Outreach & Discipleship

One of the core ministries that God has greatly blessed in our church is the organized discipleship on Wednesday evenings. Not only are there new people continually being enrolled in discipleship and others completing the course, but the biblical grounding and personal mentoring that takes place during the weeks of discipleship continues to bear fruit in people’s lives years after they have finished.

I believe the Great Commission is worthy of—and even calls for—purposed times and strategic plans for spreading the gospel. Thus, we have several times and locations each week available to members of our church to meet up with a partner for the purpose of saturating our community with the gospel.

Two hundred thirty-seven years ago, our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence—a document that shaped the future of the American colonies, setting their destiny as a mighty nation. By signing this document, courageous men boldly stated the value they placed on freedom. And they proved it with their lives and fortunes in the ensuing war for independence.

Last words speak volumes. They reveal priorities and hopes. Before Jesus ascended back into Heaven, He gave His disciples this daunting command, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19–20). Let us consider four important facts from Christ’s great last words.

If there is one thing that is clear in the New Testament, it is that the gospel doesn’t end with receiving it. It is a truth to pass on to others.

Any reader of the divinely-inspired record of early Christianity written in the book of Acts will note the attention given to numbers. Those who were saved in the days after the coming of the Holy Spirit were “added to the church.”

We invite guests to church precisely because we care. We care that they hear the gospel or grow as a Christian. We care that God works in their lives through the preaching of His Word and that they are ministered to through the body of Christ. But knowing we care and showing we care are two different matters.

Jesus said more than once that His hour had not yet come. However, just a few hours before He was to be crucified, He proclaimed in John 12:23, “The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified.”

I believe that every Christian has a desire to lead others to Christ. From the moment of our salvation, this desire is wired into us. It is the fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Yet like most Christians, you must work to maintain an intensity in this area.

One of the greatest dangers a Christian or a church will encounter is “complacency.” Jesus warned the Laodicean Church about their spiritual complacency. They became complacent in their own spiritual development and service for the Lord.

If anyone had a valid excuse to drop the ball on “follow up” after an evangelistic event, it was the Apostle Paul. Between an itinerant lifestyle and the ongoing pain he must have lived with, Paul had every reason to simply focus on the city he was in, preach the gospel, and move on to the next, leaving the “decision cards” behind him.

I believe that as an ambassador of Christ I should be ready to seize every opportunity to share the gospel everywhere I go. But I also believe in setting aside scheduled time to do it—for myself and for our church family.

Be sure that every student is included (we usually include all those three years old through the sixth grade). If children do not have an individual speaking part, they should be part of a choir or a group saying verses.

In 1956, I became the pastor of the Silent Run Baptist Church in Hopkins County, Kentucky. I was a student at Bethel College in Hopkinsville, and my wife and I were the youngest couple in the church. I knew practically nothing about pastoring a church, but I knew that God had called me to preach.

How many times while witnessing have you heard someone say to you, “I’ve always been a Christian”? How did you respond to that statement?

The eighth chapter is a key part of the book of Acts. It begins by telling us about the radical changes that came to the believers in Jerusalem when an onslaught of persecution rained down on them. It was a very important transition for the mother church, with powerful effects and important lessons for believers in our time.

I have yet to meet a church leader who didn’t desire to impact his community for Christ. The very reason we invest our lives into the work of the local church is that we believe in the power of the gospel and the love of God for every person.

The resurrection of Christ is the distinguishing event of Christianity and the critical point in our salvation (1 Corinthians 15:17–19). The Great Commission is the critical command in spreading the gospel (Matthew 28:19–20), and our obedience to this command is the distinguishing mark of a growing church.

When was the last time you got fired up about an event or activity? Do you recall the adrenaline that ran through your body? It could have been a family vacation, sporting event, or church service when the Lord spoke to you in a very personal way. You will never forget that experience.

Of course we all want every new believer to enroll in discipleship, but we also want to make sure they are committed to it. When a person who is not committed enrolls, it can cause the discipler to feel frustrated that he is being paired up with someone who does not want to put in the necessary work to finish what he started.