By Stan Rodda: The prophet Habakkuk has much to teach us 2600 years after his life and work. Habakkuk teaches us that when it comes to seasons of waiting, we must embrace God’s promises and His people. You can read that post here.

Habakkuk shares his burdens about the people of Judah with God. He asks God questions that all of us have probably asked God ourselves at one point or another. Questions like…

How long, Lord, will I call and You don’t listen?

When will You do something about this injustice?

When will You do something about this violence and evil?

Where are You?

And part of the answer that Habakkuk receives is found in his name. Habakkuk means to embrace or wrestle. When seasons of waiting come to us in life, we wrestle with God over our questions, but we also draw near to embrace Him in His faithfulness.

Wrestle. Embrace. Wrestle. Embrace.

Habakkuk shows us how to be disciples of Jesus in times when all we seem to have are unanswered questions. And part of our answer is that even in the wrestling, don’t give up. Draw near to God. Embrace Him and His promises.

The message of chapter 2 is clear; Wait on the Lord!

There are a lot of things we can hurry in this life. God is not one of them. We can hurry our kids out the door for school, or speed through traffic to make that meeting on time. But you can’t hurry God. It seems he is never in a rush, but somehow is always on time. All of us have been there. Wanting to rush God along with His answers. We’ve all been waiting on God at different times. Things like…

An answer to prayer

A glimmer of hope

Clarity on some issue

To end a pain

To begin healing

Habakkuk 2 teaches us that we will get there someday. And if there’s one over arching principle we must develop, one lesson to learn as disciples of Jesus it would be this…

Gain An Upper Story Perspective

Habakkuk positions himself in the lookout tower. When I think about a lookout tower, I think about old war movies. You see things from the tower you can’t see from the ground. Who is approaching your town? How many people are coming? Are they friend or foe? There’s a lot you can see when you get to higher ground to gain and upper story perspective.

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Habakkuk is searching and says he will go to the lookout tower to see what God will show him. And from there, Habakkuk learns at least three things. First,

There is a Natural Delay Between Planting and Harvesting

We are like Veruka Salt. Do you remember her? “I want it now. I want it my way.” Classic character from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. She deserved what was coming to her because her attitude was so annoying. Yet, that’s how we so often approach God. We want our answers and we want it now.

Patience now!

Joy now!

Rewarding career now!

Wisdom now!

To lose 20lbs now! (Just me?)

But between the planting of the seed of a tomato plant and the harvesting of that tomato, there’s a natural delay. A natural delay when you begin to sow into your marriage and when you reap the benefits. A natural delay when you begin to sow into disciple making and harvesting the fruit. Don’t get discouraged when you don’t get answers immediately. There’s a natural delay. Second,

There is a Bigger Battle Going on Around Us

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. [Ephesians 6:12 CSB]

Satan is here to steal, kill and destroy. He hates you. He hates your marriage. He hates your children. He hates your faith. He hates your attempts at disciple making. He hates when you point people to Jesus. And he is in complete opposition to you. Just ask Daniel.

In Daniel 10 we read that the angel carrying the answer to Daniel’s prayers was caught up in a battle for 21 days over Persia. He had to call in reinforcements to get free to respond to Daniel. There’s a bigger battle going on around us. There’s so much more to the story. If you hear nothing else in this post, please hear this…

God’s delays are not necessarily denials!

If you get stuck in a lower story perspective, it can be easy to get swept up in the idea that God has denied you. That you didn’t get an answer, or at least not the one you wanted. All we see is the discouragement of the lower story; family struggles, anxiety, fear, depression, national chaos. There is a spiritual battle raging in the heavenly realms. Get to the lookout tower. Gain that upper story perspective. Third,

God is at Work Preparing You for Amazing Things

Scripture tells us that God is at work in each of His children, bringing them to maturity. He is getting you ready for the future that is ahead of you. Disciple making opportunities you don’t even know about yet. Ministry opportunities you haven’t even considered. A fulfilling marriage that today seems has no hope. God is at work bringing you to completion and maturity.

I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. [Philippians 1:6 CSB]

It doesn’t do Habakkuk any good to pour over the The Jerusalem News or The Babylon Inquirer. It doesn’t do us any good either. Being informed is different from only having a lower story perspective. Being informed is different from feeding on the garbage of this world. Everything we take in as disciples of Jesus, no matter the media, should be viewed from the lookout tower, from the upper story perspective.

God, You are at work in our day. You are doing amazing things. You are preparing us for amazing things. And until I am clear on it, I will be in the lookout tower, waiting for Your answer.

But the Lord is in HIs holy temple; let the whole earth be silent in His presence. [Habakkuk 2:20 CSB]

When it comes to seasons of waiting on God for answers, there is no place like the lookout tower. The place where we gain an upper story perspective. Habakkuk reminds us…

There is a natural delay between planting and harvesting

There is a bigger battle going on around us

God is at work preparing you for amazing things

Have you found it difficult to maintain an upper story perspective in light of our recent history? What step do you need to take to regain it?

