A major part of our work at Reachout Trust involves teaching Christians the great joy to be had in witnessing to cult members. Of course, the typical Christian’s perception can be very different, often apprehensive. It’s our job to change that perception, and the church can do a lot to help.
When I wrote Do JWs Know Their Bible? I wanted to dispel some of this apprehension. The church can help by understanding the place of discipleship in church life.
Whoever I read, speak to, listen to, seems to agree that the missing element in our church lives is discipleship, yet there seems a peculiar inertia among Christians and leaders. I have seen that churches these days don’t mind being managed but don’t appreciate being led, and the prospect of fixing that is daunting for leaders. But consider:
If the focus of your church is doctrine it is in danger of becoming a preaching centre. Doctrine is fundamental to what we do at Reachout, and I certainly appreciate a good sermon, but church isn’t simply a preaching centre.
If the focus of your church is evangelism it is in danger of becoming a hospitality centre. Outreach is what we do at Reachout, of course, what we encourage others to do, but there is a great deal more to church than hospitality.
If the focus of your church is the gifts it is in real danger of becoming an entertainment centre, with stage, audience, and comfortable seating. Gifts are an essential element of church life. Even if you’re a cessationist you surely exercise some gifts. But church isn’t a circus.
The Secret Weapon
It is discipleship that balances these essential parts of church life. Discipleship leads people to Christian maturity, taking them from milk to meat:
‘Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?’ 1 Cor.3:1-3
Believers who are not discipled are worldly, end up acting like unbelievers. The Bible says, ‘solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil,’ Heb.5:11-14
Christians find speaking to cult members difficult, in part at least, because they don’t know the Bible, familiar only with the digestible parts of Scripture. We lack biblical understanding and maturity, and so lack confidence. The parts of Scripture that comfort and encourage, are good for faith-building daily devotions. But we need the whole counsel of God from the whole word of God if we are to be the mature Christians Paul writes about. If you know your Bible you will have nothing to fear.
Discipleship brings us to maturity by taking seriously the call to ‘attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ’ Eph.4:13.
Such Christians will have learned to take joy in the prospect of sharing their faith and meeting the challenge of bringing light into the darkness.
Discipled Christians will show true hospitality without feeling they must put on a show to be like the world.
Discipled Christians can be trusted to exercise gifts with a maturity that truly demonstrates the power of God in the church.
Discipled Christians are biblically grounded and mature, who show Christian hospitality, exercise gifts with maturity, and share the gospel because they know the gospel.
The greatest threat to the church today is not the cults, it’s the absence of discipleship, of discipling leadership ready to create A Church of Disciples. Discipleship is the element that completes the familiar journey on The Roman Road.
In all our witnessing we need the teaching of Scripture, the leading of the Spirit, and a maturity in Christ that sees his providence in all we do. Discipleship is the church’s secret weapon. We need to let the secret out.
In 2022 I asked Whatever Happened to Discipleship? There you will find a useful set of questions to help you assess where you are, where your church is in the journey to maturity.
