Transforming Discipleship: Making Discisples A Few At A Time

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Transforming Discipleship Making Discisples A
Few At A Time

• Sept. 19-20, 2008
• With Greg Ogden

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About Greg Ogden

• Executive Pastor of Discipleship
• Christ Church of Oak Brook, IL
• Married for 39 years to Lily, retired elementary
  school principal
• Father to Aimee, married to Adam,
• both pediatricians in San Francisco
• Hopelessly doting grandfather to Claire, 21
  months old

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Overview of our Time

• The Missional Mandate Make Disciples of Jesus
  How are we doing and where do we set the bar?
• The Biblical Model What can we learn from the
  way Jesus made disciples for our ministry?
• The Tested Method What environments create the
  context for making disciples?

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Assess Where are we?

• The first responsibility of a leader is to
  define reality.--Max De Pree

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Diagnostic Question

• Talk in pairs What is the primary mission of
  your church or ministry? What are you trying to
  accomplish?

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The Problem Today--Superficiality

• For many years, 25 or more, the church-growth
  school has been dominant. I rejoice in the
  statistics, but we must say it is growth without
  depth. I believe it was Chuck Colson who said the
  church is 3,000 miles wide and an inch deep. Many
  are babes in Christ.--John Stott

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The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience by Ron
Sider

• Divorce 33 of born again Christians 34 for
  general population 90 of divorces after born
  again
• Sexual Promiscuity 1/3 of all evangelicals say
  pre-marital sex is OK
• Racism Least prejudice Catholics and
  non-evangelicals then mainline Protestants,
  finally evangelicals and Southern Baptists
• Physical and Sexual Abuse CRC mirrored
  population.
• Materialism Average church member gives 2.6 to
  the church. Down from 3.1 in 1968. Evangelicals
  4.6 9 of evangelicals tithe.

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Responding To Marginalization Stages of Death
and Dying

• Denial--We are a Christian country.
• Anger--How dare we turn away from God!!!!!
• Bargaining--appeal for revival longing for the
  past
• Depression--grief over it never being the same
• Acceptance--see Gods possibilities

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Conclusion

• We have sunk to such a depth at which the
  restatement of the obvious is the first duty of
  intelligent. (George Orwell

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The Mandate of the Church

• An Exposition of
• Matthew 2818-20

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The Mission of Every Church

• Willow Creek Community Church To turn
  irreligious people into fully devoted followers
  of Jesus Christ
• CCOB Gathering in communities disciples who
  worship, grow and serve. Going into all the world
  as witnesses of the life-changing love of Jesus
  Christ.

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All Authority Has Been Given to Me

• All pasa authorityhave been given to me.
• So move out and disciple all panta nations
• Baptizing them into the name of all of God
• Teaching them to keep absolutely all panta that
  I have commanded you
• And look! I myself am with you all pasas the
  days, to the end of the world.

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The Mission

• Make Disciples of Jesus
• By going
• By baptizing
• By teaching
• By reproducing

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The Discipleship Dilemma

• Wilkins question He makes the distinction
  between being a true disciple and a true
  Christian.
• Reflection What allows people to identify
  themselves as Christians, but be hesitant to
  identify themselves as followers or disciples of
  Jesus?

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A Woman Says to Her Pastor

• I just want to be Christian. I dont want to be
  a disciple. I like my life the way it is. I
  believe that Jesus died for my sins, and I will
  be with him when I die. Why do I have to be a
  disciple?
• How would you answer her question?

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What If Hes A Christian Man? by Robert
McElvaine

• Two Christian CEOs on trial
• Richard Scrushy, HealthSouth
• Bernie Ebbers, WorldCom
• If we are justified by faith in Christ alone,
  does it make any difference if there is a change
  in the way we live?

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Disciple

• A disciple is one who responds in faith and
  obedience to the gracious call of Jesus. Being a
  disciple is a lifelong process of dying to self
  while allowing Jesus Christ to come alive in us.
• A disciple is one who has come to Jesus for
  eternal life, has claimed Jesus as Savior and
  Lord, and has embarked upon the life of following
  Jesus. (Wilkins)

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Make Disciples

• What is a disciple always implies the
  existence of a personal attachment which shapes
  the whole life of the one described as mathetes,
  which in its particularity, leaves no doubt as to
  who is deploying the formative power.

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Discipleship

• Simply the process of growth into Christ-like
  maturity and reproduction.

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Discipling

• Discipling is an intentional relationship in
  which we walk alongside other disciples in order
  to encourage, equip and challenge one another in
  love to grow toward maturity in Christ. This
  includes equipping the disciple to teach others
  as well.

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Step 1 Go (Move Out)

• CCOB Mission Go into all the world as witnesses
  of the life-changing love of Jesus Christ
• The evangelistic task of the church Scares to
  death most people in the pews
• Approach Ask questions and listen carefully
  (John 135-42)
• Evangelism in our day Earning the right to be
  heard service leads to listening, which leads to
  the heart.

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Step 2 Baptize (Community)

• CCOB Mission making communities of disciples
• Why is baptism so central to the mission of
  disciple-making? What does getting wet have to do
  with it?
• As God is a community so we reflect that image
  (Gen. 126, 27)
• The Plurality of God
• The differentiation of male and female
• Discipleship is about community in which Jesus is
  the center.

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Step 3 Teaching (Holiness/Obedience)

• CCOB Mission making communities of disciples who
  worship, grow and serve
• Sarcasm Teach them to study everything that I
  have commandedteach them by holding classes
  where we take notes about all that I have
  commanded youteach them to fill their heads with
  doctrine so that they can feel that they believe
  the right things
• If we were serious we would offer courses
• How to Bless those who spit upon you
• How to live without purposely indulged lust or
  covetousness.
• How to be free of the anger that kills and all
  its complications
• Forgiveness an absolute necessity living in
  reconciliation with all the people in our lives
  who have hurt us or we have hurt.

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The Lords Sufficiency to Complete the Work

• Look, I myself am with you, all the days (every
  single day) All authority has been given to meI
  am with you always..to the completion of the age

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Where do we set the bar?

• Complete the following statement A disciple is

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Matthew 28

• The Visual Bibles portrayal of the Great
  Commission and the appeal to follow Jesus

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