Let’s take Kingdom territory!

Source: Someday | Part 2

The post Someday | Part 2 appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By Stan Rodda: Just like everyone else, disciple makers experience seasons of waiting in life. Times when it seems that God is distant. Maybe He isn’t hearing your prayers or He has abandoned you for some reason. We can convince ourselves of nearly anything during this times of waiting.

We need these seasons of waiting from God because it is one of the key ways that He develops and prepares us for the future. And one of the best places to learn about these times in faith is the prophet, Habakkuk.

Philosopher, Winnie the Pooh, said,

Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day. -A.A. Milne

This is the first in a 4-part series on learning to wait on God during times of suffering and silence. If you are a disciple maker in a season of waiting, I hope this series will encourage you. In this first part, we must learn from Habakkuk’s groan.

Habakkuk’s Groan

Habakkuk is confronted with a burden from God. The prophet responds to God by groaning a bit about the way things are going in life. He groans to God, “Why aren’t you doing anything about the injustice and evil? I have been telling you all about it and you’re totally silent.” (Habakkuk 1:2-4)

The nation around Habakkuk had fallen into complete rebellion. While this book was written 2600 years ago, it could have been written at the end of 2020. So much chaos, sin, injustice, pain, suffering and evil. God, where are you? Why won’t you answer me?

God, I’m doing my best to make disciples. I’m trying to reach people. Why is it that You seem to have gone silent? Don’t You care about what’s going on in the world? Don’t you want people to come to You? Where are you?

Permission Given to Ask Questions

When I was growing up, it was never okay to question God. If you were thinking about questioning God that meant you had a faith problem. That your relationship with God wasn’t good enough. No one ever told me that babies aren’t born with Paul-like relationships with Jesus. No, we have to work at it. Developing faith and making disciples comes with questions.

I believe that when God responds to Habakkuk’s questions, He is in essence saying, “I welcome your questions. I’m big enough for them. Let’s develop your faith and I’ll show you a little more of what I’m up to.”

Ask Humbly

Not all questions are created equal. Don’t pull a Job assuming you know more than God. By the time God finally responds in chapter 38 of Job, He responds out of a whirlwind. God storms His responses back at Job. Be careful Job. You don’t know nearly as much as you think you do. Be careful Stan. You aren’t nearly as clever or wise as you think you are. Be careful disciple maker. You don’t know as much as you think. Ask your questions, but ask with humility.

God’s Promise to Habakkuk

Habakkuk 1:5 God responds and tells Habakkuk that He is doing amazing things. Even if Habakkuk could see clearly he wouldn’t believe it. God is at work beyond all we can ask or imagine, doing amazing things that we wouldn’t believe even if He told us. But as God is at work, it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. It’s going to come with the price of suffering.

God promises that the Chaldeans are coming and they are going to punish Israel. They will sift the people and it will not be pleasant. I’m sure Habakkuk had to have a moment of celebration that God was at work only to backtrack not wanting God to work through the Babylonians.

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God’s Way Are Not Our Ways

When the disciple making conversations have run dry. When disciples walk away from us looking for a simpler life. When we feel we are completely on our own and God doesn’t seem to be responding to the mess that is life; God’s ways are not our way.

Think Noah. God says, I’m going to purify the world and rid it of evil. Starting over with you, Noah. Awesome, sounds great. What’s next? Oh, I need you to build an ark. What’s an ark. It’s a huge boat that will float on water. That much water? Yeah, it’s going to rain. What’s rain?

God’s ways are not our ways.

Think John the Baptist. Jesus said, “There is no one greater than John.” What did that mean for him? It meant imprisonment and beheading. All because he supported God’s definition of marriage.

God’s ways are not our ways.

When God says, “I’m doing amazing things in your day. You’re not going to believe this.” Always remember that some of God’s greatest work comes through suffering. In fact, God’s greatest work in history happened through a cross. We all have heavy hearts because of what is happening in our nation. God is still doing amazing things. Even if He has to use Babylon to do it.

What To Do In The Waiting

The answer to seasons of waiting can be found in Habakkuk’s name. It means, “to wrestle, embrace.” We go back and forth with God, drawing near to Him, asking questions.

Wrestle. Embrace. Wrestle. Embrace.

Embrace God’s Promises

The God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while.

[1 Peter 5:10 CSB]

Even when things are difficult, draw near to God. Stay connected in your abiding time with Christ. Don’t let go of your relationship with God. Draw near. Embrace Him and His promises. That even though you may be going through a season of suffering, He Himself will restore you.

The Lord is the One who goes before us (Deut 31:8). He turns to me and hears my cries (Ps 40:1). Gives us days of rejoicing that match the days we wept (Ps 90:15). Embraces God’s promises to restore you, to bring you through for His glory. Embrace the promise of God that He is at work.

