Sleeping Giants – Disciple Support Ministries

It’s a good thing to equip the saints. God has admonished every Pastor and Ministry Leader to do so. It couldn’t be more clear, sequential and rational than this…

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles,
some prophets, some evangelists,
and some pastors and teachers,
for the equipping of the saints
for the work of ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ…
joined and knit together
by what every joint supplies,
according to the effective working
by which every part does its share,
causes growth of the body
for the edifying of itself in love."
Eph 4:11

The implementation of this plan begins with Pastors and Ministry Leaders. Not the “saints”, congregation, students or members. If Pastors and Ministry Leaders “do” all the “work”, then the entire body suffers. It becomes ineffective, inefficient and not merely lopsided, but worse yet: “topsided.” Perhaps the greatest Discipline of being a Ministry Leader is to insist on Disciples Exercising after the Equipping. That is, admonishing those being equipped to then “do their share.” And when they don’t, to allow things to go undone. Stop filling in the blanks, stop picking up the slack, stop excusing spiritual and practical laziness.

Laziness has reached epidemic proportions in the world today. We see it in the market place, the schools, the government, the factory and farm. It prevails in all cultures, across all peoples and nations. Why? It’s in our sinful nature. But instead of pointing fingers at the world, let’s first look inside the church. Are we any better? And do we not have an element of the Sin of Sloth?

These questions require a Verdict. Afterall, there are souls at stake. Perhaps some prayerful reflection is in order for us as God’s people. Especially those in Leadership. “Equipping the saints” has morphed into endless learning and preparation. An “all you can eat” buffet of sermons, classes, online resources, YouTube channels, livestreams, “School of Ministry” programs, “Gap Year” courses, etc. etc. Followed by endless excuses for lack of action, exercise and implementation. Lack of involvement is remedied by providing more classes, more programs, more field trips, more handholding exercises. And the fruit? Well…it speaks for itself.

Pastors are complaining in unison: “The same 5% are doing 95% of the ministry.” It’s time to look at our own nakedness: Giving is anemic. Participation is fickle. Attendance increasingly online. Consistency nonexistent. Commitment more rare than a church mouse. Yet the same Leaders serving the buffet are complaining everyone is lethargic at best. Spiritually overweight. And the wolves are closing in. Heaven forbid Pastors and Ministry Leaders just conjure up greater enticements, effects, and elaborate entertainment. But truth be told we’re simply adding fuel to the fire: Spiritual spas will always be preferred to Spiritual boot camp.

Many years ago we promoted “lifelong learning” at the DSM Bible Institutes. Pastors and Ministry Leaders received Certificates for each class they passed. They were encouraged to continue attending, until they finished the entire Bible. It was all well intentioned… but incredibly prayerless. And therein lay the trap. We impulsively “do” things for God…and later ask Him to bless it. Skipping the painstaking work of prayer…and waiting on His “still small voice.”

In our rush to promote ever more
equipping, evangelizing and
edifying, we oftentimes race right past
relationship with Jesus. He called it
out in a clarion rebuke…

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”
John 5:39

After several years of prayerless “equipping”, we realized we were aiding and abetting the spiritual gluttony of our students. Pastors and Ministry Leaders were hanging around the Bible Institutes to the neglect of their callings. Endless “Equipping” had eclipsed all aspects of “Doing” off campus. It was easier to talk about Jesus, the Gospel and theology than it was to face the harsh reality of “ministering” in a slum. What did we do? Repent!

After an extended time of prayer and reflection, our eyes were opened. And it looked very different from what we had been doing. First to go: we stopped providing food. It had all become a carnal distraction of the first order. Now Pastors and Ministry Leaders feed themselves off site from the local kiosks. Those who don’t have money, most often have their meal paid by other students. Gracious fruit blossomed right before our eyes.

Next? Learning was capped with a Diploma. “Twelve classes and you’re out!” The aim was not to limit their studies, but to promote the Practical Application of what they had already learned. And to remove Dependency on the Bible Institution. Afterall, our teacher is the Holy Spirit. We’re supposed to discipling them into a deeper personal relationship with God. Not with the Institute, program or any particular teacher.

Bible School was then limited to one full day per week per student. That leaves them 6 days for full time secular work, full time ministry and Sunday services. No “full time Bible School.” No neglect of their individual Christian duties and responsibilities in the very real and fallen world around us.

What has been the fruit? Students remain more engaged in their own personal Studying, divine Calling and ground level Ministry. What they learn today, they implement tomorrow. No excessive learning upon learning, which can become an idol. Yes, Bible Study can become an idol. Many today have unwittingly slipped out of their Callings, and into Intellectualizing the Faith…

“…always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
2 Tim 3:7

Many ministries have erroneously adopted “church growth” models…with Wall Street methods and metrics. Along with entertaining enticements, based upon Hollywood’s sensory stimulation models. Ministry and church campuses have become hard to leave, because they satisfy our flesh so well. While those “outside the camp” are rushing headlong into condemnation. We prefer to be on the Mountaintop…pretending to be awestruck, but actually we’re just dozing….

"…He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the Mountain to pray. As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. ...But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep."
Luke 9:28

The mandate to “make disciples” was proclaimed on a Mountaintop. But the work is done in the Valley. It is there that our “equipping” is either forged into effective “disciple-making”…or else found to be wanting; a religious fraud; mere whitewashed tombs of dead bones.

It’s time we set aside the Enticements…and get back to Basics. Because we’re sending contradictory messages to the ones we’re purportedly “discipling.” If we’re not prayerful, careful and sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we’ll find ourselves utterly ineffective in the Valley of Decisions. Relegated to the shelf of Unengaged Potential…

"And being in agony,
Jesus prayed more earnestly.
Then His sweat became like great drops
of blood falling down to the ground.
When He rose up from prayer,
and had come to His disciples,
He found them sleeping…”
Luke 22:44

Sleeping Giants…soon to forsake Him.