Mandates
I’m not surprised when Christians ignore or bemoan mandates. We’ve been ignoring and rejecting Biblical mandates for centuries.
- “Go and make disciples” – Pastors job.
- “care for widows and orphans” – Too hard.
- “seek first the kingdom of God” – on Sundays.
- “Deny yourself” – After Mardi Gras.
- “pray in a private room” – Naa.
- “give a tenth” – Legalistic.
- “strive for unity” – if they agree with me.
Building our lives around the mandates that matter most will help us navigate worldly mandates with wisdom and discernment.
The Soul Sustaining Habit of Scripture Memory
A few years ago, our family was going through one of those down seasons in the ups and downs of life. My mental focus and physical health were declining. I was discouraged and struggling mentally and emotionally. I knew I needed to change a few habits. As part of a recovery process, I deleted a bunch of apps on my phone (which might help you in and of itself) and dusted off an app I had dutifully downloaded but never utilized: The Bible Memory App. I’m now over three years of daily usage. I have over 1,800 verses mastered in the app and review 25-50 verses every day, during my devotional time, at spare moments throughout the day, and before bed. The habit of scripture memory has greatly improved my spiritual and mental health. It’s helped my preaching, speaking, and my discipling of others, as a growing library of verses are easily recalled in conversation and speaking opportunities. I also have a growing network of friends who are making the habit of scripture memory important, holding each other accountable, and finding the treasure that is God’s word ultimate for sustaining their souls.
While the Bible Memory App has worked for me, I don’t want to recommend that only. There are other good apps and tools out there. I want to recommend the soul-sustaining habit of scripture memory. Find a way that works for you to hide God’s word in your heart.
Here are several posts I’ve written about Scripture Memory and the Bible Memory App:
- Cultivating the Habit of Scripture Memory – Link
- Why and How to Memorize Scripture – Link
- Getting Started with the Bible Memory App – Link
The PRO version of the Bible Memory App is only $9.99. Get 20% or a couple bucks off with this link – PRO.
20 Questions for a Six-Month Spiritual and Leadership Checkup
This year is half way gone. Here’s a list of questions to journal through to reflect and prepare for the 3rd and 4th quarter:
- Has my devotional life been consistent?
- Has my prayer closet or private room seen me regularly?
- Have I prayed with other believers regularly?
- What Bible reading plan have I followed?
- What verses or truths have been especially meaningful so far this year?
- What books or articles have been especially helpful so far this year?
- What personal growth or victory can you thank God for?
- What victory or challenge do I need to seek God for?
- Who have I sought out for wise counsel? Have I ignored or heeded the counsel of others so far this year?
- How many times have I shared the Gospel?
- How many lost people am I currently praying for?
- How many new relationships have I built with potential new disciples?
- Who am I currently discipling and training into godliness and disciple making?
- Who am I encouraging through difficulty and affliction?
- What have I given away? Have I been faithfully generous with money? Time? Possessions? Words? Wisdom?
- What is working? What is exciting? What has momentum? What is bearing fruit?
- What is not working? What does it seem like I am pushing up a steep hill? What do I need to give up on? What is robbing me of energy?
- What have I neglected? What have I ignored? What am I hoping will just disappear on its own? (But I know it won’t)
- What is worth doing, but I’m out of my league? What do I need more power, prayer, people to help with?
- Check screen time on my phone. What does it say about my heart and priorities? What does my internet history say about my heart and priorities?
The Converted Minority
“The Christian church with all its faults is the greatest serving institution on earth. It has many critics, but no rivals in the work of human redemption… No other institution has done anything like it—none whatever. The fact that the church has been able to survive the dead weight of a large proportion of its membership unconverted is a proof of its essential soundness and vitality. A minority of converted people keep its soul alive.”
E. Stanley Jones, Conversion
How Do I Start a Multiplying Church?
THE GOSPEL – SIMPLICITY – MARGIN – LOW HANGING FRUIT – UNBRANDED MINISTRY
1. SHARE THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.
The Gospel is a proven and tested VIRAL Idea. And Jesus promised to empower the spread of the Gospel through the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8
2. FIGHT FOR SIMPLICITY AND REPRODUCIBILITY.
Jesus’ started a movement which has exponentially multiplied, partly, because it was as simple as water, bread, and wine.Simple Church = Saying No to Almost Everything.Ask: Is my ministry 2 Timothy 2:2 Simple?
3. CREATE MARGIN.
We have so little multiplication because churches have so little margin. We have JUST ENOUGH, instead of MORE THAN ENOUGH.Margin is typically created through BIG CROWDS or RADICAL SIMPLICITY.More than enough can also be toxic. Like a sponge. Like buried talents. Jesus meant for us to use what we have.
4. LOOK FOR LOW HANGING FRUIT.
Persons of Peace. New Believers network of relationships. Apostolic Leaders. People Groups and Population Segments. Existing Social Movements. People Scattering and moving about the country. New Churches. New Ministries.
