God is already at work in the people around us, even those who are not yet followers of Jesus. People hear God’s voice before they accept him. When we disciple others, that discipleship relationship actually begins before a life transformation or conversion. Our role...
When God is at work in starting a new gathering of believers, he often lays the foundation within a “person of peace.” They are a bridge person who brings the message of Jesus into their own community. This person can be the first domino in a chain reaction among a...
Who is most receptive to the gospel? In Jesus’ day, it was tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, beggars, etc. Not a lot has changed. “Nice people” are often more out of touch with their need for God. •“Bad” people make good soil, there is a lot of fertilizer in their...
Oikos is the Greek word for household. It is the fundamental unit of society involving families, friends, neighbors, and associates. The New Testament describes churches meeting in the oikos, and it teaches that believers belong to the “household” of God. The spread...
As Christians, we often see so many lost people around us that we don’t know where to start. Even though many seeds are planted, they don’t all produce a crop. Some seeds are taken up by the birds, some have no root and some are crushed by thorns. Where are the most...
Sometimes raising support makes you feel like a homeless person on a street corner asking passersby for money. I thought today I’d share the way I overcame that feeling when I raised support. (Full disclosure: I’m no longer on support; I’ve...
As ministry leaders, we’re all aware of the importance of disciplemaking. We engage culture, and as people come to Christ we get them connected into faith communities. But as I coach a lot of ministry leaders who are seeking to be incarnational and missional, one of...
We all know we’re supposed to make disciples. And yet if we’re honest, how well is that really happening? Too often the focus seems on having people become active church participants: attending activities, volunteering, giving, etc. One of the challenges...
I was working with a group recently on the topic of discipleship. The question at hand was, “What makes a disciple-making disciple? What qualities or behaviors are we trying to develop?” I shared my new “tree of discipleship” approach as one option. As the...
