About shepherdbryan

My passion is to disciple and see men discipled in every area of their life to see the multiplication principle actually work in a 100 year generational blessing. As go men in the church, so goes the church. As go men in the nation, so goes the nation. Fortunately, because men have often not taken their spiritual role to the limit, God has raised up many godly women to carry the torch where men have laid it aside. May God rapidly raise up men for the next generation of leaders to the Fourth Generation of spiritual leaders! As men lead in a godly way, women will follow in a godly way and that people will be blessed of the Lord.

Q & A: Pursuing the Role in Jesus

Posted on February 14, 2013 by shepherdbryan

This is the insert and suggested answers for the Message Based Discussion Questions of the message that was given on February 10, 2013 and posted February 12, 2013. The entire insert is included for review and the answers are only a begining of considerations of how to answer the questions. The serious student will be able to add to these provided suggested answers. SDG.

Strategy of Grace – Pursuing the Role in Jesus

Eph. 5:15-17

What kind of person does God require to do His work? One who:

· Knows and loves Jesus – The person is growing in relationship with Jesus to know and love Him. Matt 22:37-39; 1 John 2:13-14

· Practices Spiritual disciplines– This person is learning and putting into practice spiritual disciplines for growth and service. John 17:17; Rom. 8:28-29; 12:1-2; 2 Tim. 2:15

· Engages Discipleship – Matt. 28:18-20

These are the characteristics of a committed disciple we looked at several weeks ago from Matt. 4:19. These can be expanded in the acrostic FAITH

· Faithful – He humbly depends on God facing every challenge and joy of life. Matt. 25:21-23.

· Available – He’s humbly available because he has examined and reordered his life. Is. 6:8; Eph. 3:8-9.

· Intentional – He humbly goes before the sovereignty of God seeking God’s will each day in order to live that will out in his life. Phil. 3:9-14; 1:21

· Teachable – He is a humble student of God’s Word for life. Ps. 25:1-5; 2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17

· Holy Spirit controlled – He humbly depends on the Holy Spirit rather than his own talents, abilities or wisdom. Eph. 5:18; Luke 4:1-14

Jesus will raise you to accomplish His will

and become spiritual parents IF you pursue that!

· Jesus is a sovereign gentleman. He will not coerce you. You are not advancing only because you are not pursuing. All the resources of heaven are available to you in His Word and by His Spirit to raise you up.

· Jesus uses all circumstances to prepare you for His mission. Challenges of life are the crucible for pressing forward in His will. Your flesh will want to give up, but He will empower you to keep going.

· Every mindful person can be a spiritual parent to help others. Your humble submission to His Spirit to glorify Jesus will cause you to see His miraculous HOPE and growth in your life.

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) Who is someone you admire in the world? What are his/her characteristics?

a)      This question is designed to involve everyone in the small group and each answer will be personalized.
b)      The purpose is to allow each person to sense they have something to contribute and allow them to become transparent.
c)      E.g. I admire Mike Pence because he holds to conservative values and the sanctity of life. He is interested in helping people take responsibility for their decisions, rather than just give people a handout.

Digging Deeper

2) What are some of the fears and excuses Moses had from Exodus 3:11- 4:17? _inadequacy_ ; _lack of credibility_; _doubting self_; _slow of speech_; __fear of looking like a fool____. Today, what are fears or excuses that prevent people from taking responsibility to do what God calls them to do?

a) Same as above with Moses’ examples

b) Listening to the devil’s lie that I don’t know enough

c) Comparing self to the “great” abilities of others

d) Not wanting to look like a fool if I say the wrong thing

e) Not knowing that God is able

f) Not trusting in an ability to help others

g) Not thinking that I can communicate well to others

h) Not knowing who I am in Christ, called to serve the Lord

i) Laziness to prepare to disciple

j) Distracted by the world instead of motivated by the eternal

3) What are several characteristics required of an overseer in 1 Timothy 3:1-7? _blameless_; _temperate_; _able to teach___; _not given to wine_; _not violent, etc._. Are these characteristics that should be true only of elders? Who else should spiritually grow into these? Why?

a) These characteristics should be true of anyone discipling others

b) All people should use these as a measurement for spiritual growth.

c) Why? Every husband and father, wife and mother should strive for these as they would apply. Every single should use these as a standard. If these are the characteristics of church leadership, they are the appropriate characteristics of any leader.

4) Read the letters written to the Church of Ephesus and the Church of Laodicea (Rev. 2:1-7; 3:14-22. What are characteristics of these churches? _laboring in word_; _intolerant of evil_; _patience_; _in sin_; _lukewarm_; _wretched, poor, blind, naked_. Which church do think would do a better job of fulfilling the Great Commission? Why?

a) Either church could fulfill the Great Commission if they repented and depended on the Holy Spirit

b) The issue is not the sin or failure of the church. The issue is will they repent and humble themselves to the fulfillment of the Word by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

i) The church of Ephesus had much more going for it, because they were knowledgeable and were intolerant of false teachers.

ii) However, Laodicea cold still make the right decisions to humble themselves and buy gold from Jesus, white garments and eye salve.

iii) The issue is who will not make excuses and press through the fear to do the right thing regardless of the challenges.

Making application from the message:

5) How has the angel of light deceived the church today (2 Cor. 11:13-15)? How has the Vision series challenged you in your thinking?

a) The angel of light deceives by convincing people only certain people (pastors) can lead in the church.

i) Deceiving people to think that a spiritual gift is required to lead in being a spiritual parent.

ii) Rationalizing that I’m not there yet and won’t be for a few more years.

iii) Reasoning that because some people are very good at it, the Lord doesn’t need me to serve and lead.

iv) It’s women’s work and I have a job in the world.

v) I don’t have time to lead others

vi) You have to have a certain amount of knowledge in order to lead others.

vii) The work will get done some time, I don’t need to be involved.

b) The vision series has helped me see that there are stages of spiritual growth. I didn’t know what stage I was in. Now I need to press forward and continue growing, while I take baby steps of serving and discipling. I need to take the steps of faith and try opportunities. I need to do follow-up with people and develop more relationships. I need to be more consistent in my quiet time. I need to be regular at coming to church. I need to be a spiritual parent, when others do actions of a spiritual infant or child.

6) Why do you suppose God doesn’t require you to have certain “degrees” to do His work? What kinds of things hold you back from taking the next step? What could you do to take the next step?

a) Human “degrees” are helpful for background and putting the pieces of God’s Word together, but the power is in what God’s Spirit will do through the available soul. Degrees can hinder a person because of pride and self-righteousness of having the degree. God will use the ordinary person more times than a person with degrees, because they often are more dependent on God.

b) Many things hold people back. Fears and excuses per question 2. Lack of motivation to please the Lord. Lack of understanding of God’s goodness. Lack of being a doer of the Word, instead of a hearer. Fear of failure. Fear of looking like a fool. Fear of someone finding out “I don’t have my act together,” because I didn’t so something just right. Wrong priorities. A schedule that is full of busyness, but not God’s priorities. Lack of compassion to reach people. Lack of knowledge of what that step will be or mean? Failure to trust the Lord with the step.

c) In order to take the next step, I could meditate on the Word, fast, or ask others what steps I could take. I could look for serving opportunities. I could ask to shadow another person who is discipling another person. I can be in a home group. I can read books related to discipleship and small groups. I can take the step in a small way. I can look for feedback and accountability. I could fast. I could choose a verse that motivates to leading others and memorize

Ash Wednesday and Lent

Posted on February 13, 2013 by shepherdbryan

Many people celebrate Lent today. My church is not liturgical, so we do not celebrate an “Ash Wednesday Service.” We also do not follow the traditional practices of Lent. However, the intended meaning is significant. What is Ash Wednesday and Lent?

Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent, which is 40 days prior to the celebration of Resurrection Sunday (the Sundays are not included in the count). It is a time when people are reminded of penitence and repentance in consideration of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. It is a time of moderation and spiritual discipline.

It was our sins that caused God the Father to put the humanity of God the Son on the cross to pay for the penalty of our sins (Is. 53:10). The Father’s righteousness was satisfied so the offer of salvation is made for all (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Tim. 2:3-6). Yet, a person who understands the holiness of God and the action of God’s love will spend time in reflection of that greatest of acts and gifts to man. This is traditionally celebrated beginning on Ash Wednesday and continues through Resurrection Sunday.

The use of ashes is a reminder of penance. Individuals receive the sign of the cross placed on their foreheads as a sign of mourning, repentance and human mortality. For some traditions, those who are between 18 and 59 years-old will fast. Fasting is done to focus more attention on prayer and God’s goodness. There is no Scriptural mandate for the use of ashes. There are, however, several passages that address the use of ashes by individuals, including 2 Samuel 13:19; Esther 4:1; Job 2:8; 42:3-6; Daniel 9:3 and Matthew 11:21. Ashes have also been used as a symbol of cleansing in Numbers 19:9, 17; Hebrews 9:13.

The Bible does not mention Ash Wednesday or the custom of Lent, so in the interpretation of Romans 14, it is neither mandated nor prohibited. Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert prior to His temptations by Satan. Ash Wednesday marks the date set aside by some to commemorate that account of prayer and fasting.

Ash Wednesday and Lent are really about self-denial. Self-denial is a spiritual discipline, often also labeled frugality. Self-denial is a biblical concept as Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23) With that in mind, how can we practice self-denial?

· Deny self the pleasure of eating out for a period of time. Use the money saved to give to God’s ministry.

· Deny self the pleasure of criticizing or avoiding another person. Use the opportunity to restore the relationship.

· Deny self the act of judging another and trying to remove their splinter. Instead remove your own plank and build God’s kingdom together.

· Deny self the grudge or bitterness against another. Use the opportunity to forgive and serve the person.

· Deny self the pleasure of some personal time and use the time to visit someone who is lonely.

· Deny self the enjoyment of extra hours of Bible study to go and help a new believer understand what you already know.

· Deny self the comfort of personal space and go to visit someone who is not able to join others in worship.

· Deny self the freedom of rest and go help a young mom who is worn out from caring for her precious children, so she can have some rest.

· Deny self the liberty to your personal time or hobbies and go help one who is burdened with life.

Ash Wednesday and Lent are great reminders of the greatest act in history. Just like many will celebrate the coming of the birth of Jesus in the Advent Season, so many will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus in the Lent Season. Whether you celebrate Ash Wednesday and Lent or not is not my issue. Self-denial is a biblical practice and it will be evidence that you are truly one of Jesus’ disciples.

Book Review: Leading Life-Changing Small Groups by Bill Donahue

Posted on February 13, 2013 by shepherdbryan

Book Review: Leading Life-Changing Small Groups by Bill Donahue

“Leading Life-Changing Small Groups” by Bill Donahue addresses the leader’s role in establishing and developing a Biblical Community. He begins with how to establish a small groups purpose and vision. This might seem too independent from the associated Church and I would recommend that any Small Group assume the associated Church’s purpose and vision. However, the specific purpose and vision of the Small Group might differ regarding how it will reach out to new members, serve within and outside the Church, and identify specific mission service projects.

His succeeding chapters highlight excellent insights into the leader’s role for himself and then an apprentice. Every leader can improve his listening skills, accountability and leadership style. Donahue provides a series of suggestions on how to grow. Then, in the next chapter, he moves directly into developing an apprentice, which is essential if the vision is to grow individuals and grow the influence of small groups. Every leader is a spiritual parent, who must consider how to raise up those who will participate in and multiply small groups.

He has an excellent discussion on creating a covenant or agreement for the small group gathering. Additionally, he addresses the strategy for growth and what ingredients help that process. Following that, he delineates what the meetings should look like and what the outcomes should be. He has a great, lengthy and helpful list of ice-breaker questions. His section on dealing with conflict was helpful, but could have drawn more from Scripture on some of the mechanics.

Leaders should read through this in order to identify small group dynamics. It will be much easier to learn the easy way from Donahue’s suggestions than the hard experience of small group hard knocks. People get their feelings hurt too easily, misunderstandings develop too quickly and people often jump to wrong conclusions. A leader must be a spiritual parent who can discern the heart of people and that doesn’t come immediately. Donahue’s resource and experience will develop discernment for successful small group leading.

MSG: Strategy for Grace: Pursuing the Role in Jesus – Part 5

Posted on February 12, 2013 by shepherdbryan

Strategy of Grace – Pursuing the Role in Jesus

Eph. 5:15-17

Have you ever said, “I could never do that!”

The following is a skit used for the introduction of the message. There is the voice of God, narrator and Moses. God calls Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, but Moses comes up with five excuses why he shouldn’t be the one who God can lead Israel from Egypt.

Narrator: Have you ever said, “I could never do that!” 3,500 years ago, after Moses lived in the wilderness of Midian, tending to the flock of Jethro on the back side of the desert from Egypt, Moses was confronted with the sight of a burning bush. Moses caught sight of the burning bush and approached it hearing a voice bellow out his name, “Moses” and telling him to remove his sandals for the ground is holy where he was standing.

God’s voice: I have seen the oppression of my people in Egypt and heard their cry. I have come to deliver them from Egypt to a land flowing with milk and honey. I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.

Moses: Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? (Excuse 1)

God’s voice: I WILL be with you. This burning bush is a sign to you that I have sent you.

Moses: Okay, but when I go to Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers sent me,” They’ll say, “Yea right, what’s His name?” (Excuse 2)

God’s voice: I am who I am. I am has sent me to you. Now, go and gather the elders of Israel. Let us go three day’s journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. And when you leave, you’ll ask everyone of his Egyptian neighbor and come out with abundance.

Moses: But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice and say, ‘God has not appeared to you?’ (Excuse 3)

God’s voice: What is that in your hand?

Moses: a rod

God’s voice: Cast it on the ground.

Moses: A snake!

God’s voice: Now pick it up by the tail. Now put your hand in your bosom.

Moses: It’s leprous!

