God’s Heart for the Lost is our motivation for multiplying disciple makers.

“For God so loved THE WORLD that he gave his one and only Son, that WHOEVER believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20:21

Our Vision – Multiple Generations of Disciples Making Disciples

“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2

Here is a diagram of our simple system for Multiplying Disciples

Prepare INSIDERS to lead THEIR group from the beginning

Any time you start a new Discovery Bible Study your GOAL is to raise up
A NEW LEADER from within the group

Start encouraging participation in the 1st meeting by inviting those
who are quiet to share their answers to the questions
Have several of them ask the Questions in the 2nd & 3rd meeting

Emphasize the importance of obeying the Word

Pay attention to those who are putting what they learn into practice, they may be the person
God is raising up to lead the group

TURN THE GROUP OVER TO AN INSIDER

Ask the most spiritually hungry person to led the 4th meeting with your help

Once you teach them the proc less, get out of the way, but pray for them consistently

As the outsider, stop attending the group after 4-6 meetings

PREPARE THEM TO LEAD THEIR GROUP FROM THE BEGINNING

“If you continue leading for longer than just a few weeks, you are training the group to believe they can’t meet without you.”

BEGIN DISCIPLING FROM OUTSIDE THE GROUP

The best use of your time is to disciple people the Father is drawing to Jesus
(See John 6:44-45)

Once you stop attending, you will meet with the group’s spiritual leader “on the side,” as a coach.

• That person is now your “Timothy,” and you have assumed the role of “Paul.”

WHY TURN THE GROUP OVER TO AN INSIDER?

The only way to see if people are hungry for the Word of God is to step away and let them take the initiative.

Some groups will choose to stop meeting. That is OK, and not your fault. It simply means they were not so hungry for Jesus that they were willing to continue along this path. Continue to pray for them. Maybe they will contact you in the future.

Spend five minutes asking the Holy Spirit to speak to you about the following questions:

How does Jesus want me to put today’s lesson into practice? Is there anything he wants me to start doing? Is there anything he wants me to stop doing? Is there anything he wants me to do differently?

2. After a time of silent prayer, share answers with each other.

HOW DID JESUS MAKE DISCIPLES

Read Matthew 4:19 through slowly two times:

What invitation does Jesus give? How does that prepare them for Matthew 4:23-24?

What else does Jesus tell them? Why is this important?

Compare this verse with Mark 10:21-22. Did everyone Jesus invite to follow him, decide to follow him? How is this important to know for your disciple making efforts.

Read Matthew 28:18-20.

The central command in these verses is “make disciples.”

Why do you think Jesus placed so much emphasis on making disciples?

Did Jesus want his disciples to make disciples? Did he want those new disciples to make disciples? How do we know that from this passage?

Read Mark 4:1-20 through slowly.

Why did Jesus tell parables more often than simply teaching giving straight explanations? Reread verses 10-12 to see the reasons Jesus gave his disciples.

How does telling stories stimulate conversation and thought?

How did Jesus use story-telling to make disciples?

What are some ways story telling can help our disciple making efforts?

Jesus often quoted Scripture. Read Matthew 9:9-13.

Name the OT passage Jesus quoted in these verses (if you can find it).

Why did He quote it?

How did Jesus use Scripture to make disciples?

What are some ways using Scripture could help our disciple making efforts?

Jesus often asked questions. Read Matthew 9:14-15

What question did Jesus ask?

What prompted His question (a comment, an action, a question)?

How did Jesus use questions to make disciples?

What are some ways asking questions could help our disciple making efforts?

Jesus often gave people things to do. Read Mark 10:17-31

What did Jesus tell the person to do?

Did the person obey Jesus? What was the result?

Why did Jesus give people things to do or chances to apply?

How did it impact their faith when the people either obeyed Jesus or didn’t?

How does giving people chances to apply or obey the Word help our disciple making efforts?

THE DECISION TO OBEY – HOW DOES JESUS WANT ME TO PUT THIS LESSON INTO PRACTICE?
A CHURCH HEALTH TOOL

Read Luke 15:1-7 slowly and reflect on the things God revealed to you as you studied the parable of Jesus.

How does this passage apply to Mt 28:16-20?

How does this passage apply to you and your disciple making efforts?

Is there anything you need to repent of or change in order to obey?

WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

Read Acts 2:36-27 through slowly two times:

• What characteristics or activities do you see in this passage describing the first church? Make a list of what you observe.

Compare your list with those in your group, and form a combined list.

With your group, take that list and consolidate it down to a manageable size suitable to use
for casting vision, and for evaluation (8 or 9 elements)

Your list might not look like this, but our consolidated list included: Lord’s Supper, Worship
and Prayer, Making Disciples, Baptisms, Word, Love (in the church), Generosity, Love
Outside the Church (love your neighbor).

