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Welcome back to the Discipleship blog series. If you haven’t read the previous posts, you can find them here.
Last time we learned how to tell your story, your testimony, and how God can use it to save others. In today’s post, we will learn about baptism. Jesus said -- “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” Baptism - or “Baptizo" in the original language - means a drenching or submerging - like when you dye a cloth and it soaks in the color and comes out transformed. Baptism is a picture of our new life, soaked in the image of Jesus, transformed in obedience to God. It is a picture of our death to sin, just as Jesus died for our sins; a burial of our old way of life, just as Jesus was buried; a rebirth to a new life in Christ, just as Jesus was resurrected and lives today. If you have never baptized someone before, it may seem intimidating, but it shouldn’t be. Here are some simple steps. Find some standing water, deep enough to allow the new disciple to be submerged. This can be a pond, river, lake or ocean. It could be a bathtub or another way to gather water. Let the disciple hold one of your hands with theirs and support their back with the other. Ask two questions like these to make sure they understand their decision. “Have you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” “Will you obey and serve Him as your King for the rest of your life?” If they answer “Yes,” to both, then say something like this: “Because you’ve professed your faith in the Lord Jesus, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Help them lower into the water, submerge completely and raise them back up. You’ve baptized a new follower of Jesus - a new citizen of heaven - a new child of the Living God. It’s time to celebrate! Have you ever baptized someone? Would you even consider doing so? If the Great Commission is for every follower of Jesus, does that mean that every follower is allowed to baptize others? Why or why not?
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Welcome back to the Discipleship blog series. If you haven’t read the previous posts, you can find them here.
Last time we learned to tell God’s story from Creation to Judgement and the reason for telling this story. In today’s post, we will learn how to share Your Story. As followers of Jesus, we are “witnesses" for Him, because we “testify” about the impact Jesus has had on our lives. Your story of your relationship with God is called your Testimony. It's powerful, and it's something no one can share better than you.
“Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things, (Luke 24:45-48).
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth,” (Acts 1:8). Everybody has a story. This is a chance to practice yours. Choose one or two followers to practice with and then pick 5 names from your List of 100. Make sure you choose people in the category “non-Christian” or “unknown spiritual status.” Practice your testimony - your story of Jesus - by having your practice partners pretend to be 1 of the 5 people you chose from your list. Practice shaping your story to make it specific for each of the 5. You should be able to share a short version of your story in about three minutes. There are endless ways to shape your story, but here are some ways that we’ve seen work well with others: You can share a simple statement about why you chose to follow Jesus. This works well for a brand new believer. You can share your “before” and “after” story - what your life was like before you knew Jesus and what your life is like now. Simple and powerful. You can share your “with” and “without” story; what your life is like “with Jesus” and what it would be like “without Him”. This version of your story works well if you came to faith at a young age. When you finish sharing, let your practice partner take their turn. Keep going back and forth until you’ve both finished your five. Want to make an even greater impact? When sharing your story, it’s helpful to think of it as part of a three-part process:
Have you practiced your testimony before? Do you have someone with whom you can practice? If not, would you consider practicing with us? Give us a call at 289-812-0661 and let’s get started. 
Welcome back to the Discipleship blog series. If you haven’t read the previous posts, you can find them here.
Last time we discovered the impact of changing the focus of activity from teaching to training. In today’s post, we will learn how to share God’s Story - the Gospel - from Creation to Judgement, from the beginning of humankind to the end of this age. There are many ways to share God’s story. The best way will depend on the person you’re sharing with and their view of the world and their life experiences. God uses hearts willing to share to work on hearts willing to hear. It’s His work. He just invites us to join in. One way to share God’s Story is by explaining what’s happened from God’s Creation to His Judgement at the end of this age. When we tell God’s story in this way, we can make it long or short, detailed or just broad strokes but always connected to the culture of the one who hears. To help tell His Story across different cultures and world views, you can also use hand motions that make it easier to learn and teach. Here is God’s Story of Good News. In the beginning, God made the whole world and everything in it. He created the FIRST MAN and the FIRST WOMAN. He placed them in a beautiful garden. He made them PART OF HIS FAMILY and had a CLOSE RELATIONSHIP with them. He created them to LIVE FOREVER. There was no such thing as death. Even in this perfect place, man rebelled against God and brought SIN and SUFFERING into the world. God BANISHED man from the garden. The relationship between man and God was BROKEN. Now man would have to face DEATH. Over many hundreds of years, God kept sending MESSENGERS into the world. They reminded man of his sin but also told him of God’s FAITHFULNESS and PROMISE to send a SAVIOR into the world. The Savior would RESTORE the close relationship between God and Man. The Savior would RESCUE man from death. The Savior would give ETERNAL LIFE and be with man forever.
