Abiding Fellowship part 1

There is something that I believe the Church in America needs to consider. I am a bit concerned about the worldly activities many Christians seem to be completely taken up with – but that’s not it, entirely. I’m not as concerned about our activities as I am about what that says concerning the sufficiency of Christ in our lives. There are many who name the Name of Christ, who consider themselves believers, who, at the same time, live for worldly entertainment, because they have not sufficiently encountered Christ. 

That raises the issue of discipleship. We need to be aware, though, that discipleship has two facets to it. One is what are you being fed. Are you being adequately taught about the things of God? The second facet of discipleship is your capacity to receive. Do you have the spiritual capacity to actually desire to grow in the Lord?   
 

The majority of the Apostle Paul’s writings deal with discipleship while only 5% of his writings deal with evangelism. That does not mean that evangelism is not critical – it’s just as critical to the growth of the church as giving physical birth is to adding to the size of your family. However, evangelism without discipleship is as pointless as giving birth to a new baby would be but then failing to feed it. 

Those of you who are parents do not sit around and only talk about the day your child was born. You may have fond memories of when they were born - but that’s almost not even the issue anymore. Now it’s helping them grow up into responsible adults. Yet it seems that is the greatest concern of the church today: we are uncommonly excited about the new birth of a believer but are failing in the absolute necessity for that person to mature in the things of God. 
 

Acts 8:14-15 “When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.” 
 

The New Testament church was going and growing. The Gospel took over Samaria. It was doing everything we think we want to happen in our community. Acts 8:14 says that Samaria received the Word of God. Wouldn’t it be great if something similar happened in our own community?! That’s what we want right? Not entirely, it would seem. 

If just getting saved was sufficient, then why did they need to send Peter and John to them so that they might pray for them to get baptized in the Holy Spirit?

Continued tomorrow