Everything Discipleship Media: Recent Episodes
Plethos
Everything Discipleship Media is all about delivering you content that will help you grow as a disciple of Jesus who helps others grow as well.
- Read, Study, meditate on and listen to the Bible.
Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing , and hearing by the word of Christ”
- Pray for all things consistently and unceasingly.
Philippians 4:6-7
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
1 These 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Ephesians 6:18
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
- Surround yourself with people who are actively pursuing God.
You are the sum of the five closest people in your life. Fight to make sure that those people love, know and follow Jesus.
“Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.””
1 Corinthians 15:33 CSB
- Engage in a local church worship service regularly.
Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
- Regularly pursue things outside of your comfort zone to get closer to God.
-Discipleship Groups
-Leadership tracks
-Serving
-Mission Trips
-Speaking opportunities
-Prayer leading
-etc
Five reasons people need to be part of a gender specific group of 2-7 people:
- Men and Women need a safe place to be authentic and vulnerable. (A place where when they know the worst about you they love you more) (A place where you don’t feel embarrassed to ask questions) (A place where they can swim in GRACE)
- Men and Women need a high love and high truth environment. (Explain the quadrants - Christlike, Enabler, Worldly, Legalist - Distorted Love and Distorted Truth)
- Men and Women need a band of brothers or sisters. (We are better together / No man left behind)
- Men and Women need a Discipleship Coach for their spiritual growth. (Someone who taking the time to invest in them spiritually)
- Men and Women need intentional equipping to be disciplemakers in their home, church, and community. (Clarity leads to confidence, which gives the courage to act)
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Growth as a disciple of Jesus is not linear.
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Diligent prayer + a steady diet of God’s Word is a literal game changer.
Ephesians 6:18
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
- There is an antidote for your most ingrained sin.
-First and always: The Gospel
Romans 1:16
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
-Confession and Repentance
Psalm 32:5
Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
Isaiah 55:7
“Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”
-A Community Connection
James 5:16 - Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
1) Everyone is going to fail at Disciplemaking
2) When you fail: Own it, grow from it.
3) God redeems fails
4) Jesus is with us, especially in our failures
Special Guest: Mike Weiss
Mike has served in student ministry for a total of 12 years for a church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Back in October, Mike took a job with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship where he runs operations for campus staff development. Mike also co-leads a podcast entitled "Redeeming Church" in which he and other pastors discuss some of the current issues of the church today and what it could look like for the church to be redeemed to it can be a redeeming agent of change for the gospel.
- Model putting Jesus before everything.
We all have heard that more is caught then taught. Dad’s often get stuck in not knowing how to teach their kids about following Jesus. Maybe you’re not good at family devotion. We can all grow in this area.
But, you are training and teaching your kids everyday in ways of following Jesus by your actions. Be the guy who presses in toward God. Initiate prayer, talk about the Bible, share about God sightings.
Do it even when it’s awkward!
- Show up when you show up.
Lots of Dads today know the importance of being there. Men are more in tune generally that they should prioritize their family over work.
But lots of Dads stop at just being present. Put down your phone and engage. Every moment with your family should be a time to fully engage. They need you, they need your full attention and strength.
- Small consistencies trump grand gestures.
Some Dads think discipleship efforts don’t count if it doesn’t take a ton of time. You can’t disciple your son until you do the Dads and Sons retreat at camp. You can’t do Devo time unless all the conditions are perfect and you have 30 mins.
But what matters more is the small little things. It’s the small prayers. It’s the moments where your kids see you worship Jesus. It’s how you love your wife.
The little things matter
- Serve diligently in all circumstances.
Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church. How did Christ love the church?
Sacrificial love! Love that costs you something.
This is what communicates our passionate devotion to Jesus, when we love sacrificially.
Anyone can love well when they are getting something back. It’s hard to love, when it costs us something.
Be the biggest servant you know and do it consistently at home and in the world. It will shock people.
Keep it simple to be actionable, focus on these 5 things.
- Bible:
Read it.
Study it.
Memorize it.
Learn it.
Teach it.
- Prayer:
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication
- Community/Church
Consistently attend Services
Consistently attend Small Group
Find accountability and mentorship (ex. Huddle environment; classes; one-on-one)
- Worship
-Worship Services
-Personal worship
-Lifestyle Worship
- Service
-Use your gifts to serve the church
-Teach others as you learn
-Grow in evangelism
- Just pray about it and it’ll work out.
Clearly, we should be praying all the time about all things. God calls us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
But prayer doesn’t negate us taking action that God has called and equipped us with. That is just negligence.
James 4:17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
Key question: What have you been praying about lately that you know you actually need to take action?
- All I have to do is be faithful.
We shouldn’t just pursue adherence to rules as a measure of our spiritual lives.
