Daily Devotional For Saturday, August 30, 2025

Good morning Southside! Yesterday, we looked briefly at how Christ is the source of the church and as our source, He gave us a command – go make disciples (Matthew 28:19). He did not tell us to create programs or ministries or build buildings. There are churches all over America spending millions to build buildings but not build disciples. But He did tell us to build the church. How? Through making disciples. This command is to every single believer in the church. It is not just given to the paid staff. Our job is to equip people in the church on how to do this (Ephesians 4:11-13). So, today I want to talk more about this. 

This is why the church must have older more spiritually matured disciples mentoring to less mature members on how to be a disciple and make disciples. We no longer can hope that somehow through osmosis they get it. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (ESV). Though this verse is about parenting, we can still apply the same concepts to making disciples and spiritual formation:

1. First, the Hebrew word translated as “train” is [חנך, chanokh] and it literally refers to the palate in the mouth. 

It means “to create a thirst” in the child. In biblical days, when a baby was born, the mother or midwife would take the juice of some crushed dates and put it on her finger and then put her finger in the baby’s mouth, massaging the gums and inner lining of the mouth. This would cause the baby’s suckling desire or sensation to taste to start. Then the midwife would give the baby back to the mother and the mother would then place the baby’s mouth on her breast to nurse and feed. Over time, this Hebrew word was used to mean “to create a thirst for righteousness and consecration.”

The Hebrew word translated as “way” is [דָּרַךְ, derekh, darko] and it means “characteristic, manner or mode.” This means each child responds differently to correction and discipline even in the same family. This means that different approaches or styles have to be used based on each child. Therefore, a godly parent has to observe what is keeping with or in cooperation to what manner works best with each child individually. To apply the same style of correcting and discipling to each child can cause a desire within them to rebel.

Today, we could translate this as “in keeping with . . .” or “in cooperation with . . .” or “in accordance to . . .” with or to what? — “in the way he should go.” In Hebrew, we would translate this as “according to his way.” Not your way as a parent, but his or her way as a child. Meaning, not all parenting can be the same. You have to watch and observe what methods work best with your child in terms of training and discipline. How your parents did this to you may not work with your own child. It could cause them to rebel and go a different way. 

Each child has it own bents or characteristics: some are extroverted, and some are introverted; some are more logical and some are more emotional; some are more aggressive and some are more passive; some are athletic and some are musical; they have a bent towards good and a bent towards evil due to sin Therefore, we could paraphrase Proverbs 22:6 this way; “Adapt the training of your child so that it is in keeping with his or her God given characteristics and tendencies and individual bents; when he or she comes to maturity her she will not depart from the training he or she has received” (From Charles R. Swindoll, You And Your Child, p. 15.)

1. Second, the Hebrew word used here for child is [לַ֭נַּעַר, ma-ar] and this Hebrew word can refer to any age child who is living under your roof. In this case, then any new believer under the “roof” of our church should be discipled in a way that goes with their God given characteristics and bents, so that as they start becoming more mature and so that they will not depart from the mentoring and training they have received. Why? So they will go as a disciple and to make disciples. 
1. Some scholars put it this way: “Train a child in a manner befitting a child.”In other words, one should train a child using vocabulary, concepts, and illustrations a child can understand. It does not mean that instruction should be tailor-made for each individual child (however valid that concept may be) but that one should begin instructing a child in elementary principles of right and wrong as soon as possible. Meaning, we start with terms and vocabulary a new believer can understand  before we teach them big words such as justification, sanctification, glorification, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, theological, ontological, and cosmological. I think you get what I mean here. Meaning our instruction as spiritual parents should be on the level of that new believer’s understanding. Spiritual mentors should train their mentees with terms and expressions as if they were the same age spiritually as their mentee. 
2. The Apostle Paul writes this in Ephesians 1:22-23, “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, (23) which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (NASB). In the beginning of Ephesians 1:22, Paul has in mind Psalm 8:6. 
3. Third, the Hebrew word translated here as “old” is [זָקָן, yazqin], which “refers to when hair begins to grow on the chin.” In this case, adolescence. This means there should come a point where we are more confident they are ready to stand on their own two feet spiritually. Paul is making it clear that Christ rules over all The Apostle Paul writes this in Ephesians 1:22-23, “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, (23) which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (NASB). In the beginning of Ephesians 1:22, Paul has in mind Psalm 8:6. 
4. Paul affirms this again in 1 Corinthians 15:20-28. Paul says in Ephesians 1:22, that Christ is the “head” over the church. The word Paul uses here for “head” is [κεφαλή, kephale]. This word means “source of, origin of.” It was used in biblical times to refer to small streams and tributaries as the source of large bodies of water. Without Christ, there is no church. He is the source of the church’s existence through His death and Resurrection. Therefore, Christ is the head, He is the supreme authority over the church. 
5. And in Ephesians 1:23, Christ is the source of the unity of the church through His presence in it. We see this concept of unity in other of Paul’s writings (Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:22-27 and Colossians 1::18-19.

We no longer need good church members. We need godly disciples who in turn make disciples. We need the presence, the power, and the purpose of Jesus Christ, our head, to permeate every part of the church He founded. We do not need to be more denomination or institutional or seeker-friendly. We need to be more disciple making. 

Assignment: Who are you currently discipling so that they will one day make disciples? If you are not, why? To not make disciples is a sin. Matthew 28:19 is not optional. It is a command to every single believer in Christ. If you do not know how, would you please reach out to our staff and let us equip you to do this?

Scripture To Meditate On: Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (NASB).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, give me a heart to make disciples so they can make disciples. I want you to be the head of my life like you are the head of the church. As my source of eternal life, I want to be used by you to help others be the source of making disciples. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly