Why Teach the 7 Basic Commands of Christ?

 

Welcome to Multiply, a Podcast to encourage church planters, pastors, and Christian leaders. I am your host today, Daneille Snowden. Matthew 28:18-20 says: “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.” 

The overall theme today is teaching obedience to Christ’s commands. God’s Word defines obedience as actively hearing, trusting, and surrendering to God's will. By obeying the commands of Jesus, it reflects a believer’s trust and commitment to Him. In that, let us never forget the obedient life example that Jesus gave as we read in Philippians 2:8, “And being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross." 

It is the objective of a church planter, pastor, and Christian leader to teach obedience. In that, keeping the thought process that as we obey Christ’s commands, we are also witnessing how it transforms lives and generations! This is making disciples! When Jesus came to each disciple, He said to them, “Follow Me…” As we follow Him, then we intuitively desire to please and obey Him.

Let us do a quick recap of the 7 Basic Commands of Christ:

1. Repent & Believe (Mark 1:15) 

2. Baptize New Believers (Matthew 28:19)

3. Love Your Neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39) 

4. Partake in the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19-22)

5. Pray & Meditate on God’s Word (Matthew 6:9-13)

6. To Give (Luke 6:38)

7. Make Disciples (Matthew 28:19-20)

When I was training as a student at my Bible University, and the basic commands of Christ were taught, my heart was flooded with passion to simply ‘go’ and live out this for the rest of my life! As a young woman then and now a seasoned older lady today, the 7 Basic Commands of Christ are still pertinent for lives to be transformed for His Gory! As we teach this, we are delivering HOPE for all the World as we obey!

This has been Multiply. Please share this podcast with others today. Find us on vcpencouragement.org, Facebook, and on YouTube. Thank you and God Bless!

Obedience-based Discipleship

  

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

Once a person receives Christ as Lord and Savior, when a person has been born again and, by God’s grace, becomes a child of God, he or she has some questions: “What is next?  What is coming?  What is this new life in Christ going to be like? Sometimes new believers find very good answers to these questions.  Sometimes they do not.  

Do you remember asking questions like these? Many new Christians don’t ask God to answer their questions. They don’t even ask their Christian friends, “What is next for me now that I have met Christ?” They ask themselves these questions, and often the best answer they come up with is “I don’t know.”  The sad thing is that if new believers don’t find out what God wants their new life to be like, they will often go back to their old way of living. 

But the word of God has answers for the new believer’s questions. The next step for a new believer is to learn to obey Jesus’ commandments. 

Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Our Lord emphasizes this teaching a few verses later, saying, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them. Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” As a disciple maker, teach new believers to obey Jesus and experience the love of the Father. 

The new believer shows his love for Jesus by obeying his commandments. The act of obeying Jesus’ commands solidifies the love that new believers have for God.  When we intentionally obey Jesus, we experience the love, joy, and warmth of God’s presence. This is powerful and liberating. Experiencing the presence of God by obeying his commandments brings joy and peace. Obeying Jesus brings blessing to the obedient one and to his or her family and friends. 

But new believes do not know this. They need to be taught to obey all that Jesus commanded.  This was our Lord’s final instruction to his disciples. He told us to go to all nations and make disciples “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” We are to make disciples by teaching people to obey Jesus. This way of making disciples is called “obedience-based discipleship.”  Discipleship is not primarily about knowing new ideas or even about having spiritual experiences. Being a disciple of Jesus is first and foremost about obeying him. It is through that obedience that we honor God with our love, and we experience his presence in new and meaningful ways as he makes his home with us. 

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today? 

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #Obedience-basedDiscipleship

Spiritual Warfare and Church Planting

       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 greatest privileges of being a church planter is to be an ambassador of Christ. As the Lord’s ambassadors, we go to places where he is not known and proclaim the Good News. It is a beautiful thing to share the Good News. God saw us struggling in a broken world trying to save ourselves. He sent his Son Jesus to set up a new kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. Jesus defeated Satan by the power of his sinless life and his bodily resurrection.  This is the Good News we proclaim as ambassadors of Christ.

Even so, Satan, the defeated adversary of God, works to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10). He wants to prevent us from being reconciled with God. Each of us, when we began living in this world, was dead in our transgressions and sins. We followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among the disobedient at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith (Ephesians 2:1-8).

So, as church planters, saved by the grace of God through the work of Christ, we go to places where Christ is not known. We invite those who are dead in their trespasses and sins to be born again as children of God.

This, of course, is an act of spiritual warfare. Every time you proclaim Christ, every time you announce his love, every time you lift up the name of Jesus, you are resisting the Adversary. Every time you clearly and truthfully proclaim the word of God, you are advancing the Kingdom of God. Every time a lost person repents of their sin and puts their trust in Christ, the Kingdom of Christ advances against the Kingdom of our enemy.

And Satan is not happy when the Kingdom of God advances against him. He fights back like a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour. But we are not of those who fear and shrink back. As wise church planters, we put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10 – 18). To protect ourselves, we take up the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We mobilize God’s people to pray for us and for the people who will find abundant life in Christ through our message. And we go forward. The battle is not easy. Our foe fights us at every turn. But greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

So, dear church planter, put on the whole armor of God. Pray without ceasing. Mobilize intercessors. Love your neighbor as yourself. Share the Good News in the power of the Holy Spirit. Trust God to deliver whole families from the power of the enemy so that they too might have abundant life in Christ.

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?

 

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #SpiritualWarfare

Why Make Disciples

 

         This is Multiply, a podcast to encourage village church planters and leaders. I am Brad Snowden, and today I want to look at the question: Why make disciples?

Jesus commands us to make disciples in Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

This is important for followers of Jesus Christ to do what He asks of us. We have work to do in helping people to grow in knowledge of Him. Go and make disciples of all nations. In the Greek, nations are defined as tribes, nations, or people. This covers everyone. We disciple them to grow in understanding, and one of the first steps, according to Scripture, is to testify of what Christ has done in our lives, and that public testimony comes in the form of baptism. Baptism is such a powerful tool God can use in our lives to teach what it is to serve Christ and follow Him. This step also sets up the opportunity to encourage others to step out, and this is a simple first step of discipleship; baptism is one of the ordinances of the church. The other ordinance of the church is Holy Communion. This is again a great moment of teaching and growth within each of our lives.

The celebration of each step is so important, and that is why Jesus gave us a simple plan in helping lives to grow in understanding of who He is and what we all can do to follow Him more closely. Discipleship is teaching God’s word and how to apply it to everyday life. We have a great responsibility to teach every follower to observe, and again, in the Greek, one definition is to keep, to hold fast. We must hold tight to God’s word when challenges come, and this can be taught to new believers. There have been many challenges in my life, and if I were not discipled to hold tightly to God’s promises, I would not have grown through the storms. This time of growing in God’s word equips believers to be mobilized to make disciples. We are preparing others to go and continue the work God has. Discipling disciple makers is how we continue the cycle of God’s plan for every village and for every household and every family.  

We have a wonderful opportunity to mobilize many followers of Jesus to go and complete God’s plan for every heart, every household, and every village. This is why we need to disciple so that there is a gathering of disciples to grow together in Christ to change households and villages. This has been a word of encouragement for village church planters. Who will you share this with today?

Work in the Present Pray into the Future

 

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

Farmers and church planters have a lot in common. Both farmers and church planters work by faith. Neither one knows for sure that the work they are doing today will result in a harvest in the coming months. But both work hard today so that there might be a great harvest in the near future. Farmers till the ground day after day getting ready to plant the seed. They carefully plant the seed so that it has the best opportunity to grow and produce a crop. They cultivate the growing field to control weeds and when harvest comes they work diligently to gather all of the grain. 

In the same way, church planters work hard today in hopes of a great harvest in the coming months. Church planters prepare the ground by praying for persons of peace. Church planters carefully and wisely sow the good seed of the Gospel in such a way that it will bear fruit. When the Gospel seed is received, they cultivate the hearts of new believers, teaching them to obey Christ. They help their people kill the weeds of doubt and disobedience that try to choke the faith of the church members before it can bear fruit. 

Farmers dream of having great crops that produce plenty of food. They hope that everything will go well. They want the rains to come at the right time and in the right amounts. They want a big crop; they want to rejoice with their family when the crop comes in. 

Likewise, church planters dream of having healthy growing churches in which more and more people come to know Jesus and learn to live as his faithful followers. As we dream, we pray. We pray for the future harvest, humbly asking God to bless, provide, and protect the work. 

