Title: The Need For Discipleship
1The Need For Discipleship
2Matthew 2818-20 RSV
- 2818
- And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority
in heaven and on earth has been given to me. - 2819
- Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, - 2820
- teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you and lo, I am with you always, to
the close of the age."
3Gallup Poll
- 9 of 10 Americans say they pray daily, and 84
million Americans-almost a third of the
population-say they made a personal commitment to
Christ as Savior. - A pound of meat would certainly be affected by a
quarter pound of salt. - If this is real Christianity, the salt of the
earth, where is the effect of which Jesus
spoke? - John Ortberg
- The Life Youve Always Wanted
- pg 30
4Problem
- less than one out of every ten church attenders
spends any time during a typical week worshiping
God, other than when they are at a church
service. - Barna Reviews Top Religious Trends of 2005
- December 20,2005
- www.barna.org
-
5Morals of Believers
- A study conducted by The Roper Organization for
High Adventure Ministries in 1990 found that the
moral behavior of born again Christians actually
worsened after their conversions. Examined were
incidences of illegal drug use, driving while
intoxicated and marital infidelity. - The problem can be solved, says one researcher,
with a new commitment to accountability and
discipleship. - New Man, November/December, 1994, p. 13
6The Need
- American Christians are biblically illiterate
- the younger a person is, the less they understand
about the Christian faith - fewer and fewer parents are teaching their kids
much of anything related to matters of faith,
young peoples belief system is the product of
the mass media - Barna Reviews Top Religious Trends of 2005
- December 20,2005
- www.barna.org
7Warning!
When we stop allowing the Word and Spirit of God
to change us we settle for mere religious
activity form.
8Warning Signs!
- The real issue is what kind of people are we
becoming. - John Ortberg
- The Life Youve Always Wanted
- pg 34-38
9Warning Signs!
- Am I spiritually inauthentic?
- Woe to you.For you clean the outside of the
cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of
greed and self-indulgence. Matt. 2325 - a. Inauthenticity involves a preoccupation with
appearing to be spiritual. - b. I work harder at making people think that Im
a loving person than I do at actually loving them.
10Warning Signs!
2. Am I becoming judgmental or exclusive or
proud? They love to have the place of honor at
banquets and the best seats in the synagogues.
Matt. 236-7 a. As soon as we start to pursue
virtue, we begin to wonder why others arent as
virtuous as we are. b. Do we find it easy to
rate people or compare ourselves with them as
if in a competition?
11Warning Signs!
3. Am I becoming more approachable, or
less? They loveto have people call them
rabbi. Matt. 237 a. Rabbis had the notion
that their spirituality required them to distance
themselves from people. Lepers sinners knew
this and stayed away from them!
12- b. The only rabbi the outcasts could touch
turned out to be God Himself! - c. The religious leaders had a different ness
that pushed people away. - d. Jesus had a different ness that drew people
to him. - e. True spirituality is that way.
13Warning Signs!
4. Am I growing weary of pursuing spiritual
growth? They tie up heavy burdens, hard to
bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others.
Matt. 234 a. Its possible to devote our lives
to observing all the rules and yet never open the
heart to love or joy! b. Observing boundary
markers is simply not a compelling enough vision
to captivate the human spirit. It leads to
weariness.
14Warning Signs!
5. Am I measuring my spiritual life in
superficial ways? You blind guides! You strain
at a gnat but swallow a camel! Matt. 2324 a.
devotional life (for approval) b. Gods primary
assessment of our lives isnt going to
be measured by the number of quiet times we
have c. Am I growing in love for God
people?
15- The real issue is what kind of people are we
becoming. - John Ortberg
- The Life Youve Always Wanted
- pg 34-38
16Brian MacLaren, Leadership contributing editor
- Too many "educated" Christians have gotten lots
of information but are the least Christ-like.
