Discipleship Training Part 3 - Discipleship Training

Okay, if you get your notes, and if you find page five is is where we're gonna do in this last number together is um I'm gonna give you a simple way of doing what we've been talking about.

We've been talking about providing personal attention.

And we've been talking about, if we go back to last night, mixing in the things that are essential for a person to grow.

And the essentials for growth are pretty simple.

You see them all through the scriptures.

It's the word of God.

I mean, the word gives light.

That's how God describes himself.

It's how we get to know what God is like and what he's not like, how we know his ways.

So the word of God, the entrance of thy word, giveth light, it giveth understanding into the simple.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light into my path.

And so the word of God is what allows us to hear what God wants to say to us.

Prayer, obviously, is another essential.

It allows God to touch us.

I mean, we talk to God and we see Him answer and we realize somebody's really there.

He's not imaginary.

And it allows the power and the help of God to flow into our lives, whether it's, you know, provision or favor or open doors or, you know, uh something that I need to understand.

I'm just saying prayer is the conduit uh from God to us that allows what He gives to flow.

So we've got the Word, we've got prayer.

Fellowship is not just coffee and donuts, you know, out there.

It is this companionship that we talked about.

This up close.

That's what we talk about, fellowship.

Two are better than one.

It's it's two people who are together desiring to pursue God, and we want to help each other finish, get all the way to the finish line together.

And we help each other and encourage and correct when we need it and carry when we need it.

That's fellowship that we're talking about.

And we need it, that strengthens us.

Uh it says Jonathan went to David in the woods and strengthened his faith in God.

David needed somebody to strengthen his faith in God when things got difficult.

He thought God had forgotten him and he was lost.

He needed a buddy to strengthen his hand.

And that's what fellowship does, it strengthens us.

And then witnessing is the last one.

It's it's involvement, it's joining God in what he's doing.

And that's what really matures us.

It's like a young couple.

Many of you have, you know, you've watched young couples that before they're married, they're kind of screwy teenagers, and then they get married, and now they begin, it's it's like the civilization process, right?

Begins, and and the barbaric men become, begin to become civilized men through marriage.

And then what really takes them to a much higher level is when they they have a child, right?

You take two, a man and a woman, they don't have an intelligent thought between them, and they have a baby, and all of a sudden, have you noticed there is this enormous lift when I have responsibility for somebody else.

And two kids who are bumbling along, there is this enormous maturing.

It's why God has created us to fall in love and bond our lives and then and then recreate.

All of this has a powerful lifting effect.

All I'm saying is witnessing, helping somebody else walk with God.

It makes adults out of spiritual children.

So those are the essentials.

You know, you've got the word, you've got prayer, you've got fellowship.

That fellowship, you've got witnessing and the hub of the wheel that drives it.

What is it that empowers our life?

Is who?

The Holy Spirit, right?

The Spirit of God.

God lives inside.

Once you give your life to Christ, from then on, two people live in your body.

You live there, and God lives there.

And uh His voice is there, his presence is there to help us become what God wants us to do, do what He wants us to do.

So these are the essentials.

Now, here's what we're gonna do.

We're gonna do a D-group in a minute.

And uh, all a D-group is is a way that we give personal attention to each other, and we bring those ingredients, and you'll see them as we do it.

You'll see the word in there, you'll see prayer in there, you'll see sharing of life, fellowship in there, you'll see witnessing in there, and you'll see the Holy Spirit listening to the voice of God uh in there.

That's what we're gonna do in uh in this time.

Now, before we do that, here's what I want to do.

I've asked uh Paul Stanley just to come up.

Many of you know Paul.

We've been talking about personal attention and the enormous difference that makes.

And I just wanted Paul just to come up and just share a bit of his story because he grew up in a Christian home, he had a heart for God, he went to church like this, but then he began to get personal attention.

And Paul wants you just to come and share a bit about how that happened and the difference it makes.

You can stand up here, I think.

Be good.

There you go.

Thanks.

Well, life started for me uh in just outside of New York City.

Um, we had a home, uh, five boys and one girl, and I was the fifth boy.

And uh so we had a Christian home.

Uh my mother was uh more of the spiritual driver, and uh I came to Christ probably somewhere in my young years.

I can never uh pinpoint it, but I uh I was I sought to be a good kid, and as a teenager, I was a good kid because more of uh out of respect for my parents than uh what God was doing uh in my life.

