Tell God's Story

 

      Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis, and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

One of the most important skills a church planter can have is the ability to tell God’s story clearly, concisely, and well. The Bible tells us God’s big story. But the Bible is long. It’s not just one book, it’s a collection of 66 different books all pointing to Jesus, the Savior of the world. So, when we are evangelizing or making disciples, when we are teaching or praying or counseling, we need to remember God’s big story and refer to it often.

In Term 1 of the New Village Church Planting program, church planters learn to tell God’s big story in 10 minutes or less. But to be able to condense the essence of God’s word into a 10-minute story, you must know it well.

Ideally, you need to know the story of each book of the Bible, and you need to understand the major themes of the Bible, such as Love and Mercy, Holiness and Sin, Sacrifice and Salvation, Redemption and Reconciliation, and Grace and Faith.

But please don’t get discouraged if you don’t know every book of the Bible well or if you don’t fully comprehend the major themes of the Bible. Start telling God’s big story by telling the Three Circles. But always keep adding to your understanding of God’s big story. Read or listen to the Bible in your mother tongue. Start with Genesis. Finish with Revelation. Don’t worry if you don’t understand every detail. But pay attention to the major themes of the Bible. As you read or listen to book after book in the Bible, these themes will appear again and again: Love and Mercy, Holiness and Sin, Sacrifice and Salvation, Redemption and Reconciliation, and Grace and Faith.

The better you know the major people named in the Bible and the better you know the major themes of the Bible, the better prepared you will be to tell God’s big story briefly and easily. Do you have to understand every part of the Bible to tell God’s big story as you evangelize or make disciples? No.

But the more you understand, the better you can tell God’s big story and apply it to the needs of your listeners.

One of the most powerful men of God who ever lived was Stephen. His story is told in Acts 7. Stephen knew God’s big story. When called upon, he was able to tell it concisely and apply it directly. Though his listeners did not respond well, his story changed the course of church history. The glory of God came down when Stephen told God’s big story and told it well.

So don’t be discouraged and don’t stop in your quest to know God’s story, to understand its major themes, and to tell it well. If you don’t have an audio Bible in your heart language, go to the Google Play Store to download the Bible app to access downloadable audio Bibles in hundreds of local languages.

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #God’sBigStory

Leadership Development - Some Additional Characteristics to Look for in Emerging Leaders

 

       This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and leaders.

Our topic for 2026 is Leadership Development. In my past two episodes, I’ve shared some characteristics that I look for in potential emerging leaders. Most important to me are an identity firmly rooted in Jesus Christ and humility. Last time I shared about the importance of someone’s history or track record and the importance of their skills or abilities.

Today, I want to share some thoughts about three additional qualities I look for in emerging leaders. These are initiative, a desire to learn and grow, and a teachable spirit. I think that I can see how these complement each other.

* Initiative is defined as “the ability to assess and initiate things independently.” Those with a leadership mindset do not wait to be told what to do. They do things. Now, a key to this is that they do the “right” thing, and that is where the “assess” part of this definition comes into play. To refer back to my previous podcast, does the person have a history of making accurate assessments and then taking the right action? I’m reminded of the sons of Isaachar in 1 Chronicles 12:32. They were “men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.”

* Secondly, a strong desire to learn and grow is vital to the development of emerging leaders.  You may have heard it said that “leaders are learners,” and I believe this is quite true. As I am on the lookout for emerging leaders, I pay attention to see which men and women have inquisitive minds and an interest in learning about new subjects or developing new skills. They do not shy away from the hard work and the time required to grow in both their capability and their capacity.

* Closely related to my second point is the importance of new leaders being teachable. Proverbs 1:5 instructs us to “let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.” Young leaders must have the humility (I spoke about this last month) to listen and learn, AND they need to be discerning about the counsel they receive. As I observe and assess new leaders, one of the things I look for is to see who their mentors are. Who is advising them? Do they have good role models to follow?

I will continue my thoughts on characteristics to look for in emerging leaders in my next podcast.  

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.