God’s voice: Now put it back in your bosom again. [Moses does and it is whole.] And if they don’t believe you, take from the river and pour it on dry land and the water will become blood.

Moses: Lord, I’m not eloquent, neither before or since You’ve spoken to your servant; I am slow of speech and slow of tongue. (Excuse 4)

God’s voice: Who made your mouth and voice? Have I not made the mute and deaf, those who see and the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now, therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.

Moses: O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send. (Excuse 5)

Narrator: God’s anger rose up against Moses for questioning and doubting His command and word.

God’s voice: Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know he can speak well. I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and I will teach you what you shall do. So he shall be your spokesman to the people. You will be as God to him. You shall take this rod in your hand, which you shall do the signs.

Narrator: So God dealt with the fears and excuses that Moses had and used another to accomplish His mission. Since God calls you to the Great Commission, how will you respond? What kind of person does God require to do His work?

What kind of person does God require to do His work? One who:

· Knows and loves Jesus – The person is growing in relationship with Jesus to know and love Him. He should know and love Jesus with all his heart, mind, soul and strength, in other words, with his entire being. He/she must have priorities in life whereby the Lord is first, not just fit into the schedule. If anything, other things fit around the Lord. This person doesn’t just know about the Bible, or know about God, but He knows the Lord. He is committed to following Jesus. Matt 22:37-39; 1 John 2:13-14

Jesus said to him, “`You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ (Matt. 22:37)

I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. (1John 2:13)

· Practices Spiritual disciplines– This person is learning and putting into practice spiritual disciplines for growth and service. The person isn’t perfect spiritually, but he/she seeks to know the Lord by regular time in reading and enjoying His Word. He enjoys prayer alone and with others. He works at memorizing God’s Word in his heart for use in life. He meditates on Scripture and spends time in silence before God. He servesin different capacities. He learns worshipand practices fellowship with others. These and others are regular practices, because of his love for Jesus. Through these disciplines, he is committed to being changed by Jesus. He is in a lifelong learning mode that he might know God more intimately and clearly. John 17:17; Rom. 8:28-29; 12:1-2; 2 Tim. 2:15

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. (John 17:17)

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Rom. 8:28-29)

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Rom. 12:1-2)

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Tim. 2:15)

· Engages Discipleship – He is committed to the Great Commission of discipling others. He genuinely cares for others and wants to see them grow spiritually. He has learned to feed himself, so that he is ready to share with others. He is thinking the team, the team, the team, because the church is a team that the gates of hell shall not prevail against. He intentionally helps others learn how to grow and serve, so they can become spiritual parents also. He is committed, no matter what cost, time, or personal sacrifice is required. He has counted the cost. Matt. 28:18-20

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Mat 28:18-20)

Now someone will likely say that we saw these characteristics a few weeks ago. That is true. These are the characteristics of a committed disciple from the second message on what is a disciple of Jesus Christ from Matt. 4:19. So let’s look at the requirements that God has for us to do His work. These can be seen with the acrostic FAITH

· Faithful – He humbly depends on God facing every challenge and joy of life. He doesn’t run from the problem, but runs toward it and slings God’s Word at the problem, because He knows God and His care for him. He faithfully studies God’s Word, prays to the Lord and depends on His empowering Spirit. Matt. 25:21-23. This person presses to the upward call, takes baby steps of spiritual growth, willingly takes responsibility and asks God to give him a heart that Jesus has for people.

Consider David who when challenged to deal with Goliath, he remembered how he killed the bear and the lion by the power of the Lord and Goliath would be no different. David was willing to run to the problem and sling the stone against the giant and defeat the problem, because he was faithful to trust the Lord. The reason David was faithful, was because he was open to being taught by the Lord throughout his life.

“His lord said to him,`Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ ²² “He also who had received two talents came and said,`Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ ²³ “His lord said to him,`Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ (Mat 25:21-23)

How many people can be faithful? Is there anyone who is not able to be faithful in life? Great, because it’s merely a choice you need make each day. You can be the person God requires to do His will.

· Available – He’s humbly available because he has examined and reordered his life. Is. 6:8; Eph. 3:8. He recognizes time is short and he sets aside childish things that won’t matter for eternity sake. He establishes godly priorities that will bring honor and glory to Jesus and establish blessing and reward in time and eternity. He is available, because he has committed himself to Jesus. He commits his time (Eph. 5:15-17), talents (1 Pet. 4:11), treasure (Matt. 6:21), truth (John 4:23-24), tongue (Jam. 3:1-12), temple (1 Cor. 6:19-20) and turbo-gift (1 Pet. 4:10) to the Lord for His use.

GIDEON was put on the spot by the Angel of the Lord, when Gideon was hiding in the winepress working to get enough grain to feed his family. He was hiding from the Midianites, but the Lord challenged to see if he was available. The Angel of the Lord said, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor!” I can imagine Gideon was wondering if the Lord was talking about him or someone else. Through Gideon’s weak faith, the Lord helped Gideon see that in Gideon’s availability, he could defeat 120,000 of the enemy with only 300 men. God doesn’t depend on our might and wisdom, but on His.

When the Seraph angel said to Isaiah, Whom shall I send, Isaiah responded, “Send me (I’m available).”

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” (Is. 6:8)

When God needed a man to proclaim the mystery of Christ, he found Paul who chose to be available.

To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ (Eph 3:8-9)

How many people can be available? Is there anyone who is not able to be available in life? Great, because it’s merely a choice you need make each day. You can be the person God requires to do His will.

· Intentional – He humbly goes before the sovereignty of God seeking God’s will each day in order to live that will out in his life. He does not let life happen by chance. He intentionally plans his study of God’s Word. He intentionally lays out a plan for growth and spiritual development. He intentionally chooses his friends, his service opportunities and how he will spend his time, because the days are evil and can be squandered so easily with a multitude of distractions. He is intentional about inviting others to follow him. He is intentional about life and spiritual growth Phil. 3:9-14; 1:21 Paul was intentional about his life:

[that I may] be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. ¹² Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:9-14)

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Phi 1:21)

How many people can be intentional? Is there anyone who is not able to be intentional in life? Great, because it’s merely a choice you need make each day. You can be the person God requires to do His will.

· Teachable – He is a humble student of God’s Word for life. He submits His life to God’s instruction through God’s Spirit, so he can gain and sustain the spirit-controlled life. He looks for opportunities to learn. He will take notes, review plans and listen to people on what he can learn from them. He is accountable so that he is not just sliding through life, but engaged in always learning. He uses spiritual disciplines to learn all he can about, of and with the Lord. Ps. 25:1-5; 2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17

A Psalm of David. To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. ² O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. ³ Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. ⁴Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. ⁵ Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. (Ps. 25:1-5)

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Tim 2:15)

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2Ti 3:16-17)

How many people can be teachable? Is there anyone who is not able to be teachable in life? Great, because it’s merely a choice you need make each day. You can be the person God requires to do His will.

