by Craig Etheredge

Dietrich Bonhoeffer grew up in an upper-middle-class German family of doctors and scientists. So when he told his parents that he wanted to study theology, they were not that excited. Dietrich later became one of the world’s foremost theologians and thinkers of the 20th century. He is not remembered as much for his public sermons as he is for his courageous stand against the massive wave of evil that swept over his country. Bonhoeffer served churches in Germany during World War II, and he saw the struggle within the German church under the growing pressure of the surging Nazi regime.

As the German Church officially supported the Aryan agenda, Bonhoeffer separated himself and led out in the establishment of a new Confessing Church that stood on the Scriptures. He secretly joined a resistance movement and was later implicated in a failed plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Just a couple of months following his 39th birthday, he was hung in a concentration camp in Flossenburg. Dietrich was a man who understood, more than most, the cost of discipleship. He was a Christian surrounded by suffering, and yet he didn’t hide from it—he embraced it with devotion to God and to the people he loved. Below are some of the greatest quotes from his book, “The Cost of Discipleship”.

“To endure the cross is not tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance.”

“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching

of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline,

Communion without confession… Cheap grace is grace without discipleship,

grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

“Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God’s will.”

“Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it, a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.”

“One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons.”

Bonhoeffer communicated to his generation the simple truth that following Jesus requires sacrifice. This was the lesson Jesus taught his disciples as He moved into the final months of His earthly ministry. Jesus had taken His disciples up into the region of Caesarea Philippi in the northern part of Israel. It was a place filled with pagan idols and the worship of foreign gods. And in that hostile environment, Jesus declared that upon the declaration of the Gospel, He would build His church and the gates of Hades could not prevail against it. Jesus was saying, “No matter how dark this world becomes, nothing can put out the light of the Gospel.”

This was a pivotal time in Jesus’ life. It was there He gathered His disciples around Him and declared, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me,” (Luke 9:23 ESV). With only a few months left before He would face the cross, Jesus began to speak clearly, and often about the cost of being a disciple and building disciples makers. He said to come after Him required denying our own selfish interests every day and yielding to God’s Kingdom as a priority. He said following Him meant taking up our own cross – an instrument of suffering and death – and putting Him first no matter what. In short, Jesus was saying that following Him required suffering, sacrifice and self-denial. (Luke 9:51 ESV) says that Jesus “set his face toward Jerusalem.” The term “set his face” could be translated “determined”, “resolute”; “steadfast”. Jesus was focused on going up to Jerusalem.

At this time, He began to reveal to His disciples the death He would face there. “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised,” (Luke 9:22 ESV). This was the first of three clear predictions of His death, burial and resurrection (Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18–19 ESV). What awaited Jesus in Jerusalem was suffering and sacrifice. It was also during this time that Jesus’ disciples began to multiply. The Twelve quickly multiplied to The Seventy-Two, and they were deployed by Jesus to go preach and perform miracles in His name (Luke 10:1 ESV). Before long, they came back rejoicing at the wonders they saw, and the people who had come to faith in Christ (Luke 10:17 ESV). The movement had now reached the fourth generation – Jesus, the disciples, the seventy-two and the new believers. Now the movement was unstoppable. And this reality caused Jesus to be filled with joy (Luke 10:21 ESV)! The vision was becoming a reality. But that reality would not happen apart from sacrifice. It would not happen apart from suffering and self-denial.

For you to multiply your life, it will require a paradigm shift. Instead of living your life to please yourself, and instead of living to accomplish your temporal goals, it will require that you set aside your self-centered interests and begin to live a life focused on others. It will require you to sacrifice at times your own comfort and convenience, so you can fully obey Jesus’ commission. Jesus said in (John 12:24 NLT),

“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels–a plentiful harvest of new lives.”

It was through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross that many people were saved. In the same way, when you die to yourself and the plans you have for your life, only then can God truly multiply your life in a powerful way.

This was certainly the same mindset in the Apostle Paul who said: “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain,”(Philippians 1:21 ESV). He also said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me…”(Galatians 2:20 ESV). Paul had made up his mind, he was going to live for Jesus no matter what, and his life is still bearing fruit today. He single-handedly ignited a movement by taking the Gospel to the nations, How will you live your life? Will you live it for yourself or will you give your life away to something greater? You have no idea what God could do with your one single life if you lived it completely and passionately for Him. Don’t waste your life—multiply your life!

Used with permission.

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By Justin Gravitt: Let’s take a moment to appreciate doctors. They really are amazing people. Whenever anything goes wrong with your body, they embark on a quest to diagnose, then treat the problem. They start by intently listening to your experience. They ask questions. They use instruments to poke, and to prod, and to see. Next, they often use tests such as an EEG, a MRI, a CT-scan, a GTT, a PFT, or any number of other tests that have three-letter acronyms. When it’s all said and done, they can tell you what’s going wrong and your best next step.

