Are You the Next Sam Holton; How About the Next Ed KImball

I don't know much about Samuel Holton. I don't know when he was born, when he died, what kind of life he lived or if he was a Christian. I do know that he was D.L. Moody's uncle and Holton reluctantly hired Moody to work for him at his Boston shoe store. Additionally Holton required Moody to attend Mt. Vernon Congregational Church in order keep his job. I know some about Moody, basically because of what I have read today. I know he was born in 1837, raised by his parents as a Unitarian, he has a college and publishing company named after him and he died in 1899. Previously I have read a little bit about him, nothing too in depth though. I have read more about Smith Wigglesworth, John G. Lake and other 'heavy hitters' of the Faith.

Another man I know very little bit about is Sunday school teacher Edward Kimball. Kimball taught Sunday School at the Mt. Vernon church that Moody attended, as required by his uncle. One day, Kimball visited Moody at work and shared with him the Love of Jesus and Moody was a changed man after that. After awhile, Moody left Boston for Chicago and immersed himself in sharing the Love of Jesus with others.

Moody was a pioneer of the Faith. He ministered to and equipped women and children in the late 1800's, not a common practice at that time. He saw beyond denominational limitations and preached Jesus wherever he was invited. His burden for the poor, minorities and uneducated children led him to start schools. Eventually Moody's vision of a school to equip people with the Gifts and train them to minister. He also started Bible Institute Colportage Association (BICA) in 1894 in his desire to provide Christian literature to average American.

So why the brief history lesson on the life of Dwight Lyman Moody? I want to show the importance of one man's ministry. No, I am not writing about Moody's ministry, I am writing about Holton's ministry to his nephew and Kimball's ministry to another church member.

What if Holton would not have had compassion upon his nephew? What if he would not have cared about his nephew's Spiritual development? Where could have Moody have wound up?

Kimball said the following about Moody before his Salvation, "I have seen few persons whose minds were spiritually darker than was his when he came into my Sunday School class."
Imagine if Kimball would have been too timid to visit Moody at his job and share Jesus with him? What if Kimball would have written off Moody as a waste of time?

Think of the millions that have been reached in the name of Jesus because of the efforts of D.L. Moody. Think of the millions that have been reached because of the efforts of Sam Holton and Ed Kimball.

Now take a look around yourself. Is there someone Holy Spirit has laid upon your heart? Is there someone who needs you to be the compassion of Jesus? How are you going to reach millions? Will it be with your words or your works? Or will it be from reaching the one who reaches millions?

Making Them True Disciples

Over the many years I have spent in and around church, I have heard the word disciple used many times. Its meaning is as varied as the denominations is was spoken in. "Those that follow Jesus," "Born Again believers," "the crew that became the 12 apostles," and people that had passed a basic class in Christian doctrine or Catechism. I have heard it preached about using the Greek definitions from "learner" (not expert), "follower," and even "witness," to pull out the meaning and depth of the word. But no one has left me with a distinct impression of what a true disciple is, and how we make one.

Sometimes it is easier to define a word by what it is not. Discipleship is not about having a spiritual bellhop in the heavenlies at our beckoned call. It is not following a pastor, teacher, denomination, church doctrine or program. If these things are in sync with God, then great.

For the better part of 30 years, I have listened to a bajillion "How crappy was your week?" sermons. How does the church expect people to get out there and cast out demons, heal the sick, preach the Gospel, and set the captives free-- all without any substantive training or teaching? I am not saying that a sermon that brings insight or encouragement to your particular brand of suffering (which is relative), is a bad thing. It is, however; self serving and not Kingdom serving.

Some folks think that if they just try harder to fix their multitude of character defects (which are never as many, or as bad as so and so's!), press in and keep moving, that they will become solid, effective disciples. I agree and disagree with these facets of traditional Christian thinking. I thought those very things for a long time; as evidenced by my own failures. What I finally discovered, was that the church is practically void of fathering individuals who could make a difference in a converts life (at any age). My life! Wasn't there someone that wanted to know my story? Wasn't there someone that could be more than an acquaintance? Oh sure there were pastors that wanted my gifting, but not me. Only one man ever said, "I am proud of you." outside the context of my ministry.

Discipling is not how many "spiritual" sons or daughters we have. It is not about praise for teaching Sunday school or leading a rockin' worship set. It is not about nickles and noses in our offering baskets and pews. It is much more. True discipleship is adopting and fathering the (spiritual) fatherless. It is about following a living God, as sheep that know the voice of the Shepard, they follow Him. It is doing what the Father is doing! It is about a relationship with Jesus that causes us to invest without expecting anything in return. (Oh yeah, that is love.)

Fathering is finding the unlovable, the outcast and providing encouragement, vision and discipline; while showing a great amount of love. It can be done by woman, but generally they are the nurturing type. (I am not against woman in ministry, not one bit.) But when it comes to fathering, it is more natural for men-- if you get him be committed.

The fruit of effective fathering is children that do not depart from what they have been taught. The fruit of the disciple is the fullness of Christ.

I don't like to use the word mentor, because that is really training someone to do something that we are good at. Mentoring is growing someone up to be like us. Discipleship is growing someone up to be like Jesus. It is allowing them to reach their destiny with your help.

Once we have disciples that are fathered well, then we can train them to do something of value in the Kingdom based on the gifting that they receive from on High. True mentoring is training someone to do our job better than we can do it ourselves. Like Elijah and Elisha, for example. The fruit of mentoring is a double portion protogé.

True disciplers are committed, serving, loving, sacrificing men and woman who are passionate about Jesus. They go the extra mile and they are the ones that calm the storm, and they are calm in a storm. They may not exude any other particular gifting, but they are always there regardless.

True disciples walk in the power and grace of God, always grateful for those that have invested in them in a personal and meaningful way.

Without a discipler, there will not be any disciples. Won't you adopt one today?