On Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving, I talked about giving thanks to God IN all circumstances. Sometimes we find ourselves in the middle of a spiritual fire. Sometimes we place ourselves there because of bad decisions or sin. Then there are those times that God places us in the firey furnace. Here's the key: it's in the midst of the fire that God brings change to our lives.
Some of you are reading this today and you are on the verge of giving up because the heat of the fire is becoming more than you can bear. You question your leadership. You question the point. You are tired and confused and frustrated. You feel burned out and think the lack of growth in your group is the result of a flaw in your leadership. My encouragement to you:
Stay the course.
What you are doing is fulfilling the role your Creator gave you to do. You are completing the mission your Lord and Savior has charged you to do. When He gave His last command, the Great Commission, He said, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” He didn’t say go find disciples. He said go make disciples. That means it's work. And that requires us to embrace the fire and stay in the fire until God has competed His work.
Let's remember our mission is to make disciples...not simply find them.
Monday, November 30, 2009
For a Cause or for Christ?
The disciples didn't lay their lives down for a cause but for a person.
For some reason, that one statement is really challenging me personally and challenging the way I lead. I fear that I have spent too much time motivating people to a cause-make disciples, advance the Kingdom, create culture, change a generation, etc. That's all good stuff, but it's not the ultimate goal, is it? Maybe I should focus a bit more on simply elevating the person of Jesus Christ.
Causes are good. Causes build fans and create evangelists. Christ is better. He builds communities of faith and creates martyrs. Not that we all want to rush out to the Colosseum to volunteer ourselves for lion dinner. But laying down our lives is one of the ways we follow Jesus Christ.
The disciples didn't lay their lives down for some great cause that had captivated their emotions and imaginations. They laid their lives down for a person who had already laid his own life down for them.
Why am I more cause focused than person focused? Perhaps it is more comfortable and easy for me to acquaint myself with and attach myself to a cause than to enter a messy and flesh-killing relationship with Jesus Christ.
For some reason, that one statement is really challenging me personally and challenging the way I lead. I fear that I have spent too much time motivating people to a cause-make disciples, advance the Kingdom, create culture, change a generation, etc. That's all good stuff, but it's not the ultimate goal, is it? Maybe I should focus a bit more on simply elevating the person of Jesus Christ.
Causes are good. Causes build fans and create evangelists. Christ is better. He builds communities of faith and creates martyrs. Not that we all want to rush out to the Colosseum to volunteer ourselves for lion dinner. But laying down our lives is one of the ways we follow Jesus Christ.
The disciples didn't lay their lives down for some great cause that had captivated their emotions and imaginations. They laid their lives down for a person who had already laid his own life down for them.
Why am I more cause focused than person focused? Perhaps it is more comfortable and easy for me to acquaint myself with and attach myself to a cause than to enter a messy and flesh-killing relationship with Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Jacque, Tori, Ian and I attended Matt and Cari Miller's life group on Friday, November 20. WOW! What an awesome group. Their living room was packed with couples and their upstairs, as well as, their basement was packed with children. This is a great group for couples with a strong focus on issues that couples face everyday. Thanks Matt and Cari!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Friday Night @ Christ For Life
Jacque, Tori, Ian, and I had the privilege of attending the Christ for Life life group on Friday evening. Wow! What a great group of people. We started with an incredible meal, provided by Bryan and Cindy Lee, Jon and Michelle Zarbok and the other leadership couples. We then had a time of great praise and worship, followed by Bryan's teaching of the Word. The evening was topped off by celebrating communion and praying for the needs of group members.
With around 70 in attendance on Friday, this is, by far, the largest life group at Victory Church. If you're looking for a place to connect where great ministry takes place in a big way, then I encourage you to check out this group. Here's their website www.cflvictory.com.
With around 70 in attendance on Friday, this is, by far, the largest life group at Victory Church. If you're looking for a place to connect where great ministry takes place in a big way, then I encourage you to check out this group. Here's their website www.cflvictory.com.
We Serve God by Serving Others
"Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant..."(Mark 10:43 NLT).