Embrace God’s People

Gallup and the CDC both say mental health is an absolute crisis. Since the summer of 2020, 1 in 4 young people have considered suicide. Suicide rates are soaring. People considering it is higher than ever. And yet I the midst of that tragedy, one group stands out as having improved mental health; those who regularly attended church through the pandemic.

Something supernatural, mystical happens, when God’s people gather. Whether you are gathering at a modern looking church, a traditional church or you meet in a church in your living room, the gathering of God’s people is an essential for us.

God is doing something amazing in our generation. But it seems He is going to do it through Babylon. As you go through your season of waiting, remember to embrace God’s promises and His people.

What promises of God do you hold onto the most in times of suffering and waiting?

Source: Someday | Part 1

The post Someday | Part 1 appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By Stan Rodda: In what is arguably the craziest year many people have experienced in their lifetimes, 2020 is finally coming to a close. We are days away from a new year! That said: Congrats! You made it!

Let’s look back on some of 4Gen’s most popular content in 2020 and look forward to what God has in store for 2021.

Looking Back | 2020

Most read blog posts:

A Simple Tool to Stop Reading the Bible like a Self-Help Book

Five Distinguishing Factors of a Kingdom Worker

Baptism and the Disciple Maker

The Core of a Disciple Maker

Disciple Making and the Person of Peace

Most popular Youtube videos:

Master Plan of Surrender

How to Tell Your Story

How to Share the Gospel

Disciple making:

15 disciples trained in reproducible tools

4 house churches started

Looking Forward | 2021

Disciple making cohorts:

Tuesdays, January 12-March 2 @ 2p EST

Thursdays, February 25-April 15 @ 2p EST

Tuesdays, May 4-June 22 @ 2p EST

Tuesdays, August 10-September 28 @ 2p EST

Tuesdays, October 5-November 23 @ 2p EST

Reserve your seat for FREE!

Reserve Your Seat

Three pastors retreats coming:

April 27-30 – Massanutten, VA (add name to waitlist)

August 4-8 – Jefferson City, MO

November 2-5 – Massanutten, VA (add name to wait list)

Learn More About Retreats

Thanks for being a part of the 4Gen family through 2020. While Christmas is over, there is one late gift you could get for me if you are in a giving mood. Share this blog and ministry with three people you know. That would be a HUGE gift to me.Thanks for helping spread the word about what God is up to at 4Gen.Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! And I will see you in 2021!Stan Rodda4Gen Executive Director

ps. What disciple making content would support your disciple making efforts the most in 2021? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Source: Look Back. Look Forward.

The post Look Back. Look Forward. appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By unSeminary: Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. We’re honored to have with us today Scott Lindsey, the executive director at Faithlife.

Faithlife is the company which created the Logos Bible Software for digital Bible study. Scott is with us today to talk about Faithlife, how they can help you, and how you can use Logos in your ministry to increase Bible literacy.

The power of 4. // The Center for Bible Engagement performed a huge study of about 400,000 people and explored Bible engagement in North America. The resulting study, Understanding the Bible Engagement Challenge: Scientific Evidence for the Power of 4, found that spending time in the Bible one, two or three times a week has a negligible affect on key areas of our lives. But as soon people are reading scriptures at least four times a week, there is a spike in the positive affect it has in helping people deal with hard times. Specifically the study found that feeling lonely drops 30%, anger issues drop 32%, alcoholism drops 57%, relational issues (especially in marriage) drop 40%, pornography and other sexual sin drops 62%, and feeling spiritually stagnant drops 60%. The word of the living God is active, but if we’re not in it and it’s not filling and informing us, it isn’t going to have an affect.Address the pain points. // The number one excuse people use for not reading scripture is time. The other, especially from younger generations, is that they find the Bible intimidating or boring. Logos addresses these pain points by simplifying Bible study with the use of technology. The application will allow you to type in a topic or a passage and in a matter of seconds the software does the work of searching scripture, commentaries and other resources and puts them at your fingertips – research that would take you hours upon hours to find and summarize.Carry it with you. // Having this wealth of resources available within an app on your device of choice removes the need to have to carry a Bible, notebooks and study resources with you wherever you go. Whether you are traveling, on vacation, at work or just on the go, Logos makes it simple to stay in God’s word.More than just Logos. // Faithlife is the other side of the tech that runs Logos. They began by providing software for church membership, online giving and so on. Now they’ve grown to also offer things such as a tv channel, websites for churches, and video courses for seminary. What makes Faithlife unique is that the focus for all of their technologies and services is Bible-centered – even for something like kids check-in. Through this system when parents pick up their kids, they are equipped to engage with them about what they’re learning in the Bible.A customized experience. // Logos has over six million users worldwide and over 160,000 theological titles formatted for its search engine. This vast theological library enables them to provide specific libraries to specific groups and denominations. In addition, the libraries are available in different languages such as Spanish, Korean, Chinese and more.One platform. // Many churches are faced with the problem of piecing together technologies from different sources and trying to get them to work together. Faithlife is the first ministry integrated platform and can help streamline the different aspects of your church or ministry so that you don’t need to have an expert on staff to deal with each area.