God loves us so much that when the time was right, He sent His Son into the world to be that Savior.
Jesus was God’s Son. He was born into the world through a virgin. He lived a perfect life. He never sinned. Jesus taught people about God. He performed many miracles showing His great power. He cast out many demons. He healed many people. He made the blind see. He made the deaf hear. He made the lame walk. Jesus even raised the dead. Many religious leaders were THREATENED and JEALOUS of Jesus. They wanted Him killed. Since He never sinned, Jesus did not have to die. But He CHOSE to die as a SACRIFICE for all of us. His painful death covered up the sins of mankind. After this, Jesus was buried in a tomb. God saw the SACRIFICE Jesus made and accepted it. God showed His acceptance by raising Jesus from the dead on the third day. God said that if we BELIEVE and RECEIVE Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins -- If we TURN AWAY from our sins and FOLLOW Jesus, God CLEANS US from all sin and WELCOMES us back into His family. God sends the HOLY SPIRIT to live inside us and make us able to follow Jesus. We are BAPTIZED in water to show and seal this restored relationship. As a symbol of death we are buried beneath the water. As a symbol of new life we are raised out of the water to follow Jesus. When Jesus rose from the dead, He spent 40 days on earth. Jesus taught His followers to go everywhere and tell the good news of His salvation to everyone around the world. Jesus said - Go and MAKE DISCIPLES of all nations, BAPTIZING them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and TEACHING them to obey all I have commanded. I will be with you always - even to the end of this age. Jesus was then TAKEN UP before their eyes into heaven. One day, Jesus will COME AGAIN in the same way He left. He will PUNISH FOREVER those who did not love and obey Him. He will RECEIVE and REWARD FOREVER those who did love and obey Him. We will LIVE FOREVER with Him in a New Heaven and on a New Earth. I BELIEVED and RECEIVED the sacrifice Jesus made for my sins. He has made me clean and restored me as part of God’s family. He loves me, and I love Him and will live with Him forever in His kingdom. God loves you and wants you to receive this gift, as well. Would you like to do that right now? What do you learn about mankind from this story? What do you learn about God? Do you think it would be easier or harder to share God's Story by telling a story like this? Let us know in the comments below. 
Welcome back to the Discipleship blog series. If you haven’t read the previous posts, you can find them here.
Last time we discovered some significant truths about God’s kingdom economy, that God rewards us based on what we give away. In today’s post, we will learn about the impact of changing the focus of activity from teaching to training. At every missions conference we talk about the Great Commission. It is found in several places in the gospels, but is most often referenced from Matthew 28. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”– Matt. 28:18-20 NIV This verse speaks of actions we all can be involved in. It tells us to; 1) Go 2) make disciples of all nations 3) baptize them and 4) teach them to obey. Ying Kai and Steve Smith, authors of the book, T4T A Discipleship Re-Revolution, speak of how we are Trainers of Trainers. Ying uses the word trainer for a disciple maker. Do you see yourself as a Trainer of Trainers? For many years I saw myself as a teacher. What I didn’t see was that I was to train the people I taught until they could train others! Instead of seeing myself as a teacher, passing on knowledge and information, I began to see myself as a trainer and those who were learning from me as those who in turn would immediately train others. I am a Trainer of Trainers- A Disciple Maker. I train one person to follow Jesus and obey His commands, they go and train another, who trains another. In this way the Kingdom multiplies and grows. We call this engaging the one to reach the many.
