2024-07-21 Transformed 08 (shared slides).pptx

Editor's Notes

1. Transformed by 1. Invitation (Matt. 11:28-30) 2. Thinking (Rom. 12:1-2) 3. Training (1 Tim. 4:7-8) 4. Worship (Psalm 100; 1 Jn. 3:1-2; 2 Cor. 3:18) 5. Community (Heb. 10:24-25; Eph. 4:15-16; Eph. 2:21-22; Col. 2:19) 6. Habit (Another closer look at one aspect of Heb. 10:24-25) 7. The Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-20, Romans 8:9) 8. Example (1 Cor 11:1; Phil 3:17; 1 Thess. 1:6; 1 Cor 4:16)
2. The term life-to-life isn’t used in Scripture, but the concept is there consistently. Examples of words found in the Bible that convey the concept of life-to-life are pattern, example, model, imitate, follow me, and watch me.
3. Life-to-Life Discipleship refers to: ‌• Two or more people in an intentional, purposeful learning experience where each is committed to Christian discipleship, transparency, and full maturity. ‌• The relational dynamic between two people that enables the transfer of the knowledge, heart, vision, and skill for becoming mature and wholehearted followers of Christ. ‌John Purvis and Ron and Mary Bennett, The Adventure of Discipling Others: Training in the Art of Disciplemaking (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2014).
4. When you became a Christian, you became a new person. You left behind your old way of doing things and found yourself being transformed by God’s Spirit to live a radically new life! ‌“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
5. ‌Even so, most of us need help understanding how to live the life God offers. God knows that we need help in order to grow. One method He uses is mentoring or discipleship. Mentoring occurs when a more mature Christian trains and teaches others who are less mature.
6. When we are new in the faith, we are often considered to be “baby Christians” and constantly have need to lean on others to grow. “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.” (1 Corinthians 3:2, NIV)
7. If we have been “slow to learn,” we need to be moved from feeding on milk to feeding on meat or solid food (Hebrews 5:12-14). Helping to make that transition is a significant role of a mentor. “You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.” (Hebrews 5:12-14, NLT) — June Hunt, Biblical Counseling Keys on Mentoring: How to Shepherd the Sheep(Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart, 2008).
8. Let me tell you about the influence of Edward Kimble. Edward Kimble was a shoe salesman who worked alongside a guy named Dwight. In 1858, Edward shared the gospel with Dwight, and Dwight accepted Christ.
9. Dwight’s last name was Moody. We know him as D. L. Moody, who was one of the greatest evangelists in history.
10. Years later when Moody was preaching, a preacher named Frederick B. Meyer was deeply stirred, and as a result, he went into his own nationwide preaching ministry.
11. On one occasion, when Meyer was preaching, a college student named J. Wilbur Chapman heard him and accepted Christ. He went out and began to share the gospel.
12. Chapman employed a young baseball player named Billy Sunday. Billy Sunday ended up being the greatest evangelist of his generation.
13. Billy Sunday preached in a tent meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, it was such a great meeting that he was invited back. But he couldn’t be there on the scheduled dates. Billy Sunday recommended a preacher named Mordecai Ham. Ham went to Charlotte and preached, but not many people responded to his invitation to accept Christ. But on the last night of the meeting, a tall, lanky boy who worked on the local dairy farm walked forward. Everyone knew him as Billy Frank.
14. His last name was Graham, and we all know who Billy Graham was. So, Edward Kimble reached D. L. Moody, who touched Frederick Meyer, who reached Wilbur Chapman, who helped Billy Sunday, who invited Mordecai Ham, who reached Billy Graham. And it all began with the simple witness of Edward Kimble.
15. Every one of us can make a difference for the kingdom of God. What is He calling you to do?
16. Some communication experts estimate that actions are six times more powerful than words. Spiritual modeling and imitation require core relational interactions with your new disciple that some refer to as “relational dynamics.” ‌ John Purvis and Ron and Mary Bennett, The Adventure of Discipling Others: Training in the Art of Disciplemaking (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2014).
17. Spiritual mentoring is not disciplines or techniques, but it is through relationship and example.
18. He who walks with the wise grows wise. (Prov. 13:20)
19. “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” (Proverbs 27:17, NLT)
20. A mentor is not someone who walks ahead of you to show you how they did it. A mentor walks alongside you to show you what you can do.
21. A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you. – Bob Proctor
22. Mentoring is: Sharing life’s experiences and God’s faithfulness. - Janet Thompson
23. Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction. – John Crawford Crosby
24. Notice the assessment of the Jewish leaders when they saw the fearlessness of Peter and John. “The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13, NLT)
25. They noticed two things in particular: They hadn’t been to the seminaries of their day – they had no formal religious training at all. Their training had come from being with Jesus.
26. This was Jesus’ way of training his apprentices (disciples). “Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach,” (Mark 3:14, NLT)
27. Jesus did not put stock in formal religious training. “At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” (Matthew 11:25, NIV)
28. Having called his men, Jesus made a practice of being with them. This was the essence of his training program—just letting his disciples follow him. ‌When you stop to think of it, this was an incredibly simple way of doing it. Jesus had no formal school or curriculum for his followers. None of these highly organized procedures we consider so necessary today ever entered into his ministry. Amazing as it may seem, all Jesus did to teach these men his way was to draw them close to himself. He was his own school and curriculum.
