I met Leonida during my fourth year of ministry. She was a part of the small-group Bible study I was attending in Hilo, Hawaii. She had accepted Jesus into her life two years prior and was a vibrant new convert. Leo was always bringing people to church, and regularly brought new young families into the children’s ministry I was leading.
Our home group began walking through a study about the deity of Christ. I will never forget the night we were discussing John 14:6: “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.’” Leo’s spiritual eyes were finally opened to the fact that Jesus is the only way! The “aha!” moment that took place was profound. Leo began verbally expressing her surprise and delight with the revelation that Jesus is truly the ONLY son of God.
Leo said, “No WAY!”
She stood up and walked around the living room. Her broken English became more evident as her excitement grew.
“You mean, I no gotta worry about Pele no more?”
Leo, from Filipino/Hawaiian descent, had been taught that Pele was the goddess of the volcanos. She honestly believed that if Pele didn’t like her behavior, Pele would get angry and destroy her home.
“No, no you don’t,” I answered. “Pele isn’t a real god. She doesn’t exist.”
I was taken aback by Leo’s energized realizations. I knew the islands had a polytheistic history, but naively thought that nobody followed those beliefs anymore. But Leo did. Sincerely. Two years prior, when she had accepted Christ as the forgiver of her sins, she did so with the thought that He was one of many gods. She accepted Jesus as the Son of God, but she also believed there were several other gods who had other jobs and authorities over the world. Mentally, she added Jesus to her list of gods. That night, Leo was being set free from spiritual bondage before my eyes!
“This is mo’ betta than anything!!” She rushed over and nearly knocked me down while hugging me. “Jesus is da best! I LOVE MY GOD!” She shouted! Everybody in the room laughed and praised God with her, and we all shared the time when we realized that Jesus is the only Way to get to Heaven. Being a part of that ‘aha’ experience with Leo had a profound impact on my life.
When the Scriptures were opened on a consistent basis and walked through line-by-line with this sweet new believer, she began to grasp there is only one God. I was amazed to see that though she had accepted Christ a few years earlier, she still needed her deeply imbedded cultural world views to be removed. It was the steady devotion to God’s Word with the home-group leader who patiently and diligently walked through Scripture that opened Leo’s eyes to who God really is.
From that moment on, discipleship was forged in my heart as the key process in helping believers experience a victorious Christian life. I had witnessed firsthand that effective discipleship develops from the consistent, thorough study of the Word of God. Since then, I have never relied on a worship service as the single source of discipleship. Instead, I have made sure to incorporate small-group Bible studies into the weekly schedule of every ministry appointment that God has entrusted to me.
I thank God for allowing me to witness such a visual representation of spiritual transformation early on in my ministry life. Studying Scripture provided a new freedom in Christ for Leo. This new freedom wasn’t just internal. It had a physical impact. Understanding the deity of Christ released Leo from the bondage of having to take sacrifices up to the Mauna Loa Volcano. Studying God’s Word provided freedom from fear that she was never able to be good enough. Jesus had paid the price for her sins, and HE was enough! It was beautiful to witness the discipleship transformation taking place.
Today, 30 years later, I see the need for discipleship more than ever! With current trends in many churches shifting away from discipleship settings, some people are confessing to be Christians by simply adding Jesus to the list of other gods found in their cultural worldview. This is how we have unmarried “Christians” living together while joining the choir. This how we have “believers” aborting children—they have added Jesus to their other god of convenience. This is how we can have “Christian” adults, teenagers and even children addicted to pornography—they have added Jesus to their other god of self-gratification.
Discipleship is a journey we must be willing to take with people of every age, lifestyle, and financial status. We must not neglect those God has entrusted to our care. Every one of the 8.2 billion souls on earth [a] needs new life in Christ (salvation) and then training on how to walk effectively through that new life (discipleship). We must have discipleship at every age!
Personally, I focus on children’s discipleship because I believe it has the best ROI (return on investment) in the Kingdom of God. However, it isn’t easy to teach children how to be freed from the foolishness that is bound up their hearts [b]. Teaching them how to love others more than themselves, respond with grace when they are angry, be patient when they are told “no”—this kind of teaching isn’t for the faint of heart! Let’s be honest: No matter what age you are ministering to, none of these topics are easy!
That is why, while discipling, we teach and lead discussions, but the Holy Spirit reveals understanding to people’s hearts [c]. We instruct but the Holy Spirit reveals truth and convicts [d]. We do our part to the best of our ability, but God does His part fully [e]. Helping anyone understand God’s Word is both challenging and rewarding. For those in KidMin, it is challenging because we are teaching theology to 5-year-olds. It is rewarding because 5-year-olds are capable of getting it right! Sometimes they get it right when 50-year-olds cannot. But we have to stick with the big kids anyway!
Let me share a few suggestions for parents, grandparents, and anyone else who answers the divine call to disciple others.
Be intentional with pouring Scripture into their lives. Don’t be stingy. Pour the sweet Word of God into them daily or every time you have them. “Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up” (Deuteronomy 11:19). Write it. Post it in their rooms, in your classrooms, in your group pages.
Don’t avoid the hard topics. If so, you are watering down the truth. God’s Word is powerful enough to push back the darkness that is seeking to overtake hearts of believers. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Teachers: Teach a new Scripture verse every week. Only teaching one verse a month is short-changing them by 40 verses.
Be diligent to pour the only eternal thing you have access to, God’s Word, into their spirit! Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will disappear, but My words will never disappear” (Matthews 24:35). Share personal experiences where Scriptures have helped, encouraged, corrected and carried you through life. Memorize Scripture alongside of them. Adult Leaders: set up meeting times to discuss how personal life is going and how to apply God’s Word to their everyday lives.
It is easier to disciple others when you are walking alongside them in Scripture. It is a joy to disciple others when you are personally witnessing those fantastic “aha” moments in their lives. You will be pouring from a full vessel when you are studying the Word along with those God has trusted to your spiritual care. As you intentionally raise up Christ followers, God will continue to pour into you. This discipleship journey is beautiful for both sides!
Maybe soon I can share with you what happened when Leo was filled with the Holy Spirit! What a glorious day!
Proverbs 22:15
John 14:16
Job 32:8
Philippians 1:6
Written by: Lynn M. Swank
Lynn M. Swank is the KidMin Pathway director for Church of God Publications. She has ministered as a family & children’s pastor for 35 years. lswank@pathwaypress.org
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