We have a Victory 301 class scheduled in a few weeks. This is an opportunity for people to gain an understanding of how God has gifted and wired them for ministry. As a prelude to the class, I offer the following post.
We serve God by serving others. The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and position. If you can demand service from others, you've arrived. In our self-serving culture with it's me-first mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept. Jesus, however, measured greatness in terms of service, not status. God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you. This is so contrary to the world's idea of greatness that we have a hard time understanding it, much less practicing it.
The disciples argued about who deserved the most prominent position, and 2,000 years later, Christian leaders still jockey for position and prominence. Thousands of books have been written on leadership, but few on servanthood. Everyone wants to lead; no one wants to be a servant. We would rather be generals than privates. Even Christians want to be "servant-leaders," not just plain servants. But to be like Jesus is to be a servant. That's what he called himself.
While knowing your giftedness is important for serving God, having the heart of a servant is even more important. Remember, God destined you for service, not for self-centeredness. Without a servant's heart, you will be tempted to misuse your giftedness for personal gain. You will also be tempted to use it as an excuse to exempt yourself from meeting some needs.
God often tests our hearts by asking us to serve in ways we're not gifted. If you see a man fall into a ditch, God expects you to help him out, not say, "I don't have the gift of mercy or service." While you may not be gifted for a particular task, you may be called to do it if no one who is gifted at it is around. Your primary ministry should be in the area of your giftedness, but your secondary service is wherever you're needed at the moment. Your giftedness reveals your ministry, but your servant's heart will reveal your maturity.
No special talent or gift is required to stay after a meeting to pick up trash or stack chairs. Anyone can be a servant. All it requires is character. It is possible to serve in church for a lifetime without ever being a servant. You must have a servant's heart. How can you know if you have the heart of a servant? Jesus said, "You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act..."(Matthew 7:16 NLT).
We have a Victory 301 class scheduled in a few weeks. This is an opportunity for people to gain an understanding of how God has gifted and wired them for ministry. As a prelude to the class, I offer the following post.
We serve God by serving others. The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and position. If you can demand service from others, you've arrived. In our self-serving culture with it's me-first mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept. Jesus, however, measured greatness in terms of service, not status. God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you. This is so contrary to the world's idea of greatness that we have a hard time understanding it, much less practicing it.
The disciples argued about who deserved the most prominent position, and 2,000 years later, Christian leaders still jockey for position and prominence. Thousands of books have been written on leadership, but few on servanthood. Everyone wants to lead; no one wants to be a servant. We would rather be generals than privates. Even Christians want to be "servant-leaders," not just plain servants. But to be like Jesus is to be a servant. That's what he called himself.
While knowing your giftedness is important for serving God, having the heart of a servant is even more important. Remember, God destined you for service, not for self-centeredness. Without a servant's heart, you will be tempted to misuse your giftedness for personal gain. You will also be tempted to use it as an excuse to exempt yourself from meeting some needs.
God often tests our hearts by asking us to serve in ways we're not gifted. If you see a man fall into a ditch, God expects you to help him out, not say, "I don't have the gift of mercy or service." While you may not be gifted for a particular task, you may be called to do it if no one who is gifted at it is around. Your primary ministry should be in the area of your giftedness, but your secondary service is wherever you're needed at the moment. Your giftedness reveals your ministry, but your servant's heart will reveal your maturity.
No special talent or gift is required to stay after a meeting to pick up trash or stack chairs. Anyone can be a servant. All it requires is character. It is possible to serve in church for a lifetime without ever being a servant. You must have a servant's heart. How can you know if you have the heart of a servant? Jesus said, "You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act..."(Matthew 7:16 NLT).
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Are You A PK?