29. ‌The natural informality of this teaching method of Jesus stood in striking contrast to the formal, almost scholastic procedures of the scribes. These religious teachers insisted on their disciples adhering strictly to certain rituals and formulas of knowledge which distinguished them from others.
30. Jesus asked only that his disciples follow him. Knowledge was not communicated by the Master in terms of laws and dogmas, but in the living personality of One who walked among them. His disciples were distinguished, not by outward conformity to certain rituals, but by being with him, and thereby participating in his doctrine.
31. You remember Nicodemus, the Jewish scholar who came to Jesus one night for an interview. Even though he knew the Scriptures like the back of his hand, Jesus still told him: Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3, NET. If Nicodemus had to start his spiritual life like a baby, how much more so is that true for you and me? We all start off our spiritual lives like infants who need guidance. It’s OK to start life like a baby but not stay there!
32. As we begin to grow, we become like children, focused entirely on ourselves. No wonder Paul felt like he did toward the immature, childish Christians in Galatia: Do you know how I feel right now, and will feel until Christ's life becomes visible in your lives? Like a mother in the pain of childbirth. Galatians 4:19, MSG
33. As we mature, we grow out of the selfishness of childhood and attain some degree of spiritual focus and maturity. As John wrote: … I have written to you who are young in the faith because you are strong. God’s word lives in your hearts, and you have won your battle with the evil one. 1 John 2:14, NLT
34. We need to grow past seeing what Christ has to offer us – and consider what he has to offer others in our sphere of influence. People talk about what excites them. We talk about our favorite teams, restaurants, and television shows. If we’re excited about Christ, we ought to be talking about him to others. Mature adults generally become biological or adoptive parents. We ought to be doing the same thing spiritually. As Paul said: For you may have countless instructors in Christ, but you don’t have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 1 Corinthians 4:15, CSB
35. As parents, we look forward to having grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Paul wanted the same thing. He wrote his “spiritual son,” Timothy, and told him he wanted grandchildren. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. 2 Timothy 2:2, NLT From infancy to grandparenting. That’s a normal human life cycle both physically and spiritually.
36. An often overlooked but crucial hinge on which history turns is to be found about two hundred miles northwest of Jerusalem on the tiny Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Cyprus was the home of an unassuming Jew named Joseph, and it is this man who merits our attention. We don’t know how Joseph came to faith in Jesus; perhaps he was among the 3,000 visitors to Jerusalem at Passover who responded to Peter’s proclamation of the gospel (Acts 2). Whatever the circumstances, the message of the Messiah took root in his life, and he began to identify with the early church. ‌ As an indication of his commitment to Christ, Joseph sold some or all his property on Cyprus and brought the proceeds to Jerusalem, where he donated them to the church’s benevolence fund. Following custom, the church leaders responded by giving Joseph a new (or Christian) name, Son of Encouragement, or Barnabas (Acts 4:36–37). ‌Now how is it that Barnabas—a relatively minor character in Scripture—could be said to have changed history? The answer is, because Barnabas came to the aid of Saul (later known as Paul) after his dramatic Damascus Road experience and mentored him in the faith. Were it not for Barnabas, who knows what would have happened to Saul—or to the early church? Certainly, none of the leaders at Jerusalem wanted anything to do with him. As far as they were concerned, he was Public Enemy Number One, no matter what happened on the way to Damascus. “But Barnabas,” the account reads, “took him and brought him to the apostles” (Acts 9:26–27), defending Saul’s claim of conversion, and negotiating access for him to the fellowship of believers. ‌Nor did Barnabas’ influence end there. Later, he and Paul traveled together to spread the gospel, and Barnabas apparently promoted Paul to the forefront of leadership: “Barnabas and Saul” (Acts 13:7) became “Paul and his companions” (Acts 13:13). Later still, Barnabas challenged Paul over the apostle’s treatment of young John Mark (Acts 15:36–38). Just because he was known as the Son of Encouragement did not mean that Barnabas avoided conflict. ‌So, while we rightly think of Paul as the strategic spokesman for Christ in the New Testament, we must never forget that behind Paul there was a Barnabas. In fact, Paul seemed to be echoing Barnabas when he wrote to Timothy, “The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2). ‌By mentoring Paul, Barnabas was engaging in a ministry of multiplication (see the diagram, Barnabas: A Ministry of Multiplication, p. 141). The world has never been the same, which demonstrates that every time you build into the life of another person, you launch a process that ideally will never end. — Howard Hendricks and William Hendricks, Howard and William, As Iron Sharpens Iron: Building Character in a Mentoring Relationship (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2009).
