Helping Believers Look Ahead
Church planters begin as evangelists, but take on the additional role of pastor when that first person comes to know Christ. The Great Commission is not fulfilled when people believe the gospel and are born again. It starts there, but is completed only when new believers are growing in obedience to God’s Word and moving forward toward Christ-likeness. As church planters, we are responsible to see that this process takes place (Gal. 4:19). If we would be successful in our assignment, there are a few things we must understand.
Understanding the Purposes of God
The church planter must have a clear vision of where God desires to take the believer. We know what a mature Christian looks like from studying the Scripture. Based on our knowledge of God’s will, it would be helpful to develop a description of the mature believer God wants His children to become. Part of the process of helping the new Christian grow, will be painting for him a picture of what God plans for him to become. It goes without saying that the church planter himself must be moving toward a goal of Christlikeness if he expects to lead others there (see Phil. 4:9).
Understanding the Nature of the Enemy
From a study of Scripture, honest personal evaluation, and careful observation of others, we understand the obstacles to Christian growth. We know there is an enemy (the Devil) who will seek to thwart the development of the believer; we recognize the effects of our environment (the world); and we appreciate the resistance that comes from our human nature (the flesh) and our deceitful heart (Jer. 17:9). Not only must these be factored into our game plan for growth, but we must help our new Christians understand the obstacles he can expect to face along the way.
Understanding the Dynamics of Spiritual Growth
We must remember that spiritual growth is a purposeful process. It doesn’t happen automatically (Heb. 5:12) – it takes deliberate effort and conscious cooperation (2 Pet. 1:5-8). Spiritual progress requires patience and persistence. Many are frustrated in their Christian life because they would like to take giant steps forward, when what they need is a simple plan for a few baby steps. In order to help them, we must discern if a particular problem stems from rebellion, ignorance or weakness (see 1 Thess. 5:14). When a person is weak, he needs to be lovingly encouraged (Gal. 6:2). When rebellion is the issue, a stronger exhortation is in order (2 Tim. 4:2). The church planter must lovingly encourage believers in their growth process (Rom. 15:14; Heb. 10:24), providing a faithful example by his own life (Titus 2:7) – not necessarily of perfection, but at least of growth (1 Cor. 11:1; 1 Thess. 1:6).
Understanding the Priority of Personal Shepherding
Helping new Christians grow always starts with consistent, practical, from-the-heart teaching in our public meetings – but it must not stop there. There will be a need for personal attention, pointed application of God’s truth and practical help in order to bring about lasting change. The church planter must, like the Good Shepherd, get to know his flock (John 10:14, 27), identifying their needs in order to be able to help them learn and apply God’s truth. A personal relationship with the flock is key, since the sheep will follow the shepherd when they get to know his voice (John 10:4-5). The church planter must be a trusted friend whose heart is open to his people. Since not all the people with spiritual needs will show up for the public teaching, it will be necessary to go after the sheep and help them. A teacher provides his class material for those who will come to class. A shepherd, however, knows the needs of the sheep and seeks them out – when it’s convenient and when it is not.
As we are working to begin and to build the church, we must remember that the salvation of a soul is not the goal at the end of the road – it is the entrance to a wonderful highway of God’s sovereign purpose (Rom. 8:29-30). As God brings people to himself, let’s help them look down that road, be excited about the journey that lies ahead, and move forward in Christ.