Many
Christians have erroneously been taught to depend on pastors and other
church leaders for their discipleship at the expense of personal
responsibility and development. While God has given men to the church as
ministry gifts, they are limited in what they can do. Their primary function
should be to provide oversight and to lead people to maturity in Christ.
This should be mainly accomplished by example. Notice what Paul tells us
about church leadership:
“And He Himself gave some to be
apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying
of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to
and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of
men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the
truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ;
from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint
supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its
share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love”
(Ephesians 4:11-16).
The end of all ministry should be maturity, that we all come into the
fullness of Christ as ministers of Christ building the body of Christ up in
love. Leaders are not called to be the ministry but rather to equip the
saints for ministry. The goal of every leader should be to produce Christ in
His fullness in every saint that they might no longer be children but rather
mature saints in Christ. Only as each member of the body grows into maturity
and does his part as a minister of Christ, can the body grow up spiritually
for the edifying of itself in love.
Much of the church today is stuck in a cycle of dependency much like
the welfare system. Most Christians depend on the church leadership to do
everything for them even after years of salvation. We basically ‘pay’ the
church to take care of our spirituality. As Paul said, we have not many
fathers in the faith.
This was never God’s intention. God
designed the church to be a living organism made up of individual living
stones, each growing into maturity, that the whole body could be knit
together in a communal relationship of intimate love and fellowship. This
can only happen as each member takes individual responsibility for his
personal growth. As we have seen, that growth can only come through the
working of the word and Spirit of God. As much as leadership can guide us,
oversee us, and direct us to the truths of God’s word, only the Holy Spirit
can produce the light of revelation that changes our lives and produces
maturity. Another person’s revelation cannot change us. Only as we
individually seek the Lord for ourselves can we discover the knowledge of
God that releases the power of God. Ultimately, only the Holy Spirit can
reveal truth to us. “However, when He,
the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will
not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He
will tell you things to come” (John 16:13). Ultimately, only the Holy
Spirit can teach us with the understanding that produces fruit.
“But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and
you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you
concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has
taught you, you will abide in Him” (1 John 2:27). Leaders can impart
head knowledge, but only the Holy Spirit can impart revelation.
The basic concept of a disciple is
that of a student. For us, that means being a student of the word. Many
Christians believe that they are being ‘spiritual’ by reading the word only
as the ‘Holy Spirit directs.’ They claim to get more out of the word by
focusing only on that which the Spirit ‘leads’ them to read. Now, I do not
disagree that the Spirit can lead us to particular passages of scripture to
reveal certain truths to us or to help us through a particular problem. The
Lord has done this many times in my own life. But at the same time, it is
very dangerous and unscriptural to use this method as our only means of
study. It can lead to error and deception as we tend to take scripture out
of context and develop doctrines that do not line up with the rest of God’s
word. We must understand that the same God wrote the entire Bible from
beginning to end. God cannot contradict Himself. The best proof for
interpreting a scripture correctly is that it agrees with the whole word of
God. If it doesn’t, than the error is not on God’s part but rather on our
own interpretation.
The best way to study God’s word is
God’s way. He tells us that we must study the whole word of God that we
might have a full understanding of Who God is and what His word says. There
is a lot of error in the church today simply because we don’t abide by this
principle, particularly when it comes to the study of the Old Testament
versus the New Testament. The truth is, we cannot fully comprehend the New
apart from the Old as the New Testament is built upon the foundation of the
Old Testament. Look at what God says about His word:
“So He humbled you, allowed you to
hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers
know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone;
but man lives by every
word that proceeds from the mouth
of the LORD” (Deuteronomy
8:3).
“All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good
work” (2 Timothy
3:16,17).
“For I will not dare to speak of any
of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and
deed, to make the Gentiles obedient; in mighty signs and wonders, by the
power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to
Illyricum I have fully
preached
the gospel of Christ”
(Romans 15:18,19).
Notice what the Lord said: we are to live by
every word that proceeds out
of the mouth of the Lord. And what is every word from the mouth of God?
