What if every church ministry and program… was required to advance individual and/or corporate discipleship and disciple-making? was required to show how it will do so before it could be calendared? was required to show (measure and report) how participants acted, ministered to others, or invited/shared Jesus differently as a…
The beginning of each new year is an opportunity to start things, to start over, to start again. It can be a time of commitments and resolutions, a time of review and desire to improve. At minimum, the Christian should stop to reflect on what God has done in the…
Over the years, I have used many Bible reading plans. I can honestly say that those plans have helped me to read more of the Bible. They have allowed me to read the Bible through many times. I have a greater understanding of God and His work in sending Jesus…
What would the characteristics of a maturing disciple look like in heart (passion), hand (action), and head (attitude)?
During the National Disciple Making Forum earlier this month, I attended four conferences led by Craig Etheredge, Pastor of First Baptist Church, Colleyville, TX. In those conferences, he shared his experiences which formed seven steps (bold moves) necessary to transition a church to become an intentional disciple-making church. Those seven…
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…
At the National Disciple Making Forum, I received a sampler (two chapters) of The Disciple Maker’s Handbook: 7 Elements of a Discipleship Lifestyle by Bobby Harrington and Josh Patrick. Because I have been around Bobby at the discipleship track at Exponential and this year’s Forum, I look forward to reading…
At the end of the day (or beginning of the next), stop. Stop to review. Ask yourself some questions: What did I learn about God? What did I learn about people? What did I learn about myself? How did I grow closer to God and man? Did I make biblically-based…
I mentioned in Part 1 that what follows are some of my observations of the biblical account of the disciple-making example of Jesus. I am not attempting an exhaustive treatment. STOP. At the beginning of Part 1, I invited you to press Comments and list 4-6 descriptors of how Jesus…
From the beginning, I want to be clear that what follows are some of my observations of the biblical account of the disciple-making example of Jesus. I am not attempting an exhaustive treatment–though the thought of writing that book sounds enticing. Before plunging in, I want to invite you to…
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.