►<\/span> Books used\u00a0for Discipleship<\/h2><\/div><\/p>\nBooks:<\/h3>\n
by Dietrich Bonhoeffer<\/span>\u00a0\u00b7 Touchstone<\/span>\u00a0\u00b7 Paperback<\/span>\u00a0\u00b7 320 pages<\/span>\u00a0\u00b7 ISBN 0684815001<\/span><\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nwcc777.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/The-Cost-of-Discipleship-Book.jpg?resize=128%2C150&ssl=1\")
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by Neil T. Anderson<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Baker Publishing Group<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Paperback<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0256 pages<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0ISBN 0764213768<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Victory](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nwcc777.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Victory-Over-the-Darkness-Book.jpg?resize=118%2C150&ssl=1\")
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by Neil T. Anderson<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Harvest House Publishers<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Paperback<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0298 pages<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0ISBN 0736918140<\/span><\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nwcc777.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/The-Bondage-Breaker-Book.jpg?resize=121%2C150&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\nby Bill Hull, Dallas Willard<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Baker Publishing Group<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Paperback<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0224 pages<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0ISBN 0801064708<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Choose](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nwcc777.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Choose-the-Life-Book.jpg?resize=121%2C150&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\nby Francis Chan<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0David C Cook<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Paperback<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0333 pages<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0ISBN 0781408237<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Multiply](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nwcc777.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Multiply-Disciples-Making-Disciples-Book.jpg?resize=120%2C120&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\nby David Platt<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Tyndale House Publishers<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Paperback<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0245 pages<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0ISBN 1414373287<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Follow](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nwcc777.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Follow-Me-A-Call-to-Die.-a-Call-to-Live-Book.jpg?resize=120%2C150&ssl=1\")
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►<\/span> Additional\u00a0information\u00a0used\u00a0for Discipleship<\/h2><\/div><\/p>\nSpiritual Disciplines:<\/h3>\nDisciplines of Abstinence
\nThese are ways of denying ourselves something we want or need in order to make space to focus on and connect with God.<\/h4>\n\n- Solitude:\u00a0Refraining from interacting with other people in order to be alone with God and be found by him. (Solitude is completed by silence.)<\/li>\n
- Silence:\u00a0Not speaking in a quiet place in order to quiet our minds and whole self and attend to God\u2019s presence. Also, not speaking so that we can listen to others and bless them.<\/li>\n
- Fasting:\u00a0Going without food (or something else) for a period of intense prayer \u2014 the fast may be complete or partial.<\/li>\n
- Sabbath:\u00a0Doing no work to rest in God\u2019s person and provision; praying and playing with God and others.<\/li>\n
- Secrecy:\u00a0Not making our good deeds or qualities known to let God or others receive attention and to find our sufficiency in God alone.<\/li>\n
- Submission:\u00a0Not asserting ourselves in order to come under the authority, wisdom, and power of Jesus Christ as our Lord, King, and Master. (If you think of this as submitting to a person as unto Christ then it\u2019s a discipline of engagement.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Disciplines of Engagement
\nThese are ways of connecting with God and other people, conversing honestly with them in order to love and be loved.<\/h4>\n\n- Bible Reading:\u00a0Trusting the Holy Spirit-inspired words of Scripture as our guide, wisdom, and strength for life.<\/li>\n
- Worship:\u00a0Praising God\u2019s greatness, goodness, and beauty in words, music, ritual, or silence.<\/li>\n
