Thursday, August 24, 2006

Sometimes it can be frustrating to me that people can have no interest in discipleship after they receive salvation, but it's important to remember that salvation is free to all who ask for it. People react differently to this. They also react differently to the notion that discipleship is costly, and very often the Holy Spirit prepares people's hearts over time to come to a point where they can accept those concepts.

Look at 1st Corinthians 3:1-6;
"And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal? 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase"

That's kind of an illustration of what I'm talking about. It's worth noticing that in "Romans," Paul teaches on the gospel of salvation by faith in the first four chapters, but he doesn't really address the issue of "Lordship" or surrender as it's referred to these days until chapter 6, and then it is mostly in connection with victory over sin and its reign in this world, and he didn't hit on service until chapter 12.

If you look at all the discipleship passages in the Gospels where Jesus deals with this issue, the people He deals with are those who had already placed their faith in Him. Check out Matthew 16, for example.

I think loving patience with prayer for the new Christian is the key, and our continuing sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit in talking with them, so that we don't overwhelm them either accidentally or on purpose.

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