Understanding Discipleship: Disciple Types

Ever get frustrated with your discipleships?   You work hard, invest, give your heart and soul and it seems to turn out to be a bust?  Well, you’re not alone.  Jesus told us it would be that way.  Remember the parable of the sower in Matthew 13?

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds.  As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them.  Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.  But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died.7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants.  Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!  Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

Jesus’ disciples didn’t understand, so He explained it a few verses later…

“Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds:  The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts.  The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.  But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.  The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.  The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

See it now?  Four types of disciples:

1.   Hard Ground

2.  Rocky Ground

3.  Thorny Ground

4.  Good Ground

Hard Ground represents the disciples who never seem to understand that God loves them or the grace that God has given them.  They begin, but quit very quickly and usually aren’t seen much again.

Rocky Ground is the disciple that seems to have so much promise.  You meet with them the first time and they are excited!  They take your materials and they can’t wait to meet again.  You just know this will be good.  Then something comes up and they can’t meet with you.  No worries – we’ll meet next week.  Then it happens again – problems seems to be overtaking them.  Soon this excited new disciple falls away.  They usually feel guilty – but have no real change.  What happened?  The seed took root, but the ground was shallow and because they didn’t continue to grow the plants didn’t mature – they dried up.

Thorny Ground is way too common today.  It’s when a disciple begins to grow – they’ve met with you a couple of weeks or months – and things look good.  Then things begin to SLOWLY change.  This one is a SLOW FADE.  The worries of life, materialism, friends, busyness with school or work slowly choke them out.  You notice and point it out – they fight it – but often are overtaken anyway by the thorns.

Good Ground is what we hope for every time.  These are reproducing disciples.  They hear and understand.  These meetings are so much fun and they abound with “ah-ha” moments.  As they grow, they change and become more and more like Jesus.  They have a heart for God and others.  Soon they mature and are leading others to faith in Christ and discipling others themselves.

What’s the point?  The point is – we want all good ground disciples – but that’s not how it works.  Jesus said HIS hearers and followers were of the four types and so will ours be!  We must learn to simply obey and follow the Master and let the results to Him.

It’s just like a farmer… he can plant correctly, water effectively, and fertilize  strategically – but he can’t make a single thing grow.  That’s a miracle reserved for God.  To take a seed and turn it into a reproducing plant is what He does.

Let’s remember to leave His job to Him and just do ours with a joyful heart.  You’ll be happier and much more productive.

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.  Galatians 6:9

The Main Things in Ministry

As a ministry leader or volunteer – have you ever wondered what you are supposed to do? What should occupy your time? What the main things should be? What your goals and objectives should look like?

This is determined for most by…

1). What you hear – What the newest buzzwords are… What your ministry friends are doing… What you hear other local ministries are doing

2). What you read – The lastest ministry twitter trend… The hottest new ministry book… The most followed blog

3). What you see – When you speak at another ministry… When you’re on sabbatical… Advertised at a ministry nearby

What should be our Main Things in ministry? We need to look to the Master Ministry Leader Jesus. What did he have as His main objectives?

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” (Matthew 9:35-38 NLT)

In these verses we see the BIG FOUR ministry focuses in Jesus ministry. We should take our cue from Him.

1. Teach …teaching in the synagogues

Paul tells Timothy:
Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. (2 Timothy 4:2-4 NLT)

It’s the Word of God that changes lives! We MUST stay faithful and consistent to teach it – literally and accurately. This is true in our preaching and our one-on-one discipleship.

2. Evangelize -…announcing the Good News

But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:5 NIV84)

We can never forget the importance and life-changing power of the Gospel. We must NEVER get too busy to share in regularly. (Remember Jesus’ command to disciple – Matthew 28:19-20)

3. Minister to People’s Needs …healed every kind of disease and illness – When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them

A friend once told me, “If you minister to hurting people, you’ll never be without a congregation!”. It’s easy to get so busy doing ministry that you don’t have time for people anymore. When you loose touch with people, and loose you’re heart for them, you’ve disqualified yourself for ministry. Ministry is people!

Jesus said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” (Matthew 9:12 NLT)

4. Develop Leaders -Replace yourself! …So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields

As ministry leaders, we get so busy doing ministry, that we forget one of the most important things. Develop others to do ministry!