You can learn more about Faithlife’s Logos Bible Software as well as get a special discount by visiting logos.com/unseminary.

To explore Faithlife’s integrated platform and all the resources the offer, visit their website.

Thank You for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally!

Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live!

Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Chemistry Staffing

Great things happen when the right leadership is in place in a local church… lives are changed and churches thrive.

With all the craziness that has gone on in 2020, we know that many churches are beginning to ask hard questions about what their current team looks like and how ready they are to lead into our new reality. Download Chemistry Staffing’s Restructuring Playbook to develop clarity around where you need to be focusing your time, resources, and team.

Source: Using Tech to Increase Bible Engagement at Your Church with Scott Lindsey

The post Using Tech to Increase Bible Engagement at Your Church with Scott Lindsey appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By Stan Rodda: When it comes to making disciples, one of the areas that can be confusing is the relationship between people. Ultimately walking with others the way Jesus did is messy and personal. It’s all up in your time and business. There is a need for healthy boundaries at the same time, but a lot of questions come with a relationship that personal. Questions like…

How much time do I give?

How much do I let them in to the real me?

Do I have to talk to them everyday?

What do they ultimately look like?

Can a Patriots fan be discipled or are they too far gone?

Paul gives us a picture of what the disciple making relationship should look like in 1 Thessalonians 2. Take some time and read it. Don’t worry, the blog will still be here when you get back. Read it through a disciple making relationship lens. Look for all the phrases Paul uses like, “you, with you, among you, for you,” etc. Also highlight or mark in some way the characteristics of what that relationship looks like. It truly is a beautiful picture.

Go ahead and read that chapter now. We promise we won’t go anywhere.

Now that you’ve read it, here are a few things that stand out to me in a disciple making relationship (DMR).

DMR’s are Rooted in Purity

Every disciple maker must have their own hearts tested by God in this. I will speak for myself; many times in sharing the Gospel I have not trusted the power of God to change lives. So I have tried to convince people with my own words and flattery. I have made promises that God doesn’t make in an effort to win people over. In v. 3 Paul says his appeal for the Gospel does not come from impurity or attempt to deceive. I have had to check my heart on this many times and I would encourage you to do the same.

DMR’s Become Shared Lives

Like a gentle, nursing mother who cares for her children, Paul had a strong affection for the people in the church at Thessalonica. His affection for them was so strong he says he didn’t just want to share the Gospel, but he wanted to share his life with them as well. They were so dear to him he wanted to share his own self with the church. Like a mother who cares that deeply for her children and is that involved in daily life with her kids. There are a lot of practical questions that come along with this.

How much time do I give?

How do I share my life with them?

What does that look like?

Are they in my house everyday?

Will I never be an empty-nester?

Those are questions for another blog post, but for now some of you may need to pause and wrestle with Paul’s words here. What does it look like for you to be so affectionate toward those you are discipling that you aren’t just giving them a meal to sustain them for the next few days, but you are sharing your life with them?

DMR’s Come With Direction

Paul had to charge those he was discipling by telling them the direction to go or the manner in which they should go. He writes in v. 11, 12 about treating the relationship like a father to his children, exhorting and encouraging. The DMR doesn’t just need a motherly touch (previous point), but sometimes it needs a charge. It needs a mission. It needs guidance. It needs to be pointed in the right direction. Like a father directing his children, so a disciple maker must direct those they are discipling.

What do my kids need from me today?

Where am I noticing they might be a little off?

How can I support them?

How can I encourage and charge them to walk in a manner worth of God today?

These types of questions become practical and helpful in the DMR. There is a balance between the previous two points about being nurturing and encouraging in a certain direction. If both elements are not present, you don’t have a complete DMR. Are you leaning in to one because it’s who you are naturally to the exclusion of the other side of the relationship? In other words – are you too harsh on those you are leading and forgetting to be gentle and share your life? Or are you sharing life so well that no one is on mission because they are enjoying food at your table? Balance the two.

DMR’s Produce Great Joy

Paul couldn’t wait to see them face to face. He was so eager to get back to his people. They brought him so much joy. He does write that Satan hindered them from being face to face sooner. I think this is a prophetic text about COVID and ZOOM. Pretty sure that’s in the original somewhere.

Not only did the relationship result in great joy for Paul, but it was also his boast before Christ. When Christ returns, what would Paul boast about? He would boast about these people. His hope and joy and crown of boasting before Jesus was the disciples.

The more I disciple, the more joy I get out of seeing what my disciples do than what God is doing through me individually. It’s a lot like this in life. I loved sports and got a lot of joy out of being the fastest person in my high school and college. I got a lot of joy out of my accomplishments. But I get even more joy out of my children’s accomplishments. When they do something great I stick my chest out a little bit more, I stand a bit taller, I smile a bit bigger. They are my hope, crown and joy.

And in disciple making, my disciples are the same. Wow! Did you see what God did with them. I’m so proud. Do your disciple making relationships results in that kind of joy?

