Category Archives: Discipleship
Discipling Tool: Platt’s 25 Training Objectives for Disciples
Conversation starters for one-one-one or group discussion. Going through these right now with my 9-year old son. Consider the possibilities…
Download Word Doc – 25_Training_Objectives_for_Disciples
Here are the first three:
25 TRAINING OBJECTIVES FOR NEW DISCIPLES
1. Assurance of Salvation
- Truth to Teach: When we place our faith in Christ for salvation, we trust that our salvation is guaranteed through Christ. As a result, we don’t ever have to worry about His presence leaving us, and we are certain that we will spend eternity in heaven when we die. Nothing in this world can take this assurance away from us.
- Scriptures: Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:28-39; John 10:28-29
- Application: Remind them that they don’t have to ask God for salvation again and again because His salvation is assured for them once they place their faith in Him.
- Activities: Pray with them and thank God for the assurance that they will spend eternity with Him in heaven.
2. Having a Quiet Time
- Truth to Teach: It is important to set aside time each day to spend with God. We spend time with the people we love, and we enjoy simply being with them. This time alone with God in a quiet place for prayer and Bible study is valuable for us as we grow in our relationship with God.
- Scriptures: Psalm 5:3; Luke 10:38-42
- Application: Encourage them to make it a habit to set aside time each day, even if it is just a few moments, to spend in prayer and reading the Bible.
- Activities: Invite them to have a quiet time with you. Show them how you spend time with God during that time.
3. Victory Over Sin
- Truth to Teach: Before you became a Christian, you were a slave to sin, unable to honor God. But now you have been set free from sin and you have victory over sin’s power, including death.
- Scriptures: Romans 6:3-10; 8:1-15; 1 Corinthians 10:11-13; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8
- Application: Remind them that when they are tempted to sin, they have victory over that sin because Christ is in them.
- Activities: Encourage them to list out different sins that they struggle with. Then pray through each of these areas to help them realize that Christ gives them victory over those sins.
Discipling Tool: Journaling Through the Sermon on the Mount
Use this tool to introduce someone to the discipline of journaling and to help them get familiar with the teachings of Jesus. I’ve also used this for one on one Bible Study, taking five questions each meeting.
Download the PDF- Journaling thu the Sermon on the Mount.
What if…? Inspiration vs. Imitation – The Need for Mentoring
- He’s 15. His Dad was killed in a car accident when he was 6. He and his twin brother & younger sister now live with Grandma. He’s trying to figure out what it means to be a man.
- They’re 5 & 7. Dad is in jail. Mom struggles to pay the bills. She can’t afford or manage to get them involved in after school activities. They play video games. They struggle in school.
- She’s 22. Two kids under 3. No husband. Dad is in and out. Nothing she owns is in her name. She’s up at night worrying about the future. She’s ashamed. She’s afraid. She’s alone.
- He’s 20. Never knew his Father. His mom died of a drug overdose when he was 13. Her last words on her death bed, “Baby, please don’t do drugs.” She didn’t know it, but he was already an addict. He’s about to get out of jail.
- She’s 10. She wanders the streets till long after dark. House to house. Yard to yard. Playground to playground. Everyone knows, it’s a matter of time before she gets into trouble. On purpose or as a victim.
- She’s 16 & in the 10th grade. She’s pregnant. She’s thinking of quitting school. She’s scared to have a baby.
Real & local situations on my mind as I think about the need for mentoring. For someone to take the risk to get up close & personal. To get our hands dirty. To allow our hearts to hurt. As Paul said, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” Imitation means life on life, modeling, encouraging, rebuking, instructing, letting people in to see how life is lived day to day. IMITATION is all that will do for the people above. But our models & strategies are built for INSPIRATION, not IMITATION. Inspiration is done from the stage. It’s about programing, the right environment, the right venue, the perfect experience. It’s a cool website or a witty, truth statement on Facebook. It’s meant to fuel IMITATION, but we’re learning that in the hard to reach, unwanted, unnoticed parts of our communities, INSPIRATION falls short. Why? After the hour of inspiration, if they can get there, the bills keep coming, the kids keep screaming, the pain & loneliness & uncertainty remain. What’s needed is a model, a friend, a partner, a coach, a mentor… Yea, it’s risky. Yea, it’s time consuming. Yea, it’s not as neat and pretty as the sanctuary or Sunday School class. Yea, I won’t know everything to say. Yea, you don’t have to do it really. But…
What if we didn’t settle for inspiration? What if we made ourselves available to be imitated? What if we took the risk of relationship with those who need us the most? What if the families in my list above & those like them in all of our communities had a mentor or prayer partner or friend?
Mentoring has been defined as “a brain to pick, an ear to listen to, a push in the right direction.” We’ve all needed it. Some of us have been blessed by it. Have we ever given it?
This Saturday, our church will be hosting a Mentor Training at the Groves Apartment Complex in Covington. Pre-register for the free training here.
Discipling Tool: How to Get A Grip On the Bible
Use this tool to get to know and begin or help others get to know and begin to use the Bible for the purpose of spiritual growth:
Email me for a copy of the booklet.
“Isn’t that in a bad part of town?”