What adjustments do you need to make in your ministry objectives and day-to-day routine? Prayerfully and obediently follow the Leader< and watch your ministry explode!

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11, 12 NLT)

Do we think we’re smarter than God? That we know best? That no one can do it like we can? We need to obey God and make it a primary objective to develop others to do ministry.

The wounds of a ministry…

If you’ve spent any time as the leader of a ministry, you’ve undoubtedly been wounded by it – probably in many ways. The hurts of ministry run deep, and have marooned many a leader.

They come in various forms:

1. Abandonment

When God called me to the lead pastor role and we launched Center Point Church, I had no real understanding of ministry abandonment or idea how to handle it. If you’re a ministry leader, you’ve felt the sting of someone leaving your ministry for no good explainable reason. You feel rejected and hurt. You don’t know how to respond.

2. Betrayal

Nothing cuts deeper than the betrayal of a friend – especially a staff member or ministry leader. I wasn’t prepared for this one either. It hurt me in ways that are difficult to explain unless you’ve been there. You invest, defend, protect, nature, and trust someone … and then whamo – they drop kick you through the goal posts of life. You’re left reeling and trying to decide how to react. It’s easy to withdraw and not to trust anyone, but that’s not right or healthy.

3. Concern

Paul writes about the pain of his daily concern for the churches he birthed. It hurts so bad when you see those you love make bad choices – especially those with big life impact.

4. Apathy

When those you’ve reached seemingly walk away from the faith, it’s devastating. You reach out, you cry, you pray… but you must leave them to their Father who loves them more than you ever could.

5. Failure

Sometimes the greatest pain comes when you feel like you’ve failed, When someone you lead fails, it feels like you fail right along with them.

Proverbs 27:6 says, Faithful are the awounds of a friend… I wonder if that applies to ministries? What can I learn from the wounds they deliver? How can I improve? How can i grow?

Here’s a few ideas:

1) Remember who you work for. No matter who you report to, God is you’re ultimate boss and He is able to care for His employees.

2) Never forget that hurt people, hurt people. . Try and understand what the thorn in the paw is in the individual inflicting the pain on you. Knowing won’t change the hurt, but it may help you deal with it. Try and love them through it.

3) Sometimes you have to just grit your teeth and get through it. Things change. It will get better.

4) Rely on God’s faithfulness.

Because of the Lord ‘s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

What are your thoughts? Your suggestions? Please share them.

LEAD…Don’t DOMINATE

Most wars, divorces, church splits, and family feuds are about control. It seems to be the life goal of humanity. Many of us as leaders fall into this trap. Win-Lose… and of course we know who has to win. Domination is the ungodly aim of dictators and devilish cartoon villains. It should not be ours!

There’s a big difference between leading and dominating.

Dominating is self motivated and self exalting – while leading is about developing others and team play.

Dominating is Win-Lose, while leading is Win-Win.

Dominating tears others down, while leading builds them up.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3-4

Ask yourself the hard questions…
Is my leadership characterized more by pride or humility?
Are my goals more about me or us?
Do I always have to win?

The POWER of a PERSONAL witness

I’ve been thinking so much lately about personal evangelism … wondering why it seems so much more difficult to lead people to believe in Jesus and turn to Him.  It seems to me like this has gotten steadily harder the last five or so years.  I’ve talked to many people about this – most seem to agree.  I know that I have intensified my evangelism efforts – but seem to have less results lately.

I wonder if we have forgotten the POWER of a PERSONAL witness?  In reading Acts 4 today, I am amazed how people heard the testimony of Peter and the other disciples and turned to Jesus.  It’s easy for us to assume that this is because things were different then – it was a long time ago.  The facts are, it was probably harder!  If we think our culture is against Jesus today  - we should have lived then!!  All of the religious leaders and public opinion at large saw Jesus as a heretic – a rebel rouser – someone to avoid – so much so that they killed Him.

Even after the religious leaders imprisoned Peter and the others – over 5,000 people believed their PERSONAL witness of who Jesus is and how He changed them and accepted salvation for themselves.

Why ??