There is much more to be written on disciple making relationships and I am sure I will write on that in the future. For now, a simple read through 1 Thessalonians 2 gives a strong picture of what a DMR should look like.

As you read, what do you see?

What other characteristics jump out at you?

What do you think God wants you to do differently as a result?

Source: A Snapshot of a Disciple Making Relationship

The post A Snapshot of a Disciple Making Relationship appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Stan Rodda: Many followers of Jesus have heard at some point in their life about something called the Great Commission. This command of Jesus is among the final sentences He would share with His disciples on this earth.

If I asked you, “What is the Great Commission,” I imagine you would start by saying, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” And there is so much truth in that. Making disciples of all nations is the mission disciples of Jesus are commanded to live out. Yet, it’s not where the commission of Jesus begins, nor is it the foundation. The foundation of the Great Commission is given before Jesus tells us to “make disciples.”

Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. [Matthew 28:18 CSB]

I have no authority.

You have no authority.

The church has no authority.

The world has no authority.

If we are going to change the world by making disciples of all ethnic groups on the planet, we must first begin by surrendering to the One with all authority in the entire universe. Jesus is the King. He was given all the authority in heaven and earth by the Father. Changing the world begins with absolute surrender to the cross of Jesus

The Cross of Salvation

We all begin at the same place: we are sinners in desperate need of a Savior. When we come to that realization we are all called to say “Yes” to Jesus and surrender to His atoning work on the cross. The work of Jesus on the cross is all sufficient to save.

Yet sometimes we give our lives to Jesus and we don’t experience everything we thought the pastor promised. Where is the joy, meaning and purpose you said I would have if I was baptized? Why haven’t all my problems gone away? Why is my husband/wife not acting better yet?

Sometimes we get stuck in what’s known as the land between two crosses. The issue is not that Jesus saving work on the cross wasn’t enough. The issue is 100% my level of surrender to picking up the second cross.

Before you label me a heretic talking about the need for two crosses, note Jesus identified the second cross first.

Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after  me, let him deny himself,  take up his cross daily,  and follow me. [Luke 9:23 CSB]

Change and transformation begins to take place in my life when I pick up my own cross…

The Cross of Surrender

In order to take greater steps of surrender and experience change in my own life, there are four things I must do to pick up my own cross.

Pray – Psalm 139:23, 24

We pray and ask God to reveal to us anything wicked that might be getting in the way. Father reveal to us anything that might offend you. Then spend time listening for God to reveal areas of your heart that need to surrender more.

Recognize/Acknowledge – 1 John 1:8, 9

When God reveals areas of my life that need more surrender, I must recognize and acknowledge it. I can no longer act as if hiding sin in the corner of my heart is going to be good enough. I will remain stagnant as long as I am not surrendering more fully to King Jesus.

Decide – Romans 12:1, 2

The trouble with a living sacrifice is we have a tendency to get up and walk off the altar. Change happens in me when I’m aware of what God is calling me to change, I admit that it is sin and I get back up on the altar to live out greater levels of surrender and obedience.

Kill the Root – Luke 9:23

Whatever that thing is I just climbed back up on the altar for (addiction, immorality, pride, sins of the flesh, etc), I must kill the root of that sin. The concept is that I want my heart to beat in alignment with God’s. I want to hate the sin God hates, love what God loves and share what God is doing in my life with people who don’t know Him yet.

This is how we move out of the land between two crosses and begin to experience transformation in our lives as disciples of Jesus.

Watch the Two Crosses training video below.

Change Starts Here Sermon

Two Crosses Graphic

Source: Change Begins with Absolute Surrender to King Jesus and His Mission!

The post Change Begins with Absolute Surrender to King Jesus and His Mission! appeared first on Passion for Planting.

We’ve all been there before. You’re about reading to jump into leading a new small group or lead a disciple making discussion. One of your biggest fears/concerns is simply, “How do I fill the time with meaningful content?” This is where the search for small group curriculum usually begins. And then every 6-8 weeks, your fear and dread sets back in because now you need a new book, new content, something to keep the group happy, content and coming back again next week.

All groups, especially disciple making groups, should be intentional and lead people toward obedience. If a disciple hears God’s voice and obeys, then the group’s setting and format should lead people to do exactly that. So it isn’t new content that should be taking up our time, the search for the next book study, but actually quality time meant to help people hear God’s voice in their life and to walk in obedience to Him.

That’s why I use a format called “Three Thirds” in all of my group settings.

“Three Thirds” utilizes an Up, In and Out approach to groups. We look “Up” to God for what He is doing in each person’s life. How He is at work in their fishing and following. We also look “Up” to God in worship and casting the vision for reaching lost people each week. We look “In” as we dive into a new lesson, tool or Scripture to discover what God has for us and we seek to internalize what we discover. Last we look “Out” to keep an outward focus on reaching lost people. Everything leads us to a place of reproducibility and reaching others. Groups should never become holy huddles where Christians gather but no lost people are reached.

