sf1034 - Developing Disciples Youth Ministry Retreat Fbcp 01 28 - Student Book
DEVELOPING DISCIPLES
YOUTH LIFEGROUP LEADER TRAINING
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH – POWELL
JANUARY 25 – 26, 2008
Developing Disciples: The Biblical Mandate 1
Six Key Disciplines in the Christian Life 7
Developing a Biblical Theology 10
The Biblical Model for Disciple Making 13
Suggested Reading 16
Matthew 28:19-20
Introduction
If we are to be thoroughly obedient to Jesus Christ and His Great Commission, we must force ourselves to be technically accurate in understanding that Commission. We cannot afford ourselves the indulgence of ignorance or inaccuracy. Since the only command in the Commission is to "make disciples," it is incumbent upon us to fully understand what that means.
What did Jesus mean when He said “go and make disciples?”
“Discipleship is about being and reproducing spiritually mature zealots for Christ.” (Barna)
What does a true discipleship produce?
True discipleship produces holistic personal transformation, not mere assimilation into a community of church members.
True discipleship is witnessed by people who are determined to be a blessing to others – people who are never content to simply accept and enjoy God’s blessings.
True discipleship creates Christians who aggressively pursue spiritual growth rather than passively experience spiritual evolution.
True discipleship spawns individuals who develop renewed lifestyles instead of believers who mechanically check off completed assignments on a developmental agenda.
True discipleship results in people who are more concerned about the quality of their character than the extent of their knowledge.
True discipleship builds churches know for their culture of love, commitment, and service rather than for their events, information, and programs.
True discipleship facilitates people devoted to a lifelong journey to imitate Jesus Christ rather than the completion of a short-term regimen of tasks and responsibilities. (Barna, Growing True Disciples)
1A. Define Key Terms
1B. ___________________________
maqhth,j, maqhtou/, o` (manqa,nw), disciple, a learner, pupil
Disciples are both the people who please the Lord and the people who will reach the world.
This word, "disciple," has been tragically reduced in the modern church, including everything from "convert" to "professing believer."
Usually, "making disciples" is defined by "winning people to Christ." Soul-winning is a vital part, a beginning part, a necessary part, of disciple-making, but it is only a beginning. If the process stops with soul-winning, the sinner in question is not really "won" at all.
Use in the New Testament
Ø A casual listener
All of those who came to hear Jesus at the beginning of His ministry are called "disciples."
Ø A _______________________ listener
A person who consents that what he is hearing is true, though it may not substantially change his life or his lifestyle.
Ø A ____________________________, lifelong, learner and follower
This last use is the one Jesus intended in the Great Commission, and it constitutes our marching orders.
A disciple is an adherent (one who adheres, like adhesive tape, to another), or an apprentice, of Jesus Christ. A disciple is a person in training.
A disciple is first born, then he is made.
The word "disciple" is used 270 times in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts. The word does not occur again in the remaining 22 books of the New Testament.
In Luke 6:40, Jesus said, "When the process is completed, the pupil will be like his teacher." So, we should expect some terms to emerge which picture advancing likeness. And, indeed, the word "Christian" begins to be used along with the word "saint" one completely set aside to Christ's control.
2B. Discipler
A discipler, or disciple-maker, is a person who is used of God to help "turn men into disciples." A discipler is merely a maturing disciple, for one surely cannot be a disciple of Jesus while ignoring the only marching orders Jesus gave to His church.
In short, it would seem to be impossible to be a disciple without being a discipler. A discipler is a co-learner who recruits and leads others as they are learning together.
3B. Discipling
Discipling is the process of building men into _______________________.
Discipling is done by someone, not by something.
Ø Technically, discipling is one Christian person imparting his whole life to another, by example, leadership, and relationship. It always involves life transference.
Discipling includes the entire disciple-making process, from conversion to trained disciple-maker. This is the very heart of what Christ expects of His church.
4B. _____________________________
Disciplines are the areas of life that reveal the cost of discipleship.
Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Island Mission and one of the greatest visionary missionary-statesmen who has ever lived, wrote: "A man may be consecrated, dedicated and devoted, but of little value if undisciplined."
The apparent goal of Jesus was to produce "disciples" who would become "disciplers," engaged in a lifetime vocation of "discipling" others and practicing the daily "disciplines" which are necessary to fulfill that purpose.
2A. Develop a Biblical ________________________ (2 Timothy 2:2)
Notice that there are four generations of disciples in this one verse: "Me . . . you . . . faithful men . . . others also." The process of multiplication in this verse can be diagramed like this:
Paul Timothy Faithful Men Others
You get the impression that the process is like a widening funnel, with the little end being where Paul and Timothy stand. Everything begins with "me" and "you," Paul and Timothy, and this association indicates two crucial things about disciple-making:
(1) The importance of the individual, and
(2) The importance of positive relationships.
