Listen To Your Disciples Reports

     Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that

provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

If you have been planting and multiplying churches for more than 3 or 4 years,

you have taken on big responsibilities. In the beginning you could focus on

prayer walking, finding persons of peace, and sharing the Good News in homes

and cell groups. But now your responsibilities have grown. You spend more of

your time casting vision, training others, organizing events, and overseeing the

planting of multiple churches in multiple locations.

It’s likely that you feel somewhat removed from the joy and excitement of

direct evangelism and disciple making with brand new Christians. You’ve taken

on greater responsibility and your people are grateful for the work you do, but

the truth is, you are somewhat removed from the growing edge of the

Kingdom.

In times like these you need to take care. Guard your heart. Make sure your

compassion for the lost does not decline. Guard your heart. Make sure you trust

God daily for provision and wisdom, power and favor and grace. Guard your

heart, make sure you do not boast in your own strength; boast in the Lord and

in his mercy and kindness.

As you plant more and more churches and delegate more and more

responsibility to your disciples, one way you can guard your heart is to listen

carefully to your disciples’ reports. Jesus did. When he sent the apostles out to

minister, he listened to their reports upon their return. Matthew 9:10 tells us,

“When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then

he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called

Bethsaida.”

As you know, listening is more than just hearing. When we listen, we pay

attention. When we listen, we seek to understand. Jesus listened to his

disciples’ reports and we should too. We need to let them tell their story in

their own words. We need to ask open questions to increase our understanding

and theirs. We need to be patient as they speak. By doing so, we show respect

for men and women who are working and being stretched as they make

disciples and plant churches. We gain insight and understanding about matters

we have not seen first-hand. We gain wisdom so that we can coach our

disciples well. And our disciples gain wisdom as they reflect on their ministry

experience.

So do what Jesus did. Take time to listen to your disciples’ reports. As you do

so, both you and your disciples will be strengthened. As you listen with

empathy your hearts will be joined together. God will be honored and you will

become a stronger team. As you listen, the Lord will lead you forward together

with greater faith, wisdom, and vision.

This has been Multiply and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this

encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #ActiveListening