In the baseball analogy, the batter’s goal is to get to first base, and the team will cheer when a runner gets into “scoring position”, but in the end it is about how many cross homeplate. As a baseball team’s purpose is to score runs, the church uses the baseball diamond image with bases and a pitcher’s mound illustrates the means to bring people into the church using all five purposes of membership, maturity, ministry, missions and magnification of God. Magnification is worship and praise to the Lord. It is a useful illustration for the church, but if we do not know, understand and implement the plan to get people around the bases and score, then we are not doing what God wants us to do.
Ephesians 4:11-15 “ And He (Jesus) Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.”
God plan is for us to be like His Son, Jesus. The Apostle Paul in Romans 8:29 says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Discipleship is not a new concept to the church. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gave us His Great Commission commandment and Cultural mandate to “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” We are commanded by our Lord to go and make disciples of the unsaved people in this fallen world and to teach them to observe all things that He has commanded.
Jesus’ disciples, the people of God, who were called to add these people to His kingdom were also called to disciple them. Getting them to first base is only the start of the game of life. Many Christians in the church win people to Christ, then rest on their laurels, by stop putting in effort, trying to innovate, or working to advance the new Believer. We may have brought a new person to Christ, but we have not finished our work. We need to help that person get around the bases and score as. Healthy and well-rounded Christian. Too many times, we leave them strand on first base. Some people in our community may have never heard of Jesus or His Gospel of Salvation, Some, who have heard of Jesus and maybe even visited a church, may have never been invited to accept the free gift of forgiveness of their sin in the atoning work of Jesus on the Cross unto Salvation, reconciliation with God, transformation of the heart, regeneration of the spirit and eternal life. When they receive Christ, then they need to receive discipleship. Yet, discipleship is the great omission of the Great Commission of the Christian church today.
Acts 2:36-42 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
What is a disciple? It is a learner or pupil of a teacher. Churches are filled with many people who have been in the congregation for many years, who are spiritual babies because they have never advanced beyond first base when they made that initial step of receiving Jesus. In the context of the Bible, the Christian is supposed to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. The word “disciple” is use over 250 times in the New Testament, yet is only found in the Gospels and the book of Acts. Acts 11:26 says, So, it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Discipleship is the development of Christians into the likeness of Christ.
Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on thinned for "Discipleship" in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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