Much like a doctor works to diagnose what’s causing the patient’s problem, a skilled disciple maker should diagnose a disciple’s current obstacle to health. One common obstacle is stagnation.

Every relationship has an ebb and flow. The same is true of our relationship with God and in our disciple making relationships. Stagnation goes beyond that natural rhythm of ebb and flow; rather it’s the state of being stuck, of spinning your wheels, of an apparent inability to move forward toward becoming a fruitful disciple maker. In situations like these, disciple makers must do their best doctor impression.

One of the best tools disciple makers can use is the VHS (vision, heart, skill) tool. Used properly it helps a disciple maker understand what’s keeping a disciple from normal, healthy growth.

To use the tool a disciple maker must first recognize that healthy disciple making develops vision, heart, and skill in the disciple. These three areas must be nurtured if she is to become a well-rounded disciple maker who is committed to a lifestyle of reproduction. Let’s briefly define each area.

Vision

Vision answers the question, “How do I fit into what God is doing?” A disciple with vision doesn’t lose sight of the forest while he is planting, cultivating, and pruning the trees. He can clearly see the BIG story God writing and the task God has given him to do, but at the same time he also sees the LOCAL work he must do to help accomplish the global (& eternal) aspiration.

Heart

Heart answers the question, “Why do I care?” A disciple with heart is willing to sacrifice to do her part. It’s possible to see the vision, but still not want to participate in it. Understanding without doing is widespread in our culture and in the church. A disciple with heart emotionally understands that her work of disciple making has eternal consequences. When she wins and disciples a young mother she plays a big role in that mother’s eternal destination. When that young mother wins and disciples her children and other moms, the eternal impact is multiplied in a generational way. A disciple with heart not only sees the mission, but she feels the mission. She is compelled to do her part. Sitting on the sidelines is not an option.

Skill

 Skill answers the question, “How do I do it?” A skilled disciple maker has sufficient courage, competence, and confidence to disciple others. Disciple making is a spiritual endeavor, so he should never feel fully skilled. Yet he brings all of himself to the relationship and prayerfully trusts God to provide growth. At the same time, a disciple maker who has heart and vision is motivated to continually develop his disciple making skills.

Now that we understand each area let’s look at how to use the tool.

When you recognize that something just doesn’t feel right in your disciple making relationship, ask yourself, “Is the problem she’s having a result of a lack of vision, heart, or skill?”

“Is she having trouble seeing what to do? or Caring about why it should be done? Or is her problem the result of not knowing how to do it?

Vision problems need to be addressed with prayer, Scripture, and by passionately casting a clear vision while living it out. Problems of the heart need to be addressed with prayer, Scripture, and by helping the disciple align her expressed priorities to everyday life. Finally, problems of skill need to be addressed with prayer, Scripture, and through life-on-life equipping.

This tool should only be used in the hands of a disciple maker. If a disciple uses the tool for self-assessment, the results will likely be warped. For example, a disciple without vision or heart will wrongly believe that they aren’t discipling because they don’t have the skills they need. In reality, a disciple without vision will have trouble connecting to the big why (heart) of making disciples (isn’t disciple making God’s job?, won’t others in the congregation feel like I’m playing favorites?, I make disciples by serving and modeling, etc.), they are stuck, not because of their lack of skill, but because of their lack of vision and heart.

The VHS tool is one (but not the only) way to diagnose a disciple making relationship that is not quite right. Often it uncovers an area of need that the disciple maker can intentionally work to strengthen in the life of the disciple.

Now that you have this tool, when will you use it? When will you own it?

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By Justin Gravitt. Used with permission.

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By Justin Gravitt: I was wrong.

Four years ago, I wrote that the biggest barrier to discipleship was busyness, but it’s not true now, and honestly, it doesn’t look like it was true then either.

At the time, I quoted from Barna’s recently published “The State of Discipleship” study in which pastors, laity, and “exemplars” (seminary professors, discipleship leaders, academics, etc.) all agreed that “general busyness of life” was the biggest barrier to discipleship—and It wasn’t even close! The study confirmed what we all “knew” about discipleship—in sum, “ain’t nobody got time for that!” We believed that if only we weren’t so busy, then we would be more devoted to being and making disciples.

It turns out that was a lie. Don’t get me wrong, in the pre-COVID world, we were busy. We tried to juggle work, family, and social commitments. We packed each day to the brim as we ran from one activity to another; work, practices, studies, and small groups. Margin was foreign and slowness was best kept to small doses.

Truth, like music, is drowned out by noise. COVID showed us that busyness was the noise drowning out the signal. When the pandemic hit, life slowed down to a crawl. For months our favorite distractions were deactivated. We stopped going out. Parents didn’t run their kids to and from practice, fans couldn’t watch or follow live sports, and clubs of all kinds stopped gathering. We were given a time refund and instead of investing it towards the kingdom, we witnessed people everywhere—and in the mirror—spending it on distraction.

We learned that our schedules were the symptom, not the problem. So if busyness wasn’t (and isn’t) the problem, what was? What is the biggest obstacle to discipleship?

