Jesus is Lord

Register for the FREE Multiply live stream here. Friday, November 8.

To Help You Keep Going

We hope you’ve seen the Lord work in and through you in this past year as you’ve sought to teach someone else what it means to follow Christ. As you’ve probably noticed, making disciples is both rewarding and challenging. You may even feel like you need to recharge your batteries in this important area. If so, we’ve got good news: the next Multiply live stream is quickly approaching!

We’re coming together on November 8 to encourage one another to continue to obey Christ’s command to His church to make disciples. While the purpose of the night is the same as last year’s Gathering, the content will be different this year, so be sure you make plans to participate again. If you’ve led someone to the Lord in this past year, or if you’ve been building up a new believer in the faith, then invite that person to join in the live stream on Friday, November 8. Once again, it’s free, so make plans now and register.

Remember, the goal of Multiply is to make disciples who make disciples. Use this upcoming live stream as an encouragement and a challenge to continue making the gospel known. Also, if you know other believers who need to hear about the importance of making disciples, invite them to join you. We want as many people as possible leading others to follow Christ.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”

The Gymnasium for the Soul

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

What does it mean to be “trained in righteousness” and what bearing does this have on making disciples? In The Trellis and the Vine, Colin Marshall and Tony Payne expound on these verses to demonstrate the importance of passing on sound doctrine to those we are discipling. Marshall and Payne point out that the word for “training” used in these verses conveys the idea of the kind of training a father would exert over a son in order to shape and mold him more into his character (p. 71). This can be true of human fathers and our heavenly Father as he transforms us more into the character of Christ.

Marshall and Payne go on to further explain this:

“By being ‘trained’ in righteousness, the man of God is made competent or proficient by the Scriptures, which equip him for every good work. It’s the ‘training’ in righteousness that leads to the proficiency, but the proficiency here is not a particular skill—such as being able to teach clearly, or lead a small group, or whatever—but a quality of character and behaviour based on the sound doctrine of the Scriptures.”

As Christians, when we make disciples, we are doing more than teaching them the latest technique or program or “Ten Steps to effectively sharing your faith” plan. Although those things have their place, we should primarily be concerned with teaching men and women, boys and girls the Word of God and allowing the Holy Spirit to form them and shape them more into the character of Jesus Christ. And in order to do this, we ourselves must know the Word of God. So, train yourselves in righteousness in this way. Go into the gymnasium for the soul and workout your mind and your heart to become more competent in the Scriptures for your good and for God’s glory. We cannot expect to train others in righteousness unless we are training ourselves. As Marshall and Payne go on to say, “The heart of training is not to impart a skill, but to impart sound doctrine…Good biblical training results in a godly life based on sound, health-giving teaching.”

“Somber Shadows of the Cross”

All of us are commanded to make disciples. Whether that be on our campuses, in our workplaces, among our families, wherever we are, Christ’s command still stands: Go and make disciples. For some of us, this command brings with it fear and anxiety. Fear of the unknown, fear of rejection, maybe even fear of physical harm. For some reading this right now, maybe you are sitting in a place where there is much hostility in regards to Christianity and the gospel. Maybe others of you are reading this from the comforts of your home or workplace, but you are starting to sense a call from the Holy Spirit to pack up your things and family and move to an unreached people group in some other part of the world. Wherever you may be, the command to make disciples of all nations applies, and for many of us, although we desire to fulfill that command and honor Christ, when the opportunity arises for us to share our faith with an unbeliever, our tongues stick to the roof of our mouths, our palms become clammy, and the moment is lost because we are afraid and nervous.

John Stott in his book, Christian Counter-Culture, expounds the truths Jesus gives us in the Sermon on the Mount. While unpacking the famous lilies and sparrows passage in Matthew 6:19-34, Stott reminds his readers of Romans 8:28, that God works everything for the good for those who “love him, who are called according to his purpose.” Stott then tells a story that I hope we will find very comforting as followers of Christ.

“This was the assurance which fortified Dr Helmut Thielicke while he preached a course of sermons on the Sermon on the Mount in St Mark’s Church, Stuttgart, during the terrible years (1946-1948) which immediately followed the second world war. He often alluded to the scream of the air-raid sirens, alerting people to yet more devastation and death from allied bombs. What could freedom from anxiety mean in such circumstances? ‘We know the sight and the sound of homes collapsing in flames…Our own eyes have seen the red blaze and our own ears have heard the sound of crashing, falling and shrieking.’ 

