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CHAPTER 1
The Difference that Made the Difference
"And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."
2 Timothy 2:2
"Ultimately, each church will be evaluated by only one thing – its disciples."
Neil Cole
I thought I had hit rock bottom when I stole $15,000 from my parents. I was a twenty-five-year-old drug dealer, hopelessly addicted to prescription medications. The police were on my trail, and my prosperous life suddenly fell apart.
Fast-forward eleven years. Today, I have a godly wife and two sons, and I am privileged to serve as pastor of a thriving congregation. In fact, at the time of this writing, I am in my fifth year as pastor of Brainerd Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee, having been called as pastor in 2008.
Here is the million-dollar question: how can a thieving, drug-dealing pill addict undergo such a radical transformation in so little time — a mere eleven years? What could produce this drastic change?
The answer to this question is, first and foremost, the power and grace of God. This change has come about because of God's marvelous, miraculous working in my life. But there is something else, a human factor:
I have been powerfully impacted by godly men who were willing to sacrifice their time to hold me accountable and personally disciple me in the Christian life.
These men invested in me as Paul invested in Timothy, to whom he referred as his son in the faith. Paul's model in 2 Timothy mirrors the work of these unselfish mentors who guided me through my struggles as a new believer. Here is how it all happened.
For the first twenty-five years of my life, the Lord seemed far from me. I was born into a strict Roman Catholic family, and my parents sent me to Holy Cross High School, a Catholic school for boys in New Orleans. For me, religion consisted solely of attending Mass. Each Sunday, I sat in church and dutifully participated in the rituals, governed by a personal philosophy to do only what was best for me. Completely unconcerned with what God desired for me, I left the services with an unchanged heart — every Sunday.
I graduated from high school with a fantastic opportunity: the University of North Carolina at Greensboro awarded me a basketball scholarship. But I was in love — or so I thought — and turned the scholarship down when my girlfriend begged me to attend a college closer to home.
As I browsed the phone book to see what colleges were in the area, William Carey College jumped out at me. But when I inquired about trying out for the basketball team, I received bad news: the players had already been selected, and the roster was full.
I responded the only way a desperate eighteen-year-old boy could: I begged the coach to allow me to try out for the team! Seeing that I wasn't going away otherwise, the coach caved, and I showed him my skills. To his own surprise, Coach Steve Knight offered me a scholarship the following week.
Just two weeks after school started, my devoted girlfriend, the one for whom I had given up playing for UNC Greensboro, suddenly broke up with me. Overwhelmed with both heartache and anger, I could not see the hand of God at work in the circumstances of my life. Although I did not realize it, He was setting the stage for something glorious, a life I could never have imagined at the time.
Thanks, But No Thanks
During my second semester at William Carey, the next step in God's wonderful plan for me unfolded. In His abundant goodness and love, God brought Jeremy Brown into my life, a friend who cared enough about me to discuss what it really means to have a relationship with God. Although I refused to listen at that time, Jeremy's persistent message remained in my heart: if I would only cry out to God, Jeremy said, He would forgive me of everything in my past. By surrendering my life to God, I would find a real, meaningful relationship with Him. Seven years later, Jeremy's words would come back to me at the time I needed them most.
I graduated from college and started a computer business with two friends. For six grueling months we put everything we had into the company, but it never took off. Exhausted, dejected, and broke, we dismantled the company and each went our separate ways.
When the business folded, I felt like a failure, and turned to a realm where I was confident of success. Standing at 6'6" and 290 pounds, I was fascinated with the world of mixed martial arts. I watched extreme fighting competitions and began to train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Then, I was hired as a bouncer at a club in New Orleans, where they paid me to fight. It was exhilarating, and I felt that I was indestructible.
Life Altering Accident
I found out how wrong I was on November 22, 1999, when an eighteen-wheeler traveling sixty-five miles per hour swerved across two lanes of traffic and slammed my car into a guardrail. Doctors determined that I had two herniated discs in my neck, one herniated disc in my back, and one bulging disc in my lower back. All I knew was that I was in horrific pain. Their solution: a combination of OxyContin, Valium, Soma, and Percocet.
Having never taken drugs before, I began by precisely following the dosage instructions. But in three months, I found myself addicted to prescription painkillers. When my thirty-day supply ran low as a result of abusing the drugs, I desperately turned to dubious means of feeding my insatiable craving for more.
Two shady acquaintances introduced me to the lucrative world of dealing drugs. With my business training and experience, I quickly became successful at importing and selling illegal drugs. Trafficking heroin, cocaine, GHB, marijuana, and other dangerous substances into New Orleans enabled me to enjoy a lifestyle that most only dream about.
