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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I Am Accepted In Christ Jesus
I am God’s child (John 1:12)
I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15)
I have been justified (Rom. 5:1)
I am united with the Lord and one with Him in spirit (1 Cor. 6:17)
I have been bought with a price; I belong to God (1 Cor. 6:20)
I am a member of Christ’s Body (1 Cor. 12:27)
I am a saint (Eph. 1:1)
I have been adopted as God’s child (Eph. 1:5)
I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins (Col. 1:14)
I am complete in Christ (Col. 2:10)

I Am Secure In Christ
I am free forever from condemnation (Rom. 8:12)
I am assured that all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28)
I am free from any condemning charges against me (Rom. 8:33, 34)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom. 8:35)
I have been established, anointed and sealed by God (2 Cor. 1:21)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3)
I am confident that the good work God has begun in me will be perfected (Phil. 1:6)
I am a citizen of heaven (Phil. 3:20)
I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7)
I can find grace and mercy in time of need (Heb. 4:16)
I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me (1 John 5:18)

I Am Special In Christ Jesus
I am the salt and light of the earth (Mth. 5:13, 14)
I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15:15)
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16)
I am a personal witness of Christ’s (Acts 1:8)
I am God’s temple (1 Cor. 3:16)
I am a minister of reconciliation (2 Cor. 17:20)
I am God’s coworker (2 Cor. 6:1)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm (Eph. 2:6)
I am God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3:12)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)

Complete Article: CoreDiscipleship.com

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

Having three children, I am learning that the process of discipleship is a lot like raising my kids; to equip my children for all of life’s issues and to help them become fully mature, I must to be there for them. We have a relationship and I have to be intentional in my efforts.

Something I learned in athletics is that you can never go any higher than your headship and that wherever your head goes your body follows. In essence, the more effective those you join with, the more effective your growth will be. However, our tendency is to associate with those who are like us – they strengthen and reinforce my belief system whether good or bad. We also don’t like to submit to godly counsel. To live an examined life is the hallmark of integrity and spiritual maturity. To submit our lives to God and other more spiritually mature believers is a very humbling experience and process. To ask another person for their godly advise is expressed wisdom. There is strength in numbers.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

”He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20).

A disciple-maker is a person whom you intentionally enter into a personal relationship with and who can help you grow in every area of your life (spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, physically, etc.). It is someone who:

Will encourage you.
We tend to become what the most important person in our lives thinks we’ll become. Great instructors are those who bring out the best in us. They are great encouragers.

Will confront you.
Proverbs 27:5,6 says, “Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” This is someone who knows that loving confrontation develops a person and that criticism destroys a person. It is someone who knows that to critique is to criticize. He or she will hold you accountable while demonstrating a spirit of mutual submission and humility. A disciple-maker is a person in your life who will ask you the hard questions like: “Are you walking in the Spirit?” Or, “Are you blameless before God and man – are there any known offenses in your life?” Or, “Are you involved in anything that would bring harm to Jesus’ name such as sexual immorality?” Disciple-makers know the point is always restoration and patiently work to that end. Disciple-makers are people who earn your trust in time; they become trustworthy allies.

Will intercede for you.
A disciple-maker is bold in their witness, passionate about God’s promises, committed to but humble in their relationships with others. They act as a bridge between God and those they are praying for and are bonded together with those they are discipling. They are faithful (2 Timothy 2:2), obedient to God’s Word (John 8:31), loving (John 13:35), and fruitful (John 15:8).

Will be your lifelong partner.
Just as I will always be my children’s dad, likewise, I have made life-long commitments to those the Lord has entrusted to me as His disciples. It is in knowing that I have this responsibility and great privilege that brings a heightened sense of accountability. Conception is the stuff of God; parenting is a life-long partnership (Hebrews 13:5).

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19,20)

We fulfill the Great Commission as we develop students and adults into faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, many depart from the faith because they are not led to maturity and service in the body of Christ.

Bill Hull writes, “The crisis at the heart of the church is a crisis of product.”1 Jesus made it abundantly clear that this singular product is the mission of His Church—“Go and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19) According to Jesus, every church’s mission is one and the same: make disciples of Jesus.

Discipleship is the key to effective ministry in the church. Nothing we can do has more potential to change the world than making disciples.

Discipleship Defined:
According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary, “A disciple of Christ is one who: 1) believes His doctrine; 2) rests on His sacrifice; 3) imbibes His spirit; and 4) imitates His example (Matthew 10:24; Luke 14:26-33; John 6:69). In other words, a disciple is someone who is growing spiritually.

A disciple: 1) is obedient to God’s Word (John 8:31); 2) loving (John 13:35); 3) fruitful (John 15:8); 4) always prepared to share the hope of life in Christ (2 Timothy 4:2); and 5) lives the Gospel (2 Corinthians 3:2-3).

In writing to the Corinthian church about their not growing in Christ-likeness, the Apostle Paul wrote: “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly – mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)

Immature Christians are “worldly,” controlled by their own desires; spiritually mature disciples are in tune with God’s desires. A spiritually mature disciple wants God’s desires to be their own.