- Prayer:\u00a0Conversing with God about what we\u2019re experiencing and doing together.<\/li>\n
- Soul Friendship:\u00a0Engaging fellow disciples of Jesus in prayerful conversation or other spiritual practices.<\/li>\n
- Personal Reflection:\u00a0Paying attention to our inner self in order to grow in love for God, others, and self.<\/li>\n
- Service:\u00a0Humbly serving God by overflowing with his love and compassion to others, especially those in need.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
* The ideas on\u00a0this Spiritual Disciplines List have been greatly influenced by Dallas Willard, especially his book,\u00a0The Spirit of the Disciplines. He\u00a0discusses the all-important vision and motivation behind the disciplines for the spiritual life in Christ, as well as teaching on individual practices.<\/p>\n
**C<\/span>AUTIONS<\/span><\/span>!<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n\n- \nSpiritual disciplines are not the same as spiritual maturity. Though they are intended to enable and foster spiritual growth, actual spiritual maturity is in the purview of the Spirit.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- \nSpiritual disciplines are not unlike any other methodology in that they seek to engender a more disciplined approach to God. There is a danger that these methodologies though helpful in fostering growth may become a trap to a more legalistic methodology approach to spirituality. The proper focus of the disciplines is to know God at a deeper and more dependent relational level\u2026 seeking His will and purpose and growing in maturity and confidence in hearing and obeying Him.<\/div>\n
\n- \nWe engage in the disciplines because we love God and want to press into Him and know Him better.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- \nEngaging in the disciplines essentially places us on the spiritual highway where we can be more easily <\/span>picked up by the Spirit\u2026 but it is not our effort that earns us <\/span>the right of access, but <\/span>rather God\u2019s grace that bestows i<\/span>t and draws us in.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- \nSpiritual disciplines focus on the relational and qualitative aspects of knowing God, not the intellectual and quantitative aspects. It is more of <\/span>an \u201cEmotional Quotient\u201d rather <\/span>than merely <\/span>an \u201cIntellectual <\/span>Quotient.\u201d [EQ vs. IQ]<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- \nBy nature, the results of the disciplines may be seen and perhaps measured, but the disciplines themselves will resist quantitative analysis. This is always the nature of EQ components.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- \nSpiritual disciplines are not a guaranty for spiritual growth; rather they open the opportunity for growth by creating space for God to allow something good to happen.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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What is Discipleship?<\/span><\/h1>\n(The following is provided by Bill Hull Ministries)<\/p>\n
►<\/span> Its Purpose<\/h2><\/div><\/span><\/p>\nChoose The Life <\/em><\/strong>exists to assist the motivated disciple in entering into a more profound way of thinking and living. That way is the pattern of life Jesus modeled and then called every interested person to follow. It is a life grounded in humility\u2014characterized by submission, obedience, suffering, and the joys of exaltation. It is the life that transforms its adherents and penetrates the strongest resistance.<\/p>\nBill Hull’s book, Choose The Life: Exploring a Faith that Embraces Discipleship <\/em><\/strong>challenges traditional thinking about what it means to be a Christian\u2014it rebuilds the Gospel from the disciple up. It asks what is wrong with the Gospel taught in contemporary Western Culture and then suggests some changes in the way it is communicated by the Church. It then calls upon each person to rethink what it means to be follower of Jesus.<\/p>\nA Disciple\u2019s Guide to Choose The Life<\/em><\/strong>by Bill Hull and Paul Mascarella is designed to lead disciples in a ten week course through Choose the life. However, it is more than simply a reading guide. It presents the ideas in Choose The Life <\/strong><\/em>so as to provoke a disciple\u2019s thinking towards the application of these truths, which produces in him a faith hospitable to healthy spiritual growth\u2014 a faith that embraces discipleship.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
►<\/span> Its Participants<\/h2><\/div><\/p>\nVirtually all significant change can, should be, and eventually is, tested in relationship to others. To say that one is more loving without it being verified in relation to others is hollow. Not only do others need to be involved to test one\u2019s progress, they are needed to encourage and help one in the journey of transformation. Therefore, going on the journey with others is absolutely necessary.<\/p>\n