But at 16 uh I went to a youth rally in New York City, and a great athlete uh spoke there, and I was very attracted to that because of who he was, a two-time All-American football player, and and so he he gave us uh testimony, and as a result of that, I uh really committed my life.

I even got the chance to talk to him about uh lordship.

And I was ready to grow.

I was a junior in high school, and so I I began to pursue some things.

I I I talked to a youth, one of the youth directors of our church, and asked him.

I uh I told him what I did and commitment uh I made and asked him if he could help me.

And he says, Well, just read your Bible.

Read your Bible, and and he says, Do you have a modern Bible?

And I had a King James, and that's what they had back then.

But um he got a new uh new one, one of the new New Testaments, and so I came, he gave that to me, he says, just read this Bible and and and pray.

And I said, Oh, well, thank you.

So I read the Bible and prayed for about two, three weeks, and then I got busy with other things and got up late, and and um and soon that faded away.

And I was really disappointed with myself, but it was uh a lot of other things that my senior year came and a busy life at the time and all the rest.

And so I wound up um going to West Point, and it was only an hour from our house, and uh so uh we started in, but I still found myself not really experiencing the Lord, not experiencing a lot of what you're saying here.

So I um came to a point where I was just wondering about this, and but I as uh a senior, and at the time you because you understand a little bit of uh what happens with plebes uh here in Cal Colorado Springs because of the Air Force Academy.

Well, double that at the uh West Point.

There's there's uh uh intensive, it really is.

It's uh there's um I don't think I ever saw an upperclassman smile.

I saw just a uh kind of a grisly roar, you know.

So here I was, and he was a senior putting on this little note saying, uh, anybody want to come to a Bible discussion group, uh, you know, see me and all the rest.

And and this fellow was quite a uh athlete, and uh he was an all-American, so you know, I was really kind of impressed that he would do this.

And so um I actually saw him as he was putting the note up, and I I thought uh uh I went over to him and I said, Sir, can can plebes come to this?

And he said, Um, oh sure, yeah, you're welcome.

I thought, oh, well, this is great.

I it's the first time I saw a smile on a senior uh uh, you know, as a plebe.

So anyhow, he um he invited me to come, and so when I got there, there was about eight, and they were all upper upperclassmen, and so I was the ninth.

And of course, I didn't need any encouragement not to speak up, so uh I I didn't say much at all, so I just watched.

But what I watched was this I saw guys relatively my age with open Bibles marked in it, notes in it, discussing the book of Romans.

And I thought, where in the world did they learn this?

I thought only pastors did that, and so um I got I I came through and I watched, and I had a good background, uh, a good Bible and all the rest, but um, this was amazing.

And so after it was over, he probab uh Joe, his name was, he uh was very responsive.

I kept looking over to me to see how I was doing, and he said, Well, listen, these are all upperclassmen, and he said, But um, you how do you feel?

I'm so glad you're here.

And I said, Well, uh, yes, I'd and I'd like to come.

And he said, Well, how about uh uh, you know, as he talked to me, he found out that I was a Christian, and he said, Uh, do you uh have uh ever have a quiet time?

And I said, Quiet time, you know, there's um I'm quiet a lot here, but I said, I I don't know, what do you mean?

So he says, Well, it's it's a matter of just uh getting um reading the Bible and reflect over it and and uh just come, you know, just in get the the uh connection and prayer and uh in the in the morning where we're ready to go and sets us up for the day.

And I said, Well, that that sounds great.

He said, Well, how would you like to meet with me?

And we would I could teach you how to do that, and so I said, that'd be wonderful.

So uh uh we met and I said, Well, what time?

He says, How about tomorrow?

And at five o'clock.

I said, Five o'clock?

You know, we already woke up at 5 30, so um I I said, well, sure.

So I had a lot of anxiousness uh the next day as I you know walked through and everything was quiet in the dorms, and and uh he went to the study room where we meet and and um I didn't know what was gonna happen.

We opened the Bible and Mark and we read the half the first half uh of uh chapter one and we read it and he then he said, Well, let's just go back over it and just uh see what God's trying to say to us.

And so we talked about that and we looked at it, and we did a lot just like you, you uh very similar to what uh uh the 15 minutes was, and that's all it did.

It took about 15 minutes.

Well, we over the next months we went through the whole book of Mark.

And um then I noticed as he prayed and sometimes answered the questions I asked, he um he quoted a verse and then he'd quote other verses.

And so I thought, uh do you?