17- The Christian church is failing to live up to
its promise were not even coming close to
fulfilling it. Our nation has a strong economy
but a weak morality. Believers are largely
indistinguishable from nonbelievers in how they
think and live. The church has lost its place at
the table of cultural relevance. Can we restore
the impact of the church through more events and
buildings? No. It will take zealots for
Christ-individuals who are intractably devoted to
knowing, loving, and serving Him with all their
heart, mind, strength and soul-if we are to
transform our world. George Barna - Growing True Disciples, p. 11
18The Bottom Line
Discipleship is not religious activity or
something we do in church on Sundays. It involves
every part of our life. Not just our spiritual
life. A Passionate Life
Mike Breen Walt Kallestad
pg 88
19- We Must Be Make Disciples Again!
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21Discipling Older Adults
22What Is A Disciple
- Transformed people, transforming their communities
23When God makes us new creations, we are meant to
help create a new world around us
24I pray that when I die, all of hell will throw a
party to celebrate the fact that I am no longer
in the fight C T STUDD
25Design For Discipleship
- Preaching
- Sunday School
- Small Groups
- Coffee House
- Etc.
26What Must These Ministries Do
- Connect With People
- Challenge People
- Teach People
- Change People
- Involve People
- Interact With People
27These Ministries Should Answer Two Questions
28How Now Shall We Live?
- We Should Be Walking With Christ
- Moving Towards Maturity
- Acknowledge His Lordship
29Leisure Time
Career
Marriage And Family
Education
CHRIST
Possessions
Money
Self
Cares
30- We Should Be Walking As A Servant
- We Should Be Conversing With God
- We Should Fellowship With Christians
- We Should Walk In Fruitfulness
- We Should Engage In Spiritual Warfare
- The Battle
- Know Your Enemy
- The Conflict With Sin
- The Assurance Of Victory
31- We Should Be Responsible Stewards
- We Should Have Integrity In Living
32Saved To Do What?
- Help Others Find Christ
- Recognizing Needs
- Present Christ
- Follow-Up
- Have A World Vision
33Understanding Post Moderns
- Preserving our Davids
- Tony J. Powell
34Baby Boomers / Busters1946-64
- 8 Million 20 something's who were active in
Church as teenagers will no longer be active by
the age of 30. -
- They are driven by excellence and practicality.
35Generation X / Cold Warearly 60s to late 70s
- Survived mass divorces as children
- Space shuttle explosions
- Public Political corruption
- Environmental disasters
- From rated G to R movies (devil child etc)
- Internet
36Generation Y / Echo / Millenniumearly 80s to
late 90s
- VERY BIG
- 3 Xs the size of the Boomer Generation.
- Very Diverse
- Instead of being raise by tv, this generation is
raised by computers video games.
37Identify, Recruit, Equip and Deploy
38Preserving our Davids
- Improved communications
- Resource train them
- Learn from them
- Retain them
- Recognize their gifts
- Let them minister
39Real Life
- The message of the Gospel provides spiritual
freedom, but our local church structures too
often steal our innocence and produce bondage,
slowly draining us of the very spiritual life and
joy we are supposed to minister to others.
40What This Means
- We can clearly identify Post Moderns as those
that are not interested in an Azusa street, but
those wanting to see signs wonders now! - Teach one to fish and he shows another how not to
starve.
41Next Steps
- According to Ed Stetezer, a Post Modern expert,
these guys are interested in a real move of God. - Most have studied and observed our churches and
their opinion is, if it is real, show it to us. - A first century ideology using a 21st century
method.
42CEM Day of TrainingFebruary 11, 2006Hosted by
the South Carolina Church Education Ministries
Department of the International Pentecostal
Holiness Church
- Making Disciples
- Discipling Youth
- Instructor Gene Henderson
43Making Disciples
- Discipling Youth
- A New Generation, A New Opportunity
44Can the Youth of today make a difference in our
world?
Making Disciples
45John 68-9 Jesus Christ used a boy that had
little to offer to satisfy the hunger of 5000.
Making Disciples
46How can my Church Disciple this Generation?
Making Disciples
47Answer By becoming a part of the lives of your
Youth.
