Below is an excerpt from my book about dealing with the problem of Internet Pornography.
I have always liked the Biblical account of Caleb. Moses sent Caleb and Joshua along with ten other men to explore Canaan in preparation for their journey into the land. The explorers were to go up into the hill country to see what the land was like. Were the people there strong or weak, few or many? Were the cities unwalled or fortified? How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? How good is the fruit of the land? The explorers journeyed into the land until they came to the region of Hebron. There they found fertile land and good fruit, but they also found the descendants of Anak—giant fierce warriors who made them tremble with fear. The explorers returned to Moses where only Joshua and Caleb suggested they should attempt to take the land. The other ten explorers believed the dangers of the land too powerful to overcome. These ten men convinced the Israelites to turn back in fear and they refused to enter the Promised Land. As a result, the Israelites spent forty years wandering in the desert. When Joshua finally led them into Canaan, the Israelites began occupying the land, but no one, it seemed, was willing to take on the challenge of the hill country where the giant descendants of Anak lived. Was there anyone among the people of God willing to face the giants? Faithful Caleb was willing, and he stepped up to Joshua and said, I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, 'The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.' "Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said." Joshua 14:6-15 (NIV) There was a job to do. Giants were still in the land and someone needed to deal with them. Caleb believed that he was called by God to take on those giants, and with God’s help he drove them from the land and the people had peace. Once again, there is a job to do. Internet pornography threatens our society and our families. It is a multibillion dollar industry with powerful allies in government and business, and its secret and efficient distribution system can reach instantly into any home with a computer. Internet pornography is a giant that few seem willing to deal with. Download free PDF of the book Get a print copy of the book Growing Up: How To Be a Disciple Who Makes Disciples encourages Christians to take seriously the Great Commission by moving beyond a mere sentimental expression of the faith and actually doing what Jesus taught and commanded.
Robby describes his transformation from a young man addicted to drugs to a Christian disciple, and disciple maker. This book however, is not really about Robby's journey. It is about encouraging Christian believers to make Christ's last command their primary concern. Through a bold honest assessment, Robby explores some of the reasons for current disciple making ineffectiveness. He then offers an intensely practical and Biblical approach that any church could adopt and implement to be more effective in disciple making. This book is not just for pastors and church leaders. It is for anyone who desires to live out the Great Commission of Jesus Christ and is looking for practical tools to make that desire a reality. I heartily recommend that every serious follower of Jesus Christ take the message of this book to heart and grow up into maturity, becoming a disciple who makes disciples. Click here to get Growing Up At a recent conference for pastors and church leaders on discipleship, the speaker emphasized how important it was for disciples to be able to read, understand, and apply Scripture for themselves. Yet, he lamented: "In the church, far too few followers of Christ are able to do this."
He then shared an illustration about a pastor who worked with a tribal people who cooked their food by burying it in a sand pit. Apparently, in the process of cooking, a lot of sand would get into the food, which tended to wear down the teeth of the members of the tribe. In this particular tribe, older people who had damaged teeth would get younger people in the tribe to chew the food for them. Unfortunately, because much of the nutrition in food is released during the chewing process, many of these older members of the tribe were suffering from malnutrition. After sharing this illustration, the speaker looked out at the crowd of pastors and church leaders and said, "This is what we do every week in our churches." We prepare our sermons and our Bible studies by chewing on them all week. Then on Sunday morning we take the already chewed food of God's Word out of our mouths and plop it into the mouths the people in our congregations. This is the only intake of God's word many Christians get, and they are starving spiritually because the real nutrition of God's word comes from chewing it for ourselves. If we want to be healthy mature disciples, we must learn to to chew God's word for ourselves. This means learning how to read, understand, and apply the Bible in our own lives. It also means that we must have a strategy for engaging the Bible daily. Here are some resources that can help us learn to chew our own food. Scripture Union Center for Bible Engagement Bible Reading Start-up Guide Mentoring Disciples (Bible Study Tools) Bible Reading Plans George Guthrie (Read the Bible for Life) As a student of the Bible I enjoy reading and studying God’s Word. I am familiar with a number of Bible study methods, and know that it is important to read the Scriptures regularly. To be honest, however, I have been in a bit of a dry spell lately in my devotional life. I was finding my time of daily Bible reading a bit mechanical.
