The Joy of Disciplemaking
The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. - (Proverbs 11:25)
New believers are the lifeblood of the church. As I have said before, show me a church that doesn’t have a flow of new believers coming in, and I will show you a church that is stagnating. Why is this? Because new believers will help older believers stay on their feet spiritually.
The Great Commission is not to just go out and preach the gospel; it is also to go out and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all things that Christ has commanded (see Matthew 28:19–20).
To make disciples means to go out and, to the best of your ability, seek to lead people to Christ and help them to grow up spiritually. Take them under your wing. Help them grow in their faith. They will ask you questions about things you have forgotten. They will get you studying your Bible as never before. That is why older believers need newer believers. And of course, newer believers need older believers to temper them, to keep them strong, and to help them get a good foundation.
I have found that as I give out, God gives back to me. And the more I give out, the more God gives to me. Jesus said in Matthew 13:12, “To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”
Many times we are so obsessed with ourselves and how we feel. But when you think about someone else, when you share the Word of God with them and encourage them, you will find that God replenishes you in the process.
Summary sentence: Encouraging others to come and grow in faith cause you to grow more in faith too!
Tags: Discipleship, encourage
Copyright © 2012 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
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You can receive, Seal of God by Chad Williams, as our thank-you for your financial support of Harvest Ministriesthis month.
“I had no idea that in the crowd that night was a soldier, a Navy Seal who was dealing with an emptiness in his heart and the knowledge that something was wrong on the inside. And it is amazing to see how God’s Word resonates; the Lord got a hold of this soldier that very evening and turned his life around.” --Greg Laurie
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