Knowing God Lesson 2 of 12 – Knowing Him through His Names (meeting 1a)
When we get to know a person, the name of that person is important and it takes some time to remember. Sometimes a name represents a character trait that the person has and if we understand the meaning of the name we understand who the person is.
The Bible reveals numerous names and titles of God, each with a distinct meaning.
What is the name of God that Jesus wanted his disciples to know the most and remember the most and really understand?
....."O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." John 17:25,26 NASB
“FATHER”. We must lay this “Father” foundation first in Knowing God via His names.
Again this is a two fold endeavor of knowing about the Father and also experiencing God as our Father in a deep relationship.
To explain further, one of God’s names is “healer”. Jehovah Rapha –The LORD Who Heals You (Ex 15:26). A person can know about “God the Lord who heals you” yet not experience God as the Lord who heals you. It takes both to really Know God as Rapha.
How well do we know the Father?
Jesus wanted us to know God the Father.
........Matthew 6:9 “Pray, then, in this way:' Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”
......Luke 10:22 “" All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."
......Luke 11:13 “" If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"
......Luke 12:30 “"For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things.”
......John 14:7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him." 8Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." 9Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10"Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11"Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.”
It is possible for a young disciple to fixate on a single name of God revealed in the Bible and become stagnate in growth. Some fixate on “Jehovah” thinking that is all there is about God and His name. Others fixate on the Old Testament spelling and reverence for the name and spell it G_D or in ways that indicate they have not learned what Jesus came to teach them about God as Father.
To the extent that you know God the Father you can make the Father known to others.
......"O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." John 17:25,26 NASB
Knowing God as the Father means many things and as we help the young disciple know the Father we can share with them various things like the Father loves his rebellious children and looks for them to return like the prodigal son parable in Luke 15.
Jesus was always explaining the Father.
.......John 1:18 “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
We too must know the Father and explain the Father in order to make disciples.
It is possible to misrepresent the Father as a hard and harsh person with strict rules and a big stick to beat us for every little error we make, but this is not the Father that Jesus came to explain. Jesus was the perfect representation of the Father to us.
.......Hebrews 1:3 “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high”
As the Apostles began to understand this they also began to explain the Father.
......1 John 3:1 ‘See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.”
......Romans 8:16 “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”
......1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Fatherhood includes loving discipline:
.......Hebrews 12:6 “FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES,AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES. 7It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.”
Children often imitate their fathers - Knowing the Father includes imitating Him.
......Ephesians 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;
......1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see.”
There is a physical DNA that we share from our father and a spiritual DNA that we share from our Heavenly Father:
......Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”
......2 Peter 1:4 ‘For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
.......1 John 3:10 “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”
How did Jesus make disciples that knew the Father?
All the various attributes of the Fatherhood of God he explained both in His teachings and life. This is how we need to make disciples, become an example of a loving father, not just a teacher but a father as well, just as the expert disciple maker the Apostle Paul did.
.......1 Corinthians 4:15 “Even though you have ten thousand guardians {teachers, instructors, leaders} in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
In conclusion,
.....John 12:28 “" Father, glorify Your name " Then a voice came out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again."
......John 16:27 "the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father".
.....John 17:23 "I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
May the Lord use you to build disciples who know the Father well and glorify the name of the Father!
Blessings,
Disciple Maker
(Meeting 1 b: Knowing God via the 100 names of God in the Bible)
Friday, July 3, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Review 1. Why are we making disciples?
Why are we making disciples?
Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples. (Mt 28:19)
The Apostle Paul was an expert at making disciples of Jesus.
1 Corinthians 3:10a "By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder ............." NIV
How did he do it? A study of what Paul focused on reveals he was an expert at building others in three areas; Knowing God, Christian Character and Ministry.
Other types of experts are mentioned in Scripture as well but they did not make quality disciples of Jesus.
Luke 11:46 "Jesus replied, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them." NIV
Luke 11:52 ""Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering." NIV
Matthew 23:15 ""Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are." NIV
We too can miss the mark and become an expert in things that do not make quality disciples of Jesus in our day - things such as an expert on End Times or an expert in the Old Covenant or an expert in the modern nation of Israel, or an expert in Church history or Prosperity, Faith, Prophecy, an expert in a particular issue of the day, so forth and so on.
The expertise that we desire to gain, discuss and share with each other is in Making Disciples of Jesus. This goal is reposted below in the first blog a few months ago. Please join in and add your comments to the blog.
The Goal of Disciple Making
The Goal of Disciple Making“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 NASB
Jesus desires that people of all nations will be made into his disciples. A disciple is not born as one but rather made into one and therefore Jesus commanded his servants to do the hard work necessary to make people into disciples of Jesus. When referring to a disciple of Jesus this word disciple simple means a learner, student and follower of Jesus and we know there is a goal and destiny for such a student and follower of Jesus. A good disciple maker will keep that goal in mind until it is reached.
The goal is found in Ephesians 4:11-13:“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” NASB
We can consolidate this into three main areas which will be our goal in making a disciple:
1. Knowing God – “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God;”
2. Christian Character - “to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ;”
3. Ministry – “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service.”
A disciple of Jesus is one who is learning to: Know God, be like Jesus in Character and Minister to others.
A disciple maker is teaching the disciple those three things and making sure the disciple grows and reaches the goal of maturity in those three things.“As a result, we are no longer to be children tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Ephesians 4:14-16
Why do we see so much corruption, lack of love and lack of maturity in the Christian Church of our day?
One reason is clear, we no longer make disciples as we ought even though we do make many believers, seminary students, pastors and even build many church buildings. We must keep in mind a believer in Jesus is not a disciple of Jesus by merely being a believer nor is a seminary graduate a disciple of Jesus by merely being a graduate of religion, nor is a pastor a disciple of Jesus by merely preaching every Sunday and finally the size and luxury of a church building has nothing whatsoever to do with being or making disciples of Jesus; all of which may shock those who are not disciples. A disciple is distinctly different for Jesus did not say “Go and make believers, seminary graduates, pastors and build wonderful church buildings” but rather he said “go and make disciples”.
May the Lord Jesus make you into His Disciple today,
Disciple Maker
Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples. (Mt 28:19)
The Apostle Paul was an expert at making disciples of Jesus.
1 Corinthians 3:10a "By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder ............." NIV
How did he do it? A study of what Paul focused on reveals he was an expert at building others in three areas; Knowing God, Christian Character and Ministry.
Other types of experts are mentioned in Scripture as well but they did not make quality disciples of Jesus.
Luke 11:46 "Jesus replied, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them." NIV
Luke 11:52 ""Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering." NIV
Matthew 23:15 ""Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are." NIV
We too can miss the mark and become an expert in things that do not make quality disciples of Jesus in our day - things such as an expert on End Times or an expert in the Old Covenant or an expert in the modern nation of Israel, or an expert in Church history or Prosperity, Faith, Prophecy, an expert in a particular issue of the day, so forth and so on.
The expertise that we desire to gain, discuss and share with each other is in Making Disciples of Jesus. This goal is reposted below in the first blog a few months ago. Please join in and add your comments to the blog.