With that said, here’s what “Three Thirds” looks like.

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Up |

Member Care/Socialize

Part of looking up to God is seeing what He is up to in each member’s life. We want to start our disciple making trainings or small groups time by asking what God is doing in each person’s life. We often ask what each person is thankful for or something they are struggling with. This helps us to know how to pray for each person.

Worship/Prayer

Then move into a time of worship and prayer. This can be meditation on Scripture or worshiping together through song. Get creative, but keep the groups focus up toward God, who He is and what He is up to. Then open your group or training with prayer.

Loving Accountability

You will develop a list of accountability for each person as they set goals for themselves (below). We hold people accountable lovingly, not with judgment or criticism. For instance, when a disciple sets a goal to read one chapter of the Bible everyday for a week, I will ask them how that went. If they say, “I was in Scripture five days this week,” I’m going to celebrate that because the work before they weren’t reading at all. But I will lovingly encourage them to aim for seven days the coming week. This accountability is done with all following (abiding in Christ) and fishing (reaching out to lost people) goals.

Vision Casting

Every time I meet with disciples, I want to remind them why we do what we do. We are meeting to hear God’s voice and obey. Maybe it’s a walk through John 10 to remind them of Jesus the Good Shepherd who is calling us to mission. Or a walk through Luke 15 to share about God’s heartbeat for lost people. Or share a great story of a life transformed as a result of Jesus to share vision for what disciple making is all about.

In |

New Lesson

This is a great place to use DBS to walk through a chapter of the Bible and discover what God is up to. Asking questions like, “What do you learn about God in Mark 9” is a great way to learn about God from Scripture. You can also ask, “What do you learn about people, humanity, from Mark 9?” Helping people to discover that sometimes we can be Pharisees or sometimes simply blind. You can also use this time to train in a new tool like three circles or three chairs. Whatever it is, this is the part where new information is coming in to the disciple and prayerfully being internalized in them.

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Practice/Goal Setting

Many small groups consider it a success when someone leaves and has learned something new. Three thirds formatted groups call it a success when something is about to be reproduced by everyone in the room. So we end each gathering with practice and goal setting. If I train someone in the Three Circles, then I want to give them all a few minutes to practice. I want them to develop confidence and competence in sharing the Gospel with friends or neighbors. So we practice sharing the Gospel together and then set goals to share with people that week.

Commission

Last but not least, we want to pray with and commission each person in the group to go out and share. Did someone set a goal to share the Gospel with their co-worker? Then take time to pray for the co-worker by name. Ask God to go before you. Commission your group member in a way that reminds them that God is at work in their lives and is going to use them to reach people. End on a high note that we all have work to do in reaching the lost. This is how we want to end our gatherings.

And that’s it. The “Three Thirds” format for our groups. This is how we are working to get groups of disciples of Jesus more focused on obedience to the voice of God than simply learning something new each week in group. We want to move toward obedience, action and reproducible tools that all followers of Jesus can use in their own lives as they seek to hear God’s voice and obey. I love watching everyone get in the game for disciple making and “Three Thirds” is a great format to help move your groups, disciples, toward obedience.

What do you think about this format?

There are a couple different ways to do all of the above. Seek creative ways to get this info to your groups as you pursue obedience to the voice of God.

Let’s take Kingdom territory!

Source: How to Format Groups for Obedience

The post How to Format Groups for Obedience appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By: Stan Rodda

Over the years, much has been written on the topic of baptism. Churches have split over the topic. Commentaries have been written. The purpose of this post is not to clear up 2000 years of controversy surrounding baptism. It is to simply say that if we want to see a disciple making movement, then we must train and equip disciples of Jesus to baptize people when the opportunity arises.

Let’s face it, many pastors and church leaders are a bottleneck for their church’s growth. Everyone has to come to them for next steps, advice, counsel, church info and even baptism. Many people want to be baptized by the pastor, but the reality is that this slows down the movement of the church. It slows it down because now we can only get to as many people as the pastor can counsel and baptize. That doesn’t seem to be how it is in the book of Acts.

When 3000+ were baptized, it seems the 12 multiplied their efforts. They would baptize one and that person would help baptize the next. The number of baptizers went from 12 to 24 to 48 to 96 and so on. It’s why one of my metrics is not simply numbers of people baptized, but is to actually track unique baptizers. How many new disciples are baptizing someone else? I believe that’s how we will get to a disciple making movement.

So let’s make baptism simple. Let’s make it reproducible to the everyday disciple of Jesus. For the most part, we will use Romans 6 as our backdrop.

Baptism is Surrender to King Jesus

The book of Acts records that when 3000+ gave their lives to Jesus at Pentecost, that their primary wrestling match was with the identity of Jesus. Acts 2:36 records that Peter says, “…this Jesus whom you crucified is both Lord and Messiah.” Jesus is actually the King of all things and you crucified Him.

