Is your Discipleship Strategy Effective?

Carey Nieuwhof recently asked;
“How do you know whether your discipleship strategy is effective – whether it’s producing followers of Jesus who are maturing?”

Carey then goes on to write that Jesus gave us the test that defines discipleship exceptionally well.

He simply said: “By their fruit you will recognize them.” 
Matthew 7:16-20 (New International Version)

In other words, look at someone’s life for the proof, for the evidence, that they are growing and maturing in the faith, and that they’re developing the “fruit” in their lives.

The apostle Paul helps to define what the “fruit” is in Galatians 5:22-23, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (New International Version)

When we exhibit these things in our lives we are “living God’s way” and I just love how the Message puts it; “He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.” Galatians 5:22-23

The leadership challenge though is that when we look at the people who are following Christ in our Corps / churches and ask ourselves:

Are the above characteristics shown in the lives of those within our congregation?

We often find that we have some work to do in our discipleship strategy.

Because unfortunately it’s not producing the kind of fruit of Holy Spirit in the lives of our people that we would like to see, or read in the Scriptures.

The apostle Paul when writing to the church of Corinth says that “all of us… show the shining-greatness of the Lord as in a mirror. All the time we are being changed to look like Him, with more and more of His shining-greatness. This change is from the Lord Who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 (New Life Version)

“…Our lives [should] gradually become brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.” (refer to The Message)

The thing is, this kind of transformation of a person happens in the depths of our heart and soul.

It is more than what anyone can see or feel. It’s a mysterious, complex process that God initiates and sustains as a gift.

And we can’t set perfection as our standard because we live on this side of heaven.

Will everyone who claims to be following Jesus ‘get there’? No! Will everyone stick around? Nope, we’ll lose a few. But should we be more like Jesus than they were say a few years ago? Absolutely!

And that’s the point, if our discipleship strategy is truly effective then our character and our heart should be being re-shaped by the Holy Spirit, our lives should be being transformed and the fruits of the Spirit should be becoming more evident in our lives.

Discipleship is not a one class / course thing, it is a life-long process. God isn’t done shaping you until you’re dead. And even then, he still has plans for you.

Now, earlier this year I was privileged to be involved with some Natural Character Development (NCD) Inspiration Coaching, which forms a part of the 3 Colour Discipleship Series.

I’m now able to include other aspects of the series such as:

• The 3 Colours of Your Spirituality, which helps people understand and embrace the most natural way they connect with God.
• The Inspiration Test which helps you discover what happens when you enter a room, for every moment of your life you are either inspiring people by bringing life or not so much.
• The 3 Colours of Leadership, which looks to address where your power is going and whether you’re empowering or disempowering those around you in your everyday life.
• The Fruit of the Spirit Test which helps you identify the expressions of the fruit that are more evident in your life, as every moment of every day you are exhibiting aspects of God’s love and reflecting it to those around you.
• The 3 Colours of Community, which looks to address how well you play with others and if you are building community or tearing it down.
• The Stewardship Test which explores how well you are using your time, talent and treasure, as every moment of your life you are using what you have to make things better or not so much.
• The 3 Colours of Your Gifts, which will help reveal the realm of life transformation to which your gifts primarily relate – developing, sharing, or renewing.

If you would like any further information about how you can incorporate any of the above into a discipleship strategy and the coaching process, then please drop me a line via email or leave a comment below – I’d be more than willing to let you know about what’s involved and the costs etc. 🙂

Read Full Post »

Word of Encouragement – 21 November

As part of my devotions on Thursday morning I read the following from The Word for Today and felt it pertinent to post it as a Word of Encouragement to one and all, far and wide; as we here at The Salvation Army Wellington City endeavour to bring life and hope to the Inner City of Wellington and beyond.

If you’re struggling spiritually today, here are three thoughts that will help you: First, realise that doing God’s will isn’t always supposed to be easy. Satan, your enemy, gives up nothing without a fight, and anxiety is one of his secret weapons. That’s why the Bible says, ‘Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up’ (Galatians 6:9 NLT). Overcomers aren’t necessarily more educated or more talented than other people, they’re just more persistent. They push beyond the point at which others quit.

Second, believe that God’s will is for your total wellbeing. You are the offspring of a perfect God, so act like it. His covenant with you is forever, so think like it. Your total wellbeing is his desire and delight, so live like it. The apostle John wrote: ‘I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers’ (3 John 2 NKJV).

Third, reach by faith for what God has promised you. Struggles act like a thief. They can rob you of time with those you love, money that could be used to achieve your goals, and energy needed to fulfil God’s purpose for your life. The prophet Isaiah said, ‘Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows… and by his stripes we are healed’ (Isaiah 53:4-5 NKJV). At the cross, Jesus purchased everything you need. So rise up in faith today and claim it, because as the Scripture says, ‘The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him’ (Lamentations 3:25 NLT).

If you don’t subscribe to The Word For Today or Word For You Today which both offer daily words of encouragement may I encourage you to do so either through Rhema or Life FM you can download it on whichever platform works for you 🙂

Read Full Post »