Making disciples of Jesus (trainers of trainers) is a crucial task not only for pastors, spiritual leaders and missionaries. This is the task of every believer. This is the task of everyone who is a disciple of Christ. As basic as it seems, why do so few get involved directly in disciple making? Why don’t we see ourselves as trainers of others?
We have settled for a model far short of what Jesus taught. Why? There are numerous answers to this question. We could blame anyone from Constantine to today’s clergy for not placing more emphasis on empowering local believers to do the work of the ministry. Blaming them would serve no real purpose, though sometimes it can be helpful to understanding the process that led us to the situation the church is in today. You see, if you are focusing only on teaching and not training, you are not creating the kind of wise people Jesus talks about in Matthew 7:24-27. The wise man or woman is the one who hears the word and does what it says (is trained). The foolish man or woman is the one who hears the word but does not do what it says (is not trained). And Paul tells us in Ephesians 4 that the reason that Jesus gives some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers is to prepare (train) God’s people to do the work of ministry. Instead of analyzing the history or blaming various people, it is time for all who follow Christ to wake up to their identity and to their task. We are disciples. Disciples train other disciples. It’s natural. It’s normal. It requires no special skills or special qualifications. We just need to obey Jesus’ command, and begin to do it. Who are you training to obey Christ? Who are they training? Are you a trainer of trainers? A disciple who makes disciples? If not, you can be! Embrace that identity today. 
Welcome back to the Discipleship blog series. If you haven’t read the previous posts, you can find them here.
Last time we learned how God has already given us the relationships necessary to make disciples. We made or began making a list of 100 people we knew. In today’s post, we will discover some significant truths about God’s kingdom economy that might make you go "hmmmm". So let’s talk about God’s KINGDOM ECONOMY. In this broken world, people feel rewarded when they take, when they receive and when they gain more than those around them. In His Scriptures, God tells His people - My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways. God shows us in His Kingdom economy we’re rewarded not by what we get - but by what we give away. God says - I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Jesus said - It is better to give than to receive. Giving away what God gives us and blessing others when God blesses us is the foundation for the SPIRITUAL BREATHING we learned about before. We breathe IN when we HEAR from God. We breathe OUT when we OBEY what we hear and SHARE with others. When we are faithful to OBEY and SHARE what the Lord has shared with us, then He promises to share even more. Jesus said - Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. This is the path to deeper insights, greater intimacy and living the abundant life God created us to live. This is the way we can walk in the good works God has already planned for us to do.
If we want to be rewarded with God’s greatest reward, then we have to practice the two things that He promises to bless.
We must -- • OBEY and SHARE • DO and TEACH • PRACTICE and PASS ON - everything that God tells us to do. 
If we want others to receive God’s greatest reward, then we have to show them how to do the same thing, too. This is a major part of being a disciple and a major part of making disciples.
We are FOLLOWERS and LEADERS We are LEARNERS and TEACHERS We are BLESSED and we are a BLESSING 
God doesn’t want us to wait until we know everything before we start obeying and sharing. That day will never come.
God doesn’t expect us to be fully mature before we start multiplying. He wants us to multiply right away. God wants us to obey what we already know and to share what we’ve already heard. And then He wants us to teach others to do the same. After all - that’s obeying and sharing what He’s already told us to do. This is the path to maturity and growth. What are some differences you see between God’s kingdom economy and our earthly way of doing things? 
Welcome back to the Discipleship blog series. If you haven’t read the previous posts, you can find them here.
Last time we considered how we can use a structure to help spend more time in prayer, The Prayer Cycle. In today’s post, we will discover a tool for finding people with whom to share the good news of Jesus and what we are learning from the Word, the breathing out part of Spiritual Breathing. Jesus said - “Go and make disciples…” And His followers did just that. They went to their family. They went to their friends. They went to people they knew in town. They went to people they worked with. They went. Jesus said “Go” and they obeyed. And God’s family grew. God has already given us the relationships we need to “Go and make disciples.”
These are our family, friends, neighbours, co-workers and classmates - people we’ve known all our lives, people we’ve just met. Being faithful with the people God has already put in our lives is a great first step in multiplying disciples.