The biggest obstacle to making disciples is the disease of indifference. It turns out that collectively, we just don’t care much about knowing Christ or making Him known. We are far more interested in Netflix, sports, Candy Crush, and TikTok than in God and our Kingdom calling.

Our disease of indifference is far scarier than the distraction of busyness. Distraction contaminates us from the outside in, but diseases are in us. They are part of us and the cure is more complicated than tuning out or turning away. Diseases require invasive cures that come with side effects and significant costs.

The disease of indifference demands our attention because it threatens the very existence of the church. The church will continue to decline until we develop cultures of disciples who are dedicated, not distracted and not diseased.

The first step in treating the disease of indifference is to admit it.

Four years ago we were too busy to engage disciple making. Today, most pastors and church leaders say they are too tired. It’s true. We’re collectively tired. We are dealing with a pandemic. We are fighting to understand and appropriately fight against systematic racism inside and outside the church. But to believe that these are keeping us from making disciples is simply replacing one excuse with another. We weren’t too tired before COVID and we aren’t too busy now, yet our misaligned priorities remain.

Second, we need collective repentance.

As we admit the reality of what’s true within us, we must repent. This requires a movement away from the idols and towards Jesus and the full life He offers. We can’t embrace just the life-giving relationship He offers, but we must also embrace the mission to which He’s called us.

Third, we need to learn how to rest.

If you lie to yourself long enough, then that lie becomes your “truth.” We are tired. Everyone gets tired and taking time to rest is part of a disciple’s life, but if you’re always too tired to engage the mission, then something else is happening. Lately, pastors are struggling to find disciples who aren’t too tired to engage the mission.

American culture is designed to distract, to keep our attention shifting from one thing to another. Not only is it unhealthy for our brains, but it hinders our ability to relax and recharge. Vibrant disciples have learned to disconnect from technology and distraction in order to plug into disciplines such as silence, prayer, and face to face relationships can restore reserves that distraction depletes.

Lastly, we need to walk by faith, not by sight (or feeling).

Reproducing disciples refuel and then move out in faith that God will provide (Is. 41:10). There’s an expectant quality to their faith. They live into what they know God has already called them to, rather than pulling back from a commitment because they feel tired, unprepared, or unable. In this way, they can minister out of weakness and weariness. On the other hand, “almost disciple makers” commit to training or discipling but pull out when they feel stretched. Little do they know that the stretch is where the strength of Christ is. The stretch is where the growth happens!

The lenses of a pandemic help us see what’s really true. What’s truly life-giving? Where do we turn in times of stress and uncertainty? Most of us don’t have time for discipleship because we don’t want to have time for it. Most are distracted by choice. Frenetic movement prevents a sober judgment.

To put it bluntly, we must move from diseased, distracted disciples to dedicated disciples. If we don’t then we can expect more of the same.

Our churches will continue to decline.

Our children will continue to see no difference in the lives of Christians and the lives of skeptics.

Our lives will continue to be marked by a lack of depth and purpose.

And worst of all, we will lose the witness and the wholeness of all that Jesus offers at the cross.

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By Justin Gravitt. Used with permission.

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By Ken Adams:

Several times this past week I did something that I really didn’t feel like doing. I was on my way to run and I didn’t really feel like running. I ran anyway, and I’m glad I did. On another occasion I was supposed to work out at 6:00 AM. I didn’t feel like getting out of bed, but I did it anyway. In both cases, I did what I didn’t really want to do in the moment but felt a sense of victory once I had finished. I believe this is called “discipline.”

One of the things I have read about successful people is that they all have a commitment to do the things they don’t feel like doing. They are very disciplined. They know how to delay gratification now for a better result later. As Nathan Whitley put it, “The pain of regret is far worse than the pain of discipline.” Well said.

The pain associated with my running today is less than the pain of heart surgery later. The struggle to workout today is less than the effects not working out will have on my body in years to come. This principle of staying disciplined is not just in the area of physical disciplines. It is also true for spiritual, relational, financial, emotional, and intellectual disciplines.

If I get up early to have a quiet time with God, I will be thankful later. If I live by a budget today, I will be glad I did in the future. If I plan a date night with my spouse today it will make a difference in our relationship down the road. If I stay emotionally energized today, I will have greater emotional health later. Doing the things I don’t really feel like doing today will be worth it in the future. This is a principle that does not fail.

Today we recognize that successful people live by the principle of discipline, and the Bible spoke about this concept many years before our time. The Bible says in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not get tired of doing  good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.” A more popular way of saying it is, “You reap what you sow.”

Farmers know that the work they do in the field today will not be noticeable until later. If they work hard to keep their fields fertile now, they will see fruit at the time of harvest. Wise farmers do not let themselves get tired of doing the right thing at the right time. We can all learn from farmers and keeps doing the right things at the right time in order to see good fruit at a later time.