· Holy Spirit controlled – He humbly depends on the Holy Spirit rather than his own talents, abilities or wisdom. He has a greater and more humble opinion because he sees himself before the holiness of God. He is dependent on the empowerment of God’s Spirit to understand God’s Word and live it out. He depends on God’s Spirit for each new step in spiritual growth. He depends on God’s Word, listens to the counsel of others in order to understand and engages dependency upon God’s Spirit for every thought, word and action in life. Eph. 5:18; Luke 4:1-14

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, (Eph. 5:18)

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spiritinto the wilderness… ¹⁴ Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, (Luke 4:1-14)

How many people can be Holy Spirit controlled? Is there anyone who is not able to be Holy Spirit controlled in life? Great, because it’s merely a choice you need make each day. You can be the person God requires to do His will.

Jesus will transform you to accomplish His will

and to become spiritual parents IF you pursue that.

· Jesus is a sovereign gentleman. He will not coerce you. You will not advance only because you are not pursuing. All the resources of heaven are available to you in His Word and by His Spirit to raise you up.

· Every mindful person can be a spiritual parent to help others. Your humble submission to His Spirit to glorify Jesus will cause you to see His miraculous HOPE in your life.

Just as Moses used five different excuses why he did not want to obey the Lord, it’s easy for us to come up with excuses. What reasons to you use to become complacent and not obey the Lord? What fears and excuses to you use to not take spiritual responsibility to grow in the Lord and become a spiritual parent and disciple other people?

Here’s the back side of the insert. I’ll post some suggested answers later this week.

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) Who is someone you admire in the world? What are his/her characteristics?

Digging Deeper

2) What are some of the fears and excuses Moses had from Exodus 3:11- 4:17? ______________ ; ___________; ________________; ________________; __________________. Today, what are fears or excuses that prevent people from taking responsibility to do what God calls them to do?

3) What are several characteristics required of an overseer in 1 Timothy 3:1-7? ________________; ______________________; __________________; _____________________; __________________. Are these characteristics that should be true only of elders? Who else should spiritually grow into these? Why?

4) Read the letters written to the Church of Ephesus and the Church of Laodicea (Rev. 2:1-7; 3:14-22. What are characteristics of these churches? _____________; _____________; _______________; ________________; _______________; ________________. Which church do think would do a better job of fulfilling the Great Commission? Why?

Making application from the message:

5) Why do you suppose God doesn’t require you to have certain “degrees” to do His work? What kinds of things hold you back from taking the next step? What could you do to take the next step?

6) How has the angel of light deceived the church today (2 Cor. 11:13-15)? Has the enemy deceived the church today? How has the Vision series challenged you in your thinking?

SGL: Leading a discussion

Posted on February 11, 2013 by shepherdbryan

Leading a home group: Leading a discussion

Leading a home group is a great means of helping people learn about the Lord Jesus Christ, develop relationships with others and begin spiritual growth in the Christian life. Your leadership is a great opportunity to see the Lord at work in their lives, as well as your own. Let me give you four things to consider.

First, as you lead the discussion, remember it is a discussion. You are there for the sake of the people. They are not there for you. The leader will break the ice, get everyone talking in some way over an introductory topic, related to the discussion, and then lead the group in answering questions and subject matter related to the message. The purpose is to get the people talking. You only know what they are thinking when they are talking. If you do the talking, you don’t know what they are thinking or whether they understand what you are talking about, i.e. are tracking with you. One of the best ways to get people talking is by asking questions, rather than making statements. Of course their comments need to be lassoed back to the main discussion of they get off track, but people remember subject matter much longer if they are talking and taking ownership of the material.

Second, give affirmation to comments people make. It doesn’t have to be after each person says something, but when a quiet person responds, that should be affirmed. Help people see that this is their group so they take ownership of the group. Sometimes you won’t need to say anything because people are making rapid succession of comments and the topic is developing very well. However, you as the leader are in the symbolic position of God and we have an affirming God, when people are seeking His righteousness. People need to be affirmed.

Third, find something to affirm if the comment is off target. You will often have comments that do not track with the topic or question. That’s okay. That’s where the person is in their thinking. People need a wide berth for making comments. If the comment doesn’t seem like it fits, you can always respond, “That’s interesting,” and not need to correct the person. Remember, most people are scared to death to talk in any group about God-type things. They will grow up and get on track quickly because the Holy Spirit is the best teacher to help humble people who want to grow. If the comment is heresy, well, then you may need to say, “That’s an interesting comment. What do the rest of you think?” And depending on other comments, you may need to bring it back around to a known Scripture to let Scripture speak or say, let’s talk about that later or next week. Christians have a crazy habit of thinking they have to correct every little detail as if God can’t handle things.

Fourth, thank the people for the good discussion. Friends, people today need affirmation about spiritual growth. They’ll talk about sports, hunting, cars and politics without any bashfulness. But they don’t easily talk about spiritual things related to their spiritual walk with Jesus. The leader should be the affirming parent who demonstrates grace and a welcoming presence of fellowship.

When you lead a discussion, you are setting the table for a delicious meal and fun fellowship with the Lord. You invite them into the presence of the King at a banquet table. What an awesome privilege to lead. Thanks for joining the team!

Book Review: Small Group Leaders’ Handbook J. Alex Kirk, et al

Posted on February 10, 2013 by shepherdbryan

Book Review: Small Group Leaders’ Handbook J. Alex Kirk, et al

“Small Group Leaders’ Handbook” is written by seven staff workers with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship from various college campuses. They came together in a number of ways to collaborate and provide a current view on raising small group leaders, especially for ministry on college campuses. Over the course of a year, they arrived at the principles and methods described in the book interspersed with their testimonies of reaching and raising up leadership for small groups on college campuses.

Developing leadership is often messy work, but leaders who are proactive and willing to be flexible can see great fruit in what they describe as a transformational community that studies the Bible, prays and participates in God’s mission together.

I might have thought the book would be seven different approaches or seven different perspectives on small group leadership. However, they have interacted sufficiently in person and over email and phone to form a consistent approach dealing with various aspects of transformation. Their writing styles are similar. Their stories are engaging. Their mission is clear: to raise up new spiritual leaders.

I did have difficulty following some of the chapters, because the organization of the material was not as clear as I need. However, it may be because I like the nuts and bolts in a handbook to be in a clear outline; I don’t like to search for the principles. The principles are there in each of the chapter, yet they could have been summarized or highlighted more clearly. That’s likely a personal preference.

I’m grateful for their intent and pursuit of seeking to build the kingdom of Jesus Christ in the formulating years of college students. I’m grateful for their heart of passion to win students to Jesus Christ and their leadership to follow through the transformation of students’ hearts for Jesus Christ. May the Lord use this to further His kingdom!

Q & A: Raising Spiritual Parents

Posted on February 9, 2013 by shepherdbryan

This goes with the message that was posted on February 5, 2013 of this blog. I have included the insert for a quick review and the Message Based Discussion Questions follow. The purpose is to provide material for personal reflection or group discussion. The questions are designed to be answered in far more than one or two sentence answers.

Strategy of Grace – Raising Spiritual Parents

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

(February 3, 2013)

What is God’s solution to raising spiritual parents?