All scripture! In other words,
the entire Bible was given to us by the inspiration or breath of God. It all
came from the mouth of God. And we are to live by every word that came from
the mouth of God. Therefore, our life is dependent on the study of the
entire Bible. Why? Because all scripture is
profitable or useful for our spiritual growth and well being. Paul, who
wrote most of the New Testament, abided by this principal in his own life.
He fully preached the gospel of Christ, meaning he had to know the whole
scripture that then existed. If
you look at his teachings you will find that most of it is derived from a
knowledge of the Old Testament. We must develop a habit of reading through
the entire Bible over and over again that we might glean the hidden
treasures of God’s knowledge and understanding.
As I said earlier, everything God does comes through His word and
Spirit in conjunction with repentance and faith. As we have seen, the
purpose of our study of the word is to gain the revelation of the knowledge
of God. If our discipleship is to be effective then we must do it with both
the word and the Spirit and in a proper attitude. We are commanded to abide
in the word of God and to have the word abide in us (2 John 1:9; John 15:7).
This speaks of consistency. We must develop a godly habit of being in the
word on a daily basis and of putting the word in our hearts through
meditation and memorization. We are also commanded to be continually filled
with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians
ü
To
teach us and guide us into all truth.
ü
To
reveal the Father and the Son to us.
ü
To
anoint the word that it would work effectually in us in all of its power.
ü
To
open the eyes of our understanding and grant us revelation from God.
ü
To
convict us of all sin and unrighteousness revealed through the word.
ü
To
anoint the word to produce faith in our hearts.
ü
To
give us direction through the word.
ü
To
revive us through the word.
ü
To
give us hearing ears and seeing eyes.
ü
To
renew our minds.
ü
To
transfigure us daily.
If
you go back and reread the scriptures concerning what the word of God does
in us and for us you can probably add to this list. In addition to what the
Holy Spirit does, we must also do our part to receive from the word. Again,
we can ask the Holy Spirit for help in these areas as well.
ü
Come
in a spirit of humility and repentance.
ü
Come
in an attitude of faith to believe what the word says.
ü
Come
to the word as a mirror, examining yourself and not others.
ü
Come
with an attitude of teachableness. We really don’t know it all!
ü
Come
ready to receive the word with meekness.
ü
Come
with an attitude of worship and praise.
ü
Come
with great desire to know God and be changed by Him.
God has designed His word with a
built-in growth process. The more we seek the Lord, the more He reveals
Himself to us, and the more He reveals Himself to us, the more we desire to
seek Him. The righteous will live by faith. Faith works from faith to faith,
that is, faith produces more faith. The more we apply ourselves to the word
of God, the more it produces in us, thereby driving us to apply ourselves
more diligently. Jesus said it this way:
“And He said to them, ‘Be careful
what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the
truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes
back to you – and more [besides] will be given to you who hear. For to him
who has will more be given; and from him who has nothing, even what he has
will be taken away [by force]’” (Mark 4:24,25 Amplified).
The word of God is also the will of
God. John said, “Now this is the
confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His
will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know
that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John
“I do not cease to give thanks for
you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being
enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the
riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the
exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the
working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him
from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far
above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that
is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come”
(Ephesians 1:16-21).
“For this reason I bow my knees to
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven
and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His
glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted
and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is
the width and length and depth and height; to know the love of Christ which
passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now
to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or
think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the
church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen”
(Ephesians
“For this reason we also, since the
day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be
filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual
understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him,
being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all
patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has
qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light”
(Colossians 1:9-12).
“Now may the God of peace who
brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every
good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight,
through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
(Hebrews 13:20,21).
“And this I pray, that your love may
abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may
approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without
offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of
righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God”
(Philippians 1:9-11).
“But what things were gain to me,
these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things
loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I
have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may
gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is
from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness
which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His
resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His
death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead”
(Philippians 3:7-11).
"Sanctify
them by thy truth. Thy word is truth" (John
17:17).