5. MAKE ROOM FOR UNBRANDED MINISTRY.
Is the invite to our brand of church louder than the invite to the head of the church? Build partnerships with like-minded ministries who are sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a heart to multiply. Ask: “Do I want to reach my community or do I want to see my community reached?”
Four Words for Every Stage of Church Planting and Church Life:
- Abiding – Ministry health and effectiveness flows from your personal abiding with Christ. Our first call is to intimacy with God.
- Discipling – Early church planting is really Disciple Planting. I’m sharing the gospel and leading one, two, three, a group, several groups into becoming a Disciple who Makes Disciples.
- Mobilizing – Groups of disciples should be mobilized to first make other disciples, then to form teams for the maturing of the body and continuing the mission.
- Building – Building systems, processes, teams to help mobilized disciples who are abiding in Christ to spread the gospel and make disciples in the whole region.
Which one is the biggest challenge for you and your church right now?
2020 – A Year of Loss
The first quarter of 2021, has been one of reflection. Man! Aren’t we feeling a little better about the world?! A little. Lol. 2020 was a tough year to say the least. For our family it not only included experiencing the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic – shut downs, separation from friends and family, uncertainty about the future, etc. – but also five hurricanes in Louisiana which took me away from home for a lot of nights August – October, as I joined the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief response as an Incident Manager.
I also experienced several losses to my network of relationships that I never really stopped to grieve properly or pay tribute. In the last 13 months, four people have passed away that had significant impact on my life. Over the next few weeks, I want to share the short story of these four people here.
Start More Groups with Three Simple Questions
In today’s cultural climate, starting small Discovery Bible Studies may be the new front door into the kingdom of God. Disciples who make disciples need to learn the skill of multiplying groups, gathering people around the word of God who will gather people around the word of God. It’s not hard. Get ready by:
- Get real familiar with the Gospel and with simple strategies to spread it – LINK – LINK.
- Learning to Recognize and Look for Persons of Peace or Spiritually Interested People around you – LINK – LINK.
- Ask these three questions when you find them:
- Would you be interested in reading / exploring / discussing the Bible to discover more about God?
- Who else do you know that might be interested?
- When would you like to start?
Gathering people around the word of God in groups that will multiply is a primal practice of disciples who make disciples. Don’t complicate it. Open your eyes, ask these questions, and start a group.
Contagious Relationships
“The most reliable predictor of conversion is relationships, especially preexisting, positive relationships. No movement can sustain exponential growth if expansion is primarily the responsibility of paid professionals.”
“Whatever someone’s prior beliefs, he is far more likely to adopt a new faith if he witnesses a friend or family member convert to the faith.”
“There are many factors that influence the decision to adopt a new faith, but the most important factor is a close and positive relationship with a committed participant.”
“If a church becomes too tight, it will become socially isolated; it may keep it’s members, but it will not grow.”
“Jesus moved from village to village looking for responsive people who would take the good news into the world of their relationships.”
– Steve Addison in Movements that Change the World – chapter on Contagious Relationships
One of the simplest ways to grow the kingdom and our churches is to lead people to identify the people around them who are far from God and train them how to share the faith with them.
- Who’s Your One? LINK
- Check out Ying Kai’s “List of 25” – LINK
- Check out David Watson’s Prayer Calendar – LINK
- We’ve used No Place Left’s Oikos Map – LINK
Come up with your own, but the gospel must spread again through relationships in today’s culture.
“Teach them everything” (What’s missing)
In Matthew 28:20, Jesus finishes the Great Commission with this challenge –
“teaching them everything I have commanded you.”
Jesus, Matthew 28:20
Did you catch it? Do you see what’s missing? Left out of this quote is that we are to teach them “to obey” or “to observe” everything.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
Jesus, Matthew 28:18-20
If you did catch it, does your church and your ministry obey this command? Are we teaching them “to obey everything” or are we teaching them everything we know in 30-45 minutes blocks and hope they learn or eventually know enough to become disciples who make disciples? Didn’t work for the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. Doesn’t seem to be working today. Knowledge doesn’t always lead to maturity or multiplicative disciple making.
How do you teach to obey?
Jesus modeled this for us by teaching PLUS answering questions and responding to concerns PLUS modeling PLUS sending PLUS debriefing. There cannot be teaching to obey without –
- Q and A for understanding,
- opportunities to practice what’s been taught,
- ongoing coaching and debriefing,
- accountability to keep practicing.
How does your church make room for teaching to obey? Where are the opportunities to understand, ask questions, process concerns? Do you give opportunities to practice what’s been taught? Is there ongoing debriefing and coaching? How do you hold others accountable to obey Jesus?
Yes, Jesus taught crowds in rows. But more frequently he was on the go, demonstrating what he taught; or around a table, teaching them to obey with Q and A and responding to concerns in the context of relationships. More than just teach the crowds everything we know. Let’s teach them obey in discipling relationships.
Lane Corley 