​Do you have any family traditions?
 
One of my memorable things to do every summer was visit Canada’s Wonderland. I enjoyed the swings, the boat ride, the bumper cars, and of course getting a funnel cake at the end of the day before leaving. I really enjoyed these things about Wonderland. 
 
What I didn’t particular enjoy was the roller coasters. And this fear that I had lasted a couple of years and I was not able to fully experience the park for what it was. As I got older, staying with my uncle while the other kids went out rides started to get a little boring. I had to let go of this unknown feeling and fear.
 
Eventually, it got to a point where I had to overcome the fear and I did. I don’t remember exactly when, but it happened and I actually looked forward to going on the rollercoasters.
 
Is there anything you had to ever let go of?
 
Today, we are going to look at this subject of letting go. It’s something that we can all relate to and something we have all had to do in our lives.
 
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14
 
To let go means:
-We are not in charge.
-We are not in control.
-We trust God’s plan for our lives.
-We give every aspect of our lives to God.
 
As we let go, the Holy Spirit begins to flourish in us and as we share our experiences with God, a trusting relationship begins to grow. We bring everything to God and look for His perspective, which is what we all need today. 

​We all need God’s perspective and people out there in the world need God’s perspective. A great way that we can do that is through God’s Word. God speaks to us through His Word.
There are many different examples in the Bible of people who had to let go of something. Let’s look at a couple today:

1. Mother of Moses

Jochebed found herself in a troubled time of Israel’s history. The descendants of Jacob had become slaves in Egypt and the slaves grew so great in number the Egyptians became fearful.  So, Pharaoh sent out a proclamation that every Hebrew baby boy was to be killed.
 
Jochebed and her husband, Amram, had done their best to hide Moses for as long as they could. At three months old it would have been a matter of time before someone found him, so something had to be done now.
As a parent, I see this woman as a woman of great courage and faith. We all know what happens next, the daughter of Pharaoh finds Moses and not only did the Egyptian princess proclaim she would adopt Moses as her son, she sent his very own sister–who happened to be nearby–to find a nursemaid for the baby.
 
Jochebed had to let go of all fear and uncertainty in this situation and she was so blessed by letting go. God blessed her obedience by making her Moses’ nursemaid.

           2. Jonah  
The prophet Jonah was called on a mission to Nineveh and he responded by attempting to run away from his assignment from the Lord. He went towards Tarshish which was in the opposite direction of where he was supposed to go. Talk about a bad sense of direction, right?
 
Fast forward, he ends up in the belly of a large fish for 3 days and this where he repents and turns back to God. Jonah had to let go of his own uncertainties, plan, and pride. He had to let it all go before God.
 
As we talk about this today, I would like us to look at our own lives and ask the Lord to reveal to us anything that we need to let go of. Although letting go doesn’t sound like a positive thing, it actually is. When some people think of letting go, they think of giving up on something. Letting go is not giving up!
 
If we aren’t letting go, what are we doing?
 
We are holding on. And if we are holding onto things that God intends for us to let go of, we can miss out on receiving and experiencing fully what God has for us. Kind of like how I couldn’t fully enjoy Wonderland until I let go of the fear I had.
 
While letting go can be challenging at times, it is honestly one of the most freeing things we can do and letting go is so important that Jesus also let go. He knew what He was about to go through and He asked God if there was a way to take it away but not His will but God's will be done. He surrendered to the will and plan of the Father. If Jesus let go, how much more should we?
 
We are going to now look at a parable to help illustrate this a bit better for us today. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a story that most of us are very familiar with and it truly is a beautiful picture of God’s love for humanity.
 
“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This Man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:1-3
 
Here we see tax collectors and sinners drawing to Jesus and the Pharisees and scribes (religious leaders and writers of the law) were complaining or grumbling about this. So in response, Jesus addresses the Pharisees and scribes with the parables.

From verses 4 through 32, there are 3 parables here:

1. The Parable of the Lost Sheep
2. The Parable of the Lost Coin
3. The Parable of the Lost Son (main focus for today)

 
Let’s now read the following verse and notice the emphasis and relation to these particular verses:
 
“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Luke 15:7
 
“In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10
 
“Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” Luke 15:23-24
 
While these parables involve something that is lost, its not the main focus or theme here. Jesus is bringing light to God’s desire and joy in welcoming sinners to Himself.
 
There is also a main difference in these parables to take note of. Until Luke 15:24, we kind of expect the story to just end in celebration but there is a bit of a twist or something more important for us to see in the text.
 We see the other character who is the man’s other son who is also grumbling and complaining. Sounds familiar right? Let’s read about that again.
 
“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This Man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:1-3
 
This is an image of the Pharisees and scribes here.
The older brother didn’t grasp the freedom and joy of always being with his father. And he also didn’t appear to feel the loss of his brother leaving and the significance of his return.
Jesus was trying to bring awareness to the Pharisees and scribes of some things they had to let go of.
 
What do you need to let go of today?
 
I don’t know what you need to let go of, but I have some good news for you today. It doesn’t end with letting go. There is more to it. You can let go, but don’t give up!
The father let his son go but he never gave up. The bible says that when the son was still a great way off, the father saw him and had compassion. So he got up and went to his father.
 
