By: Henry Knapp
One of the joys of being at Hebron is to hear Jerry regularly praying from the lectern: “that we would be disciples who make disciples who make disciples!” A core strength of our ministry here at Hebron is the pursuit of discipleship.
I became a believer as a young adult, and early on I was taken under the wing of a man named Mark. He showed me the faith, taught me the Scriptures, partnered with me in accountability, took me to worship, modeled his godly marriage to me; I simply would not have grown the way I did as a Christian without him. I was discipled without even knowing I was really being discipled. In turn, I have pursued this notion of Christian discipleship in my own life and ministry.
This vision of growing together in our faith is, I believe, to be normative for every Christian. Life on life impact. Iron sharpening iron. Looking to Christ and pointing others to Him. There is an undeniable corporate or communal character to this. No one can go it alone. Believers are united with Christ and united with the body of Christ. As Paul imagines our growth as believers, he clearly states, “follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). This is not arrogant or prideful on his part—this is stating what is required for every disciple.
Disciples are made, not born. Robert Longman does a good job describing what discipleship really is from a New Testament perspective: “A disciple is one who undertakes the discipline of his/her teacher. Thus, discipleship is about learning what that discipline is, learning how to follow, to listen to the Story. Discipleship is part education, part mentoring, part apprenticeship, but it goes a step beyond all of those. Disciples not only take in what they are taught and what they learn from being with the teacher, they take it into their core identity, so it defines who they are.”
This year at Hebron my hope and desire is that our discipleship as a church body, and each one’s individually, is nurtured, developed, and aggressively pursued. As part of our “Worship + 2” model, discipleship opportunities abound: bible studies, Sunday teaching times, prayer meetings, the Faith and Life Seminar, retreats, gatherings, accountability groups. The leadership here will do what we can to provide opportunities for you to be exposed to the Scripture, to learn from one another, and to engage in meaningful service in our Lord’s name. I can only hope and pray that we all begin to think of ourselves first and foremost, not as “church attenders,” but as disciples of Jesus Christ.
May you continue to pursue your discipleship, saying to one another, “follow me as I follow Christ!” And, may the Lord make us to be disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples—all to the praise of His glory!