The goal of discipleship is to make disciples who can then make disciples, teaching them to observe all that Jesus commanded: “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:13-15).

Jesus brought clear understanding to what it meant to be a disciple when He said: “Everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). The Apostle Paul echoed this way of life when he said: “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19).

Disciple-makers are to lead people to Christ and help them mature spiritually. Disciple-makers have an intense love, concern and lifelong care for those to whom they are spiritual parents. When we lead people to Christ, we are to stand by them, helping them grow until they are fully trained.

LeRoy Eims wrote, “Disciples cannot be massed produced. We cannot drop people into a program and see disciples emerge at the end of a production line. It takes time to make disciples. It takes individual personal attention.”2

Making disciples involves bringing people into a personal relationship with Jesus and staying with them until their whole lives are in obedience to Christ Jesus.

The Master’s plan of Discipleship includes the following:
• We are called to make disciples, not just converts.

• Disciples are made in intimate, accountable relationships.

• Discipleship is a process, not a program.

• Making disciples involves helping another learn to obey all that Jesus commanded.

• Making disciples takes place in the context of loving, safe, confidential, and personal relationships – transparency, community, and accountability are paramount.

• Making disciples occurs as each person assists others in their commitment and growth to one other and to Christ Jesus.

• Making disciples includes helping others grow in God’s Word, fellowship, communion and in prayer.

• Disciples must be taught the essential teachings of the Christian life in a systematic and sequential manner.

• Discipleship is the privilege and responsibility of every believer.

• Growth in Christ-likeness is the ultimate goal.

God bless you as you embrace His mission for His Church.

1 Hull, Bill. The Disciple Making Pastor. (Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell, 1988)

2 Eims, LeRoy. The Lost Art of Disciple Making. (Zondervan, 1978)

Discipleship Bibliography

Dallas Willard
• The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God (Harper San Francisco, 1998)
• Renovation of the Heart, Putting on the Character of Christ (NavPress, 2002)
• The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’ Essential Teaching on Discipleship(Harper San Francisco, 2006)

Bill Hull
• The Complete Book of Discipleship: On Being and Making Followers of Christ(NavPress, 2006)
• Choose the Life: Exploring the Faith that Embraces Discipleship (BakerBooks, 2004)
• The Disciple-Making Pastor (Revell, 1999)

Greg Ogden
• Transforming Discipleship: Making Disciples a Few at a Time (InterVarsity Press, 2003)
• Discipleship Essentials: A Guide to Building Your Life in Christ (InterVarsity Press, 1998)
• Unfinished Business: Returning the Ministry to the People of God (Zondervan, 2003)

LeRoy Eims
• The Lost Art of Disciple Making (Zondervan, 1978)

The State and Challenges of Discipleship
• George Barna, Growing True Disciples (Issachar Resources, 2000)
• Lee C. Camp, Mere Discipleship: Radical Christianity in a Rebellious World ( Brazos Press, 2003)

Spiritual Formation and Discipleship
• Dallas Willard. The Spirit of the Disciplines (HarperOne, 1991)
• John Ortberg. The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People(Zondervan, 1997)
• Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us(InterVarsity Press, 2005)
• Richard Foster. Devotional Classics (HarperOne, 2005)

Classics on Discipleship
• A. B. Bruce. The Training of the Twelve (Kregel Classics, 2000)
• Robert Coleman. The Master Plan of Evangelism (Revell, 2006, first published in 1963)
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The Cost of Discipleship (Touchstone, 1995)

Per the study, the implication is that church and non-profit leaders should prepare for another lean year. Response to this reality suggests avoiding high-risk and untested fundraising efforts and communicating effectively with constituents. In addition, consider proactive financial management, including adjusting income expectations. Avoid using traditional financial projections as reluctant donors are likely to cut back on the number of organizations and frequency of their support.

Action Items You Can Address:

1. Operate your ministry as efficiently as you possibly can.

2. Cast and re-cast your ministry’s vision so that people rally behind the significance of your ministry.

3. Communicate the priority and need of your ministry.

4. Nurture personal relationships with those who actively support your ministry.

5. Preach and teach on real case studies: real-life transformational testimonies are inspirational and remind people of God’s awesomeness.

6. Personally involve those who contribute to your ministry. Nothing serves more effectively than a “hands-on” approach.

Source: Barna Report

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

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

We are what we eat.

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

I’m not sure which lifestyle is best, but if current church research is an indicator, we might want to think about what we’re feeding the kids.

Here’s a FREE Biblical sampler plate for your kids, parents, and staff. Read, savor, and repeat:

Genesis 1:27-28

Genesis 12:1-3

Exodus 20:1-6

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Judges 2:6-10

Psalm 22:22, 28-31

Psalm 45:17

Psalm 71:15-19

Psalm 78:4-8

Psalm 79:13

Psalm 102:12, 18

Psalm 105:8

Psalm 109:9-14

Psalm 119:90

Psalm 135:13

Psalm 145:4

Lamentations 5:19

Daniel 4:3

Matthew 28:19-20

Acts 2:38-39

Galatians 3:6-9

Ephesians 3:20-21

Ephesians 6:4 (NOTE: let’s not mince words here  — God holds parents responsible for their children’s upbringing and particularly fathers whom God has appointed as “head” to lead and serve the family. All others such as grandparents, schools, church groups, peers, and friends may influence your kids, but the final duty and accountability will be with the parents.)