1. Churches don’t make disciples when: Church leaders have been diverted from their primary calling to “equip the saints” to the primary role of pastoral care.
What to do about it: The pastor models and supports disciple making throughout the church. The pastor demonstrates that one of his highest priorities is to disciple and train his staff and key leaders to be disciple makers. If the pastor makes discipleship a priority in his life, it will more likely be a priority in the church. 2. Churches don’t make disciples when: There is no clearly articulated definition of a disciple. What to do about it: Develop a biblical definition for a disciple and communicate it effectively to the congregation. Make a goal that the average church member will clearly understand the biblical definition of a disciple. Regularly engage the congregation with teaching and discussion concerning what it means to be a disciple. Be creative and visual in communicating the biblical definition for a disciple. 3. Churches don’t make disciples when: Programs rather than people are at the center of the disciple making strategy. What to do about it: Equip and release disciple making leaders. Don’t rely on the Small Group Ministry to make disciples. Programs don't make disciples, people make disciples. Employ the Disciple Making Equation: dml (disciple making leader)+re (relational environment)+rp (reproducible process)=discipleship Encourage relational disciple making. 4. Churches don’t make disciples when: The Christian life is thought of primarily in terms of eternal benefits rather than living as a follower of Jesus. What to do about it: Encourage people to live as followers rather than Christians. A Christian believes in Jesus for eternal life. A follower is on a journey to become more like Jesus. 5. Churches don’t make disciples when: Learning and discipleship are thought of as the same thing. What to do about it: Redefine discipleship in terms of who we are becoming rather than what we know or what classes we have taken. Have a curriculum that is based on moving people further along the discipleship path. Avoid the never-ending search for the next discipleship or small group study. 6. Churches don’t make disciples when: There is an inadequate view of community in the church. What to do about it: Encourage the understanding and practice of biblical community. Understand and remove barriers to biblical community. (Busy Schedules, Individualism, Immaturity, Sin) Practice relational integrity. Encourage participation in community building small groups. 7. Churches don’t make disciples when: There is no pathway to maturity. What to do about it: Develop a spiritual growth plan for your congregation and communicate it effectively. Train leaders to help people navigate the plan. Keep track each person’s journey. 8. Churches don’t make disciples when: The metric for success is participation rather than transformation. What to do about it: Help the congregation shift focus from participation to transformation. Develop a method of measuring/self-assessing transformation. Organize church ministries toward transformation rather than participation. Celebrate Transformation 9. Churches don’t make disciples when: There is no plan to get people into God’s word. What to do about it: Encourage daily Bible engagement Have a congregational Bible reading plan. Celebrate what God is doing in the lives of people through daily Bible engagement. Teach basic Bible skills and literacy. Final Testimony of a Disciple
Today, I was reading in the Gospel of Mark and I came across the following passage. Mark 3:13-15 (HCSB) 13 Then He went up the mountain and summoned those He wanted, and they came to Him. 14 He also appointed 12—He also named them apostles—to be with Him, to send them out to preach, 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. I noticed that Jesus summoned His 12 disciples and he appointed them to do two things: 1) Be with Him 2)Go out and do the work of His Kingdom. It is interesting that Jesus first appointed the disciples to “be with Him”. The first part of a disciple’s call is to spend time with Jesus and be transformed by being with Him. It is by being with Jesus that a disciple is made fit to do the work of the Kingdom. Too often in my life, I have focused primarily on doing the work of the Kingdom and have sometimes neglected my primary call: to be with Jesus. Today, I also came across a video recording of Avery Willis’s final testimony. It was recorded shortly before his death in 2010. Avery Willis was a lifelong disciple maker and creator of the Master Life curriculum. Avery Willis exemplifies what it means to be a disciple. He devoted his life first to being with Jesus, and then to doing the work of His Kingdom. Watch this short video of his final testimony. I hope it is as inspiring to you as it is to me. Spiritual Development Stages