The Disciple’s Guide <\/em><\/strong>is designed to lead each disciple in a personal journey of spiritual formation by his participation within a \u201cCommunity\u201d of disciples, who have likewise decided to choose the life.<\/p>\nThe \u201cCommunity\u201d is composed of (optimally) from two to six disciples being lead through this ten week exploration of Choose The Life<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\nParticipants in the community will have agreed to make time and perform the daily assignments as directed by the Disciple’s Guide <\/em><\/strong>. They have agreed to pray daily for the other members of their community and to keep whatever is shared at their \u201cCommunity Meeting\u201d in complete confidence (unless express permission to disclose a specific matter, is given by all involved). They will attend and fully participate in each weekly \u201cCommunity Meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
►<\/span> Its Process<\/h2><\/div><\/p>\nChange is a process. Events can change people but most often transformation is a process that takes time. Most studies on change agree that acquiring and establishing\u00a0the permanence of a new idea or habit of thinking\u00a0 requires about three months of daily practice. This would be the minimum<\/em> time required\u2014the ten weeks to finish the Disciple’s Guide\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> provides a solid opportunity for significant transformation.<\/p>\nThe process employed by the Disciple’s Guide\u00a0<\/strong> <\/em>includes:<\/p>\n\n- Reading the scripture together<\/li>\n
- Reading a common philosophy of the Christian experience<\/li>\n
- Journaling insights, questions, and prayers<\/li>\n
- Discussion over material that has already been studied, prayed over and reflected upon<\/li>\n
- Helping each other keep their commitments to God<\/li>\n
- Helping each other break free of areas of defeat and bondage<\/li>\n
- A common commitment to apply what God has impressed on each member<\/li>\n
- A common commitment to impact those with whom they have contact<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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►<\/span> Its Pattern<\/h2><\/div><\/p>\nThe Disciple’s Guide\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> leads an exploration of each successive chapter of the book (including the introductory material) in ten weeks.<\/p>\nEach week (beginning with Chapter One) a chapter is explored in five daily,\u00a030 minute sessions.<\/p>\n
Each daily session begins with a prayer focused on the issues to be presented in the daily reading. The daily reading\u00a0presents\u00a0a\u00a0core thought or\u00a0key idea that will be explored in the day\u2019s exercises. Questions are provided to help the disciple understanding the day’s core thought and key idea. Disciples are then directed to reflect\u00a0upon how the day’s\u00a0core thought or\u00a0key idea applies to their own spiritual growth and the action it requires for them to accomplish, that day. Journaling space is provided for answering the\u00a0questions posed, and recording the thoughts, questions, and insights\u00a0arising from\u00a0their time of reflection.<\/p>\n
Once weekly (at the sixth session), the disciple meets with the other disciples which comprise his \u201cCommunity.\u201d At\u00a0this Community Meeting,\u00a0they pray together, discuss the core thoughts and key ideas introduced in the week\u2019s readings, share from their times of reflection, and encourage each other on their journey.<\/p>\n
Although the Disciple’s Guide <\/em><\/strong>was designed primarily for use by groups consisting of from 2 to\u00a08 members (optimally), the material contained within can easily be used to effectively lead much larger groups in a discussion based exploration of Choose The Life: Exploring a Faith that Embraces Discipleship<\/em><\/strong>. This is done by using the 10 weekly Community Meetings as the agendas for a ten-week discussion program. It is recommended, when the Disciple’s Guide\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> is used in a large group setting, that the accompanying DVD, A DVD Guide to Choose The Life\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>be used to introduce the topic for the week\u2019s discussion. Additional questions to enhance the weekly meeting may be gleaned from the week\u2019s five-day study program.<\/p>\nLastly, it is recommend that the leader (or leaders) of a weekly discussion group proceed through the Guide together as their own Community group. The insights that will they will acquire by proceeding on their own journey through Choose The Life <\/em><\/strong>will be invaluable to them and the larger group they will be leading.