The Acts 16:5 Initiative Barnabas Leadership Groups

Engaging Discipleship

The Twentieth Century isthe name of a train thatno longer runs!

Poet David Lehman

<> 39

This Is Generation Flux (The Fast Company 1/9/12)

Flux is not merely “change.” Flux is continuous change.

Some things are not in flux!

The Love of the God whoSustains us

The love of the people ofGod who encourage us

Our love for those toWhom God sends us

Yet many things are in flux!

DJ Patil explains, "There are sometimes when you can predict weather well for the next 15 days. Other times, you can only really forecast a couple of days. Sometimes you can't predict the next two hours." The business [and ministry] climate, it turns out, is a lot like the weather. We've entered a next two-hours era.

In times of rapid change, what you know can mislead you!

Michael Marquardt

This will require an openness to imaginationand experimentation. We know that we may surrender some things we are used to whiletrying things that may not work!

Its time for us to be a learning communitythat blesses the aspects of our faith and our congregation’s activities that we value while embracing Gods new future for us.

May grace and mutual forbearance be ours!

Incline - transformaitonal

Reclinetradition

al Decline

“Americans are stupefyingly dumb about what they are supposed to believe.”

Historian R. Laurence Moore

Religious Literacy – What Every American Needs to Know and Doesn’t. Stephen Prothero

1. Fewer than half of us can identify Genesis as the first book of the Bible.

2. Only one third know that Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.

3. A majority of Americans believe that the Bible says that Jesus was born in Jerusalem.

4. When asked whether the New Testament Book of Acts is in the Old Testament, one quarter of Americans say yes. More than a third say they don’t know.

5. Most Americans don’t know that Jonah is a book in the Bible.6. 20% of Americans believed that Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife.7. 60% of Americans can't name five of the Ten Commandments8. Only 50% can name one of the four gospels9. 50% of high school seniors think Sodom and Gomorrah were

married.10.75% believe the Bible teaches "God helps those who help

themselves.”

What’s happening with Discipleship today?

How well is the whole churchgrowing disciples? Your church?

How do you go about doing it?

Discipleship is all about spiritual growth

Q: Why focus on Discipleship?

A: You hear the Word of Jesus and

You know the Heart of Jesus

The Word of Jesus: make disciples

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Matthew 28:18

19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20

The heart of Jesus: People Eyes

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’

Jesus’ eyes saw the true needs of the people in front of him:Bartimaeus

Widow of NainCanaanite woman’s daughter

Woman at the wellThe Centurian’s Son

Wedding in CanaLepers

Receive People eyes – in your own head – seeing through the eyes of Jesus for people

“My little children, for whom I am again in the pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.”

Galatians 4:19

Odino

Receive People Eyes Receive People Eyes see through the eyes of see through the eyes of Jesus for peopleJesus for people

What does it mean to grow disciples?

“Jesus comes right to your seat and says, “I have a word for you. I know your whole life story. I know every skeleton in your closet. I know every moment of sin, shame, dishonesty and degraded love that has darkened your past. Right now I know your shallow faith, your feeble prayer life, your inconsistent discipleship and my word is this, ‘I dare you to trust that I love you just as you are and not as you should be because you’re never going to be as you should be.’”

Brennan Manninghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQi_IDV2bgM

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO GROW DISCIPLES?

NOT

Three ingredients for growing disciples:

Relationship

Content

Time

GROWING DISCIPLES

“At heart, growing disciples is a relational experience, not an instructional or classroom experience. It is the influence of life on life in the midst of the difficulties of life, an influence that helps us get to know Jesus and one another, helps us face our personal darkness and helps us grow in our reflection of the image of Christ.”

E. Stanley Ott

growing disciples

“Growing disciples is reproducing in others what the Spirit of God is producing in you and enabling them to reproduce it in a third generation.” – Chuck Miller

© 2004 E. Stanley Ott

growing disciples“Discipling is an intentional

relationship in which we walk alongside other disciples in order to encourage, equip, and challenge one another in love to grow toward maturity in Christ. This includes equipping the disciple to teach others as well.” - Greg Ogden

© 2004 E. Stanley Ott

Growing disciples with the end in mind

The “end” in mind is not:

Sunday School classes Bible classes seminars small groups mentoring spiritual direction

These are MEANS not ends!