Against that background the command to look at the birds and lilies might well have sounded hollow. ‘Nevertheless,’ Dr Thielicke went on, ‘I think we must stop and listen when this (Jesus) man, whose life on earth was anything but birdlike and lilylike, points us to the carefreeness of the birds and lilies. Were not the somber shadows of the Cross already looming over this hour of the Sermon on the Mount?’”

“In other words,” Stott goes on, “it is reasonable to trust in our heavenly Father’s love, even in times of grievous trouble, because we have been privileged to see it revealed in Christ and his cross.”

Multiply 2013… Deja Vu?

You may be asking yourself, “If I participated in the Multiply Gathering live stream last year, what’s the point in signing up this year? Won’t it just be the same stuff?”

We know your time is in high demand, and you can trust us when we say that we don’t want to waste it. We believe that participating in Multiply 2013 will not only benefit those of you who participated last year, but have even more to offer you the second time around!

To flesh out the night’s content a little bit more, here is a top ten list of why you should sign up… again.

1. Encouragement – You have been trying to make disciples for the past year. Hopefully you’ve had many victories, but if you’re like us, we know that you’ve also had some struggles and failures. One of the big aims of the 2013 Gathering is that we’re all encouraged to endure.
2. The Word – Our foundation for making disciples will be the foundation for the upcoming Gathering. Francis and David will share from the Word again – motivating, empowering, and equipping us in this journey.
3. Prayer – Together, we’ll spend some intentional time petitioning our heavenly Father for help and success as we seek to make His name famous.
4. Their Journey – Francis and David will share some of their personal disciple-making journey over the past year in hopes of encouraging others with both their “highs” and their “lows.”
5. Our Journey – We’ve heard about some of your disciple-making experiences, and we’ll be sharing some of these stories at the 2013 Gathering. None of us are alone. Come hear how others are doing.
6. Recommitting – Some of you have been galloping along all year, and we want to make sure it stays that way. Some of you have fallen completely off the horse and need to get back in the saddle. So together, we’ll commit to another year of following Christ and leading others to do the same.
7. Bring Your Friend(s) – Part of last year’s charge was that this year, you’d participate in the live stream with the person you’ve led to Christ and poured into. Bring them with you!
8. Bring Others – Don’t stop with your one person though. Bring other believers so they can be encouraged to make disciples too.
9. Newbies Welcome – Don’t be afraid to pick up with the second Multiply Gathering if you missed the first. You’ll be up to speed in no time!
10. The Process Continues – Making disciples who make disciples who make disciples is an ongoing process for every follower of Christ. Disciple-making isn’t something you can just “check-off.” We all know that. Multiply 2013 will be a tool to help you resist just such a temptation and continue your disciple-making journey.

Register for the FREE 2013 Multiply Gathering live stream HERE.

4 Part Discipleship Strategy (That Really Works) Part 2

Note from the editor: This blog post by Robby Gallaty originally appeared here at Replicate Ministries on October 7, 2013.

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2 Timothy 2:1-2:

“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what

you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

The second step in the Discipleship Process is to Implement the Principles of Christ

We must not only abide in the power of Christ, but we must also accept the principles of Christ. Paul tells Timothy to pass on “what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses.” The word witness here actually means, “martyr.” It’s the word for someone willing to die for his or her faith.

Paul is saying, “You can test what I’m saying by the witnesses. These men don’t just speak the Word or listen to the Word; these men are going to die for the Word of God. They are not just church attendees; these men are literally willing to die for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

It’s one thing to stroll into church on Sunday morning and hear an uplifting word from God through the pastor. It’s another thing to live faithfully from Monday through Saturday. Are you putting the words you hear on Sunday into your life? Paul wanted to be sure that Timothy didn’t just hear the Word, but applied it faithfully to his life.

Deuteronomy 4:1 says, “Hear now, O Israel. The decrees and the laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live.” And in Deuteronomy 5:1, Moses summons all of Israel and says, “Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them.”

Scripture always makes a strong connection between hearing and doing or obeying. But there is a heresy being taught in churches today. It’s reflected in this attitude: “I can choose to get saved by Jesus today but put off obedience to Him until I die and go to heaven, right? Hey, I don’t really want to be like Jesus! I just want fire insurance, pastor. I just don’t want to go to hell.” I’m sorry but you cannot choose Jesus as Savior without acknowledging Him as Lord of your life.