1) Pursue the Lord’s pattern for raising parents Deut. 6:1-9

Ephesians 6:1-3

2) Pursue the Lord’s pattern in raising disciples Matt 4:18-22

John 17:6, 17, 20

3) Pursue the Lord’s exhortation to raise spiritual children 1 Thes. 2:5-14; Heb. 5:12-14

What is the wisest approach to help 80% of the congregation become spiritual parents (disciple-makers)? Some possibilities:

· Disciple people to be seminary graduates emphasizing on original languages

· Disciple people to be Bible College graduates from a correspondence network

· Disciple people with years of intense Systematic Theology from the pastor

· Disciple people with years of intense counseling training and practical theology

· Disciple people in small groups teaching various books of the Bible

· Disciple men through the Colossians 2:7 material

· Disciple people in small groups using the Message Based Discussion Questions

Small groups provide a wise environment to develop spiritual parents (disciple-making people):

· There are 10-14 people which is easier to develop trust

· They develop deeper relationships because more time is spent in relationships

· They provide a safe place to be authentic with personal struggles and get help

· They allow for many groups outside the church building

· They provide a back door for people to come to church

· Everyone participates because we learn by doing (teach them and release them)

· There are 12, rather than 30 or 50, so people are willing to lead also

· They let leaders know if people are “getting it” because of greater feedback

· They practice a model where a new person can learn quickly he can lead also

· Often more is caught than taught

n This assumes 1) on-going training, 2) support for disciples and 3) accountability

n This assumes using a material that 80% of the people can grasp, apply and implement

The Lord Jesus gave the example and

taught us to become spiritual parents.

· Too many Christians mimic the movie, “Failure to Launch.” The goal is not being independent, but interdependent raising new spiritual parents or disciples to Jesus Christ. Are you in a FG or HG, accountable for growing to the next spiritual level? Is there someone helping you advance?

· God loves you where you are, but where you are God wants you to keep growing. He wants you to become spiritual parents for others. That means adjusting your schedule to fit with others.

· Life is not about you. Life is about Jesus Christ and His message to disciple others, i.e. raise spiritual parents.

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) When and how were you taught to be an adult who was ready to raise children?

a) A variety of answers will be given. The key is to get everyone to provide some kind of answer as it applies to them. There is no right or wrong answer, but should be fun to learn what others say.

Digging Deeper:

2) In Deuteronomy 6:6, where is the word supposed to be solidified? ___heart__________. What will that look like according to the larger context of Deut. 6:1-9?

a) People will look for opportunities to learn. They’ll join their church in the worship service, a FG or HG, and they’ll learn to do devotions or quiet time.

b) If they don’t do a QTime, they’ll others on how to do that. They’ll fit their schedule around studying God’s Word. They’ll learn the realm of Scripture, what the books are, the flow, why there are 2 Testaments, etc. etc

c) They will be people who talk about the Lord and His Word with others more than they talk about the weather or sports or even politics. They will talk about those, but because the Lord and His Word is in their heart, they can’t help but talk about Him. Cf. Matt. 15:18-19.

d) They will be renewed Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 4:22-24 and miracles of change will be going on in their life and family.

e) They will be looking for opps to be accountable and growing in a relational environment. They won’t be shy about being worried to give a wrong answer. They want an opportunity to talk about how life, questions, and problems relate to the character of God.

f) Then the person will want to ensure, diligently, that their children AND grandchildren are learning to walk worthy of the Lord. They will look for opps sitting down, walking, lying down at night and getting up in the morning to focus other people attention on the Lord, etc. etc.

3) How many times was Peter called to follow by Jesus? _at least 2 times___ (compare John 1:35-42 with Matt. 4:18-20). What do you suppose was going through Peter’s mind?

a) This all makes sense, but I have to work a job. I have to provide for my wife and family.

b) This guy seems like the Messiah, but I don’t understand my role.

c) How do I know what to do? I don’t know enough yet.

d) I fish, what else is there in life. We have a fleet of boats to acquire. I compete with other fishermen.

e) Do I trust this man? God has been silent for so long, how do I know?

4) What are the three challenges Jesus makes in Luke 9:57-62?

a) __place to stay/provisions_______ ; __family responsibilities________;

__Connections to this world_________

b) What are examples of challenges today that you face in considering the invitation by Jesus (Luke 9:57-62)? How do they hinder disciples from being fully committed to follow Jesus?

i) Provisions

(1) How much will I need to provide for myself and family?

(2) What if the govt taxes me to death?

(3) How will I know how God is going to provide?

(4) I haven’t gone here before, I don’t know the way

(5) I really don’t know you, Lord, well enough. The risks are too great.

ii) Family responsibilities

(1) I have to raise my family and that’s all I can do

(2) We have vacations and hobbies to keep up; others will have to be taken care of by others

(3) It might be the last day of my parent’s life, I’ll have to spend it with them, day after day.

(4) I don’t like people, I have to put up with my family

(5) I have things to take care of, house, car, job, stuff. I can measure how I’m doing with them.

(6) I can’t measure how well I’m doing following the Lord

iii) Connections to the world

(1) Once I get my retirement in place, then I’ll help the Lord

(2) Once my children are launched, then I’ll serve

(3) Once I have children, I’ll get involved

(4) I have so much stuff, I might need it.

Application of the message to life:

5) Are you ready to seek the next stage of growth? What are three things you might have to do or rearrange in your life?

a) Redo my schedule, so I fit my life into knowing and letting Jesus live out in my life.

b) Be faithful in devotions to learn Scripture.

c) Read a book on the outline of Scripture.

d) Join a FG or HG to grow with other believers

e) Be willing to put the Word into action

f) Take steps to put people as more important than myself

g) Come to the message next week.

6) Do you know the miracle and joy of taking responsibility for discipling others in Jesus? How is that more fulfilling than not having spiritual responsibilities?

a) Responsibility is tough, because things don’t always turn out well

b) Responsib. Means being rejected and I don’t like it, so why have it

c) Responsib. Means watching others grow and seeing changes. It means letting God move through me to be more other centered, than self-centered, which is a miracle. It means I’m a part of the Lord’s purpose and mission of making disciples. It means I’m obedient and there are eternal rewards.

Q & A: Stages of Growth

Posted on February 8, 2013 by shepherdbryan

This goes with the message that was posted on January 21, 2013 of this blog. I have included the insert for a quick review and the Message Based Discussion Questions follow. The purpose is to provide material for personal reflection or group discussion. The questions are designed to be answered in far more than one or two sentence answers.

Strategy for Grace

Stages of Growth

1 John 2:12-14

January 20

What is the spiritual growth process of the normal Christian?

1) Unbeliever – Spiritually dead Eph. 2:1-3

This person does not know Jesus and has not accepted Him as Savior. He is unbelieving and rebellious.

2) Spiritual Infant – focus on self 1 Cor. 3:1-3; 1 Pet. 2:2-3

This person has accepted Jesus as His Savior, but is not connected in a relationship environment for the purpose of Biblical Discipleship. He is ignorant of God’s Word, confused and dependent on others.

