When we first become Christians, we are babies in the faith. We drink spiritual milk, as Paul put it. And at first, that's appropriate. None of the nannies complains that an 18-month-old is still wearing diapers or spilling their soup, because developmentally that's where they should be. But if that baby still struggled to feed themselves as an 8-year-old, it would be another matter. In fact, this summer I have seen several older children who, because of disabilities beyond their control, are physically and mentally still on the level of a 2-year-old. It's heartbreaking.
Spiritually, it's much the same. That's why discipleship is so important: without that growth and discipline, we would all still be baby Christians, stuck in a stage of life that we should have long outgrown. The Lord is mighty and sovereign, but He can't use a stagnant, immature Christian the way He can one who earnestly seeks growth and maturity. It is good and right that we should constantly be growing in Christ.
So as you pray for all who will come to know Jesus Christ this summer through God's work in Nehemiah Teams, don't forget to pray for their growth and discipleship.
As my professor likes to say, "Mature believers act like mature believers, and mature believers help produce mature believers." May we all grow up in every way into Christ so that we may no longer be children!
And it is good and right that our evangelism should always be followed by discipleship. We may not always be able to do the discipling ourselves, but we have a responsibility to our new brothers and sisters to find someone to help them grow in Spirit and in truth. The goal of Nehemiah Teams is not to make "converts," nor to perform a lot of baptisms, but to lead people to the truth of salvation and equip them to grow into mature, committed Christ followers who will, in turn, make more disciples.
So as you pray for all who will come to know Jesus Christ this summer through God's work in Nehemiah Teams, don't forget to pray for their growth and discipleship.
As my professor likes to say, "Mature believers act like mature believers, and mature believers help produce mature believers." May we all grow up in every way into Christ so that we may no longer be children!
"And he (Christ) gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all 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, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."
- Ephesians 4.11-16