Friday’s night included shorter teaching sessions from George Patterson (who reminds me of a mad scientist) Neil Cole, David Garrison, and Ed Stetzer. Below are the notes from George, Neil & Ed.
George Patterson
The great secret: it’s easier to do evangelism, plant churches, and to make disciples if we do it the way the apostles did.
The way the apostles fulfilled the Great Commission:
1. They presented the risen, living Christ – instead of just telling facts about him.
2. They mobilized everyone to witness – not just paid full-time teachers & evangelists.
3. Who did the apostles go to? Stop trying to shove the camel through the eye of a needle. The camels are the rich and powerful – most of America. The movement is sustained when the gospel is preached to the poor. Go to the people who are receptive – who desperately want change – often the poor and disenfranchised.
4. One approach that has been consistent & universal. It doesn’t require a lot of money or a degree. It requires people who love Jesus turned loose to talk about him.
5. They did evangelism not just to individuals. They didn’t just pull new Christians out of their familial or social environment. When an individual was receptive – they went to that person’s family.
Neil Cole
Busyness – does not yield compassion. “Get out of my way – I’ve got things to do.”
Matthew 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Jesus felt compassion – in the Greek – in his “bowels.” A compassion that comes from your guts is deep – born out of turmoil.
Jesus saw people as “harassed and helpless.” We could translate that as “pin-downed and molested.” If was saw someone like that – we would feel the deep down compassion of Jesus.
When it comes to making disciples – you cannot call it multiplication unless it makes it to four generations (Paul to Timothy, Timothy to faithful men, faithful men to others. 2 Timothy 2:2)
For Neil the pattern of making disciples is built into Life Transformation Groups. The groups:
1. Read large passages of scripture together multiple times over and over with the same chunk of scripture.
2. Confess their sins to each other – honestly.
3. Write out a list of their non-Christian friends and pray for them every week.
Look for those who are desperate – those that have a desperate need for Jesus.
Ed Stetzer
1 Peter 4:9-11
We have to let other people in our churches use their gifts.
It shouldn’t be a surprise to use when our people are living on mission, close to Jesus. That should be the norm.
From the passage:
1. All have gifts.
The way we do church, often disempowers people from using their gifts. We force them to sit and observe the professionals. If we disciple people with knowledge and no action – we are building puffed-up gnostics. Any system that disempowers or demotivates the people of God is unhelpful and perhaps sinful.
The recession has – in a good way – forced the church to rely more on volunteers instead of paid staff.
When we do for people what God has called them to do, everybody gets hurt and the mission of God gets hindered. The more gifted you are as a pastor, often the more difficult it is for you to release others to do what God has called them to do.
You cannot disciple with books. You disciple people life on life. Disciples don’t just know. Disciples do.
2. God intends all to use.
Obedience-shaped discipleship results in mission-shaped disciples.
Somewhere along the way, we’ve made it acceptable to sit in church week after week and do nothing and still call yourself a follower of Jesus. Contributing a percentage of your income and getting your face in a pictorial directory is not good enough.
3.He empowers us.
As pastors we often have a co-dependent relationship with our followers. In order to stop the cycle, the enabler has to stop enabling. Pastor – stop forcing people to be dependent on you for their spiritual life.
Like Susan Boyle – the underappreciated and undervalued shine when they get to use their gifts.
4. To bring God glory.
When people use their gifts in the church – God gets glory.
We should care less about the label on our church, and more about the lifestyle produced.
When we use our gifts, the body is united, and that brings God glory.
Disciples see what Jesus is doing and join him in that. Is your church equipping people to join Jesus on his mission?
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by JonMcIntosh: A summary of Friday night sessions at #Verge10 [Rethink Mission]: http://bit.ly/8Xaizw...
[...] week about an exciting conference that was held in Austin called Verge – a conference by all all accounts was catalytic for many re: gospel-centered missional [...]
I have to say, politics and religion seem to bring out the very best and the the worst in folk. The very best because both can result in people being unbelievably self-sacrificing, the bad side as both can result in incredibly obdurate and difficult behaviour. I am not having a pop at you, this comments merely made me grasp this, so thanks for that.