Glorify God through our restored allegiance, resulting in a radically transformed life. How many obedient followers of Christ would be made in twenty years if a disciple made one disciple a year, if each disciple also made one disciple a year? Lets see what the Apostle Paul had to say about the eternal consequences of living by the flesh: Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Now, we understand that these numbers include everyone who makes any kind of a profession of Christianity, Catholics and Protestants alike, irregardless of whether they are born again or not. What if I said you would add 1,000 people this yearcould you handle it? This may seem obvious, but too often when Christians share the faith, it turns into a heated argument. Next Steps; Serve; Connect @ Woodlands. Did Jesus just speak by his own initiative or was what He said by design? How often should you repeat the spiritual inventory? All of this points to the small, obscure, quiet, almost invisible beginnings of the kingdom. Just get a blank piece of paper. Again, we believe in Gods power for salvation, but not necessarily for transformation. If adopted, it will be difficult to propagate a healthy discipleship chain. According to 1 John 2:3-6, is someone who says they know Christ and does not obey His commands honest? So, when we begin ascribing a meaning to the birds, and the woman, and the leaven, and the three pecks of flour, we can begin to find all kinds of fanciful interpretations. However, the Spirit is grieved and no longer in operation in the person with the stronghold. Yes, churches will both grow and be planted as a result. These past three weeks we have focused our messages on discipleship. (John 15:4-6). One thing that is a possibility, is that even if they meet with your church, they could form a sub-culture within the body if there is a severe disparity between the Kingdom and institutional DNA. One: A large front line force. Because Kingdom Christianity is very different from institutional church Christianity and your disciple will quickly settle for the easier of the two. Join A Life Group; Take A Class; He compares it to the event that happened to Cornelius and his acquaintances, saying they had received the same gift as the disciples had at the beginning. Read Galatians 5 below: 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. During a spiritual inventory, what three things must we take from Satans dominion and give over to God? Read also John 14:24. Disobedience is the result of ignorancebelieving a lie in lieu of the truth. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it felland great was its fall. When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded (James 4:7-8, NASB). Because of bad habits, most Christians are knowledgeable beyond their ability to _________? Yet, once it was planted, it would grow steadily, slowly, and powerfully until it became a mighty force in the world. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. read more, Scripture: Read 2 Samuel Chapters 11 and 12. In Jesus name, Amen. I recommend a fast one day per week, specifically to focus on finding a disciple of their own to share in the faith journey. It was only Marcs reputation for sincerity and integrity that compelled me to lay aside my concerns and take the time to read it. Through the fall of Adam and Eve, Satan thwarted Gods plan to glorify Himself through His Creation. (Ephesians 4:26-27, NKJV), In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. All else is secondary, and should only be considered inasmuch as it does not detract from the true mission. I tell you the truth, there is far more accountability in a discipleship paradigm than in a big-church paradigm. Without a commitment to the vision (freedom) and the mission (defend and protect), no amount of compensation is worth dying for; but with a sense of duty, honor, and sacrificeno price is too high. What the key first steps for qualifying a disciple? 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Too many Christians are afraid to be honest. To encourage disciples to become doers of the Word? Many believe and find the Gate, but few persevere to walk the narrow path unto fruitfulness. Last week we looked at one of Jesus favorite teachings, the kingdom of God. I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. And He began telling this parable: A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. In looking at the methods that we use to restore a person to wholeness, one would have to conclude that the Holy Spirit is insufficient to transform a life. Whenever a pastor preaches, he should be reminding the congregation of the mercy and love of God in sending Jesus Christ to die and rise for sinners. Can a Christian gain freedom from a stronghold individually? Now sign on the bottom. Model the Kingdom lifestyle, offer specific suggestions and encouragement for your disciple, be available in a watching mode as they grow, then let them go once they have successfully perpetuated the training sequence into the second or third generations. Abide in Me, and I in you. For the unchurched who have no knowledge of the Gospel, you would share concerning our fall into sin, our deserved punishment, Jesus incarnation, His death as payment for the penalty of our sin, and the resurrection as proof of His power over sin and death. And folks, Revelation 11:15 describes how this will all culminate, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever. The kingdom of Christ is far bigger now than it was when He walked the earth. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. They were tempted and sinned, and that resulted in death. Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. Your wealth? Show them what it means to be a disciple by doing life together. In my own words, we are cleansed by Christs blood and the old man dies and the new man is birthed. Marcs perspectives on American Christianity are refreshingly out of the box. They arent the critical attacks we often read that offer no solutions. Likewise, Paul said: Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1). I read a survey that 95% of believers never lead another person To the contrary, the wise children seek the protection of the righteous parent. What did He command her to do from now on?. Is conversion the same as making disciples? The one who says, I have come to know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. Gods intent was that we would be fruitful and multiply. Two: the mission must be self-propagating regardless of cultural context, available resources, or giftedness. Manifesto on Kingdom expansion? We are free indeed, and must receive that freedom. They must hold onto the vision and keep their sights on the mission. Paul made the case that the church must discipline sinners. They may even believe signing comes with others benefits such as health and wealth. The focus is not how or where they assemble corporately (I hate that term), but rather is centrally focused on their accountability and obedience to Christ. (Philippians 3). Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. A description of a way we are seeking to form disciples at The Bridge. We dont just have a building, we have a kingdom awaiting us. We are cleansed by His blood if we walk in light, practicing the truth, in fellowship with Him and the saints. However, the reigning ministry models and methods are based on addition, not multiplication. Marc has been able to cut through centuries of mans traditions to bring us a fresh sight of the kind of Christianity that truly has the potential to be world-changing. No one believes everything all at once, because no one can learn it all at once. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. We assume that God will forgive us through His grace, regardless of what we do. These permeate our being and give him permission to have his way with us. As you know, this book is designed to serve two purposes: to help ministry leaders establish good practices for launching a disciple-making movement, and to provide materials that you can use with others. The letter of Hebrews says: Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). Pray for, and help them find, positive relationships and replacement activities that will encourage them in their new lifestyle. read more, Scripture: How many times have we all been disappointed when books didnt match their publicity? The Roman emperors did everything they could to destroy Christianity, but it just kept growing and spreading every year. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. Respect their decision. They practiced it so that they could make disciples. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; 16 however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. To restore Gods Glory, by destroying the devils works. Job apparently gave his allegiance to Godhe signed the blank piece of paper and was willing to give it all. We resist the devil by not giving him a place, or a foothold, which is obeying him at the expense of the Spirits guidance. When it comes to defeating the powers of darkness, light must be shed on that darkness. Therefore, our raison dtre in life and ministry is to glorify God, and nothing more. This is not something meant to be confined to the four walls of a building. Am I asking you to tell your disciple not to attend church for a while? I pray that you quiet the distractions in life to allow them to cherish their time with youto gain understanding, guidance, and obedience. This may seem like a subtlety; however, it can prove significant in how we minister to folks. We are bound to a church system that keeps us trapped within four walls. These blogs were written to seek to accurately interpret some difficult Biblical passages, These are blogs written concerning the church plant in Rancho Cordova. . Satan knows full well that an unfruitful believer makes a mockery of the cross, denies the power of the Spirit to change a life, and makes the faith unattractive to outsiders. In Acts 11:15 and 16, what did Peter call this experience? You don't need to ask them if they keep theTen Commandments. People call me fanatical, holier than thou, self-righteous, and judgmental, among other things. As a result, we live our lives and design and execute our ministries with people in mind, rather than God. I rebuke the enemy and command him by the authority of Jesus Christ to stay away from your people. Certainly many do join for such noble reasons; however, numerous other young men and women simply join for the benefits, such as college tuition and other signing bonuses. This presumes that the mentor is likewise obedient; remember, the Kingdom life is about imitating a lifestyle, not memorizing doctrines. He has laid out the simple plan of the gospel in a way all of us can live it and move it forward. 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day? 17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him. . To have serious conversations with some people, you need to gain a certain level of trust. Discipleship Training Manual was Pastor Brians attempt to provide some material to enable an older believer guide a younger believer into a growing and more obedient relationship to Christ. Read John 14:15, 14:21, and John 15:10. If they fail to repent, then a second person accompanies the offended to make clear to the offender that the claim by the offended is substantiated. But the same old dynamic plays out: temptation (from our carnal desires) can lead to sin, and sin to death. They have no sense of meaning, purpose, or fulfillment. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. A better figure would be each saint making 6 disciples per year; the Great Commission would be fulfilled in just 13 years starting from scratch. They become spiritual. This spiritual person never doubts, worries, or sins. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. We can easily complain that the problem with the harvest is that the soil is too hard. This is the power of exponential growth. Promiscuity, failed marriages, depression, and other ills plague professing followers of Christ at nearly the same proportions as the rest of the world. Disciples dont need buildings, seminary training, or funding. It ends with from now on sin no more. From this we see that repentance is not just saying you are sorry, but being sorry enough to not do it again. Jesus Himself concluded that the greatest bottleneck to the fulfillment of the Great Commission is the lack of workers. If someone asked you that question, what would you say?
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