The Lost art of Disciple-making

The Lost Art of Disciple Making

“Go then, and make disciples of all nations”- Jesus (His parting words)

In our fast paced world of microwave church services and fast food sermons, I thought I would spend a few months writing on the subject of discipleship. I have been realizing over the past few months how very slow and tedious the process of disciple making really is. In 2010 our network began to focus more on the realities of life on life reproduction and less on church planting. What we discovered is that when you invest in others and make disciples, churches are the by-product

of that, instead of planting churches and then trying to make disciples.

The reason I say that disciple making is an art is because it truly is. A closer look at the word “make” reveals much about discipling. Before we look at the word “make”, consider this: Jesus had a legacy. His legacy was 12 men. That was it. No books, no monuments we can look to. Think of the reality of 12 men. He entrusted all He taught: His lessons, His miracles, and all that He was to these 12 men. In my opening sentence, I referred to microwave services and fast food sermons. This isn’t a criticism of any one. It’s just a statement. These two elements are what the western church hangs its hat on for discipleship. If we keep ‘em coming, and keep preaching better, we will produce better and more effective Jesus followers. Well? Have we? Just a question. As you read, ask yourselves this question: how did 12 men turn the world upside down in a matter of 40 years? I am convicted and humbled thinking of this.

So how does one make a disciple? Glad you asked! Disciple is an interesting word that Jesus used here. The greek word is

the word “Mathaeno”. It means to teach and to be taught, to instruct and to be instructed, and to learn and be a learner. It seems that all disciples have these elements in their journey. They teach and are willing to teach others, and they are instructed and instruct others. I hope that you understand

the point.

Allow me to be practical for a bit. Consider the people in your life, the places you frequent, and the people you hang out with. These are your harvest fields. They are the ones that you might want to consider a life on life process with. I am currently discipling 14 men. I meet with them on a weekly basis (when

I am not traveling). We study scripture together, we ask each other questions about our journey, we confess our sins, and we pray for each other. We ask each other who we are investing in.

As one of our young disciples named Patrick Norr recently said, “Being a disciple isn’t baking cakes with other Christians, it’s a loss of life.” (Luke 14:33)

Peace,

Mike

For more visit our website and my blog at www.lifequestorganic.com and

Got Life?

Got Life? (Where Life Happens)

I seriously deplore milk! I mean seriously! I hate it with a passion, I can’t recall the last time that I have had a taste. I mean, think about it folks, drinking a beverage from a cow’s boob. It was meant for baby calves, for Pete’s sake. Do you remember all of those Got Milk? commercials? You know the ones with people and the milk mustaches? Regardless of how you feel about milk, one thing is for certain: the phrase Got Milk? stuck! Didn’t it?

Here comes a major curve ball. Did you ever notice how fragile life is? Seriously! In one week’s time, 3 people who I have had relational contact with over the last few years recently died tragically. They were 27, 55, and 62. Here one day, gone the next. Living and then dying. It has really provoked me to live. I mean really live. To live life to the fullest, to let my family and friends the see the life in me. So what does it look like to have life? Not just to espouse some loosely pie-in-the sky kinda of life, or using token phrases like “Earth is not my home”, or “ Heaven is my home”. I find the latter phrase interesting. Most of us, and probably all of us reading that statement have never been to Heaven. Is that where life really starts? Is that when life really begins?

I’m on a journey now to really learn to live, to love, and give life to people. Wasn’t that what Jesus did? I mean, He did it! Literally, the Life-giver. He even said that He was “Life”. To be the Life don’t you have to live?

Of all the Gospels, John has my attention. In fact, I’ve been reading 2nd and 3rd John every day since New Year’s day. John was a life fanatic, John saw life,and he saw it in Jesus. In fact, he mentions in 1st John 1 that he handled and touched life.

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life, the life was manifested...”

The life was manifested! The life was manifested. What does it mean to manifest life? (To be continued next edition)

Where life happens!

Where Life Happens!