A few years ago, I spoke to a youth group, and I told the students, “You don’t have to tell me what you believe; just let me watch what you do and I’ll tell you what you believe. Your life will prove (or disprove) the case for the faith you attest to. The way you live will show me if you are a believer or a disciple in Jesus Christ.”

Many relinquish parts of their Life to Christ, but not everything. It reminds me of the life changing night in the life of  theologian and historian F. B. Meyer. One evening he was invited to heard C. T. Studd, the famous cricket player (equivalent to an NFL Athlete today) share his testimony of why he abandoned the sporting world to serve alongside Hudson Taylor in the China Inland Mission. Studd spoke a phrase in his message that pierced Meyers’ heart:

“If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”

After the service, Meyer approached Studd and said, “It’s obvious that you have something I lack, something that I need. What is it?”

Studd responded, “Have you Surrendered Everything to Jesus Christ?”

Without thinking, Meyer replied, “Yes I have.” But he knew deep inside that he hadn’t.
The interaction with Studd caused great anguish in his heart that evening. During his prayer time that night, he logged in his journal the interaction with God. Meyer felt as if the Lord speaking directly to him, “Meyer, I want all the keys to your Heart.”

All the Keys?

“Yes, Meyer, I want all the Keys.”

That night, he took a ring of keys and offered them to the Lord, symbolizing his commitment to God. But he couldn’t fool God. There was still one key that was missing. It was as if the Lord rebuked him, “There is one key missing, and If I am not Lord of all, I am not Lord at All.” As the Lord turned from him, he yelled, “Lord don’t Leave! Why are you Leaving?”

“Meyer, If I am not Lord of All, I am not Lord at All.”

But Lord, its just a small key, a very insignificant place in my Heart!

For the third time he heard, “If I am not Lord of All, I am not Lord at All.”

Meyer’s life would never be the same from the experience that night. Before he stood up, he wholly surrendered his life to the Lord Jesus—his career, his desires, his future,  his thoughts, his dreams, his plans, his heart, and his mind.

Have you Done that? Have you given him all the Keys to your Life?

What could God do with your life if you surrendered it to him?  

Next week, we’ll get into the Nuts and Bolts of Making Disciples.

Stay tuned for part 3…

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Robby Gallaty (Ph.D.) is the Senior Pastor of Brainerd Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN, and the Founder of Replicate Ministries. He is the author of Creating an Atmosphere to Hear God Speak, Unashamed: Taking a Radical Stand for Christ, and Growing Up: How to Be a Disciple Who Makes Disciples (Coming November 2013).

An Invitation to the Multiply Live Stream

Francis and David with a personal invitation to join in the Multiply live stream on November 8th:

Church, Culture, Adoption, & Negligence: Reflections from Korea

In the three videos below, Francis and David talk about their interaction with followers of Christ in Korea. As with our own context, Korean Christians face hurdles to making disciples within their own church culture. Even still, there are encouraging signs among the church there. In the third video, Francis and David talk about their meeting with Korean megachurch pastors and the desire of these men to see their own congregations move away from a spectator mentality. Sound familiar?

One unexpected issue that arose during these interactions was adoption. Adoption is looked down upon in Korean culture, as identification with one’s biological bloodlines is extremely important. The issue of adoption comes up in both of the first two videos and it serves as a sad but helpful reminder of how easily we can accept unbiblical ways of thinking and acting based on cultural assumptions. We could list a number of such issues in our own culture. All of us need to be reminded that God’s Word is to set the agenda for what constitutes faithfulness to the Lord.

 

 

Francis and David at the Korean DMZ

All believers are called to make disciples, and this is why we gather for Multiply. However, the context in which making disciples occurs doesn’t always look the same. This reality could not be pictured more starkly than it is in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that exists between North and South Korea.

Recently, Francis and David got the opportunity to visit the DMZ, and they talk about this experience in the first video below. For most of the world, this is as close as you can come to North Korea and the immense amount of suffering taking place within.  World Watch List lists North Korea as the most difficult country on earth to be a Christian. On the other hand, South Korea contains large numbers of professing Christians, though like the American context, the church there faces its own challenges, including materialism and shallow discipleship.

To find out how you can pray for these countries, check out ministries like Joshua Project, Operation World, and PeopleGroups.

In the first video below, David and Francis urge us to love and pray for those just across the border in North Korea, waging spiritual battle on their behalf. In the second video, David leads us in a prayer that the gospel would go forth in this hostile and dark land.

Reflections from Japan – David & Francis

David and Francis share their thoughts from their time in Japan.