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How Not to Make Disciples
The Verge Network has contributed a lot of the “Missional Church” dialogue. I recommend their site and their resources. I recently came across this helpful post on “How Not to Make Disciples.” It includes a video clip from Francis Chan in which he demonstrates the obvious futility at some of the methods the church has used in this endeavor. The clip is only three or so minutes long. Please check…
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Missional Living In Your Workplace
Recently we posted a list of 25 Ways To Be Missional In Your Neighborhood from Verge Network. Next up is a list of 30 Ways To Be Missional In Your Workplace. Below you will find 30 small, practical things you can do to foster a missional life at work. Try one (or many) of them out, or think of your own, and live a missional life at work by loving and serving your co-workers. 1. Instead of eating lunch alone, intentionally eat with other co-workers and learn their story. 2. Get to work early so you can spend some time praying for your co-workers and the day ahead. 3. Make it a daily priority to speak or write encouragement when someone does good work. 4. Bring extra snacks when you make your lunch to give away to others. 5. Bring breakfast (donuts, burritos, cereal, etc.) once a month for everyone in your department. 6. Organize a running/walking group before or after work. 7. Have your missional community/small group bring lunch to your workplace once a month. 8. Create a regular time to invite co-workers over or out for drinks. 9. Make a list of your co-workers birthdays and find a way to bless everyone on their birthday. 10. Organize and throw office parties as appropriate to your job. 11. Make every effort to avoid gossip in the office. Be a voice of thanksgiving, not complaining. 12. Find others that live near you and create a carpool. 13. Offer to throw a shower for a co-worker who is having a baby. 14. Offer to cover for a co-worker who needs off for something. 15. Start a regular lunch out with co-workers (don’t be selective on the invites). 16. Organize a weekly/monthly pot luck to make lunch a bit more exciting. 17. Ask someone who others typically ignore if you can grab them a soda/coffee while you’re out. 18. Be the first person to greet and welcome new people. 19. Make every effort to know the names of co-workers and clients along with their families. 20. Visit co-workers when they are in the hospital. 21. Bring sodas or work appropriate drinks to keep in your break room for co-workers to enjoy. Know what your co-workers like. 22. Go out of your way to talk to your janitors and cleaning people who most people overlook. 23. Find out your co-workers favorite music and make a playlist that includes as much as you can (if suitable for work). 24. Invite your co-workers to the service projects you are already involved in. 25. Start/join a city league team with your co-workers. 26. Organize a weekly co-working group for local entrepreneurs at a local coffee shop. 27. Start a small business that will bless your community and create space for mission. 28. Work hard to reconcile co-workers who are fighting with one another. 29. Keep small candy, gum, or little snacks around to offer to others during a long day. 30. Lead the charge in organizing others to help co-workers in need.
Missional Living In Your Neighborhood
Often, when one thinks of living missionally, the big things come to mind: being a part of a Go Global trip, church planting, serving in a ministry, or committing to give money. While these things are all a part of that, missional living is also a day-to-day venture, both big and small. Verge Network recently posted a list of 25 Simple Ways To Be Missional In Your Neighborhood. These are small things you can do to engage and love your neighbors, so try one out, or think of your own small way that you can put missional living to work with the people around you! 1. Cook an extra casserole and give it to a neighbor 2. Buy an extra dozen donuts and give them to a neighbor 3. Start a compost pile and allow neighbors to dump their compost 4. Host a coffee and dessert night 5. Organize and host a ladies craft night 6. Organize an effort for neighbors to help take care of elderly in neighborhood 7. Become a regular at your neighborhood pool/park 8. If you have a skill, let neighbors know that you can use it to help them for free 9. Host a movie night and discussion afterwards 10. Start a walking/running group in the neighborhood 11. Start hosting a play date weekly for other stay at home parents 12. Organize a carpool for your neighborhood to help save gas 13. Collect good will store items and offer to take them to goodwill 14. Have a front yard ice cream party in the summer 15. Start a sewing group 16. Go Christmas caroling in your neighborhood (invite neighbors in on it) 17. Throw a July 4th block party 18. Start a neighborhood Facebook/Twitter/Google + group 19. Ask longtime residents to help you learn about the neighborhood 20. Offer to babysit neighbors kids so they can have a date night 21. Find out your neighbors birthdays and take them a card and baked goods on it 22. Setup a meet your neighbors night with drinks in your driveway/front yard 23. Ask your HOA or apartment complex if they need help with anything 24. Host a regular Saturday morning breakfast potluck 25. Host a sports game watching party
All discipleship begins here: God's pursuit of his image and to see that image made known.
Why I am excited about Verge 13?
This will be my second year attending the Verge conference and last year's was amazing. I went down with the church I was serving at the time Christ Community Church of Denton. We had an SUV packed with 7 dudes, ready for time away worshipping Jesus and learning how to better disciple people to Him. I'll never forget stopping at a sketchy gas station on the way to Austin, just so our pastor could get a "DDP" (Diet Dr Pepper) when there was a sweet Love's station on the other side of the highway. We walked into the store and there was no one occupying it at first sight, so we used the restroom perused our options for snack and drinks and finally someone came out from the back. To say this place was sketchy I believe is an understatement.
I have an endless supply of stories to tell of that 3 day adventure, but it might become story overload to tell them all. Onward to why I am excited:
Getting Away
It's been 7 months of transition for me from moving to Fort Worth from Denton. It hasn't been the easiest. Working 35+ hours a week, school, and leading a home group can take it out of you, so just have 3 days off to go stay in a hotel and be in a city I love to visit is excitement enough.
To Worship Jesus
Add in "getting away" to worship Jesus and that is a fuller expression of this idea. What I mean by this applies a little more to last year, but I think still has application today. Last year I was spending every Sunday up at 8:30 to help set up a worship space and it was nice to just come into a space that was already set up and just beging to worship with several hundred others. This year I think it can still apply because I'm getting away with my leaders, getting to spend time with them, and sharing in worship with them.
Learn
This year's topic is disciple making. I'll be the first to say I will always need help in this area, and I think we all do. So, I am excited to learn from some of the best people on the topic today: Francis Chan, David Platt, Jeff Vanderstelt, John Perkins, Alan Hirsch, etc.
"How many people in our churches are actually making disciples?"
ARE YOU?
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"there is no 'them', only us..."
Just(us) and the Gospel Propaganda
Come on, David Platt!!!!
Some interesting thoughts about modern evangelicalism and the empty gospel we have brought forth.
"It's not the gospel we see being preached, it's modern evangelism built on sinking sand that runs the risk of disillusioning millions of souls. It's a very dangerous thing to lead people to think they are a christian when they have not biblically responded to the gospel. If we are not careful we will take the gospel, the life blood, out of christianity and put Kool-Aid in its place so that it'll taste better to the crowds. It's not just dangerous, it's just damning."
Is Your Church an Orphanage for Christian Babies?
"A lot of churches have just become orphanages. They know how to have babies and they have a couple of dads and moms for all of the babies - but not near enough to care for them well; and they don't send them out to start new families, so it's a perpetual orphanage." - Jeff Vanderstelt
That's tough to hear, but spot on. Most "churches" are interested in attracting new people to come in, but do almost zero in terms of sending their people out to serve and reach the lost. I say "churches," because if that's the case I'm not sure they really are Biblical churches.
HT: Verge Network