We need to pursue effectiveness alongside of faithfulness. God expects us to produce results with what he gives.
Parable of the Talents
- I don’t need a plan, I just need Jesus.
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Even Jesus had specific strategies.
Jesus spent 30 years preparing for a ministry that lasted 3.5 years
He had a strategy of disciple making. He sent 72, he had his 12 and he had his 3.
Special Guest Josh Denhart joined us on the podcast today to discuss an infographic that went viral on the 5 Factors that Connect your Kids to Christ.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=143027024929508&set=a.137212862177591
To Connect to Josh visit our guest profile at: https://www.podpage.com/everything-discipleship-media/guests/josh-denhart/
5 Factors:
- Ate dinner 5 to 7 nights a week as a family.
- Served WITH their families in a ministry.
- Had one spiritual experience in the home during the week.
- Entrusted with responsibility in ministry at an early age.
- Had at least one faith-focused adult in their lives other than their parents.
- Radical generosity with no strings attached.
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
- 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 NIV
Acts 20:35b, “… it is more blessed to give than receive.” - Jesus
- Humbly serve without prompting and without recognition.
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” - Galatians 5:13 NIV
Matthew 6:1-4. Here is vs 3-4, “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
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Less of Me and more of Jesus - “He must increase, but I must decrease.” - John 3:30 ESV
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Exemplify grace when others would react badly.“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” - Romans 12:17-21 NIV
“A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.” - Proverbs 15:1
- Joyfully submit to your authorities.“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” - Romans 13:1-2 NIV
Unless they are asking you to sin, ““But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” - Acts 5:29 ESV
- Strategize and work diligently to champion others more than yourself.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” - Philippians 2:3-4 NIV
6 Micro-Habits for Following Jesus
- Build in gratitude. “pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 NIV
- When you commit to pray, pray right away. “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18 NIV
- Record ways God has provided, intervened, and answered prayer.“Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.” Isaiah 25:1 NIV
- Before you use your phone each day, read your Bible. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 NIV
- Try a mini-fast from aspects of your life that are gaining control over you. “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” 1 John 5:21 NIV
- Pray on your knees everyday. “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;” Psalms 95:6 NIV
- The difficult time of suffering makes it hard to obey.
-Suffering can discourage us.
-Suffering can make us seek solutions outside of God.
-Suffering can drain our hope
Hebrews 10:32-36
32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
- The difficult time of good reputation for past works makes it hard to obey.
The phrase “resting on your laurels”
To 'rest on your laurels' means that you get lazy or complacent about what you could achieve because you're too busy basking in the memories of former glories.
Revelation 3:1-3
3 “To the angel[a] of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits[b] of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
- The difficult time of material prosperity makes it hard to obey.
Revelation 3:15-17
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
Special Guest Erica Van Kirk joins us for 5 Things a Pastor's Wife Knows.
- Sometimes being a ministry family means you don’t get to go to church together.
- Being in ministry doesn’t exclude you from obstacles in marriage and raising kids.
- God has different plans for ministry than you do.
- Wives have their own ministry and calling.
- She loves the church deeply, but will fight for the health of her husband and children.
Pro tips:
1. Celebrate Holidays on Saturday.
2. Have a solid group of people to hold you accountable and encourage you.
3. Trust God's plan above all else.
4. Be ok with serving, when your husband is not.
5. Set Boundaries
You are only as accountable as you choose to be. But everyone should choose it and pursue it.
Here are the five questions:
- How have you been intentionally pursuing Jesus?
- How have you been pursuing a relationship with your spouse?
- How are you intentionally discipling your children?
- Have you been pure? Not just sexually but in your fight against any habitual sin.
- How did you share Jesus with others?
**Bonus question: How can we pray and support you?
Visit Plethos at plethosglobal.com**
#1 You follow Jesus first.
The prerequisite for training your children to love and follow Jesus will always be you first loving and following Jesus with every thing you are.
DEUTERONOMY 6:4-6
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.
MATTHEW 22:36-40
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
#2 Learn together, instruct directly, teach as you go.
Learn together:
Joshua 24:15 …as for me and my house we will serve the Lord
Instruct directly:
2 Timothy 2:2 NLT You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
Teach as you go:
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
#3 Place your family on Mission for King Jesus.
1 Peter 4:10
10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN?
We look to all sorts of things but where should we look?
PSALM 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Three reasons we can look to God.
#1 God is always watching over us.
“He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”
Psalm 121:3-4 ESV
God never forgets about you, He is always watching over you. Right now, in this moment God sees you and is watching over you.
#2 God is our keeper.
“The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.”
Psalm 121:5-6 ESV
God shields us from the onslaught of what this world throws at us. Now, to be clear I am not saying you will always be healthy or everything will go perfectly. Or there won’t be hard things to face.
