Power of Discipleship Teams

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Scripture: Jn 15:12

 

The Power of Discipleship Teams - Jn 15:12-13
 
John 15:12-13 (ESV)
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
 
I’d like to Share about the Men’s Retreat
            - it was Incredible, Powerful, Life Changing
 
I want you to know how powerful it was
            to prepare you - to encourage you
 
We’ve spent a lot of time in Jn Ch 15 - in the Abide series
            & right in the middle of that Ch on Abiding - are these 2 key Vs’s
 
These were Vs’s that “Set the Stage” for the Men’s Retreat
 
& our time there was Devoted to us learning how to
            Lay Down our Lives for One Another
                        in small Discipleship Teams of 4 guys
 
We started by Reminding ourselves
            WHY the focus of this church is Discipleship
 
We've always considered ourselves
            a strong Bible-Teaching church
 
But maybe you've heard that old adage
            GIVE a man a fish - feed him for a day
            TEACH a man to fish - feed him for life
 
About a yr & a 1/2 ago - we decided we were spending
            far too much time - GIVING you fish
                        & far too little time - TEACHING you HOW to fish
 
The problem is - the Great Commission isn't about GIVING you a fish,
            or . . . feeding you for a Sunday
 
The Great Commission is about TEACHING you HOW to fish,
            feeding you for life
 
The Great Commission - Mat 28:18-20 - ESV
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
 
Disciple - Definition
A disciple is a student or a learner - one who walks so closely with his master that he becomes more & more LIKE HIM.
 
This is what Jesus commanded us to do
 
To help someone Walk So Closely with HIM
            that their lives are actually Transformed - into HIS Image
 
& Honestly we always THOUGHT - that is what we we’re doing
            But in reality - not so much . . .
We do a lot of things as the church
            Assuming that they all somehow add up to Making Disciples
 
But The Command from Jesus - is singular
            Go & MAKE DISCIPLES !!
 
First - He calls us to BE a Disciple
            one who walks so closely with Him that WE become
                        more & more LIKE HIM.
 
THEN - He calls us to MAKE Disciples
            OTHERS who walk so closely with Him that THEY become
                        more & more LIKE HIM.
 
So, the only question really is;
            “Are we helping One Another develop
            THAT kind of Transforming Relationship with Jesus Christ?”
 
Patrick Morley (Man in the mirror) writes;
As a whole, the church is not making disciples . . . But that's not the real problem. The real problem is - we think we are . . .”
 
If you desire to be Transformed by Jesus Christ -
            to become a new creation - a truly changed person
 
The only TRUE answer lies in
            an Ever-Increasing Relationship with Jesus Christ  
                        as you Follow Him Closer & Closer
 
& the Biblical Way that is done - is thru DISCIPLESHIP
 
Moses & Joshua
Elijah & Elisha
Eli & Samuel
David & Jonathon
Jesus & the Disciples
Barnabus & Paul
Paul & Timothy, Titus & many others
& many, many examples of women discipling also
 
The Goal of discipleship is having our lives
            actually, truly transformed into the image of Jesus Christ
 
& Discipleship (By Definition) is done WITH One Another
 
Look at Col 1:28-29 - ESV
28 Him [Jesus] we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
 
& Notice Paul Doesn’t say - I struggle to get everyone
            “to go to HEAVEN”
 
Because as Christians - Heaven is NOT what we are "striving" for
 
If you're Saved today - Heaven is your GUARANTEED DESTINATION
 
Our GOAL here (as Christians) - is
            to have Christ Fully Formed in us - Gal 4:19
            to be Conformed to His image - Rom 8:29
            to be Transformed by the Renewing of our Mind - Rom 12:2
            to Live as His Workmanship - Eph 2:10
            to Put Off the Old man, Be Renewed by the Spirit,
                                    and Put On the new man - Eph 4 & Col 3
 
Our Goal - as Christians
            is to become more & more LIKE Jesus
 
& all thru-out the Bible we see that happening
            in SMALL GROUPS of Believers
 
The Transformed Life -       ALWAYS occurs in COMMUNITY
 
It always happens in what we call - One Anothering
            As we Edify & Equip One Another
            As we Bear One Another's Burdens
            As we Fellowship with & Serve One Another
            As we Confess our sins & Pray for One Another
            As we Encourage, Exhort, Admonish One Another
            As we Love One Another . . .
 
