# Benefits of Churches Helping Their Own GODLY DISCIPLESHIP Language: en Author: Curvin L\. Wenger Dalton, OH Original issue: The Heartbeat of the Remnant, Winter 2018, Number 4 Source pages: 22–24 Read article: Original PDF: Winter\-2018\-Remnant\.pdf [The Heartbeat of the Remnant, Winter 2018]() ![A snow\-covered country church behind a wooden fence]() ![An open Bible in warm sepia light]() ## What is Help In our time, many conservative Anabaptist churches are facing a seemingly unstoppable epidemic\. More and more people are coming forward with struggles they don’t know how to handle\. Many times, when a church has one of these “needy situations” arise in their midst, they start contacting various facilities\. Usually, they hear the discouraging words, “Sorry, we have no openings until…” These waiting lists are long, some upwards of a year; some are even longer\. As churches continue to observe the long\-term fruit resulting from the “help” being provided, concerns are being raised about more and more of these programs\. Considering these growing concerns and the long waiting lists, numerous churches are trying to stem the tide of this ever\-increasing wave of problems\. Some groups are building their own facilities so they don’t need to rely on other groups with whom they may not be as comfortable\. Others are investing time and money in developing their own programs that are more in agreement with their line of thinking\. Still others are putting their money and energy into helping those among them who seem to have the potential to become future counselors\. ## Anabaptist Uniqueness When the Anabaptists were trying to chart a new course for the church, there were many things their counterparts thought were strange\. One of these was that they had such a loyalty for each other, even to the point of dying for one another\. These Anabaptists were trying to make God’s Word practical, when He said *That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another\. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it\. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular\. \-1Co 12: 25\-27* These Anabaptists understood that *the elders…* \[should\] *feed the flock of God… Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock\. \-1Pe 5:1\-3* They also understood the Scriptures to teach that *…the body is of Christ\.* \[And that He is\] *…the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God\. \-Col 2:17\-19* This practice of the local church functioning together as a body, with Christ as the Head, was unique to the Anabaptists\. This was in contrast with the Catholic church whose leadership tended to be the ‘head’ and with the Protestant church which practiced a Theology that was so individualistic that everyone tended to do *that which was right in his own eyes\. \-Jdg 17:6* \(There is a need for Biblical leadership to lead and there is a need for each individual to have a personal relationship with the Lord\. Here we are not talking about either one of these points\.\) ## The Historical Church Down through the years, ever since the time of Christ, all true believers did their best to follow the Apostle Paul’s admonition that *as we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith\. \-Gal 6:10* True Christians have always done their best to help each other—whenever they could; however they could\. When there was a financial need, the church took an offering\. When a mother was bed\-ridden, local sisters took their turn to make sure the cleaning, laundry, and cooking was done\. When there was a death, fire, or other sudden life\-changing event, the local brothers and sisters pitched in to help until normalcy was restored\. And when normalcy could not be restored, such as with the death of a spouse or a parent, the church endeavored to find a suitable way to ‘fill in the gap’ to help in a long\-term way\. ## Another Gospel, Another Jesus > *Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me\. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ\. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ\. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him\. \-2Co 11:1\-4* In this discussion, let’s take careful heed that we don’t allow anything or any person to become our treasure, other than Jesus Christ\. Let’s beware that no counselor, teacher, or any person of repute, begins taking the rightful place in our hearts that belongs only to our Lord and Saviour\. In the Greek, Christ means the ‘anointed one’ and Gospel means ‘a good message’\. It is troubling when a struggling person needs to go back to the same counselor whenever a new life issue comes up or can’t seem to live without attending the next seminar or conference regarding people’s problems\. Here a very fine line is crossed many times without even realizing it—that of allowing another person to become ‘the anointed one’ \(Christ\) or allowing a certain program or method to become our ‘good news’ \(Gospel\)\. Thus, without realizing and many times without wanting to, folks end up turning to ‘another Jesus’ and to ‘another Gospel’\. \(When we make this observation, we are ***not*** saying that all programs and organizations fit this category\. We are simply saying that many people allow certain other people or certain programs to take precedence over the ‘simplicity and sufficiency’ of the Jesus Christ of the Bible and over the simple Gospel message\.