Uh I asked him, Do you do you just do you memorize these especially?

And he said, Oh yeah.

He said, I'm in a little program that I have, and uh, would you like to join me?

And I said, uh yeah, I the only thing uh I know is John 3.16, and of course anybody that watched professional football knows John 3.16, so I said, you know, we can go on with that.

And so I I uh I remember uh just uh memorizing the first verse, and it was just so special.

And uh I thought, oh boy, this it was feeding my head, my mind, and and uh so I was going on and we were meeting about two or three times a week for quiet time, and uh it was I was getting to know him quite well, and uh so this this kept on.

Well then he uh he was just sharing other things.

Uh we got into the Bible.

I was introduced to the Great Commission.

I'd never heard of the words Great Commission, that it was the last verses in the in Matthew, and we went in there and did a study, and and then I learned the great um the Great Commandment.

And he says, Don't do the Great Commission without doing the Great Commandment.

And I said, What's that?

He says, Well, love God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and and then love your neighbor, as you said, self.

He says, just love God, love people.

And he said, So if you just go off with the Great Commission and don't have you don't love these people and all share them with your life, and you know, so we talked a lot about it.

Well, then he was bringing me to some of these wonderful verses, key verses in scripture.

Well, I found out he was getting them from a book that uh he had been discipled.

And so what happened was as I learned about this secret group called the Navigators, uh he uh uh there was a chemistry professor who did graduate from West Point, had his his uh graduate school and was an instructor there in chemistry.

And he went in his first duty after graduation to Korea, and then while he was there, he he uh found an American missionary to the Koreans, but asked this fellow if he would disciple him.

And he discipled him for two years.

And so he came back, took his place in the faculty, but began to seek out other cadets.

He had been there a couple years and he had a Bible study of about seven, eight guys, and it was like a D-group.

And that D-group really began to bear fruit.

But Joe is a member of that dare group, so I saw there was this fellow named King Kaufman, and then there was there was Joe, and now Joe took me, and so we were really experiencing uh wonderful times.

And well, we got to the point where he taught me how to share the gospel.

And I here was this Christian, and I didn't know how to share the gospel, maybe a track or something like this, but he said, No, no, let me show you this bridge illustration.

And the bridge illustration, you've probably could imagine, it's just a cliff on one side and a cliff on the other with a gap in the middle, and man is on one side, God is on the other, and then they you put the the cross across there, and that you come over to the other side by by uh uh faith in Christ and receiving Christ.

And so um I I saw all this and I was familiar with some of the verses.

So he says, Well, let's take the next few weeks and learn this.

Well, one of the things that I then immediately thought of is I thought, I wonder if he's gonna make me go out and share this.

Because, you know, I I was you know, I uh very similar to what you you for some reason you just get fearful about this.

And so I didn't know whether I'd get be rejected or somebody, you know, whatever.

Uh but I I decided, okay, I'm gonna learn this.

Well, I was drawing it out on my desk and a knock on the door came, and it was my roommate from uh the first semester.

We were now in the second semester, and I've been now about four or five months with Joe being developed by him, and and I was just growing.

I was just uh my my desires earlier when I had asked my uh youth director uh what you know if they could uh help me for a bit, and he just gave me a by all of a sudden go to it.

Well, Joe came to me, and Joe kept it going.

I remember one time I didn't wake up, my alarm didn't uh I did I forgot to put it on, and it was about five o'clock-ish, and uh all of a sudden I hear somebody open our dorm door and come in, and he looked around.

I fortunately he found the right person.

There were three of us in there, and he kind of shook me and he said, Pa, you coming, you coming?

Oh, Harry is this guy who he had lots of stripes on his uh on his uh sleeve and and it was and he came over to wake me up, and so he says, I'll uh I'll be in our our study room.

And uh back, well I just got addressed very quickly and got going and and um he never mentioned it, you know.

It just uh so we just kept going.

Well anyhow, back to the the bridge illustration, I I was working on that and this uh roommate from the previous uh semester came in and he says, Hey Paul, can I borrow uh borrow?

I think it was a uh uh uh a paper punch and and just uh uh hole puncher.

So um uh he he got that and we were talking a little bit, catching up, and and he looked over and he says, What's this?

And I said, Well, it's just uh uh, you know, I almost want to cover it, you know, and just uh say, Oh, it's nothing.

But I said, No, it's uh uh I it's a um diagram.

