Disciple-Making through Teaching. Minho Joo Northern Asia-Pacific Division

Transcription

1 Disciple-Making through Teaching Minho Joo Northern Asia-Pacific Division

2 Introduction To nurture and retain the new believers to be faithful members, church should go back to the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20). The focal point of the Great Commission is to make disciples. Here the disciple does not simply represent a regular churchgoer. Rather, the disciple denotes an imitator of Jesus in daily life. Disciples of Jesus are people who apply their growing understanding of life in the Kingdom of the Heavens to every aspect of their life on earth (Dallas, 2006, p. xi).

3 It means disciples are mature and reproductive Christians. In order to make disciples, baptism should be surely followed by teaching. That is the way to fulfill the Great Commission. If teaching in making disciples is omitted, the Great Commission will be the Great Omission. Frankly speaking, the lack of teaching causes the across-the-board loss of the new believers despite substantial and painstaking efforts to win souls.

4 Research Problem As of June 2012, the church attendees in Northern A sia-pacific Division [NSD] territories were 82,699 a mong 257,704 members in all (Church membership of China and North Korea is not included). The atte ndance rate was 32%. It indicates that the NSD Adv entism has lost 68% of church membership. Korean Adventism won 70,291 souls from 2001 to 2011 (for f urther information, see Annual Council Report in 2 012).

5 Nonetheless, the overall attendees were 71,905 as of J une The total number of the newly baptized for the past 11 years in Korean Union Conference is almo st the same as the number of church attendees in This statistical figure proves the church has seriousl y lost its members. The church should take preventive measures to close the back door of the church.

6 Purpose of the Research Many are leaving the church after their conversion. C harles Arn s research (see w ordpress.com/2011/10/09/why-do-people-drop-out-ofchurch-charles-arn/) revealed that 82% of members d rop out within the first year. In the parable of the sow er, Jesus says the main reason for quitting the truth o r church is that the Christian faith does not take stro ng root on the words of God (Matt 13:20,21).

7 Roger L. Dudley, in his book Why Our Teenagers Le ave the Church stresses the major reason for staying in the church is their belief in truths (2005). That s w hy baptism should be surely followed by teaching to p revent the new believers from leaving the church. Tea ching after baptizing is Jesus strategy to make discipl es (Matt 28:19,20). The increase of retention rate requ ires of teaching or training for the new believers right after their conversion. This research is purposed to p resent the significance of teaching as discipling and re taining church members.

8 Teaching as Discipling Today s church has much concern for baptizing rathe r than discipling. To fulfill the Great Commission, the church has to go back to Jesus agenda for the world e vangelism, which is making disciples. However, no dis ciple-making is done without teaching. To make discip les, pastors as church leaders should know their majo r role and ministry according to the Bible.

9 1. Pastor s role - teaching The Bible : The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and te achers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, fo r building up the body of Christ (Eph 4:11) Pastor s effective ministry is actually a teaching minis try.

10 Jesus as the Chief Shepherd made teaching one of Hi s major ministries (Matt 4:23) and also commissione d His disciples to teach before He ascended to heaven (Matt 28:19,20). Paul followed Jesus strategy, discip ling and emphasized teaching as integral part of disci ple-making: You have heard me teach things that ha ve been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now t each these truths to other trustworthy people who wil l be able to pass them on to others (2Tim 2:2, NLT).

11 Ellen G. White : The greatest help that can be given our people is to t each them to work for God, and to depend on Him, n ot on the ministers. (7T, 19) Christ intends that His ministers shall be educators of the church in gospel work. They are to teach the pe ople how to seek and save the lost. But is this the wor k they are doing? (DA, 825)

12 In his article, The Main Reason People Leave a Ch urch, Thom S. Rainer says most of church pastors agree that their role as teachers is to teach or equip members to be disciples. However, almost three-four ths of these pastors have no plans on how they will t each or train them. (see son-people-leave-a-church/)

13 2. Teaching after Baptism Teaching is the Biblical strategy for disciple-making. The Bible does not say to what extent people must b e ready for baptism. However, it says no wonder bap tism should be followed by teaching in Matthew 28:1 9,20.

14 After the first efforts have been made in a place by giving a course of lectures, there is really greater nec essity for a second course than for the first. The trut h is new and startling, and the people need to have t he same presented the second time, to get the points distinct and the ideas fixed in the mind. (Evangelis m, 334)

15 God s Strategy in OT Passing through the Red Sea (1Co 10:1,2 ) Mission Strategy in the Bible Jesus Strategy in NT Baptizing (Matt 28:19) Reaching the Sinai (Ex 24:12) Teaching (Matt 28:20) The Priestly Kingdom (Ex 19:5,6) Winning the Gentiles (Rom 15:16) Royal Priesthood (1Pt 2:9) & Disciples (Matt 28:19) Winning the Lost (1Pt 2:9) & Discipling them (Matt 28:19)

16 The first step to retain the new believers or close the back door of the church is teaching. Then what is th e purpose of teaching? The apostle Paul says, the res ponsibility of pastors as teachers to equip the saint s for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ (Eph 4:12 NRSV). The purpose to train o r teach believers this verse says is for them to be Go d s ministers whose main ministry is to make discipl es.