The Goal of Disciple Making
The Goal of Disciple Making“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 NASB
Jesus desires that people of all nations will be made into his disciples. A disciple is not born as one but rather made into one and therefore Jesus commanded his servants to do the hard work necessary to make people into disciples of Jesus. When referring to a disciple of Jesus this word disciple simple means a learner, student and follower of Jesus and we know there is a goal and destiny for such a student and follower of Jesus. A good disciple maker will keep that goal in mind until it is reached.
The goal is found in Ephesians 4:11-13:“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” NASB
We can consolidate this into three main areas which will be our goal in making a disciple:
1. Knowing God – “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God;”
2. Christian Character - “to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ;”
3. Ministry – “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service.”
A disciple of Jesus is one who is learning to: Know God, be like Jesus in Character and Minister to others.
A disciple maker is teaching the disciple those three things and making sure the disciple grows and reaches the goal of maturity in those three things.“As a result, we are no longer to be children tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Ephesians 4:14-16
Why do we see so much corruption, lack of love and lack of maturity in the Christian Church of our day?
One reason is clear, we no longer make disciples as we ought even though we do make many believers, seminary students, pastors and even build many church buildings. We must keep in mind a believer in Jesus is not a disciple of Jesus by merely being a believer nor is a seminary graduate a disciple of Jesus by merely being a graduate of religion, nor is a pastor a disciple of Jesus by merely preaching every Sunday and finally the size and luxury of a church building has nothing whatsoever to do with being or making disciples of Jesus; all of which may shock those who are not disciples. A disciple is distinctly different for Jesus did not say “Go and make believers, seminary graduates, pastors and build wonderful church buildings” but rather he said “go and make disciples”.
May the Lord Jesus make you into His Disciple today,
Disciple Maker
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Ministry Lesson 1 of 12 meeting 1a
Ministry 1a – Thanksgiving and Justice.
Ministry means service, a minister is a servant. There are numerous types of services and servants.
Every disciple of Jesus is a minister.
1 Peter 2:5 “you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 2:9 “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light”
In the Ministry module we’re helping the young disciple grow in the ministry of loving God and loving others. Once again, two wings on a bird both have to be working well in order to fly otherwise its flying in circles.The goal in building “Ministry” is to reach the level of love that Jesus manifested in fulfilling the two great commandments - “Love the Lord your God…Love your neighbor” Matthew 22:37-39
Ministry is an outflow of sincere love that is flowing towards God and towards others as a result of the growth one makes in the other two modules. A formula may be of some help to picture and understand this - the formula is not perfect just a picture:
Knowing God (KG) x Christian Character (CC) = Ministry (M).
The Apostle Paul writes that CC is connected M:
2 Timothy 2:20 “Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. 21Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”
The Apostle Peter writes that KG is connected to CC:
2 Peter 1:8 “For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
To the extent that the young disciple Knows God and has worked out some of that in his/her own character, then loving God and neighbors is an automatic outflow of that growth.
What does the opposite of such a formula look like?
(a) A ministry of loving God without the sincere love is ritual and tradition, not ministry.
Mark 7:6 “And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:' THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
Mark 7:9 “He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.
(b) A ministry of loving one’s neighbor without sincere love is activity and showmanship, not ministry.
1 Corinthians 13:3 “And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Matthew 23:14 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.”
Luke 20:46 “"Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets”
I start this Module with the Ministry of Thanksgiving toward God and Justice toward man – a foundation of Ministry.
The Lord was focused on “thanksgiving” in Rom 1:21 & “justice” in Rom 13:8-10.
Loving God: The Ministry of THANKSGIVING
Romans 1:21 “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
Deuteronomy 6:5 “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
Psalm 9:1 “I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders.”
Psalm 95:2 “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
Psalm 100:4 “Enter His gates with thanksgiving. And His courts with praise Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
Helping the disciple grow in an attitude of perpetual gratitude is key here to develop a Ministry of Thanksgiving which is an outflow of love toward God. (more later)
Hebrews 12:28 “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;”
Colossians 2:7 “having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
For now help the disciple discover things to thank God for and thus begin the ministry. Have them start a weekly journal to record their ministry of thanksgiving and thank the Lord for every single thing that happened during the week.
Some broad topics we'll consider thanking the Lord about are:
Spiritual life – salvation, new life, knowing God etc.
Soul life – sound mind, the mind of Christ, joy, peace, etc.
Body life – health, strength, sound sleep.
Relationships – family, friends, coworkers, fellow Christians, etc.
Protection – from accidents, from thieves, from etc.
Provision – employment, education, transportaion etc
This is just a start to show how the Ministry of Thanksgiving can grow to incorporate thanking the Lord in all circumstances for all things.
(more on this Ministry in meeting 1b)
Loving Our Neighbors: The Ministry of JUSTICE
The ministry of loving our neighbors begins with The Ministry of Justice where we’re growing in treating others justly - rightly.
Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice…..”
Romans 13:8 “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." 10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
The words justice and righteous are interchangeable in Scripture, to do justice is to do right, to be righteous is to be just, acting justly towards others is acting righteously or rightly towards others. The opposite is unrighteous behavior aka unjust behavior or doing others wrong - ”love does no wrong to a neighbor”.
In this wing of the Ministry module we’re helping the disciple to know right from wrong behavior towards others and equipping them to choose the right. Obviously the disciple needs to know right from wrong first in order to love others justly.
Jeremiah 9:24 “but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD.”
Isaiah 1:17 “Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.”
James 4:17 “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
Some broad topics we’ll consider are:
Preventing; repaying evil for evil, dishonor, disrespect.
Promoting ministry of ; respecting others, honoring others, thanking others, blessing those who curse you.
Preventing; neglect, unconcern, bitterness, grudges etc.
Promoting ministry of; helping others, encouraging others, being a blessing to all etc.
Preventing; injustice, favoritism, selfishness etc.
Promoting ministry of; defending the rights of others, equality, sharing with others etc.
Preventing; isolation and stinginess
Promoting ministry of; fellowship and generosity
(More on this Ministry in meeting 1b)
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you as you equip others to serve Him.
Disciple Maker
Ministry means service, a minister is a servant. There are numerous types of services and servants.
Every disciple of Jesus is a minister.
1 Peter 2:5 “you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 2:9 “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light”
In the Ministry module we’re helping the young disciple grow in the ministry of loving God and loving others. Once again, two wings on a bird both have to be working well in order to fly otherwise its flying in circles.The goal in building “Ministry” is to reach the level of love that Jesus manifested in fulfilling the two great commandments - “Love the Lord your God…Love your neighbor” Matthew 22:37-39
Ministry is an outflow of sincere love that is flowing towards God and towards others as a result of the growth one makes in the other two modules. A formula may be of some help to picture and understand this - the formula is not perfect just a picture:
Knowing God (KG) x Christian Character (CC) = Ministry (M).
The Apostle Paul writes that CC is connected M:
2 Timothy 2:20 “Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. 21Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”
The Apostle Peter writes that KG is connected to CC:
2 Peter 1:8 “For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
To the extent that the young disciple Knows God and has worked out some of that in his/her own character, then loving God and neighbors is an automatic outflow of that growth.
What does the opposite of such a formula look like?