Preacher's kids get the worst reputation, just ask my wife, Jacque. But they're in good company! This isnt' small group or discipleship related, but I thought I'd share the names of some famous preacher's kids I found Wikipedia:
Tori Amos
Ingmar Bergman
Nat King Cole
Alice Cooper
Gudrun Ensslin
Aretha Franklin
Mark Few
Marvin Gaye
Phil Jackson (both parents)
Carl Jung
Art Linkletter
Charlie Manuel
George McGovern
Friedrich Nietzsche
Katy Perry
Condoleezza Rice
Jessica Simpson
Harriet Beecher Stowe
David Tennant
Nicola Tesla
Vincent Van Gogh
Denzel Washington
The Wright Brothers
Malcolm X
Jonas Brothers
Elijah Muhammad
Gordon Brown
Some of the names makes sense to me (Jonas brothers, Art Linkletter and so forth), and others were quite surprising! Neitzsche? Jung? Holy cow! If you're a PK, you're destined to become famous—er, um, infamous—
Tori Amos
Ingmar Bergman
Nat King Cole
Alice Cooper
Gudrun Ensslin
Aretha Franklin
Mark Few
Marvin Gaye
Phil Jackson (both parents)
Carl Jung
Art Linkletter
Charlie Manuel
George McGovern
Friedrich Nietzsche
Katy Perry
Condoleezza Rice
Jessica Simpson
Harriet Beecher Stowe
David Tennant
Nicola Tesla
Vincent Van Gogh
Denzel Washington
The Wright Brothers
Malcolm X
Jonas Brothers
Elijah Muhammad
Gordon Brown
Some of the names makes sense to me (Jonas brothers, Art Linkletter and so forth), and others were quite surprising! Neitzsche? Jung? Holy cow! If you're a PK, you're destined to become famous—er, um, infamous—
Small Groups are Great...I Think.
Small groups are great...and then the people show up.
We've heard pastors give stirring messages on the theological, ecclesiological, and practical importance of life in community and you left with a newfound conviction that small groups are great. An announcement was made from the pulpit about the need for new small group leaders, and you decided to put your convictions into practice because you were convinced both spiritually and experientially that small groups are great. You courageously attended leadership training classes and left with a passion to change the world through the greatness of groups. You saw your group promoted in print, in word, in pictures and you approached the night of your first meeting with a holy anticipation. Small groups are great!
And then people walked through the door.
It might not happen on the first night. It might not happen in the first month or even in the first year, but at some point, your well-tended "great" group experience begins to fall apart. The chairs are set, the snacks are ready, the lesson is prepared, the service project is planned...you're doing everything you need to do as a leader. And all of a sudden, you realize that there are some things no one ever told you about leading small groups. The nice thoughts about growth and friends and transparency and community fade into the newfound realization that groups are messy.
What do you do at that moment? The moment you realize that groups are messy will become the defining moment of your leadership.
Here's the scary news: small groups are messy because groups are made up of people and people are messy. Community is messy because it’s about broken people hauling their brokenness and stink and baggage and moving in with you.
Here's the good news: mess might be exactly where God wants you to be to become the person and the community that he created you to be.
We've heard pastors give stirring messages on the theological, ecclesiological, and practical importance of life in community and you left with a newfound conviction that small groups are great. An announcement was made from the pulpit about the need for new small group leaders, and you decided to put your convictions into practice because you were convinced both spiritually and experientially that small groups are great. You courageously attended leadership training classes and left with a passion to change the world through the greatness of groups. You saw your group promoted in print, in word, in pictures and you approached the night of your first meeting with a holy anticipation. Small groups are great!
And then people walked through the door.
It might not happen on the first night. It might not happen in the first month or even in the first year, but at some point, your well-tended "great" group experience begins to fall apart. The chairs are set, the snacks are ready, the lesson is prepared, the service project is planned...you're doing everything you need to do as a leader. And all of a sudden, you realize that there are some things no one ever told you about leading small groups. The nice thoughts about growth and friends and transparency and community fade into the newfound realization that groups are messy.
What do you do at that moment? The moment you realize that groups are messy will become the defining moment of your leadership.
Here's the scary news: small groups are messy because groups are made up of people and people are messy. Community is messy because it’s about broken people hauling their brokenness and stink and baggage and moving in with you.
Here's the good news: mess might be exactly where God wants you to be to become the person and the community that he created you to be.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Community is Messy
Community is messy, and it's been that way since the beginning. Let's just think about some messes of Biblical proportions. God created. Everything was good. But three chapters in, mess happened. Eve disobeyed God, encouraged Adam to join in the mess, and sin mess happened. Fingers got pointed and relational mess happened. The inevitable results of sin are proclaimed and life mess began. Then we move to Cain and Abel. I would say jealousy and murder amount to mess.