<\/p>\nWhen leading a classroom sized (or larger) group through Choose The Life<\/em><\/strong>, one must keep in mind that most of the \u201cspiritual traction\u201d for transformation is due to the interaction that the Lord has with each individual as He interacts with them through the other individuals in a community of believers. To preserve this traction, the leader must provide a venue where, and time for, this interaction. For this reason it is suggested that some time during the weekly session, the leader divide the large group into smaller groups (mimicking the 2 to\u00a08 member Community group) for the purpose of more intimately discussing the issues presented in the week\u2019s session. It is reported that,\u00a0after experiencing successive weeks with the same members of\u00a0their smaller \u201cdiscussion group,\u201d\u00a0individuals who previously were not participants in a \u201csmall group\u201d\u00a0program express their\u00a0desired to continue in just such a program.<\/p>\nWhile the authors believe that the most \u201ceffective and efficient\u201d means of leading individuals to healthy spiritual transformation is in the context of a smaller Community group, we do acknowledge that the larger group setting may be the only means currently available to a church\u2019s leadership, whereby the biblical truths taught in Choose The Life <\/strong><\/em>are likely to be made available. We believe most strongly that though the form of instruction is important, the function is what must be preserved- Verum supremus vultus (truth above form).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
►<\/span> Its Product<\/h2><\/div><\/p>\nLearning studies demonstrate the importance of application. The most relevant question a teacher can ask is, \u201cAre my students learning?\u201d According to a leading learning researcher people remember:<\/p>\n
\n- \n10% of what they read<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- \n20% of what they hear<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- \n30% of what they see<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- \n50% of what they see and hear<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- \n70% of what they say<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- \n95% of what they teach someone else (Glasser, Control Therapy in the Classroom<\/em>)<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Each session asks the disciple to determine what concrete activity they can take that week to apply what they have learned. The Disciple’s Guide\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> highly values the spiritual traction one can get by facing challenges in a high trust community. This avoids the hothouse effect (people not experienced in the reality of ministry) on groups that do not answer the challenge to reach beyond themselves.<\/p>\nChrist was a man for others; disciples then are to be people for others. It is only in losing ourselves in the mission of loving others that we live in balance and experience the joy that Christ has promised. This is the faith that embraces discipleship. This is the life that cultivates Christ-likeness and whose product is a transformed disciple\u2014the only life of faith worthy enough to justify our calling upon others to Choose The Life<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n
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Next we must Experience the Life:<\/span><\/h1>\n <\/p>\n
►<\/span> 1: Believe as Jesus Believed – Transformed Minds<\/h2><\/div><\/p>\n1: Believe as Jesus Believed – Transformed Minds<\/span><\/h1>\nTo believe what Jesus believed means we hold a conviction that the life he described in the Sermon on the Mount is possible right now. In fact, Jesus said we can equal and exceed the works that he did. \u201cBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied… I tell you the solemn truth, the person who believes in me will perform the miraculous deeds that I am doing, and will perform greater deeds than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”(Matt. 5-7; John 14:12-14)This requires a commitment to set aside time to study, pray, and meditate in order to hear the voice of God and to take on the mind of Christ. If that commitment is not present, we are practicing Christ-less Christianity. After all, how can you follow and learn from someone whose voice you can\u2019t recognize.<\/p>\n
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►<\/span> 2: Live as Jesus Lived<\/h2><\/div><\/p>\n2: Live as Jesus Lived<\/span><\/h1>\nToo often following Jesus has been limited to admiring the mystery of the God-man and resting in the finished work of the cross. While the basis of a relationship with God in Christ is both his person and his finished work, the ongoing nature of salvation, sometimes called sanctification, should not be ignored. A pathology of the American church has been to disconnect belief from behavior. People think that if you say the right words and believe the right things, you\u2019ll receive your get-out-of-hell-free card, and that\u2019s it. In the meantime they manage their sin until heaven. Jesus calls us not to sin management but to transformation, where we experience on breakthrough after another and do away with sin in our lives. We are called to follow Jesus and be transformed into his image. We are called to take seriously the character description of Jesus in the Gospels and Philippians 2:5-8 “You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death \u2013 even death on a cross!” We are expected to take on that same character and thus influence the people around us in the same way Jesus influenced others. In short, the gospel connects belief and behavior.<\/p>\n
