I saw a note from Ed Stetzer (@edstetzer) on Twitter today about Winfield Bevin’s e-book on discipleship.
Here is a description of Grow: Reproducing through Organic Discipleship from Bevins:
Many churches have a linear discipleship program where they try to funnel everyone through the same process. Sadly, many times churches simply use the latest program or book in hopes that what works for a large church across the country in a different context will work for them. Organic discipleship is the opposite. Organic Discipleship is an organic understanding of the spiritual formation that begins and ends with the gospel. Just as the physical body has to have an organic structure to hold it together while allowing it to grow and develop, likewise the body of Christ must have an organic structure that can do the same. Organic discipleship is not a program or curriculum; rather it is about learning the natural rhythms of discipleship within your church context.
Did you catch that, Organic Discipleship is an organic understanding of the spiritual formation that begins and ends with the gospel.
Oh how sweet is the Gospel that saves and transforms! This is a message that Christians and churches need to hear.
Read Grow: Reproducing through Organic Discipleship. It is available in a free PDF version or buy it in print.
My devotion on Hebrews 5 is up today at FBCN’s The Summit site.
My lovely wife nursed both of our daughters, so there was not much of an opportunity for me to feed them. I looked forward to the days ahead when I would be able to feed them some “real” food. Unfortunately for me, the child development process takes time. As much as I wanted introduce solids, we knew that feeding a baby solid food too early would make them sick. On the other hand, keeping them on milk for too long would mean that they wouldn’t get the nourishment they need to grow healthy. We patiently waited for the right moment to introduced solids and gradually moved forward.
Like human development, spiritual growth is a process – a process that should be moving forward towards maturity. In Hebrews 5:11-14 we see that God’s design is for a new believer to become grounded in the elementary truths of the faith. Once grounded, they should be growing towards maturity. We should not become stagnant or worse, regress. No, we should mature, teaching righteousness and helping others distinguish between good and evil.
Just as we all look forward to the development of our children we should be mindful of our own spiritual growth. Take a look at your relationship with God. Are you enjoying solid food moving towards maturity? How about your spouse? Your children? Your fellow Life Group members?
Drew Leaver and Rowland Forman led this breakout session during the Life Group Leadership Workshop today.
- 1 Timothy 4:16
- Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
- What is depth?
- The third dimension.
- Perspective or the sense of distance from an observation point: linear perspective in painting.
- The degree of richness or intensity: depth of color
- [Also referring to: Intellectual complexity; the penetration of an idea; the range of one's understanding; complete detail.]
Goal is to create perspective on what God is calling us to do. Add perspective, intensity, richness. There is more to this life.
- Remember people’s problems and prayers.
- Bring the idea of the night back to real life.
Tie it in to what the group is wrestling with in their own lives.
- Let it marinate.
- use the week to reflect and consider what the last sermon means for you. Let the passages and the big idea of the study sink in.
- Make it personal.
- Lead by example. Your group will only be as personal as you are, as deep as you area, and as authentic as you are. If you want them to make it personal, show them that you have.
Getting familiar with the Word of God
Rowland suggests:
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Spiritual showers, i.e. “Daily office”
See Ephesians 5 and the “washing of scripture”. Read the scriptures with assistance of a program. Discipleship Journal has some great Bible reading plans. The One Year Bible (NIV) is a great tool as well.
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Spiritual spa baths
Memorize and meditate on a specific scripture passage until you are living that passage. Let it marinate in your life.
How do you balance “pop-culture Christianity” answers with Biblical truth? Tie the lessons to people’s problems and prayers.
Here’s an idea: start the night talking about what God is doing in each other’s lives so that you can apply the lesson to each person. Get the community invested in each other.
Creating tension/uncomfort can be good.
Might want to prep the group earlier in the week with a selected scripture verse/passage or maybe an idea that relates to the lesson.
Sermon Based Studies are now know as Life Group Lessons. These will be posted the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month. These are guides. Steal these ideas and personalize them for your group. Capture the problems and prayers of the group. Base the study on these needs.
Preview: In January 2007, there will be a sermon series that all Life Group’s will be asked to study.