A clear understanding of the spiritual development process is essential for developing Kingdom People. Mature disciples are not created overnight, but begin as new believers who reach maturity by growing through a developmental stage process. These stages of spiritual growth are: Seeker, Believer, Disciple, Disciple Maker, Servant Leader. 1. Seeker Stage - Primary Characteristic: Interested In the Seeker Stage, a person begins to get interested in the Bible, in God, and in being around Christians. It is important to understand that people in the seeker stage are not yet believers, and their interest should not be interpreted as faith. Primary Spiritual Needs in the Seeker Stage a. Safe place to explore their interests in God, God’s word, and God’s people. b. Good examples of Christian faith and life. c. Opportunities to build relationships with mature Christians. d. Opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel. 2. Believer Stage – 1 Thessalonians 2:8-11 - Primary Characteristic: Needs to be Fed The believer stage is the beginning phase for new Christians. During this spiritual development stage, the primary activities of an individual are learning and growing. Individuals in this stage are hungry for God’s word, but they have not yet learned to feed themselves and are dependent on care and nurture from mature Christians who are committed to helping them grow. Primary Spiritual Needs in the Believer Stage a. Spiritual nurture and care by mature Christians in the context of Biblical relationships. b. Spending time, outside of church programming and events, with mature Christians who model a growing healthy faith. c. Opportunities to begin learning about their spiritual gifts and begin serving in ministry. d. Learn the basics of living out faith. e. Christian relationships as a foundation of unity, edification, and accountability. f. Opportunities to learn the principles, practices, and doctrines of Christian faith. g. Discipling Mentoring 3. Disciple Stage - The Disciple Stage is the initial stage of Christian maturity in which the individual takes spiritual responsibility for self. The disciple has learned to be consistent in living out faith, and is a doer of the Word who actively engages in living out the truths of Scripture. This person is also learning to be consistent in overcoming the sinful snares and entanglements of the world that hinder faith. Primary Characteristic: Feeds Self Primary Spiritual Needs in the Disciple Stage a. Encouragement to assume responsibility for own spiritual needs within the context of Christian relationships. b. Support in consistently living out faith and overcoming temptation. c. Mature Christian relationships as a continuing foundation of unity, edification, and accountability. d. Encouragement and guidance in discovering place of kingdom service. e. Continuing opportunities to learn the principles, practices, and doctrines of Christian faith. f. Discipling Mentor 4. Disciple Maker Stage Matthew 28:16-20 - Primary Characteristic: Feeds Others The Disciple Maker stage is characterized by spiritual reproduction. During this phase, an individual is ready and able to take spiritual responsibility for others. A person in the Disciple Maker Stage is committed to a lifestyle of sharing the Gospel, and nurturing other Christians toward spiritual maturity. Primary Spiritual Needs in the Disciple Maker Stage a. Encouragement to assume the responsibility for the spiritual needs of others as well as self within the context of Christian relationships. b. Support in consistently living out mature faith as a model for others to follow. c. Ongoing Christian relationships as a foundation for equipping others to grow in faith. e. Ongoing equipping for effectiveness in leading others toward Christian maturity. f. Opportunities to mentor others. 5. Servant Leader Stage John 17:6-19 - Primary Characteristic: Leads in Ministry The Servant Leader stage is characterized by leadership in Great Commission Ministry. A person in this stage not only takes spiritual responsibility for others, but is committed to developing and leading people who have the passion and skill to in turn develop others. People in this stage are generally key ministry leaders who multiply themselves in others. People in the servant leader stage may also be leaders in their families or demonstrate Servant leadership in other areas of life. Relationships are the foundation of disciple making. Jesus modeled the importance of relationships in His own disciple making ministry, and demonstrated that learning happens best in the context of relationships, where lives overlap and are shared. The overlapped life is the space where discipleship happens. This discipleship space is created when disciple making leaders build relationships with others for the purpose of multiplying themselves. Disciple makers must be intentional about creating environments where relationships can be built and discipleship space can be developed. Intentional Discipling Relationships can be illustrated by the following diagrams. Relational One to One Discipling Relational Small Group Discipling Discipling relationships are demanding and require a substantial investment of time and energy, which is why they do not happen without intentionality. Instead, relational disciple making groups are developed when a disciple making leader acts as a catalyst to bring people together for the purpose of spiritual reproduction.
