one of the above questions. "Is discipling and mentoring the same? When should it start and when should it end?"

When does discipling end?

When is a believer "full grown" or an adult?

When is the believer capable of reproducing...that is leading another person to the Lord?

Does leading another person to the Lord qualify as being grown up as an "adult" or a "mature" one?

thanks. mr. messy
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Interesting questions.
From a biblical viewpoint, it appears that a believer is "fully grown" when he has led another to the Lord and THAT one has gone and done the same.
2Ti 2:2
And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

In HIS service;
Jim

glorybound012001 · May 9, 2005

Jesus taught his disciples for 3 years before he turned them loose.But his three years was 24-7,not just on Sundays.

gb93433 · May 9, 2005

Originally posted by mr. messy:
[QB] Let me quote one of the above questions. "Is discipling and mentoring the same? When should it start and when should it end?"[/b]

In the homes of believers with children, it starts before a child is born. Not necessarily when they are born again. Not all of Jesus' disciples were born again. I have begun to teach the Bible and have fun activities with non-believers sometimes for years before they are born again.

When does discipling end?

I view it as a natural process much like raising children. If they are adults, then along the way as I talk with them I encourage them and help them to have reasons for their faith over about a two year period. I try to answer their questions and the struggles they have. We get involved together in projects at the church, in the community and do things as friends such as eating ice cream and sharing meals.

You will know it is ended when the other person indicates in their life that they are mature enough to feed themselves and grow.

When is a believer "full grown" or an adult?

When he can disciple others and continue to grow. I have discipled others while they are beginning to disciple someone they have led to Christ. I include all of them in larger activities as a team. But I leave it up to the person who led them to Christ. The person who begins to disciple someone will have more questions as they begin the journey teaching another who to do ministry.

When is the believer capable of reproducing...that is leading another person to the Lord? At any time. Even non-believers have been known to tell others about Christ. That is rare but it does happen. That is not discipleship. Spiritual reproduction is not measured by leading another to Christ. It is measured by relationship and maturation. You will not always disciple every person you led to Christ nor will you have led every person to Christ you have discipled.

About three years ago I led business man to Christ and within about one hour he had called a number of his employees and friends over to have a party. The party ended about midnight. As he tried to tell them what happened he was asking me questions too.

I have seen others who will begin to tell others much later. The key is to keep encouraging them and praying for them. It's much like digging a hole--one shovel full at a time. It may go slower for some than other but it will get done if the person keeps praying and being encouraged.
As they begin to see Christ working in their life and pray for their friends they will naturally wrestle with God and asking him for wisdom and boldness.

I never never give that person someone to work with. I want them to be wrestling with God, sharing their faith and praying that God will use them in the lives of others. When that person begins to get the vision they will pray and eventually God will bring someone in their life who they will win or begin to disciple who has already been won.

A good resource to look at is http://www.bibleteacher.org/Dm118_8.htm

Does leading another person to the Lord qualify as being grown up as an "adult" or a "mature" one? No. I have watched young children lead their friend to Christ.

The resources I use over a two year period are Step by Step through the Old Testament, Step by Step through the New Testament, How Read the Bible For All Its Worth by Fee and Stuart, and the first six book of the Design For Discipleship series published by Nav Press. All the studies I lead are those which the person needs to have spent time during the week preparing for the lesson. This teaches them to study on their own and dig as much as they like. It also build in them a discipline of study.

As they progress I begin to do ministry with them depending in the person. Sometimes it's knocking on doors. Sometimes it's just having fun. Sometimes it's dropping by someone's place just to say hello. Sometimes it may be visiting someone in the hospital. Sometimes it may be helping out at the church. One time it was a project I led reroofing the church building. Another time it was a project I led in Mexico. It can be a multitude of things.

One thing discipleship is not: It is not a bunch of Bible studies. It is sticking with the person and being patient encouraging them along the way. There have been young people I have had to encourage to study and do well in school. One young man I met with was waiting for a lawsuit to come to an end. In the meantime he was not working and was capable. So part of my job was to hold him accountable each week to look for a job. Another man I know I held accountable to do things with his family. He was a workaholic and his marriage was in trouble. His wife thanked me a year later. When I met his family his daughter was not doing very well in school, he and his wife were not doing very well. He was playing music in bars and working long hours during the day. eventually he started coming to church, joined a Bible study I was leading, started playing his keyboard at church and then came to Christ. Later he quit playing in bars and changed jobs )which got more pay with better hours). His entire family became Christian within about four months. Today he is leading the music and training people to do evangelism in a church with the encouragement of his family. Christ radically changed that family.

When I began to notice changes was when he started asking me to pray for people he knew. One time he shared with me about how he began to pray for a person he knew at work. He told me how he could lose his job. He wrestled with that for a short time and then shared his faith with the coworker.

I look for growth no matter how small. I point out to the person ways they have grown and try to set them on a path of obedience and growth.
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TexasSky · May 10, 2005

I think we can always learn from other Christians.

I find myself a little stunned sometimes to realize I'm getting to that age where I've been saved longer than most of our church ministerial staff has been breathing, but I still learn so much from these amazing men of God every day.

I also try to teach. I include, in every lesson, no matter what age group - that you need to read the bible yourself. That you need to pray without ceasing - nothing is too big or too small to bring to God. That you need to question people and seek God's answers, not human approval. Some of the lessons can be as simple as, "Do you know how to look up a verse when someone gives you a reference?" To, "Have you memorized the verses that you find you get the most comfort and assurance from so that if you're ever stranded without a printed bible, you've got His words to you in your heart?" Do you know how to use a concordance so you can find answers in scripture when you aren't sure where to look?

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