Being a successful disciple and disciple maker sometimes means doing what you don’t feel like doing. It is not always easy to stay inspired and motivated to make disciples. I want to encourage you to stay faithful in your commitment to being a disciple and building more disciples. You will never regret making sacrifices now so that will reap such an amazing harvest later.

If you need encouragement on your disciple making journey, contact us. We are here to support you in any way that we can.

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By Ken Adams. Used with permission.

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By Dylan Young: Last March, this Kentucky fan could not believe his eyes when he saw the headlines that the SEC and NCAA basketball tournaments were canceled because of some sickness called the Coronavirus. My dreams of watching the Wildcats go on another Final Four run were gone just like that. I honestly could not wrap my mind around the fact that a virus was causing us to cancel events. I mean, viruses have been around forever! Fast forward to January 2021 and my bewilderment is laughable in hindsight. There was much more going on than a canceled basketball tournament.

Raise your hand if you had any personal plans canceled by the Coronavirus in 2020. Now that we all have our hands raised we can agree that we need to start planning differently moving forward. Agility is the key with anything we think through now. Rigid plans have a distinct possibility of failing more than ever. We have to be willing and able to change on the fly.

So what does that mean for us in ministry? How do we make future ministry plans when the future feels so uncertain? Do we just take things week-by-week forever? Of course not. We need to determine which parts of our lives and ministries are non-negotiables and resolve to move forward with those plans regardless of circumstances. Fortunately, the God we serve saw COVID-19 coming and gave us a mission and vision that transcends anything else happening on Earth: The Great Commission.

You know it well already, but Matthew 28:19-20 says, “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, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (CSB)

Evangelism and discipleship do not stop because of a global pandemic, we just have to be even more creative and intentional about doing them. Specifically, in 2021 I hope you will resolve to lead a few men or women in a discipleship group that meets diligently no matter what. Resolve in 2021 that you will lead your group to use whatever means necessary to be consistent in your meeting rhythm. Let them know from the beginning that if there is a time where public meeting places are shut down again you will meet virtually. We have myriad resources to do this now so we really do not have an excuse anymore. And isn’t your spiritual health and maturity worth it?

Resolve in 2021 to bind yourself to the unchanging Word of God. Study Scripture. Journal your thoughts. Memorize it. Not much is certain right now, cling to the One who has been certain, is certain and will be certain.

Resolve in 2021 not to let social distancing excuse you from evangelism. Lead your discipleship groups to start thinking about and praying for the people they need to share Christ with right from the start and don’t let each other off the hook! I’m sure you have other goals and resolutions you’ve made in various areas of life as we begin a new calendar. In fact, I hope you do and I hope you achieve all of them! As you think through all you hope to accomplish this year, make sure you’ve got plans and resolutions for 2021 that could only be stopped by Jesus Himself showing up! Resolve in 2021 to make the Great
Commission your greatest resolution.

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By Dylan Young. Used with permission.

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By Discipleship.org:

Shut your mouth.

That sounds a little harsh, I know, but track with me… To make disciples who make disciples, there is great value in keeping quiet. This has been the most consistently challenging, beneficial, and practical disciple-making lesson the Holy Spirit has taught me. It is a lesson I need to be reminded of everyday.

For some of you, this may be an easy directive to follow. Many of you are like me: God has given you a passion and a calling to proclaim his Good News. And perhaps you’ve studied creative communication strategies, taken a deep dive into deep truths of his Word so that our exegetical messages take into account culture and context, and when you are in a Bible study group you always have something to say that is (in our not-so-humble opinion) insightful, inspiring, and certainly interesting.

In my decades of full-time ministry, and through my missions work on three different continents, I have been blessed to sit at the feet of some amazing men and women whom God has used to spark multi-generational disciple making movements (DMMs). These leaders came from multiple streams of evangelical backgrounds and their training varied in several areas. However, one point has been consistent throughout: talk all you want if you want to make disciples and have it stop at one generation.

To truly disciple a disciple maker, however, we must learn to shut our mouths, listen,andtrust the Holy Spirit.

Why do I, personally, have a hard time shutting my mouth? It really comes down to pride. I too often trust in my own ability to impact the person I am discipling more than I trust in the Holy Spirit’s ability to teach and guide them.

Do you trust the Holy Spirit living in you? Do you really trust that the Holy Spirit can work in a disciple, even if they’ve just started following Jesus?

If you are reading this, I’m sure you love and follow Jesus. And if Jesus were physically present with you now, you would have no problem trusting him. You would also trust him with any person you might be discipling. If this disciple were reading Scripture and seeking to understand it better, there is no doubt you would trust Jesus to reveal to them just what he needs to know.

Do you trust the Holy Spirit in the same way? Jesus said that it is better for us that he should go to be with the Father (John 16). Ponder that for a moment: Can you imagine anything better than having Jesus physically present in the here and now, right next to you? Nothing could be better than going about your ministry with Jesus alongside you, right?

