Radical or Foundational?

We’ve gotten so far out of the “box” that being “radical” means getting back into the box.

…someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go” (Luke 9:57).

How many times I have boastfully said: “Here am I Lord, send me” while thinking to myself, “As long as Your plans do not conflict with my plans.”

And Jesus reveals me for what I truly am (John 2:25). It is there that I realize the depth of my depravity and the grandeur of His Kingdom possibility. It is there, if I am willing, that the King of Kings can either destroy my lofty aspirations or I continue in my treason. He says, “…the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

The Fellowship of His Sufferings

David Wilkerson writes, “Who, in this day and age yearns to share in the sufferings of Jesus Christ?”

We live in a time when we do almost anything to alleviate suffering from our personal lives. We do not like pain or suffering.

But are we praying as Paul did that we may understand and share in Christ’s sufferings? We’re not talking about physical suffering, but spiritual suffering.

“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:7-12)

Spiritual Parenting Is Simple Discipleship

“… but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children” (1 Thessalonians 2:7).

I have three children. After nearly a quarter century raising kids, I have concluded that raising children is a lot like Jesus’ process of making disciples – unconditional love and acceptance, equipping, training, doing life together. I am there 24/7. We have a relationship and I am intentional in my efforts.

Whatever It Takes: I Am His Disciple

I am a part of the body committed to doing “whatever it takes.”

I have Holy spirit power. The die has been cast. I’ve stepped over the line.

I am out of the comfort zone. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of Jesus. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, or back away. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame vision, mundane talking, chincy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

Live Christ Deliberately

Henry David Thoreau wrote, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.”

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

Discipleship By Design: Free Book Download

God uses our common, everyday life to form His character in us. One particular teacher calls what we do in the church “the kitchen of Christianity.” It is there that we develop our understanding, shaping and molding the dough of our life in preparation for the remaining week to follow. The truth of the matter is that what we do in the church on Sunday, though critically important, is not what proves out our witness. Our character is shaped and honed as we go through life. Patience is patterned as we stand in the checkout line. Perseverance is taught when we seek out a new job. Love is learned as we see and meet the needs of others. Regardless of station, whether it is in an office or in the field, our work becomes the foundation from which our Lord builds our character.

OakTree Fellowship: Simple & Organic Church

OakTree Fellowship
• We are believers on the way.
• Our commitment to the Lord is genuine, real, and vibrant.
• Our relationship to one another is close-knit and Christ-centered.
• We are more interested in Christ-directed life transformation than mere intellectual assent.
• Our gatherings express and reveal Jesus Christ and in which every member functions and shares.
• Our community life is alive, nurturing, and where each believer is growing to love Jesus and one another more and more – a community where no one stands alone, develops alone, or grows up alone.
• We want to live Christ deliberately and passionately even though we are all going through a sort of spiritual detoxification effect (spiritual baggage we have embraced as being truth but not found in the New Testament), we are neither legalistic nor libertine in our lifestyles.
• We do not attend traditional church services as passive spectators.
• We are believers who choose to gather in homes.

The Camp Of Familiarity

Most believers live lives of quiet desperation instead of seeking to live Christ deliberately. Great numbers of believers live in the present, based on their past with no expectation for an abundant future. The Bible teaches otherwise.

CORE Discipleship Ministry

About CORE Discipleship Ministry:
In a day of instant coffee, instant popcorn, and microwave ovens, most of us want to hurry-up processes that take time to accomplish. God has no instant formulas for discipleship. God invites you to follow Him at whatever point in life you may be. Apart from His sacrificial work on the Cross, the most important thing our Lord did upon the earth was to make disciples. Discipleship, like raising children, is progressive, not instantaneous. Jesus’ discipleship process was relational, up-close and personal. He took a few men at various stages of life, poured His life and ministry into them, equipped them for ministry, empowered them, and released them to repeat the process – disciples are made as we go, baptize, and teach.