Noah—built a huge boat to house the few remaining fragments of creation mess that God wanted to maintain. Later, he got himself drunk and his sons discovered him naked. Which resulted in some family breakdown mess. Then there was Abraham claiming that his wife was not his wife and navigating water resources rights with his nephew, Lot. There’s Isaac and Rebekah playing favorites with their sons Jacob and Esau, thereby producing life-long (and history-altering) sibling rivalry. Then Jacob favoritism to his own son Joseph, which resulted in another family meltdown.Let’s fast forward a few hundred years to Moses. I like to think of Moses as the first small group leader in the Bible—but look at these people he was charged with leading. They don’t follow instructions. They complain. And they forget the miracles they see in a matter of hours- they are completely ADD. It’s a mess.
Fast forward a bit more to David. I think of David as the second small group leader in the Bible. In 1 Samuel 22 we read about David running for his life and then hiding in the cave of Adullam. Then Scripture tells us that he was first joined by his family. And then he was joined by men who were in trouble, in debt, or just discontented. Great. Talk about a dysfunctional group. First of all-family. Then add on the Extra Grace Required people in the form of those who were in trouble or in debt or just plain discontented. Mess. How many of us feel like that’s our small group? Right? And think about David's other messy relationships. David and Saul. David and Uriah. David and Bathsheba. David and the prophet Nathan. David and his son Absalom. Okay, pretty much David and everyone.
Skip over to the New Testament. Jesus was born in the mess of a stable—a cave where animals were kept and fed. Placed in a stone feeding tough. Jesus called 12 men to follow him- fisherman, tax collectors, political revolutionaries—who bickered over who was going to be greatest in the Kingdom. In Acts 15, the apostles had to meet in Jerusalem to sort out theological mess. Paul and Peter had issues. Paul and John Mark had issues. The majority of writings in the New Testament are there because the early church was messy. Look at the church in Corinth—all the stuff that was happening there. Incestuous affairs, lawsuits, divorce and separation, idol worship, big egos, doctrinal fighting, sexual promiscuity, people getting drunk while celebrating communion. And you thought your small group was messed up.
And yet...in the midst of the mess...
As we read these stories, we see the hand of God writing his own story in them and through them. Emerging from the mess is the fingerprint of God writing the hope of the Gospel and the story of redemption in history. Proverbs 14:4 has become one of my organizing metaphors in regards to group life: Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much increase comes by the strength of the ox. You can have a clean barn with no animals in there. But you aren’t going to get much done without animals.You can have a tidy group as long as no one is in it. But community requires that we show up. And showing up means bringing our mess.
Noah—built a huge boat to house the few remaining fragments of creation mess that God wanted to maintain. Later, he got himself drunk and his sons discovered him naked. Which resulted in some family breakdown mess. Then there was Abraham claiming that his wife was not his wife and navigating water resources rights with his nephew, Lot. There’s Isaac and Rebekah playing favorites with their sons Jacob and Esau, thereby producing life-long (and history-altering) sibling rivalry. Then Jacob favoritism to his own son Joseph, which resulted in another family meltdown.Let’s fast forward a few hundred years to Moses. I like to think of Moses as the first small group leader in the Bible—but look at these people he was charged with leading. They don’t follow instructions. They complain. And they forget the miracles they see in a matter of hours- they are completely ADD. It’s a mess.
Fast forward a bit more to David. I think of David as the second small group leader in the Bible. In 1 Samuel 22 we read about David running for his life and then hiding in the cave of Adullam. Then Scripture tells us that he was first joined by his family. And then he was joined by men who were in trouble, in debt, or just discontented. Great. Talk about a dysfunctional group. First of all-family. Then add on the Extra Grace Required people in the form of those who were in trouble or in debt or just plain discontented. Mess. How many of us feel like that’s our small group? Right? And think about David's other messy relationships. David and Saul. David and Uriah. David and Bathsheba. David and the prophet Nathan. David and his son Absalom. Okay, pretty much David and everyone.