Getting stuck on a difficult Bible passage? Easy, let’s ask Jesus!
Someone you are discipling has doubts and asks a difficult question? “Well, I don’t know,” you might say. Then, turning to Jesus, “Uh… Jesus? What do you think”?

How great would that be? And yet, Jesus himself said there is something better:

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:7–8).

Just a few verses down, Jesus names this helper the “Spirit of truth” that will guide us into “all the truth.” What is better than having Jesus next to us? Having Jesus in us through his Spirit of truth. We must also believe this is true for our disciples if we want them to become disciple makers.

We will make disciples like Jesus when we follow Jesus’ example of trusting the Holy Spirit to guide us. Specifically, we must learn to trust that the Spirit can work even in baby believers in powerful ways. I am always astounded at how much Jesus entrusted to his disciples—all of whom he knew were still quite clueless about even important truths of the promised King and His Kingdom. Jesus knew their passionate faith and willingness to obey could make up for what they were lacking in theological depth.

Think about when Jesus sends out the twelve apostles (in Matthew 10) and later the 72 disciples (in Luke 10). Think of the crucially important task he was giving them even though they were off-track in so much of their thinking about the Messiah. They were to go to towns and villages and proclaim the prophesied arrival of the Kingdom of God! Jesus told them to make known his message and, amazingly, he trusted these young disciples to DO just as he DID. He trusted in the Spirit to lead and provide:

Jesus depended on God’s provision and his disciples were to go out with nothing and trust God to provide. (Matthew 10:10; Luke 10:4)
Jesus discerned who was open to the gospel and he trusted his followers to be able to, on the one hand, find people of peace open to the gospel and, on the other, recognize when those people were not present and walk on – shaking the dust off their feet along the way. (Matthew 10:12–14; Luke 10:6–11)
Jesus even trusted the Spirit to work in these young disciples supernaturally, so much so that he laid some pretty bold expectations before them. They were to touch the untouchables, deliver the demon-possessed, heal the sick and even raise the dead! His trust was well-founded. These disciples, who were still so young in their faith-walk, came back with amazing reports of God’s faithfulness. They joyfully exclaimed, “Even the demons are subject to us in your name”! (Matthew 10:8; Luke 10:9,17)

How much do you think they learned about Christ and his Kingdom through that experience? How much more was their faith strengthened than if they had simply watched Jesus do it? Jesus expected them to put their faith into practice from the start. He sent them as sheep among wolves because He knew God would be with them. The fruit was evident, and far more people encountered the Kingdom of God than could have been accomplished by them staying together as one large group.

Jesus sometimes had a short, impactful encounter with someone and then sent them on saying, “go and sin no more.” Even some who wanted to stay with Jesus, he sent away. One example is in Mark 5 and Luke 8. The Gerasene demoniac, so fresh from being radically delivered from a legion of demonic forces, begged to go with Jesus. In our Western Christian culture, we would invite this former demoniac into an extensive time of healing and Bible study while protecting him from the big bad world outside that had so thoroughly abused him. We would certainly not give him any significant responsibilities at church until we had seen a prolonged history of healthy habits being created. Jesus, however, commissioned him to go reach his own people in Decapolis. Some of these people had just rejected Jesus and asked him to leave! Was this commissioning successful? So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. (Mark 5:20)

After the resurrection and before the ascension, Jesus imparts his peace to the disciples while making it clear that they are to do as he did, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you”. (John 20:21) He also commissioned his followers to go and make disciples by baptizing and teaching obedience. Jesus made it clear that they were NOT to do this on their own. Though he told them to go, he told them to first wait. Wait for what? Wait for the Spirit! Then, Jesus foresaw, they would be empowered to make disciples as Jesus did. (Acts 1: 4, 8)

These disciples followed Jesus’ model and trusted His Spirit in sometimes surprising ways:

In Acts 8, Philip, John and Peter went through various Samaritan villages and saw great fruit. They then moved on, entrusting the Spirit to continue the training of these new disciples. One encounter was very quick. Philip had no choice but to leave the Ethiopian eunuch with the small but significant teaching that led to the eunuch’s baptism. Philip was “carried away” to another place and the eunuch was left with the Spirit living inside of him. Was it enough? The eunuch went on his way rejoicing (Acts 8:39).
In Acts 10, we see the gentile Cornelius and his entire household become Christ-followers. Everyone knew this was incredibly significant. Gentiles had accepted the good news and God had accepted them! With something so significant and “out of the box,” we would expect Peter to be certain they would “get it right.” Right? Surely, he would stick around to impart the knowledge they needed. Instead, he had no doubt that these non-Jews had received the same Spirit that they had. Peter and his coworkers simply stayed there for “some days” – not “some months” or even “some weeks.” Just a few days! Why? He trusted that Cornelius and his household had what they needed: “God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us”. (Acts 15:8)

In the latter half of the book of Acts, the commissioned Paul and those with him followed this same model of truly trusting the Holy Spirit. Paul would stay or leave a place under the direction of the Spirit, independent of the success of his church plants in any particular area. He seldom stayed in one place more than a few months and yet the churches survive, thrive and even multiply under the continued guidance of the Spirit. Yes, Paul would often leave other leaders in these places. But these “leaders”, like Timothy, were also quite young in the faith. In 2 Timothy 2:2, we see Paul encouraging Timothy to make disciple-making disciples – four generations! All of Paul’s letters to these churches and young disciples reinforce the importance of a dependance on the Holy Spirit and trust in the Spirit’s guidance (good examples of this are found in Romans 8, 1 Corinthians 2 and 12, and Galatians 5).

