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. 🙂

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Influence

Every now and again on my blog I share poems by John Roedel that I’ve come across on facebook that resonate with me on a number of levels.

For me the below poem connects with the notion of influence! Influence is something that we each have in the lives of those that we come in contact with, each and every day.

Sometimes it can be good, pleasant and life-giving, and sometimes… not quite as much.

Every person that has ever inspired you will have carried a powerful mixture of hope, capacity and resilience. And your encounter with them will have made you, to some level, more hopeful, more capable, or more resilient.

That’s the life-changing practical reality of inspiration!

The thing is, as a Christian our influence, whether we realise it or not – will either point somebody towards God, or away from knowing Him altogether.

So, if you would like to know more about the kind of influence that you bring to situations, then drop me a line via email or leave a comment below, as the Natural Character Development Inspiration Test and coaching process may benefit you 🙂  

---

You are somebody’s front porch to God.
You are someone’s doorway to mercy.
You are the world’s threshold to kindness.
You are my entrance to letting go of regret.

No pressure, but…

Your life is a gateway to peace
for both strangers and friends alike.

Whether you realize it or not…

Empathy has chosen you to turn your
heart into a welcome mat for the rest of us.

This is purpose of your life…

To let your existence become a candlelit
veranda of hope for the rest of us to
gather on during the long night.

---

John Roedel is a comic, husband and father of three boys based in Wyoming who began talking with “God” in 2015 on Facebook about his ongoing faith crisis.

What began as a flippant way of making light of his doubts in the Divine turned into something he wasn’t at all prepared for:

God wrote back.

Since creating the popular “Hey God. Hey John.” blog on Facebook three years ago, John has tackled such topics as his journey to mental health wellness, his lack of faith, the joy and pain of raising a child with autism, and grief, all in the form of a simple conversation with God.

You can pick up a copy of John’s latest book ‘Upon Departure’, a collection of poetry that explores the concept that our grief is a natural wonder that terraforms the landscape of our world in increments, from Amazon (Australia) here.

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Inspiration

Earlier this year I wrote about some Natural Church Development (NCD) training that I’ve completed to become an Inspiration Coach.

Part of the process is taking an online Inspiration Test to help people identify ways in which they breathe the breath of God into the lives of others, and also recognise aspects of their own lives where they are in danger of draining life not only from themselves, but also the lives of others that they come in contact with.

I’ve really appreciated the coaching / mentoring interactions that I have had so far with people up and down the country, exploring aspects of their own lives and also sharing characteristics of my own life as well as experiences that I have had in life and ministry and how they are interconnected. 

Today I thought that I’d share a few inspiration quotes that have come my way in the past few months as I’ve been on this journey 🙂

There are two ways of spreading light:
to be the candle
or the mirror that reflects it.
(Edith Wharton)

By doing what you love,
you inspire and awaken the hearts of others.

Great leaders inspire greatness in others.

You don’t need to be perfect to inspire others.
Let people get inspired by how you deal with your imperfection.

In response to all he has done for us, let us consider how to inspire each other to greater love and to righteous deeds, not forgetting to gather as a community, as some have forgotten, but encouraging each other, especially as the day of His return approaches. Hebrews 10:24-25 (The Voice)

Be someone’s strength. Be someone’s inspiration. Be someone’s reason to never give up. (Thoughts Wonder)

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. (John Quincy Adams)

God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 (New Living Translation)

You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. (Jane Goodall)

 Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

I want to inspire people. I want someone to look at me and say; “Because of you I didn’t give up.”

Always keep your eyes open. Keep watching. Because whatever you see can inspire you. (Grace Coddington)

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love following the example of Christ. Ephesians 5:1-2a (New Living Translation)

Instead of letting your hardships and failures discourage or exhaust you, let them inspire you. (Michelle Obama) 

Inspiration isn’t something that you wait for. Inspiration is something that you pursue. (Jeff Mallett)

If you decide to go and pursue your dreams, you will give hope to others who want to do the same. You’ll potentially serve as an example and probably be their reason why they too should give it a try. You can help them, coach them, mentor them and encourage them to keep going.

If you would like to find out more about the NCD Inspiration Test and the coaching / mentoring process drop me a line via email or leave a comment below.

I’d be more than willing to let you know about the costs etc. and what is involved going forward 🙂

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NCD Inspiration Coach

Earlier this year I had the opportunity and privilege to complete some Natural Church Development (NCD) training to become a NCD Inspiration Coach, which forms a part of the 3 Color Inspiration Discipleship Series.

Taking an online Inspiration Test is part of a process that can help people to clearly see ways in which they breathe the breath of God into the lives of others and also identify aspects where they are in danger of draining life from them.

You see, as Christians we are to be bearers of the breath of God all day, every day, wherever we go, and each time people enter environments with us (be that the living room, a workplace, social or sports club or even our churches and Corps) we can’t help but change every room we enter. The only question is whether we will choose to grow ourselves so that the influence we have on those spaces is more life-giving.

What do you bring to the room?

The Inspiration Test will help you discover what happens when you enter the room, whether you mostly breathe hope, capacity, or resilience into the lives of others, and how you can become a more inspired and inspiring person.

From the test an inspiration profile is created that sheds light onto the ways that you uniquely influence the people around you. Bringing your attention to the very real positive impact you can have on others through your personal inspiration strength, your profile reveals the types of people in your life who will most benefit from the light that you bring.

Your profile will also point out and help you to better understand the area of inspiration that is a challenge for you at the moment, and is therefore your priority for growth. This growth priority is the most likely and consistent reason you will find yourself uninspired, and uninspiring to the people you spend your time with.

A further solidarity profile can be created if you and your team all take the test and can shed a light on how the team collectively influences those around you in your setting.  

This whole process has been extremely helpful not only to me in finding out what kind of inspiration I bring to the room, but also to those that I have had the privilege of coaching and connecting with over this time.

If you would like to find out more about the NCD Inspiration Test and the coaching process drop me a line via email or leave a comment below – I’d be more than willing to let you know about the costs etc. and what is involved 🙂

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