3) Spiritual Child – What can I get? 1 Jn. 2:12; 1 Thes. 2:10-12; Phm 1:8-11

This person recognizes his need for relationships with other Christians and is connected in a relational environment for the purpose of discipleship, but life is all about him. He is self-centered, prideful, idealistic and has either a high or low view of self often because he lives by pride or emotions.

4) Spiritual Young Adult – wants to serve 1 Jn. 2:13-14; Gal. 5:13-14

He recognizes his part in the body of Christ. This person has moved from self-centeredness to God- and other-centeredness. He is characterized by service, zeal, mission and spiritual independence. He learns to push on when discouraged.

5) Spiritual Parent – reproducing 1 Jn 2:13-14; 2 Tim. 2:2

He has been serving and ministering and now thinks in terms of reproducing. He can feed himself and intentionally recruits people for personal growth and reproducing disciple-makers on the church team.

(These stages are not based on the content of Bible knowledge, but practical implementation)

“Phrase” from the Stage (these are typical phrases of people who are in these spiritual stages of growth)

Unbeliever	I don’t believe there is a god The Bible is just a bunch of myths Evolution explains away God God is just a crutch Jesus is only one way
Spiritual Infant	I believe in Jesus, but my church is when I’m in the woods. I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian I gave my life to Jesus and I go to church, but I don’t need to be close to other people I pray and read my Bible; that is good enough for me.
Spiritual Child	I love my small group; don’t add any more people to it. Who are all these people coming to my Church? Tell them to go somewhere else! I am not coming to church anymore. It has become too big; it has too many people. I didn’t like the music today. If only they did it like…”
Spiritual Young Adult	I think I could lead a group with a little help. I have three friends I have been witnessing to, and this group would be too big for them. Randy and Rachel missed group and I called to see if they are okay. Their kids have the flu, so maybe our group can make meals for them. I’ll start. I am so exhausted this week I called all sixty men from men’s breakfast to see how they were.
Spiritual Parent	This guy at work asked me to explain the Bible to him. Pray for me. We get to baptize someone from our small group tonight. When is the next Belonging class? I want to get her plugged into ministry somewhere. I realized discipleship happens at home… will you hold me accountable to disciple my kids

Typical Beliefs, Behaviors and Attitudes of the Stage

Unbeliever	Unbelief , rebellion, blind to truth Belief in one God, but many ways to get to Him Anger toward Christians / Church Ignorance and or confusion about God, Jesus and the Church Misinformed about spiritual/biblical truth; spiritual blindness
Spiritual Infant	Ignorance about what they need spiritually and what the Bible says about life Ignorant about or frustrated toward Christianity and the church Belief that Christians can make no mistakes (no tolerance of) Unrealistic expectations of themselves and others Confusion about the Christian way of life Mixing Christianity and other religions and not knowing it.
Spiritual Child	Excitement of deeper relationships They appreciate sp. changes Understand Christian lingo, but: Have high expectations of others Believe feelings are most important, which leads to spiritual highs and lows Compare themselves to others and compete with them Lack wisdom how to use what they are learning- for example too aggressive when sharing their faith or too legalistic in their approach to dealing with friends and family Belief that people are not caring for them enough
Spiritual Young Adult	Desire to serve for others’ good and the glory of God Feel responsible for how others respond to the gospel message Possible pride if a person accepts the message and possible discouragement if they don’t Desire to serve but not strategic about how to train others Black and white about what should happen in a church
Spiritual Parent	Has a coach’s mindset Wants to see people mature Reproduces disciples Can feed themselves Values the church team

Spiritual Needs of the Stage (These are needs of people in the spiritual stages)

Unbeliever	Secure relationship with a growing believer A picture of the real Jesus Answers, evidences for Christ An explanation of the gospel An invitation to receive Christ
Spiritual Infant	Individual attention from a spiritual parent Protection An explanation of truth from God’s Word An explanation and modeling of the habits of growing believers
Spiritual Child	A spiritual family Help to start feeding themselves Teaching who they are in Christ Teaching about how to have relationships with others
Spiritual Young Adult	A place to learn to serve A spiritual parent who will debrief them about ministry Ongoing encouraging relationships and accountability Guidance regarding expectations of people they will serve Spiritual skills training
Spiritual Parents	An ongoing relationship with co-laborers A church family Encouragement in discipleship

God calls each of us to become spiritual parents.

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) What physical stage of life do you enjoy the most? This is a personal response all should answer seriously or playfully. Some will say being a child, because of no responsibility. Some will say a young adult, because of freedoms, etc.

Digging Deeper: Study 1 Cor 3:1-3; 1 Jn 2:12-14

2) Based on the charts, what are some other phrases of a child?

a) The elder looked at me, but didn’t say hi to me.

b) No one ever visits me.

c) Why don’t we have a bingo night every week at church?

d) If this was a really good church, it would have a rose garden.

e) I love my friends at church, but they don’t invite me over.

f) I’m just no good at doing anything.

g) I can teach a class; why don’t you just give me people to teach.

3) What are phrases of a parent?

a) I’ve called my home group to get together to help at the church picnic.

b) There are two young men who are ready to take the next step of serving at church. Where do you think would be the best place for them?

c) I have three gals who want to meet and get help in parenting. What material do you recommend?

d) “You really did a nice job in serving as usher. I liked how you greeted each person with a smile and you helped them find a seat.”

e) I’m having trouble with a couple in my home group of controlling the conversation. Do you have any advice on how to address that?

f) I took pastor’s message and after going through the discussion questions, found some great passages related to the study and helped me. Let me share them with you.

g) There’s a couple teenagers that are having trouble with their language at church. Pray for me that I can help them honor God with their words and represent the Lord with their lives.

4) What are differences between a child and young adult?

a) Child is interested in learning; YA is interested in also serving.

b) Child is interested in what makes them excited; YA is interested in what would help the group learn about Jesus.

c) Child has unrealistic expectations on people; YA excepts people and tries to share Scripture.

d) Child says you can’t celebrate Christmas with a tree; YA accepts another person’s view that a holiday can be celebrated in different ways before the Lord.

e) Child complains because people don’t do enough for them; YA is glad to be serving and isn’t concerned if people are taking care of them.

f) Child learns to be smarter than others; YA learns because he wants to grow in a relationship with the Lord.

g) Child tries to shove Jesus in witnessing to others; YA shares the gospel and either gets pride from a good response or gets discouraged when there is no response.

5) Why is it important to understand the Spiritual needs of each stage? What are the needs of spiritual infants and children?

a) Have to understand spiritual needs of each stage, because that helps us know how to relate to people in those stages.

b) Have to understand, so we don’t put unrealistic expectations on people.

c) Have to understand because you know what you can expect from others.

d) So you don’t judge and condemn people for being self-centered; you help them grow through it with a focus on Jesus.

e) So you provide sp. Nurturing so they can grow.

f) So you can see the progression of spiritual growth.

g) So you are more compassionate and merciful

Application of the message to life:

6) What are four things you could do to ensure you are growing up spiritually?

a) Know the stages of growth

b) Check my words for knowing my focus and what I’m doing

c) Study God’s Word to understand His level of holiness.

d) Know that sp. Parenting is where I want to grow.

e) Dependent on the Holy Spirit to understand Scripture and be empowered to walk by His power.

f) Engaged in church where I have opportunities to put into practice things that can be done at each level of growth.

g) Being in an intentional discipleship ministry.

h) Engaged in a relational environment

i) Looking for or preparing to disciple others.

