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Eric T. Hill Oklahoma RegionGreater Cleaves

Memorial CME Church

General Session 4Thursday July 9, 2015

Working with the quadrennial theme: The Investment Factor, From Membership to Discipleship.

What is a Member? A person that is a part of a group or organization by choice and is received by an act of acceptance of the whole body.

Keywords…Choice and Acceptance

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What is a Disciple? A learner or follower who serves as an student to a master teacher or leader and whose character is transformed by what he is taught. This relationship in the bible is characterized by Jesus, the master teacher and the 12 disciples whom he taught for almost 3 years.

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Some other type of discipling relationships we might be familiar with are:Business: Mentor and Protégé Sports: Coach and Player Education: Professor/Teacher and

Student

In a galaxy far far away: Jedi Master and a Padawan

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Some more familiar terms

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18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

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Jesus gives us the Great Commission in St. Matthew 28:18-20

However, before we can make disciples…we must make sure we are disciples ourselves.

6 Biblical Characteristics of a Disciple

1. You must be assured of your Salvation by Grace alone. John 3:16-21

2. You must learn and understand the principles of the Christian Life. Luke 14:25-35

3. You must be obedient to God’s laws and Commands. Luke 10:25-28

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6 Biblical Characteristics of a Disciple

4. You must represent God in the world. Luke 17:14-18

5. You must serve other people. Matt 20:2-28

6. You must reproduce yourself in Christ. Matt 9:35-38

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Taking on these characteristics should lead you to living a transformed lifestyle being a committed, knowledgeable follower of Jesus Christ and instilling that same passion and capacity in others.

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Becoming a Disciple is not a “get it and quit it” experience, it is a lifelong pursuit.

There are some behaviors we must invest in to continue to grow towards becoming a better disciple.

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• Worship God regularly in spirit and in truth. Investment: Attend Corporate Worship service and develop a personal worship through the use of some good gospel and praise music to listen to.

• Pray to God daily. Investment: Have a set prayer time daily. Increase your accountability by having a prayer partner.

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• Read the Word of God daily. Investment: Have a daily devotional time to read the word of God uninterrupted.

• Develop relationships with other believers and disciples of Jesus Christ. Investment: Establish friendships with believers of other denominations.

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• Share the material blessings that God gives you with others. Investment: Give to your Church to support an outreach ministry.

• Serve others inside and/or outside of the faith. Investment: Volunteer some time to serve others, i.e. Work with Children or the Elderly.

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• Share your faith and testimony with non-believers. Investment: Learn the 7 Keys to the Kingdom script from the Spring Convocation.

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7 Steps to the Kingdom.1. Greeting-Hello, May I have one minute of your

time?2. State-Did you know that Jesus Christ is Lord?

Well He is and He loves you and wants to be your Lord and Saviour. A lot of people want to be saved but just don’t know how.

3. Say-Romans 10:9 says: If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved.

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7 Steps to the Kingdom.4. Ask- Can you say Lord Jesus?

5. Pray- Let’s pray, repeat after me: Lord Jesus forgive me for all my sins. I believe that you died on the cross, were buried, and on the third day God the Father raised you from the dead . Right now Lord Jesus, I open the door to my heart and I receive you, into my heart, as my Lord and Saviour.

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7 Steps to the Kingdom.6 Question-According to the prayer you just prayed, where is the Lord Jesus? He’s in my heart.

7. Confirmation-1 John 4:4, Greater is He that is in you than he that in the world.

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The best example in the bible of personal discipleship is found in Acts 8:26-39. Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch.

There are some key points we must note in thisexchange.

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Philip and the Ethiopian26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian[a] eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

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Philip and the Ethiopian32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,    and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,    so he did not open his mouth.33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.    Who can speak of his descendants?    For his life was taken from the earth.”[b]34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” [37] [c] 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing..

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Building a Discipling Church.

Discipleship should not be a new program or a ministry, it should evolve into a commitment to teaching a lifestyle of spiritual learning and transformed living.

Discipleship is about building people, not creating programs. There should be a transition in the church in order to create transformation in the lives of the people.

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Transitions of a Discipling Church• Shift from program driven ministry to

people driven ministry.

• Change from building consensus to building individual character.

• De-emphasize recalling Bible stories to emphasis on applying biblical principles.

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Transitions of a Discipling Church• Move from concern about quantity

(people, programs, sq. footage, dollars) …to concern about quality (relationships, commitment, wisdom, value and lifestyle).

• Retool ministry efforts to be intentional and strategic towards transforming lives.

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Transitions of a Discipling Church• Alter peoples focus from feel-good

activities, to a commitment to personal growth and authenticity in their faith.

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Methods of Effective Discipleship

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• Sermons tied to the practical application of the word to ones life.• Sunday School Classes • Small Group Studies – short term• New Believers Class (Not new Members Class)• Leadership Training Programs• One-on-One Mentoring Sessions• Community Service Ministry Groups

Methods of Effective Discipleship

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• Mini Church Events – VBS, Family & Friends • Daily Bible Reading Programs• Prayer Conference Calls• Book Discussion Groups• Spiritual Gift Assessments and Activation• Life Plan Development• Special Emphasis Family Programs-Recovery,

Divorce Care, Financial Planning etc.

Methods of Effective Discipleship

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• Youth and Children Activities• Special Group Movie

Night• Sports Programs• Tutoring and Mentorship of Young Boys and Girls

I will be around after the session if you have any

questions.

Thank you for your attention and participation.

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Eric T. Hill Oklahoma RegionGreater Cleaves

Memorial CME Church

General Session 4Thursday July 9, 2015