Recently on a flight leaving Orlando, Fl, en route to Nashville, Tn, I was dog tired and ministry pooped to a pulp. A man sits next to me, and for the next two and a half hours engages me over the disappointment he has felt with Barack Obama. (Let me say from the outset that this is not some political shot at our current president, so please keep reading.) After an hour of listening to Tony, I was amazed at how cynical our country has become over the current crisis we are facing. People’s trust level is at an all time low. There is no faith in government and no faith in church leaders. Everywhere I go people are using this time to vent negativity at the culture. After listening to Tony for an hour, I asked, “Do you think there is a political solution to our problems?” Tony’s head dropped. “NO” he emphatically stated. He then said with a statement and a question, “It starts with the heart!” and in the same breath, “What do you do”? My response was “I am a cultural architect.” “What the hell is that?” he asked. I told him that I have the blueprints for cultural change, so I read the blueprints and then implement them into the lives of people. He was fascinated and I had his attention for the next hour or so.

I asked him a question that I ask wherever I travel. “When you hear the word ‘Jesus’ what do you think of?” Tony’s response was, “Suffering. Why did he have to suffer?” What a great open door for the Gospel to be shared! We launched into a conversation about Jesus that was candid and honest. In fact, it was downright stimulating. Then came the dreaded question: “What about the word ‘Church’? What do you think of, Tony?” Another scathing answer came: “Business. In fact, big business,” he exclaimed. Tony, a professed catholic, ranted about the extreme wealth of his own church. What about people? When did the church stop caring for people?

With the few minutes we had on that flight I shared with Tony the concept of doing church where life happens! Tony was truly captivated. I asked him where he spends most of his time other than work and home. He said that he spends most of his time at the club house at his housing complex. “What if you did church there?” I asked. He said, “I would be there and bring all my friends.” Friends to the unconvinced...I hear this from many people all of the time.

While the church waits for the unconvinced to come, there is an entire world of people who are waiting for us to come to them. When Jesus left the world, His departing words were, “ Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations”.

Think of how church is defined today with our places, our music, and our language. So we ask the unchurched to come into our world and let us educate them. When Jesus became flesh, He became one of us. Our focus in 2010 is to enflesh the Gospel and become Christ-like to the world. To love them, to serve them, to embrace them. To give life away through His message “that God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but rather through Him the world might be saved. (John 3:17)

That’s where life happens!

Peace, Mike

Feed Me

Feed Me

Our family has been blessed in the last year with 2 of the most beautiful grand children. Our oldest daughter Mary and our son-in-law Tim have a daughter named Emmy. She is beautiful, and such a great baby. My youngest daughter Leah and son-in-law Tommy have a son named Baylee. Truly the happiest child on the planet. He laughs and smiles at everything.

I was noticing Baylee the other night when we were out having dinner. He was feeding himself. Now to say that he handled himself with a lot of manners was an overstatement. There was applesauce all over his mouth, and he stuffed cheese pieces in one at a time. It wasn’t pretty, mind you. But he was feeding himself.

Over the years that I was pastoring, I recall having multiple conversations with those who were exiting our church. I often heard this statement: “I’m just not getting fed.” Now to be honest, that statement use to send me into orbit. I could feel my face turning red. I would typically, as my wife would say, “get too upset”, which was something she would say to calm me down as I over-reacted to something one of my kids had done. NOT getting fed, huh? Well, I did feed them, and I could envision myself stuffing food in their faces! I recall shrinking in fear whenever someone would ask me if we could meet for lunch, fearing that they would use those same words: “I’m not getting fed”. Well, I have truly matured in these last few years, and I am much more compassionate in regards to those who are being developed. Therefore (with a much healthier perspective), I would like to share just a few thoughts on this subject.

Typically, our modern-day spiritual diet of “getting fed” is Sunday morning. One question is, what if I only ate one meal a week? In a word, malnourished would be the answer! Secondly, when I eat, what does my diet consist of? Cotton candy and hershey bars? You’re either going to be diabetic or overweight. Thirdly, at what point do I learn to eat on my own, and truly what does feed me? As for my grandson Baylee, he was eating on his own at 14 months!

Ironically, Jesus answered these questions. In the Gospels, in Matthew’s account, Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). There is a novel concept. Read it and do it. Simple enough huh? Of all the sermons we preach and hear, when do we act on what we heard?

When Jesus was dealing with the Samaritan woman in John 4:34, Jesus made a revolutionary statement:

“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”

Jesus was telling His disciples that the key to being fed was giving their lives away. Try it, and like Baylee, it might be messy. But the reality is if you’re not being fed, maybe it is because you are not getting involved in the lives of others.

Maybe we need to exchange our empty lives, by filling ourselves by serving others. In return we might just get stuffed.