37. When will the church learn this lesson? Preaching to the masses, although necessary, will never suffice in the work of preparing leaders for evangelism. Nor can occasional prayer meetings and training classes for Christian workers do this job. Building men and women is not that easy. It requires constant personal attention, much like a father gives to his children. This is something that no organization or class can ever do. Children are not raised by proxy. The example of Jesus would teach us that it can be done only by persons staying close to those whom they seek to lead. ‌The church obviously has failed at this point, and failed tragically. There is a lot of talk in the church about evangelism and Christian nurture, but little concern for personal association when it becomes evident that such work involves the sacrifice of personal indulgence. Of course, most churches insist on bringing new members through some kind of a confirmation class that usually meets an hour a week for a month or so. But the rest of the time the young convert has no contact with a definite Christian training program, except as he or she may attend the worship services of the church and the Sunday school. Unless new Christians, if indeed they are saved, have parents or friends who will fill the gap in a real way, they are left entirely on their own to find the solutions to innumerable practical problems confronting their lives, any one of which could mean disaster to their new faith. ‌With such haphazard follow-up of believers, it is no wonder that about half of those who make professions and join the church eventually fall away or lose the glow of a Christian experience, and fewer still grow in sufficient knowledge and grace to be of any real service to the Kingdom. If Sunday services and membership training classes are all that a church has to develop young converts into mature disciples, then they are defeating their own purpose by contributing to a false security, and if the new convert follows the same lazy example, it may ultimately do more harm than good. There is simply no substitute for getting with people, and it is ridiculous to imagine that anything less, short of a miracle, can develop strong Christian leadership. After all, if Jesus, the Son of God, found it necessary to stay almost constantly with his few disciples for three years, and even one of them was lost, how can a church expect to do this job on an assembly line basis a few days out of the year? — Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism (Grand Rapids, MI: Revell, 2006), 40–41.
38. General Richard Gano (CSA) was a medical doctor and a circuit preacher before and after the Civil War. He and his wife, Martha, had several sons who grew to be prominent lawyers in Dallas. Not only that, but they were all very active in churches in and around Dallas. One of those sons was William, who married Jeannette (Nettie). They were both faithful, devoted Christians and William was an elder at the Pearl and Bryan Church of Christ in Dallas where he also preached and taught Bible classes. William and Nettie had a daughter, Allene, who grew up in church. But she married Howard Hughes, Sr., who was very involved in wildcatting for oil. Howard developed a revolutionary drill bit that made him a fortune. When that happened, he and Allene became a fixture of society, and they dropped out of church. Allene and Howard had one son, Howard Hughes, Jr., who grew up to be a godless, heathenistic playboy. All it takes for the church to lose a generation is one generation failing to disciple the next.
39. When will the church learn this lesson? Preaching to the masses will never suffice to prepare leaders for evangelism. Nor will prayer meetings and training classes. Making disciples is not that easy. It requires constant personal attention, much like parents give their children. No organization or class can ever do this. People are not discipled by proxy. Jesus' example shows us that it can be done only by persons staying close to those whom they seek to lead. ‌The church obviously has failed at this point, and failed tragically. There is a lot of talk in the church about evangelism and Christian nurture, but little concern for personal association when it becomes evident that such work involves the sacrifice of personal indulgence. Of course, most churches insist on bringing new members through some kind of a confirmation class that usually meets an hour a week for a month or so. But the rest of the time the young convert has no contact with a definite Christian training program, except as he or she may attend the worship services of the church and the Sunday school. Unless new Christians, if indeed they are saved, have parents or friends who will fill the gap in a real way, they are left entirely on their own to find the solutions to innumerable practical problems confronting their lives, any one of which could mean disaster to their new faith. ‌With such haphazard follow-up of believers, it is no wonder that about half of those who make professions and join the church eventually fall away or lose the glow of a Christian experience, and fewer still grow in sufficient knowledge and grace to be of any real service to the Kingdom. If Sunday services and membership training classes are all that a church has to develop young converts into mature disciples, then they are defeating their own purpose by contributing to a false security, and if the new convert follows the same lazy example, it may ultimately do more harm than good. There is simply no substitute for getting with people, and it is ridiculous to imagine that anything less, short of a miracle, can develop strong Christian leadership. After all, if Jesus, the Son of God, found it necessary to stay almost constantly with his few disciples for three years, and even one of them was lost, how can a church expect to do this job on an assembly line basis a few days out of the year? — adapted from Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism (Grand Rapids, MI: Revell, 2006), 40–41.
40. The “Ten Commandments” of Mentoring ‌Thou shalt not … ‌I. Thou shalt not put your disciple above your relationship with God. ‌II. Thou shalt not “play God” in your disciple’s life. ‌III. Thou shalt not point your disciple to anything but Scripture for all teaching. ‌IV. Thou shalt not fail to meet regularly with your disciple. ‌V. Thou shalt not play “mother” or “father” in your disciple’s life. ‌VI. Thou shalt not kill or discourage the spirit of your disciple. ‌VII. Thou shalt not neglect your personal family or work. ‌VIII. Thou shalt not steal your disciple’s affections. ‌IX. Thou shalt not fail to be truthful with your disciple. ‌X. Thou shalt not envy the success of your disciple.