Discipleship Strategies5th Lesson

2012

Greg Ford

MidTerm

Healthy Discipleship Group

• Close family atmosphere• Life application of Bible principles• Individual care• Opportunities to share personal testimonies• Encouragement and edification• Unlimited opportunities for meaningful service• Relational evangelism• Intensive care and discipling of new converts• Spiritual growth• Leadership development

Key Development Principles

• Focus training to influence character and conduct• Adapt your style and methods of equipping to the student’s

characteristics, circumstances & needs• Master the basics before attempting to develop advanced skills• Encourage students more frequently during early training• Train until students have successfully mastered the skill and can

function independently• Focus more intensely on those most committed• Motivate with meaningful relationship, recognition, & reward• Realize that training is most effective when it includes both

teaching and practice• Affirm the student’s value independent of their performance

Build an Apprenticeship Strategy

• Analyze• Assign• Coach• Evaluate• Praise• Promote

Build an Apprenticeship Strategy

• Analyze - determine gifts, abilities, interests, passion, personality, commitment, energy, & time availability

• Assign - give specific task assignments that are challenging, but attainable. Design the level of difficulty around the team members skills and experience. Think through the progression of tasks you assign to ensure that the level of challenge steadily and consistently increases.

• Coach - Provide vision, adequate resources & consistent support for your team members to stand on as they seek to achieve each task.

• Evaluate - schedule regular reviews iin which to evaluate experiences, summarize results, and discern areas of improvement

• Praise - acknowledge your team members unique contributions, affirm their intrinsic value to the team, & celebrate all victories

• Promote - create and provide continuing opportunites for personal and professional growth, renewal, and challenge

Knowledge vs Character

11

List top 10 things someone would need to know to be a mature disciple

List top 10 traits that should be a part of a mature disciples life

Knowledge / Skills

Discipleship Goals

LAW AND GRACE– Knows how to confess sin and claim grace – Able to set goals under grace, and able to shake off failure and

carry on. – Knows, articulates, and depends on God’s part in ministry. – Has developed reasonable ethical priorities, in the sense that

he/she knows what constitutes serious sin versus minor sin. – The disciple is focused on the main issues in sanctification

rather than "straining out the gnat and swallowing the camel."  – Understands the true role of the law. Understands the true role

of discipline. Consistently grateful to God. 

Discipleship Goals

SANCTIFICATION– Knows about identity in Christ and correct relationship of

indicatives and imperatives. – Knows how to worship God in all ways, and with excitement. – Understands the process of sanctification verses quick fixes. – Knows and practices the means of growth as a lifestyle. – Able to withstand suffering with an attitude of faith. – Obeys God much of the time. – Victory over discrediting sin. – Loyal to God over materialistic goals. – Eternal values system. – Convinced that self-giving love is the key to fulfillment. 

Discipleship Goals

BIBLIOLOGY/HERMENEUTICS– Able to articulate and defend biblical authority, inspiration, and

canon. – Knows and can use grammatical historical hermeneutics. – Knows how to do inductive study. – Knows how to use Bible study tools. – Familiar with typical lines of attack on hermeneutics. – Knows how to harmonize and resolve most problem passages. – Understands salvation history.

Discipleship Goals

THEOLOGY PROPER– Knows how God’s attributes apply to personal trust, ministry,

and prayer. – Able to articulate and defend the Trinity. – Understands how God’s image is reflected in humans. – Able to correct common misconceptions about God and the

Bible.   

Discipleship Goals

SATANOLOGY– Knows who Satan is and understands the angelic realm. – Discerning about aberrant teaching on demonology. – Knows how to recognize, bind, and fight demonic attacks in

self and others.  – Understands the world system and the proper response to it. 

Discipleship Goals

APOLOGETICS/WITNESSING– Able to share own testimony. – Able to witness and actively witnesses. – Knows about the decision continuum and other principles of

evangelism. – Has brought people who received Christ. – Conversant with the main world views opposing Christ in their

culture and have at least some defenses for each. – Understands and effectively refutes common misconceptions

about Christianity. – Understands and participates in world evangelism. 

Discipleship Goals

ECCLESIOLOGY/MINISTRY/BODY LIFE – Active in body life at all needed levels. – Knows and embraces the importance of ministry. – Understands what the church is can can distinguish it from the

Old Testament covenant. – Understands spiritual gifts, church offices, church discipline,

and church finance. – Has established a personal ministry within, and perhaps

outside, the home church. – Is a consistent giver, and belongs to the FST. – Seeks or has an opportunity to practice personal discipleship.

Discipleship Goals

RELATIONSHIPS– Understands biblical love and is able to maintain lasting

friendships. – Able to handle and resolve interpersonal conflict. – Practices sexual self-control. – Has adjusted to marriage and fulfills role as spouse and

parent. – Has developed relationship-related character qualities

(patience, kindness, initiative, honesty, etc.), so that he/she is known as a loving person both inside and outside the church.  

Discipleship Goals

PNEUMATOLOGY/CHRISTOLOGY– Knows the ministries of the Spirit and regularly depends on the

power of the Spirit for living and ministry. – Knows the difference between the role of the H.S. in the OT &

NT.  – Ready to answer aberrant teaching on the Holy Spirit. – Looks for where the Spirit is leading and responds accordingly. – Knows scriptures and can articulate the uniqueness of Christ,

His dual natures, His deity, His work, and His return.

