DISCIPLE RESOURCES

Because the gospel we preach determines the disciples we produce, nailing down exactly what the gospel is has huge ramifications to our entire emphasis on making disciples.  A very brief definition of the gospel is:

There is a real kingdom with a King and His name is Jesus. He laid down His life for us and conquered the grave. If we repent, believe and follow Him, we can be a part of His kingdom.

A mandatory part of any true presentation of the gospel (and a part that is often neglected in modern-day presentations of the gospel) is the necessity of following Jesus.  A gospel that does not call people to repent, believe, and follow (obey) is an incomplete explanation of the gospel that Jesus preached.

To hear our Pastor expound on this definition, click here.

Discipleship is a Spirit-led process whereby we are conformed into the image of Christ (see Rom. 8:29), bringing all aspects of our lives under the reign and rule of King Jesus.  In a nutshell, discipleship is following Jesus as He brings renewal to all things.

Disciple Making is more than just a few people coming together periodically to "go through a book."  What separates disciple-making from what most churches call discipleship is:

• Intentionality - disciple-making is not simply helping someone follow Christ in their own life, but also training them to be able to help another person follow Christ (who will turn around and repeat this process with someone else).  See 2 Timothy 2:2.
• Reproducibility - disciple-making must be something that can be reproduced or it's not the disciple-making Jesus modeled for us.  Through a repeatable process and use of a curriculum, a disciple should be able to go forward and do with someone else what they experienced with the person who discipled them.

The term 5G Disciple is in reference to our marks of disciple and is synonymous with our definition of a disciple (cited above).  At The Heights, we believe there are at least 5 marks of a disciple:

• Grace - we enter into a relationship with God through grace and daily live out our identity in grace.
• Gather - we are better together.  God intended for us to come together with other believers for worship, prayer, service, etc.
• Grow - healthy things grow and 2 of the best tools God has provided are His word and prayer.  A disciple should be able to hear from the Lord through prayer and Bible study and know how to respond daily.
• Give - God gives us time, talents, and treasures and a disciple understands all of these are to be used for the expansion of the Kingdom of God.
• Go - a disciples obeys the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) to take the gospel to people and, for those who respond positively, help them become disciples and (eventually) disciple-makers.

Many believers in churches today are content to be 4G disciples, but a disciple who follows Jesus's pattern is marked by all 5G's.

Each week, in the material from Craig Etheredge, there is a verse to memorize.  That verse can be found on Day 1 of each week's material and the complete list can be found in the first few pages of each book.

While hiding God's Word in your heart is always a great idea, we feel that memorizing 21 verses in a short time period of a few months can be daunting.  At a minimum, we suggest committing to memory the following 5 verses.  The first 2 verses are over-arching verses about disciple-making.  The remaining 3 verses correspond with each of the 3 books in Craig Etheredge's material.

Overarching Verses:

He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” -Matthew 4:19

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. -1 Corinthians 11:1

Theme Verse for Each Book:

Walk With God:  My sheep listen to my voice, I know them and they follow me…. -John 10:27

Reach Your World:  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. -2 Corinthians 5:18

Invest in a Few:  And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. -2 Timothy 2:2

Every disciple should be proficient at sharing the gospel. We feel as if the Three Circles method is an excellent tool (although not the only one) that allows us to be clear and succinct as we share the good news.

Like most anything else, the key to learning something is repetition. Therefore, we have provided resources to help you become more effective.

THREE CIRCLES DETAILS.

To follow Christ and be a disciple of Jesus, we must know God - His heart and His ways.  One of the primary ways we grow in our understanding of God is through His Word.  It has been said, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."  We feel strongly that an intentional plan of reading and studying God's Word is critical for any disciple.

Fortunately, there are literally hundreds of Bible Reading plans available to us today.  A simple Google search will provide you with any number of plans.  We also recommend bible.com as it contains a multitude of reading plans based on many factors.

Finally, Craig Etheredge has provided a Bible Reading plan at the end of the 3rd book (Invest In a Few).

To better understand how to be a disciple and a disciple-maker, there are many great books that will move you forward and deepen your understanding.  Here is a list of some we recommend:

• The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert S. Coleman
• The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• Conversion & Discipleship by Bill Hull
• Learning to Love and Live Like Jesus by Brandon Cook
• The Discipleship Gospel by Bill Hull & Ben Sobels
• Bold Moves by Craig Etheredge

One of the most important aspects of leading your disciples well is how you finish.  We have found it critical to have a time of commissioning - a formalized time where the expectation for them to go and make their own disciples and disciple-makers is made clear.  You see Jesus do this with His disciples several times, including sending out the 72 (Luke 10:1-23), in the Upper Room (see John 17), and right before He ascends back to the Father (Matthew 28:19-20).

To help drive the point home, we have batons to give to your disciples.  We feel strongly that giving that tangible reminder (the baton) to your disciples will help them continue the movement.

As schedules allow, we also like to have one of the pastors come to your commissioning time.  To have a pastor come, please contact The Groups Team a few weeks in advance.

As you approach your final meeting, let us know and we'll get you a baton for your commissioned disciple.

We hope these times of commissioning will be a normal occurrance for you for the rest of your life as you follow Jesus!