Radical Disciples – A Remnant Revolution

I believe that if we are to truly lead people to Christ and then disciple into maturity, we need to be more Christ-like in our leadership style. In order for this to happen we need to have a radical transformation in the manner for which we disciple new believers in our day!

Too often I find leaders getting depressed when other are not at their same maturity and the depression opens the door to bitterness and the door of bitterness open yet into another room of those classified as cold hearted burnouts. They may still confess that they love the Lord, yet the most important Spiritual fruit in ones life which testifies to having Christ in our hearts is vacant in their lives – the fruit of Love!

I have been in “church” for 30 plus years and involved in ministry for a little over ten years, six of which has been in nursing homes. At first I felt as though everyone should be involved in the nursing home ministry, if you were not you lacked compassion.

It didn’t take long for Holy Ghost to kick that horse of pride out from underneath me. It had gotten to the point where I had even made a comfortable spiritual saddle lined with scriptures to back up my point.

None of which offered much comfort when I fell on my spiritual backside – that fall was just hard enough to jar loose all the religious garbage that I had been feeding myself on.

Holy Ghost then took me on a journey thru the scriptures and pointed out how everyone is not (thankfully) called to the same task. We are each designed in the image of God, yes, and we should all strive to have the character of God within our make up, yes. But there is no way one individual can be like God, yet when we see the Body as a whole, operating in each called gift, we get a glimpse of the very nature of God.

As leaders we can not allow the thought that “everyone needs to be like me and walk in the same calling that I have or else they simply are not a good Christian” take root in our hearts. In fact I know some brothers and sisters who try so hard to walk in the calling of the leaders around them they are actually living in rebellion because they are not walking in the calling of the Father on their lives. I don’t know about anyone else but as for myself I never want to be in a position where I cause another believer to rebel against the Fathers call on their lives.

It is so easy to get caught up in the false religious leadership functioning style that is out there today – which is why we need to stay in the Word and most definitely stay in communion with the Father. Our prayer life should consume the majority of our time. When we are so saturated in the presence of the Father, that His glory is so strong we need not speak but a few words, for just the shadow of His presence on our lives heals the sick, set’s the captives free and raises the dead – then we will know we’ve indeed been in the presence of the Father in quality time, even as was the life of Christ pour Lord!

We need more men and women in leadership today who are motivated by the unction of Holy Ghost and not being stirred by the emotions of their hearts, motivated by the very situations and conditions around them.

We need more preachers in the pulpit who know the Word so intimately that they can teach it to those whom the Lord puts before them not only thru spoken words but thru their life actions being lived out before the people – then we will see the opening of spiritual prison doors and the captives coming out in true freedom!

We need to put an end to cookie cutter ministries who seek to turn out perfect little Christians molded in the image of the doctrinal understanding we have and instead allow Holy Ghost to be able to impart the very gifts and calling of God according to that which the Father desires for each individual.

We need to go back to the basics of true discipleship according to the teachings of Christ that we will see the Johns and Peters, the Nathanael’s and James’s. the Matthew’s and Bartholomew’s. the Thomas’s and Andrew’s and the Simon’s and Philip’s rising up (Not only men but women as well). Each one was called of God, yet each one had a ministry gift that they operated in which was singularly different, yet when brought together made up the whole group’s character.

God’s ultimate goal for each individual’s life on earth is not comfort, but character development. He wants each of us to grow up spiritually. Becoming like Christ does not mean losing ones personality or becoming a mindless clone. God created each of us with an individual uniqueness, so he certainly doesn’t want to destroy it. Christ-likeness is all about transforming our character, not our personality.

We need to stop judging people as to whether they hold up to our calling and instead help them get positioned to where they are exhibiting the fruit of their individual calling. We are called to be Christ like, we were never called to look like and act like one another – other than the true unified display of our love for one another.

If we are to be true leaders in regard to maturing the babes in Christ we need to take a step back from the prideful reflection of ourselves, stepping into the very potion of where we can see with spiritual eyes open, the prophetic reflection of Christ in others lives – not who they are right now in the natural, rather who they are in Christ according to the Father’s calling on their lives.

Until we model the discipleship style that Jesus laid out for us, we will never see those before us maturing into true disciples of Jesus Christ.

If we desire to see radical disciples of Christ sold out radically to live as He has called us to live, then we must radically change the way we do church and the way we disciple, returning back to the style we find rooted in the gospels and the book of Acts.

I will end this with the writing’s of the Apostle Paul:

And he gave some apostles, some prophets, others evangelists, others shepherds and teachers, to the full ending of saints, into the work of ministry, into [the] edification of Christ’s body, till we run all, into unity of faith and of knowing of God’s Son, into a perfect man, after the measure of the age of the plenty of Christ; [till we run all, in unity of faith and of knowing of God’s Son, into a perfect man, into the measure of age of the plenty of Christ;] that we be not now little children, moving as waves, and be not borne about with each wind of teaching [and be borne about with all wind of teaching], in the waywardness of men, in subtle wit, to the deceiving of error.

But do we truth in charity, and wax in him by all things, that is Christ our head; [Forsooth we doing truth in charity, wax in him by all things, that is Christ the head;] of whom all the body set together, and bound together by each jointure of under-serving, by working into the measure of each member [after working into the measure of each member], maketh increasing of the body, into [the] edification of itself in charity.

Therefore I say and witness this thing in the Lord [Therefore this thing I say, and witness in the Lord], that ye walk not now, as heathen men walk, in the vanity of their wit; that have understanding darkened with darknesses [having their understanding darkened], and be aliened from the life of God, by ignorance that is in them, for the blindness of their heart.

Which despairing betook themselves to unchastity, into the working of all uncleanness in covetousness.

But ye have not so learned Christ, if nevertheless ye heard him, and be taught in him, as is truth in Jesus.

Do ye away by the old living the old man, that is corrupt by the desires of error; [Do ye away after the first living the old man, that is corrupt after the desires of error;] and be ye renewed in the spirit of your soul; and clothe ye the new man, which is made after God in rightwiseness and holiness of truth. [and clothe ye the new man, which after God is made of nought in rightwiseness and holiness of truth.] (Eph 4:11-24 Wycliff New Testament)

The highest calling is that of servant-hood,

Russ Welch