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►<\/span> 3: Love as Jesus Loved – Transformed Relationships<\/h2><\/div><\/p>\n3: Love as Jesus Loved – Transformed Relationships<\/span><\/h1>\nSome of us have settled for loving those who love us and forgiving those who have asked us for forgiveness. We have set limits on how many times we will forgive someone for the same action. The church is marginalized because of estranged relationship and a lack of commitment to follow Jesus. To love as Christ loved is the way to break down the walls that separate us and bring healing to broken lives. Jesus didn\u2019t hold anything back and loved until others experienced that love. A community develops character as it pursues the standard summarized by Jesus when he told us to “love one another just as I have loved you\u201d (John 15:12).<\/p>\n
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►<\/span> 4: Minister as Jesus Ministered – Transformed Service<\/h2><\/div><\/p>\n4: Minister as Jesus Ministered – Transformed Service<\/span><\/h1>\n\u201cthe Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many\u201d (Matt. 20:28). Jesus ministered out of who he was; his influence came from his character. The way he exercised power was consistent with the humility and submission that governed his character and service (John 14:12-14). As disciples of Jesus we can have the same impact Jesus had.<\/p>\n
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►<\/span> 5: Lead as Jesus Led – Transformed Influence<\/h2><\/div><\/p>\n5: Lead as Jesus Led – Transformed Influence<\/span><\/h1>\nMany spiritual leaders find themselves trapped in a church dominated by the surrounding culture of success. Nothing fails like success and that is so true of spiritual leaders who have mimicked models of leadership other than that of Jesus. The leader gets trapped in the \u201cchurch world\u2019s\u201d version of success with its rewards and punishments. The great temptation is to climb the “success” ladder, but then you find yourself standing on the top of a very short wobbly ladder, and you are sure to fall because there is nothing dependable to hold onto. If the proper markings of success are not present in one\u2019s life, consequences follow. Jesus is our leader, and inherent to following him is leading the way he led. Jesus was irrelevant and unnecessary to his culture. And by taking a servant\u2019s role, even thought it cost him everything, he became the most relevant and necessary man of history.<\/p>\n
<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n
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Please contact\u00a0Dino [at] nwcc777 [dot] com<\/a> ->Dean Fairchild if you are interested in joining a Discipleship group.<\/h2>\n
Books:<\/h3>\n
by Dietrich Bonhoeffer<\/span>\u00a0\u00b7 Touchstone<\/span>\u00a0\u00b7 Paperback<\/span>\u00a0\u00b7 320 pages<\/span>\u00a0\u00b7 ISBN 0684815001<\/span><\/p>\n by Neil T. Anderson<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Baker Publishing Group<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Paperback<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0256 pages<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0ISBN 0764213768<\/span><\/p>\n by Neil T. Anderson<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Harvest House Publishers<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Paperback<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0298 pages<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0ISBN 0736918140<\/span><\/p>\n by Bill Hull, Dallas Willard<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Baker Publishing Group<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Paperback<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0224 pages<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0ISBN 0801064708<\/span><\/p>\n by Francis Chan<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0David C Cook<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Paperback<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0333 pages<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0ISBN 0781408237<\/span><\/p>\n by David Platt<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Tyndale House Publishers<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0Paperback<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0245 pages<\/span> \u00b7\u00a0ISBN 1414373287<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div><\/div><\/p>\n <\/p>\n * The ideas on\u00a0this Spiritual Disciplines List have been greatly influenced by Dallas Willard, especially his book,\u00a0The Spirit of the Disciplines. He\u00a0discusses the all-important vision and motivation behind the disciplines for the spiritual life in Christ, as well as teaching on individual practices.