Take away either of the two initial individuals, Paul or Timothy, and the process collapses at its inception. No multiplication can occur without a solid integer at the beginning—and others to relate to.
1B. God’s process defined.
How did Paul "get it across" to Timothy?
Paul said, "The things which you have heard from me . . . ."
Is it merely a matter of hearing?
Ø Is the curriculum merely academic concepts, or philosophical ideas, which may be classroom taught from one generation to the next? Hardly!
What does "hearing" mean in the New Testament?
Ø Why is hearing singled out to picture spiritual intake instead of seeing, or smelling, or tasting, or touching? Indeed, there are spiritual counterparts to each of these physical senses. Then why is hearing singled out?
Ø Hearing is the most direct communication occurs. So "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word (hrema, a vital, lovingly addressed word) of God."
2B. God’s ___________________________ explained.
In the process of disciple-making, just what does this all-inclusive "hearing" entail?
2 Timothy 3:10, 11 (NASB) 10 Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me!
2 Timothy 3:17 (NASB) 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Now you followed – Paul lived a perfectly transparent life with Timothy; transparency, transmission, transformation, that's the order.
Ø Teaching, my doctrine (teachings),
Ø Conduct, manner of life (lifestyle),
Ø Purpose, faith (actually, faithfulness or fidelity),
Ø Patience, longsuffering (ability to suffer a long time),
Ø Love, charity,
Ø Perseverance, patient enduring
Ø Persecutions and sufferings, afflictions
This is the natural outcome of what has been called the "with him" or the "with me" principle.
Jesus "ordained twelve that they should be with him" (Mark 3:14).
Being a disciple and making disciples are lifestyles that are caught more than they are taught. Can you imagine anybody making a lengthy trip with Paul and not being changed by it?
3B. God’s process employed?
Now, once Timothy has been "equipped," or "fully furnished," or "fully trained," what does he do? (2 Timothy 2:2)
Ø He is to pass it on (the entire faith, lifestyle, and commitment) to "faithful" men. Great care must be taken here.
It is absolutely essential that a discipler only seek to instill the process into faithful men. If his disciples prove to be unfaithful, the entire process stops with them, and all future generations may be left without skilled spiritual leadership.
Ø “Entrust” these words
It is a banker's term. It literally means to "deposit." When you make a deposit in a savings account in a bank, you are hoping to gain a dividend, to draw interest. So it is when you make a disciple. You are making an investment that will accrue interest into eternity.
An Investment or Expenditure
Is your present life more of an expenditure or and investment? Are you spending it or investing it? Think carefully here. If you are spending it, the expenditure is final. There is no dividend from the act.
Frankly, most "Christian activities" we engage in—whether church attendance, Bible reading, prayers, etc.—are expenditures more than they are investments. They are "survival" activities to make us "good Christians" instead of investments which will impact the world to the ends of the earth 'til the end of time. Thus, they betray the Commission of Jesus.
Timothy was to take the total investment of Christ's life that had passed from Paul to him and "deposit" it in turn in the lives of faithful men and the process has not been properly passed on unless they are "able to teach others also." So, the process should be constantly enlarging into an expanding funnel that encompasses more and more territory and includes more and more people.
An impossible task…
An Evangelist
Suppose there was an evangelist who could (and did) win 1,000 persons per day to Christ (as converts). If the present population of the world were "frozen" so that nobody else is born and no one dies until the last person on earth is won to Christ, it would take over 15,000 years to win this present world population to Christ!
A Daily Day of Pentecost
Or, suppose the day of Pentecost was reproduced daily, with 3,000 conversions every day. It would take approximately 5,000 years to win this present world population to Christ! And the population is hardly standing still! It is multiplying at a staggering rate. Seems pretty hopeless, doesn't it?
The power of multiplication
Another familiar illustration: If I were to offer you one penny on the first day of a 31-day month, and offer to double the sum each day for 31 days (so that on the second day you have 2 cents, on the 3rd day 4 cents, on the 4th day 8 cents, etc., etc.); or offer you the outright sum of $1 million, which would you take? If you took the million dollars, you would be losing over 9.7 million dollars. But remember where it starts—with one penny. Without the invested first penny, the process never begins.
Multiplying Disciples
If one discipler enlisted a disciple for a year of training which would enable him to enlist and train another the following year, and this were to go on, mechanically and consistently multiplying through the years, this process would pass the "1,000-a-day" evangelist at the beginning of the 23rd year; and would (hypothetically) disciple the entire population of the world in about 35 years. Note the difference between the "converts" of the evangelist and the "disciples" of the visionary reproducer.
Why is disciple-making working so poorly? Frankly, God cannot find enough qualitative "first pennies." And remember, it is Paul to Timothy, a "second penny." The process largely depends on the quality, commitment, vision, and work of the first two pennies. Why? Because they are usually the only models of this process their companions will ever see, as tragic as this may be.