Qualities / Character

Discipleship Qualities: Teachability

• Disciples of Jesus Christ must be readily teachable, even to the point of obeying seemingly absurd commands that violate natural inclinations and cold logic.

Discipleship Qualities: Flexibility

• Citizenship in the kingdom of God must be seen as an entirely new and unique life calling, not as something to be added to the old life.

Discipleship Qualities: Humility

• Disciples of Jesus accept and live by an economic, social, and moral value system that is contrary to the world's and to natural human inclinations.

Discipleship Qualities: Compassion

• In kingdom living, disciples of Jesus Christ respond to hostility and rejection by treating their enemies as well as they want to be treated themselves.

Discipleship Qualities: Integrity

• Rather than focusing on the failures and inadequacies of others, disciples of Christ periodically engage in healthy self-evaluation to assess their own spiritual status.

Discipleship Qualities: Selflessness

• Disciples must put the cause of the kingdom in priority over their own happiness, convenience, comfort, and even their own existence.

Discipleship Qualities: Intensity

• Discipleship demands singleness of purpose, which will be demonstrated by a sense of extreme urgency for advancing God's kingdom.

Discipleship Qualities: Courage

• Because the mission of the kingdom of God is accomplished by demonstration and proclamation of the gospel, when courageous disciples further that mission, they are the kingdom.

Discipleship Qualities: Dependency

• People of the kingdom place their full confidence in the goodness and power of God, continually depending on him for provisions, forgiveness, guidance, and spiritual strength.

Discipleship Qualities: Transparency

• Because disciples believe that the kingdom of God is the realm where truth prevails, they strive to have honest and open relationships.

Discipleship Qualities: Contentment

• Sabbath and Jubilee principles, with their economic, social, and theological implications, must govern a disciple's everyday lifestyle.

Discipleship Qualities: Trustworthiness

• Disciples of the kingdom practice spiritual shrewdness, which reflects the faithful and wise stewardship of all resources, especially human relationships.

Discipleship Qualities: Accountability

• Disciples must become accountable, which entails confronting sin in each other courageously and compassionately for the purpose of stimulating each others' spiritual advancement.

Discipleship Qualities: Alertness

• Every day is lived and worked with a sense of anticipation and alertness by disciples because they expect that their Lord may return at any moment.

Discipleship Qualities: Servanthood

• Leadership in the kingdom of God is not attained through professional status, economic success, or natural ability, but through the humble, selfless spirit of servanthood.

Stopped week 5 here

38

Discipleship Strategies5th Class

2010

Greg Ford

Mid Term Due today

42

Key Development Principles

• Focus training to influence character and conduct• Adapt your style and methods of equipping to the student’s

characteristics, circumstances & needs• Master the basics before attempting to develop advanced skills• Encourage students more frequently during early training• Train until students have successfully mastered the skill and can

function independently• Focus more intensely on those most committed• Motivate with meaningful relationship, recognition, & reward• Realize that training is most effective when it includes both

teaching and practice• Affirm the student’s value independent of their performance

24.2

44

Build an Apprenticeship Strategy

• Analyze• Assign• Coach• Evaluate• Praise• Promote

Build an Apprenticeship Strategy

• Analyze• Assign• Coach• Evaluate• Praise• Promote

Build an Apprenticeship Strategy

• Analyze - determine gifts, abilities, interests, passion, personality, commitment, energy, & time availability

Build an Apprenticeship Strategy

• Assign - give specific task assignments that are challenging, but attainable. Design the level of difficulty around the team members skills and experience. Think through the progression of tasks you assign to ensure that the level of challenge steadily and consistently increases.

Build an Apprenticeship Strategy

• Coach - Provide vision, adequate resources & consistent support for your team members to stand on as they seek to achieve each task.

Build an Apprenticeship Strategy

• Evaluate - schedule regular reviews in which to evaluate experiences, summarize results, and discern areas of improvement

Build an Apprenticeship Strategy

• Praise - acknowledge your team members unique contributions, affirm their intrinsic value to the team, & celebrate all victories

Build an Apprenticeship Strategy

• Promote - create and provide continuing opportunities for personal and professional growth, renewal, and challenge

Build an Apprenticeship Strategy

• Analyze - determine gifts, abilities, interests, passion, personality, commitment, energy, & time availability

• Assign - give specific task assignments that are challenging, but attainable. Design the level of difficulty around the team members skills and experience. Think through the progression of tasks you assign to ensure that the level of challenge steadily and consistently increases.

• Coach - Provide vision, adequate resources & consistent support for your team members to stand on as they seek to achieve each task.

• Evaluate - schedule regular reviews iin which to evaluate experiences, summarize results, and discern areas of improvement

• Praise - acknowledge your team members unique contributions, affirm their intrinsic value to the team, & celebrate all victories

• Promote - create and provide continuing opportunites for personal and professional growth, renewal, and challenge

IPHC Making Disciples

• Reach 3• Plant 3• Disciple 3