The people were convicted and asked what they should do. The answer was first to repent. Repentance is a change of mind. And what was it they were having to change their minds about? The identity of Jesus. They crucified a guy they thought was crazy, a drunk, a rebel. Yet He wasn’t. He was Lord and Messiah. He was and is the King.

Baptism is first and foremost a surrender to King Jesus.

Baptism is a Death

When I surrender to King Jesus, I must die to my old self. I let go of my old way of living. If Jesus is King, then I must live a different kind of way. My way of living isn’t good enough. So in baptism I identify with King Jesus in His death. Jesus died on a cross and I am laying down my old way of living.

As your disciples are leading others, this must be understood. Baptism is not a feel-good moment where I just keep doing what I want. It is the moment I am dying to my own way of living and thinking. My mind and actions are completely changing to what King Jesus would have for me.

Baptism is a Burial

Everyone who dies is buried. No one dies and is laid on top of the ground with a little dirt sprinkled on their forehead. They are put under the ground. When I die to my old way of living in surrender to Jesus, I am symbolically buried in the water. I go under the water as if my old life was being put in the ground. I leave the old me buried in the waters of baptism.

Baptism is a Resurrection to New Life

When I come up out of the water, I am a new person. I have identified with Jesus in His death, burial and now resurrection. There is now a new life that I am called to as I pursue King Jesus. I am not who I was. I am who God says I am now.

Disciples of Jesus need to be trained and empowered to walk one of their disciples through baptism. To be able to help them see what decision they are making and to baptize them. Baptism at it’s simplest is surrender to King Jesus, a death, a burial and a new life. Here are a couple of practical questions you can ask yourself in regards to baptism and disciple making?

Who can you train this week to baptize others?

Who are you discipling now who needs to be trained to baptize those they are discipling?

How can you empower and equip your disciples to baptize others this week?

If we are going to take spiritual ground, we must unleash an army of disciple makers who are confident and competent to baptize others. To lead them to follow Jesus and walk them through the process of surrendering their lives to Christ. This is how we will get to movement in our time.

Let’s take Kingdom territory!

Source: Baptism and the Disciple Maker

The post Baptism and the Disciple Maker appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Stan Rodda: Recently I asked disciple makers on Instagram what their #1 struggle in disciple making was. I wanted to know what people on the front lines are wrestling with when it comes to making disciples. One of the first responses I got was about getting to 4th generation disciples.

“I only have one guy right now,” he said. “I’m looking for that next level type of discipleship.”

For those involved in making disciple makers, getting to multiple generations is a huge prayer and goal. We want the Gospel of Jesus to spread to all people. We crave for it to move well beyond us. This is a worthwhile goal and vision because it is one that Paul shares with us in 2 Timothy 2:2…

And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. [HCSB]

At the end of the day there is only one level of discipleship; obedience to King Jesus in all things who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth by God the Father! Focus on that and you will get to reproducing disciples to multiple generations. With that in mind, here are some practical thoughts and ideas to help you get to the next generation of disciple makers.

Press Into Obedience!

Reproducing disciples are born out of obedience to King Jesus. There is no way around it. The more we press into obedience, the more we become like Christ and the more our heart beats in alignment with his. As we seek and desire to see generations of disciples being made in our time, we must never forget the beginning of it is obedience. We must constantly be taking an assessment of how we are doing ourselves in this area.

What areas of your life need to be more fully surrendered in obedience to Jesus?

Is there an area of unconfessed sin?

What is holding you back from doing more of what God asks?

What do I need to repent of and begin to walk in God’s truth?

So much of disciple making can be summed up in modeling the right behaviors. If you aren’t modeling confession and continued obedience, you aren’t going to be able to reproduce that in another disciple. Taken to its logical end; your disciples won’t press into obedience and won’t be able to help others press into obedience either. Once you stop pressing into obedience yourself, you effectively end the possibility of a reproducing movement of disciple makers. As the old adage goes…

You can’t lead anyone else to where you aren’t willing to go!

Be Faithful With the One God Gives You!

Jesus calls this “faithful with little, faithful with much.” When you show yourself to be faithful with the one God has given you, you will naturally receive more. This can often be twisted into earthly blessings, that God is promising more blessings when I’m faithful with some others, but that’s not the reality. The reality is that when I am faithful with those God has given me to disciple, He leads me to more. And here’s what it looks like to be faithful practically.

Think of all the “one another” passages in Scripture. Now be that kind of person for your disciple.

Encourage them

Train them

Love them

Lead them

Bear their burdens

Correct them

Pray for them

If you want life on life discipleship, the kind that Jesus had with His disciples, then you must be faithful with the ones God has given you. In essence, you must view your disciples the way Jesus viewed His. And His view and aim was to be faithful with those God had given Him. And He was.

While I was with them, I was protecting them by Your name that You have given Me. I guarded them and not one of them is lost, except the son of destruction, the one destined for destruction so that the Scripture may be fulfilled. [John 17:12 HCSB]

Focus on a Healthy Disciple First!