Making Disciples
48Back to the Drawing Board
Discipling Children
R. Welby Fowler Day of Training
49Disciple
On Converts or Disciples? here is my basic
assertion. I believe that since World War II,
here in North America, our strategies for
evangelism have been guided more by cultural
paradigms than biblical paradigms. The result has
been that while we have had a superficial level
of success in terms of numbers reached, we have
failed to produce the kind of vibrant followers
of Jesus who make a positive difference in
culture. In other words, we have been far better
at calling forth converts than we have been in
making disciples of Jesus
- Why dont we just give them crayons and let em
color? - Youth worker of 123 Church
Fuller Professor of Evangelism Richard Peace
5019
gt10
40
Our Strategy is Failing!
51- Scripture warns us, calling us neither to make
converts to Christianity nor to count
decisions for Christ, but rather to make
disciples of Jesus Christ, a much higher and more
ambitious challenge.
52- our strategy deserves a re-thinking
53Principles of a Life-Giving Childrens Ministry
1. Children are never too young to start knowing
Jesus.
2. Childrens Ministry Leaders are serving God,
not the Childrens Ministry
3. There must be Life-Giving Relationships among
childrens Ministry Leaders
4. Effective childrens ministry is relationally
driven
5. Childrens hearts can be changed.
54The Childrens Ministry is plentiful, but the
servants are few!
Dont you think our strategy deserves a
re-thinking?
55Back to the Drawing Board
Discipling Children
Contact Welby fowler welby_at_fhmi.org
56The Pastors Role In Discipleship
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58RESOURCES
- There is almost an endless array of resources
that any one ministry can pool from that will
facilitate its vision for DISCIPLESHIP. - For the next few moments we will highlight some
items that may help you sift through the plethora
of available mountains of materials.
59EXPOSURE
- Dont try to re-invent the wheel.
- Glean from others who have walked where you
are. - Before honor comes humility (Proverbs 1533
1812). - NEVER feel inferior or intimidated to go to a
ministry that is doing something you want to do
and ask them HOW to implement certain things in
your ministry.
60EXPOSURE
- Being exposed to the way someone else is doing
something can be a great benefit to you and your
team. - Once in a while schedule a trip to take your team
somewhere that is doing something on a BIG scale
like you want to do. - However, there is a drawback
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62INDIVIDUALITY
- When considering the multitudinous array of
resources you must take time to find - What fits
- What matches
- Ladies, it is a lot like shopping for shoes for
that one special outfit that you are wearing to
that one special event. You may have to shop for
weeks, but youll know when you find it.
63Four Ps Of Resource-Hunting
- PATIENCE
- You cant do this quickly.
- PRAYER
- You must be led.
- PERSISTENCE
- Finish strong.
- PAY-OFF
- It will be worth it all when you see the
disciples being formed.
64Are you.
- OVERWHELMED
- FROM
- TODAYS
- MATERIAL
- YET?
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67Teach Them To Grow
- The resources of discipleship should be those
which will equip and enable the individual for
this journey of maturity. - The investment must be in themselves and not just
waiting for a Sunday School teacher to hold their
hand.
68Life Development Plan
- http//ldp.lifechurch.tv/jsp/main.jsp
- This is a phenomenal site that will enable each
disciple to embark on their own personal journey.
69INTERNET
- http//www.walk-this-way.com/index.htm
- http//www.omega-discipleship.com/online/item1.sht
ml - http//www.gosdm.org/
- http//www.renovare.org/
70Updated Technology
- We live and function in a computerized society.
- E-mails are a quick and convenient way to
- Keep in touch
- Deliver personal information
- Forward sites and information of interest
- Video and computer generated graphics should be a
trend in our discipleship settings.
71MATERIALS
- Request free samples. Sometimes suppliers keep
their older products available to send out to
give a potential client some type of feel of
their material. - NEVER BE AFRAID to rely on the Holy Spirits
creativity to BIRTH something in you.
Personalize all material with your own distinct
flavor.
72It is alright toGO AGAINST THE GRAIN!!!!
73It is alright to think outside the box!
74Searching for Materials
- Since we are an Internet savvy society I would
recommend simply going to www.yahoo.com or to
www.google.com and typing in Christian
discipleship material. You may have to weed
through some stuff, but there you will also find
a surplus of material.
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76Thanks for Coming!
- Now go and Be a disciple
-
- Make disciples!