You remember when I meet uh I used to meet with uh uh Joe and he said, Oh yeah, yeah.

So I said, Well he showed it to me and it it explains how God and man can come together and and you can have a relationship with God.

He's oh that's interesting.

And I I said, Would you like to see it?

And he said, Um, well, uh how long would it take?

And I I said, about 10 minutes.

He said, okay.

So I started and and I drew it, and I was kind of wondering, and I'd look at the back of my Bible where I had drone it, drone it, draw it before.

And and so uh I would forget things, and I probably the worst presentation of the bridge illustration uh ever given.

And uh, but I we were pressing through, we got to, so I now Joe told me that when the first time, when the first time that they see or hear the gospel or see this, they they won't really understand this.

So don't worry or worry, uh, you know, it's just uh so I'll show you the rest of it and how to you know bring it into closure um you know next week.

So um, so anyhow, I'm sitting there, I'm getting closer and closer.

So finally I said, Well, um, can you pick out where where do you put yourself on this bridge illustration?

And he said, Oh, well, I be over here on man's side, uh, the sin and death and judgment coming.

And so I said, Well, um, yeah, you sure you're there?

He said, Yes.

And he says, and I I so I said, Well, would you like to be over the other side?

He said, Um, yeah, I'd I'd like to do that.

And I said, Um, would you like to do that now?

And he said, Well, yeah, I mean, how do you do it?

And I said, Well, you pray.

And uh, and now I have no idea how to tell him pray, but uh, I said, you need to pray and kind of uh ask, you know, forgiveness over here for your sin and and thank God for Jesus and ask Jesus to to clean cleanse your sin and then come over to this side where you have eternal life and forgiveness and all the rest.

And he says, Well, okay.

And I said, Have you ever prayed before?

He said, No, no, not at all.

And I said, Well, um, let me pray first, and then you can pray after me, and just pray the diagram, kind of walk it across.

So we prayed, and um I prayed, and then I turned it over to him, and it was um never forget the prayer.

He said, Well, God, he said, Um, you know me because you created me, but um I don't know you.

And I I want to come over to this side, and I said, uh, you're sure, because Joe said you wouldn't understand, you know.

So, anyhow, he did understand, you know, and uh so we prayed, and it was so precious.

And uh, his prayer, I'm sure God knew it from the heart.

And um, so I thought, well, I gotta take uh Wayne up to Joe.

Maybe he's home, and uh, I mean he's in his room, and so we went up.

There and sure enough, he just happened to be there.

And I introduced him and told him what happened, and so Joe shared his testimony, and it was really wonderful.

And so I said, Well, listen, um, you know, uh uh Wayne's gonna need some help here.

Could you take him on the way uh you've what you teach him what you you've taught me?

And he said, Um Joe said, Well, you know, I I'm just I'd like to, but this I'm really busy, and so Paul, why don't you do that?

And I said, Well, um I don't know.

I mean, I I sure like to try.

And so we kind of uh hesitated for a bit, and then finally, so uh Wayne left.

And so I said to Joe, I you know, uh uh I don't I can't do this.

I've been only four months on the way here.

And he says, Oh sure you can, and he said, and I'll help you.

And so with that in mind, he says, Why don't you go down and see him right away and and help him understand that?

I said, Well, what do I say to him?

And he said, Well, tell him that you have learned these things from Joe and that have helped it because you're now stepping into a relationship with Christ, and and he he he passed on some things that that would have enabled me to have a relationship and strengthen the relationship, and so uh we did.

And uh I went down there and asked him uh what you you know and uh told him about what uh experience I've had with Joe, and then would you like me to pass it on to you?

And he said, Yeah, that'd be good.

So I said, Well, that's great.

I said, Why don't we try tomorrow morning?

He says, Well, when do you want to meet?

And I said, Well, tomorrow morning, probably uh how about five o'clock?

And so I said, Um, five o'clock?

He says, you know, we already get up at 5 30.

And I said, Well, it only takes a little bit, but I said, you know, uh uh all Christians get up at 5 o'clock at this morning.

Um because in my little world that I have, everybody who was involved, uh, that's exactly what I thought Joe's going, uh somebody's telling him five o'clock is this holy uh hour or moment, you know.

Well, it went on, and uh it just was uh Wayne grew and and uh it just was exciting, and then later on, and so God, I was afraid to go to people, and yet um he brought this one to me.