Hebrews 11

1 Peter 2:9-10

Revelation 5:9-10

Having served the Body of Christ in various roles in church leadership, eldership, and as a church founder, I can assure you that getting with your church leadership and sharing your vision and purpose of children’s ministry is paramount. Additionally, your vision must be in alignment with the vision of leadership. I would suggest you visit with your senior pastor and suggest that discipleship begins in children’s ministry – discipleship should be central to the church because it is central to Jesus’ mission (see Matthew 28:19-20). Suggest to leadership that one way to begin making a difference is by starting with your next new member’s class or parent’s class. Having senior leadership set and manage expectations clearly and simply by presenting a Biblical discipleship model.

As Dallas Willard writes, “Nondiscipleship costs abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, faith that sees everything in the light of God’s overriding governance for good, hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging circumstances, power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil. In short, nondiscipleship costs you exactly the abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring (John 10:10).” Discipleship is essential for every Christian, not just for the “super Christians.” There is nothing in the teaching of scripture that suggests that being forgiven and “saved” is all there is to being a Christian. To the contrary, Willard shows that Christians need to be undergoing a profound transformation in character becoming more like Christ from the heart. Additionally, you might investigate what Thom Rainer, LifeWay Christian Resources president and CEO, suggested in his blog entitled “Disciple-Making In The Local Church.”

Additionally, according to Pastor Bill Shannon, “It is difficult to pass on to children that which is not manifested in the parent’s life. The parents must first make the Word of Life a priority in their own life. Deuteronomy 6:6 says “And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.” The parent must first believe and live out the Scriptures in their life.”

If we want to raise the bar we must get back to simple, Biblical basics. Otherwise, we will continue to see what George Barna has described as a Christian Church in America comprised of “many converts, but shockingly few disciples.”

• Every parent must read and study their Bible with their children every day.
• Every parent must attend a corporate worship experience every week.
• Every parent must join and regularly attend a home fellowship group.
• Every parent must be involved in at least one meaningful Bible study each year.
• Every parent must be involved in at least one mission activity each year.
• Every parent must be in a meaningful discipleship group with their children every week.
• Every parent must serve in the children’s ministry as scheduled.

May God give you a heart for the Great Commission.

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

The Great Commission has three participles: “go,” “baptizing,” and “teaching” and one imperative verb, a command: “make disciples.” The main idea is to make disciples. The participles tell us how to do that: we make disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching. So the goal of discipleship is to make disciples, teaching them to observe all that Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:18-19).

If I am a born-again believer, it does not matter whether I am a dad working full-time as a plumber or employed 40-hours each week by a church; making disciples according to Jesus is MY job and responsibility and is accomplished right where I am today (first participle “go”). As I “go” I am to initiate people into the life of discipleship by ‘baptizing’ (second participle), and through the use of my gifts, teach them (third participle). Teaching is the continuous obligation of the church in the life of a new believer as they develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Teaching is the process of getting him/her to know Jesus in a life-long, deeper, and more intimate way – teaching them to obey all that Jesus commanded. Scripture is an absolute essential element in the process of Holy Spirit-inspired transformation of knowledge, conduct and character. Discipleship is the corporate responsibility of the church and the personal privilege of every believer as they are gifted. Discipleship is a life-long process, beginning at the point of salvation, and participated in and contributions made by a variety of believers throughout the life of a disciple.

Being a disciple and making disciples is a direct command from our Lord Jesus and the primary responsibility of the church and every born-again believer. Everything we do in church or ministry should have discipleship as the ultimate core goal — our going, baptizing, and teaching needs to be discipleship-centered. What we do each time we gather, whether church services, Sunday School, children’s ministry, women’s ministry, men’s ministry, VBS, outreach, etc., should all be filtered through the question, “How will this help us make disciples?”

If you want to establish a long-term, life-transforming, disciple-making process in your church, prayerfully consider the following:

1)    The senior pastor must personally champion discipleship in EVERY church ministry and department – this cannot be delegated and he/she must be personally involved in a discipleship group. Whether at home or when we gather together to worship, accountability begins with leadership.

2)    There must be a strong vision to make a disciple of every person in the church – the church must embrace Jesus’ command to “make disciples” as their vision and the vision must be used as the “filter” for every activity. Believe the vision, preach the vision, teach the vision, and live the vision.

3)    Develop a sustainable discipleship ministry. We have a tendency to build big plans and we oftentimes are overwhelmed because it is so big. Carefully and thoughtfully consider the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Pray. Share your vision with two or three others. Start small and then dream big. Allow God’s Holy Spirit to lead and develop. Remember, in God’s economy His big things always started out in His small ways.

Discipleship-centered Curriculum: DiscipleLand