Unfortunately, because of the busyness in the lives of many Christians, there is little room for life overlap resulting in little or no discipleship space. The diagram below illustrates how many Christians relate to one another resulting in ineffective discipleship. Non-Relational Small Group (Discipling rarely happens because there is no discipleship space) A few years ago, the Church Health Group asked the question: What should a mature disciple be like? We believed that the church’s effectiveness in developing mature disciples would be greatly enhanced when the goal of disciple making was clearly articulated. Through studying Scripture and consulting with experienced disciple making leaders, The Kingdom Person Strategy was developed. The Kingdom Person Strategy takes its name from its commitment to develop people who recognize and demonstrate Jesus as King and Lord of their lives.
The starting point for the Kingdom Person Strategy is the Great Commission: 18 Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (HCSB) Jesus’ goal for His followers was that they would be committed to the mission of developing people who demonstrated obedience to His commands. The Kingdom Person Strategy focuses specifically on Matthew 22:36-40, in which Jesus explained His expectations with regard to keeping the commandments. An understanding of this passage in the context of the overall message of Scripture makes it clear that a Kingdom Person organizes his or her life according to the Great Commandment: loving God and loving people as expressed in the following six dimensions: A Worshipping Person – lives worship by surrendering his or her own agenda and embracing God’s agenda. A Praying Person – has learned to hear the Father’s voice and respond to His mission, just as Jesus modeled. A Biblical Person – is developing a healthy Biblical framework for living and is committed to following Jesus in every area of life. A Serving Person - demonstrates love to one’s neighbor through willingness to put the needs of others above oneself and live out the truths of the Gospel. A Generous Person – extravagantly invests in the Kingdom of God and the well-being of His body. A Reproducing Person – is a disciple maker who leads others to lead others to live like Jesus. The first 3 characteristics—worship, prayer, and Scripture—represent the vertical dimension of the Kingdom Person and are ways we relate appropriately to God. The next 3 characteristics—service, generosity, and reproduction—represent the horizontal dimension of the Kingdom Person and are ways we relate appropriately to others. Developing Kingdom People Developing Kingdom People does not happen without an intentional and strategic process. While the details of the Kingdom Person process can vary based on a particular context, the essential elements for developing Kingdom People are: 1. Establish Biblical Foundations - A process for developing Kingdom People must be based on Scriptural principles and encourage reading and applying the Bible to life as a foundational component for spiritual growth. 2 Timothy 2:15 2. Encourage Relational Environments - Christian relationships are the key to developing Kingdom People. Jesus made disciples in the context of relationships. Relational environments promote effective learning based on modeling faith in real life situations. Genuine Christian relationships also promote unity, and provide an effective context for encouragement and accountability. Matthew 12:46-50. 3. Employ a Spiritual Development Process - A clear understanding of the spiritual development process is essential for developing Kingdom People. Mature disciples are not created overnight, but begin as new believers who reach maturity by growing through a developmental stage process. 1 John 2:12-14. An example of a spiritual development process based on 1 John 2:12-14 is provided in the Appendix. 4. Expect Maturity - Every follower of Christ must be expected to grow. An expectation of Christian growth and maturity must become the norm for the church. It is a serious problem when believers do not grow in their faith and fail to demonstrate increasing levels of spiritual maturity. Ephesians 4:11-14 5. Equip and Release Leaders - Developing Kingdom People is dependent on effectively developing and releasing leaders who are skilled and motivated to impact the lives of others by modeling maturity and helping others grow in their faith. 2 Timothy 2:2 Developing Kingdom People can be represented by the following model that combines the 6 dimensions of a Kingdom Person with the 5 essential elements for developing Kingdom people. Much of this content was developed my Mike Kahn of the Tampa Bay Baptist Association