But then, not but a few months later, when I became a sophomore, um he brought another person and put made him my roommate uh for our summer uh training uh experience, and and so we were together, and I was able to lead him to Christ because he just asked these questions.

He says, Why do you read your Bible and why do you do this?

And God was just bringing him to me in a very natural way, and uh he came to know Christ, and so we were off and running, but just the things that I've thought of as um uh just the uh a lot of what what uh rock what you shared so well and so touchingly, it was just so special.

Um, because that's true, that's what happened with me.

Uh he gave that uh encouragement to me.

He taught me how to pray.

He had me he taught me how to pray the scriptures, and I still do that, and I do it with other men, and we go pray through the Psalms and pray through different places and pray through uh Paul's prayers, and he taught me all of that.

And a matter of fact, one time I was about a year later, uh I was praying with a group of guys that knew Joe and knew others as well in the group, um, and they uh as I finished, we finished prayer, he said to me, uh one came over and says, You know, it was just like listening to Joe pray when you prayed.

And at first I thought, oh well, I don't want to imitate that, but he I said, Well, what do you mean?

He said, He says, You know God, don't you?

You know God.

And uh I was responsible at that time that the academies had a get out lead in prayer for breakfast every morning, and um they would just call the cord, they'd stand behind in a huge dining room and just a moment of silence and pray.

And uh not not but uh uh just a a couple about ten years ago at one of our reunions, uh a fellow came up and said to me, you know, I I I remember you as a Christian, and he said, and the thing that really stood out is when you prayed on those early mornings, he said one thing that uh that that uh drew me to Christ and remembering this, but he said uh you you knew you knew who you were talking to, and I could just sense that, and that was all because of Joe.

So this went on, and and so I learned all kinds of things and grew and multiplied, and uh it was just a wonderful experience.

Thank you, Paul.

I mean, can you feel the difference that personal attention makes?

I mean, it's the difference between being stuck and moving.

I mean, in a deep way, in many ways.

And uh Paul's just one story of that.

And you know, I think that's what God is creating this church to do, is to provide that kind of help to people who want God in this city.

And as you grow, that's you that'll be your reputation.

This is a place you go if you want to get unstuck and get somebody to personally help you move ahead.

And you'll start by doing it with each other, and then you'll gain confidence and begin to do it with people who join you, and then even people beyond the body where you live, work, and play.

Now, here's what I want to do.

I want to give you some practice here.

So uh we're I want you to get in groups of three, groups of three, men with men, women with women.

Now you can move.

In fact, I want you to spread out so that you don't interfere with each other.

You can sit on the floor, you can sit on the steps, you can move the chairs a little bit, but get in groups of three knee to knee.

And I'm gonna lead you through a simple D group.

Okay.

If you were here last night, you can get in that same group.

If you weren't here last night, just find somebody else.

We want groups of three.

Groups of three, we're gonna hustle here.

Thank you, Greg.

Let me go to the next slide.

There we go.

Let's go to the next slide.

Okay.

Okay, if you were with us last night, you uh you probably can remember the routine again.

Groups of three kind of get yourselves spread out so you don't interfere or with each other, don't overhear each other.

Um groups of three.

Now a D group is very simple.

D group just means disciples' group and uh group of men or women who meet together to really grow in their life with Christ.

There you go, good.

If you got four, that's okay.

Back then, I see some.

But uh better to do three.

Okay.

Now, a D group, it can be as small as two, it can be you and one other person, that's fine.

It works great that way.

No bigger than six, and you'll see why as we do it.

Because this is a time, it's not a teaching time, it's not a counseling time.

This is a time when we're meeting together at the Y to work out.

We're working out, that's what we're doing.

And uh, and this is what we do.

It's very simple.

Remember, I said this is simple, you can remember it, you don't need any notes.

It's up, in and out.

Up, we're we read the Bible together, we listen for what God is saying, and we share what God has said to us.

Now, you already did that in that 15 minutes with God this morning.

You read, you wrote down what God is saying.

And now normally you do that in the D group.

You just take a chapter of the Bible.

You could use the the chapter that you guys are going through if you're doing this on the road, that little insert that you got, that's what we use.

We have a similar thing.

Um, if you'd like, where you can go through a book that you sense really fits your your your group.

But uh you've already done that, and so we're we've got a running start on this.

So, what I want you to do in your threes is very simple.

Uh, a leader, and the leader of your group this time is the shortest one.

So, whoever is the shortest one, you get to lead.

Shortest one.

Okay, all the leaders wave your hand.

