301 a developing mature disciples

Marketplace facts: Developing fruitful disciplersMarketplace facts: Developing fruitful disciplers

MARKETPLACE FACTSModule 301 A

Five Essentials For Developing Mature, Fruitful

DisciplersMario Denton

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=www.parentsreachingout.org/images/eagle.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.parentsreachingout.org/adobe/projectadobe.htm&h=195&w=160&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dreaching%2Bdreams%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8


Overall purpose of this series on Marketplace

To understand and learn from various marketplace facts so that you can: • Be more effective and anointed wherever you are in the marketplace.

• Adapt and benchmark your marketplace practices and principles discussed in this series.

• Use these material to facilitate the work of evangelism.



Five Essentials For Developing Mature, Fruitful Disciplers

• 1 Life Investment• 2 Transferability• 3 Purposefulness• 4 Flexibility• 5 Life-on-life



#1 Life Investment• Discipleship is not a short term program

of weeks or months. We tend to think in terms of herding people en mass through prescribed programs, expecting them to pop out the other end ‘mature’ and ready to change the world.

• No, discipleship is more like a parent investing in a child as he nurtures him through the various stages of growth.



#1 Life Investment• …We were gentle among you, like a mother

caring for her little children…We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God…” (I Thess. 2:7b,8,11,12a)



#1 Life Investment

• Bringing a person to a healthy level of spiritual maturity where they will consistently bear fruit usually takes 3 – 5 years.



#2 Transferability

• One of the most challenging tests in the discipling process is to go beyond the first generation.

• Often the person discipled fails to catch the vision, or feels ill-equipped to replicate it in others. Note Paul, as he urges Timothy to reproduce his experience of being discipled,



#2 Transferability

• …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 2:2b)



#2 Transferability• As a discipler, I must guard against

developing in my disciple an unhealthy dependence on me. One way is to view myself more as a guide than a teacher. Another is that from the inception of the discipling relationship I inculcate in him the idea that he is, at some future point, to begin discipling another person.



#3 Purposefulness

• Measuring your disciple’s spiritual progress is difficult at best.

• If he is practicing the disciplines (consistent intake of God’s word, prayer, etc.) and applying Biblical truth that effects a change in lifestyle, it is reasonable to assume that he is growing.



#3 Purposefulness• The process of discipling is best

served when a prescribed set of materials is generally followed on a reasonably consistent basis.

• This gives the disciple a sense of progress and direction.

• It gives him material he in turn can use in discipling others.



#3 Purposefulness

• …The Lord will spell (His truth) out for them again, repeating it over and over in simple words whenever he can… (Isa. 28:13b)



#4 Flexibility• Jesus’ metaphor of fishing for men

(Matt. 4:19,20) suggests an art form requiring flexibility and creativity.

• As disciplers we are co-laboring with the Holy Spirit in bringing this person to spiritual maturity.

• As such we need to be sure we are tuned into how the Holy Spirit is currently working in his life.



#4 Flexibility• What issues is he grappling with? • Where does he need direct help? • What role am I to play? • It is important to bear in mind the

fact that we are participating with God in crafting godly people, not religious drones.



#5 Life-on-life• By its very nature, discipleship is best

accomplished (in many cultures) with a fair amount of individualized attention. (Paul to the Thessalonians) …We dealt with you one by one, as a father deals with his children, appealing to you by encouragement, as well as by solemn injunctions to live lives worthy of…God…” (I Thess. 2:11b NEB)



#5 Life-on-life

• Paul reminded Timothy of their intensely personal relationship, You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance.” (2 Tim. 3:10)



#5 Life-on-life• Thus, it is essential that we engage

our disciple at a level of relationship where true authenticity and transparency will transpire, both in his life and in ours, the discipler. The disciple also needs to observe in us a model of what he can become. Jesus, John, and Paul understood the force of example,



#5 Life-on-life• To this you were called, because

Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps…Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did…Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. (I Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:6; 1 Cor. 11:1)



Prayer Focus• Father, In the name of Jesus, I

surrender myself to walk in the Word in the marketplace. Your word living in me produces the Life in this world.

• The word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. It makes my way plain before me.

• I boldly and confidently say that my heart is fixed and established on the solid foundation – the Living Word of God! Amen



Learning, application and commitment: James 1: 22-25

• “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.

• Do what it says. • Anyone who listens to the word but does not do

what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

• But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does.” (NIV)



Learning, application and commitment

• One of the principles that I have learned from this lesson was …

• I intend to apply this principle in my market place by: …..

• With the help of the Holy Spirit, I will begin applying this truth immediately.



Jesus said: Take what I have given you and change the world!



Sources and acknowledgementCHRIST@ WORK NEWSLETTER

• Copyright Notice• FCCI- Limited permission to copy without altering text or

profiteering is granted subject to inclusion of this copyright notice. Copy is limited to member and/or FCCI small group use.

Unauthorized use of FCCI, Christ@Work, Crown Companies, their trademarks or logos is strictly prohibited.

• The “Facts of the Matter” is also available through the Internet: www.factsofthematter.org. R. Dwight Hill.

• Slides compiled by Mario Denton. • Please commit yourself to inform us of the results regarding the

effectiveness thereof should you wish to use this material.

http://www.factsofthematter.org/



Let's keep the good marketplace vibes alive. Let's network.

Become a member of the Crown Companies Marketplace Coaching Forum.

Tel (w) + 27(0) 82 88 29903. e-mail address:[email protected]

Website: www.crown.org.za

Blessings from Dr Mario Denton as the Africa: Continental Program Director - Marketplace


301 a developing mature disciples

Documents