17 3. What should be taught? Communion Community Commission Acts 2:42 Acts 2:44-46 Acts 6:7 Words & Prayer Koinonia (Sharing) Making Disciples

18 Communion Teaching how to read the Bible (at least 30 minutes) 1) Prepare a quiet place and time 2) Pray the guidance of the Holy Spirit 3) Choose daily verses 4) Read fervently & repeatedly 5-7 times 5) Meditate concentrate and meditate on each verse 6) Write some insights on a note 7) Apply lessons to your life 8) Share findings with friends through texting or ing 9) Intercede for those who read your sharing

19 Teaching how to pray (based on the Lord s Prayer) 1) For God s name to honor Him with thanks and praises 2) For God s kingdom to let Him in me and others 3) For God s will to obey His will in Ten Commandments 4) For our needs to ask for spiritual and physical needs 5) For our forgiveness to ask for His forgiveness and mine 6) For our protection to ask for His protection from the evil Curriculum 1) SDA Fundamental Beliefs 2) Daniel & Revelation

20 Community Self-actualization Esteem Fulfillment Recognition Love/Belonging Safety Physiological Friends, Intimacy Security: health, resources, the family Food, Water, Shelter

21 Sense of belonging to the community usually prevent s the new believers from leaving the church. Win and Charles Arn reported the retention of the new believ ers was deeply related to the friendship to the existin g members in the church. Number of New Friends in the Church Actives Drop-outs (Win & Charles Arn, 1993, p. 156)

22 The number of new Christian friends a person mak es during the first six months of his/her church life di rectly influences whether that person continues as an active member, or drops out (Win & Charles Arn, 1 993, p. 155). The best methodology to provide church friends with the sense of belonging for the new believers is a smal l group which is composed of eight to twelve member s.

23 Commission Today, Jesus command of making disciples is usuall y interpreted to mean only spiritual growth. The Gre at Commission does not mean only spiritual maturit y of the new believers. Rather, it requires all Christia ns to be reproductive by making others disciples. To the early church, being a disciple or making disciples meant spiritual growth and also making new discipl es (see Win & Charles Arn, 1993).

24 Pastors and small group leaders should teach the new believers to invite the unchurched friends to the smal l group meeting by using the friendship strategy and encourage them to make them disciples by teaching. Monte Sahlin says, the most effective channel for co mmunicating the gospel is a friend. (Monte Sahlin, Friendship Evangelism in Ministry, Sep 1993)

25 Paul Timothy Reliable men Others Chain of Discipleship Training (2Tim 2:2) Pastor New Believer Friends Others

26 4. Who should be taught? Jesus s all night prayer and selection of the Twelv e (see Luke 6:12). Jesus chose humble and teachable persons. Jesu s chose unlearned fishermen because they had not been schooled in the traditions and erroneous cust oms of their time. They were men of native ability, and they were humble and teachable, men who m He could educate for His work (DA, 250).

27 Selection of the Disciples First, Jesus chose potential leaders. The multitudes of discordant and bewildered souls were potentially ready to follow him, but Jesus indiv idually could not possibly give them the personal ca re they needed. His only hope was to get leaders insp ired by his life who would do it for him. (Robert E. Coleman, 1993, p. 35,36)

28 Selection of the Disciples Second, Jesus wanted the small group for fellowship. That is one reason why you cannot take on too man y men at once (LeRoy Eims, 1978, P. 31). His prin ciple in choosing a small group for disciples must be applied to the church s selection of discipleship train ing. A few people so dedicated in time will shake th e world for God (Robert E. Coleman, 1993, p. 36).

29 5. How long should be taught? According to Win and Charles Arn, the friendship w ith church members during the first six months of hi s/her church life will strongly influence whether that person continues to be active or inactive. The researc h also tells that the first six months is the crucial peri od to the new believers. (see ues-to-prevent-church-members-from-dropping-out/ )

30 During another six months, if the new believers gla dly join small group activities and they are satisfie d with their qualitative relationship with other me mbers and their own contribution to church minist ry and activities, they are assimilated to the church. It means retention efforts should be made in the f irst six months to twelve months after the new beli evers join the church.

31 Conclusion Without teaching after baptism, the Great Commiss ion will be the Great Omission. Right after passing t hrough the Red Sea, God taught His people about H is laws to be the kingdom of priest. Jesus s Great Co mmission stresses, baptism should be followed by te aching to make disciples. Pastors as teachers must te ach the new believers how to commune with God re gularly, how to participate in the small group of com munity and invite friends to it, and how to be involv ed in the commission to make disciples.

32 Usually the new believers leave the church within a year after baptism, especially in the first six month s. That s why teaching should last in the first six m onths to twelve months after the conversion. Teachi ng is needed not only for retaining the new believer s but nurturing them to be disciple makers. Teachi ng is an integral part in fulfilling the Great Commi ssion.