Wave your hand.

I want to see the leader.

Leader, leader, leader every group.

Now, listen, here's the deal.

You need to understand.

Now, get this.

To lead a D group, you need no special gifting.

You don't have to be a teacher, a counselor, you need no special experience.

All you need is the willingness to go first.

That's all it takes.

So if you receive Christ last night, you can lead a D group.

All you need to do is go first.

So, leaders, as we go around, we do the various things, you just go first.

So, the first thing I want you to do is we'll assume that you've read this, uh, James 2 in your group, okay?

But now I just want you to share what God said to you personally.

Now, the easiest way to do this is start by simply reading what you wrote and ask each of the persons in your in your group to do that.

So, leader, you go first, read what you wrote.

If you want to add anything to it to make it clear, you're welcome to do that, and then just invite the others in your group to do the same thing.

Okay, I'm gonna give you about five or six minutes to do this.

Okay, take about another two minutes, make sure everybody gets a chance.

So, leaders, make sure everybody gets a chance.

Okay, let me break in.

Now, remember D group, anybody can lead.

And uh the shortest just led this part of it, right?

Now, in the up part, it's very simple.

You read a chapter, you read it aloud around the circle.

We you've already done that, so you we didn't do that this time.

You take time to write, to to listen and to write what God is saying to me.

Okay, and that's it.

Now, for most believers, that's a real shift.

Uh normally they're look sharing some insight, some interesting thing that they see about the text.

That's not what we're doing.

We're listening for what the Holy Spirit is saying to you about your life and your situation.

Okay?

Now we're connecting with God here.

We're not just studying a book, learning information.

We're listening for God.

And that brings the Holy Spirit out.

And that's what you wrote.

And then we share that with each other.

Very simple.

Just start by reading what you wrote, and then you can add anything you want.

Okay?

And that's what you did.

So that's the up part.

Uh now we do the in part.

Now, the in part, we use what we call a life question.

And uh in your notes at the back, you'll see a list of about 31 or 32 life questions.

Um what I do in my groups, sometimes I have a sense of the question I want to ask as a leader.

The Lord will kind of give me a sense of I think your group needs to talk about this.

That's fine.

But most often what I do is I cut these up in little shreds.

I put them in a little bowl and we pick one out, and I just let God decide what we're gonna tell the truth about today.

And literally, that's what I do.

So I'm not worried about it.

That's that's what we're gonna do.

We pick one out.

So here's the life question.

So we're gonna do the in this time, and the in is a life question.

And again, if you're leading, all you do is go first.

So the leader of this part is the tallest in the group.

So the tallest in the group, you're gonna lead this part.

Okay?

Now, here's what we do.

We pick a life question, I'll give it to you in a minute, and we all answer the same question.

Okay, now this is what we're doing.

We are opening our life.

First of all, we're stopping and we're we're examining our life.

I mean, all these life questions are things, yeah, you know, I need to think about that.

It has to do with marriage, kids, my thought life, with different things that are of significance to God.

And so it helps us to stop and look at my life and say, how is it going?

What is happening in this area?

The second thing it does is it allows you to tell the truth.

And that's a humble thing.

But God resists the power, he gives grace to the humble.

And uh just by sharing, you know, the opening your heart and saying, This is how it's going with me, the good and the not so good.

I mean, that's a humbling thing.

And it releases the grace of God in your life, in your circle, in your body.

So that's what we're gonna do.

We all answer.

And then at the end of it, we we've just heard each other share about our life, so we don't want to just pretend like we didn't hear, we want to stop, and we want to do what we call listening prayer.

And listening prayer just means I've listened to you, uh, share about your life, but I also want to stop and just be quiet and see is there anything else that God might bring to mind that He might want me to pray for you.

The Spirit lives in you, He can show you, may have to do with what they shared, it may have to do with something completely different that God might bring to mind.

So, if you're the tallest in your group, uh this is what I want you to do.

The life question, let's go to the next slide, Randy, if you would.

Here's the life question: What has God been saying to you?

And how are you responding?

Now, let me just explain this.

You know, if Jesus were to sit beside each one of you and you were to ask the Lord, Lord, what do you want to say to, you know, whoever it is, Michaela, I know what Jesus would not say.

He would not say, oh, gee, I haven't thought about that.

I have no idea what I'd say to Michaela.

He knows you that there are things he wants to say.

And the truth is, he's been saying it.

