Discipleship Letter 23 August 17, 2008
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow” (1 Cor. 3:6-7).
Paul was a prominent disciple of Jesus, and he had a right understanding of discipleship.
Paul “planted the seed…”: This is evangelism. Paul shared the Good News with people. He didn’t know who would or wouldn’t accept the Gospel. He just simply told the Good News about Jesus because he had a desire to be obedient to Jesus’ command, a love for the lost, and a love for God.
Apollos “watered it…”: This is discipleship. A seed won’t grow without nourishment. Apollos nurtured new converts to grow toward maturity in Christ. Christian growth is a long process. The seed grows or does not grow; it’s out of our control. But we have to plow and fertilize the soil so that the seed may grow easily.
“but God made it grow…”: No one can take any credit for the spiritual growth of others. The growth of God’s kingdom in one’s heart does not depend on us at all. God Himself ensures the growth in His time.
What kind of attitude should we have then? “We are not worthy of praise. We are servants who have simply done our duty” (Lk. 17:10).
--Discipleship Letter 24 August 24, 2008
Discipleship is a double ministry: pastoral and prophetic.
Discipleship is a pastoral ministry. When a discipler dedicates his time to walk alongside with disciples, he’s already participated in pastoral work—dealing “gently with those who are slow to believe biblical truth and who fail to attain biblical standards” (John Stott, The Living Church: Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor (Downers Grove: IVP, p. 103). Pastoral care must be present in a discipling process, for it is a vital element for disciples to feel safe and grow in their own pace. “As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but we were as gentle among you as a mother feeding and caring for her own children” (1 Thess. 2:7).
Discipleship is a prophetic ministry. It is a prophetic ministry because discipleship puts an emphasis on teaching new disciples to obey what Christ had commanded us (Matt. 28:20). A discipler bears witness to the biblical truth and its ethical standards. Not only does he bear witness to it, but also live up to it. So do disciples. Whenever the discipler teaches the disciples to live up to God’s Word, it is a prophetic ministry, for it challenges their priority and interests. By nature, no one wants to be challenged. But the nature of discipleship is prophetic.
Double ministry points us to healthy ministry.
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