20-12-13 AM, On Mission With God #4: The Most Vulnerable Time in a Christian's Life

Life cycle of a Christmas Tree.

Pine cone and Seed

Taking care of seedlings

How to grow a Christmas Tree video?

When are Christmas trees most vulnerable? Frost, weeds, mishandling of planting stock.

When seedlings first poke through the dirt, they are very delicate. They are trying to establish good roots and establish food, drinking, and breathing processes. They need shelter from the elements. The crop is at no point more vulnerable.

Little children are vulnerable too. There is little they can do on their own. They need parents to care for them to meet their needs for sleep, play, education, safety, animal crackers, and apple juice.

Jesus, the Son of God, was vulnerable. He needed Mary to wrap him in cloths and put Him in a manger (Luke 2:12)

Joseph provided for Jesus too. When Herod plotted to murder all the boys in Bethlehem 2 years and younger...

Matthew 2:13–15 ESV

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Joseph protected Jesus, a toddler at this point.

So gardeners and tree farmers would agree in the need to provide for and protect seedlings. Parents would agree they need to provide for and protect children.

But there is a group of people who are vulnerable and often go without provision and protection. This is new Christians.

Often we work so hard to share the gospel with men, women, boys, and girls. We are so excited when they say they want to follow Jesus. Then we encourage immediate obedience through Believer’s Baptism. And then we welcome them into the fellowship of the church. So far so good...

But then that’s often it. We tell them, “Be sure to come to church, join a GG, find a place to serve, and then try to share the gospel with people.” Often no one takes personal responsibility for new believers. New believers are left on their own. It’s no wonder that there is a disparity between the number of people church’s baptize and the number of those who are still in church five years later.

What would expect if a tree farmer stopped tending a tree? Or a parent quit tending to a child?

So, new Christians are also in a very vulnerable spot.

Most likely the reason this happens is not malicious, but many Christians do not know how to care for a new Christians. How exactly do you provide spiritual food and water?

Ideally, Discipleship will happen primarily in the home.

Remember the process we see in Scripture.

1. We see Jesus’ disciples go into villages and they look for person’s of peace.

2. Then evangelism works through the oikos. People get saved.

3. It makes sense that given the already established authority structures in homes, that this is the best place to discipleship to happen.

So entry, evangelism, and discipleship “flow seamlessly through the homes God has prepared.” 4 Fields, 49.

However, in addition to home discipleship, it’s nice to have a church like FBC Harrah, with a youth & children’s pastor like Cody, and a children’s ministry director (hopefully, soon), and a couple dozen volunteers who love kids and youth, to put on great children and youth discipleship ministries like GGs, FirstKids, Midweek). Not to mention Adult GGs and Bible study groups to help disciple adults who are new believers.

However, how many hours a week can the church disciple? 3-6 hours?

What is the advantage of discipleship in the home? Way more exposure and TLC of those young seedlings.

There are two types of discipleship that new Christians need.

They need milk (or short-term) and they need solid food (long-term discipleship).

Short-term discipleship answers, “What will get them started?”

Here, new Christians need lessons which lay a foundation which a new believer will build his or her life in Christ. You want this to be strong, not weak.

They need 6-10 lessons which are elementary, but are going to set them up grow and lead others to be saved and discipled too.

“What a disciple does in the first three months of faith he or she will reproduce throughout their walk.”

What’s the theme of these first lessons? Obedience

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Obedience can be taught immediately. As opposed to teaching the commands of Christ, which take more time.

Long-term discipleship answers, “What will keep them moving?”

Think in terms of 1-3 years. This leads to maturity- including the ability for someone to feed himself or herself spiritually. This has to be driven by a young Christian’s own desire to pursue the Lord.

This includes materials which will promote a healthy walk with the Lord and training him or her to hear Jesus’ voice through the Word. The Holy Spirit is the teacher, further molding the actions and attitudes of the disciple into the image of Christ.

Bible Study method, family oriented Bible Study

read and talk about it.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

What is right?

What is not right?

How do we become right?

How do we stay right?

This is the structure which is built on the foundation.

However, gaining knowledge is only part of it. The biblical model pictures more mature disciples caring for new and younger disciples.

Bigger trees take care of the younger ones. Parents, who were once children, now take care of the young children.

Even better, or older siblings, help to take care of the young ones.

To sum up, A disciple who has heard one command and obeys is ready to teach others!

So now let’s talk about you.

Are you a believer?

How were you short-term discipled?

How were you long-term discipled?

Have you discipled a new Christian yourself? At home or here at church? How so?

Here’s what I would like to do. There is a need for intensive discipleship in our church. I’d like to provide an opportunity bring some of you into a discipleship group which will begin in January. In this group, I am going to teach you to do evangelism. I am also going to provide short-term and long-term discipleship. This is going to train you also to disciple others in your home or in this church.

What I want you to do is to write on a communication card to sign up.

Would you like your life to match the biblical pattern?