This list is now the vision for what “Healthy Churches” should look like in your movement.

With your group, make simple drawings/symbols for each of these characteristics.

Now draw large circles on paper, one circle for each church in your stream or in your movement

Place symbols inside the circle for those the church is actively and consistently engaged in

Place symbols outside the circle for those the church is doing infrequently or not at all

Place symbols on the line for those elements of church health that the church does, but inconsistently.

Place symbols on the line for those elements of church health that the church does, but inconsistently.

THE DECISION TO OBEY

Spend 10 minutes thinking back over today’s lesson and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you about the following questions:

How does Jesus want me to put this lesson into practice?

Is there anything he wants me to start doing?

2. Is there anything he wants me to stop doing?
3. Is there anything he wants me to do differently. The Father is the one who draws people to Jesus
   • John 6:37, 44-45
   • We don’t have to force anything
4. Prayer is critical
   • We want God and His Holy Spirit to move.
   • Pray a lot before each meeting
5. We trust the Holy Spirit
   • John 14:7
   • He is the best Teacher there is
   • Even non-Christians can learn from God and obey Jesus’ commands.
6. We believe in the priesthood of all believers.
   • There are no spiritual experts.
   • Avoid any words or behaviors which establish you as the expert.
   • Teach people to become Jesus’ disciples, not your disciples.
7. Simple and replicable are necessary elements to seeing rapidly multiplying disciples and churches
   • We must do everything in such a way that even new believers can soon begin doing
     the same thing on their own without us.
8. Simple and replicable means Word-centered, not teacher/pastor-centered
   • In Acts 17:2-10, Paul & Silas established a church in Thessalonica in only 3 week’s
     time
9. We focus on obedience, not knowledge
   • People learn best by doing, not simply knowing. Lk 5:4-11

DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY

Jesus is the greatest teacher in all of human history. That is why we have chosen to use Discovery Bible Study (DBS). It is the best tool we have found that uses the teaching methods of Jesus.

Telling Stories or Parables
Asking Questions
Using Scripture
Giving people a chance to apply what they learned

This tool is bearing fruit around the world, on every continent and in every type of culture.

THE DECISION TO OBEY

Spend 10 minutes thinking back over today’s lesson and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you about the following Questions:

How does Jesus want me to put this lesson into practice?

Is there anything he wants me to start doing?
Is there anything he wants me to stop doing?
Is there anything he wants me to do differently?

Go in pairs (Luke 10:1).
– Don’t start the group alone

2. Don’t teach or preach.
   • Instead, ask the same basic questions each week.
3. Stick to the passage.
   • If someone says something that doesn’t seem to “fit,” ask: “Where do you see that
     in this passage?”
   • Always keep the discussion centered on the passage
4. The leader should not bring in their own Biblical knowledge to the discussion.
   • Keep yourself limited to the passage being discussed
   • Otherwise, you will be placing yourself in the position of expert
   • As leader, equip them to lean into Jesus and His Word, not lean on you
5. Pray before coming to the meeting, but DON’T PRAY during the meeting (this is for pre-believing groups).
   • Otherwise, you set yourself up as the expert. As they obey God’s Word, He
     will lead them into forms of prayer which are natural to them,
     and not based on your Christian tradition.
6. Never correct someone.
   • Do not say, “No, you’re wrong. That’s not what this passage says.” Unless it is a
     major point, it’s better to ignore it.
   • If it’s way off the mark, you can always ask someone else in the group, “What do you think about what they just said?” Often the group will self-correct.
   • Also, be cautious about strongly affirming answers.
   • Doing either of these things will communicate that there is one “right” way to interpret a passage.
7. Use the same questions each week.
   • Consistency keeps it simple and replicable.
   • This methods simple enough that the participants can reproduce it quickly and start
     other groups without your help.
8. Call on people to answer if they are being shy.
   • The example you set in the first 2-3 meetings is the example they will follow
   • Also, be comfortable with some silence, particularly in the early meetings.
   • This is new for them, and they need time to think through the questions and come up
     with their answers.
9. As the outsider, stop attending the group after 4-6 meetings.
   • Pass off leadership to the person who seems most spiritually inclined in the group
   • If you continue leading for longer than just a few weeks, you are training them that they can’t meet without you.
   • Once you teach them the process, get out of the way, but pray for them consistently.
   • Once you stop attending, you will meet with the group’s spiritual leader to disciple them outside the meeting.
   • That person is now your “Timothy.” And you have assumed the role of PAUL