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Discipling the Laity for Disciple Making (05)
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Paul Jang
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2008-03-24 03:26:24, hit : 3,634 |
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Discipling the Laity for Disciple Making (05)
Eugene B. Habecker suggests the following ways for the laypeople involvement: (1) the pastor must be willing to release laypeople for ministry, (2) the pastoral staff must encourage lay involvement, (3) the pastoral staff must present to laypeople the vision of gathering and scattering church, (4) the pastoral staff needs to think about diversified ministry defined, managed, and operated by laypeople, and (5) we ought to be involving laypersons more extensively (Habecker 1990, 140-143).
To involve the laypeople, pastor has to, at first, choose the disciples to be qualified as if God chose Noah to build the ark, Abraham to be the seed of chosen people, Moses to build and liberate the nation, Israel, and the twelve to carry the message of the kingdom of God. This is the first step of involvement: selecting. Faithful men were Christ's method (Hull 1988, 147).
Not quantity but quality must be the criterion of the selection in spite of the fact that Jesus wanted many people to be saved. Jesus' means of reaching the multitude (quantity) was the close relationship (quality) with a few (Hadidian 1979, 81). Jesus began with twelve, but it is possible to begin with only one person, or maybe three, or maybe five, or maybe seven, and or maybe twelve shuch as Jesus. He established the building of disciples like a pyramid (Wilson 1981, 67).
It is important that the pastor finds the disciples on whom God's favor rests. Therefore, the pastor must not be hasty in selecting his disciples, and he must pray to find the faithful men given by God as Jesus did (Eims 1978, 29; John 17:6, 9). In selection, the pastor also must not be indifferent to the qualities in disciples such as an inborn dispositions and talents which are not ability but potential. Of course, these qualities must go after the will of God.
Qualities in disciples may be considered as follows: consecrated status (Christian), appropriate disposition (gentle, humble, and courageous), good personality (faithfulness), positive attitude (enthusiasm), their level (education), and so on. But nothing is more important than their sense of dedication for the Great Commission.
The second step of involvement is calling. This is not out of the world (unbelievers), but out of the church (believers). Evangelism aims at the world (unbelievers) to believe in Jesus Christ and to be saved, while discipleship at the believers to be disciples. This calling is a vocation not only to disciples but to disciplers. They are called as the lights and light-givers in Christ to the world (Matt. 5:14). For this point Ralph D. Bucy wrote:
This "calling," let it be emphasized, is not "out of the world" but out of the spiritual and moral darkness which envelopes the world. It is a "calling" into the spiritual and moral light which is given to the world in Jesus Christ ("I am the light of the world," John 9:5), and which his disciples are to reflect in the world ("You are the light of the world," Matt. 5:14). (Bucy 1978, 23)
The object of calling is all believers (Ayres 1952, 34). Each member must recognize that they stand under God's call, and should respond to the call. The call of God is indeed individualized and particularized in concrete task, which is the gift and task of the whole people of God (Bucy 1978, 24). Before calling the pastor must pray to God for the authority of calling, and to move the laypeople. Whoever is Christian must recognize that Jesus Christ is calling men today to be His disciples. An application may be used for the calling. The calling may be carried out both individually and publically (1 Cor. 7:17, 20-24).
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Introduction
Ch Growth 