Whispering it through the Spirit last week, last month, last few months.

So this is just a time to stop and say, what has God been saying to me?

If you were to ask me that question, I would say, God is saying to me to slow it down.

I've been way overloaded, overcommitted.

I find myself not sleeping well at night, I find myself rushing from one thing to the next.

Um I find myself feeling on the edge.

And I know God has been saying to me, slow down.

That's what he's been saying.

I've been talking about the last six weeks, eight weeks.

How have I responded?

Well, not very well, really.

I just keep going faster and faster until you, you know, until you kind of go that's not true.

I I I've been slow, but I've been getting the message, and so there are some things I'm doing.

I've asked my elders for a sabbatical for the coming summer.

Uh I'm working on delegating some of the things that I'm doing that I know are wearing me out.

I am.

I've got a have seen my note on that.

And uh and I'm beginning to say no to some things to kind of weed my life.

Okay, that's if I were in your group, that's what I'd say.

I've I've I've gotten way overloaded.

Uh I've been slow to respond, but I'm beginning to respond.

These are the things I'm doing.

Now, so leader, what I want you to do is you go first.

Sure, what do you sense?

You know, what has God been saying?

Has he been talking?

And and it may, who knows?

I have no idea what the Lord's been saying.

But I know he's been saying something.

He's not silent.

What do you sense he's been saying?

How have you responded?

So, leader, you go first, then after everybody has shared, stop the group.

This is very awkward for Westerners, and say, let's be quiet and listen.

And then I want you just to listen and see if the Lord brings something to mind that he'd have you pray.

And let's focus our prayer on the person on your left this time.

If that's different from last night, you can do it any way you want.

Leader, you can decide who you want to pray for.

But let's focus it on one person, have a quiet time to listen, and then, leader, you go first.

Pray for the person on your left as God leads you.

And I'd encourage you to lay a hand on their shoulder.

I mean, it's just a way of connecting and blessing and touching.

Okay, that's it.

I'm gonna give you about 10 minutes.

Share and then listening prayer for each other.

Take about another minute or so, let each person share.

Then remember, be quiet, lay a hand on each other and pray for each other.

Okay, if you haven't now, I want you to begin to move towards praying for each other.

If you're the leader, kind of get your group to just be quiet and listen for a minute.

And then you go first and pray for the person on your left.

Lay a hand on their shoulder and bless them.

As you're quiet, you're listening, you're remembering what they said, but you're also listening for what the Spirit might want to say to you.

Now, after you've prayed for each other, just around the circle, you don't have to share anything, just each of you pray for one person in your world who needs Jesus.

Maybe a family member, maybe a friend.

Pray for an opportunity for you to share with them.

Pray for their open heart.

Pray that God would draw them.

Again, leader, you just go first.

Take about one more minute.

Finish up praying for each other and for your one who's out there.

Yeah, about 30 more seconds.

Just uh, if you haven't pray for that one who needs Jesus.

Okay.

Let me break in, and I know this has been this has been rushed.

We did uh in about 30 minutes, we did what normally would take, normally a D group takes about an hour and 15 minutes.

But let me just I want to say just a few things, then I want to respect your time, turn you loose.

Um there are lots of ways to make disciples, lots of materials, lots of methods, lots of approaches, okay?

So if you've got one that's working for you, by all means do it and use it and enjoy it.

Uh God has called, he's given us different opportunities and that kind of thing.

So use whatever works.

But most of us, for most of us, this is something we long to do, we dream about doing.

We we see people around us who who need to grow.

We we know they need that thing that Jesus saw, that they're they're they're bleeding and they're pinned down and they need personal attention, and and we'd like to be able to provide that.

I mean, that's a desire God's put in all of us to help the people.

For some of us, it's people in our family, for some, it's kids in our class, like Michaela or Josh.

Uh, for some, it's people right here in the body who you know are kind of isolated and alone.

And the D group is just one way to do it.

But let me say there are some things that are really benefits to this.

First of all, it is very simple.

Very simple.

It's easy to remember, right?

There's three parts to it.

What's part one?

What do you do?

Up, right?

What's the second part?

In.

What's the third part?

Out.

There you go.

You know what to do, right?

So it's up, in, and out.

And uh the the materials are simple.

All you need is a Bible, right?

Just everybody bring a Bible, bring it on your phone, bring it in your your hand.

And uh and it's good to have a list of those life questions.

You can make up your own.

If you need some, they're they're in your notes there.

