Pastor I.D.O. Akinpelu
By ‘Gbenga Bankole
The former Assistant Youth Coordinator of the old Akinyele Region and incumbent District Superintendent of Christ Apostolic Church, His Fame District, Pastor I.D.O. Akinpelu has revealed what every Christian leader must know about discipleship.
While ministering on Thursday February 2, 2023 on the topic “Discipleship: a Right Process for Raising Sons of God” (Text: Matt 28:18-20) at National Leadership Retreat 2023 organised by the directorate of youth affairs, CAC Nigeria and Overseas, Pastor Akinpelu said discipleship helps a convert grow and attain the status of a Christian (Son of God).
He further said discipleship provides an avenue to nurture the new convert in biblical teachings, it is a period after conversion within which the church educates the new convert about the things in the Bible (the dos and don’ts, the doctrines, the Christian lifestyle, etc.).
“Discipleship provides the avenue to acquaint the new convert with the church’s core values, practices, tenets, history, etc. Discipleship produces mature Christians who become addicted to witnessing and winning souls for God. Because of what they have learned, they are ready for mission and evangelism in all its dimensions: going, grunting, and giving. Discipleship enhances reproduction. The church is not an institution but a living organism, and all healthy living organisms reproduce. Discipleship implants reproduction DNA into every new convert. Discipleship enhances healthy multiplication. Multiplication is the only force required for exponential growth. Multiplication is multigenerational reproduction that is passed on from one generation to another as an organic part of the church DNA. But more importantly, healthy multiplication is far better than rapid multiplication. While evangelism could bring rapid multiplication, it takes only discipleship to guarantee both rapid and healthy multiplication,” he explained.
He admonished that discipleship must be encouraged by all youth leaders in all assemblies and our campus fellowship, adding that it must be made mandatory, and anyone who does not participate should not be considered for membership in the fellowship.
Pastor Akinpelu opined that our youth leaders must become more discipleship-oriented than membership-oriented and discipling program must be instituted for all assemblies and campus fellowship.
He added that;“all fellowships must have a discipleship manual that is centrally produced, well packaged, and contains sound doctrine from the Bible and the dogma of our church. The use of this central discipleship manual must be encouraged by all assemblies and campus fellowship youth leaders. Classification should be introduced into our discipleship structure in such a way that a disciple can upgrade from one class to another. Every disciple must begin discipleship with transformational kinds of conversion. Friendship and peer discipleship must be encouraged. If those who are saved must rise for the salvation of others, then those who are matured must ensure the maturity of others. The concept of family discipleship (mothers disciplining daughters and fathers disciplining sons) must be taught and encouraged for the upcoming youth who are potential mothers and fathers. Discipleship must be a criterion for becoming a worker in all our youth fellowships.”
According to him, discipleship is a call to follow Christ, call to formation into a new being in Christ, call to become fragrance of Christ, call to forsake, call to become fishers of men, call to freedom, call to forgiveness, call to friendship and call to fellowship.