The Modern Disciple Apprentice

We are familiar with the practice of apprenticeship. For centuries apprenticeship was important in young men being able to be taught a trade or skill in order to earn a living. In an era of no formal education or lack of money to pay for education in trades, it was not uncommon for a young person to be taken under the wing of a skilled tradesman in an apprenticeship?relationship.

The learning of a trade through apprenticeship, in which a young person was placed with and formally bound to a master, has roots way back in medieval times.?By the 16th century it was generally accepted as a means of providing technical training to boys and a very few girls in a wide range of occupations that included cabinet makers, saddlers and blacksmiths.?

However, did you know that the first example of apprenticeships can be found in the Bible? You may remember Jesus inviting 12 men to be taken under their master’s wing to become disciples. The first instance occurred in John 1:40-42 when the first (Andrew) of? 12 men were selected to be taken under their master’s wing.?

Jesus found men of a variety of occupations including – but not limited to – fishermen and tax collectors who He then invited to join Him so they could be trained to be fishers of men and share the gospel with others. In essence, to be His apprentices.?

Jesus modeled, taught, and guided these handpicked men how to be free men through belief in and relationship with Him. He also taught them how to live in the world as men as disciples of Christ, and then taught them how to teach others to do the same.

Matthew 10:5-8 describes that Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them this way: “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”

Jesus’ apprenticeship program is the Biblical inspiration and foundation for Freedom Lake’s Disciple Apprenticeship Mission House and why Freedom Lake is the logical next step for the handpicked men released from incarceration to continue their journey as disciple makers in the mission field.

From the day we stepped into our ministry field, we knew the incarcerated men we were ministering to would need a next step beyond giving their lives to Christ.?

Tony and I began our prison ministry to help incarcerated men through the 3Thirds Discipleship Training so that these men may hear and know the life-saving message of Jesus Christ and experience freedom (even behind bars) and eternal life. Through the grace of God and His constant provision for our ministry, we have witnessed hundreds of men accept Christ as their personal savior. In fact, we have been blessed to have been part of hundreds of baptisms to date – six generations, in fact – of incarcerated men AND THEIR FAMILIES.

As amazing as all of that is – and it is – we have also witnessed too many of these genuine followers of Christ fall by the wayside and – in too many cases – end up back behind bars.?

The logical question you may ask is that if these men had a genuine salvation, how could they have fallen back into their old patterns and end up reoffending? There is a Biblical explanation that illustrates why and how that happens.

In Mark 2:22, Jesus said, “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.”

Our new wineskins – incarcerated men who are followers of Christ – were put back into OLD wineskins – neighborhood, environment, bad influences – where they have no spiritual support.?

They stop doing the things that got them this far in their walk with God such as reading their Bibles and digging into God’s Word daily, having other brothers in Christ to sharpen iron with who hold them accountable to the daily habits they learned in the discipleship training, and soon they seek the things that gave them pleasure in the past and the lust of the flesh pulls them away. They grieve the Holy Spirit and soon go back to their old habits and the stresses/pressures that led them to commit the crimes in the first place.?

Is it really so surprising that these men fell because they were put back in a position to fail?

Freedom Lake’s Disciple Apprenticeship program allows handpicked applicants to live at the Mission House, which is a safe space with a good environment and positive influences so that we can continue to pour new wine into new wineskins and they can continue to grow spiritually. Sponsored Disciple Apprentices will have access to a stable home where they will be given spiritual support, instruction, and guidance as they gradually re-enter society.?

Leaving prison and reintegrating with society is not so simple as flipping a switch.?

Day-to-day life in prison in no way resembles their day-to-day lives in a free world. This is especially true when considering there are many mundane things – getting gas, shopping for groceries, paying bills, keeping a daily schedule – we take for granted that are largely foreign to them. These small things also play a big role in the recidivism rate among the men who have been released.

The Disciple Apprentices will be trained as the original disciples – and all disciples since – in what living as a follower of Christ looks, sounds, and acts like while also teaching them on what their personal and family responsibilities are and being accountable for being responsible for things they may never had to do before.

Freedom Lake’s Disciple Apprenticeship Mission House is not a transitional house. It is not a recovery house. Freedom Lake is a place for spiritual growth, reflection, and edifying so – at the conclusion of their 12-month stay – they are prepared for success as they fully reenter society and are prepared to be disciple makers wherever they go and whatever they do.

Freedom Lake’s first property has been identified and the first successful applicants are ready to move in. Between mid-August and mid-November SIX additional disciple apprentices will be ready to move into Freedom Lake so we are in need of additional home spaces to accommodate them. In all cases, these men are in need of sponsors in order to complete their apprenticeship applications.

For more about the Freedom Lake Disciple Apprenticeship, click here