The future leaders, ministers and disciples sitting in today’s congregations may be easy to overlook, but Rev. Gideon Buernor Puplampu believes the Church must learn to see them through the eyes of Jesus.
Addressing participants in his day-two presentation at the just-ended 22nd National Evangelism and Church Growth Consultation at the Ramseyer Training Centre, Abetifi, the guest speaker challenged church leaders to embrace a discipleship model rooted in grace, patience and a Christ-like vision.
He observed that viewing people through the lens of Christ requires the ability to see beyond their present circumstances. Effective disciple-making, he stressed, begins when believers learn to imitate the attitude of Jesus towards others.
“Remember Jesus,” he emphasised, describing Christ as the standard by which Christians should evaluate their ministry and relationships. “Jesus is to keep Jesus before our eyes, making Him the lens through which we see all things, and the standard by which we judge, analyse and understand,” he said.
Rev. Puplampu illustrated his point with personal experiences from his early years as a Christian. He recalled occasions when some church members looked down on him and dismissed his potential because of his background.
“When I became a preacher, I would walk into church and they would walk away from me because they said this satanic boy had started coming,” he recounted. According to him, such attitudes hinder discipleship because they fail to recognise what God can accomplish in a person’s life.
“If they were looking at me through the lens of Jesus, they would see differently,” he said. The Dangme-Tongu Presbytery Chairperson urged ministers and church leaders to depend on God’s grace rather than their own abilities when nurturing believers.
“Grace gives us the capacity to continue to go through situations without being destroyed,” he stated. “If we are able to do anything at all, it is by grace.” Comparing discipleship to the discipline of a soldier, the commitment of an athlete and the patience of a farmer, Rev. Puplampu said raising mature believers requires perseverance, patience and commitment over time.
“Full-dimensional discipleship is possible,” he ended, encouraging participants to remain focused on Christ and the work of nurturing others in the faith.
By Jerome Octhere
