r3 ally

"When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra..."

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:30:01 -0500

“When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

-
Acts 14:21-22

The Heart of Discipleship

Thu, 31 May 2012 13:28:39 -0500

markphilipfcagayat:

The Heart of Discipleship

by Jonathan Parnell

Discipleship is about values. This could not be clearer in the Gospels. Jesus’ call is for a double action: leave and follow. “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,” he first said to Peter and Andrew in Matthew 4:19. And “Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” Then to James and John. And “Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” Whether nets or family, the call to follow Jesus is the call to walk away from something else. It is the call to this, not that. Here, not there.

The disciples knew this. They knew they were forsaking one thing for another. And they knew pleasure was at the root. That’s why Peter asked what he did in Matthew 19:27. To be sure, he was still putting the pieces together, but he tipped his hand here. He was waiting for the pay off. Jesus had just taught on riches, which I imagine seemed out of the ballpark to Peter. Riches? Psssssst! (He had even walked away from his meager livelihood.) Ayhem, Jesus? Great lesson on riches, and about that, we, you know, we, uh, we left everything. So when do we get to cash the check?

Maybe more astonishing than Peter asking the question is that Jesus answers him.

Forsake the lesser pursuit in order to gain the greater pleasure. That’s why a man sells everything to buy a field (Matthew 13:44) or why the merchant considers all his goods mere commerce compared to one pearl (Matthew 13:45). There is something better out there and discipleship is the great calling to lay hold of it.

The human is a deep creature: “not just a body, but a soul. Not just a soul, but a soul with a passion and a desire. Not just a desire for being liked or for playing softball or collecting shells.” And Jesus says, “Follow me.” His call harmonizes with our inherent depth. Look, here’s the treasure. It’s me. Then we are awakened, muddy hands and all, wallowing in the slums this whole time but now testifying of a “desire for something infinitely great and beautiful and valuable and satisfying — the name and the glory of God” (Boasting Only in the Cross). So we leave and we follow. Goodbye broken cisterns (Jeremiah 2:13), hello my exceeding joy (Psalm 43:4).

We follow Jesus into a new world, not as pedagogy, but as fellowship. We come not as pupils, but as rebellious creatures made alive for the first time — rebellious creatures now reconciled to God by the death of his Son. Discipleship — following Jesus — is to live before God’s face, to dwell in his presence, to be satisfied in all that he is. We follow as creatures of grace, entering into the fellowship of the triune God in whose presence there is fullness of joy, at whose right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).

From: http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-heart-of-discipleship

How to Disciple A New Believer

Wed, 30 May 2012 13:31:04 -0500

How to Disciple A New Believer:

Justin Buzzard writes about a simple way to disciple new believers in your small group using just your Bible.

Discipled to Disciple

Tue, 29 May 2012 13:28:01 -0500

part 2: The Spark

Last week I wrote about looking around to see if people were pouring their lives out for others, who in turn would pour their life into someone else. The answer, sadly, was no. Or better put, not yet. What I see when I look around me is a people ready to burn white hot for the Lord, and the Holy Spirit ready to blow a fresh wind across the face of the church and fan the flame. All we need is a spark. I believe that spark is a discipleship vision.

What would happen if believers across the country and around the world would read the gospels … check that… . read the whole Bible with one question in mind: what am I commanded to do? What should I do in response to what I have read? Of course we could start with Matthew 28:18-20 … but that’s only one of many. Take a few minutes and look at these verses:

John 8:31-32
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Luke 9:23
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
1 Peter 2:9-10
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
2 Timothy 2:2
and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also

These are just a few selections. There has been a lot of ink spilled about what the big theme or main idea of the Bible is. I am not qualified to jump into that argument. Here’s what I can say: God has given us everything by giving us Himself. Now he asks us to live lives that honor him and help others to do the same.

Imagine how different the Church (that’s big “C” Church … the Bride of Christ … all of God’s people) would look if we all took this message to heart. What if we all found someone and started reading the Bible with them. We started praying with and for them. We encouraged them to find someone else to do the same thing with. I am confident that the Holy Spirit would do His work and we would see the beginning of something incredible. We would see a fire like we have never seen. And it all starts … with a spark.

by Michael Smith

Community Pastor

Fellowship Bible Church of NWA

mismith@fellowshipnwa.org

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

Fri, 25 May 2012 09:46:41 -0500

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

- raised to living: ephesians 4:32

"Discipleship is truth transferred through relationship."

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:40:57 -0500

“Discipleship is truth transferred through relationship.”

- Justin Buzzard

The Price of Non-Discipleship

Wed, 23 May 2012 09:53:01 -0500

gollyallison:

“Nondiscipleship cuts you off from abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, a faith that sees everything in the light of God’s overriding governance for good, a hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances, a power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil. In short, nondiscipleship costs you exactly the abundance of life that Jesus said he came to bring.”

