is a borrowed material
for DISCUSSION PURPOSES at
HIS LIFE DIVINITY SCHOOL
PART 3 of 10
THE MATURATION FACTOR
In my mind’s eye, I have always pictured the great commission in this boy-like chart:
(SEE CLASS DRAWING)
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You will notice that evangelism box are the mature to reproduce box are the same size.
The command, “Go make disciples” begins with evangelism, leading people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The other prong of the commission is “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
That’s the maturation factor.
That effort, along with money and time spent, must be just as large and just as vital as the evangelism factor. Now some churches are long on evangelism and short on maturation. That will eventually stop the evangelism. Other churches are long on maturation and short and short on evangelism, and of course, that will eventually extinguish any evangelism. There must be a balance.
We have made as our watchword on maturation the words of Paul:
Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ (Col. 1:28).
Maturation of new believers is a responsibility that is just as binding on the local church as the command to evangelize the lost. Yet in many quarters, this is a hit-and-miss process that is mostly miss!
IMMEDIATE FOLLOW-UP
We use tools for this.
When a person accepts Christ, either in the home when a caller is there, or in the counseling room when they’ve come forward at an invitation, we first go over with them immediately on the spot,
“7 FACTS YOU CAN BELIEVE.” It looks like this:
SEVEN FACTS YOU CAN BELIEVE
1. You can know you are saved. I John 5:13
2. You are a new person in the eyes of God. II Cor. 5:17
3. You now have the Holy Spirit living in you. Acts 2:38
4. You are cleansed and forgiven of all sin. I John 1:7
5. You are no longer condemned. Rom. 8:1
6. You have become a disciple (follower) of Jesus Christ. A disciple:
-is unashamed (Mark 8:38)
-continues in the Word (John 8:31)
-loves God and others (Matt. 10:37; John 13:35)
-is obedient (John 15:10)
7. You have been added to Christ’s church. Acts 2:47
We never rush through these facts, but spend some time on each one as an assurance aid for the new babe in Christ. The second tool used in the immediate follow-up is a tape we ask them to play within the next 24 hours. One side is a 30-minute monologue by me, the pastor, on assurance of salvation, basically dealing with our security in Christ. On the other side, there is a step-by-step account of how to have a quiet time. I am convinced that getting the new believer into the word and prayer immediately is as vital as breathing!
Immediate follow-up in the maturation process is not optional.
Physicians tell us that the first 24 hours of a new infant’s life is crucial.
Right temperature in the room, right lighting, right liquid intake, and right breathing pattern are extremely essential for all the remaining years. If that is true in the physical realm, how much more so in the spiritual.
The INTERMEDIATE FOLLOW-UP part of maturation is also vital.
For us, it comes in getting the new babe immediately in what we call a BASIC BELIEFS CLASS. Taught by me on Wednesday evenings, this class deals with the bare basics so necessary for the new believer to understand. There are seven sessions, and new believers can enter the following Wednesday after they’ve accepted Christ.
Titles of session are:
1. What Do We Believe About the Bible?
2. What Do We Believe About the Plan of Salvation?
3. What Do We Believe About Assurance of Salvation and Christian Growth?
4. What Do We Believe About the Church? Origin, Ordinances, Organization and Order?
5. What Do We Believe About Spiritual Gifts?
6. What Do We Believe About Christian Stewardship?
7. What Do We Believe Bout the Greatest Doctrines of the Bible?
These classes also double as a new members’ class.
Everyone desiring membership in our church is required to attend and complete all the sessions.
But whether the new believer takes membership with us or not (though they are urged to do this), the class provides for them the intermediate training and help they need for the first two months of their Christian walk. A study guide booklet is provided as a handy reference source for the future. The other plus about this class is the natural fellowship that is fostered for the new believer. Coming for all the consecutive Wednesday evenings brings them into contact with other new believers, and much needed fellowship in those early days of life takes place. This class is also taught Sunday mornings by another staff person during one of the three worship services, so two optional times are offered. We are discovering that our new converts that go through and complete the Basics course, as a rule, do not become spiritual casualties later.
