Filed under: Uncategorized
Is it possible that the word “ecclesia” or “ekklesia” is used to identify individuals with a particular group who embrace a particular mission, but that the success of the mission is generally determined by what happens while the church is disassembled?
Please post your comments if this makes sense or if it doesn’t share why.
Filed under: Make Disciples A Plan That Works
I’m tearing apart the ideology most common to my affiliated work. Our focus has been shifted to maintaining an organization instead of obeying the commands of Christ. I know this is going to blow some out of the water, but Jesus never said, “Go start churches.” Jesus never suggested the sinner’s prayer. He never invited someone to church for all we know. His words were/are clear, “Make disciples of all nations” or “Teach all nations.” Church buildings are not holy or sacred in the eyes of God-it is the body/life of the believer that is to be holy and set apart for God. Our mission has become too much about being a true church instead of being true followers (disciples) of Jesus Christ. Call it a play on words, I call it a mixed up mission!
My point is simple, the spiritual growth of a “church” is generally defined by how well all the members participate in the organization instead of how they live (7) seven days a week. Who cares if everyone brings a bible to church-do they read it when they are not on the church property? Who cares if they show up on Sunday night-are they spending quality/spiritual time with their families during the week? Who cares if Darrel knows how to pray publicly-does he pray in his closet? Who cares how big the church is-are the people lifting up holy (clean) hands to God? Who cares that Jim hasn’t missed a service his entire life-has he ever made a disciple?
Yes, the church is the byproduct of making disciples, but are we going about things the wrong way or even backwards? We need to redefine our priorities!
1. Salvation comes by someone putting their confidence completely in Jesus after hearing the gospel. It is a personal decision of the heart expressed by calling out to the Lord. John 3:16, Romans 10:9-10, 13
2.Genuine faith initiates a desire to follow. John 10:27, James 2
3. Fellow disciples hold the responsibility of mentoring the ones embracing Christ by faith. Acts 9:19, 2 Timothy 2:2
4. Each person of faith is to be baptized for the sole purpose of obeying Christ and NOT to join a church. Acts 2:38, Matthew 3:13-17 (yes I know it’s a requisite to being in the body of a local church)
5. The first thing a new disciple should learn to do is to reproduce themselves by making new disciples. If this is not learned nothing else matters. Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8
6. After one begins to reproduce themselves the process of learning varies in subjects ONE at a time beginning with loving God, then loving others, and everything that falls under those two categories such as prayer, giving, and good works pertaining to others. Matthew 22:37-40, James 2
7. Discipleship takes place through a variety of avenues like one on one mentorship, small group Bible studies/prayer groups, and yes even congregational worship meetings. All of which could take place at different locations (not purchased or set apart for worship).
If the above principles are used in dependence upon the Jesus who commissioned the “church” visible results of life change will be frequent! To make disciples is to add or even multiply to the body. A church that is not making disciples dies!
Filed under: Change Jesus is pure Confession
My desire is to become more like Jesus every second of every day. I am far from arriving and won’t completely until He appears at His return, but I’m trying. I John 3:2-3 makes clear that Jesus is pure, but we must continually purify ourselves like Him. This is the difference in us and Him-He is perfectly pure and we are not. I don’t need anyone to tell me I’m not perfectly pure (i get it), but I am changing!
God is helping me…
1. Become a better husband and father
2. Become a better pastor and leader
3. Become a better witness
4. Become more passionate about Him and His work in general
5. Become a better listener
6. Become less judgmental
7. Become more merciful
8. Become willing to admit my faults
9. Become more understanding and tolerant
10. Become more willing to please Him than anyone else
11. Be patient
12. Be kind
13. Be a peacemaker
The areas I really need to work on are…
1. How I come across in conversations and being misunderstood
2. My attitude toward good people doing nothing for God
3. Humility especially at home and around my extended family
4. Using words that might not be wrong or all that bad, but portray a negative attitude Example: “Look at that ugly car.” or “What’s wrong with that idiot?”
5. Spending quality time with my kids
6. Picking up after myself for my wife’s sake
7. Reading my bible more
8. Spending more time in prayer
9. Having a balanced ministry in my current church setting
10. Not allowing preconceived positions I hold to keep me from seeing from other points of view
11. Becoming a better communicator
12. Teaching less for more
13. Choosing my battles
14. Living at peace with everyone-Romans 12:18
15. For some reason I don’t get along with a lot of pastors and preachers. I commonly say, “I don’t like preachers.”
Lord, help me to keep changing!
Filed under: Saved
Eunice and Chris were saved tonight in their home. Mercedes was saved two weeks ago during Sunday night live and God blessed me with the opportunity to lead her mother and brother to the Lord tonight. When they get baptized it will be the second black family I have baptized at TBC. Thank you Jesus!
Filed under: Jesus Skit
Filed under: The Refuge
If I were to start a church today and probably will later, I would/will call it The Refuge. I have thought about this a lot and think it’s the perfect name. A church is made up of saved baptized believers who encourage one another to live for Jesus-who is our REFUGE-therefore with Jesus as our Refuge and believers commanded to meet together to encourage/exhort one another what better name! Also, it is a name that calls to the unbeliever to come and find refuge in Christ.
A church is a place where sinners come together to learn how to live a better way. No one is perfect, but needs guidance. I can hear it now… “What church do you go to? Dude, I go to Refuge, its awesome, you ought to come and check it out! Everyone is normal, even the pastor, and there aren’t a bunch of people staring at you because you aren’t dressed like them.”
If your church isn’t open to sinners then you better leave!