7) If you want to be considered spiritually mature, what needs to be true?

a) I must be a young adult moving toward parenting.

b) I must be preparing to disciple others

c) I must have others following me.

d) I must be helping them with people who will follow them.

e) It is not based on how much I know, but how much I’m doing in the power of the Holy Spirit according to His Word.

Q & A: Growing Disciple-Makers

Posted on February 7, 2013 by shepherdbryan

This goes with the message that was posted on January 19, 2013 of this blog. I have included the insert for a quick review and the Message Based Discussion Questions follow. The purpose is to provide material for personal reflection or group discussion. The questions are designed to be answered in far more than one or two sentence answers.

Strategy for Grace – Growing Disciple-Makers

Matt. 4:18-20

January 6, 2013

What do you need to make committed disciples?

Understand what a disciple is: What is a disciple? Learner, follower: the curious, convinced and committed. (cf. John 1:43-46; 2:1-2; 2:22; Matt 4:18-22)

A committed disciple is:

· Committed to following Jesus. Luke 9:23; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 1:21

· Committed to being changed by Jesus. Rom. 8:29; 12:2

· Committed to the mission: growing disciples who are making disciples. Matt. 28:19-20

Who is called to be a disciple-maker? _______________.

Understand four keys to develop Disciple-making:

1) Biblical Foundation –Your understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ will deepen your desire to please Him and fulfill His will to make disciples who make disciples. Matt. 7:24-27; 2 Tim. 3:16-17

2) Intentional Discipleship– This takes the accidental out of discipleship Eph. 4:11-13. Jesus had intentional actions. Matt 14:15-18, 27-31; Luke 10: 1; 22:7-13; John 6:5-6

3) Relational Environment– it must be small enough for open communication and trust. 1 Cor. 12:25 Must spend time with the people Deut. 6:7-9 in real teaching to establish a biblical worldview. John 17:17; Matt. 4:4; Ps. 119:105

4) Reproducible Process – we must develop a process to reproduce or all we will do is add. Matt. 28:18-20

What would the model look like?

· It has to deal with fear factors – failure; fool; fake

· It has to deal with trust in relationships

· It has to deal with talking with others (people don’t want to be wrong)

· It has to provide OJT because we learn by doing

· It has to amply provide encouragement with accountability

Jesus calls you to be His committed disciple. How? Acts 1:8, 6-11

· Discipleship is a flexible step by step process. Disciples are shown how to take each step. Everyone learns by trial and error. You need an environment whereby you can make mistakes. You need someone to pick you up and encourage you to get back in the battle. Luke 9:1-3

· Disciples are those committed to Jesus, who will change them. However, He will change you only as you humbly request His change and put into practice what you are learning. Change will not happen by listening only Jam. 1:22
· Discipleship occurs in an intentional, relational environment. Relationships that keep picking you up and helping you become fishers of men. Matt 4:18-22

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) How many children did your grandparents have? How many children came from those children? How many grandchildren and great grandchildren?

a) This question is designed to involve everyone in the small group and each answer will be personalized.

b) The purpose is to allow each person to sense they have something to contribute and allow them to become transparent.

Digging Deeper:

2) What are examples of how parents disciple children physically and spiritually (cf. Deut. 6:5-9)?

Physical parenting	Spiritual parenting
Teach to feed self	Learn how to study Bible
Teach how to talk	Teach how to pray
Teach how to belong to family	Help identify with God’s family
Teach how to dress	Learn how to act with service
Teach to be fiscally responsible	Teach to be a good steward
Teach responsibility with chores	Teach to serve with good works
Teach how to prepare food	Teach how to lead small group
Teach how to get along	Teach Christian fellowship
Teach how to get an education	Teach how to prepare for life
Teach how to raise parents	Teach stages of growth to parent
Teach how to be a citizen	Teach citizenship in heaven

3) What are five things that prevent Christians from becoming spiritual parents?

a) Distorting the use of the word mature

b) Not understand God’s expectations to make disciples

c) Becoming complacent about spiritual growth

d) Not developing a soul-winning heart to disciple others

e) Impatience with the sins of others

f) Unrealistic expectations on others

g) Failure to develop a biblical foundation

h) Not seeing the need of intentional discipleship

i) Living as a loner rather than pursuing a relational environment

j) Fear that they don’t have what it takes to grow up and lead

k) Fear to look like a fool and not do the right thing

l) Fear that others will find out they may not have a plan for helping others, so they give up before trying

m) Pride that prevents people from becoming a disciple

n) Lacking compassion to help others grow

o) Listening to the devil’s lie that they don’t know enough

p) Sitting in the stands and watching rather than getting onto the field and making a difference

4) What does it look like to be a committed disciple of Jesus Christ?

a) One who is committed to following Jesus as his head

b) One who is committed to being changed by Jesus

i) One who consumes God’s Word

ii) One who is consistent in studying God’s Word

iii) One who is more concerned about spiritual issues than earthly

iv) One who isn’t set in his ways

v) One who asks others for accountability

vi) One who asks others to help them see blind spots

vii) One who asks God to sanctify himself with God’s Word

c) One who is committed to the mission

i) One who is being discipled

ii) One who is seeking to disciple others

iii) One who has a passion to see others grow spiritually

iv) One who is involved in relationships of spiritual growth

v) One who has others following him spiritually

5) Of the four keys to develop Disciple-making, which do you think is the most important? Why?

a) A biblical foundation is the most important, because that sets the stage for all the others. That keeps the others on track before the holiness of God. That is the foundation upon which all is built.

b) The others are also important and are the fruit of the biblical foundation.

i) If you don’t have intentional discipleship, you have accidental growth rather than deliberate growth. You need a biblical plan of helping people move from one spiritual stage to the next for the best accountability in spiritual growth.

ii) If you don’t have a relational environment, you have an academic learning environment. These are real people who must learn how to relate with real people.

iii) If you don’t have a reproductive process, you may have good addition, but people won’t learn how to take responsibility and become a part of the growth process. The reproductive process is essential for multiplication in the Great Commission.