Here we are 2,000 years later. Are we following the model Jesus gave us as we make disciples? Are we trusting in the Holy Spirit? Are we listening more than talking? Are we training our disciples to do the same?

All of the disciple making movements that I have encountered around the world have leaders who really, really trust the Holy Spirit’s ability to teach and guide even baby-believers. Do these young disciples get off track sometimes? Of course. Do they stumble and fall? Yes, indeed. When a child learns to walk, you expect some falls along the way. When a baby stumbles, we don’t suddenly distrust in their ability to eventually walk. We would never just put them in a wheelchair and say, “I tell you what. You just let me push you where you need to go. It will be better for you that way”. Of course not. We help them up and encourage them to try again! Half of the New Testament was written to help admonish young followers of Jesus who were struggling to obey the Spirit’s lead.

One area we often trust ourselves in more than the Holy Spirit is when we lead a disciple in a Bible study. When I was first exposed to disciple-making movements and the training from their leaders, this was one of the more challenging areas for me to follow. Again, I was blessed to be exposed to many different streams of “DMM” training and tools. Without fail, though, they employed a similar method when it came to getting into God’s Word with a disciple. This tool is commonly called a “Discovery Bible Study” (DBS). These varied methods had one crucially important trait: disciples are given the freedom to discover truths from God’s word, trusting the Spirit to teach them what they need to “discover”.

This is a significant departure from typical Bible studies in Western Christian culture. A traditional Bible study is more top-down. The teacher imparts information to the student. Yes, God’s Word is utilized but it is the teacher who tells the student what they should believe about any particular passage. A good teacher will employ questions and even discussions but only as a tool to get to a preconceived parcel of knowledge that the teacher wants the student to receive. This is not wrong in and of itself, but it does propagate a dependance upon an “expert”. Without that so-called expert, the disciple is paralyzed by lack of confidence. The teacher seems to have all the answers, so the disciple becomes dependent on that teacher. Too often, religious experts insert themselves into a place where the Spirit would be much more effective.

Discovery Bible Studies, on the other hand, ask simple questions and then allow the Spirit to do his work. The students feel a sense of ownership because this new understanding came from the Spirit living within them. This also shows them that they too can share God’s word with others. These new disciples know that they do not have to carry the burden of having all the right answers in order to make disciples. They trust the Spirit to help their new disciples discover the truth just as the Spirit helped them. This empowers even brand-new disciples to know Jesus, follow Him and teach others to do the same.

My experience in using the DBS method has humbled me. I have witnessed how much better a teacher the Spirit is than I am. I ask simple questions like, “What does this Bible passage teach you about God or Jesus”? And then I hear the Spirit tell me, again, “Shut your mouth”.

Sometimes it is so hard to obey!

“But,” my heart cries out to the Spirit, “I have such an amazing insight into this verse that I just KNOW they will be blessed by”!

“Just be quiet”.

“But what about the cultural context and other related bible passages”? I stubbornly argue, “What I know about this is very relevant and I think they need to know this”.

The Spirit patiently and firmly convicts my heart again, “Stay silent, even if the silence feels awkward. Let them think. Let me work. Just wait”.

I do. I wait. I let these young disciples discover a truth from JUST God’s word with JUST the Holy Spirit to guide them. What happens?

Time and time again, their answers blow my mind. It is often something I would have never thought to say but exactly what they needed to know and understand. I am even more amazed by their answers to another common “DBS” question, “How can I obey what I’ve learned from this passage”? Their answers are typically much more radical and far bolder than I would have been comfortable expecting of them. Are they always spot on? No. Sometimes they throw in something off the mark. A follow-up question like, “Now where in this verse did you see that”? usually gets them back on track.

Because they “discovered it” themselves, it sticks. The Spirit places it deep in their heart and they believe it. They obey it. Not only that, but they inherently understand that anyone can take God’s Word and learn what they need from it. They see that the Word is alive and active and convicting and relevant and worth spending time with.

This is what happens when I choose to trust the Holy Spirit with a simple Bible Study time. Don’t misunderstand. The Spirit will lead us to teach deep truths at times, but our default should be to first allow the Spirit to do his work. That means being quiet far more than we are accustomed to.

One final note regarding Bible Study – simple truth with simple obedience is powerful. We love to complicate things and keep truth abstract. However, when we trust in the Spirit, we must be willing to keep truth simple and practical. One of my favorite quotes is from the Danish theologian Søren Kierkegaard:

The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church’s prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you? Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament.

