Wonder of God

One of the more dangerous aspects of our contemporary contexts of Christianity is a tendency towards individualism that leads us to over-emphasize our personal and private relationship with Jesus. However, this was never supposed to the be the case. For it is only within the biblical practice of Christian discipleship that the individual Christian can fully walk in their faith.

We see this pictured in Acts 8:13a. Simon was formerly a magician and an idolater, but the preaching of the gospel radically changed his life, and we see the immediate result in today's text. We read, "Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip." It wasn't enough for Simon to understand and come to believe in Jesus Christ. He and Philip know that if the Christian faith were to take root in his life, Simon had to walk with and be discipled by Philip. 

How many times do we see new Christians overcome by the newness of the gospel, only to be drawn right back into the world and into bad habits because of the lack of Christian discipleship. This is both the fault of the individual, as well as the church. Salvation is so much more than a single moment in time; it is more a lifetime of sanctification in which we become like Jesus through community more than our individual pursuits. 

Proverbs 27:17 says, "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." Simon needed to be discipled by Philip if he was going to grow in his newly-found faith. Otherwise, it would be very possible that without devoted discipleship within Christian community, Simon would fall back into the traps of the world from whence he came. Likewise, the best way for Simon to become established in the faith and mature past the elementary doctrines of the faith was to sit under the teaching and guidance of a mature disciple of Jesus. 

With which character in our story do you more closely relate? If you identify more closely with Philip (an experienced Christian), let me ask you….who are you discipling? Have you moved past the elementary oracles of the faith into a more robust faith which you are actively imparting to another young Christian? Or, do you more closely identify with Simon? Therefore, are you seeking the discipleship and mentorship of a more mature Christian? 

Wherever you are on that spectrum, remember that Christian discipleship is paramount to our growth as individual followers of Jesus. Whereas the enemy wants to divide and conquer, Christ wants his body united in loving and truth-filled community where we grow together and walk together as we collectively are transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.