But some church planters spend so much time dreaming about the future and planning and praying for future blessing that they neglect the work that needs to be done today. And there are some church planters who are so busy with today’s work they forget to plan and pray for the work that needs to be done in a few weeks or a few months. We must balance these two tendencies, but how? 

How can new church planters find the right balance between working hard on what needs to be done today and planning and praying for the future? The Four Fields Model can help. Church planters who follow the Four Fields Model know exactly what needs to be done today. They can identify the field they are working in and do the work that field requires. Today. But at the same time, they can see the tasks that will need to be done for the next field. So, they can pray for God to work and move and bless them so that as effective church planters, they will be ready to do those tasks when the time comes. 

The Four Fields Model is our guide. It helps us focus our work today and plan and pray for the future. So, follow the Four Fields Model as you work and pray. It will lead you to a more fruitful church planting future.  

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today? 

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #FourFields Model

The Four Fields Model Your Guide

 

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

Have you ever asked a great musician, “How do you do that?”  If you have asked this question, you may have heard the musician respond with a question of his own. “How do I do what?’ Then you ask more clearly, “How do you know what notes to play, what rhythm to follow? How do you know how to make such beautiful music with that instrument? Some musicians will say, “I don’t know, I just watched others play and then I got an instrument, and I began to practice and now I just play the instrument.” 

Their way is a good one for people who are naturally gifted musicians, but it won’t work for most people. Most people will need to be taught in a rather systematic way if they are going to be good at playing a musical instrument. 

It’s the same with church planters. There are some great church planters who just started reaching out and gathering others for worship. They had watched pastors do their work, and they seemed to know what to do to start new churches without getting much instruction. But that kind of church planter is rare, and they generally don’t know how to teach others to plant churches. But just like most musicians need to be taught how to play an instrument, most church planters need instruction on how to plant a church. 

The Four Fields Model is the basic instruction ordinary Christians need in order to plant and multiply churches. It’s a great model because it is simple, easy to understand, and repeatable. All of us who want to plant churches would be strengthened if we consulted the Four Fields Model more often.  That is why it is printed on the back cover of new Village Church Planting student books every term. It’s meant to be consulted, and it’s meant to be shared with our disciples. 

The Four Fields Model answers the question. “How do I start?” You start with prayer for God to help you find persons of peace in a village where no church exists. You start by prayer walking. This means you walk around, with your eyes open and your mind alert, through a village that needs a church. You pray for persons of peace, people who are receptive, hospitable, and hungry to know God. 

The Four Fields Model tells you what you do when you find a person of peace: Help him trust Christ as his Savior. Teach him to invite family and friends to hear the Good News of Jesus. Help this group learn to obey all that Jesus commanded.  Finally, the Four Fields Model tells you to train leaders for your new church and release them to go to other villages, villages without churches, to start the cycle all over again by praying and looking for new persons of peace. 

So, the Four Fields Model is a practical guide.  But it is also a prayer guide. We must pray for the Holy Spirit to work in each of the four fields. We need God’s help to find persons of peace. We need his help to clearly and powerfully share the Good News. We need wisdom from on high to make disciples and start worshipping groups. And we certainly need God’s help to equip and release leaders to work in our new church and to plant churches in other villages. 

As you move forward with church planting, let the Four Fields Model guide you. You may not feel gifted, but God will help you as you trust him to apply the Four Fields Model with great love for lost people. 

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters, and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?” 

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters  #FourFieldsModel

The Three Circles God Intervenes (VCP 2)

 

Hello, my brother; hello, my sister, my name is Dean Davis, and this is a word of encouragement for village church planters.

How has it been going for you as you share the Three Circles Gospel presentation? I can imagine that as you share the three circles, you are finding that many people agree with you when you say that the world we live in is broken.  It saddens me to say that the brokenness of our world is more and more apparent every day. As I prepared this episode of the podcast, my country is going through some difficult and embarrassing political turmoil.  All of our country’s wealth and all of our country’s education could not deliver us from the deep divisions we are experiencing.  Yes, the world we live in is broken.  But as we look at the natural world, we understand at least in part that God is good. His goodness is on display throughout creation.

So the truth described in the first two circles is pretty obvious to everyone: the world is broken, but brokenness is not part of God’s original design for the world.  The truth described in the third circle is not so well understood, but of the three circles, it is the one that provides the most hope.