<\/p>\n **C<\/span>AUTIONS<\/span><\/span>!<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n <\/div><\/div><\/p>\n <\/p>\n (The following is provided by Bill Hull Ministries)<\/p>\n Choose The Life <\/em><\/strong>exists to assist the motivated disciple in entering into a more profound way of thinking and living. That way is the pattern of life Jesus modeled and then called every interested person to follow. It is a life grounded in humility\u2014characterized by submission, obedience, suffering, and the joys of exaltation. It is the life that transforms its adherents and penetrates the strongest resistance.<\/p>\n Bill Hull’s book, Choose The Life: Exploring a Faith that Embraces Discipleship <\/em><\/strong>challenges traditional thinking about what it means to be a Christian\u2014it rebuilds the Gospel from the disciple up. It asks what is wrong with the Gospel taught in contemporary Western Culture and then suggests some changes in the way it is communicated by the Church. It then calls upon each person to rethink what it means to be follower of Jesus.<\/p>\n A Disciple\u2019s Guide to Choose The Life<\/em><\/strong>by Bill Hull and Paul Mascarella is designed to lead disciples in a ten week course through Choose the life. However, it is more than simply a reading guide. It presents the ideas in Choose The Life <\/strong><\/em>so as to provoke a disciple\u2019s thinking towards the application of these truths, which produces in him a faith hospitable to healthy spiritual growth\u2014 a faith that embraces discipleship.<\/p>\n <\/div><\/div><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Virtually all significant change can, should be, and eventually is, tested in relationship to others. To say that one is more loving without it being verified in relation to others is hollow. Not only do others need to be involved to test one\u2019s progress, they are needed to encourage and help one in the journey of transformation. Therefore, going on the journey with others is absolutely necessary.<\/p>\n The Disciple’s Guide <\/em><\/strong>is designed to lead each disciple in a personal journey of spiritual formation by his participation within a \u201cCommunity\u201d of disciples, who have likewise decided to choose the life.<\/p>\n The \u201cCommunity\u201d is composed of (optimally) from two to six disciples being lead through this ten week exploration of Choose The Life<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Participants in the community will have agreed to make time and perform the daily assignments as directed by the Disciple’s Guide <\/em><\/strong>. They have agreed to pray daily for the other members of their community and to keep whatever is shared at their \u201cCommunity Meeting\u201d in complete confidence (unless express permission to disclose a specific matter, is given by all involved). They will attend and fully participate in each weekly \u201cCommunity Meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/div><\/div><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Change is a process. Events can change people but most often transformation is a process that takes time. Most studies on change agree that acquiring and establishing\u00a0the permanence of a new idea or habit of thinking\u00a0 requires about three months of daily practice. This would be the minimum<\/em> time required\u2014the ten weeks to finish the Disciple’s Guide\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> provides a solid opportunity for significant transformation.<\/p>\n The process employed by the Disciple’s Guide\u00a0<\/strong> <\/em>includes:<\/p>\n <\/div><\/div><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Disciple’s Guide\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> leads an exploration of each successive chapter of the book (including the introductory material) in ten weeks.<\/p>\n Each week (beginning with Chapter One) a chapter is explored in five daily,\u00a030 minute sessions.<\/p>\n Each daily session begins with a prayer focused on the issues to be presented in the daily reading. The daily reading\u00a0presents\u00a0a\u00a0core thought or\u00a0key idea that will be explored in the day\u2019s exercises. Questions are provided to help the disciple understanding the day’s core thought and key idea. Disciples are then directed to reflect\u00a0upon how the day’s\u00a0core thought or\u00a0key idea applies to their own spiritual growth and the action it requires for them to accomplish, that day. Journaling space is provided for answering the\u00a0questions posed, and recording the thoughts, questions, and insights\u00a0arising from\u00a0their time of reflection.<\/p>\n Once weekly (at the sixth session), the disciple meets with the other disciples which comprise his \u201cCommunity.\u201d At\u00a0this Community Meeting,\u00a0they pray together, discuss the core thoughts and key ideas introduced in the week\u2019s readings, share from their times of reflection, and encourage each other on their journey.