Downward Spiral
But in January of 2000, my world began to unravel. Rick, a former business partner and close friend, overdosed on heroin and died with the needle still in his arm. Between 2000 and 2003, I lost eight friends to alcohol or drugs, while six others ended up in prison. Additionally, the police were starting to suspect me of drug-dealing and began monitoring our group.
Everything changed overnight. Suddenly, we couldn't pay the bills. The gas, water, and electricity to our house were shut off. The bill collectors continued to call until the phone was disconnected as well. To make matters even worse, I had a $180-a-day drug addiction that growled to be fed.
During that period, I stole $15,000 from my father by using his credit card to buy items online that I later pawned or sold for drug money. When my parents learned what I had done, they were totally crushed. They were well-justified in ordering me to never return to their house. Unfazed by the confrontation, I wasted the rest of my bank account on street drugs. This three-month drug binge ended with me on my parents' living room floor, penniless and begging for their help.
My next stop was a rehab program in Tijuana, Mexico, of all places. I spent ten days in an intensive recovery program involving the injection of amino acids to realign the serotonin and dopamine levels in my body. After completing the program, I moved to Mobile, Alabama, to live with my sister, and things began to improve. I even got a job as a sales manager at a gym, where I began training five days a week. One day, while foolishly attempting to squat press over 500 pounds, I felt a familiar pain shoot through my back.
After traveling back to New Orleans for treatment, I learned that I had damaged the same disc in my back, and that I needed immediate surgery. Following the surgery, I went home with the same four pain medications that were prescribed for me after my car accident. For the next six months, I allowed these medications — substances that had caused so much hurt and heartache for my family — back into my life. Things quickly crashed for the second time. Knowing I had now reached rock bottom, I abruptly stopped taking all the drugs and voluntarily re-entered rehab two weeks later.
24-Hour Experience
I began treatment again on November 12, 2002. On the first night, I remembered Jeremy Brown, who had told me that no matter what I had done, Christ loves me and is waiting for me to call out to Him in repentance and faith. It didn't happen in a church service, under a revival tent, or in a crusade. Jesus introduced Himself to me that night in my room. I surrendered myself to Him, confessing my sins and asking the Lord to save me from the mess I had made of my life. After dumping everything at the foot of the cross, God's forgiveness rushed over me like a mighty, cleansing wave. Overwhelmed by a purity and freedom I had never known, I made two promises to the Lord that night: first, I would completely devote my life to Him, and second, I would travel the world sharing my testimony with others.
I spent the next twenty-four hours in my room with nobody but Jesus Christ. This glorious experience birthed uncontainable excitement in my soul. The very next day, I told my dad that I intended to become a preacher. A lifelong Catholic, my father was concerned about my plans for marriage. Naturally, he assumed that I wanted to become a priest. I carefully explained that I was leaving my focus on rituals and works behind, and I was devoting my life to sharing the gospel with others.
The Difference that Made the Difference
Making the transition from religion to a personal relationship with Christ was extremely difficult for me. My Catholic upbringing didn't promote Scripture reading, memorization, or unrehearsed prayer. For several months, I wandered aimlessly in my Christian life, uncertain of how to proceed.
Sensing my desperate frustration, a friend suggested that I pray for God to provide a mentor to disciple me, just as Paul had discipled Timothy. Because I had never read the Bible, I was unfamiliar with Paul and Timothy's relationship. But in spite of my nervous skepticism, I began to pray for God to send someone to help me.
I began attending Edgewater Baptist Church in New Orleans. After a few weeks, a church member by the name of David Platt invited me to meet weekly with him for Bible study, prayer, and accountability. When he asked me to pray about joining him, I excitedly responded, "I have already been praying. When do we start?"
I couldn't believe that God had heard my sincere plea for help, and had prompted David to offer to disciple me in the Christian life. For the next five months, I met with David every week to discuss the glory of God, the lost nature of man, and the good news of Christ. Throughout this time, David constantly encouraged me to share my story with others. The following month, I enrolled in New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary to prepare for a lifetime of ministry. We continued meeting, enlarging our group to seven other seminary students, every Tuesday and Thursday mornings at six thirty for the next eighteen months.
Shortly after, God graciously brought another key person into my life. Tim LaFleur, a campus minister at Nicholls State University, invited me to work with him for the summer in Glorieta, New Mexico, helping hundreds of college students grow into mature followers of Christ. We spent those three months discussing the essential doctrines of the faith, the power of the Holy Spirit, the equipping of saints for service, and the assurance of salvation. He straightened out my faulty theology, always correcting me with grace and love.
