Disciple Making Journey (Part 2)- Across Cultures

Haiti Summit in Constance Free Church



 

Connecting with Haitian brothers through the Haiti Consortium has encouraged growth in churches in the U.S. and in Haiti.  Dave Hyatt, Pastor for Local and Global Outreach at Hershey Free Church shared, “Their honesty about the Haitian church and how they haven’t done a great job of making disciples has allowed me to be a little more honest, to look at things.  Their candor, their humility to admit they want to do a better job, and they want to raise up disciples….It was convicting to me on one level.  They are asking us for help at something I don’t think we are doing great at.  In order to feel that we had anything to say, it pushed me back to the Scriptures.  It is a bit of a mirror for me saying, “How are we doing?  Are we raising up Christians who are really impacting our own society, who make a difference in their community, who are looking to reproduce their lives?”  Discipleship is a concept that spans all cultures.  Our goals are the same as the goals of Christians in other nations.

Dr. Jean Dorlus has been studying the worldview of Haiti.  He feels leaders are responsible to see that the worldview of the Bible is adopted.  He gave an example using the Haitian proverb that says, “What a person does to another, God laughs at it.”  This means that God is not interested in human affairs. “He is far away.  Someone who shared this worldview and becomes a believer has a problem understanding that God is interested in every detail in life.  It is not an issue of God being powerful, but does God care, and does He care for me.  He is an indifferent God.  He has other things to do.”  This affects ethics as well, because they believe God does not care about justice.  “The Law of the Strong wins.”

Every country has its own worldview, and none are the Biblical worldview.  We need to examine our culture to see what we have adopted into our worldview that comes from society and not the Bible.  We need to be careful when we go into another country that we do not try to teach principles that are part of our tradition but are not taught by the Bible.

Haiti Consortium in Haiti

Senior Pastor George Davis of Hershey Free Church has come to a deeper relationship with Haitian brothers through a commitment of slowing down and spending time with them.  In this he has learned, “Well, here are some challenges that they are facing that are the same challenges that we are facing.  We have talked about how to do ministry in a culture in a way that does not foster dependence.  When you start wrestling with that question, you have to wrestle with- in our own context- how do we do ministry in a way that doesn’t foster consumerism.  Because, really, they are the same issues but in a different socio-economic environment.”

What problems do you see in the American church?  What have we adopted into our worldview that is not Biblical?  I challenge you to come up with a worldview based solely on what the Bible teaches.  Know what you should believe and why, and make that a part of your life.   Then, pass it on to others.

Disciple Making Journey (Part 1)

One of the goals of ReachGlobal Crisis Response is to make disciples who make disciples.  So what is a disciple?  He is a learner, a follower.  Senior Pastor George Davis of Hershey Free Church explains this involves knowing, being, and doing.  It is not mere head knowledge.  It changes our whole life style.  Dave Hyatt, Pastor for Local and Global Outreach at Hershey Free Church explains the common trait is a devotion to Christ that will look different in different people.  He adds, “There is a desire for fellowship, God’s Word, and a desire to reproduce their lives in others.”  Their church website breaks discipleship into three areas.  Live with Jesus, love like Jesus, and lead others to do the same.

So, how do people become disciples?  It takes a disciple to make a disciple.  You do not have to be perfect.  In fact, it is important others see you are not perfect, but rather growing in obedience to Christ.   The article Disciples Who Make Disciples by Alex Absalom and Greg Nettle points out, “…discipleship is primarily caught, since the Biblical model is one of imitation and apprenticeship.  For this to happen, people need to be close enough to our lives that they can see what this looks like on an ongoing basis, rather than simply on special occasions when we are on our best behavior!”  Wawa, President of S.T.E.P. seminary in Haiti, lived with the Muchmore family as a young Christian.  He not only heard them talk about what the Bible teaches, but he also watched as they lived out their convictions.  He saw how they reacted to different situations and could hear their reasons for their choices.

Michael Kelley, Director of Discipleship at Lifeway, tells us to look at the example of Jesus to see how to disciple.  He says, “In the gospels, we see those followers listening and learning from the teaching of Jesus.  We see them spending time in real life situations with Jesus.  We see them being sent out by Jesus with purpose and meaning….we see that discipleship is a lifestyle.”  This is not an overnight process.  It takes time and patience.  It is not just taking a course and checking off learning basic principles.  It means committing to another Christian and spending time with them.  It is doing life together. 

In Called to Reach: Equipping Cross-Cultural Disciplers by William R. Yount and Mike Barnett, they say, “The goal is to disciple and equip after the example of Jesus.  He focused his teaching on the needs of his learners.  He perfectly melded thinking (parables, illustrations, interpretations), feeling (love, care, support, choosing ‘twelve to be with him’), and doing (demonstrations, modeling the role, practical guidance) elements as they were needed to transform the lives of his disciples.”  Pastor Davis stresses the importance of people being “in biblical community, in a group environment where other people are speaking into their lives, and where they have the opportunity to do that for others.  I think we would encourage them as well to understand what does it look like to live out your faith on a day to day basis….Also, you want to help them experience God in service in particular ways.  That’s where short-term opportunities become a part of the disciple making strategy.”  A disciple will have a changed life as they make choices based on their relationship with Jesus.  This is revealed in the way they live their lives with others.

Pastor Hyatt added the importance of learning people’s wiring and discover their gifts so they can serve in their area of giftedness.  “That doesn’t just mean taking assessments.  That means trying different things so they can figure out how they fit in the body, how they can serve with what God has created them to do.”  He told the story of a person who was exhausted before going on a very difficult short-term trip.  Although they worked hard on the trip, they were completely invigorated from it.  They exclaimed, “I feel so much better than when I left!”  Dave stated, “They had discovered some things about themselves in terms of how God uses them.”  We are all different, and God has a different plan for how He will use each of our lives.  Discipleship involves doing, not just learning.

Is there someone in your sphere of influence who you could disciple?  Be willing to invest in the lives of others.  A true disciple disciples others.