The third circle is all about Jesus, how he came into our world, how he led a life of love, how he allowed himself to be crucified as a sacrifice for our sins, and how he rose from the dead, victorious over sin, death, and brokenness. The third circle tells about God’s intervention.  It tells us about a redeemer who comes from outside our brokenness to bring healing and hope.  This story is so wonderful, Jesus himself called it Good News. But the third circle is the part of God’s story that is least understood by hurting people in the world.

As a village church planter, you may be asking yourself, “What can I do to help people understand the third circle so they can put their trust in Christ and be saved from the brokenness that is in the world?

Let me share with you what I find to be most helpful:

Pray.  Pray for yourself to tell the story well.  Pray for your listeners that God will reveal Himself to them as they hear the Good News.  Pray that others will not disturb you as you speak and not disturb them as they listen.  Pray that you will be filled with great love for the people you are speaking to. Trust God to fill you with His Holy Spirit.  Pray.

And relax.  You may be very anxious and concerned about saying everything perfectly.  Don’t be anxious. Relax and do your best. God is with you, and he is the one who is at work to help your listeners put their trust in him.

Know what you want to say, but don’t hurry.  Stay focused and tell the story of Jesus as you draw the third circle. Don’t get distracted; tell the story, proclaim the Good News. Then leave the results in God’s hands.  Some will repent and believe without delay.  Some will reject you and your message.  Some will want to know more.  Trust God. He is at work.  And remember, as you share the Good News, you are bringing glory to the One who came to save you. And that is always a good thing.  Don’t quit!

 

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

 E1-21

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters #ThreeCircles

How to find Persons of Peace

      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 exciting experiences a Christian worker can ever have is to

look for and find persons of peace. You know that a person of peace is a man or

a woman, prepared by God to respond to the gospel and to respond to gospel

messengers when they come with good news. You are familiar with persons of

peace described the Bible, the woman at the well Cornelius, Lydia, the

Philippian jailer and others. You know how God prepared these people to

respond to the Good News and connect gospel messengers with other people in

their towns and villages. Their example follows the pattern that Jesus taught

72 workers to follow. That pattern of ministry that Jesus prescribed is found in

Luke chapter 10:1-10. Praise the Lord, that pattern of ministry instituted by

our Savior is still effective today.

I remember when I was helping plant a church in Quito, Ecuador. I was

attending a prayer meeting when I received a call from a hospital chaplain. She

said “There is a man here who has just been diagnosed with cancer of the

bladder. He is very worried. Now he has to leave our hospital to go to another

hospital. Can you send someone from your church to talk with him right away?

Immediately, I went over to the hospital and visited with the man and his wife.

He was indeed worried. He knew about his diagnosis. I told him that it’s always

God‘s will to heal his children, either here in this world, or in the world of

come. I found out that he did not have any assurance that he was a child of

God. I invited him and his wife to pray to receive Christ and they did. Then I

prayed for his healing. His life was transformed, and soon he shared the Good

News with his family. The next time the doctors performed a test on him, they

found that his tumor was not malignant! My new friend was a person of peace.

He showed it by the way he responded when I offered to pray. He confirmed

that he was a person of peace by his hunger to know the things of God, and by

his willingness to share the good news with others.

We find persons of peace through prayer. I was called to go to the hospital

while I was attending a prayer meeting with other Church planters. We find

persons of peace by offering to pray for others. Their response to our offers of

prayer is often an indication of spiritual hunger. We find persons of peace by

sharing the gospel. Persons of peace have been prepared by God to be hungry

for the Good News; they show that hunger by their response.

Persons of peace tell family and friends the Good News that they have heard.

They introduce gospel messengers to people they are related to. They connect

the gospel messenger with friends, neighbors, and family members. Persons of

peace are an instrument God uses to spread the good news to many people. He

does that because he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should

come to repentance.

When we look for persons of peace, we are cooperating with God. When we

find persons of peace, we rejoice because we see and believe that the gospel

can spread rapidly!

What about you? Do you have a story in which you found a young person, a man

or a woman who was hungry to know God? Do you have a story about when you

met a person of peace and they responded readily to you, to your prayers, and

to your sharing of the Gospel? If so, keep looking and finding more persons of

peace. If not, ask God to lead you to persons he has prepared as persons of

peace. When they trust Christ, teach them to obey all that Jesus commanded.