<\/p>\n Although the Disciple’s Guide <\/em><\/strong>was designed primarily for use by groups consisting of from 2 to\u00a08 members (optimally), the material contained within can easily be used to effectively lead much larger groups in a discussion based exploration of Choose The Life: Exploring a Faith that Embraces Discipleship<\/em><\/strong>. This is done by using the 10 weekly Community Meetings as the agendas for a ten-week discussion program. It is recommended, when the Disciple’s Guide\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> is used in a large group setting, that the accompanying DVD, A DVD Guide to Choose The Life\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>be used to introduce the topic for the week\u2019s discussion. Additional questions to enhance the weekly meeting may be gleaned from the week\u2019s five-day study program.<\/p>\n Lastly, it is recommend that the leader (or leaders) of a weekly discussion group proceed through the Guide together as their own Community group. The insights that will they will acquire by proceeding on their own journey through Choose The Life <\/em><\/strong>will be invaluable to them and the larger group they will be leading.<\/p>\n When leading a classroom sized (or larger) group through Choose The Life<\/em><\/strong>, one must keep in mind that most of the \u201cspiritual traction\u201d for transformation is due to the interaction that the Lord has with each individual as He interacts with them through the other individuals in a community of believers. To preserve this traction, the leader must provide a venue where, and time for, this interaction. For this reason it is suggested that some time during the weekly session, the leader divide the large group into smaller groups (mimicking the 2 to\u00a08 member Community group) for the purpose of more intimately discussing the issues presented in the week\u2019s session. It is reported that,\u00a0after experiencing successive weeks with the same members of\u00a0their smaller \u201cdiscussion group,\u201d\u00a0individuals who previously were not participants in a \u201csmall group\u201d\u00a0program express their\u00a0desired to continue in just such a program.<\/p>\n While the authors believe that the most \u201ceffective and efficient\u201d means of leading individuals to healthy spiritual transformation is in the context of a smaller Community group, we do acknowledge that the larger group setting may be the only means currently available to a church\u2019s leadership, whereby the biblical truths taught in Choose The Life <\/strong><\/em>are likely to be made available. We believe most strongly that though the form of instruction is important, the function is what must be preserved- Verum supremus vultus (truth above form).<\/p>\n <\/div><\/div><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Learning studies demonstrate the importance of application. The most relevant question a teacher can ask is, \u201cAre my students learning?\u201d According to a leading learning researcher people remember:<\/p>\n Each session asks the disciple to determine what concrete activity they can take that week to apply what they have learned. The Disciple’s Guide\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> highly values the spiritual traction one can get by facing challenges in a high trust community. This avoids the hothouse effect (people not experienced in the reality of ministry) on groups that do not answer the challenge to reach beyond themselves.<\/p>\n Christ was a man for others; disciples then are to be people for others. It is only in losing ourselves in the mission of loving others that we live in balance and experience the joy that Christ has promised. This is the faith that embraces discipleship. This is the life that cultivates Christ-likeness and whose product is a transformed disciple\u2014the only life of faith worthy enough to justify our calling upon others to Choose The Life<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/div><\/div><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n To believe what Jesus believed means we hold a conviction that the life he described in the Sermon on the Mount is possible right now. In fact, Jesus said we can equal and exceed the works that he did. \u201cBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied… I tell you the solemn truth, the person who believes in me will perform the miraculous deeds that I am doing, and will perform greater deeds than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”(Matt. 5-7; John 14:12-14)This requires a commitment to set aside time to study, pray, and meditate in order to hear the voice of God and to take on the mind of Christ. If that commitment is not present, we are practicing Christ-less Christianity. After all, how can you follow and learn from someone whose voice you can\u2019t recognize.