For the Quest,

Mike

Changing the world one life at time

Have you ever noticed just how many one-on-one encounters Jesus had throughout his earthly journey? There was woman at the well, the healing of the blind man, the calling of Matthew...the list could go on and on. In the hustle and bustle of busy American culture, are we aware of that one person who God has put right in front of us for a possible divine encounter? With so much emphasis on larger churches and bigger is better , I believe if we could just embrace a less is more mindset, we would be more and more effective as kingdom agents in this world.

As I gauge the pages of the New Testament, I am amazed at how many instances Jesus spent time dealing with just one life. Most of the people He met or dealt with were in some kind of crisis. Just think your daily encounters with humanity! How many people do you personally come into contact with who are need of love? How about prayer? How about healing? How about a kind word? How about a timely word?

I love the words of John 17:21: In the same way the Father has sent Me into the world, so I also send you into the world . In other words, Jesus mission was really simple; He simply came into the world for those one-on-one encounters with people. The kingdom simply spreads through a viral encounter. The woman at the well influenced an entire city through her Jesus encounter (John 4:28-29). Matthew threw a huge sinner party (Matthew 9:10-11). When was the last time we had one of those? A sinner party! How about the madman who was possessed with a legion (you know, the guy who had so many demons that they couldn t count them)? Yeah, that guy! After his Jesus encounter, it says He begged Jesus that he might follow Him; however, Jesus sent him to the Decapolis, which was a region of ten cities.(Mark 4:18-19)

In LifeQuest, we focus on this simple principle. We can change the world one life at a time. Just this past year our experiences could take volumes of writing. I could tell you story after story of Jesus-encounters: at coffee shops, college campuses, in living rooms, in small venues and large, in church services, in pubs... wherever and whomever. This is what Jesus has called us too.

In our church growth days, we all asked the question: how will we grow this church? In other words, what is the strategy that we need to get people to the building? When we begin to think marketing, we have left Kingdom living. When churches puts this above our compassion for humanity, then people become a commodity instead of an asset. We stop thinking about kingdom advancement and start thinking strategy. Jesus thought assignment and target. This was His strategy.

His assignment was to GO! His target was people. Everyday encounters. Think about this! Three years of His life was walking around where people were. Who is that life that God has put in front of you today? Whoever it is, that one might change the world.

Peace,

Mike G

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A legit healing no BS (New York Deli Style)

A legit healing no BS (New York Deli style)

My new favorite eatery is the New York Deli in Redlands. I mean really legit food. If you love middle eastern food, I highly recommend the joint. Great Phillycheese steak. Seriously could eat there everyday. Really cheap.

A few weeks back I struck up a conversation with a young Syrian girl who works there. I noticed she had a nasty red look in her eyes. You know, that bloodshot look when you have pink eye. I asked her if I could pray for her. Awkward was the feelin I got from her, but she relented and allowed me to pray.

This past Saturday I was there in the evening, and one of the other servers told my wife that I prayed for this young girl. She told us that the next day the eye infection was gone! Marie is the server who was telling my wife and I that she thought it was a bunch of bull @#%% when she heard that I prayed for the young girl. Marie is part Turkish and part Greek, and was dropping the BS word right and left. She finally told me she had a horrible infection in her fingernail but didn’t believe all this healing BS. As I was leaving I asked her if I could pray for her finger. As I took her arm, I prayed as tears formed in her eyes. I asked Father to reveal His love through this as a sign of His love for her. Marie was speechless.

Can’t wait for this Tuesday and my chicken caesar wrap to see what Jesus has done in Marie.

Chow,

Mike

ReJesus

ReJesus

Spent most of my morning yesterday at Cal State interacting with college students. What really caught my attention was the interest there is with the person of Jesus. I enjoyed a conversation with 2 young Latinos who ironically had heard me speak recently at a gathering of Latino churches.

One of the two asked me what it meant by following Jesus? How can we follow someone who we can’t see? Great question I responded!

What does it mean to follow? Is it rules? Is it a creed? Is it going to church?

I find the later statement interesting. When I asked these 2 young Latino’s if they knew Jesus, they both responded “that they went to church”.

Spending some time reading a book by Alan Hirsch called “ReJesus”, Also reading the Gospel of Mark in tandem with ReJesus. I am wondering have we lost touch with Jesus? Just sayin..........Have we substituted our passion for church, doctrine, witnessing(whatever that is), you fill in the blank? As Larry Crabb says “ the only passion that will not destroy us is our passion for Jesus”. Thoughts?

Mike