Help them connect people in their network of relations to Jesus.

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

encouraging word with today?”

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #Find Persons of Peace

Evangelistic Gifts for Multiplication

 

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

Every Christian is commanded to make disciples; every Christian is commanded to preach the Gospel to others. But God in has grace has equipped some Christ-followers with an amazing ability to share the Good News and help people put their trust in Christ.  These are your brothers and sisters who have the gift of evangelism. They may or may not be called “Evangelist,” but they make sharing the message of salvation a top priority. Gifted evangelists take the Good News to people; they find persons of peace; they persuade others to trust Christ as Lord and Savior.

Like every other kind of gifted leader, evangelists need to be recognized and helped to minister as teammates with other gifted leaders such as apostles, prophets, pastors, and teachers. Sometimes it’s hard to coordinate the work of evangelists with the other work of the church. That’s because evangelists often want to go where the rest of the church is not ready to go. Evangelists are so burdened with the lost condition of people who have not heard or understood the Good News that, at times, they move out alone to witness for Christ.

This impulse to go and evangelize is praiseworthy, but it will bear much more fruit if it is coordinated with the work of pastors and teachers.

Pastors and teachers are often more sedentary than evangelists. Pastors want to protect and feed the sheep already in the flock and in the fold. Teachers want to instruct believers. By nature, they are not always ready to leave ninety-nine sheep in the fold to go out with an evangelist to rescue one lost sheep. But pastors and teachers need evangelists, and evangelists need pastors and teachers. Before evangelists go out to evangelize, they need to have a clear, workable plan to teach their converts to obey all that Jesus commanded, just as Matthew 28:20 says they should. Gifted pastors and gifted teachers should support evangelists in the instruction of new converts. Churches should plan for such instruction so that the good seed of the Gospel, sown by the evangelist, is not wasted when weeds grow up and try to choke out the faith of new believers.  Simply put, the gifted evangelist needs a plan for follow-up of new believers. It is not enough just to help them express faith in Christ; they must be discipled. Pastors and teachers will need to get outside their comfort zone to ensure that new believers who are not well connected to their congregations get the care and instruction they need.

In many parts of the world, people are ready and willing to pray to receive Christ, and they do so when invited. But for some reason, many who pray do not persist in faith after seeing a Christian film or after receiving an evangelist in their home. There are several reasons for this falling away. but church-based ministry, in which the work of evangelists is respected and well-coordinated with the work of gifted pastors and teachers will yield greater long-term fruit for God’s Kingdom.

So, if you’re are an evangelist, share this podcast episode with trusted pastors and teachers and talk it over with them. And if you have pastoral gifts or teaching gifts, get together with the evangelists in your church and tell them you appreciate them. Then make a plan to better coordinate your respective ministries to advance God’s kingdom. You will be glad you did!

 

I’m Dean Davis, asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?

 

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #Evangelist #FiveFoldMinistry

Pastoral Gifts for Multiplication

 Hello! This is Multiply, a podcast to encourage church planters, pastors and Christian leaders, and I am your host today, Daneille Snowden.

I will simply be referring to the passage in Ephesians 4:11-15 today, please follow along.

 “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[c] and teachers,[d] 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,[e] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,”

When we train our church planters, and furthermore leaders in our own churches, the gifts the Lord gave to the church are crucial to be part of our training.

In verse 14 of Ephesians 4 it spells out clearly why this is vital. It is so that we, I shall add, so that the church is not easily swayed to false doctrines. It says, “… not tossed…by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” 

As leaders, it is essential that we teach and train ones about the Gifts that are given from God to establish the church. I also heard it said, it is a gift to even pour out His Grace to the church and this world.  Read: v.12 “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up the body of Christ.” 

One of the gifts is the Gift of a Shepherd. This pastoral gift has the characteristics of being compassionate and caring, all by tending to the flock, which is the people God has called someone to. A pastor teaches, knowing as he does this also gives his church the nourishment needed for themselves and in turn will equip them to do God’s given purpose for their lives. A pastor is quite protective of his church. He is the one who watches out for their safety, especially when it is about spiritual matters. Pastors will simply love their people and want to be with them. He or she loves to engage in the lives of their church and show support through prayer, teaching, and even helping in different ways as needed. A pastor is there when his people are rejoicing and when they are in sorrow.  

