Why Has Discipleship Become the Right of a Privileged Few?
As I minister around Australia, Africa and Europe I am confronted with a chilling set of words, “I would love to study the Bible but I can’t afford it!”
After 25 years of being involved in ministry training and discipleship, I find myself asking the question how did we get here?
Jesus told his disciples, … go and make disciples of all the nations, …. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you (Matthew 28:18-20). The disciples of Jesus for the last 2,000 years have made disciples and will continue to make disciples but I am convinced we can disciple so many more people.
Somehow discipleship, discipling others and being discipled now has an economic disincentive attached to it. Somehow we have made studying the Bible in Bible Colleges, Universities and Seminaries unaffordable and unattainable for all but the privileged few. Colleges, Universities and Seminaries where never designed for discipling but rather for training people to become pastors, leaders and researchers, all of which are needed in the discipleship journey but they were never meant to become the disciplers.
We were not commanded to build Colleges, Universities and Seminaries. We are commanded to make disciples and teach disciples. A task the Church has successfully undertaken for 2000 years. A task that should never have been outsourced to Colleges, Universities and Seminaries. Discipleship has always relied on one believer sharing their life and their knowledge of the Bible with another believer.
So where have we gone wrong?
The Bible tells us that (Ephesians 4:11-12) it is the role of the five-fold ministry gifts to equip God’s people to be the disciplers. It is the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers that need to be the highly trained experts of the Bible. These five-fold ministry gifts then equip believers to impart, disciple and share with other believers and so on. We have somehow entered into a codependent relationship between professional pastors and passive believers. The common phrases I hear from the pews is, “I can’t do that!” and “I’m not a Bible scholar.” One way or another we have come to believe that we need to be an expert in all things Bible before we can share anything about the Bible.
We need to go back to discipling the way it was intended to be. The gifted and called devote their lives to study of the word and the equipping of the believers. Believers, to sit under the teaching of devoted five-fold ministry gifts and use what they have learned and share it with others. If we require believers to become experts discipleship fails. If we require believers to become professionals discipleship fails. If we don’t take what we have learned and share it with other believers discipleship fails.
At Axx we are building a resourcing and discipling platform that will allow the pastors and leaders to gain the expertise they need to be great five-fold ministry leaders and equippers of believers.
At Axx we are equipping the believers with access to resources and training from devoted five-folded ministry leaders who want to equip believers to become disciplers.
At Axx we are telling the stories of people who are getting out there and discipling others in their communities, churches, workplaces, schools and families.
How did we get here? We got here by professionalising discipleship and disempowering believers.
Let's empower believers to become disciples and disciplers.
Teaching Levite Priest at A.I.M.ing HIGHER MINISTRIES
4 年"Let your words be few," Brendan! ALL YOU NEED ARE 3 WORDS: "JUST DO IT!" and beautiful shoes "for your feet to present the gospel of peace," Isaiah 52, shoes with a check mark on them are a PERFECT reminder: "Be doers of the word & not hearers only, deceiving yourselves; and let no one forbid you; for you are joint heirs with YAHSHUA, & by the spirit of adoption we cry out, 'ABBA, FATHER...For we are more than conquerors...YAHSHUA ADONAI will rule with HIS saints for 1000 years...For HE will set HIS hand again the second time to recover the remnant of HIS people who are left," Isaiah 11; Roman 8 & Revelation 20:4! READ Psalm 139, too, & "Put on the armor of YAH (your heart FILLED with joy, "For the joy of the ADONAI is our strength," Nehemiah 8:4)...& execute on the nations HIS written judgment - for this honor have all HIS saints!" AMEN & AMEN & HALLEL LU YAH FROM THIS DAY FORTH & FOREVERMORE!!!!? ?https://youtu.be/drkNRQ2ZXVQ
A community organizer who loves to build relationships and resource others for community transformation.