The little phrase “the bad part of town” needs to be removed from the Christian vocab. Why?
- It’s another phrase we use to rid ourselves of ownership and responsibility for needs of places and people. We can excuse and recuse ourselves so easily by throwing out “the bad part of town” qualifier.
- It speaks of places and people that I’ll go out of my way to avoid. Avoidance of a certain kind of people can usually be traced back to a heart issue. Fear, Racism, Anger. “Jesus had to go through Samaria” (John 4), when others would walk further to go around because of their heart issues.
- It communicates fear and risk that we’re not willing to take. Is there really “a bad part of town” or are they just places that Christians are not willing to go? I’m not ignoring crime rates, etc., but are we who carry the power of God within really supposed to be afraid to carry the Gospel of light somewhere? In my reading of the New Testament, I don’t see fear and risk aversion as part of the DNA of New Testament Christians.
- Is the Gospel only meant for safe neighborhoods? “God, here I am, send me! And here’s the places I’ll be willing to go.” Doesn’t make much sense, does it?
- If it’s so dangerous out there, who’s going to be afraid for the kids growing up there?
- By avoiding and labeling certain parts of town are we condemning people who live there to never have opportunity to change because of our self-protection.
Christianity is about others! And it’s about others with needs. And it’s about transformation. I don’t want to allow any stereotypical statement or mindset to keep me from being a part of what God wants to do in my community. There is no US and THEM. It’s just US. This is our town, our community, our city, our responsibility…
“I am UNDER OBLIGATION both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you… For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” Romans 1:14-16.
Tweets:
- It’s easy to talk about “the bad part of town.” Harder to pick up a hammer or paint brush, mentor a child, volunteer at a school.
- It’s easy to talk about “the bad part of town.” Harder to become a sponsor for an addict, teach a class at the jail, foster a child.
Discipling Tool: How to Start or ReStart the Christian Life
Use this in conversation with new believers or someone wanting to re-engage in their walk with Christ & of course, apply to your own life every day.
PDF Version – START – Discipling Tool
Heaven’s Heroes
Got the chance to meet some amazing people recently that I just can’t get out of my mind. They spent 30+ years in a foreign country as missionaries. Then, moved home to pastor a church in a forgotten small town. Lost everything during Hurricane Katrina. Stayed. Have led the small church in the forgotten small town to rebuild & continue reaching out to a now broken population. As I talked with them, I notice how freely they laugh, I hear their heart for their community. She talks about the back yard Bible Clubs they have planned for EVERY Tuesday during the summer in an area housing development. He breaks away to talk with a young passerby about faith. I’m trying to listen as she’s telling me about Block Parties planned & the unwed mothers in town that need mentoring. They’re hungry for leaders to share the load with, BUT they’re not waiting. They’re missionaries.
I think these will be heaven’s heroes. We don’t know their names. They’re so common we wouldn’t remember them anyway. They’re in forgotten towns & villages that others deem as too hard or too small. They step out of a rice field to take the gospel to the next village. They walk 15 miles one way to teach a new congregation about life in Christ. They talk openly about faith in Christ & intentionally teach others to live for Him. They see all of life – home, work, play, even retirement – as an opportunity to glorify & witness for God. They see needs & they do all they can to meet them in the name of Christ. They would like to have more resources for the mission, BUT they’re not waiting or complaining. They’re missionaries. They’ll be heaven’s heroes.
In amazement at this couple that could say we’re too old, we’ve already served so much, we don’t have enough people, or a dozen other excuses, I say something to her like, “Thank you for the work y’all are doing. And for not just retiring.”
She says, “We can’t just sit here and do nothing!”
But many times I do. I make excuses. I wait for “the right time.” Or for “God’s call,” as if I haven’t heard it already. I complain about lack of resources. Or I put my time & energy & resources into personal pleasure more than in the mission of God.
O God, forgive me & give me the strength & passion of these Your heroes.
“Hey Dad, when’s the next Faith in Action Sunday?”
Four times per year, our church scatters instead of just gathering for worship to do restoration projects across our community. It’s a weekend emphasis for what we want our daily lives to be as missionary servant living out life In Christ, On Mission, 4 Others. This weekend will be the 8th FIA Sunday. It’s an opportunity to add to the story of our lives intentionality, radical generosity, and faith in action.
My 9-year old Jack has been doing FIA Sunday’s & other community service projects for the last 3 years and it’s exciting to see 
how it’s shaping his heart and attitudes about life & church. The Sunday after our FIA weekends, he starts asking, “Hey Dad, when’s the next Faith in Action Sunday? And what’s the projects?”
Last year on FIA Sunday, we were working on the home of a disabled single mom who lives near a church that had just gone through a new building campaign. As we drove by he asked in the innocence of an 8-year old mind, “Dad, why is that church so nice and Ms. _____ doesn’t even have running water?” Now I know that particular church does great things in our community & that every church can’t do everything but we’re working together, but I was proud that my son had begun to note in his heart, “Isn’t it about the needs of the world instead of about me? And my church?” I’m glad that my conversations with Jack about church have delved a little deeper than, “Did you have fun today at church?” and even, “What did you learn in church today?” But we’re learning that with intentional efforts to get our children into “points of contact” with people in need, they can get it & be shaped & changed & even make a difference in the lives of others as we serve together.