• They were Holy Spirit anointed.  Acts 2 had just happened – they were filled and fully yielded to God’s power at work in them.  Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  We cannot underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  I wonder how much this holds us back…
• They fully believed the message.  They weren’t playing some of the mind games that many of us play.  They believed it so much that they were willing to die for it – at a minutes notice.  There’s power when we believe in something that much.  Do we really believe that Jesus is the only way to God?  Do we really believe that He is the answer that everyone needs?  Or… have we subtly bought the lie of relativism, pluralism, and tolerance?
• They shared it unapologetically.  Too often, I think we’re more afraid of what people will think and say than we are about the destiny of the person to whom we are speaking.  We care more about men’s opinion than we do Gods.
• They SIMPLY shared THEIR story – what God had done for them.    We have drastically underestimated the power of a PERSONAL witness.  People may argue whether the Bible is true – whether Jesus is God’s Son – even how to get to God – but  NO ONE can argue with YOUR story.  It’s yours – and especially in this world where everyone’s truth is seen with equal value we need to use this to our advantage.

Peter and the others had witnessed the resurrected Christ and told everyone they met about it.  Have you witnessed Him?  Has He changed your life?  Tell everyone what HE did for YOU – I think we be surprised at the results.

Never Enough…

As a leader, we never seem to be satisfied.  No matter what God is doing through us or among us, we always want more! When we hear how another person or ministry is impacting the world or their community we have “holy jealousy” – excited for them, but wish we could be a part of it!

Is this a good or bad thing?  Are we driven by our flesh to covet another’s ministry success or moved by our spiritual nature to reach and impact more people?  Is this God’s way of multiplying efforts and spurning us on to new things?

I never know whether to feel guilty or motivated.  I realize that this is a matter of the heart – but our hearts are so difficult to understand.  The good and the bad seem to get intertwined.

What are your thoughts about this?

Living in the Sweet Spot…

Remember the last time your ministry was really good?  I mean so good that you couldn’t even imagine that it could get better!  God was blessing, people were loving it, and wow – things were just right!

What did you do?  If you like most of us – type A leaders – you began to ask things like…  How can I make this better?  Whats the next step?  How can I prepare for MORE of God’s blessing?  And… while you were busy doing that you… well – lost the sweet spot.

This is exactly what happened in several instances in the New Testament.  Remember when Peter, James, and John had the chance of lifetime to see the shekinah glory of God?

28  Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.29  And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming.30  And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah,31  who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.32  Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.33  And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”–not realizing what he was saying.34  While he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.35  Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, MyChosen One; listen to Him!” 36  And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.  Luke 9

They missed it!  They could have lived in the glory of God and hung out with some pretty significant heros of the faith… but they wanted to do instead of be.  They wanted BIGER and BETTER.  Hmmm… sound familiar?

Or… what about Martha in this story?

38  Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.39  She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.40  But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”41  But the Lord answered and said to her, ”Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;42  but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”  Luke 10

Martha had a chance to hear some things from Jesus that were probably only said once.  She had a chance for some intimate one-on-one time with the Master – but she wanted to improve the situation.  That’s so me!

God is really convicting me about living in the light of the shekinah glory.  Finding where God’s at work and experiencing Him as Henry Blackaby would say.  Living in the sweet spot…

A Pastor’s Heart

For most of my adult life, and all of my professional life, I’ve had the privilege of pastoring people.  With it comes the good and the bad – the pretty and the ugly – the fulfilling and the frustrating.  There’s something I’ve observed lately – and that’s the  compelling of the pastor’s heart.  At the very root of pastoring is the idea of shepherding a flock – a group of people that God has assigned to you.  They could be a small group or Sunday School class, a youth group or children’s ministry, or a church.

I find that when all of the “sheep” are OK and are home in the “pasture” you tend to not be overly concerned with any of them.  All is well.  But when one or more leave the fold – either because of rebellion against God, hurt, or apathy – you can’t get them off of your mind!  It’s overwhelming!  For a long time – I didn’t really understand this – and it drove me crazy!

Right now in my ministry I can think of several – some who have just gotten “too busy for God”, others who are hurt, and some who are running.  They cross my mind many times a day.  I pray – sometimes worry – play over and over in my mind what I could have done differently to prevent this or what I can do now.  They’re my sheep and I’m their shepherd – I feel responsible.

