Developing A Discipleship Ministry: Part 4

In this session we continue looking at how Jesus made disciples.

God’s Word was at the core of Jesus’ discipleship ministry.

Jesus’ spiritual nourishment – how He was fed – included studying, meditating, and allowing God’s Word to mold and shape Him. It also included prayer and fellowship with those who would later launch His church, and doing His Father’s will.

Jesus’ life illustrated and authenticated what He taught. His life and teaching was based on what God said. Jesus taught publicly, to large groups, small groups, privately, to the lost, to His followers, to His disciples, and to Jewish leaders. God’s Word was at the heart of everything Jesus did and taught. Jesus said: “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4) and His authority was derived from the Father’s authority: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” (John 5:19) … Click Here For Complete Article

Developing A Discipleship Ministry: Part 1

Developing A Discipleship Ministry: Part 2

Developing A Discipleship Ministry: Part 3

Your Position In Christ Jesus

One of the greatest gifts you can present to God is to believe – truly accept – what He says about you.

Jesus resisted the devil by applying God’s Word. When you are attacked, it is the knowledge and use of the Word that allows you to resist temptation. We cannot resist him by human will or human effort. We resist him by spiritual means – by using the Word of God, being empowered by His Holy Spirit, and through prayer.

As we look at the Word, apply the Word in faith and obedience, allowing the Spirit to empower that action through prayer we can be victorious.

Practical Idea: Print and post this somewhere in your home, ministry, or workplace where you and others can see it often. Use in your small group setting. Review each Scripture and dialogue about what each means.

Jelly-filled kids

American children are physically obese and spiritually starved. And yet, we continue to serve up unhealthy food at home, school, and church.

I’m no nutritional expert, but let’s do the math:

• Junk food + inactivity + no accountability = jelly-filled donut

We are what we eat.

Back in the day before social media, I remember climbing trees, biking with friends, all-night camp-outs, sword drills, and actually going door-to-door to visit with people face-to-face. Comparatively, seems our kids today are addicted to electronic media and adrenaline-producing-rollercoaster-events and popcorn diets.

Jesus’ last command. Your most important mission.

Regardless of denomination, research says that the church is losing 70% of church-raised kids.

One recent attempt to curb this alarming trend has been to assign the job and responsibility of spiritual influence entirely to dads and moms (based on Deuteronomy 6:5-7). And though I believe that parents do have the greatest opportunity as “spiritual influencers” in their children’s lives, I see this as only partially remedial. Recall that Moses plainly and simply taught the law to Israel so that parents could then instruct their children. As such, we see the church in partnership with parents and parents in partnership with the church. Discipleship is not to be relegated solely to parents; it is the job and responsibility of the entire church.

Loving God Passionately – Part 1

If you’re like me, you want to love God passionately. After all, when a scribe pressed Jesus to identify the greatest commandment, He summed up the entire law in two all-encompassing statements—love God with your entire being, and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31). Nothing in life is more important than these!

Expressing Adoration

All believers agree that loving God is a worthy goal, yet what does it really mean and how can an individual truly accomplish this? In my efforts to obey this command through the last three decades, I dissected the passage and scrutinized the key words. To sum up my research and experience, I have determined that loving God passionately is essentially “expressing adoration and delight in unbroken communion with Him.” But this is still pretty nebulous. Let’s drill down further.

Children’s Church Curriculum: What are the kids learning?

Once upon a time, Christian parents asked their children after church, “What did you learn about God?” Today, the question is often, “Did you have fun?” Not too long ago, wanting to fully equip children to serve Christ, churches offered extensive Bible training for all ages. Today, wanting to keep kids happy and to make recruiting easy, many churches offer high-energy, entertainment-based programs. Children rarely use their Bibles. What’s needed is a comprehensive children’s discipleship system that helps equip kids to reach their peak potential as Jesus’ disciples, a children’s church curriculum that partners with teachers and parents to transform children into dynamic disciples of Jesus Christ. Kids need to learn to Know God intimately, love God passionately, and to serve God selflessly.

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