A number of years ago, needing new stationery for our church, we decided to copy the one we had  on our offset press.  It worked just fine.  Later, when we needed more, we copied one of the copies.  That was repeated several times in the next year or two.  But the quality of the copies suffered.  They didn’t look nearly as crisp and clean as the first copies we made.  I blamed the offset press and/or the person who made the copies for us.

    One day a friend pointed out that each time we made new stationery, we used the latest copy as the master.  He showed me how each time we did this we got further from the appearance of the original.  The outlines were fuzzy.  The openings in some letters were closing.   When we went back to the original as the master, our problem was solved.

    Much the same thing is happening in the current practice of “discipling” new Christians.   For example, someone becomes a Christian.  Although no one “disciples” him, he grows as the Holy Spirit works in his life.  Using the Bible, Sunday School teachers, pastors and other preachers, books and magazines, revivals and retreats, etc., the Spirit begins to develop the character of Christ in the new Christian’s life.  As time goes on he resembles Jesus more and more.

    Then, although he was not “discipled,” he somehow becomes convinced he should “disciple” others.  But instead of pointing him to the same process the Spirit used in his own life, he may begin trying to make the new Christian into a copy of himself.  The emphasis is often on the externals.  “I pray so many minutes each day.  You should also.”  “I read so many verses or chapters in the Bible daily.  You should also.”  In time, the new Christian becomes a fair copy of the one who is working with him.  Then that person selects someone to “disciple” and the process is repeated.  Each time this happens, the copy becomes more distorted.  A copy of a copy of a copy will not be a very good representation of the original.

    There is nothing wrong with trying to give guidance to a new Christian.  But I think it is better if we point him to the Bible, the Spirit, and the Church, and trust the God who provided those helps to do the same kind of work in the new Christian that He did in us.  By doing so we are much more likely to get copies of the original, which is what we need.