In addition to David and Tim, a number of other selfless men invested themselves in discipling me. I am eternally grateful to Don Wilton, Tony Merida, Reggie Ogea, Larry Osborne, John Willoughby, Mark Dever, Bill Hull, and Bryant Wright as well. These men have been "Pauls" in my life, instructing and challenging me to do for others exactly what they did for me.
Reality Check
Though my story sounds unique, I'm really not alone. We all come out of sin and into a relationship with Christ. Everyone needs to be discipled, regardless of their background. As I grew in my faith and knowledge of God's Word, I became aware that very few believers have had someone in their lives who accepted the responsibility of equipping them in the foundational doctrines, principles, and practices of the faith. In fact, I observed that most church members have yet to experience the benefits of personal discipleship.
Having surveyed churches for the past eighteen years, David Olson, director of the American Church Research Project, reported eye-opening results. He found that "on any given weekend in 1990, 20.4 percent of the American population attended an orthodox Christian church. On any given weekend in 2000, 18.7 percent of the American population attended an orthodox Christian church. In 2003, the Christian church attendance percentage was 17.8 percent. If the present rate of decline continues, in 2050, 11.7 percent of the population will be in a Christian church on any given weekend." If the numbers drop as Olson projects, the future is bleak for the body of Christ in America.
T-NET International, a Colorado-based organization that trains and coaches pastors to fulfill the Great Commission, conducted a survey to determine if churches were producing disciples. Their team polled over 4,000 churchgoers from thirty-five churches representing different denominations. Bob Gilliam, cofounder and president of T-NET International, reported, "Many people in these churches are not growing spiritually. Of those taking this survey, 24 percent indicated that their behavior was sliding backward, and 41 percent said they were 'static' in their spiritual growth." Thus, 65 percent of believers are either stalled or declining in their spiritual life.
Did you grasp the seriousness of these numbers? Six out of ten church attendees admitted that their spiritual lives were stagnant. Should the Christian life be stagnant? Is static a proper term to describe followers of Christ? Every single one of us should be closer to Christ today than we were a year ago, or even a month ago.
Wake Up Call
Five years after writing about mobilizing, inspiring and leading others, Bill Hybels, Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, publicly apologized to his congregation for failing to produce disciples in his church. Hybels hired a company to evaluate Willow Creek's effectiveness, and the results caused Hybels to experience the "wake-up call" of his ministerial life. Acknowledging Willow Creek's failure, Hybels expressed his frustration. "We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and became Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become 'self-feeders.' We should have gotten people, taught people how to read their Bible between services, and how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own."
After investing thirty years of ministry and tens of millions of dollars in facilities, programs, and promotions, Willow Creek was admittedly unsuccessful in producing disciples. Resources were prioritized on attracting visitors, but a step-by-step plan for personal growth was ignored.
How important is discipleship to pastors? In study after study, pastors have repeatedly ranked discipleship at the bottom of their priority list. The average church today focuses on programs and the public worship experience. Few have any real emphasis on personal discipleship, much less any structure or instruction for performing it.
Jason Mandryk of Operation World directly confronted this problem: "Discipleship is the greatest challenge facing the Church today. ... There is a genuine need for effective Bible study and teaching in Christians' heart languages, genuine fellowship, and a commitment to involvement in ministry."
It's Not All the Church's Fault
Speaking about the impact Christians have on the world, or the lack thereof, Greg Nettle stated, "The lack of discipleship undermines all else that we seek to do." So who is to blame for this oversight? It is unfair to blame the church exclusively. While the shortcomings of the church in discipleship cannot be overlooked, it is also true that many professing Christians never commit to a growing relationship with the Lord.
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus taught us that many who receive the Word of God never grow and bear fruit for Him. A shallow commitment and love for the things of this world — this life — stunt their growth as believers (Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23).
The fact is, nearly all evangelical churches emphasize, to some degree, Bible study and prayer, which are the basic keys to knowing God. Most offer some sort of Bible study or D-Groups (this concept will be explained in Chapter 3), albeit, often ineffectively.
But, in the best of churches, only a fraction of the membership even attends a worship service regularly! Smaller still is the percentage of people who are faithfully involved in a group or class.
Jesus pulled no punches when it came to discipleship. He was blunt and crystal-clear about it: following Him is a choice, a choice that requires sacrifice, commitment, and making Him the number one priority of our lives. There is a price involved with being His disciple. He forewarned us, and many professing believers count the cost and decide it is more than they are willing to pay (Luke 14:26-33).
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Growing Up"
by .
Copyright © 2013 Robby Gallaty.
Excerpted by permission of B&H Publishing Group.
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