Discipleship 2: Accountable by Pastor Abidan Shah

DISCIPLESHIP – ACCOUNTABILITY by Pastor Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson

Introduction: About 9 years ago, Nicole and I decided to take our kids out west. Many of you know that I love the Old West. So, we drove all the way through Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Arizona and came back through New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and all those states. It was a fun trip except for one part. When we left Estes Park, Colorado, we had 2 choices: go the long way on the interstate to Utah or take the short way through the Rockies. Of course, I chose the short scenic route. Thirty minutes into the trip we realized that it was a big mistake. The scenery was gorgeous but the road was narrow without any guard rails and sheer drop on either side. I’d never been so nervous in my life. Thank God we made it safely.Here’s the point: Accountability is like guardrails on the road of discipleship. It is imperative for a disciple to have someone in life of the same gender who is trustworthy, mature, and godly, and willing to question your bad behaviors and encourage your good behaviors on a regular basis.

Mark 6:7“And He called the twelve toHimself,and began to send them out twobytwo, and gave them power over unclean spirits.”

Luke 10:1“After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.

Question: Both with the 12 disciples and then with the 70 disciples, Jesus sent them out two by two. He paired them up, among other reasons, to hold each other accountable. If you are a disciple, who do you have in your life who holds you accountable? Who is willing to question your bad behavior and encourage your good behavior? No accountability = no guardrails down the steep mountain of life. It’s a matter of time. Are you a disciple? Are you saved?

Context: In the first message in our series on discipleship, I introduced the goal of discipleship in the acronym – W A T E R = WITNESSES + ACCOUNTABILITY + TOGETHERNESS + ESTABLISHED IN THE WORD + REPRODUCING. Last weekend we looked at the first letter W = WITNESSES and today we will look at the second letter A = Accountability. 2 main things we need to understand about Accountability:

I. JESUS KNEW THE VALUE OF ACCOUNTABILITY.

Background:To start with, the 2 verses we just read: In Mark 6, Jesus sent out the 12 disciples with power over unclean spirits. That’s incredible power but it did not cancel out the need for accountability. He sent them two by two. In Luke 10, Jesus sent out the 70 disciples and they came back rejoicing that even the demons were subject to them in his name. That’s again incredible power but again it did not cancel out the need for accountability because again he sent them two by two. We also find 2 instances when Jesus sent his disciples to do some very important tasks. The first was to bring a donkey so he could ride into Jerusalem and fulfill a very important prophecy. Listen to Luke 19:29“And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, thatHe sent two of His disciples.” Couple of days later he wanted to eat a very important meal with his disciples before the cross. Listen to Luke 22    7Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.8And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.”

There’s one more very important example of how Jesus valued accountability.When Matthew and Luke recorded the names of the disciples, they put them in the pairs with minor differences. Matthew 10   2Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the sonof Zebedee, and John his brother; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the sonof Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.” By the way, later, the accountability group waschanged – Acts 1:13“And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; Jamesthe sonof Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judasthe sonof James.” More than likely, Jesus reassigned them.

By the way, the early church in the Book of Acts continued the same pattern of accountability established by Jesus. Acts 3:1“Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer…”and healed the man born lame.Acts 13:2As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” In Acts 15 there was a contention between Paul and Barnabas over taking John Mark with them because he had gone AWOL in the middle of ministry. Nonetheless, Barnabas took Mark and Paul took Silas. Later Paul took Timothy and Titus with him. Then there were other pairs like Silas and Timothy and Timothy and Erastus. Here’s the point: Accountability is not a 21^stcentury concept. It was something that was valued greatly by Jesus and the early church. Bill Hull in his book The Disciple Making Pastor says this about accountability in making disciples – “To believe you can make disciples or develop true maturity in others without some form of accountability is like believing that you can raise children without discipline, run a company without rules, or lead an army without authority. Accountability is to the Great Commission what tracks are to a train.”

Question: If Jesus emphasized the value of accountability and the early church practiced it, why is that we are reluctant to practice accountability in our lives?

II. THERE’S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRUE AND FALSE ACCOUNTABILITY.

There are reasons why Christians are reluctant to have accountability in their lives:

1. False understanding of Accountability:
2. Coming to church is not accountability. Coming to church is about fueling our faith. Accountability is about guarding our steps. Coming to church is about celebration as a family. Accountability is about reflection on our personal walk. Coming to church is about soul uplifting. Accountability is about soul searching. Also, Sunday School or Bible Study is not accountability either because they are not the place for hard questions, honest answers, and trusted confidentiality.
3. Controlling others is not accountability. Invading privacy, legalistic rules, and manipulative tactics are not biblical accountability. True accountability doesn’t seek to keep people depended on you. True accountability is freeing and uplifting.
4. Lack of understanding of the benefits of Accountability:

Sin came into the world when Adam failed to be the accountability partner to his wife. Satan isolated her and then overpowered her. For married people, your spouse should be the first ring of accountability and then someone of the same gender who is trustworthy, mature, and godly. Listen to what the wise King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 4    9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. 12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his classic book Life Togethersaid, “Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him.”

Don’t think of the benefits of accountability as only negative. Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”1 Thessalonians 5:11“Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.”

Application:Do you understand the benefits of biblical accountability? Let me ask it differently, “Are you struggling with some sin that you can’t seem to free yourself from?“Are you struggling to grow in your spiritual walk?”

What’s the next step?

1. Accept the Importance of Biblical Accountability. Saddest thing for me as a pastor is to see is good men and women fall apart due to lack of accountability or false accountability. Do you have any guardrails in your life?

Note: Being someone’s guardrail will also keep your from going off the edge.

2. Be willing to sacrifice. This may require getting up early and meeting with a couple of guys. This may require getting together with a couple of ladies at lunch. You don’t have to come to church for this. It can happen right where you are.
3. Pray. Ask God to show you the right person/people to help you stay accountable.
4. Be Patient.Robby Gallaty said, “Finding individuals whom we can trust is not an overnight process— it takestime to develop the kind of trust where deep secrets can be shared with confidence and confidentiality.”
5. Become a Disciple. Unless you are saved, you do not have the most important accountability partner, the Holy Spirit. He confronts and comforts.