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that

they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and

recognized them as companions of Jesus. Acts 4:13

God

Church World

The 3-D Image of Jesus

Dimension One: A Growing Commitment to the Triune God. (doxological)

The Great Commandment: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.” Luke 10:27a

Dimension Two: A Growing Commitment to the Body of Christ (communal/koinonia)

The New Commandment: "That you love one another even as I have loved you.” John 14:35

Dimension Three: A Growing Commitment to the work of Christ in the world (missional)

The Great Commission: "Go into all the world and make disciples…” Matthew 28:19-20

The Great Commandment: "And thy neighbor as thyself.” Luke 10:27b

A Profile of a Disciple  

Doxological - Know, love and Experience the God who loves us    Faith in Jesus

Weekly worship (Experiencing God)Daily devotional lifeThe fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

  Koinonial - Equip and care for the people God gives us   Private meals with friends and strangers

Participate in a face-to-face group (Equipping the PeopleCommit a percent of my income to God’s work of God)Serve my church with specific ministry

 Missional - Engage the World to which God sends us 

Complete my work with excellenceOffer the compassion of Jesus (show up) (Engaging our world)

  Bear witness to Jesus (speak up)Stand up for what is right. (stand up)

Develop a Culture and a Strategy for Making Disciples

Layers of Disciple-Making:

1. Growing one’s self2. Growing others interpersonally – life on life3. By means of shaping programs with the Defining Practices (witness, prayer, care…)

4.By means of small groups5. By means of ministry teams6. By means of teaching (classes/seminars)7. By means of discipleship communities8. By means of the “transforming moment”

Growing yourself as a disciple.

The “Reveal” study of Willow Creek

http://www.revealnow.com

Growing as disciples with others:

Face-to-face personal lifestyle(spontaneous and intentional)

One-with-one intentional dyads

One-with-two intentional triads (or quads)

One with a small group (<15)

“Nebby” questions:

What strategy do you personally use for growing disciples? With whom?

What strategy does your congregation use for growing disciples? With whom? (what people groups?)

WitnessPrayer

Care

Word

With-me

Send© 2004 E. Stanley Ott

The 3-D Lifestyle

Give

WORD

SHARE

PRAYER

Send to ministry and mission

© 2004 E. Stanley Ott

4-7 weeks 90 Days of Prayer Discipleship Essentials (Ogden)

WSP Destiny series Unbinding Your Soul (Reese)

Increasing Level of Commitment

Multiplying Triads

(The Principle of Multiplication)

Call a ministry team togetherWSP - Prayer Covenant - Breaks bread

Decide on population groupsAdults (men, women, mixed)

Youth – two adults leads triad = five

Who are the potential leaders and triadmembers (early adopters)?

Recruitment, training, deploying (Be in or lead a triad yourself)

Follow through – maintaining momentum between booklets within a group and sustaining multiplication of new groups.

Launching a Triad-based system of growing disciples

Just wanted to tell you that I have started several groups using the Discipleship Essentials books. It took me a while to decide to pull the trigger on something with such a commitment attached to it. But I have 3 groups I am leading. Two have 3 other guys in it (which feels like the perfect size) and the other has 2. I can't tell you how excited I am about this and they are. In one of the groups, the guys are almost giddy with their excitement about this sharing and growth opportunity. In all of them it appears to be, after 3-6 weeks (some groups started earlier than others), one of the most important things I am doing. I am certainly gaining a great deal from this method of making disciples with a deep conviction and commitment. And they are very moved by the experience so far.  I am also excited about the possibilities for the next permutation, when they start to lead others. 

Bob Bohl Central Presbyterian Church, Athens, GA

The Acts 16:5 The Acts 16:5 InitiativeInitiativeDevelop a Defining VisionDevelop a Defining Vision

© 20013 E. Stanley Ott

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The Acts 16:5 Initiative Barnabas Leadership Groups