Jesus did many wonderful things during His three years of ministry. He taught and preached, healed the sick, cast out devils, and much more. Certainly all would agree that one of His major emphases was His training of His disciples. Some of Jesus’ last words were, according to the Gospel of John, “As the Father has sent Me, so send I you.” He clearly commanded His disciples to be about the things that He was about: preaching, teaching, and of course, making disciples. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus said to His disciples shortly before ascending up to Heaven, “Go and make disciples.” These Great Commissions, as we now refer to them, are a cornerstone of how ministry is to be done. We are to follow the example and commandment of Jesus by intentionally being discipled and then committing to a lifestyle of discipling others. What exactly is a disciple? The word disciple means to be a learner. However, it is much more than just understanding theological facts. A disciple is one who continues to learn biblical truth and then applies what he learns so that he can more deeply love and more fully obey the Lord. Discipleship is the life-long process of becoming a disciple or whole-hearted follower of Jesus. In the early church a believer in Christ and a disciple of Christ were almost synonymous. In the evangelical church today many mistakenly believe that believing in Christ is all that is necessary and that really following Jesus (being a disciple) is reserved for the pastor and leaders. They seem to think that discipleship is somewhat optional. Yet Jesus taught that all of His children are to grow to be His disciples. See the definitions sketch. Believer - Trusts Jesus as Savior for eternal well-being Disciple - Trusts Jesus as Lord (Master) for every part of daily living. According to the Bible, a disciple …. John 15:1-10 intimately knows and depends on Christ v.4-7 remains in the word of God (reads, studies, & memorizes it) v.3,7 prays often to God v.7 bears “much” fruit v.8 (fruitfulness in ministry/fruit of the Spirit) obeys and loves God v.10 Luke 14:26-27,33 loves Christ much more than anyone or anything else Luke 9:23 denies himself and takes up his cross daily Luke 6:40 who is fully trained becomes like Jesus Matthew 4:19 regularly shares the gospel with others 1. following Jesus – head 2. being changed by Jesus - heart 3. sharing Jesus - hands John 13:34-35 deeply loves others John 8:31-32 remains in (reads and studies) the word of God John 14:21; 15:10 obeys God Mark 10:42-45 sacrificially serves others Luke 6:38 gives generously The truths from the scriptures from the Gospels can be summarized in a few ways that clarify what God expects for His children to become. A disciple loves … Matthew 22:37-40, Luke 14:26, John 13:34-35 A disciple learns … John 8:31-32, Matt. 5 “You have heard it said … but I say to you.” A disciple lives … Matthew 7:24-27, John 14:15 Certainly God plays the major role in making disciples. He works in the hearts of each of us to draw us into a closer, more vibrant relationship with Him. He loves us, convicts us, encourages us, and much more because He desires to finish the work He began in us when He saved us. However, God most often uses others to disciple us. He uses corporate worship, preaching, and the teaching of His word to produce disciples. He uses books and resources to help us grow in truth. However, this alone generally does not produce the type of disciple that Jesus described in the Gospels. This is probably due to the fact that there is little accountability for learning in a large group environment. Truth taught in the context of loving and accountable relationships often is necessary for real life-changing learning to take place. Following the example of Jesus, discipling takes place in a small group of like-minded believers who intentionally study what the Bible teaches about being a disciple. This group not only learns biblical truths but also loves and exhorts each other to live out these truths and then pour them into others. Much of this content was developed my Mike Kahn of the Tampa Bay Baptist Association |
Tony HoffmanCampus Pastor at First Baptist Church in Leesburg, FL where his passion is to help people discover and live out their calling in Christ. Tony regularly consults, speaks, and teaches about discipleship and Christian education. Archives
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