Making application from the message:

6) What are the three most difficult challenges people face in becoming spiritual parents in Indianapolis? How can we work together to overcome them? (here’s some suggestions)

a) Challenges:

i) Fear that they don’t have what it takes to grow up and lead

ii) Fear to look like a fool and not do the right thing

iii) Fear that others will find out they may not have a plan for helping others, so they give up before trying

iv) Pride that prevents people from becoming a disciple

v) Lacking compassion to help others grow

vi) Listening to the devil’s lie that they don’t know enough

vii) Sitting in the stands and watching rather than getting onto the field and making a difference

b) We can work to overcome:

i) By emphasizing the team instead of the person/self

ii) By humbling asking what I can do to grow

iii) By humbling asking and reading material on how to grow up to the next level

iv) By accepting that no one is perfect and keeping our eyes on the Lord rather than each other

v) By pressing forward rather than waiting

7) What are possible changes a committed disciple would need to make in order to be considered committed? (some considerations)

a) May need to spend more time in God’s Word, than the television

b) May need to carve out a home group time than watch a desired program

c) May need to crack the Bible to learn spiritual truths than failing to launch in the spiritual life

d) May need to depend on God and be stretched rather than just doing everything according to human power

e) May need to humble self to change in areas not yet known

f) May need to allow others to evaluate your life

g) May need to get together with people regularly for growth

h) May need to consider others more important than self

i) May need to memorize God’s Word to not sin against Him

j) May need to invite others to follow rather than doing things by self

k) May need to revamp the schedule so it shows where time is spent.

Q & A: State of the Church

Posted on February 7, 2013 by shepherdbryan

This goes with the message that was posted on December 31 of this blog. I have included the insert for a quick review and the Message Based Discussion Questions follow. The purpose is to provide material for personal reflection or group discussion. The questions are designed to be answered in far more than one or two sentence answers.

State of the Church: Vision

Matthew 28:18-20

December 30, 2012

Connecting together to worship God 1 Cor. 12:19-25

Equipping together in grace to be more like Christ Eph. 4:11-14

Multiplying together with the gospel to reach the world Matt 28:18-20

God loves to multiply people:

Gen 1:28; 9:1,7; 17:2, 20; 22:17; 26:24; 28:3; 35:11; Ex. 32:13; Lev. 26:9; Deut. 6:3; 7:13; 8:1, 13; 28:63; 30:5, 16; Acts 6:1,7; 12:24; Heb. 6:13-14

God wants us to spiritually reproduce: 2 Tim. 2:2; John 14:12

Who is called to be a disciple-maker?

Jesus is my model for everything. He was __single___.

How were you Connected? Luke 6:12-13

· How am I currently reaching or connecting others?

How are you being Equipped? Luke 9:1-10

· How am I helping to build up others?

· How am I equipping others for ministry? (for outreach, service, discipling)

How am I Multiplying, so more will follow? Luke 10:1,17-21

· How am I helping others to grow deeper?

Jesus commanded each of us to make disciples.

How? Acts 1:8, 6-11

· Does our model facilitate 80% of the church reproducing?

· How are we developing disciple-makers?
· Will you humbly ask the Lord what His next step is for you?

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) How many children were in your family? How many children did he/she/they produce?

a) This question is designed to involve everyone in the small group and each answer will be personalized.

b) The purpose is to allow each person to sense they have something to contribute and allow them to become transparent.

Digging Deeper:

2) Where do you learn the most in Scripture about parenting? What passages come to mind?

a) Most of the parenting lessons are found in Proverbs. Most of the book is written by Solomon to his son. Many of the other portions are written by others that have direct application to parent/child relationships.

b) There are parenting stories found in the OT.

i) Isaac’s partiality with his sons Gen. 25:28; 27:6-17

ii) Samuel’s failures with his sons 1 Sam. 2:27-36; 4:10-22

iii) David’s failures with his sons 2 Sam. 12:10; 13:1-18:33

c) There are parenting principles

i) Father’s commanding his children Gen. 18:19

ii) Telling children of God’s mighty deeds Ex. 10:2

iii) Teaching children of God’s provision Ex. 12:26-27

iv) Helping children understand holiness Lev. 20:9; 23:3

v) Diligently teaching children God’s Word Deut. 4:9-10

vi) Using every opportunity to train children Deut. 6:1-24

vii) Parents will pity their children Ps. 103:13

viii) Parents will correct their children Pro. 3:12

ix) Parents will provide for children Pro. 13:22-24

x) Parents will chasten while there is hope Pro. 19:18

xi) Parents have deep love for children Is. 49:15

xii) Parents will reach a child’s heart Mal. 4:6

xiii) Parents will love Jesus more than child Matt. 10:37

xiv) Parents will not exasperate children Eph. 6:4

xv) Parents will exhort and charge children 1 Thes. 2:10-12

xvi) Elders with children must be controlled 1 Tim 3:4,5

3) How would you apply human parenting to spiritual parenting?

Human parents	Spiritual Parent
Change diapers	Deal with sin
Give clean diaper	Teach 1 John 1:9
Put on clean clothes	Teach dependence on HS
Feed food	Feed Word of God
Welcome to family	Welcome to God’s family
Learn to speak	Learn to pray
Teach self-control	Teach Fruit of Spirit
Teach how to get along	Help learn fellowship
Learn to consider others	Place others more important
Etc.

4) What kinds of things prevent Christians from becoming spiritual parents?

a) Distractions in the world, so they don’t study God’s Word

b) Lack of hope in life to trust God

c) Isolation in the world from other growing Christians

d) Failure to develop a quiet time to grow in Christ

e) Lack of dependence on the Holy Spirit

f) Lack of learning how God works all things for good

g) Lack of being a disciple

h) Lack of taking responsibility for one’s actions

i) Knowing what to do and not doing it

j) Being a hearer of the word and not a doer

k) Rejecting biblical authorities, like parents

l) Lack of assembling with others in church

m) Sin in life: mental attitude, verbal and overt sins

n) Pursuing the things of the world instead of God

o) Lack of being taught stages of spiritual Growth

p) Staying in a personal comfort zone and not stepping out

q) Not being more concerned about others than for self

r) Not “walking” with the Lord Jesus

s) Not growing up spiritually

Application of the message to life:

5) What are the three most difficult challenges people face about becoming spiritual parents in Indianapolis? How can we work together to overcome them?

a) Challenges:

i) Fear that they don’t have what it takes to grow up and lead

ii) Fear to look like a fool and not do the right thing

iii) Fear that others will find out they may not have a plan for helping others, so they give up before trying

iv) Pride that prevents people from becoming a disciple

v) Lacking compassion to help others grow

vi) Listening to the devil’s lie that they don’t know enough

vii) Sitting in the stands and watching rather than getting onto the field and making a difference

b) We can work to overcome:

i) By emphasizing the team instead of the person/self

ii) By humbling asking what I can do to grow

iii) By humbling asking and reading material on how to grow up to the next level

iv) By accepting that no one is perfect and keeping our eyes on the Lord rather than each other

v) By pressing forward rather than waiting

6) What kind of organization/organism/system/set-up would you devise to develop spiritual parents?

a) This is whatever the person might contribute….

b) Home groups where people are challenged, contribute and realize they are growing.

c) Home groups where people can become transparent and talk through their understandings

d) Home groups where there is accountability to keep growing

e) Home groups where I can put into practice by leading

f) Home groups where I can reach out to others and bring them into the group and have others help me encourage this person to grow spiritually

Shepherding Truth

Renewing Truth, Rightly Divided

Author Archives: shepherdbryan

About shepherdbryan

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Q & A: Growing Disciple-Makers

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