Matthew 13:25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.

Matthew 13:5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

Mark 3:14 He appointed twelve--designating them apostles--that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach

Key thought: Without intentional in discipleship, new believers are exposed to dangers and attacks of the enemy that derail their spiritual growth or even lead theirbacksliding.

Just like babies need to be nurtured, cared for, protected and given the necessary support to grow,  new converts too need support from mature believers of their path of growth.

The truth is that all believers are in the process of growing in the Lord, but the more mature ones, are to help those that have just come to the Lord or are stuck along their journey of faith. We have a challenge of proxy parenting on discipleship in our generation. Believers,  especially new converts or those raised in Christian families are left to the vultures and many times end up in trouble. The call is to make disciples,  the making of discipleship does not end with winning souls, it is teaching them to obey all that Jesus commanded us Jesus when he picked the twelve,  He was intentional with the discipleship process, "He appointed them that he might be with them and that he might send them" When one comes to the Lord,  they become a prime enemy of the devil. We have  a responsibility to help each other in the faith so that we are better equipped to stand against Satan and his devices. The truth of the matter is, even though we are planted as wheat, the enemy will come to sow weeds. Even with the best intentions,  the devil will through stuff to break our faith with God. Many times he will take advantage of our past if it has not been handled well to find entry. As believers we are God's possession,  but that does not stop the devil from attacking and oppressing us, that why we must grow so that can face the enemy head on.Discipleship goes beyond the formal meetings and lessons we develop. Many times, it through our interactions,  it is through observation and is why we need to be authentic and at the same time intentional. As we minister to and disciple people, there is always impartation, both the disciple makers and disciple have to be careful in what they pass on and what they receive.Paul understood this when he said to the believers at Corinth to imitate him

1 Corinthians 11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

We cannot leave our disciple making to chance, because will give the enemy space to sow weeds.

James 3:1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

This verse calls for responsibility,  it should help us realize the seriousness of what we do.

How can we grow our discipleship making process?  Applying the three Cs of leadership

• Calling or conviction
  • The starting place is to appreciate our calling as disciple makers.
  • Without the conviction of our calling, we become indifferent and casual aboutbwhat we do.
  • Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
  • As we minister to others, we welp them grow their conviction as children of God.
• Competence
  • Discipleship making is calling but also a practice where we
  • can develop our competence.
  • Growth is a critical element in our faith; we must pursue growth in our calling
  • 2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
  • We seek growth for ourselves even we grow others.
  • We must sharpen our skills for presenting the gospel,  we must grow our basic counseling skills
• Character
  • We become better disciple makers as we allow God to work on our character
  • Character is what holds our calling and competence together.
  • Character is grounded in the state of our heart and flows or affects our conduct.
  • So what we see on the outside in many ways expresses what is on the inside
  • We can deceive people,  but God cannot be mocked.
  • 1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
  • If there is one area we need God help us all is on our character- our integrity that flows into our conduct.
  • We must make sure that the narrative we carry is one that God carries

Why must we be intentional in our discipleship?

What are some of the dangers believers(particularly new ones) face?

1. The trap of false teachings and deceipt
   • One big threat to our walk of faith drifting away from the faith.
   • We must teach those we disciple to look out for deception  of the enemy.
   • The danger in discipleship is the danger of imparting wrong things
   • We must be careful  not to transfer our errors
   • 2 Peter 3:17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.
   • Acts 20:30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.
   • We must guard ourselves from error by abiding in the word of God
   • We must have believers like those if Berea, those that are able to go back in the scriptures
   • Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
2. The threat of persecution
   • Believers face all kinds of attacks and persecution, it is a given fact that trouble mark our way.
   • We must empower people brings to to face the reality of resistance and opposition to our faith
   • 1 Timothy 3:12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
   • The saddest thing is sometimes those who persecute you may not be far
   • People in error may at times pursue those wanting to live godly lives
3. The danger of relapsing
   • Choking with the cares and the allure of riches is a reality.
   • There is a temptation for old self to reappear
   • 1 Peter1:14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.
   • We are always in a battle against the flesh, and victory comes through God's help
   • Galatians 5:16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
   • God has made everything possible that we can overcome sin
4. The pitfall of doubt
   • Salvation is by faith, it is beyond feelings or our actions
   • Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-
   • Doubt is an opening to sin, may the Lord take away our unbelief
   • Doubt works in the opposite direction of faith

Conclusion

• The goal of discipleship is that people may grow into maturity

Luke 6:40 A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.