And it can start with the simple step of making a list. 
You can download a form on which to record your list of 100 from here.
Make a list of 100 people you’re in contact with. Next to their name, write down if they’re already a believer, if they’re a non-believer or if you don’t know. Your List of 100 can include family members, friends or co-workers that you can share your testimony or God’s story with in the next 24 hours. Being faithful with the people God has already put in our lives is a great first step in multiplying disciples. Ying Kai says there are three truths that exemplify the Father’s heart. God loves you. God has saved you. God wants, through you, to save everyone related to you. This is your list of 100. Your List of 100 . . . a simple tool in your toolbox that multiplies disciples. ● What names on this list could you share either your testimony or God's Story with in the next 24 hours? ● When is a regular time in the week you can review this list and take steps to spiritually engage your personal network? 
Welcome back to the Discipleship blog series. If you haven’t read the previous posts, you can find them here.
Last time we considered how we can help a follower of Jesus become a PRODUCER in God’s kingdom instead of simply a CONSUMER. In today’s post, we will talk about the importance of prayer and how we can become better pray-ers. Wesley L Duewel, former missionary to India and former president of OMS International, was also founder of the Evangelical Foreign Missions Association’s Fellowship of Prayer. He said, “Many Christians are so spiritually frail, sickly, and lacking in spiritual vitality that they cannot stick to prayer for more than a few minutes at a time.” Jesus often taught His followers about the purpose, the practice and the promises of prayer. Jesus said - “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Jesus taught His followers that prayer isn’t for public praise, a selfish wish list or a rambling speech we repeat over and over again. Jesus showed us prayer has power because it’s a direct and ongoing conversation with our Father in heaven who loves us. Like any good conversation, a good prayer means both sides get to listen -- and speak. But speaking to the God who created the universe can seem intimidating. And actually hearing something back - well for most people that can be downright scary. The good news is that getting better at prayer - having better and deeper conversations with a God who loves us - is not only possible - it’s exactly what God wants. But when prayer feels like learning a new language - how do you get better?
The answer is simple - you practice.
The Prayer Cycle is a simple tool for practicing prayer that you can use by yourself and share with any follower. In just 12 simple steps - 5 minutes each - the Prayer Cycle guides you through twelve ways the Bible teaches us to pray. At the end, you’ll have prayed for an hour. Begin at #1-Praise and Adoration and work your way around the circle. The Bible tells us -- “Pray without ceasing.” Not many of us can say we do that. But after this hour of prayer - you’ll be a step closer. The Prayer Cycle - One more simple tool to help you make disciples. 
Welcome back to the Discipleship blog series. If you haven’t read the previous posts, you can find them here. Last time we considered the value of being accountable to what the Bible tells us to do. Every follower of Jesus will be held accountable by God, so every follower of Jesus should practice accountability with others. In today’s post, we’ll talk about how we can help a follower of Jesus become a PRODUCER in God’s kingdom instead of simply a CONSUMER. In His perfect plan, God created us to live in balance - to PRODUCE and to CONSUME, to CREATE and to USE UP, to POUR OUT and to be FILLED so we can POUR OUT again. But, in our broken world, people have rejected God’s plan, and many spend their energy living out just part of God’s perfect equation. They LEARN things but they don’t share them. They are FILLED UP but they never pour out. They CONSUME but they don’t produce. If we’re going to make disciples who multiply, then we need to share with them how they can be producers and not just consumers. This is how — God uses His Written Word - which we call Scripture or the Bible - to grow us spiritually. Every disciple needs to be equipped to learn, interpret and apply Scripture. Over thousands of years and through many different authors, God spoke His word into the hearts of faithful men who captured and shared what they heard. The Scriptures teach us God’s story, His plans, His heart, His ways. In earlier posts, you learned two simple tools - SOAPS Bible Study and Accountability Groups. In an upcoming session, you’ll learn one more simple tool - 3/3rds Groups. These three tools work together to help equip new followers to learn, interpret and apply God’s Written Word. They will learn not to be just hearers of God’s word but doers and sharers, also. God also uses His Spoken Word - which we can discern through Prayer - to grow us spiritually. Prayer is speaking and listening to God. Prayer helps us know God more intimately and understand His heart, His will and His ways. Prayer helps us minister and serve others, helps us teach and share in specific ways that helps individuals or a group know God better. Two simple tools - Prayer Walking and The Prayer Cycle help followers develop a personal prayer life and learn to pray in ways that serve others. These tools help develop a habit of praying without ceasing and learning to see