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20
 
The father was waiting for his son to come back home. And he even ran towards him. This text is also something to take note of with what Jesus is saying.
 
It was considered extremely undignified for a man to run anywhere in those times. Running was for children and running required men to hike up their robes and expose their legs, which was considered humiliating and disgraceful.
Jesus is showing us the importance here of letting go of things. The man didn’t care. He wanted to get to his son.

Maybe there is something you are trying to let go of today. I want to encourage you with these 4 points:

1. Let go of guilt and let God forgive you

 
1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

           2. Let go of worry and let God comfort you 1 Peter 5:7
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

            3. Let go of control and let God guide you Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
 
           4. Let go of disappointment and let God love you
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
 
Maybe like the story of the Prodigal Son, you may have a child today or another loved one who has not come home yet.
Let go. Let go. But don’t give up.
 
Pray for them, surrender it to the Lord and don’t give up. Have faith in the Lord and in what only He can do. This is how we don’t give up church. We can’t give up. We need to keep pressing on. 
 
Philippians 3:12-14
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
 
At OMS Canada, we have some wonderful missionaries who sacrifice so much in their own lives and in their families. They let go of their own plans and choose to prioritize their time to serve God and others.
 
Learn more here about our missionaries and consider supporting one of them as you are able to. May God continue to bless you in all that you do.

Welcome back to the Discipleship blog series. If you have not read the previous posts, you can find them here.

Last time we learned how Pace Matters because where we all spend our eternity — an existence that outlasts time — is determined in the very short time we call “life.“ And increasing pace has an exponential impact on multiplication.

In this post we will discuss being part of two churches.
Jesus taught us that we are to stay close — to live as a small, spiritual family, to love and give our lives to one another, to celebrate and suffer — together. However, Jesus also taught us to leave our homes and loved ones behind and be willing to go anywhere — and everywhere — to share and start new spiritual families. So how can we do both?

In this post, we’ll learn how followers of Jesus can be a PART OF TWO CHURCHES to accelerate growth and help turn a faithful spiritual family into a growing city-wide body of believers.
​
In God’s Word - we learn that His perfect plan is for us to live as a spiritual family. The Bible talks about this family as a church in three forms:
• The universal church -- the gathering of all the believers who were, who are and who will be.
• The regional or city church -- the gathering of all the believers in a city or a part of a country.
• The simple church -- the gathering of believers who meet in a small group like in a building or a home.

This smallest group - this elemental or simple church - is the spiritual family that lives life together and it works best when that family can meet and work together for months or years at a time.

At the same time, Jesus instructed His followers that they should be continuously starting new spiritual families, growing them to be more like Jesus, and helping them learn how to start new spiritual families, too. Jesus told us - make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all I have commanded.

​so how do these two things come together - how can we be a part of a church and be in the process of starting new churches - all at the same time?

Imagine a basic church - just four families. Each pair of symbols represent a different couple who lead their home. All the couples are a part of one church - this is their ongoing  spiritual family. This is who they do life with - the brothers and sisters who encourage   them in love and good works.

​But these same couples are also each working to start a new spiritual family. They’re not participating in the same way they do with their own small group family, but they are helping to MODEL and ASSIST as a new spiritual family gets started and grows.
​
Imagine this - just one church starting four new churches at the exact same time. This is how fast God can grow His family. This is how the church can increase its pace.

​In an earlier session, we learned about the TRAINING CYCLE - MODEL, ASSIST, WATCH and LEAVE and we know that these first two phases - MODEL and ASSIST are meant to be moved through quickly - to keep new followers healthy and growing in their faith.

So what happens with the original church and the four churches that they’ve started? After helping them launch by Modeling and Assisting, these couples (original church) have already helped these new churches (1 gen) begin Modeling and Assisting, as well (for 2 gen).

For these four new churches (1 gen), our couples (org. church) are now in the WATCH phase - keeping an eye on the progress of these new churches (1 gen) and coaching as they Model and Assist new churches (2 gen) they help start on their own.

Most people will not be able to Model and Assist for more than one other spiritual family at a time. However, they can watch over and coach multiple churches and help them connect with peer mentors as they grow.

That means one single spiritual family - one elemental or simple church - can be part of launching many other small group churches at exactly the same time. That’s a lot of fruit.

So what happens to all these churches as they grow and start new churches that start new churches that start new churches? How do they stay connected? How do they live life as an extended spiritual family?

The answer is that all of these simple churches are just like the cells in a growing body and they connect together and network into a city or regional church. The churches are related. They share the same spiritual DNA. They are all connected out of the same first multiplying family. And now -- with some guidance - they come together as a larger body to do even more.

​Can you see some potential advantages of maintaining a consistent spiritual family that gives birth to new ones that grow and multiply instead of continually growing a family and splitting it in order to grow?

​Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to share this post with others.

​Welcome back to the Discipleship blog series. If you have not read the previous posts, you can find them here.

Last time we learned how Non-Sequential Growth and how to break the habit of thinking in a linear pattern as a way of accelerating kingdom growth.