Many Christian parents would probably say that they don’t want their kids to grow up as Christian consumers or as self-centered narcissists. But what are we doing intentionally to help them develop an others focus? Telling Bible stories & going to church IS a powerful thing. Do that! But are we living out those stories in our own way with our families? Are we teaching our kids to apply the stories they hear talked about?
Faith in Action weekend is an opportunity for our families to serve together, apply the Word of God, get our hands dirty, & teach our kids what the Christian life is all about with more than words, but actions. This weekend, I’ll have Jack with me as we build a porch and clean up the yard of an elderly widow and share the gospel with her neighborhood through a Block Party. He’ll also be beside me as we go to our local jail and throw a block party for inmate kids and share the gospel there. I’m looking forward to his next questions.
You can join us this weekend to put your Faith in Action. We’ll meet at 9am at the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum on Sunday for breakfast a time of devotion & prayer, then scatter to serve. Check out our projects at bridgenorthshore.com/faith-in-action. Everybody can serve!
Here are a few other ideas for families on mission together:
- Volunteer at local food banks.
- Find needs in your local neighborhood.
- Make bake goods or crafts for local nursing homes.
- Invite people into your home & talk about life & God.
- Take a Family Mission Trip & find a mission project to do one day wherever you go on vacation.
Words Matter
“You’ll probably end up in jail one day!”
I’ve taught classes in our local jail for 3 years now. I ask every class, approximately 70 men at a time, how many heard the above statement as a child. Every time 33%+ raise their hands. Unscientific. But if we could have added positive words of affirmation and/or Gospel centeredness to these lives, would things have gone differently before now. Can’t help but ask that.
- “I’m proud of you!”
- “God’s going to use you!”
- “I love you!”
- “You’re doing great!”
- “Jesus, loves you!”
- “I’m praying for you.”
These are words that shaped my mind and heart as a boy and I still love to hear them today. Trying to say them as many times as I can to my boys at home, to my new friends at our local jail, and to young boys that we’re hoping to get started in a mentoring program at local multi-housing complexes and to anyone else that will listen.
I also remember other words as well. In the 4th grade I tried out for basketball and didn’t make the team. I still remember the smell in the room, the sounds around me, and everything about that moment when the coach said, “YOU’RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH THIS YEAR!” She was right. And it inspired me to start practicing and better my game before try outs the next year. But HARSH and CARING words can both stick with us and shape our futures.
Proverbs 21:18 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…”
What words have shaped you? Are you passing them on to others? Are you passing on death or life to those around you with your words?
Discipleship = Relationship + Mission
One way we see New Testament Christianity framed in the ministry of Christ is in the connection between relationship and mission.
Mark 3:14 says,
“he (Jesus) appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him (RELATIONSHIP) and he might send them out to preach (MISSION).”
Then speaking to his post-resurrection followers, Jesus says in John 20:21-22,
“As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you (MISSION). And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit'” (RELATIONSHIP).
Then before ascending to heaven, he gave his followers their marching orders for the rest of time in Matthew 28:19-20,
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you (MISSION). And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age (RELATIONSHIP).”
To be in RELATIONSHIP w/Jesus, means to be listening to His voice through regular time with Him and to be empowered by and dependent upon His presence and not our own strength. To be ON MISSION w/Jesus means to continue His work of teaching, proclaiming, healing, having compassion, and sending (see Matthew 9:35-38) and walking in obedience to Him.
We must have both to have a robust, growing, multiplying faith and church. At times in my life, I’ve lived with one without the other. Emphasizing only relationship meant for me becoming a Sunday morning Christian. Making Christianity only about knowing the Bible and being at Christian events. Eventually RELATIONSHIP will dry up and Christianity will become RITUAL and RELIGION. Our relationship with Christ, will lead us to be ON MISSION with Him. Charles Spurgeon may have said it best when he said, “Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.”
I’ve also emphasized MISSION at the expense of RELATIONSHIP in my Christian life, leading to frustration and near burnout as I try to do God’s work in man’s strength, or legalism as I try to DO MORE for God, SO THAT I can be an acceptable Christian. His Mission can only be accomplished in His power. It was that power that turned the frightened, locked away disciples into a missionary force that turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). And only Christ makes us ACCEPTABLE to God. There is nothing more that we can do to deal with our sin or the worlds. Christ finished the work. Our only task now is intentional obedience, surrender, and dependence upon Him for this mission.
So, are you in RELATIONSHIP w/Christ? If so, are you ON MISSION w/Christ in this world? Healthy disciples grow as these two collide. Church leader, does your church provide opportunities for developing a healthy relationship with Christ as well as opportunities to be on His mission in the world?
This weekend, our church will hold our second Faith in Action Sunday of 2012. Every time there is a 5th Sunday in a month (four times per year) we take the weekend and provide opportunities for people to be on mission in our community. It’s been a great way to emphasize sending and mission among our community of disciples. Check out more info and our Faith in Action itinerary at bridgenorthshore.com/faith-in-action.
Lane Corley 