But trusting God means that no matter what we face we can walk with a God who has an eternal plan and purpose for all of it. He will navigate us to eternity and protect us if we trust him.
We are always safe when God is our keeper.
#3 God is protecting all aspects of your life.
“The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”
Psalm 121:7-8 ESV
You can trust that God will steer you away from evil. That he holds onto your very life. That as you move through different seasons and situations that he will keep and protect you.
Believers have something the rest of the world doesn’t have. This school has something the rest of the world is missing.
It’s a foundation and trust in the power and the majesty and the faithfulness of a God who is over all creation.
A God who has redeemed us by the blood of His Son.
God promises to never leave you or forsake you.
When you face fear of the unknown respond with faith in God.
- Confess and Repent
Nothing will erode your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus like sin left unconfessed. You cannot live contrary to your convictions very long either your behavior will have to change or your beliefs.
Matthew 4:17
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
James 5:16
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
- Rehearse the Gospel
“No one is more influential in your life than you are. Because no one talks to you more than you do.”
- Remember what Christ has accomplished.
- Remember who are now because of that.
- Remember the power over sin you have.
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Remember your calling going forward.
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Examine your environments and influences
Psalm 1:1
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers
1 Cor 15:33
Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.
- Sacrificially serve
Proverbs 18:1
“Whoever pulls away from others to focus solely on his own desires disregards any sense of sound judgment.”
Romans 8:5 “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”
- Practice the Holy Habits
You are what you repeatedly do!
Backsliders are generally not Bible readers, because those who seek the Lord read
Same with prayer, Christian fellowship, fasting, practicing the one anothers, and being generous to God.
Every believer should know how to tell the story of how Jesus saved them from sin and death.
Why?
First Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
4 ways to prepare to give an answer…
- What was your life about before Jesus?
- How did you come to believe and follow Jesus, including the gospel message
- What life is like now that you’ve been following Jesus?
- Pray God would prompt an opportunity to share this week.
One Thing:
Jed: Practice your testimony with someone else.
Bill: Rehearse the gospel message.
Everything Discipleship Media is presented by Plethos, visit their website at plethosglobal.com
Intro: Our world tells us that finding our true selves is the greatest good and ultimate goal of our lives. We should find ourselves, reach our highest potential. Follow our hearts. If we think this way, everything in our lives become a means to that end. I get married to be most complete. My job should allow me to live out my best self. Following Jesus helps me find ultimate spiritual fulfillment.
The problem is Jesus has a different message for those who choose to follow him. Jesus calls his Disciples not to find their truest selves or discover who they truly are but to take up their cross and follow him. To deny themselves, to give up their lives.
Disciples of Jesus give up the right to their own lives.
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”
Matthew 16:24-26 NIV
The focus for a disciple of Jesus is on Jesus not themselves.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
- Galatians 2:20 NIV
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
- Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV
Seeking ourselves leads to brokenness.
“For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
- Galatians 5:17-21 NIV
“When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!”
- Romans 6:20-21 NIV
“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”
- Proverbs 28:26 ESV
“Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.”
- Proverbs 18:1 ESV
There is a better way, His name is Jesus.
Wrap up: One way to shift from from pursuing self to pursuing Jesus.
Jed - pick a command Jesus gives his disciples and obey it. Remember all the words in the Bible are words of Jesus, not just the read letters.
Bill - Write down one thing each day that Jesus wants you to accomplish.
Visit our page everythingdiscipleship.com
Everything Discipleship Media is presented by Plethos, visit their website at plethosglobal.com
Intro: We live an a consumer society and it affects everything we do including our spiritual lives.
There three ways to move from consumer to contributor...
1. Embrace the "pastorhood" of believers.
“As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 2:4-5 NIV
2. Build intentional disciplemaking relationships,“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”
Acts 2:42-47 NLT
3. Personally champion the mission and vision of your church.“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”
1 Peter 4:10 NLT
ONE THING TO DO:
Be a giver not a taker!
Take the next step in your church!
Visit our page everythingdiscipleship.com
Everything Discipleship Media is presented by Plethos, visit their website at plethosglobal.com
Intro:
We live a culture that uses every opportunity we are not engaged in something else to look at our phones. We find ourselves doom scrolling all time and the content that we are consuming usually reflects the ways and thoughts of the world and not of Jesus.
Enter Everything Discipleship media.
This weeks topic: What is Discipleship?
Point #1 - We are called not to make converts or be converts but disciples.
Matthew 28:18-20
Point #2 - Entropy vs intentional growth
Luke 8:14-15
Point #3 - The ingredients of discipleship
Learn it, Live it, Pass it on.
Bible, Prayer, Community, Intentionality, Multiplication
One thing to take away:
Disciplemaking relationships
Connect with a small group for intentional disciplemaking relationships.