-Dallas Willard, The Great Omission

Five Things Mentors Should Model

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:55:30 -0500

Five Things Mentors Should Model:

Mentoring is part of discipleship. Here are five things a mentor can pass on to the man or woman with whom they are meeting.

via www.theresurgence.com

Discipled to Disciple

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:14:00 -0500

I have been thinking about why we do discipleship. I know there are plenty of answers, the most correct and most import one being BECAUSE JESUS TOLD US TO. But I am thinking in more pragmatic terms. I am asking myself, “What is the desired outcome?” Do I want them to be more like Jesus? Of course! Do I want the person I am pouring into to be more Biblically literate? Absolutely! What about being a better dad, a better husband, a better worker? All good things, so yes … I want those things too. But none of those are really the win I am looking for. I want the person I disciple to disciple someone else. That’s when I know it has taken hold.

In Genesis 12:1-3 we see that God tells Abram that he is going to bless him so that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed. We often refer to that as “blessed to be a blessing.” I think the same principal applies to discipleship: discipled to be a discipler. So when I look around my church, my community, and my sphere of influence, do I see hundreds of men and women who have had someone pour into them who are now pouring into others? The honest answer is, “No.” But maybe a better answer is actually, “Not yet.” I think the tinder is dry and just needs a spark. The Holy Spirit will provide the wind to fan the flame into a huge fire of reproducing disciples.

So what is the spark? Next week.

by Michael Smith

Community Pastor, Fellowship Bible Church of NWA

mismith@fellowshipnwa.org

"Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door..."

Fri, 18 May 2012 09:49:48 -0500

“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

-
Jesus

in Revelation 3:19-20

What Does "Gospel Centered" Mean?

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:55:19 -0500

What Does "Gospel Centered" Mean?:

It’s no secret that r3ally.org is a huge Jonathan Dodson fan. In this short article from Ed Stetzer’s blog JD describes what the phrase “gospel centered” means in the context of discipleship.

When You Are Stuck

Wed, 16 May 2012 09:50:41 -0500

When You Are Stuck:

From Casey Cease, writing at theResurgence.com: Sometimes you just feel like you are stuck and get started. Here are five things to remember when you find yourself there.

"Without the Holy Spirit, Christian discipleship would be inconceivable, even impossible. There can..."

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:50:00 -0500

“Without the Holy Spirit, Christian discipleship would be inconceivable, even impossible. There can be no life without the life-giver, no understanding without the Spirit of truth, no fellowship without the unity of the Spirit, no Christlikeness of character apart from his fruit, and no effective witness without his power.”

- John Stott (via milestradewell)

photo via Flickr

Truth Travels the Road of Relationships

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:30:49 -0500

Part 3: It’s Out There. Now What?

photo via http://fortheloveofhistruth.com

We’ve been talking about how truth travels the road of relationships. At this point in the process we have established a relationship with someone, and we have broached the subject of spiritual things. To borrow from a current twitter meme: it’s that awkward moment when the relationship has gone somewhere new. Now what?

Your friend’s response will be somewhere on the spectrum that ranges from “I hate Jesus and I hate you. Never speak to me again,” to “I was hoping someone would offer me the chance to pray and receive Christ today. Looks like you are that person.” Most likely, the response will be enigmatic and somewhat tepid. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1) Now that you have brought Jesus into the relationship you can truly be yourself with this person. Transparency is the key in any relationship, and your friend having a chance to see you do your best to walk with Jesus, even when it’s not too pretty, could well be the most compelling form of the gospel they have encountered.

2) You are a messenger, not a savior. The Holy Spirit is the real Evangelist. You have gotten real with your friend and you can continue to be real, but you won’t be able to talk them into the kingdom. Or twist their arm. Or high pressure sell them. You can be there for them and pray for them, but you have to trust the Lord with the results.

3) Talk about Jesus. If he really is the most important thing in your life, you should be able to talk about him as much as the other important things in your life like Dancing With the Stars and the NFL Draft.

If we are real and winsome, we can be ourselves, give the Spirit room to operate, and with time and prayer, see some gospel fruit.

by Michael Smith

Community Pastor, Fellowship Bible Church of NWA

mismith@fellowshipnwa.org

"What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if..."

Fri, 11 May 2012 09:57:01 -0500

“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!””

-
Jesus

in Luke 11:11-13

20 Gospel Questions

Thu, 10 May 2012 09:56:00 -0500

20 Gospel Questions:

Gospel Centered Discipleship has quickly become one of our favorite sites here at r3ally.org. This great post has 20 questions to reflect on the gospel; a great discussion piece with your man or woman or an opportunity for some honest self-evaluation.

kingspraiseministry: Tomorrow I am teaching class on...

Wed, 09 May 2012 09:49:54 -0500

kingspraiseministry:

Tomorrow I am teaching class on discipleship. It is session #4 called “The Commitment of a Disciple” and I laughed out loud when I saw this cartoon.

Emphasizing Grace

Tue, 08 May 2012 09:07:00 -0500

Emphasizing Grace:

In this blog post, Ed Underwood describes the importance of emphasizing grace in your discipleship relationships.

photo via Flickr

"This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone...."

Fri, 04 May 2012 09:43:50 -0500

“This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

-
Peter

in Acts 4:11-12

"The bottom line is that gospel ministry is a privilege, a stewardship. It was here long before we..."

Thu, 03 May 2012 09:32:02 -0500

“The bottom line is that gospel ministry is a privilege, a stewardship. It was here long before we arrived on the planet and will be long after we are gone. I’ve learned that the sooner I get over myself, the easier and better it is for me to lead. You’ve got to die to yourself.”

-
Daniel Darling

(via his blog)