Skip over to the New Testament. Jesus was born in the mess of a stable—a cave where animals were kept and fed. Placed in a stone feeding tough. Jesus called 12 men to follow him- fisherman, tax collectors, political revolutionaries—who bickered over who was going to be greatest in the Kingdom. In Acts 15, the apostles had to meet in Jerusalem to sort out theological mess. Paul and Peter had issues. Paul and John Mark had issues. The majority of writings in the New Testament are there because the early church was messy. Look at the church in Corinth—all the stuff that was happening there. Incestuous affairs, lawsuits, divorce and separation, idol worship, big egos, doctrinal fighting, sexual promiscuity, people getting drunk while celebrating communion. And you thought your small group was messed up.
And yet...in the midst of the mess...
As we read these stories, we see the hand of God writing his own story in them and through them. Emerging from the mess is the fingerprint of God writing the hope of the Gospel and the story of redemption in history. Proverbs 14:4 has become one of my organizing metaphors in regards to group life: Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much increase comes by the strength of the ox. You can have a clean barn with no animals in there. But you aren’t going to get much done without animals.You can have a tidy group as long as no one is in it. But community requires that we show up. And showing up means bringing our mess.
Wesley's Discipleship
John Wesley had a pretty hard-hitting approach to discipleship. In many small groups today, structuring the meeting time around the following questions would be frightening to many members. But if you want to challenge your people to deeper community and more focused discipleship, try these questions:
Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am a better person than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
Do I confidentially pass on what was told to me in confidence?
Can I be trusted?
Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habit?
Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
Did the Bible live in me today?
Do I give God time to speak to me everyday?
Am I enjoying prayer?
When did I last speak to someone else of my faith?
Do I pray about the money I spend?
Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
Do I disobey God in anything?
Do I insist on doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
Am I defeated in any part of my life?
Am I jealous, impure, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?
How do I spend my spare time?
Am I proud?
Do I thank God I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?
Is there anyone I fear, or dislike, or criticize, or resent? If so, what am I doing about it?
Do I grumble and complain constantly?
Is Christ real to me?
Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am a better person than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
Do I confidentially pass on what was told to me in confidence?
Can I be trusted?
Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habit?
Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
Did the Bible live in me today?
Do I give God time to speak to me everyday?
Am I enjoying prayer?
When did I last speak to someone else of my faith?
Do I pray about the money I spend?
Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
Do I disobey God in anything?
Do I insist on doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
Am I defeated in any part of my life?
Am I jealous, impure, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?
How do I spend my spare time?
Am I proud?
Do I thank God I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?
Is there anyone I fear, or dislike, or criticize, or resent? If so, what am I doing about it?
Do I grumble and complain constantly?
Is Christ real to me?
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
What Has Happened to Discipleship?
I have been in conversations and been asked the following question: What do you feel God is saying to His church today? At the risk of sounding rude, I usually respond by saying, "He's probably saying the same thing He said two thousand years ago: "Go and make disciples."" Sad to say, a lot of churches talk about discipleship, but they never quite go the distance in making it part of the culture of their church.
Why do church leaders spend time doing everything but making disciples? Why do we try every church growth gimmick known to man, yet ignore the one strategy Jesus endorsed? Shouldn't His last message be our first option?
Discipleship isn't suppose to be complicated. Difficult sometimes, complicated never. If modern discipleship is confusing or complicated, it's because we've strayed from biblical principles and the simple biblical process that Jesus lived and taught His disciples.
For Jesus, discipleship was and still is top priority. Yes, He fed the hungry and healed the sick, but He always gave the twelve disciples His prime time. His final word to them before He ascended into heaven was a commission not just to be disciples, but also to make disciples. Like the original followers of Jesus, we are supposed to be disciples and we are supposed to make disciples. In other words, we are supposed to follow Jesus and we are supposed to help others follow Him.