the world from a spiritual perspective instead of only relying on what we can visibly see. When used consistently, they help a follower of Jesus, increase their capacity for prayer and enhance their ability to hear from God and share what they hear. God uses His Body of Believers - which we call The Church or the Followers of Jesus - to grow us spiritually. As the gathering of believers, we are connected. God’s Word says that in Jesus - we are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In other words, we’re not just connected to God - we’re connected with each other. God says to submit to one another. God says to serve one another. Each of us has different strengths and each has weaknesses. God expects us to use our strengths to help others who may be weak. And He expects us to allow others to help us in our weakness using the strengths He has given them. God’s Word says God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings. Simple tools like 3/3rds Groups, Accountability Groups and Peer Mentoring help us encourage one another to love and good works by not only helping us to obey what God tells us to do but also helping us find ways to share what we learn with others. God also uses Persecution and Suffering - sacrifice and loss that we suffer on behalf of Jesus – to grow us spiritually. When people oppress and hurt us because we love and obey Jesus, or when bad things happen even though we love and obey Jesus, God uses those persecutions and sufferings to refine our character and make us more like Jesus. He develops our character, strengthens and purifies our faith, equips for ministry and allows us to serve others who are suffering in a special way - all while making Himself known more clearly to everyone who watches us and knows our pain. God tells us that as followers of Jesus we should expect to be persecuted. Jesus said - God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago. Simple tools like 3/3rds Groups and Accountability Groups give followers of Jesus an opportunity to share the persecutions and sufferings they experience. These groups give you a chance to teach disciples that God’s word says we should expect hard times and to equip them in how to respond well by trusting God’s love even when things go wrong. Scripture. Prayer. Body Life. Persecution and Suffering. These are all ways that God grows us to be more like His perfect Son, Jesus. Simple tools help us not to just be consumers of these good things that God has given us but to be producers and sharers as well. 
Welcome back to the Discipleship blog series. If you haven’t read the previous posts, you can find them here.
Last week we looked at a way to study the Bible, the SOAPS Bible study method. This week we will consider accountability. Jesus said - “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Jesus shared many stories of accountability and told us many truths of how we will be held responsible for what we do and say. Jesus tells us these things now, so we can be ready for later. And because we will be accountable to him one day, it’s good to practice being accountable to one another now. Accountability Groups are made up of two or three people of the same gender - men with men, women with women - who meet once a week to discuss a set of questions that help reveal areas where things are going right and other areas that need correction. Every follower of Jesus will be held accountable by God, so every follower of Jesus should practice accountability with others.
But what are we accountable for? I think there is an issue with some of the existing kinds of accountability groups in that it’s never really clearly defined what anyone is accountable for. So let’s define it here.
Using a set of questions helps to keep the group on track and aware of what the group members are accountable for. Consider the following list of questions that can be used. Some of the terms might not be familiar but future blogs will define the terms and tools associated with them. Accountability questions Pray that we will become like Jesus. How are you doing? How is your prayer life? Do you have any sin to confess? (relational, sexual, financial, pride, integrity, submission to authority, etc.). Did you obey what God told you last time? Share details. Did you pray for the unbelievers on your list of 100 this week? Did you have a chance to share with any of them? Share details. Did you memorize any Scripture this week? Quote it. Have you done your Bible reading each day this week? What did God say to you from the Word this week? What are you going to specifically do about it? Did you meet with your discipleship (three-thirds) group this week? How did it go? Did you model or assist someone in starting a new three-thirds group this week? Share details. Do you see anything hindering my walk with Christ? Did you have the opportunity to share the gospel this week? Share details. Practice 1-3 minute testimonies and the gospel now. Who can you invite to do a DBS with you? Close with prayer regarding what was shared. The whole purpose of accountability is to encourage the expectation of obedience. Jesus said that a disciple is one who follows and obeys. Let’s help each other to follow and obey. So, are you part of an accountability group? Does this seem frightening to you? Do you see value in having this kind of accountability? Let us know in the comments below. If you want someplace to start contact Mark at mkroes@omscanada.org and we could put you in touch with someone in person or virtually to get you started. 