3A. Cultivate a __________________________ for Impacting the World
Do you have the vision of world impact by disciple-making? Are you investing the Jesus-lifestyle, the Jesus-vision, and the Jesus-commitment in the lives of individuals so that they have a similar vision and commitment and can impart them to others?
Someone has wisely said that in order to impart a vision to others, you yourself must:
See it clearly,
Say it consistently
Show it continually
Share it compassionately, and
Safeguard it carefully.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "A righteous person is one who lives for the next generation."
Disciple-making, properly done, both forces and guarantees that kind of righteousness.
Luke 9:23
Introduction
The disciple of Christ is a person who makes Christ the Lord of his or her life.
Luke 9:23
Deny
Cross
Follow
The disciple’s first commitment is to deny himself
That does not mean to reject your identity but to renounce the self-centered life.
Six disciplines of the Christian life…
1A. Spend _______________________ with the Master
The empty circle represents you.
It pictures denying all of self for Christ.
Christ should fill the entire circle; He is to be the focus of your life.
John 15:5 (NASB) 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
2A. _________________________ In The Word
John 8:31-32 (NASB) 31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
The Word is your food; you can receive it…
By listening to someone preach
By reading it
By studying it
By memorizing it
By meditating on it
By applying it
3A. ____________________________ in Faith
John 15:7 (NASB) 7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
The vertical bar represents the Word and prayer which are God’s basic ways of communicating with you.
4A. Fellowship with Believers
John 13:34-35 (NASB) 34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Jesus gave us the church as the primary place for fellowship.
5A. ____________________________ to the World
John 15:8 (NASB) 8 "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
Two kinds of fruit
Fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Fruit of the soul-winner
Psalm 126:6 He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him.
6A. ____________________________ to Others
As you grow in Christ, you reach out to others through all kinds of ministry and service.
Living in the Word leads to a ministry of teaching or preaching.
Praying in faith leads to a ministry of worship or intercession (
Fellowshipping with believers leads to a ministry of nurture to other believers
Witnessing to the world leads to a ministry of evangelism
Your witness and your fellowship lead to Christian service to other persons
John 15:13 (NASB) 13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
Application
The goal of discipleship
2 Timothy 2:21 (NASB) 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
Notice that you have…
1 The Lord as the first priority of your life
2 Relationships: a vertical relationship with God and horizontal relationships with others.
3 Commitments: deny self, take up your cross daily, and follow Christ
4 Resources to center your life in Christ: the Word, prayer, fellowship, and witness
5 Ministries that grow from the four resources: teaching/preaching, worship/intercession, nurture, evangelism, and service
6 Disciplines of a disciple: spend time with the Master, live in the Word, pray in faith, fellowship with believers, witness to the world, and minister to others
Isaiah 55:8-9; Proverbs 8:17; Jeremiah 29:13
Introduction
Most Christians have never truly developed a Biblical understanding of God. Most of our theology is a hodgepodge of Bible lessons, sermons, and songs that we have heard over the years. The thought that we are to “know” God is daunting to say the least.
Yet, God has commanded us to seek Him, to know Him. Therefore it is imperative that we seek to develop an understanding of God that is informed by His revelation of Himself, the Bible.
1A. Define Key Terms
_____________________________ is man-centered; the subject matter of religion is man.
_____________________________ is God-centered; the subject matter of theology is God.
Two approaches:
God-Centered View of Theology
Man-Centered View of Theology
2A. Develop A Biblical Approach – How are we to study Theology?
1B. By studying the _________________________________
The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB) 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
The message of the Bible is about God and from God.
2 Peter 1:20-21 (NASB) 20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
2B. By the study of __________________________________________
Studying what others have learned about God.
3B. By the study of ____________________________ - “Natural Theology”
Two categories
Ø Special revelation: information about God that cannot be found in nature.
Ø General revelation: reveals general truths about God, the audience is universal.
General (natural) cannot save, however it does bring condemnation. (Romans 1:18-21)
Ø Because mankind represses natural revelation.
Ø Natural revelation yields knowledge of God and it is that knowledge men reject.
Ø Men refuse to honor God or be grateful to Him. (1:28)
“The sin of mankind is in refusing to acknowledge the knowledge they have.” (Sproul)
3A. Maintain A Biblical Focus - God - Centered
1B. God is ____________________________.
How we understand the nature and character of God influences how we understand all other aspects of life.
Theology is called the Queen of sciences.
Does being God-centered reduce the value of man? – No!
Ø In fact it establishes man’s value
Ø A lofty view of God will cause you to care about the one created in His image.
Ø Sin is serious because it offends God and violates man.
Is the goal of redemption the manifestation of the glory of God or is it the manifestation of the value of fallen humanity? – Both!
