In the hallway at church on Sunday, Timothy approaches you and expresses an interest in being discipled. You have not previously gotten to know Timothy. He says, “I need your help.” You agree on a time and place for a meeting. What would you include/cover in your meeting? Consider the…
The majority of Christians and even pastors have never been discipled by anyone. Satan uses that fact to discourage disciple-making. We develop a Moses complex. When we have never been discipled, we believe we cannot speak, lead, or be used to disciple others. Stop believing the lie. Just do it!…
I recently read an article by Real Life Ministries entitled 12 Simple Small Group Guidelines You Should Be Using. These guidelines were developed to “give your small group boundaries to operate with” and to “create an environment that is safe for transparency, vulnerability, and growing closer in relationship with each…
There are many questions being asked by potential disciple-makers. Sadly, the lack of answers to these questions have produced much indecisiveness and immobility. Too often the result is no start and no disciple-making. How do we break through this potential roadblock? Prayerful decisiveness and activity. In the case of the…
From the beginning, let me be clear. I am not trying to judge or brand anyone. I am simply asking a question for mutual self-assessment. Allow me to clarify the terms: CONVERT. The root of the word points toward “one who turns” or “one who changes.” A convert has turned…
While attending the National Disciple Making Forum earlier this month, I attended a breakout session entitled, “How to Use the Power of the Gospel Daily to Bring Transformation in Discipleship” led by Monte Starkes and Charles Hooper of Perimeter Church in Atlanta. They recommended what they called the Gospel three-step…
On churchleaders.com, Bobby Harrington asks ten disciple-making questions for churches in an article entitled 10 Disciple-Making Questions You Need to Ask. I encourage you to read the entire article. Many good questions are in his list: How does our church define discipleship? What does a disciple look like? Do we…
As followers of Jesus Christ, our ultimate source for examples and teaching related to disciple-making is Jesus Himself. Sometimes we miss His disciple-making actions. The Bible is our source book about Jesus, and as a result it is our source book about disciple-making. The further we get from the source,…
In The Impact of Proxemics on Disciple-making, I talked about four American spatial distances/zones and group size in those zones. Here is a summary of what I shared there: Intimate distance: 0-18 inches (2 people) Personal distance: 18 inches to 4 feet (3-7 people) Social distance: 4 to 10 feet…
Aubrey Malphurs, in his book, Strategy 2000: Churches Making Disciples for the Next Millennium, discusses eight areas of what makes a genuine disciple. This list or any list depicting lifestyle and behaviors is an outward response of an inward commitment to Jesus as Lord. This is not a legalistic exercise…
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.