Is your church a place of Refuge?
Filed under: Uncategorized
The following post was written by church planter David Watson…
God began to teach me through many failures that I had to focus on making Disciples of Christ, not followers of my church or denomination, and teach them to obey all the commands of Jesus, not my church/denominational doctrines or traditions. And this is what led to the breakthrough that has resulted in more than 40,000 churches among a people who were once considered unreachable.
Many people use the term “CPM” to describe or justify what they are doing. But, on closer examination, I find that many groups who use this term are simply applying it to what they have always done. CPM is not a method! It is an observation of results. In my experience, and this is what I teach, CPM is the result of obedience-based discipleship that sees disciples reproducing disciples, leaders reproducing leaders, and churches reproducing churches. If this is not happening, it is not CPM.
True CPM methodology is about being disciplined in education, training, and mentoring to obey all the commands of Jesus, regardless of consequences. The results are not quick. They only appear to be quick because of exponential growth. When one is truly engaged in the process that leads to observable CPM, then one is spending years investing in leaders. The typical investment timeline is two to four years. But, because of the replication process due to obedience to make disciples and teach them to obey, in this same two to four years, as many as five more leaders, who are also developing more leaders, will emerge. Each leader is investing two to four years in other leaders who invest two to four years in other leaders, and so on. The apparent result is explosive growth that does not seem to take much time and energy. But appearances are misleading.CPM is extremely time and energy intensive. Leaders invest a major portion of their time in equipping other leaders. Churches invest in starting more groups that will become churches as they obey the teachings of Christ and begin to fulfill the nature and functions of church, which means they teach others to do the same.
There were no visible or measureable results the first four years of my ministry among a very resistant unreached people group. My mission was ready to discipline me for failure to do my job. But during those years I was equipping five leaders. These five leaders began to equip twenty-five more leaders, who in turned equipped hundreds of other leaders.A few churches became more churches as leaders were equipped and trained to obey all the commands of Christ. More churches became hundreds of churches as the leadership equipping process continued. Every leader has years invested in him or her by other leaders. Nothing is quick. It only appears to be quick because more and more leaders are being produced in obedience to the command of Christ to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV)
So, CPM rapid multiplication really isn’t. We go slow in order to appear to go fast. We invest extensively in one in order to reach and train many. Our goal is to add at least two new leaders to our mentoring process each year, and equip the new leaders to do the same every year. As leaders multiply, churches grow and multiply.If you really want to have CPM anywhere in the world, invest in teaching, training and mentoring leaders to obey all the commands of Christ. If you want to evaluate a so-called CPM, examine the discipleship and leadership equipping process. Real and lasting CPMs invest heavily in leadership and training. CPM is a result, not a cause.
Filed under: Change Student Ministry
In the month of January we will be kicking off a new ministry called “CHANGE.” It will be a monthly outreach to students in our area. Local churches that are ready for change are also invited to participate. The ministry will feature a band, drama, media, and relevant biblical messages to students. The current monthly youth meeting we participate in does not work to make disciples of the younger generation. WE NEED TO CHANGE!
Filed under: Real Life Purpose
I call my blog “Real Life” because that is what I want to enjoy while on this globe. Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly.” The best way to determine how to experience this kind of life in any particular circumstance is to ask the question, “What would Jesus Do?”
We need to ask this question as pastors, husbands, fathers, and church members, etc. Women need to ask this question as leaders, wives, mothers, and church members, etc. What Jesus would do in most cases is much different than the way we respond to life circumstances. The only way to know what Jesus would do is to study His life in the Gospels and draw close to him in a personal relationship in the here and now!
The things that I write on my blog are not to please a particular person or group of friends. The ones that know me personally know my heart and vision. I am my own person and desire to live in the perfect will of God. This is a struggle and very difficult at times, but it is what I am striving for. If I write something that encourages or challenges someone to live a “Real Life” in Christ, great! If not, maybe someone else will write something to help me to experience this very thing.
The following are things that constantly challenge me to be more like Jesus and not exclusively associated with a particular group…
1. The postmodern culture in which we live has believed the lie that there is no absolute truth. Overall people don’t read the Bible, but they conclude with such an ignorant position. The answer to this problem from many seems to be, “Well, just go to Hell then.”
2. The church of Satan meets regularly to pray for families and churches to be destroyed, and most Christian churches spend very little time praying for families and churches to succeed!
3. Over 150,000 people die every day and most of them go to Hell, who cares?
4. The ABA is caught up in traditionalism and cannot see beyond their model of what a church is supposed to look like.
5. There are churches that teach the right doctrine but don’t understand their light stopped shinning years ago.
6. Pastors and people who think their perspective is the only one that makes sense.
7. People that give name tags and cut you off because you question or challenge a certain way of thinking. In my opinion they are closely connected to the mentality of the Pharisees.
8. People that claim to be followers of Christ, but their attitude is far from the Spirit of Christ. Gal 5:22-23
9. On the other hand, some are so frustrated that they are willing to go with anything that comes along. They jump on a train and have no clue of the destination. A short time later they get on another train and go back to where they came from. Books and magazines shape their minds and mission instead of the word of God.
WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? Would he take a balanced approach to life and ministry based on Scripture? The more I study the scriptures the more I realize we have been taught to take certain positions that Jesus would not have taken. I write to challenge these positions.
How does the following passage apply to the mentality of the ABA and doctrinal statement number (1) one? Mark 9:38-41
How does the following passage apply to the fact that many churches are not reaching people because of their traditions? Matthew 15:1-9
“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8
Keep It Real In Christ!