Ø God’s glory is manifested in and through His work of redemption.
Ø It is even manifested in the punishment of the wicked. (Romans 9:17-18)
Does God sovereignty impact man’s freedom?
Ø Our freedom is always and everywhere limited by God.
Ø God is free and we are free. But God is freer than we are.
Ø If God never violates human freedom, it is because He sovereignly decrees not to.
Ø If God is not sovereign over the entire created order, then He is not sovereign at all. If God is not sovereign, then He is not God.
2B. God is incomprehensible
The finite cannot grasp (or contain) the infinite.
Ø The emphasis is on the distance between the transcendent Creator and His mortal creatures.
We have an apprehensive knowledge of God, but not a comprehensive knowledge.
Ø Even in our glorified state in heaven, our knowledge of God will not be comprehensive.
Ø Infinity is an incommunicable attribute of God.
We can know many things about God!
Deuteronomy 29:29 "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
3B. God is self-_____________________________
God derives His being from nothing outside Himself.
Ø God is not made. He has no prior cause.
Ø God is therefore eternal.
He not only has being, He is Being.
4B. God is _____________________________________
Refers to God’s “otherness”
Ø He is different from and higher than man.
Refers to God’s purity
Ø The perfection of His righteousness is displayed in His holiness.
Application
An unbiblical view of God leads to idolatry. The very essence of idolatry involves the distortion of God’s character. And the ultimate form of idolatry is humanism, which regards man as the measure of all things.
Are you guilty of idolatry or do you have a proper (Biblical) view of God.
Luke 6:13-16
Introduction
What did Jesus mean when He said “go and make disciples?”
“Discipleship is about being and reproducing spiritually mature zealots for Christ.” (Barna)
What does a true discipleship produce?
True discipleship produces holistic personal transformation, not mere assimilation into a community of church members.
True discipleship is witnessed by people who are determined to be a blessing to others – people who are never content to simply accept and enjoy God’s blessings.
True discipleship creates Christians who aggressively pursue spiritual growth rather than passively experience spiritual evolution.
True discipleship spawns individuals who develop renewed lifestyles instead of believers who mechanically check off completed assignments on a developmental agenda.
True discipleship results in people who are more concerned about the quality of their character than the extent of their knowledge.
True discipleship builds churches know for their culture of love, commitment, and service rather than for their events, information, and programs.
True discipleship facilitates people devoted to a lifelong journey to imitate Jesus Christ rather than the completion of a short-term regimen of tasks and responsibilities. (Barna, Growing True Disciples)
How can you become a New Testament Disciple maker? - Eight steps: (Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism)
1A. __________________________________
Matthew 4:18-19 (NASB) 18 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And He said* to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Focus on people not programs.
Focus on people who are willing to learn – Jesus can uses anyone that wants to be used
Concentrate on a few – Jesus poured His life into a dozen men.
We must decide where we want our ministry to count – in the momentary applause of poplar recognition of in the reproduction of our lives in a few chosen people who will carry on our work after we have gone. Really it is a question of which generation we are living for. (Coleman)
2A. __________________________________
Matthew 28:20 (NASB) 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
The essence of Jesus’ training program was letting his disciples follow him.
Spend time with them away from church.
Every believer must be given a Christian friend to follow until such time as he or she can lead another.
3A. Consecration
Luke 14:26-27 (NASB) 26 "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
The disciples were not required to be smart, but they were required to be loyal (faithful men).
Luke 9:23 (NASB) 23 And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
John 14:15 (NASB) 15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
4A. ______________________________________
John 20:22 (NASB) 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said* to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
We must be indwelled and filled with the Holy Spirit in order to disciple others.
Ephesians 5:18 (NASB) 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
We must continually point those we disciple to Jesus!
We do this in our small group time; use questions to help them dig deep into the Word.
5A. __________________________________________
John 13:15 (NASB) 15 "For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
Model for them what they should do…
Take notes
Re-teach the lessons
Encourage them to ask questions
6A. Delegation
Luke 9:1-2 (NASB) 1 And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. 2 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.
Give them assignments of increasing responsibility.
Expect them to succeed.
7A. ___________________________________________
Luke 9:10 (NASB) 10 When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done…
8A. ____________________________________________
2 Timothy 2:2 (NASB) 2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
Application
Will you be a maker of disciples and invest in future generations or will you be satisfied with just being a teacher?
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, J.I. Packer (Intervarsity Press, 1961).
The Doctrine of Repentance, Thomas Watson (The Banner of Truth Trust, 1999).
The Master Plan of Evangelism, Robert E. Coleman (Revell, 1993).
The Attributes of God, Arthur W. Pink (Baker Books, 2006).
Let the Nations be Glad, John Piper (Baker Books, 1993).
Grace Unknown, R.C. Sproul (Baker Books, 1997).
Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem (Intervarsity Press, 1994).