Check out this incredibly thoughtful and practical manual for personal repentance from Tim Keller.
Pervasive, all-of-life-repentance is the best sign that we are growing deeply and rapidly into the character of Jesus…in the gospel the purpose of repentance is to repeatedly tap into the joy of our union with Christ in order to weaken our need to do anything contrary to God’s heart.
Read it. I’d love to hear what you think.
It’s easy to overlook the basics, and in a way, that’s what I feel like I’ve done. I’m convinced biblically that the basics of church ministry go like this:
Ministry is disciples making disciples as the Gospel grows through people, prayer, and proclamation.
In our relationships, through prayer and the speaking of God’s word, the Gospel grows in people as they mature in Christ. In the same way, the Gospel also grows to more people as new believers put their faith in Christ.
How have I overlooked the basics? My answer to that question is found in Ephesians 4.12. There Paul writes,
And [Jesus] gave…the pastors and teachers…to equip the saints for the work of ministry.
I don’t feel that I’ve done well enough at training and equipping you to do the ministry that God would have you to do. God desires that you would be trained to be disciples who make disciples as the Gospel grows in us and through us as we focus on people, prayer, and proclamation.
I aim to remedy this oversight.
At Fountain of Life we are convinced that small-group type interaction with one another is a biblical essential for the church of Jesus Christ. For the last few years, these small groups have focused on three goals:
I am so thankful to have seen these goals accomplished in a variety of ways. However, there’s another goal that needs to be emphasized in this next season of LTGs. It’s what you could call “discipleship training.”
That’s why we’re so excited for our next curriculum: “The Course of Your Life”, from Matthias Media. The stated goal of the study is,
to revolutionize people’s understanding of who God is, what He has done in Christ, what His extraordinary plans are for the world, and how that relates to each of our lives. Ultimately, this course is a biblical framework to help you fire people with a new love and joy and enthusiasm for serving Christ as disciple-making disciples, through God’s word and prayer.
Commitments
We’d like to ask for two commitments as we engage in this journey together:
Let me calm your fears: the study guide with questions makes things easy. All that is required is getting together with someone, reading the bible, and talking through the questions together.
We want to leave some freedom for how this can take place in your life. For instance, some of you might want to try this out with a known Christian friend. Others may seek to be mentored by someone they consider more spiritually mature, or perhaps seek out a newer believer they can help to grow. Finally, some of you may decide that you are ready to try to meet with someone who is unchurched or an unbeliever. Awesome! Do it! In any case, pray about what God might have for you, and pursue it! Don’t be afraid to fail…with an emphasis on Jesus Christ in your relationships with prayer and God’s word, you can’t.
As you consider these things, let us know how you will do this in one of three ways.
Write on one of the white cards (on sanctuary chairs/ place in offering basket):
1. Your name and “Believer” – meaning you will connect with someone from church to do the 10 1-1s.
2. Your name and “Outside” – you will connect with someone from outside the church to do the 10 1-1s.
3. Your name and “Assign” – meaning you’d be happy to have us pair you with someone from the church with whom you can do the 10 1-1s. I’m going to need several of you for this one! So please think and pray about what God might have for you in this regard, and let us know of your plans for these 1-1s. Don’t be afraid!
Conclusion
Please join us in this pursuit that God has given – that every member would be trained to be a minister for Jesus Christ. This is His call for our lives and for our church. No matter who you are, you are most welcome to join us. Simply sign up.
Curriculum will be here next week, and we will be asking for $10/ workbook in order to help with costs. If you cannot afford that, please let us know and we will work something out for you.
This could be trouble. I’m going to be airing in public some of my thoughts on theology, culture, sports, and family. The wise man once said,
Proverbs 10.19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
So I’ll try to keep it a prudent blog…
Thanks for visiting. I hope it’s enjoyable, and I hope to hear from you sometime in the future.
