"Follow up and nurture" (Study 18), 8/6/18
I began by asking, "What's wrong with this picture?
(Figure 5). This gives the stages of Christian life as "Convert".
"Disciple" and "Disciplemaker". In contrast, our FFMC
Disciplemaking Handbook (2015) gives the corresponding stages as "New
Disciple", "Growing Disciple" and "Disciplemaker". The
distinction is significant because the former categories imply that some can
choose to not be disciples, which is Biblically wrong. All Christians
can participate in disciplemaking at some level, but a
"disciplemaker" can be defined as someone with enough spiritual
maturity to intentionally bring others to the same level of spiritual maturity.
This is our goal as Christians.
I felt that the tone of the study and the use of the Engels
scale made it seem as if new Christians were like fragile babies at high risk
of dying if not adequately protected. This seems to create a sense of
unjustified fear and concern. The God who calls people to faith is also the God
that preserves them (Ro 8:30, Jn 10:12). From our perspective we see how many
converts fall away (Matt 13, The Parable of the Sower). But from God's perspective,
He keeps his own, just as He calls His own. This does not mean we do not do our
utmost to disciple new believers, just as we do our utmost to lead
non-believers to Christ. It does mean that we rest in God's sovereign power and
do not blame ourselves if our disciplemaking efforts appear to fail.
We each gave very different answers to the question of what
the first things a new Christians need to know are. I felt that it is helpful
to use standardized material to cover some important ground, but the key to
discipling is not to finish a set of material - it is to provide personal
relationship that walks with the new believer, addressing different questions
and concerns.
New Christians are at risk of falling back to idolatary (Gal
4:8-9), old patterns of behaviour, worldly ways of thinking and peer pressure.
Paul's approach to this (1 Thes 2:7-12) was to be both a caring, tender mother
providing security and love ('roots') and a strong, encouraging, pushing father
('wings'). This is precisely how God deals with all of us. Paul made sure his
young church knew he wasn't in it for the money, and he was scrupulous in his
Chtristlike behaviour. So he exhorted from the position of being a model for
younger Christians. We cannot bring people to a place where we ourselves are
not.
1 Pe 2:2-5 speaks of all Christians as being like newborn
infants who should long for 'pure spiritual milk'. This is not a negative
analogy (c.f Heb 5:11ff milk vs. solid food). Instead, we are to have a
single-minded desire for the one thing newborn infants need. In the context of
1 Pe 1:23-25, 'milk' almost certainly refers to the Word, which gives us
spiritual rebirth (justification) as well as sanctification and glorification
("by it you may grow up into salvation").
I also said that the Heb 5:11-14 passage is not a good one to justify the need for teaching new believers. The author here says that his hearers cannot handle solid food, but can only subsist on milk. The way to get to the stage when they can handle solid food is not through teaching, but through training of spiritual discernment by 'constant practice'. The mention of teaching there is more of a reflection of their immature state (they need to be taught "basic principles") than a means of growing beyond it.
I also said that the Heb 5:11-14 passage is not a good one to justify the need for teaching new believers. The author here says that his hearers cannot handle solid food, but can only subsist on milk. The way to get to the stage when they can handle solid food is not through teaching, but through training of spiritual discernment by 'constant practice'. The mention of teaching there is more of a reflection of their immature state (they need to be taught "basic principles") than a means of growing beyond it.
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