A healthy disciple hears God’s voice and obeys. As they take steps of obedience they begin to transform and mature. In their maturity, they are able to reproduce that in someone else and make more disciples.

Early on in the process, it is not like this. Children are immature and unable to reproduce. Only mature adults can reproduce. Spiritual children are the same: immature and unable to reproduce. If you want to get to generations of disciples, focus on a healthy first disciple. A maturing disciple will develop in these key areas:

Daily abiding with Christ through Scripture

Hearing God’s voice in Prayer

Taking immediate steps of obedience when God calls

As they continuously hear God’s voice and take more steps of obedience, they will mature and multiply. But you can’t get to 4th generation disciples without a 1st generation disciple.

Embed Multiplication DNA Immediately!

Your disciple may not be at the level of obedience where they are ready to multiply yet to another person. Sometimes that’s okay and sometimes the root of their disobedience needs to be rooted out. That said, multiplication DNA must be established immediately. Even if they struggle with the ability, they must always know that’s the direction we are headed.

“We will multiply to others…”

“We will share with others…”

“Who is in your life right now that…”

“Who are you praying for right now that…”

You want them to be thinking outward focused right away. To get to generations of disciples, we must move rapidly toward having eyes and a heartbeat for lost people. Your disciple needs a gen map (Oikos Map) immediately. Who are the people that God has already uniquely positioned them to reach. They need to be praying for God to go before them to those people from the start. The more their heart is burdened for lost people, the more likely they are to multiply to another person.

These are four imperatives that come to mind when I think about getting to reproducing disciples. What are some other areas you believe we must focus on to achieve multiplication? What else must we do to see the completion of the Great Commission in our day?

Let’s take Kingdom territory!

Source: 4 Imperatives to Help Reach Multiplication

The post 4 Imperatives to Help Reach Multiplication appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By: Stan Rodda

Every now and then someone has asked me a question along these lines, “How do I know when someone is ready to be discipled?” The short answer is simply discernment. We need to be in tune enough with the Holy Spirit to know when someone near us is ready to be challenged and invited into a next step. But without discernment, there are some qualities to look for in a person to know when they might be ripe for harvest.

But if you are looking for a practical tool, I like a simple tool called, “FATSO.” This tool will work for you whether you are a pastor, ministry leader or a lay person simply trying to make disciples in your workplace or neighborhood. It helps you identify people in your sphere of influence who are ready to be invited into a next step or to ultimately say “Yes” to Jesus.

Let’s walk through through this tool together. FATSO stands for…

Faithful

People most likely to follow you into a next step of being discipled or saying “Yes” to Jesus, are people who are already faithful to you. They believe in you. They have attended your church for some time and are the first to arrive and the last to leave. They are all in on the ministry God has given them. They show up every time. They are faithful people.

Available

Available people are the “anytime, anywhere” kind of people. You tell me what to do and I’m on it. What time do you want me there? I’ll be five minutes early. Oh, you’re having a meeting? Count me in. They are available to the ministry or church you lead. Or they are the neighbor that always shows up. If you host a cook out at your home, they can’t wait to be there. They are available to you when you move toward something. Look for people who always show up.

Teachable

We all have things to learn when it comes to disciple making and following Jesus. None of us is perfect or knows all the answers 100% of the time. So when looking for someone to disciple, you’re looking for a teachable person. When someone simply wants to get together with you to argue theology or to point out a mistake you made in your sermon when you called out a reference and were off by one chapter, they may not be a teachable or humble enough person to move to the next step. Disciple making requires teachability.

Sendable

The sendable person will go where you point. It’s the example of Jesus with His disciples in Luke 10. Go to those villages over there. He pointed and sent them. Sendable people are with you wherever you go. If you need them somewhere, they get there quickly. They are sendable.

Obedient

Similar to sendable are obedient people. When Jesus sent His followers to villages ahead of Him, they not only went, but were obedient in proclaiming the message He gave them. Your obedient types will not only go where you point, but they will share the Gospel, tell their story or pray with a neighbor on the sidewalk. But far more important than them being obedient to a homework assignment or next step, is them being obedient to the voice of God in their lives. As they hear God’s voice and obey, they start to hear the unique calling and direction God has for them. And when God calls, they are obedient to His voice.

Some of the people most likely to walk with you in a disciple making relationship are FATSO’s. Obviously, this isn’t a foundational truth across the board. Sometimes outliers will surprise you when they show up and you’re shocked they are there. That has happened to me before. But overall, FATSO is a great identifying tool to help you discern who is ready to be discipled.

I hope this tool helps you make disciples right where you are. If you find it useful, I’d love to hear about it. Leave me a comment and share your story of how FATSO helped you identify someone who was ready to make disciples and what God is doing in their life now.

Let’s take Kingdom territory!

Source: 5 Ways To Know Someone Is Ready For A Next Step

The post 5 Ways To Know Someone Is Ready For A Next Step appeared first on Passion for Planting.