Discipleship: Throws Down Ghetto Walls

Keep going, while you are going, as you go into all the world Make Disciples!!! Baptize disciples!!! Teach Disciples!!! The emphasis is not primarily on going, it is assumed by Jesus that we'd be going, that we'd be moving. In the process we have three commands, three strong imperatives. I dare say that if we are not making disciples we are living in disobedience. We may be just as guilty as Saul (1 Sam. 15) who made a sacrifice but was harshly admonished that obedience is better than sacrifice. Yesterday, Sunday November 22, 2009 I was moved to tears by the thrill of disciple making. Unfolding before my very eyes was the fruit of my efforts. One of my deacons, Delroy Blake gave his inaugural sermon, and what a blessing it was! Almost 7 years ago when I came to ministry in Grants Pen, Delroy was a chain smoker, drinker, gambler, who wanted nothing to with church. Through the relational ministry approach and the down to earth radical approach of Jesus which I have adopted, with domino ministry and man to man interaction, he began visiting church once in a while, then he came and requested to be married to his common law wife, followed rapidly by his desire for water baptism. Thereafter his hunger for God grew by leaps and bounds. He was at prayer meeting almost nightly, at Bible study, one of the few adults at the time at Sunday school. (I will never forget how he smoked his last cigarette up to the night before his baptism). While attending the adult Sunday School, the teacher at the time noted his eager, wise contributions and one day asked him to take the class... the rest is history. From early days I saw the innovation with which he approached his lesson preparation bring object lessons, that made me realize that even my own simple sermons could be simpler! His insight into the Word of God defies his age as a disciple. Noting his meteoric spiritual growth I nominated him for deacon at the beginning of 2009. While I was away recently for three months he did one month of the Bible Studies and all testify that it was such a blessing. This prompted the Elder in charge to ask him to prepare to preach one Sunday. That materialized yesterday I am so blessed that I had the opportunity to see God work through Him. His props, his examples, his object lessons,his introduction to his sermon, his challenge, his applications of the story of the rejection of Saul in 1 Sam. 15 were direct from God. I saw evidence that this brother has been discipled, I saw this brother walking in my footsteps and surpassing me. I saw in Him as God used him that my ceiling had become his platform! The way forward, the way of community transformation, the way of Kingdom impact requires hard work, requires us coming out of our comfort zones... the fruit takes time to mature, but the thrill of seeing God in you reproduced in others brings tears to the eyes. Thanks Daddy YHWH. Thanks pops Courtney for mentoring me, your labour is not in vain. Men like Delroy in Grants Pen are a testimony to that.