Of course, our need to trust the Holy Spirit transcends just Bible Studies. The need to be more Spirit-dependent saturates every aspect of making disciples who make disciples:

Prayer and Fasting (all disciple-making movements start with prayer movements).
Moving from knowledge-based discipleship to Spirit-led obedience-based discipleship.
Discerning where God is at work, who he is working on, and joining him in that work.
Knowing when a disciple is ready to step out on their own. (It is sooner than you think when you trust the Holy Spirit).
The list goes on.

Want to be a good disciple-maker? Trust in the Holy Spirit. Want to make disciples who make disciples? Trust that the Holy Spirit will work in those you disciple.

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Source: Trusting the Spirit Enough to Keep Quiet

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By Justin Gravitt:

Hey,

I’m trying to write more letters and God brought you to mind.

First, I just want to say that your passion for God is obvious. You take the time to study and apply the Scriptures. Your heart for Jesus is clear. There’s no doubt that He’s your anchor. I love that about you!

I hope this doesn’t come off as weird, but watching you is helping me learn to love others better. I’m serious! You engage people so naturally. Your heart for them is unmistakable. Others tell story after story that begins by you calling, writing a note, or inviting them to coffee. Not even this global pandemic has stopped you from impacting others!

We’ve known each other for a while now. And I hope you know how much I respect you. But I wanted to ask if you would consider becoming an intentional disciple maker?

I know it can be intimidating. The other day I overheard you saying, “Me, disciple someone? No way! What would I say? I think the best way to disciple is just to love people. That’s what I do. I love God and just care for others. I don’t want to be a discipler!  The thought of someone looking at me as their example is downright scary!”

I get it. Being a disciple maker can be scary. As an introvert, I still experience a low-level of anxiety before heading into discipleship meetings. In fact, I don’t know a single person who has felt ready before they started. Even though it’s hard, I can’t get past the fact that Jesus’ last instructions to us were to make disciples. Not only that, He also promised to be with us as we do it (Matt. 28:18-20). We don’t have to be perfect or have it all figured out.

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I really think your impact as a disciple maker could be amazing! You love God and you already know how to help people follow Jesus. Imagine how many would be changed if you took the next step and helped them learn how to help others?! I think you would only need to add vision and intentionality to what you are already doing. One thing I’ve learned is that part of being Jesus’ disciple is intentionally helping others become disciple makers.

Since you are already influencing people to grow closer to God, I’d suggest just getting started with an invitation and a simple tool. I’d be more than happy to talk with you about any questions or fears you might have. I think once you try it, you’ll be hooked! Making disciples multiplies our Kingdom impact while at the same time more fully connects us to God.

If you’d like to chat more about this, just let me know! Thanks for your patience with me as I lovingly press into your life. If I didn’t care about you then I wouldn’t bother. I so appreciate your friendship and look forward to seeing you at church next week!

“Almost disciple makers” are all around us. Some lack vision, others lack intentionality, others relational skills. One thing they have in common is a need to be engaged on the subject. So this series of letters is designed to do just that…

Justin Gravitt is the Dayton (Ohio) Area Director for Navigator Church Ministries. Read more from Justin at his blog, One Disciple to Another, where this article first appeared.

First published on Justin Gravitt’s blog here.

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Source: Letter to “Almost Disciple Makers”

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By Craig Etheredge: Not only will this world resist you, but this world will also tempt you. The culture will oppose you, and if that doesn’t work, it will try to lure you away from following Jesus by enticing you to sin. Jesus experienced both.

Those who opposed Jesus resisted Him outright, but He also was tempted. In both Matthew 4 and Luke 4, we see Jesus facing temptation from Satan himself. We will take a deeper look at these passages tomorrow, but know this… if Jesus faced temptation, you will too. Where do these temptations come from? We know that temptation to do evil does not come from God. “God never tempts us to do what is wrong” (James 1:13; Luke 11:4 ESV).

Look at how James answered that question: “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death,” (James 1:14-15 NLT).

Satan tempts by stirring up our own wayward and wicked desires to do wrong. Notice the aggressive language. When you give in to temptation, you are “dragged away.” You are no longer in control, but you are under sin’s control and that one temptation can lead to devastating results. Thoughts lead to actions. Actions become habits. And habits destroy lives.

You probably know people who thought they could play with temptation only later to be consumed and destroyed by it. There are three main areas where temptation strikes. “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world,”(1 John 2:15-16 NLT).

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The areas in which we are most vulnerable to temptation are physical pleasure, the constant craving for more things, and pride for what we have and what we’ve done. John is saying, “these longings don’t come from God, but are shaped by the culture around us.” Behind it, all is an intentional plan to destroy you and draw you away from Jesus.

Peter warns, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour,” (1 Peter 5:8 NLT). The struggle is real. The enemy is resolute and determined, but you can stand under temptation because God has provided you a way out.