(a) A ministry of loving God without the sincere love is ritual and tradition, not ministry.
Mark 7:6 “And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:' THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
Mark 7:9 “He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.
(b) A ministry of loving one’s neighbor without sincere love is activity and showmanship, not ministry.
1 Corinthians 13:3 “And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Matthew 23:14 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.”
Luke 20:46 “"Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets”
I start this Module with the Ministry of Thanksgiving toward God and Justice toward man – a foundation of Ministry.
The Lord was focused on “thanksgiving” in Rom 1:21 & “justice” in Rom 13:8-10.
Loving God: The Ministry of THANKSGIVING
Romans 1:21 “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
Deuteronomy 6:5 “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
Psalm 9:1 “I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders.”
Psalm 95:2 “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
Psalm 100:4 “Enter His gates with thanksgiving. And His courts with praise Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
Helping the disciple grow in an attitude of perpetual gratitude is key here to develop a Ministry of Thanksgiving which is an outflow of love toward God. (more later)
Hebrews 12:28 “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;”
Colossians 2:7 “having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
For now help the disciple discover things to thank God for and thus begin the ministry. Have them start a weekly journal to record their ministry of thanksgiving and thank the Lord for every single thing that happened during the week.
Some broad topics we'll consider thanking the Lord about are:
Spiritual life – salvation, new life, knowing God etc.
Soul life – sound mind, the mind of Christ, joy, peace, etc.
Body life – health, strength, sound sleep.
Relationships – family, friends, coworkers, fellow Christians, etc.
Protection – from accidents, from thieves, from etc.
Provision – employment, education, transportaion etc
This is just a start to show how the Ministry of Thanksgiving can grow to incorporate thanking the Lord in all circumstances for all things.
(more on this Ministry in meeting 1b)
Loving Our Neighbors: The Ministry of JUSTICE
The ministry of loving our neighbors begins with The Ministry of Justice where we’re growing in treating others justly - rightly.
Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice…..”
Romans 13:8 “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." 10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
The words justice and righteous are interchangeable in Scripture, to do justice is to do right, to be righteous is to be just, acting justly towards others is acting righteously or rightly towards others. The opposite is unrighteous behavior aka unjust behavior or doing others wrong - ”love does no wrong to a neighbor”.
In this wing of the Ministry module we’re helping the disciple to know right from wrong behavior towards others and equipping them to choose the right. Obviously the disciple needs to know right from wrong first in order to love others justly.
Jeremiah 9:24 “but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD.”
Isaiah 1:17 “Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.”
James 4:17 “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
Some broad topics we’ll consider are:
Preventing; repaying evil for evil, dishonor, disrespect.
Promoting ministry of ; respecting others, honoring others, thanking others, blessing those who curse you.
Preventing; neglect, unconcern, bitterness, grudges etc.
Promoting ministry of; helping others, encouraging others, being a blessing to all etc.
Preventing; injustice, favoritism, selfishness etc.
Promoting ministry of; defending the rights of others, equality, sharing with others etc.
Preventing; isolation and stinginess
Promoting ministry of; fellowship and generosity
(More on this Ministry in meeting 1b)
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you as you equip others to serve Him.
Disciple Maker
Friday, June 12, 2009
Christian Character Lesson 1 of 12 - meeting 1a
Christian Character meeting 1a - Humility and Pride
In the Christian Character module we’re helping the young disciple get rid of sin on the one hand and grow in the character fruit of Jesus on the other. Once again, two wings on a bird both have to be working well in order to fly otherwise its flying in circles.
The goal in building Christian Character is to become as much like Jesus Christ in our character as we possibly can.
We have a partial list of the Character of Jesus in Galatians 5:22 “..the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23gentleness, self-control ..” NASB
The character trait of humility found in Christ is where I start in this module
Jesus himself encouraged us to be humble, Matthew 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.” NASB
The Apostle Paul encouraged the same, Colossians 3:12 “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” NASB
There is an additional advantage for starting this module with humility - – the disciple needs much grace (God’s favor and help) in order to grow and God gives this grace to the humble.
James 4:5-7 “ 5Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"? 6But He gives a greater grace Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE {favor and help}TO THE HUMBLE." 7Submit therefore to God Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” NASB
1 Peter 5:5 “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE {favor and help} TO THE HUMBLE. 6Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time” NASB
What does humility mean?
Humility means lowering oneself or deflation. Pride is the opposite.
Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
Romans 12:3 “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”
Being humble, or having the Spiritual fruit of humility, is the end result of actively lowering oneself, it is not a natural humility but rather a Holy Spirit inspired active trait. Jesus as God, left heaven and came to earth, actively lowering himself to become a human being. He lowered himself further to become a servant of man. Etc.
Philippians 2:8 “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross..” NASB
Matthew 18:4 4"Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” NASB
In brief, the Bible describes two audiences of which we are to be humble towards:
(1) Being humble before God - actively lowering & deflating oneself before God. (Jas 4:5-7; Mic 6:8)
(2) Being humble before each other - actively lowering & deflating oneself before people or persons. (1 Pet 5:5)
It is possible for a person to be humble before God and not toward others and vice versa. You may have a disciple who is very humble toward people but proud when it comes to God or vice versa. (We’ll go through various types of pride later.)
In addition humility can be true or false. True humility is Bible based, Christ like and sincere - sincere meaning the action and heart are united in the deed.
A very tragic mistake in disciple making is when the disciple maker accepts, allows, teaches or promotes some form of false humility.
Therefore we need to really grasp this concept of false humility at the beginning and follow only the teachings and practices of Jesus and the Apostles regarding true humility.
False humility or deceitful humility can be many things – below are 3 ways:
(a) Insincere humility - whereby the deed and the heart/spirit are disconnected and not united:
Psalm 12:2 “They speak falsehood to one another; With flattering lips and with a double heart they speak.” NASB
Isaiah 58:3 “'Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice? 'Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers.”
Mark 7:6 “And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:' THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.” NASB
Luke 18:18 “ A ruler questioned Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 19And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” NASB
Luke 6:46 “" Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?” NASB
Anytime we fake humility it is not genuinely sincere as Jesus is in His humility.
For example:
An extreme case is those who mocked Jesus and bowed to him insincerely – “Mark 15:19 “They kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him.”
A far less extreme case is when the Priest or Pastor instructs everyone to kneel and they all do so yet many are insincere and are just following orders as General Naaman did when he bowed to a foreign god for show and not in sincere humility. (2Kg 5:18). In contrast we have those who refused to fake humbleness (Dan 3).
Are we humbling ourselves before God and man because we are told to or because the culture we live in demands it or is it because we really mean it and thus are sincere in our humility whereby our heart/spirit and action are united in humility toward God and others?
For many the insincere humility will suffice but that is a mistake – we must not accept nor promote that sort of insincere practice in a young disciple.
Jesus was humble, truly sincerely humble, and never faked it.
(b) UnChristlike humility - humbling oneself in a way that Jesus did NOT teach nor practice.
Matthew 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.” NASB
We learn from Jesus - ask yourself the question, did Jesus lower himself like that or teach us to do that?