And so that's all it takes, is is a Bible and a good question that invites people to share their life.

Um, it's it's simple to remember, simple to lead.

Like I said, if you received Christ last night, you know, you could lead a D group.

You don't have to be a teacher, you don't have to be a counselor, you don't have to be able to answer people's theological questions.

That's not what a D group is about.

We're there to meet with God and to be with each other.

And uh so all it takes to lead is the willingness to go first.

When it comes time to share what you heard, you share first, and then ask your friends to do the same.

Comes time to answer a life question, you go first.

Open your heart and be transparent, invite your friends to do the same.

Comes time to pray, you go first.

You say, let's listen.

You lay your hand on the shoulder of the guy to your right or your left, and you go first.

Invite the others to follow you.

Comes time to pray for somebody in your world who needs Jesus, you go first.

Ask them to do the same.

That's all it takes.

So it's simple.

It is tasty.

And what I mean by that is, you know, no matter what your personality is, truth is if you do it, you'll find something in it you like.

If you're an otter and you like to talk, hey, it's great.

You're going to get a chance to talk, and everybody's going to listen to you.

That's a wonderful thing, right?

You're going to like it.

You're going to like it.

If you're kind of a golden retriever and you love peace and you love to take care of people, you're going to love it.

You get to lay your hand on a person and pray for them and care for their needs and empathize.

I mean, that's a wonderful thing.

If you're a beaver and you like order, you got it.

Up in out, right?

You're not just hanging out and milling around.

We're going someplace.

There's there's a right way to do it.

And beavers love to know the right way and how to do it.

Well, there's a right way to do it.

And this is what we do.

And if you're a lion and you know you want to get stuff done, this is a great thing because I mean we're doing significant stuff here.

We're listening to God, we're opening and sharing our hearts.

We're praying for God to bring healing and relief to people.

So whoever you are, it's tasty.

It's nourishing.

What do I mean by that?

Remember the essentials of growth, the word, prayer, fellowship, witnessing, the Holy Spirit.

This puts those five things in a blender and swirls them together and serves it up in a simple way.

I mean, think of it.

We're in the word, right?

We're praying for each other, we're sharing our life openly and honestly.

That's the fellowship.

We're thinking about our one and asking God to draw him to Christ, and we're listening to the Spirit, both in the Word and before we pray.

So the essential vitamins and minerals of growth, we're doing it together.

We're not wasting each other's time.

This is a nourishing thing.

And finally, it's easy to reproduce.

Uh, if you've done it, you've been in a group, it's pretty easy to turn around and lead one if you've got people.

You've already done it.

I mean, all of you could lead this kind of thing either within the body or beyond.

So that's the benefit of a D group.

Okay?

Now, last thing I'd say is just uh in your package of notes, I just want to point out some things that are here that are for you.

Basically, we want to give you everything you'd need to be able to do this if God uh lays it on your heart.

Uh first there's a little sheet that says how to start a D group.

It's everything that we've talked about is is right there, including a description and some reminders as a leader of the kinds of things you want to do in each of those up in and out things.

Um there's a note.

This is the email that I send out to men in my church inviting them to join us.

And you can just use that.

It's just a simple way to, you know, as people come across, you can either say it verbally or send them an email and say, This is what I'm doing.

Do you want to be part of it?

Uh the D group questions, there, the life questions, there's 33 of them.

This is what I cut into strips, put in a silver bowl, and we pick one out.

And that's how we know what we're going to share today.

And uh 15 minutes with God, the one assignment that I have in my D groups is that we meet with God, have a quiet time between our meetings.

That's the only assignment.

Just walk with God between our meetings.

And uh this explains uh very simply what we did this morning, how to do 15 minutes with God.

And finally, I have a covenant.

And for D groups to work, there are some things we need to agree to, and there are four of them, and you can see them right there.

And in our first meeting, you know, I say, hey, this is what we're about.

Uh we're working out together, and these are the four commitments that we make to each other so that this is safe and nourishing for all of us.

So those are the things that uh uh if you'd like to do it, you've got those at your disposal.

It's been fast and furious, and uh Bev and I, we've enjoyed being here with you.

Going to be with you tonight.

Hope you'll come tonight.

I'm gonna talk about the most important subject in the world.

How's that?

Most important subject in the world, hands down.

So if you want to know what that is and hear what God has to say about that, come tonight.

Steve, I'll turn it over to you.

You can dismiss us and there you go.