Notice what Paul says about every temptation you face: “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure,” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT).

The temptations you face are common to everyone. Your enemy is not very creative. He uses the same temptations over and over. We all face them, but notice – God is faithful. Faithful means 100 percent. That means that God is faithful 100 percent of the time!

Faithful to do what? God is faithful to ensure that you are never tempted beyond what you can handle in His power. He is faithful to show you a way out every time you are tempted. There will always be an exit sign; you just have to take it.

By Craig Etheredge of discipleFIRST. Used by permission.

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Source: The Lure of Temptation

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By Craig Etheredge:

Let’s just say it out loud.

We are addicted to programs.
We are tied to our traditions.

Just as an addict reacts emotionally when weaned off of his drug, people react negatively when their favorite program is changed or canceled. This reality has kept even the bravest leaders from making necessary changes lest they find themselves looking for other employment! So, why risk it? Why make changes? The answer is the danger of misalignment.

Ask your mechanic what happens when your tires are misaligned. Ultimately, the excess rub and drag of one tire misaligned will lead to a blowout. I remember sitting in a leadership training seminar. They showed us a picture of a championship rowing team. Each team member was in his place, rowing in perfect precision. Each one was doing exactly his part. They were completely aligned to accomplish their goal. Now imagine the same team, but this time one member is out of sync. His oar is colliding with the others or dragging in the water too long. Maybe he doesn’t like facing in the same direction as everyone else and wants to change his seat. What is he doing? His misalignment is hurting the team and ultimately the cause.

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When you have programming that is good, but is not aligned to your disciple-making philosophy of ministry, it hurts the team and the cause. Misalignment is dangerous. For example, misaligned programs distract. They distract people from being involved in mission-critical initiatives. Misaligned programs dilute resources. Finances, facilities, and leadership given to these programs take away from more important and effective plans. Misaligned programs clutter the schedule and compete for promotional time. Misaligned programs are not strategic. They move by their own inertia, not because they make a significant contribution to the direction of the church. Misaligned programs are often “off-limits” to any critical assessment. Their results and effectiveness are seldom evaluated.

What can be done about the misalignment in your church? Well, I don’t recommend that you unilaterally decide what needs to change and announce it from the platform on Sunday. Abrupt changes only engender defensiveness and conflict. Don’t say, “I’ve decided we are going to be a disciple-making church and so we are going to scrap all that we have been doing and go in a new direction.” That might be your last sermon. Even Jesus drew a hostile reaction in Nazareth when he proposed a change in their thinking. The better way is to lead your church to embrace and celebrate a culture of ongoing evaluation.

By Craig Etheredge of discipleFIRST. Used by permission.

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Source: What Are You Pouring Your Life Into?

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By Impact Discipleship Ministries: I am always amazed at how many people (including Christ-followers) don’t know what the mission of Christ was while He was here on earth. I find it amazing that Christians would follow someone if they don’t understand where He was “going.” If you are going to follow someone, you need to know where they are headed.

The Mission of Jesus Was Two-fold.

The first part of Jesus’ mission was to make redemption possible for every person, in every nation, in every generation. Jesus made redemption possible for every person by living a perfect and sinless life, dying on a cross, and rising from the dead.

Only Jesus could fulfill this part of His mission. Jesus is the only one who could make redemption possible for humanity. Jesus is the only one who could live a sinless life, atone for sin, and have victory over death, hell, and the grave. When Jesus was being crucified, He said these words, “It is finished.” He was referring to His work of redemption. Jesus was professing that He had accomplished one of the two things He came to earth to do.

We should all be eternally grateful that Jesus was faithful to finish the work of redemption. We would be spending the rest of eternity separated from God if Jesus had not made redemption possible and if we had not received His work in our lives.

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Part two of Jesus’ mission was to start a movement of messengers of redemption. This movement of messengers are called “disciples.” Jesus began a movement of disciple making that would ensure that the message of redemption would be passed down from generation to generation so that every person in every nation and every generation could hear the message of redemption.

 Jesus is the one who started this movement of redemption messengers, but all of us are now responsible to see that it continues. Jesus left the task of making disciples in the hands of every generation of disciples. In John 17:4, Jesus prayed, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do.” The work Jesus is referring to here is the work of starting a movement of disciple making.

I am so thankful that Jesus started a movement of disciple makers that made it possible for us to have the opportunity to receive redemption. If Jesus had not completed the work of starting a movement, we would never have heard about His work of redemption and we would be spending the rest of eternity separated from God.

Understanding the Two-fold Mission of Jesus Should Change the Way We Live.

It should change the way we live because as a Christ follower, Christ’s mission should be your mission. In other words, you can be a part of keeping the movement of redemption messengers going. That is one of the main reasons you are alive today: to accomplish the mission of Jesus on earth.

The post The Two-Fold Mission of Christ appeared first on Impact Discipleship Ministries.

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Source: The Two-Fold Mission of Christ

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