Jesus said in John 13:34–35 (ESV)
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
 
The way people will know if we are Truly FOLLOWING Jesus
            (as a Disciple) - Is IF we have LOVE for one another
 
& we can only have that Love
            by being Transformed by Jesus Christ
 
& Biblically the Environment we see people Transformed by Jesus
            Christ in - is almost always - A Discipleship Environment
 
Mostly in Small Groups - or even One on One
            In fact - Jesus Christ avoided large numeric responses
 
Instead - He sought out small groups & individuals
            to Be Transformed by Following Him
 
& then - with the power of The Holy Spirit,
            He sent them out - to teach others how to Follow Him
 
& clearly Jesus taught us - the POWER of ONE Transformed life
            is far greater than a crowd MINIMALLY Following Him
 
Oswald Chambers - - One life wholly devoted to God is of more value to God than one hundred lives simply awakened by His Spirit.
 
And guys - the devil knows that
 
& The Enemy of our souls works very HARD
            to keep even ONE LIFE from being Wholly Devoted to God
 
John Wesley wrote this; “I am more and more convinced that the devil himself desires nothing more than this, that the people of any place should be half-awakened and then left to themselves to fall asleep again.”
 
We tend to think - The need is SO GREAT
            that we need get to many thousands to respond
 
But if that were true,
            why did Jesus primarily avoid large crowds?
 
was it possibly because, He had a better approach?
 
Jesus had an inner core of 3,
            to which was added 9, making up the 12 Disciples,
 
& that was basically His “Change the World” Team
 
& it seems, in the long run,
            that His approach has worked pretty well, hasn’t it?
 
When John Wesley realized this truth . . .
 
he wrote - that he would not strike one evangelistic stroke
where he could not follow that blow with small group  
      encouragement, accountability, and training
 
He wrote in one place he Preached with apparently great success
 
that later . . . “nine in ten of the once-awakened
            were are now faster asleep than ever”
 
& guys - the evangelistic crusades in our country acknowledge
 
that around 90% of the people who respond
            DO NOT actually end up following Jesus as their Lord
 
Which is why the crusades (like Harvest) work SO HARD
            to get local church follow-up
 
But what they really wish -is that they could get EVERY one
            of those New Commitments to Christ - INTO a Discipleship Group !!
 
I promise you - if every person who Received Christ
            got plugged into a Discipleship Group
 
Instead of 90% who DO NOT end up Following Jesus
            It would be 90% who DO end up Following Jesus
 
We had some really incredible things happen at the Men’s Retreat
 
But 1 happened in a young man who came with his uncle
 
He drove a long way - thru Fri night traffic
            When he got there we put him in a Discipleship Team with his Uncle
 
The whole weekend was designed around
            4 man Discipleship Teams interacting together
 
There was very LITTLE “Big Room” teaching
            The entire retreat was done in 4 man Teams
 
& as this young man watched - & heard - from just a few other guys -
            what it really means to Follow Jesus
 
His heart was more & more drawn to Jesus
 
& then - when were baptizing guys yesterday Afternoon (very cool)
            He was sitting on a bench watching intently
 
& as I was getting out of the pool I noticed him
            & sat down & talked with him
 
& his Team had already talked about “Counting the Cost”
            of Following Jesus - of what that really means
 
& he had already heard that to Follow Jesus means
            you become a threat to the enemy -
                        who will do everything he can to trip you up
 
He’d already heard the TRUTH
            of the Joy & the Struggle of Following Jesus
 
& as I shared the Gospel with him
            It was far from the “Prosperity Gospel” of
                        “If you’ll receive Jesus He’ll make your life easier”
 
We talked about what it means to REALLY follow Jesus
            about the Incredible JOY - AND the Spiritual Battle
 
& then I asked him if he REALLY wanted to Follow Jesus as his LORD
            - - All in - Or not in at all - & then I gave him some time . . .
 
After a Minute he said - YES - I’m ALL IN
            I want to RECEIVE Jesus
            Make Him My LORD
            & Fully Follow Him
 
& so we brought some guys over - Had him pray
            to make his commitment to Follow Jesus as a Disciple
 
Then gathered some more people around
            & BAPTIZED Him - right then & there
 
& then Put him - with a Permanent Discipler (his uncle)
            who is committed to helping him learn to Follow Jesus
 
Now - what do you think the chances are - of that young man
            being Radically Transformed by his Relationship with Jesus Christ ?
 