Welcome back to the Discipleship blog series. If you haven’t read the previous posts, you can find them here.
Last weeks post was about Spiritual Breathing. We breathe in when we interact with God in His word and we breathe out when we obey what we learn and share it with others. But how do we interact with God in His word? What does that look like? Jesus said -- “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey all I that I commanded…” If every follower of Jesus is going to obey all that Jesus commanded, then they need to know what Jesus commands. The Great Commandment and The Great Commission are a great summary of what God has to say to us, but if a follower is going to grow into the full measure of what God created them to be, then they need to know and obey even more. The SOAPS Bible Study is a method of interacting with God in His word with a view to obedience; or being doers of the word and not simply hearers.
SOAPS stands for
It’s a simple way to learn and remember an effective Bible study method that any follower of Jesus can use. Let’s look at each section a little more. When you read or listen to the Bible:
So let’s put SOAPS to work:
Try the SOAPS Bible Study and post it to social media with the hashtag #soapsbiblestudy 
In this third post in the discipleship series, we will talk about hearing from God and obeying what we hear.
Breathing is life. We breathe in. We breathe out. Life. Breathing is just as important in God’s Kingdom. In fact, God calls His Spirit - “breath”. In the Kingdom, we breathe IN when we HEAR from God.
In the Kingdom, we breathe OUT when we ACT on what we hear from God. We breathe OUT when we OBEY. Sometimes breathing out to OBEY means changing our thoughts, our words or our actions to align them with Jesus and His will. Sometimes breathing out to OBEY means sharing what Jesus has shared with us - giving away what He gave us - so that others can be blessed just as God is blessing us. For a follower of Jesus - this breathing IN and breathing OUT is critical. It’s our very life. And it is the way to move from being hearers of the Word only to being doers of the Word (Matthew 7:24-27). Jesus said - the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does (John 5:19). Jesus said - I don't speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. Jesus said that every word He spoke and every work He accomplished was based on HEARING from God and OBEYING what He heard. Breathe IN - Hear from God. Breathe OUT - Obey what you hear and share it with others. Jesus said that His followers would also hear from God because of His Holy Spirit - His Breath - that would be breathed into every one of us who follows Him. Jesus said - the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything that I have told you. Breathe IN - Hear from God. Breathe OUT - Obey what you hear and share it with others. Jesus was showing us how to live. So how do we hear God’s voice? How do we know what to obey? Jesus called Himself “The Good Shepherd”. Jesus called His followers His “sheep”. Jesus said - My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. Jesus said - Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God. As followers of Jesus, we have to be committed to hearing His voice.
Not every voice, not every thought, not every vision, feeling or impression is God’s voice. Sometimes it is the voice of the enemy. Jesus said our enemy is a liar and the father of lies. Jesus said our enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. But God says that we WILL hear from Him and we will know it is Him when He speaks. With practice and prayer, we can know God’s voice better. We can learn to know whether what we hear is from God or another voice. Here are some ways to test what we hear:
The good news for every follower of Jesus is that when we breathe IN and HEAR from God and when we breathe OUT and OBEY what we hear and SHARE with others what we’ve heard – God will speak even more clearly.
His breath will breathe through us even more.
We will HEAR His voice more clearly. We will KNOW His voice and not another’s. We will SEE His work in the world and be able to join in and work with Him. We breathe in. We breathe out. Life. Consider these questions…
Drop your answers and thoughts into the comments below. We would love to hear your thoughts on spiritual breathing. 
What is a disciple? And how do you make one?
How do you take someone who has lived their life as a captive of the world and equip them to become a citizen of God’s kingdom?