For example a disciple that has an inferiority complex and thinks they are inferior to all others – “I’m ugly, I’m stupid, I’m uneducated, I’m fat, I’m divorced, I’m handicapped, etc.” This is not the humility fruit of the Spirit.
The Apostle Paul once said he was the worst of sinners. (1Tim 1:15). Why did he say that? (1 Tim 1:13). He was listing out his great sins which made him a great sinner – few had been a murderous killer of Christians like Paul had been so this was no inferiority complex but rather a truthful statement. Paul also called himself the least of the Apostles for the same reason (1 Cor 15:9), yet he was never inferior to them (2 Cor 11:15,23).
Speaking the truth about oneself is what Jesus did and taught. Jesus was not a door mat and did not let others treat him like one, that is all the way up to the point where he would take the sin of the world upon himself and become man’s scapegoat on the cross – before that point he did not let others treat him like a door mat in a perverted form of humility.
John 8:48,49 The Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" “Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.”
John 18:23 “Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?" NASB
Door mat humility is not like Christ. Likewise the Apostle Paul was also unwilling to allow himself to be treated like a door mat.
2 Corinthians 12:11 “I have become foolish; you yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you, for in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody.” NASB
Acts 25:11 “"If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar."
(c) non-Scriptural humility where one humbles themselves beyond any instructions in Scripture.
Such as humbling oneself before animals thus lifting animals up higher than the position the Lord created them in - treating animals like humans. Animal lovers can become extreme and end up exalting animals and lowering humans.
For example: In America many treat their pets as humans, even better than humans in some cases, and that is a not found in Scripture. In India many humble themselves before cows and rats, and monkeys.
There are cases where Christians have mistakenly felt that God wanted to humble them so they went around with dog collars on and crawled on all fours barking like a dog. Only the devil enjoys such humbling of Christians , God takes no pleasure in it.
Ask yourself, where in Scripture are we to lower ourselves like that?
Finally, help the young disciple enter into true humility and not false humility.
What is the proper and true fruit of humility we are building in the disciple?, is a question you must ask yourself as you examine the lives of Jesus and the Apostles and build that into the young disciple.
As homework ask the young disciple to take note of his/her false humility moments this coming week - humble towards God, family, friends, coworkers, peers, various people we come into contact with, animals etc. Was there any insincere or unChristlike or unBiblical humility practiced?
Then address it using the Word of God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit that He has given you to make disciples.
Disciple Maker
P.S. Meeting 1 b – the beginnings of getting rid of the sin of Pride and learning more about true humility.
In the Christian Character module we’re helping the young disciple get rid of sin on the one hand and grow in the character fruit of Jesus on the other. Once again, two wings on a bird both have to be working well in order to fly otherwise its flying in circles.
The goal in building Christian Character is to become as much like Jesus Christ in our character as we possibly can.
We have a partial list of the Character of Jesus in Galatians 5:22 “..the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23gentleness, self-control ..” NASB
The character trait of humility found in Christ is where I start in this module
Jesus himself encouraged us to be humble, Matthew 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.” NASB
The Apostle Paul encouraged the same, Colossians 3:12 “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” NASB
There is an additional advantage for starting this module with humility - – the disciple needs much grace (God’s favor and help) in order to grow and God gives this grace to the humble.
James 4:5-7 “ 5Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"? 6But He gives a greater grace Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE {favor and help}TO THE HUMBLE." 7Submit therefore to God Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” NASB
1 Peter 5:5 “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE {favor and help} TO THE HUMBLE. 6Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time” NASB
What does humility mean?
Humility means lowering oneself or deflation. Pride is the opposite.
Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
Romans 12:3 “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”
Being humble, or having the Spiritual fruit of humility, is the end result of actively lowering oneself, it is not a natural humility but rather a Holy Spirit inspired active trait. Jesus as God, left heaven and came to earth, actively lowering himself to become a human being. He lowered himself further to become a servant of man. Etc.
Philippians 2:8 “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross..” NASB
Matthew 18:4 4"Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” NASB
In brief, the Bible describes two audiences of which we are to be humble towards:
(1) Being humble before God - actively lowering & deflating oneself before God. (Jas 4:5-7; Mic 6:8)
(2) Being humble before each other - actively lowering & deflating oneself before people or persons. (1 Pet 5:5)
It is possible for a person to be humble before God and not toward others and vice versa. You may have a disciple who is very humble toward people but proud when it comes to God or vice versa. (We’ll go through various types of pride later.)
In addition humility can be true or false. True humility is Bible based, Christ like and sincere - sincere meaning the action and heart are united in the deed.
A very tragic mistake in disciple making is when the disciple maker accepts, allows, teaches or promotes some form of false humility.
Therefore we need to really grasp this concept of false humility at the beginning and follow only the teachings and practices of Jesus and the Apostles regarding true humility.
False humility or deceitful humility can be many things – below are 3 ways:
(a) Insincere humility - whereby the deed and the heart/spirit are disconnected and not united:
Psalm 12:2 “They speak falsehood to one another; With flattering lips and with a double heart they speak.” NASB
Isaiah 58:3 “'Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice? 'Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers.”
Mark 7:6 “And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:' THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.” NASB
Luke 18:18 “ A ruler questioned Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 19And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” NASB
Luke 6:46 “" Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?” NASB
Anytime we fake humility it is not genuinely sincere as Jesus is in His humility.
For example:
An extreme case is those who mocked Jesus and bowed to him insincerely – “Mark 15:19 “They kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him.”
A far less extreme case is when the Priest or Pastor instructs everyone to kneel and they all do so yet many are insincere and are just following orders as General Naaman did when he bowed to a foreign god for show and not in sincere humility. (2Kg 5:18). In contrast we have those who refused to fake humbleness (Dan 3).
Are we humbling ourselves before God and man because we are told to or because the culture we live in demands it or is it because we really mean it and thus are sincere in our humility whereby our heart/spirit and action are united in humility toward God and others?
For many the insincere humility will suffice but that is a mistake – we must not accept nor promote that sort of insincere practice in a young disciple.
Jesus was humble, truly sincerely humble, and never faked it.
(b) UnChristlike humility - humbling oneself in a way that Jesus did NOT teach nor practice.
Matthew 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.” NASB
We learn from Jesus - ask yourself the question, did Jesus lower himself like that or teach us to do that?
For example a disciple that has an inferiority complex and thinks they are inferior to all others – “I’m ugly, I’m stupid, I’m uneducated, I’m fat, I’m divorced, I’m handicapped, etc.” This is not the humility fruit of the Spirit.
The Apostle Paul once said he was the worst of sinners. (1Tim 1:15). Why did he say that? (1 Tim 1:13). He was listing out his great sins which made him a great sinner – few had been a murderous killer of Christians like Paul had been so this was no inferiority complex but rather a truthful statement. Paul also called himself the least of the Apostles for the same reason (1 Cor 15:9), yet he was never inferior to them (2 Cor 11:15,23).
Speaking the truth about oneself is what Jesus did and taught. Jesus was not a door mat and did not let others treat him like one, that is all the way up to the point where he would take the sin of the world upon himself and become man’s scapegoat on the cross – before that point he did not let others treat him like a door mat in a perverted form of humility.
John 8:48,49 The Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" “Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.”