In this session will learn why multiplying matters and why multiplying quickly matters even more.
This session is about PACE. Pace is about time - how quickly or slowly things happen. Pace matters because where we all spend our eternity - an existence that outlasts time - is determined in the short time we call “life”.

God’s Word tells us that God is patient with us - not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to turn around and follow Him. God gives us more time because He knows we only have a short time to do all He’s called us to do and to reach all He’s called us to reach.
​
To follow Jesus more closely, we have to pursue His people more quickly. We can’t just take our time. We have to increase our PACE.

The global church -- all followers of Jesus, together -- is larger than it’s ever been. The global church -- all followers of Jesus, together -- is a larger portion of the world’s population than ever before.

But even with those large numbers - the global church is not growing faster than the global population. That means that while there are more of us who follow Jesus than ever before, there are even more who are not following Jesus and will spend their eternity separated from Him, more than there have ever been before.

Making disciples who multiply matters.
Start with just one disciple. If they multiply and make a new disciple once every 18 months - an entire year and a half - and then those disciples do the same - in 10 years, there will be 64 new followers of Jesus. 64 people will spend their forever with a loving God.

But what if they moved a little faster? What if they increased their PACE?
If they multiply now in 4 months - a quarter of year - instead of 18 months, and those disciples do the same - in 10 years, there will now be a billion new followers of Jesus.
Think about that. Instead of less than 100. More than 1,000,000,000. All by increasing PACE. Going from 18 months to 4 months means we’re moving four-and-a-half times faster.

But that acceleration applied to every disciple over the course of 10 years means God’s family is growing 15 MILLION TIMES faster.
Less than a hundred. More than a billion.

PACE matters.

Sharing our story and God’s story and leading someone to follow Jesus grows God’s family.
Sharing with a new follower how to do exactly the same grows God’s family like a wildfire. Exponentially.
Like yeast through a loaf. All because of PACE.

Why is pace important?

What do you need to change in your thinking, your actions, or your attitude to be better aligned with God’s priority for pace?
What is one thing you can do this week that will make a difference?

Leave a comment to let us know. And please share this post with others.

​Welcome back to the Discipleship blog series. If you have not read the previous posts, you can find them here.

​Last time we learned how Shema Statements can be used to launch spiritual discussions with the people around us, whether we know them or not.
​
In this session, we’ll learn how to break the habit of thinking in a linear pattern as a way of accelerating kingdom growth.

To make disciples who make disciples more quickly, we have to keep in mind that multiple things can happen at the same time and there is not a certain order in which they need to happen. We have to learn the power of NON-SEQUENTIAL growth.

When people think about disciples multiplying, they often think of it as a step-by-step process. First prayer. Then preparation. Then sharing God’s good news. Then building disciples. Then building churches. Then developing leaders. Then reproduction.

When we learn this way, kingdom growth seems to be an easy-to-follow, linear and sequential process. One problem is that’s not how it always works. A bigger problem is that’s not how it often works best.
​
Imagine a line that represents a person’s life. Here’s birth. Here’s the first time they hear God’s good news. Here’s when they choose to follow Jesus. Here’s when they first share their story and God’s story and they begin to multiply. And here’s where this life ends.

​So from first hearing about Jesus to first sharing about Jesus is what we could consider a spiritual generation. This amount of time before multiplying. This amount of time before God’s family grows. This is how discipleship is usually taught.
But when we use a pattern like Greatest Blessing - watch what happens.

Now a new disciple starts multiplying immediately. The spiritual generation shortens. Someone hears God’s good news sooner. God’s family grows more quickly. More people are saved for eternity.

And all of it - simply by moving when they multiply.

But what if we keep going? What if someone starts multiplying even earlier? What if they begin to share after they first hear instead of after they first believe?

Some are open to gathering a group and sharing what they learn from God’s Word with friends and family before they ever say “yes” to Jesus. If we show those people how to gather a group and share what they learn and show others how to do the same, God’s family grows even faster. Now discipleship is a path to Jesus not just something we share after salvation.

This is a way a family or friends or even a village can come to follow Jesus.

But what if someone can multiply even sooner? What if someone could share God’s ways before they even meet God’s Son?

Sometimes a group may be unable or not ready to hear God’s good news immediately. But this group can still learn God’s patterns - through efforts like community development or leadership training. This group can begin multiplying God’s patterns - learning - obeying - sharing - and teaching others to do the same even before they first hear about Jesus.

When this happens, God’s ways are imprinted into willing hearts. His patterns are woven into a community and individual lives. Then when God has prepared His way - God’s good news can reveal the truth they’ve been receiving all along. This is the way an institution, a community, or even a country can come to follow Jesus.

Non-Sequential growth still requires “What’s Essential?” thinking. No matter what process - the biggest question is always the same - Who is the good soil that will be faithful? Who will learn and practice and share God’s ways?

Uncovering this good soil - discovering these good hearts - is worth all of our time and energy and effort. These are the ones we pour out our hearts to. These are the ones we pour out our lives for. These are the ones who grow God’s kingdom best.

​What can you do to shorten up the spiritual generations?