These are signs of a good shepherd – much like the those of the Great Shepherd in Matthew 18:

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?   And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away!   In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.  Matthew 18;12-14

Keep pastoring shepherds – it’s a call of God.  Go after those sheep – it’s your job!  Pray – call – write – go!  And sheep… quit wondering off – you’re making a lot of work for us and driving us crazy!!

Travel Observations

I’m writing this mostly for me – so that I’ll remember what I saw and what I thought.  Strange thoughts come into your head when you are traveling long hours – especially if you’re a people watcher – and I’m a people watcher par exilian.

OBSERVATION ONE:  Look people in the eye.

When I was a kid – my parents used to teach me to look people in the eye when I spoke to them.  This was a matter of being polite as well as communicating.  So much communication happens eye-to-eye.  The eye is the gate to the soul.  This is why a couple in love can stare into each other’s eyes for hours and never say a word – or why mom can change your world with a simple look.

Our culture has moved away from this – young and old.  We have become distant from each other and rarely look someone in the eye.  When we don’t – our motives become about judging the person favorably or unfavorably for how they look or act, or a preoccupation in what they can do for us.  We think all sorts of unmentionable thoughts – the person becomes an object rather than a person.

All of this changes when you look someone in the eye – suddenly they become a mom again, or a daughter, or a father – they become a person.  I’ve noticed how much this affects me and consequently them.  Look ‘em in the eye – this will change so much about how you treat others – how you love like Jesus asks you to.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7

OBSERVATION TWO:  Enjoy the moment.

If you’re a type A, get ‘r done, always thinking about the next thing – person like me – you know what I mean.  I’ve lived most of my life in the next moment. While traveling home yesterday, there was a young family in front of me – 20ish – maybe low 30′s.  The man was tall and British – the woman was Chinese.  They had a son, around 2-3 years old who was full of life.  I watched them (not like I could help it on the 8-hour day flight across the Atlantic) as they interacted.  As the mom comforted, disciplined, read to, and played with the boy.  I saw the dad make a few “emergency runs” with him to the bathroom.

They laughed, loved, and enjoyed each other and life.  Were they believers?  I don’t know, and I didn’t get a chance to ask. But they taught me a valuable lesson – enjoy the moment.  Stop – and take time to enjoy life – the sounds, the smells, even the long flight from London to Boston.  Enjoy today – enjoy now – it’s the only time we’re guaranteed.

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  James 4;13-14

The Sounds of Home

My oldest daughter Kasey and I just returned from the trip of a lifetime.  We had planned it since she was a little girl.  We spent eight days in London and Rome – just her and I!  And for the record, I recommend doing a trip like this, one-on-one, with each of your children – it’s a wonderful “right of passage”.  Lot’s of fun, great talks, and memories that will last a lifetime!

But… after 20 hours of traveling (London Heathrow to Boston to Dallas to Lexington – with delays) I’m tired!  So, I canceled my early morning appointments to unwind and get ready for the day and long evening.  My body is tired, but my mind is still on another time zone – so laying here in that half asleep – half awake zone, I’m listening to the familiar sounds of home.

The noise the ceiling fan makes as it cools, my dog barking outside, the drip of my shower (I must fix that), the sounds of the kids in the cal-de-sac shooting a basket or two before school, the birds outside my window…  These sounds make me happy – they warm my heart – they brighten my day.  Why?  They are familiar – they are the sounds of home.

My mind drifts to another home – a home I’ve yet to see.  Not sure how I’ll get there.  Some people’s transit involves a hard fight with cancer, while others a quick goodbye to earth through a heart attack or accident.  Maybe mine will be still different – meeting Jesus in the air in the rapture.  Not sure how I’ll get there – but I KNOW I’ll arrive – and on time for this one!

I wonder what those sounds will be like?  Angels wings rubbing together… a chorus of praise to Jesus in languages unknown to me now, music sung and played in every style imaginable, the ripple of the crystal river… and of course the voice of my father who’s already there, saying I love you – my unborn child’s first words to their dad, my grandmother’s laugh – and Jesus saying, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”.  All wonderful sounds of home.

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.  Philippians 3:20-21