How do you teach a follower of Jesus to obey all of His commands?
The meaning of the word disciple is a follower. So a disciple is a follower of God. Jesus said - All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me. So in God’s kingdom, Jesus is our King. We are His citizens, subjects of His will. His desires, purposes, intentions, priorities and values are the highest and best. His Word is the law. So what is the law of the kingdom? What does Jesus tell His citizens to do? Jesus said -- Love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. Jesus said -- Love your neighbour as yourself. Jesus said that God’s commands from the Old Testament -- all the law and the prophets – can be summarized in these two things -- Love God and Love People. Jesus said -- Make disciples. Jesus said -- Teach them to obey all that I’ve commanded. Since making disciples includes teaching them all that Jesus commanded -- the New Testament can be summarized in this one thing -- Make Disciples who Multiply. A disciple is a follower of Jesus who Loves God, Loves People and Makes Disciples who Multiply. So what is a church? You may be used to thinking of the church as a building - a place where you go. But God’s Word talks about the church as a gathering - a people you belong to. The word “church” is used in the Bible in three different ways:
A spiritual family - followers of Jesus who Love God, Love People and Make Disciples and who meet together locally make up this last kind of church - the church at home or the simple church. When groups of these simple churches connect to do something bigger, together, they can form a city or regional church. All of those simple churches networked into regions and stretched across history make up the universal church. THAT’S CHURCH WITH A CAPITAL “C” Simple churches are spiritual families with Jesus as their centre and their King. Simple churches are spiritual families who Love God, Love Others and Make Disciples who Multiply. Some churches have Buildings and Programs and Budgets and Staff… But simple churches don’t need any of these things to Love God, Love Others and Make Disciples who Multiply. And since anything extra makes a church more complicated and harder to multiply, discipleship training leaves things like Buildings and Programs and Budgets and Staff to the city or regional church built from multiplying simple churches. In Matthew 13 and Luke 13 Jesus describes the kingdom of God as leaven or yeast -- a simple, single-cell organism that reproduces quickly. With discipleship training – we aim to be like that yeast - simple and multiplying. How would you answer these questions?
Leave your answers in the comments below. If you are interested in discipleship training, give the office a call or send an email and we will get back to you with details. Contact information 
Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is like a woman who took a small amount of yeast and put into a great amount of dough.
As she worked the yeast into the mix, it spread until all of the dough was leavened. Jesus was showing us that an ordinary person can take something very small and use it to make an impact that’s very big! Our dream is to do what Jesus said -- to help ordinary people around the world use small tools to make a big impact in God’s kingdom! Have you ever wondered how the church got started? In the beginning, nobody was a professional. Are you surprised? It’s a good thing God had a plan that didn't require professionals. God uses ordinary people. He did it to start the first movement of the church. And He does it today. The first church sent ordinary people around the world to tell others about Jesus. It sent ordinary people to stand before governors and generals and rulers and kings. It sent ordinary people to heal the sick, feed the hungry, raise the dead, and teach all of God’s commands to everyone in the world. The first church sent ordinary people to change the world. And they did. Our dream is to do what Jesus said -- to help ordinary people around the world use small tools to make a big impact in God’s kingdom!
Jesus’ final instructions to His followers were simple. He said — All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and 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, And I will be with you always - even to the end of the age.
Jesus’ command was simple - make disciples. His instructions on how to do that were simple:
So what are the steps to make a disciple?
Every follower of Jesus should count on the promise that Jesus is always with us. Because He is! But that also means every follower of Jesus should commit to the fact that Jesus wants each of us to make disciples. Because He does. Jesus said - All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples. The authority that Jesus relies on when He sends us -- is His authority. Jesus says there is no authority higher than that. No tradition has more authority. No culture has more authority. No law on earth has more authority. Jesus said - Go and make disciples. Ask yourself this… If Jesus intended every one of His followers to obey His Great Commission, why do so few actually make disciples? Is the idea that God uses ordinary people different from what you had learned or assumed was the plan? Do you wonder what simple tools are available to help you make a big impact for the Kingdom of God? Let us know in the comments and we will get in touch. |
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