Probably a 90% CHANCE - at least
 
Salvation occurs in an instant
 
But THEN - Being Transformed by your Relationship with Jesus
            occurs over a lifetime
 
& it is that Transformation that is the GOAL
            of the GREAT COMMISSION
 
Because it is the True Transformation of a Life
            that is the Greatest Testimony to God - that there is
 
& THAT Transformation - both in that young man (& in you)
            Happens in Discipleship . . .
 
Learning to follow Jesus so closely, that you become like Him
 
& until we learn to make Disciples,
            we CANNOT, and we ARE NOT, fulfilling The Great Commission
 
& what the men in this church have experienced this weekend
            is the POWER of Fulfilling the Great Commission
                        IN Discipleship Teams
 
Which is just how men & women were radically changed in the Bible
 
The men of this church have just spent a Very Intense Weekend
            NOT only learning HOW - BUT Practicing . . .
 
coming along-side one another in tight-knit groups
            Carrying each other’s burdens - - Being there for each other
            Watching each other’s backs - -    Holding each other up
            Making each other Disciples
They learned the Power of the Discipleship Team
 
One of the very cool things we did
            was have my son come up & explain
 
HOW & WHY the U.S. Marine Corp
            uses FOUR MAN teams on every Front-Line in the World
 
The ENTIRE Front Line of the Marine Corps in Afghan
            is made up of 4-Man teams
 
Every man has a specific, individual job
            & Every man - covers every other man
 
& as David described the Marine 4-Man Fire Team
 
The men of this church realized that the Spiritual War
            is very similar to the physical wars on this earth
 
& if the 4-man team is good for the US Marine Corps
            the it’s probably good for the Spiritual War as well
 
& we see that same example in Jesus Christ
            & His “Inner Three” of Peter James & John
 
4-Man FIRE teams !!!
            As In - HOLY SPIRIT FIRE
 
& so - what pretty much EVERY man on the Mtn
            experienced this weekend
 
Is the Strength & Encouragement
            of the 4-man Discipleship Team
 
Each man did his part
            & Each man covered every other man
 
& these men are coming back with a new understanding
 
of the POWER of carrying one-another’s Burden’s
            & Discipling One-Another in small TEAMS . . . & it’s incredible
 
Again - there was very little “Large Group” teaching time
 
We gathered together for Very Powerful Worship
            & Short Instruction time
 
& then each Discipleship Team had a FACILITATOR
            who kind of knew what was coming - & led the Team interaction
 
& then each team dug into
            a Section of our Scripture for the weekend
 
Which HAPPENED to be
            the Spiritual Warfare Section of EPH Ch 6
 
Let’s turn there together & read thru that
 
This is what the guys ALL
            Strengthened & Encouraged & Discipled one another with
 
Ephesians 6:10–18 (ESV)
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
 
For each part of the Armor
            we had specific, direct interaction between the guys
 
answering tuff questions - & making tuff commitments to each other
 
& in the end - the Power of God’s Word Significantly Impacted
            Every man who really took part in each of the groups
 
WHY have I shared all this with you ??
 
TWO Reasons;
            1) to support your husband & the men coming down the Mtn
            2) to inspire you to WANT the same thing for yourselves
 
These 3 & 4 person “Fire-Teams” are formed Thru-Out this church
            & they CAN BE formed in whatever church you’re listening in
 
You can be PART of one of these Life Changing Discipleship Teams
            OR - you can START one
 
I pray you would see the Eternal Benefit of Learning to Follow Jesus
            the Biblical Way - THRU Discipleship Groups
 
If you want to be a part of a small Discipleship Team like this
            Call us - & we’ll get you in one
 
If you’re listening on Word-By-Mail & you would like to
            FORM a Discipleship Team right where you live
 
Email us - or CALL us - & we’ll send you information
            to help you do this right where you live
 
Be a Part of a Small Discipleship Group !!
 
Learn what it looks like - when a small group of people
            are Living out what Jesus said in
 
John 15:13 (ESV)
13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
 
Let’s Pray