John 18:23 “Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?" NASB
Door mat humility is not like Christ. Likewise the Apostle Paul was also unwilling to allow himself to be treated like a door mat.
2 Corinthians 12:11 “I have become foolish; you yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you, for in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody.” NASB
Acts 25:11 “"If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar."
(c) non-Scriptural humility where one humbles themselves beyond any instructions in Scripture.
Such as humbling oneself before animals thus lifting animals up higher than the position the Lord created them in - treating animals like humans. Animal lovers can become extreme and end up exalting animals and lowering humans.
For example: In America many treat their pets as humans, even better than humans in some cases, and that is a not found in Scripture. In India many humble themselves before cows and rats, and monkeys.
There are cases where Christians have mistakenly felt that God wanted to humble them so they went around with dog collars on and crawled on all fours barking like a dog. Only the devil enjoys such humbling of Christians , God takes no pleasure in it.
Ask yourself, where in Scripture are we to lower ourselves like that?
Finally, help the young disciple enter into true humility and not false humility.
What is the proper and true fruit of humility we are building in the disciple?, is a question you must ask yourself as you examine the lives of Jesus and the Apostles and build that into the young disciple.
As homework ask the young disciple to take note of his/her false humility moments this coming week - humble towards God, family, friends, coworkers, peers, various people we come into contact with, animals etc. Was there any insincere or unChristlike or unBiblical humility practiced?
Then address it using the Word of God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit that He has given you to make disciples.
Disciple Maker
P.S. Meeting 1 b – the beginnings of getting rid of the sin of Pride and learning more about true humility.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Knowing God Lesson 1 of 12 - meeting 1a
Lesson 1: Knowing the God of our Salvation
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21 NASB
A few points as we get started making disciples – I use Scripture to make disciples, lots and lots of Scripture because it is God’s power to make disciples.
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
“So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine” John 8:31
Also I believe a personal elder/younger brotherly or sisterly relationship between you and the young disciple needs to be nurtured as you go along. It’s a two way street type of journey where both are interacting, sharing the journey together as well as a teacher and student relationship. Jesus’ example to us was he did both, he shared his life with his disciples and taught them. In contrast were the Pharisees who just taught people and did not share their life.
Being an elder brother or sister to a young disciple includes a bit of correcting and discipline so the relationship needs to be strong enough for that.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” 2 Timothy 3:16
“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2 NASB
The impossible part of making disciples is the “experience it” part and we trust God to accomplish that for He and He alone can make the disciple experience “knowing HIM”. For example one can know about God the healer but if God never heals them they just know about Him but have not experienced Him in that area.
This first lesson of 12 in KNOWING GOD is "Knowing God as Savior" and I’ve broken down into four meetings, one per week none of which are exhaustive on the topic, instead the intention is to instill into the young disciple the “journey” aspect of knowing God and it begins by knowing Him as our salvation the very foundation of our faith without which no one can ever truly know God.
We’re on this “long” journey to know our salvation and our savior everyday that we live on earth. Every year we should know the God of our salvation more than we knew the year before, if not we must question our growth as a His disciple.
To know God our salvation means to both “know about Him as our savior” through reading and studying the Bible as it relates to this topic, as well as “experience Him as our Savior” in prayer and a deep relationship with Him.
How well does the young disciple want to know Jesus who saves us from our sins?
This is what you must discover in the first meeting and instill in them a hunger to know Jesus.
Unfortunately, some may have intellectual knowledge about God’s salvation yet not know Him personally as savior therefore the first discipleship meeting must address this issue.
(FYI - Meeting 1a – one+ hours of teaching, discussion, song and prayer). Topic: Sin, Repentance and Faith toward God. Then break.
(FYI - Meeting 1b – one+ additional hours of teaching, discussion, song and prayer) Topic: forgiveness, being born again, the new infant, baptized into Christ and into the Church.
MEETING 1a
* Note: let the young disciples look all these verses up for themselves in their own Bible as you go along so that they get familiar with the Bible.
Sin. What is sin?
Sin is falling short of the perfect will of God for our life.
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23 NASB
All sin is against God, some sins are against other people too and some are against oneself and not against other people. Sins are also categorized in the Bible as willful or intentional whereas other sins are unintentional. Sins are also viewed as sinful thoughts, words and/or deeds.
Its possible for a person to think they’re good and therefore never face the fact that they’re a great sinner. This must be addressed in the young disciple first to make sure he/she has a solid understanding of their own sin as well as benefit them in their evangelism ministry to others and their ministry of loving God. (2 Cor 5:10,11; Lk 7:47;1 Jn 4:19 – more later)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 NASB
"Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28 NASB
Sin, any single sin, is to be punished by God as decreed in His Word and that punishment is an everlasting separation from God via death and being cast into eternal Hell and the Lake of Fire.
Its possible for a disciple to erroneously reject the Biblical truth regarding Hell and this will hinder their growth in knowing God our savior. Salvation, at its first understanding, means we are being saved, rescued, delivered from this punishment for our sins
As the young disciple grows they will become more sensitive to the pain of sin and grow in abstaining from sin and resisting temptation.
Repentance: What is Repentance?
Repentance is changing the direction of ones mind, heart and actions away from sinning. It is acknowledging sin, having godly sorrow for it and stopping it.
“For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, "In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.” Isaiah 30:15 NASB
“Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning;”1 Corinthians 15:34 NASB
“I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:9,10 NASB
A form of false repentance is when one regrets having done wrong but does not intend to change direction - the result of which means the person is not saved from their sin since the Bible never records the salvation of an unrepentant person.
Its possible for a person to be a false Christian either mistakenly thinking they are saved without repentance or intentionally denying the need for repentance from sin and dead works.
“Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, Hebrews 6:1 NASB
The Apostle Paul was often faced with false Christians, some of whom refused to repent of dead works.
“But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in..” Galatians 2:4 NASB
Jesus and the Apostles preached repent and believe therefore we must make sure that the disciple follows that pattern.
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." Mark 1:15 NASB
“solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 20:21 NASB
One of the marks of a modern day Pharisee is a religious person who has NOT repented and thus is not saved.
“John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Mark 1:4
"Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ' We have Abraham for our father,' for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. Luke 3:8
“When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?" Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. "The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?" And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?' Matthew 21:23-25 NASB
"unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3
The Old Testament required it:"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, " Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations. Ezekiel 14:6
As does the New:“For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God” 1 Thessalonians 1:9
The young disciple should be certain that they have repented from all known sins; sins against God, others and self. Normally a young disciple does not know all the various sins they have committed and/or cannot remember them. The Lord meets them where they are and receives their sincere repentance according to their knowledge, as they read Scripture and the Holy Spirit convicts their heart over certain sins they will continue to grow in repentance.
A way to help them at this early stage is to list out some Scriptures regarding specific sins so that they have knowledge as to what the Bible identifies as sins:
Sins against God: atheism, idolatry, false gods, false religions, hostility toward God, blasphemy, mocking God, cursing God etc.
Sins against God and others: sexual immorality, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, violence, anger, rage, fights, arguments, cursing, profanity, lying, cheating, stealing, dishonor, disrespect etc.
