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Discipling the Laity for Disciple Making (13)
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Paul Jang
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2008-03-24 03:38:06, hit : 3,926 |
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Discipling the Laity for Disciple Making (13)
Transforming the disciple is the process by which the pastor (discipler) helps him to gain a conviction, or perspective, on some aspect of Christian growth, and a sense of mission to other people. This is a very crucial process in building up a disciple, Allen Hadidian gave a reason for this:
No matter how much knowledge (teaching) and skill (training) he has, he will not continue in an activity unless he is transformed on the inside, that is, unless he gains a conviction that the particular activity is essential. (Hadidian 1979, 103)
The pastor (discipler) should be seeking to change the disciple's sense of values and plant convictions in his disciples that will affect his whole life, and send them out to the world for the purpose of saving the sinners. The disciples never forget that Jesus sent them out to the world as the Jesus' disciples did (Wagner 1988, 134).
After having been taught, equipped, and organized, they may be sent to the field two by two not solo because the leadership should properly be listed as a collective noun and the disciples of Jesus were not called to 'go solo' all that time (Greenslade 1984, 70). Jesus said, "Therefore go and make disciples." (Matt. 28:19). While living in the earth, He sent His disciples two by two (Luke 10:1; Mark 11:1). It is a way of Jesus Christ to send His disciples. The trained disciples must go into the field which needs them. This is the Great Commission. Jesus Christ Commands:
The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. (Luke 10:2,3 NIV)
And they must go to the lost sheep of Israel to whom Jesus points (Matt. 10:6), and to the people who beg them to come and help (Act. 16:9). Of course, this is also that God the Holy Spirit calls them to preach the gospel to the people. Because they are the disciples and servants of the Lord, they must go unconditionally everywhere He wants them to go for the purpose of preaching the gospel.
"Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" said the Lord. "Here am I. Send me!" said his servant (disciple). He said, "Go and tell this people" (Isa. 6:8, 9). The Lord Jesus Christ commands also right now:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matt. 28:19-20)
Can the results of the disciple making program be measured? This is very important because it is related to the growth of the church. Without measurement the degree of church growth through the disciple making program may not be known. Therefore the results of the disciple making program must be measured. Because the disciples are people, and the people are countable, the making disciples is not only an objective; it is a measurable objective (Hedlund 1977, 1). Whatever is to be measured must be in fact measurable (Yamamori and Lawson 1975, 94).
First of the measuring criteria of church growth is an increase of the church members. This is the measurement of numerical or quantitative growth of the church. The disciple making typically measures its success in terms of how many people have become members of the church. It includes, of course, the ways to increase the numerical church growth: biological, transfer, and conversion (Miles 1981, 51,52).
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Introduction
Ch Growth 