Here are some simple biblical steps that can be integrated and applied that will help make discipleship a reality:
1. Establish spiritual foundations. There was a sign with a picture of the Leaning Tower of Pisa with a tagline that read, "Good facade, bad foundations." Like the tower, many Christians have a good facade but are dangerously unstable because of poor foundations. Even the slightest storm or temptation sends them crashing to the ground. On the other hand, Jesus promised His disciples that storms, winds and floods would beat against their lives, but they could survive if they built their "foundation on the rock" (Matt 7:24-25). If we want our disciples to survive the storms of life, we must help them establish spiritual foundations. This includes repentance, faith, water baptism and the baptism in the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:38-41). Once these basics are established, we need to begin to develop theological foundations such as eternal judgment and resurrection from the dead (see Heb. 6).
2. Equip all believers to minister. We've heard the phrase, Every member a minister. Yet often, because of our performance-driven culture, we have littler tolerance for the messiness of the equipping process. Some do church as if only professional ministers should do ministry. The biblical job description for professional ministers-apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers-is to equip the "non-pros" for ministry, then get out of their way (see Eph. 4:11-12).
3. Empower all disciples to make disciples. Jesus expected all of His original disciples to make disciples. He empowered them, knowing they would make disciples. The call to make disciples (see Matt. 28) was given to people who were far from perfect. They had questioned, disobeyed, doubted and even denied Jesus. Here is a key point to remember; it is progress, not perfection, that qualifies one to disciple others. Because Jesus expects all His disciples to make disciples, we must not only equip them, we must empower them. To empower means to give permission or power to do something-in a sense, to give confidence to do something. Equipping without empowering produces disciples with head knowledge. Empowering without first equipping produces disciples who never mature.
Why do church leaders spend time doing everything but making disciples? Why do we try every church growth gimmick known to man, yet ignore the one strategy Jesus endorsed? Shouldn't His last message be our first option?
Discipleship isn't suppose to be complicated. Difficult sometimes, complicated never. If modern discipleship is confusing or complicated, it's because we've strayed from biblical principles and the simple biblical process that Jesus lived and taught His disciples.
For Jesus, discipleship was and still is top priority. Yes, He fed the hungry and healed the sick, but He always gave the twelve disciples His prime time. His final word to them before He ascended into heaven was a commission not just to be disciples, but also to make disciples. Like the original followers of Jesus, we are supposed to be disciples and we are supposed to make disciples. In other words, we are supposed to follow Jesus and we are supposed to help others follow Him.
Here are some simple biblical steps that can be integrated and applied that will help make discipleship a reality:
1. Establish spiritual foundations. There was a sign with a picture of the Leaning Tower of Pisa with a tagline that read, "Good facade, bad foundations." Like the tower, many Christians have a good facade but are dangerously unstable because of poor foundations. Even the slightest storm or temptation sends them crashing to the ground. On the other hand, Jesus promised His disciples that storms, winds and floods would beat against their lives, but they could survive if they built their "foundation on the rock" (Matt 7:24-25). If we want our disciples to survive the storms of life, we must help them establish spiritual foundations. This includes repentance, faith, water baptism and the baptism in the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:38-41). Once these basics are established, we need to begin to develop theological foundations such as eternal judgment and resurrection from the dead (see Heb. 6).
2. Equip all believers to minister. We've heard the phrase, Every member a minister. Yet often, because of our performance-driven culture, we have littler tolerance for the messiness of the equipping process. Some do church as if only professional ministers should do ministry. The biblical job description for professional ministers-apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers-is to equip the "non-pros" for ministry, then get out of their way (see Eph. 4:11-12).
3. Empower all disciples to make disciples. Jesus expected all of His original disciples to make disciples. He empowered them, knowing they would make disciples. The call to make disciples (see Matt. 28) was given to people who were far from perfect. They had questioned, disobeyed, doubted and even denied Jesus. Here is a key point to remember; it is progress, not perfection, that qualifies one to disciple others. Because Jesus expects all His disciples to make disciples, we must not only equip them, we must empower them. To empower means to give permission or power to do something-in a sense, to give confidence to do something. Equipping without empowering produces disciples with head knowledge. Empowering without first equipping produces disciples who never mature.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)