Sin against God and self: lust, love of money, love of the world, covetousness, greed, cursing, harming ones body, gluttony, drunkenness, drugs etc.
Faith: What is Faith toward God?
Faith toward God is believing God to the point of trusting Him. In this topic it means trusting HIM to save you from your sins.
“Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, Hebrews 6:1 NASB
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 NASB
“For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.” Galatians 5:5 NASB
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21 NASB
Its possible for a person to attempt to be saved by doing good works and/or self righteousness and such a person would be a false Christian meaning not saved even though they’re a member of some church.
“ For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; Ephesians 2:8 NASB
"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." Galatians 2:21 NASB
“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, Philippians 3:9 NASB
“And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. Galatians 5:3,4 NASB
Its also possible to know about God and yet not believe. There are indeed many pastors that are atheists according to the Church of England’s internal research on this issue amongst their own pastors. I too have known church members in the USA in other denominations that do not believe that God exists, yet they are very active in the church. Some estimates are that up to 50% of all who claim to be Christian have not repented of their sins and do not believe Jesus rose from the dead. Since this is the case we should make sure that the young disciple we’re investing our life in is indeed born again.
Faith in Christ means we believe and trust Jesus that he is who he said he was and did what he said he did and will do what he has promised. This message is the gospel:
“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.” 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
Sin, Repentance and Faith toward God is where we have sojourned in the first half of this meeting and that journey will NOT end on this earth for we will always discover more about our own sin and will be living a life of deeper repentance and faith toward God as we grow up in Christ.
Can you report that the disciple has repented and has faith in God our savior?
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21 NASB
“For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God” 1 Thessalonians 1:9
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; Ephesians 2:8 NASB
Discover if the young disciple is truly saved, spend some time discussing sin, repentance and faith, sharing testimonies and then pray together.
Should it turn out that your young disciple has not repented and turned to God for salvation beforehand then start where they are - present the gospel message to them and give them an invitation to repent and believe Jesus for salvation. There are many ways to present the gospel and it’s my purpose to makes disciples so I won’t get into them here. Since we do “reach” the lost with the Gospel message and “teach” the disciple with the Word of God and our life’s example, we desire to make sure that we’re not laboring in vain “teaching” the Word of God to a person who does not believe in Jesus for salvation.
I recommend that the ones that you cannot report as being saved yet, be separated out and entered into a “seekers who are seeking to find God” meeting where one concentrates the teaching on evangelism rather than discipleship.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19,20
* Note these lessons are not an exhaustive all encompassing treaties on the topic – there will always be more that the Lord will show you.
(meeting 1b later)
May the Lord make you a maker of disciples!
Disciple Maker
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21 NASB
A few points as we get started making disciples – I use Scripture to make disciples, lots and lots of Scripture because it is God’s power to make disciples.
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
“So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine” John 8:31
Also I believe a personal elder/younger brotherly or sisterly relationship between you and the young disciple needs to be nurtured as you go along. It’s a two way street type of journey where both are interacting, sharing the journey together as well as a teacher and student relationship. Jesus’ example to us was he did both, he shared his life with his disciples and taught them. In contrast were the Pharisees who just taught people and did not share their life.
Being an elder brother or sister to a young disciple includes a bit of correcting and discipline so the relationship needs to be strong enough for that.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” 2 Timothy 3:16
“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2 NASB
The impossible part of making disciples is the “experience it” part and we trust God to accomplish that for He and He alone can make the disciple experience “knowing HIM”. For example one can know about God the healer but if God never heals them they just know about Him but have not experienced Him in that area.
This first lesson of 12 in KNOWING GOD is "Knowing God as Savior" and I’ve broken down into four meetings, one per week none of which are exhaustive on the topic, instead the intention is to instill into the young disciple the “journey” aspect of knowing God and it begins by knowing Him as our salvation the very foundation of our faith without which no one can ever truly know God.
We’re on this “long” journey to know our salvation and our savior everyday that we live on earth. Every year we should know the God of our salvation more than we knew the year before, if not we must question our growth as a His disciple.
To know God our salvation means to both “know about Him as our savior” through reading and studying the Bible as it relates to this topic, as well as “experience Him as our Savior” in prayer and a deep relationship with Him.
How well does the young disciple want to know Jesus who saves us from our sins?
This is what you must discover in the first meeting and instill in them a hunger to know Jesus.
Unfortunately, some may have intellectual knowledge about God’s salvation yet not know Him personally as savior therefore the first discipleship meeting must address this issue.
(FYI - Meeting 1a – one+ hours of teaching, discussion, song and prayer). Topic: Sin, Repentance and Faith toward God. Then break.
(FYI - Meeting 1b – one+ additional hours of teaching, discussion, song and prayer) Topic: forgiveness, being born again, the new infant, baptized into Christ and into the Church.
MEETING 1a
* Note: let the young disciples look all these verses up for themselves in their own Bible as you go along so that they get familiar with the Bible.
Sin. What is sin?
Sin is falling short of the perfect will of God for our life.
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23 NASB
All sin is against God, some sins are against other people too and some are against oneself and not against other people. Sins are also categorized in the Bible as willful or intentional whereas other sins are unintentional. Sins are also viewed as sinful thoughts, words and/or deeds.
Its possible for a person to think they’re good and therefore never face the fact that they’re a great sinner. This must be addressed in the young disciple first to make sure he/she has a solid understanding of their own sin as well as benefit them in their evangelism ministry to others and their ministry of loving God. (2 Cor 5:10,11; Lk 7:47;1 Jn 4:19 – more later)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 NASB
"Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28 NASB
Sin, any single sin, is to be punished by God as decreed in His Word and that punishment is an everlasting separation from God via death and being cast into eternal Hell and the Lake of Fire.
Its possible for a disciple to erroneously reject the Biblical truth regarding Hell and this will hinder their growth in knowing God our savior. Salvation, at its first understanding, means we are being saved, rescued, delivered from this punishment for our sins
As the young disciple grows they will become more sensitive to the pain of sin and grow in abstaining from sin and resisting temptation.
Repentance: What is Repentance?
Repentance is changing the direction of ones mind, heart and actions away from sinning. It is acknowledging sin, having godly sorrow for it and stopping it.
“For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, "In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.” Isaiah 30:15 NASB
“Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning;”1 Corinthians 15:34 NASB
“I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:9,10 NASB
A form of false repentance is when one regrets having done wrong but does not intend to change direction - the result of which means the person is not saved from their sin since the Bible never records the salvation of an unrepentant person.
Its possible for a person to be a false Christian either mistakenly thinking they are saved without repentance or intentionally denying the need for repentance from sin and dead works.
“Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, Hebrews 6:1 NASB
The Apostle Paul was often faced with false Christians, some of whom refused to repent of dead works.
“But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in..” Galatians 2:4 NASB
Jesus and the Apostles preached repent and believe therefore we must make sure that the disciple follows that pattern.
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." Mark 1:15 NASB
“solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 20:21 NASB
One of the marks of a modern day Pharisee is a religious person who has NOT repented and thus is not saved.