<\/p>\n <\/div><\/div><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Too often following Jesus has been limited to admiring the mystery of the God-man and resting in the finished work of the cross. While the basis of a relationship with God in Christ is both his person and his finished work, the ongoing nature of salvation, sometimes called sanctification, should not be ignored. A pathology of the American church has been to disconnect belief from behavior. People think that if you say the right words and believe the right things, you\u2019ll receive your get-out-of-hell-free card, and that\u2019s it. In the meantime they manage their sin until heaven. Jesus calls us not to sin management but to transformation, where we experience on breakthrough after another and do away with sin in our lives. We are called to follow Jesus and be transformed into his image. We are called to take seriously the character description of Jesus in the Gospels and Philippians 2:5-8 “You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death \u2013 even death on a cross!” We are expected to take on that same character and thus influence the people around us in the same way Jesus influenced others. In short, the gospel connects belief and behavior.<\/p>\n <\/div><\/div><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some of us have settled for loving those who love us and forgiving those who have asked us for forgiveness. We have set limits on how many times we will forgive someone for the same action. The church is marginalized because of estranged relationship and a lack of commitment to follow Jesus. To love as Christ loved is the way to break down the walls that separate us and bring healing to broken lives. Jesus didn\u2019t hold anything back and loved until others experienced that love. A community develops character as it pursues the standard summarized by Jesus when he told us to “love one another just as I have loved you\u201d (John 15:12).<\/p>\n <\/div><\/div><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cthe Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many\u201d (Matt. 20:28). Jesus ministered out of who he was; his influence came from his character. The way he exercised power was consistent with the humility and submission that governed his character and service (John 14:12-14). As disciples of Jesus we can have the same impact Jesus had.<\/p>\n <\/div><\/div><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Many spiritual leaders find themselves trapped in a church dominated by the surrounding culture of success. Nothing fails like success and that is so true of spiritual leaders who have mimicked models of leadership other than that of Jesus. The leader gets trapped in the \u201cchurch world\u2019s\u201d version of success with its rewards and punishments. The great temptation is to climb the “success” ladder, but then you find yourself standing on the top of a very short wobbly ladder, and you are sure to fall because there is nothing dependable to hold onto. If the proper markings of success are not present in one\u2019s life, consequences follow. Jesus is our leader, and inherent to following him is leading the way he led. Jesus was irrelevant and unnecessary to his culture. And by taking a servant\u2019s role, even thought it cost him everything, he became the most relevant and necessary man of history.<\/p>\n <\/div><\/div><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nwcc777.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/The-Bondage-Breaker-Book.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n►<\/span> Additional\u00a0information\u00a0used\u00a0for Discipleship<\/h2><\/div>
Spiritual Disciplines:<\/h3>\n
Disciplines of Abstinence
\nThese are ways of denying ourselves something we want or need in order to make space to focus on and connect with God.<\/h4>\n\n
Disciplines of Engagement
\nThese are ways of connecting with God and other people, conversing honestly with them in order to love and be loved.<\/h4>\n\n
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What is Discipleship?<\/span><\/h1>\n
►<\/span> Its Purpose<\/h2><\/div>
►<\/span> Its Participants<\/h2><\/div>
►<\/span> Its Process<\/h2><\/div>
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►<\/span> Its Pattern<\/h2><\/div>
►<\/span> Its Product<\/h2><\/div>
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Next we must Experience the Life:<\/span><\/h1>\n
►<\/span> 1: Believe as Jesus Believed – Transformed Minds<\/h2><\/div>
1: Believe as Jesus Believed – Transformed Minds<\/span><\/h1>\n
►<\/span> 2: Live as Jesus Lived<\/h2><\/div>
2: Live as Jesus Lived<\/span><\/h1>\n
►<\/span> 3: Love as Jesus Loved – Transformed Relationships<\/h2><\/div>
3: Love as Jesus Loved – Transformed Relationships<\/span><\/h1>\n
►<\/span> 4: Minister as Jesus Ministered – Transformed Service<\/h2><\/div>
4: Minister as Jesus Ministered – Transformed Service<\/span><\/h1>\n
►<\/span> 5: Lead as Jesus Led – Transformed Influence<\/h2><\/div>
5: Lead as Jesus Led – Transformed Influence<\/span><\/h1>\n
Please contact\u00a0Dino [at] nwcc777 [dot] com<\/a> ->Dean Fairchild if you are interested in joining a Discipleship group.<\/h2>\n