Finally, there is the long term follow-up, also very essential last growth stops.
At this juncture, the new believer has two choices. He can either join a Home Fellowship Group, (if not already one), which meets weekly for Bible study, prayer, and worship, or he can apply for lay Witness Training that will take him another eleven weeks, and possibly, if he becomes a trainer, several years. Some opt to do both, especially single people with no family commitments.
We believe it is crucial for people to be in a Home Group.
Our groups have as their overall objectives the same purpose of the church. Since they are, in effect, a mini-church, a microcosm of the larger church, their goal is the fulfillment of the great commission also, which includes evangelism/maturation. They also serve as the prime fellowship catalyst for the new believer, a place where he can be related to ten or twelve others in a closer way then relating to over 5,000 on Sunday mornings. At this writing we have just over 80 groups scattered over the metro-area, but our plans call for some 500 groups in literally every neighborhood/development of our service area. These groups become the church “out there.” Since it is “out there” people need saving, healing, restoring, maturing, and pastoral care, we are pouring much more time and manpower into our home group ministry. We see on the horizon in the near future that new converts will become, in fact, the chief responsibility of a home group that meets in proximity to where that new believer lives. We see that ministry as the only real, workable, practical solution to long-range follow-up.
In addition to the above feeding strategy, as mentioned in the previous chapter, there needs to be a continuous, one-on-one, and one-on-two or three discipling. Not every believer is willing to be disciple by someone, but those who are willing and ready need the nomenclature to get started.
Men discipling men, women discipling women, youth discipling youth, there is a large network of disciplers in our body. This can never become a “program” or it loses its freshness and effectiveness. It really needs to be a way of life for those who will get involved. There are probably over 500 people either discipling or being disciple right now.
Our discipleship covers areas like ...
assurance of salvation,
the Word of God,
prayer,
witnessing,
fruit of the Spirit,
marriage,
home,
family,
time management,
leadership,
the church.
The Holy Spirit,
spiritual gifts,
as well as personal spiritual development and holiness.
Disciples meet weekly with their people and crank in a fair degree of accountability with things like books read, tapes heard, and verses memorized. The ultimate goal of every disciple is to produce a man of God who will be able to instruct others also.
One of the key verses in discipleship is:
As therefore you received Christ Jesus the |Lord, so live in Him. Rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (Col. 2:6-7).
While outlines , study guides and a plethora of materials are made available for all doing and receiving discipling , a great latitude is given because of the assumption that everyone is at a different place in his walk. We never see discipleship as a “course” to be completed, or a “class” to be prepared for, but rather as one individual pouring himself into another individual for the purpose of maturity , growth and reproduction.
Maturation also comes by special services provided throughout the year for groups. Our Woman -to Woman ministry, headed up by a full-time capable woman on our staff, provides in-depth feeling for over 400 women every Thursday, daytime and evening. Using the master teacher, then small group approach, this becomes yet another avenue through which women can grow. Our continual Men’s Growth Seminar, which meets every Wednesday morning at 6am till 7 a.m., provides over 100 men another opportunity to go deeper for God in their maturing process. Taught by rotating staff, the men’s course of study is planned out a year in advance. For men not attracted to small groups, or scared off by man-to-man discipling, this becomes their only source of weekly feeding besides expository preaching on Sundays.
Semi- annual Bible conferences have proven for us to be a great source of spiritual growth. Bringing in nationally known expositors for two or three night stints, we find our large auditorium packed beyond capacity for Word-hungry people. This has also proven to be a great evangelistic tool as non-believers who attend these special conferences are followed up and shared with. We have found by varying the theme each year, a well balanced diet of Bible teaching can be offered. Most helpful topics for us have been the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit, the Church, Marriage, the Cults, Stewardship, Commitment of Life and evangelism.
I believe every church needs a well-planned ,organized, effective system of follow-up in their maturation ministry. Its not enough to win people to Christ, then leave them to just look for others to win. We have a responsibility to “bring them along” in the faith until they become a reproducer themselves.
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