Many of us have been impacted by an old book written by a young brilliant German theologian named Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the book, The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer could have left Germany to teach in America and avoid what was happening in Germany in the 1930’s. He struggled with the decision. Ultimately…
In a recent conference, Reggie McNeal described three shifts needed for churches to move from program-driven to missional-driven. These are very insightful for all church leaders and for a strategy of disciple making. 1. Changing from internal ministry to an external focus: This isn’t an “either-or” situation, but a movement…
What are some key words about New Testament discipleship? Consider these: EVERYONE… Discipleship is a process that involves all Christians. We mistakenly think it is just for super Christians or those in ministry, but it is for all who follow Christ. We are all disciples who are at different stages…
Oxymora is the plural of oxymoron. The English language comes with some very interesting combination of words. Here are some of my favorite oxymoron words, which are words that contradict each other but are used together to express our thoughts. Here are some examples: “Perfect mistake”…how can that be since…
As I write this, my wife and I are in a motel room waiting for our furniture to arrive at our new house in the morning. Our old house is not ours anymore and our new house just became ours a few hours ago. Actually the mortgage company says we…
Long before churches and corporations were creating vision or mission statements, Jesus gave the church His mission statement in Matthew 28:16-20. We are on mission to make disciples. God called a people out to Himself that he would use to bring lost people to Himself. 1 Peter 2:9, “But you…
Jesus’ style of discipleship reflects how He taught and trained His disciples. It is truth with application allowing questions.
In the next few blogs we are going to talk about Jesus’ Style of making disciples. The word disciple is found 267 times in the New Testament. The word Christian is found 3 times in the New Testament. The word disciple (mathetes) is translated literally as a “learner.” My simple…
Today there are more discipleship materials, books, DVD’s, resources, and strategies available than ever before. Some of these books help us see the state of discipleship in our culture; George Barna’s, Growing True Disciples and The Shape of Faith to Come by Brad Waggoner are two examples. Others are more…
My favorite Christmas gift this year was an iPod shuffle given to me by my son. Tiny in size yet it can store 500 plus songs. It is a great companion as I jog; take a long walk, or just working around the house. I have loaded several CD’s that…
Two encounters are critical. First, the leader encounters God in His Word and is changed. Second, the leader guides the group to have a life-changing encounter.
In John 13:34-35, three times Jesus said, “Love one another.” Your group is the ideal place to practice and launch the kind of love for one another that shows the world that we are His disciples.