“John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Mark 1:4
"Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ' We have Abraham for our father,' for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. Luke 3:8
“When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?" Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. "The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?" And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?' Matthew 21:23-25 NASB
"unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3
The Old Testament required it:"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, " Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations. Ezekiel 14:6
As does the New:“For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God” 1 Thessalonians 1:9
The young disciple should be certain that they have repented from all known sins; sins against God, others and self. Normally a young disciple does not know all the various sins they have committed and/or cannot remember them. The Lord meets them where they are and receives their sincere repentance according to their knowledge, as they read Scripture and the Holy Spirit convicts their heart over certain sins they will continue to grow in repentance.
A way to help them at this early stage is to list out some Scriptures regarding specific sins so that they have knowledge as to what the Bible identifies as sins:
Sins against God: atheism, idolatry, false gods, false religions, hostility toward God, blasphemy, mocking God, cursing God etc.
Sins against God and others: sexual immorality, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, violence, anger, rage, fights, arguments, cursing, profanity, lying, cheating, stealing, dishonor, disrespect etc.
Sin against God and self: lust, love of money, love of the world, covetousness, greed, cursing, harming ones body, gluttony, drunkenness, drugs etc.
Faith: What is Faith toward God?
Faith toward God is believing God to the point of trusting Him. In this topic it means trusting HIM to save you from your sins.
“Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, Hebrews 6:1 NASB
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 NASB
“For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.” Galatians 5:5 NASB
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21 NASB
Its possible for a person to attempt to be saved by doing good works and/or self righteousness and such a person would be a false Christian meaning not saved even though they’re a member of some church.
“ For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; Ephesians 2:8 NASB
"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." Galatians 2:21 NASB
“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, Philippians 3:9 NASB
“And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. Galatians 5:3,4 NASB
Its also possible to know about God and yet not believe. There are indeed many pastors that are atheists according to the Church of England’s internal research on this issue amongst their own pastors. I too have known church members in the USA in other denominations that do not believe that God exists, yet they are very active in the church. Some estimates are that up to 50% of all who claim to be Christian have not repented of their sins and do not believe Jesus rose from the dead. Since this is the case we should make sure that the young disciple we’re investing our life in is indeed born again.
Faith in Christ means we believe and trust Jesus that he is who he said he was and did what he said he did and will do what he has promised. This message is the gospel:
“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.” 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
Sin, Repentance and Faith toward God is where we have sojourned in the first half of this meeting and that journey will NOT end on this earth for we will always discover more about our own sin and will be living a life of deeper repentance and faith toward God as we grow up in Christ.
Can you report that the disciple has repented and has faith in God our savior?
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21 NASB
“For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God” 1 Thessalonians 1:9
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; Ephesians 2:8 NASB
Discover if the young disciple is truly saved, spend some time discussing sin, repentance and faith, sharing testimonies and then pray together.
Should it turn out that your young disciple has not repented and turned to God for salvation beforehand then start where they are - present the gospel message to them and give them an invitation to repent and believe Jesus for salvation. There are many ways to present the gospel and it’s my purpose to makes disciples so I won’t get into them here. Since we do “reach” the lost with the Gospel message and “teach” the disciple with the Word of God and our life’s example, we desire to make sure that we’re not laboring in vain “teaching” the Word of God to a person who does not believe in Jesus for salvation.
I recommend that the ones that you cannot report as being saved yet, be separated out and entered into a “seekers who are seeking to find God” meeting where one concentrates the teaching on evangelism rather than discipleship.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19,20
* Note these lessons are not an exhaustive all encompassing treaties on the topic – there will always be more that the Lord will show you.
(meeting 1b later)
May the Lord make you a maker of disciples!
Disciple Maker
Monday, April 20, 2009
Simple Disciple Maker Plan 4 of 4
Simple Disciple Maker plan 4 of 4 - MINISTRY
Final Review:
The simple Disciple Maker plan is summed up in a module teaching format which consists of one topic in each of one the three pursuits of Knowing God, Christian Character and Ministry being taught to complete a module cycle.
For example:
Module 1
Lesson 1: Knowing God – a one month long teaching on one topic of Knowing GodLesson
2: Christian Character - a one month long teaching on one topic of CharacterLesson
3: Ministry - a one month long teaching on one topic of Ministry.
The three month long cycle repeats maintaining the format and changing the topics over the course of three years until the main 36 topics are learned, understood, experienced and practiced. (Notice Jesus trained the Apostles in 3 years and Paul was trained for 3 years in the desert by Jesus too.)
3. MINISTRY -- The journey of Ministry is in 2 parts; ministry to the Lord & ministry to mankind.
GROWING IN The two great commandments - “Love the Lord your God…Love your neighbor” Matthew 22:37-39
The three requirements – “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
The works – “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
A. Ministry to the Lord:
Love God = walk humbly with God, praise, worship, tithes, offerings, holiness, obedience etc.
B. Ministry to mankind:
Love mankind = act justly, be merciful, and use your Spiritual gifts to benefit them and not yourself.
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in it’s various forms” 1 Pet 4:10
There are at least 25 different Spiritual Gifts listed in the Bible and probably many more exist: Teaching, Wisdom, Knowledge, Prophecy, Administration, Missionary, Faith, Song, Leadership, Giving, Helps, Exhortation, Pastor, Voluntary Poverty, Intercession, Tongues, Evangelism, Healing, Miracles, Mercy, Discernment, Hospitality, Exorcism, Service, Interpretation of tongues, etc. (see 1 Co 12-14; Rom 12:6-8; 1 Pet 4:11; Eph 4:11)
Avoid errors & getting out of balance.
The out of balance – Neglecting our ministry to God (Malachi 3:8-15; Acts 5:4)
The out of balance – Faith without works (James 2:26)
The out of balance – Gifts & Works without God (Matt 7:21-23 & 24:24)
The out of balance -- Religion without power & gifts. (1 Co 4:19,20; 2Tim 3:12)
The out of balance – Gifts & Works without love (1 Co 13:1-3)
Jesus is our supreme example of ministry service to God and to man. The apostles are our secondary example, and third is someone in your life now.
The goal of growing in all 3 of these areas (Knowing God, Christian character and Ministry) is found in Ephesians 4:11-13:“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” NASBWe can consolidate this into three main areas which will be our goal in making a disciple:
1. Knowing God – “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God;”
2. Christian Character - “to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ;”
3. Ministry – “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service.”
“ However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.” Acts 20:24
“He who started a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” Phlp 1:6
Next will be a module session lesson on Knowing God.
May the Lord Jesus make you into His Disciple today,
Disciple Maker
Final Review:
The simple Disciple Maker plan is summed up in a module teaching format which consists of one topic in each of one the three pursuits of Knowing God, Christian Character and Ministry being taught to complete a module cycle.
For example:
Module 1
Lesson 1: Knowing God – a one month long teaching on one topic of Knowing GodLesson
2: Christian Character - a one month long teaching on one topic of CharacterLesson
3: Ministry - a one month long teaching on one topic of Ministry.
The three month long cycle repeats maintaining the format and changing the topics over the course of three years until the main 36 topics are learned, understood, experienced and practiced. (Notice Jesus trained the Apostles in 3 years and Paul was trained for 3 years in the desert by Jesus too.)
