tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23191203.post7324635791532762910..comments2023-09-25T04:24:45.407-05:00Comments on The M Blog: Things God is showing us (Part 1 of 4)J. Guy Musehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17751691713410311094noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23191203.post-45940538241740621552008-04-22T09:55:00.000-05:002008-04-22T09:55:00.000-05:00Mark,You stated/asked, "I agree - multiple levels ...Mark,<BR/><BR/>You stated/asked, "I agree - multiple levels simultaneously... However, is this sustainable for bi-vocational workers, or only those few who are missionaries full-time?"<BR/><BR/>I see your point. Many believe it is easier for the "full-time" worker to engage more people at different levels. However, I have found that it can actually be more difficult... Us full-time people are surrounded by believers most of the time and it takes extra effort to engage the lost because of the circles that we run in. "Bi-vocational" or ever better, "lay people", have greater exposure and more opportunities to engage the lost, because they are operating in more domains of society than the "full-time" ministers. Our challenge is engaging people outside of the church where they live, work and play.Tim Pattersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10768629404208079229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23191203.post-6469130241752791602008-04-22T08:58:00.000-05:002008-04-22T08:58:00.000-05:00Mark,Thanks for the link correction. Sounds like a...Mark,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the link correction. Sounds like a great site that I will check out later today.J. Guy Musehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17751691713410311094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23191203.post-32322072758671867202008-04-22T07:35:00.000-05:002008-04-22T07:35:00.000-05:00Tim, I agree - multiple levels simultaneously. Go...Tim, I agree - multiple levels simultaneously. Good contribution to the conversation. However, is this sustainable for bi-vocational workers, or only those few who are missionaries full-time?<BR/><BR/>Guy, sorry - the url is http://lk10.com/ (i.e. Luke 10!) Its a community of practice for church planters. Started by John White and a few from the DAWN North America Team, which focuses on organic church models. It's been a great forum for discussion and reflection on our practices as church planters. Think "Facebook for church planters".<BR/><BR/>MarkMarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17585672129063141712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23191203.post-48785136145578223442008-04-21T20:29:00.000-05:002008-04-21T20:29:00.000-05:00Mark,Thanks! I tried looking up the http://lk.com ...<STRONG>Mark,</STRONG><BR/><BR/>Thanks! I tried looking up the http://lk.com site but it isn't working for me. Am I typing in the right address?<BR/><BR/><STRONG>CmlCros,</STRONG><BR/><BR/>I'll look forward to reading your post next week. I am all for CPM, but I think we too easily get lost in the forest of CPM and lose site of the trees.<BR/><BR/><STRONG>Bryan,</STRONG><BR/><BR/>I see you've picked up some of the local language there! :) I see what God is beginning to do here in Ecuador is mobilize the saints into the fields of harvest. We start with family, friends, and work out from there in the relationships that will hopefully become disciples.<BR/><BR/><STRONG>Jeremy,</STRONG><BR/><BR/>Thanks for stopping by. I think the LTG concept is great, but we do not personally use this method. In our COSECHA (Harvest) we teach disciples to:<BR/><BR/>Orar (pray) for their lost family and friends... <BR/><BR/>Servir (serve) love, minister to those they are praying for...<BR/><BR/>Evangelizar (evangelize) seek to win those whom we are serving and praying for...<BR/><BR/>Conservar (conserve) the fruit by beginning within 48 hours the discipleship route we use to consolidate the decision...<BR/><BR/>Hogares (home) by meeting in their homes and encouraging all the family, friends and neighbors to begin meeting with us...<BR/><BR/>Adiestrar (disciple) discipling the new believers and forming a NT church...<BR/><BR/>That's probably more than you were wanting to know, but that in a nut shell is the method we teach anyone who will listen!<BR/><BR/><STRONG>Tim,</STRONG><BR/><BR/>I couldn't have said it any better. Your comment merits a post in itself! Thanks for adding a broader, wider perspective by bringing out the different levels of relationship that we have going. Several others (including my mom!) have tried to say the same thing, and your good words are well received.J. Guy Musehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17751691713410311094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23191203.post-42472050795711168292008-04-21T17:04:00.000-05:002008-04-21T17:04:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Tim Pattersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10768629404208079229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23191203.post-13872371343455326602008-04-21T17:03:00.000-05:002008-04-21T17:03:00.000-05:00Guy,Thanks for this post, and the one before it. R...Guy,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for this post, and the one before it. Recently God has been speaking to me about the same thing. The LCD (Lowest Common Denominator) for multiplying God's kingdom is the disciple. You are right... we should always be about making disciples who will make disciples... this will lead to multiplying leaders, churches and movements that will expand God's kingdom.<BR/><BR/>I have found there are many different levels of relationships we should have going on in our lives at any given time. We should always have lost people we are investing in, and new believers in our life that we are discipling. We should also have some leaders that we are mentoring. We should always have some new church plants and movement projects that we are catalyzing. All of this can happen simultaneously.<BR/><BR/>Jesus had the inner circle of three, he had the twelve, he had the seventy, and then he had people from the crowds. Christ sets the best example for how we can disciple and have influence at multiple levels of relationship.<BR/><BR/>Right now I have two lost people that I am relating to and beginning to disciple... I have two new believers that I am discipling... I have a half dozen leaders that I am mentoring.... and then I have a larger circle of believers and lost people that I am influencing. I am far from perfect in all of these relationships, but by God's grace I hope to see them through.<BR/><BR/>I think there is a danger of getting bogged down in discipling a few individuals. Many times we invest the majority of our time in those few and then see little fruit in their lives. That is why I think it is important to have the different levels of relationships going on at all times. This way we will always have a number of people to choose from... if those few we are investing in don't respond... there are others to take their place.Tim Pattersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10768629404208079229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23191203.post-26652270972985763822008-04-21T13:40:00.000-05:002008-04-21T13:40:00.000-05:00Excellent post. I recently read Organic Church as ...Excellent post. I recently read <I>Organic Church</I> as well and was challenged/corrected by it in a similar way. <BR/><BR/>Are you using his Life Transformation Group format to make disciples, or something else? <BR/><BR/>Either way, how is it working?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23191203.post-1660393693778901882008-04-21T12:52:00.000-05:002008-04-21T12:52:00.000-05:00Spot on, Guy. God wants us to be operate on a rel...Spot on, Guy. God wants us to be operate on a relational level - with people - and not on an organizational or entity level. We are created to relate!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23191203.post-23475195030048190072008-04-21T12:48:00.000-05:002008-04-21T12:48:00.000-05:00Again, great post. You've inspired me to write ab...Again, great post. You've inspired me to write about this subject next week over at the crossing. I think we like to focus on CPM because it's easy to create a formula and a process compared to discipleship which can be quite time consuming and messy. But you're right the Great Commission isn't about CPM, it's about discipleship. We need to get back to this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23191203.post-49711878476108887132008-04-21T11:54:00.000-05:002008-04-21T11:54:00.000-05:00very true - i look forward to what it takes to dev...very true - i look forward to what it takes to develop robust, organic disciples of Christ in Ecuador! Keep up the good writing!<BR/><BR/>by the way, do you know about http://lk.com ? I think its right up your alleyMarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17585672129063141712noreply@blogger.com