5 年I believe it’s time for Bible educational institutions to rethink their role and function in our society today. Otherwise they are destined to disappear
Missionary Pastor -UNITY-JOHN 17 STRATEGIST
5 年Thank you Brendan and of course the Team behind what you guys are doing, I'm a firm believer in Discipleship of new believers at the church or coal-face level, I' m biased but it's an established fact all the same, after my experience twenty nine years ago (Discipleship Training Faithful Man and Woman under Dr Bill Gothard Ministries 1990) and as you pointed out, this is foundation & true & tested biblical principle since The Creator (of this Heaven On Earth system called DISCIPLESHIP OR A spiritual JOURNEY-Sanctification) Himself started it in person. Here is a quote from one who also saw the Discipleship phenomena DECLINE , but he practised and preached it during his very brief time; but was cut-short? through the hands of the executioners-his own people-"Dietrich Bonhoeffer" stated something like this, A Church without Discipleship is ALWAYS a Church WITHOUT Christ"? There is One concern though that Ephesian 4:11-12 is interpreted (A recent interpretation by the way) as a 5-fold ministry, when it had always been a 4-fold ministry to CONFIRM His 4 Faces of Ministry seen through the 4 Gospels, from time immemorial Bk of ACTS till the 18th Century the ministry had always conservatively been 4-fold as the Ministry of Pastor & Teacher is One...epitomised by the Writings and nuances of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of LUKE being the Man-FACE of the the LORD Jesus. Perfect GOD-MAN as Shepherd & Rabbi-Pastor & Teacher is ONE Ministry Not 2 distinct-the pastor being led & taught only by the Holy Spirit with the human overseer performed by the bishop. Perhaps the scholarly angle taken from the beginning of the 19th/20th century was an insertion to DISTORT, confuse and bring the CURRENT MALADY of Leaders today...who else would be best to bring that teaching that is rife in Bible & Seminary schools and churches today, just one to start with, amongst the Giants of maladies such as LGBTQI, same-sex marriage and Fabian socialism, Holy Spirit left out of His Proper and Divine place as LORD in the Church, as well as discipleship.?? I was already a Disciple before my Theological studies(1994-1996) and I can vouch that there were many senior, current and junior students that struggled and some fell away from their evangelical faith due to the influx of Social Gospel which came through South American & African experiences, the works of the real enemies in the flesh then & today-Jesuit/Vatican/Globalist-One world government agendas of MIXING the True Gospel with man-made, Greco-Roman philosophies and teachings-Satan has been having his say in those platforms, and only the Holy Spirit-Teacher-Pastor-Counsellor etc Has the dynamic power to reveal (judge), revive, re-ignite and release into His church as our only Hope-LORD Jesus Our Christ! May the LORD continue to open doors, physical & spiritual through your ministry as it is NOW crucial, [already, an ex YWAMer (full-time missionary) who had become a pastor in America(30 yrs) of Samoan decent has started last year 2018 in Sydney- his first 6 months Pacific Discileship Training school all for FREE but a 12 weeks commitment from participants-his 2nd class graduated a few weeks ago (x15- youngest was 9 years, oldest 87 yrs-Pastors and their wives- I went and gave each participant his/her Certificate at Merrylands Presbyterian church)-the Pastor/Missionary first student was his wife, so he taught her and 12 others last year...The LORD is Moving Furiously BUSY in these end-times, and I expect MORE from His People as He promised. THANK YOU Brother, Keep Going forward & upward in Christ!
Ordained Minister, Theology and Intercultural Educationalist
5 年Brendon, you have mentioned one of the most significant aspect of Christian faith and the Church. The challenge to overcome various obstacles both locally and globally is huge task. God is willing and so we as servants and leaders make all possible efforts in obedience to great Commission and our Call. I am blessed and we are striving do it better than before. God is our help and guide. Thank you.
Getting results with my amazing team!
5 年Just a thought Ephesians tells us that the the pastors prophets teachers evangelists and apostles are gifts from Christ himself. No mention of “highly trained” or a requirement to go to bible college. I think in part this is a problem with the whole who makes disciples question, we raise the requirements for “who can” via degrees and $$. This then flows down to who can also make disciples. “normal people” believe they’re not worthy. Here’s a great idea ?? Let’s start paying people in churches per conversion and a bonus on staying in church for 6, 12 etc then at least its performance based. I don’t really believe this but would probably be a better model than what we currently have. I honestly believe take the $$ from paying pastors and the true believers will emerge and we’ll see some true disciple making.