3. MINISTRY -- The journey of Ministry is in 2 parts; ministry to the Lord & ministry to mankind.
GROWING IN The two great commandments - “Love the Lord your God…Love your neighbor” Matthew 22:37-39
The three requirements – “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
The works – “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
A. Ministry to the Lord:
Love God = walk humbly with God, praise, worship, tithes, offerings, holiness, obedience etc.
B. Ministry to mankind:
Love mankind = act justly, be merciful, and use your Spiritual gifts to benefit them and not yourself.
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in it’s various forms” 1 Pet 4:10
There are at least 25 different Spiritual Gifts listed in the Bible and probably many more exist: Teaching, Wisdom, Knowledge, Prophecy, Administration, Missionary, Faith, Song, Leadership, Giving, Helps, Exhortation, Pastor, Voluntary Poverty, Intercession, Tongues, Evangelism, Healing, Miracles, Mercy, Discernment, Hospitality, Exorcism, Service, Interpretation of tongues, etc. (see 1 Co 12-14; Rom 12:6-8; 1 Pet 4:11; Eph 4:11)
Avoid errors & getting out of balance.
The out of balance – Neglecting our ministry to God (Malachi 3:8-15; Acts 5:4)
The out of balance – Faith without works (James 2:26)
The out of balance – Gifts & Works without God (Matt 7:21-23 & 24:24)
The out of balance -- Religion without power & gifts. (1 Co 4:19,20; 2Tim 3:12)
The out of balance – Gifts & Works without love (1 Co 13:1-3)
Jesus is our supreme example of ministry service to God and to man. The apostles are our secondary example, and third is someone in your life now.
The goal of growing in all 3 of these areas (Knowing God, Christian character and Ministry) is found in Ephesians 4:11-13:“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” NASBWe can consolidate this into three main areas which will be our goal in making a disciple:
1. Knowing God – “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God;”
2. Christian Character - “to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ;”
3. Ministry – “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service.”
“ However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.” Acts 20:24
“He who started a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” Phlp 1:6
Next will be a module session lesson on Knowing God.
May the Lord Jesus make you into His Disciple today,
Disciple Maker
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Simple Disciple Maker Plan part 3 of 4
Simple Disciple Maker Plan part 3 of 4 - Christian Character
Review:
A disciple of Jesus is one who is learning to: Know God, be like Jesus in Character and Minister to others. A disciple maker is teaching & encouraging the disciple in those three things, making sure the disciple grows and reaches the goal of maturity and balance in all three. The second is as follows:
2. The journey to be like Christ in our character. This journey is also twofold, like two wings on a bird and if we are strong in both we fly high if not we fly in circles or never fly. The 2 parts are getting rid of the fruit of the flesh and growing in the fruit of the Spirit.
“Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other.. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:16,17,25
A. Put off & Get rid of the sin. Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 4:17-5:20; Colossians 3:5-11. Romans 6-8, 1 Pet 1:13-15 & 2:1,11etc.
How strong do you want this wing of resisting temptation and living a holy life to be?
B. Put on and Grow in the fruit of the Spirit: The Nine Fruit of the Spirit – “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.” Galatians 5:22. Also see Ephesians 4:1,2,15; Colossians 3:1-4,12-17; Romans 6-8; Hebrews 12:1-4, etc.
How strong do you want this wing of bearing fruit and living a spirit filled to be?
Avoid errors & getting out of balance:
The out of balance legalist - focusing on the struggle against sin and neglecting the Spirit. (Col 2:20-23, etc.)
The out of balance liberal - focusing on the grace and neglecting the struggle against sin. (Jude 1:4, Rom 6, etc.)
How balanced are you?
A disciple maker can only reproduce him/herself. To the extent we have grown we can help others grow to this same level.
Jesus is our supreme example of living on this earth in this world in perfect holiness and fullness in the fruit of the Spirit. The apostles are our secondary example, and third is someone in your life now.
Jesus said follow me in this (Mt 4:19; Lk 9:23,24; Jn 10:27), the Apostles said follow us as we follow Christ (1 Cor 11:11; Php 3:17) and follow your leader’s example (Titus 2:7; 1 Tim 4:12) Study their lives in Scripture.
Whom has God placed in your life to help you become more like Christ? Follow their example as they follow Jesus and if in some area they are not following Jesus then don’t follow them in that area.
Whom has God put into your life to help become more like Christ? Be a disciple maker and make them into a disciple of Jesus.
How far do you want to grow in being like Christ?
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3
“Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:5-8
Thus Christian character comes from our knowing God and to the extent that we apply it and work it out in our own lives this knowledge of God gains in productivity.
“Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:6
“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling” Philippians 2:12
May the Lord bless & make you a disciple and a disciple maker,
Disciple Maker
Review:
A disciple of Jesus is one who is learning to: Know God, be like Jesus in Character and Minister to others. A disciple maker is teaching & encouraging the disciple in those three things, making sure the disciple grows and reaches the goal of maturity and balance in all three. The second is as follows:
2. The journey to be like Christ in our character. This journey is also twofold, like two wings on a bird and if we are strong in both we fly high if not we fly in circles or never fly. The 2 parts are getting rid of the fruit of the flesh and growing in the fruit of the Spirit.
“Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other.. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:16,17,25
A. Put off & Get rid of the sin. Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 4:17-5:20; Colossians 3:5-11. Romans 6-8, 1 Pet 1:13-15 & 2:1,11etc.
How strong do you want this wing of resisting temptation and living a holy life to be?
B. Put on and Grow in the fruit of the Spirit: The Nine Fruit of the Spirit – “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.” Galatians 5:22. Also see Ephesians 4:1,2,15; Colossians 3:1-4,12-17; Romans 6-8; Hebrews 12:1-4, etc.
How strong do you want this wing of bearing fruit and living a spirit filled to be?
Avoid errors & getting out of balance:
The out of balance legalist - focusing on the struggle against sin and neglecting the Spirit. (Col 2:20-23, etc.)
The out of balance liberal - focusing on the grace and neglecting the struggle against sin. (Jude 1:4, Rom 6, etc.)
How balanced are you?
A disciple maker can only reproduce him/herself. To the extent we have grown we can help others grow to this same level.
Jesus is our supreme example of living on this earth in this world in perfect holiness and fullness in the fruit of the Spirit. The apostles are our secondary example, and third is someone in your life now.
Jesus said follow me in this (Mt 4:19; Lk 9:23,24; Jn 10:27), the Apostles said follow us as we follow Christ (1 Cor 11:11; Php 3:17) and follow your leader’s example (Titus 2:7; 1 Tim 4:12) Study their lives in Scripture.
Whom has God placed in your life to help you become more like Christ? Follow their example as they follow Jesus and if in some area they are not following Jesus then don’t follow them in that area.
Whom has God put into your life to help become more like Christ? Be a disciple maker and make them into a disciple of Jesus.
How far do you want to grow in being like Christ?
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3
“Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:5-8
Thus Christian character comes from our knowing God and to the extent that we apply it and work it out in our own lives this knowledge of God gains in productivity.
“Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:6
“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling” Philippians 2:12
May the Lord bless & make you a disciple and a disciple maker,
Disciple Maker
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