\) ## Getting Back to the True Gospel *Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints\. \-Jud 1:3* Let each of us who claim to be a true believer and follower of Jesus Christ, strive to earnestly contend for the faith\. THE faith—not just ***any*** faith, not just ***a*** faith, but THE faith\. THE faith that was once delivered unto the saints\. We need to get back to the Bible and take God at His Word\. We need to take it at face value and strive to walk in obedience\. This faith that some people refer to as ‘old\-fashioned’ is still as accurate and effective today as it was when it was written several thousand years ago regarding the soul of man and how to change human behavior\. ## The Truth Sets People Free *Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free\. \-Joh 8:31\-32* As a church, we have found this to be true\. Many other churches have found this to be true\. The ‘simplicity and sufficiency’ of the Scriptures, and the redeeming, changing power of Jesus Christ, is able to save people to the uttermost\. This ‘Gospel’ is able to change and save the vilest of sinners\. It is also able to cleanse and salve the hurting heart of those who have been sinned against\. God is able through His Son, His Spirit, and His Word to completely change \(help\) the most difficult of situations\. There are many methods and programs available today that claim to be ‘Christian’ or ‘Biblical’, yet most of them would not be discovered through a common\-sense reading of the Scriptures\. There is, however, THE faith once delivered unto the saints\. This faith, this Gospel, is still as real and life\-changing today as it was when it was originally delivered unto the saints\. When this ‘Truth’ is used and followed, then what the Bible says is correct—people ***are*** set free\. ## It works We have seen this Gospel work successfully for any number of the various struggles most churches view as extreme—those understood to require a professional or ‘trained’ individual\. This Gospel message works for seriously broken marriages, any of the various addictions, rebellious youth, years\-long moral struggles, and any of the extreme mental disorders\. We have seen broken marriages restored, rebellious youth become godly examples to their peers, and people with years\-long moral struggles repent and rebuild godly resistance to those temptations\. We have seen dysfunctional families start functioning according to Biblical principles and people with serious mental disorders and emotional struggles enabled to once again be ‘in their right mind’\. This does not mean there are no more struggles\. All people are living in a fallen world\. All believers have an enemy of their soul\. All of us are made of the same stuff—dust \(Psa 103:14\)—and all have the same passions \(Jam 5:17\)\. We will all be faced with similar temptations, yet we all have the promise that God will provide power to overcome ***any*** temptation we may face \(1Co 10:13\)\. The temptation of unbelief or allowing fear to rule, the temptation to turn to drugs, sex, or alcohol to drown out sorrows or frustrations, or the temptation to believe the lie of the devil that there is no hope, so why keep living\. If each of us could see the temptation behind each personal struggle, it would be easier to recognize how Satan is trying to steal, kill, and destroy us and how Jesus is wanting to give us life and that more abundantly \(Joh 10:10\)\. No matter what the temptation, God has promised to help us overcome each one, plus any other difficulty we may face in our walk with Him\. ## It takes less time When churches understand and allow God to work in their midst in this way, there is a cost involved—an initial cost of time and energy\. However, in the long run, once people find the truth that sets them free, they learn to go to God alone and there find peace and rest for their soul\. They learn to trust God with their past, their present, and their future\. They learn to walk in Truth and to have a relationship with a God who is alive and real\. It is in this way that they learn to rely on the Lord instead of people\. The more we read God’s Word and allow it to take root in our hearts, the more real it is for each one of us that *thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path\. \-Psa 119:105* Here is the reality\. Usually when people struggle it’s because they don’t know what the problem is, nor what the answer is\. Life seems confusing and out of control\. When they are helped to see God’s Truth about the matter and what His answer is, they can start moving forward\. Once they see that God’s way works, they start sorting more and more issues out for themselves\. As this forward movement happens, they require less time and less input from others, since they are now able to go to God in their own closet and find His answers for their questions and troubles\. Thus, in the long run, it takes less time when churches help their own by using a discipleship model, directing them to Christ and the Scriptures for the answers to their struggles\. ## It brings unity to the body > *Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to **dwell together in unity\!** \-Psa 133:1* > > > > *Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace\. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all\. \-Eph 4:3\-6* As churches use the simplicity of God’s truth and endeavor to help their own people instead of sending them away, the one overriding benefit that comes by default ***is unity***\. This comes about because the local body is being practical in their one\-anothering efforts\. The one who is struggling is sharing his need in honesty and humility\. The rest of the body is focused on lifting up the hands that are hanging down\. The whole body sees the Lord as the Great Physician and as the one and only Counselor\. They join hearts together in earnest prayer for help, direction, and answers\. This works the same as a couple who stays humble and open with each other through life’s difficulties—the more they share together, the more they are drawn together\. Thus, a church that openly shares their problems and struggles with each other, endeavors to help each other, and prays for each other will naturally be drawn together in unity\.