I grew up in a pastor’s home, and then my husband and I pastored for over 27 years. I watched my father and mother lovingly care for the people in our church. I felt the warmth of God’s love pouring out of my parents to each and everyone. I learned how beautiful the family of God was through this example. I watched my parents cry with them, encourage them in God’s Word and then pray for them. My husband and I did the same, along with us bringing food and helping around their house, when needed. 

Shepherding is a 24-hour-a-day, 7 days a week commitment to those God has called ones to. It is also being aware of how the enemy is trying to steal one of their flock and in response to jump in to do all they can to stop him. Thank God for the gift of pastors, which comes from the heart of God Himself. May we be patient with ourselves and others if we have this gift, and know it is by His Holy Spirit that we can continue to love and serve the people God has given us.

This has been Multiply, please share this podcast with others. Find us at our website vcpencouragement.org, Facebook and YouTube as well as many podcast channels. 

Thank you and God bless!

Pray for Those You Empower

    Hello, this is Multiply a podcast to encourage Village Church Planters and leaders. I am Brad Snowden and today I would like to look at one aspect of the life of Jesus. The Lord had a distinct relationship with His disciples. He taught them, encouraged them, and empowered them to use what he had given them to fulfill the plans and purposes of the heavenly father. 

 The very fact of being a follower of Christ is humbling enough but then we hear a His prayer for us in John 17 it is even more humbling. Christ showed us a way that we should walk and his example not only for our own lives but also how we are to treat and respect, brothers, and sisters in Christ.

 In John 17 the very last moments of Christ’s life here on this earth we find his attitude full of prayer full of desire for our heavenly father to instill into us everything that he was. Jesus wanted for his twelve disciples and still wants for us today is to be empowered by His Holy Spirit-to be His witness. We are on this earth to encourage each other and pray for each other. We see over and over in John 17 Jesus praying for his disciples, knowing how they would be used for the kingdom of God after he was gone. He not only prayed for his disciples, but he prayed for those that would be affected by the good news in which they were going to preach and live out before them. Oh, if we could comprehend the power of praying for our disciples and the generations touched by those prayers. I wonder even in my own life, how many times I think of that generational impact. The disciples that the Lord has given me the privilege of helping, encouraging, and walking beside how many they would touch through the power of the Holy Spirit. Wow! When you think about it... generations, the older we get the more generations can be touched or at least that can be our prayer. Jesus prayed for his disciples. 

Oh, what a victory. His prayer was for all of us to be in one mind and one heart with Christ: One with our disciples as we share, encouraging + touching their lives and allowing God to shape them into being disciple-makers themselves and the multiplication goes on and on. It was Christ's heart in John 17 to pray for his disciples; what power comes in prayer, let us not shrink back from the privilege of praying for our disciples. Praying for one another praying that God would simply have his way. Even long after we are with Him and that example can continue to minister the good news of Jesus Christ. Oh, that we could have that heart, that we could be blessed in knowing that the Lord hears our prayers and our disciples are changed by them. What a blessing and what a privilege it is that Christ has given us this example in John 17 for fruitful ministry pouring into our disciples and it starts with prayer. 

This has been a word of encouragement for Village church planters. Lord bless you as you pray! for your disciples. Who will you share this with today?

Be Kind to Your Disciples

 

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

provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

When we take a moment to observe leaders, we often see two kinds: Those

who use others to advance their own career, power, and authority and those

who build others up as they work together to achieve goals. In the world we

expect to find leaders who take advantage of those they supervise. But it is

always disheartening when we find abusive leaders in the Church. Yet, we have

to admit, some Christian leaders use people to get ahead rather than serving

them and building them as they give supervision.

Jesus warned us about such leaders. One day when he saw his own disciples

fighting for power, “Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the

rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise

authority over them.  Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great

among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your

slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to

give his life as a ransom for many.”

What could be more clear? Jesus expects his disciples to lead others the way he

led them. Jesus was a great teacher; he spent a lot of time teaching his

disciples. Jesus was a great organizer. He organized his own ministry and that

of his followers. Jesus demonstrated spiritual power by healing the sick and

casting out demons. But all of this was done with kindness. You remember the

words of Jesus. He said to his disciples some of the kindest words ever spoken,

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you

rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in

heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden

is light.”

As disciple-makers, we call our disciples to live up to a high standard. We

expect them to repent of corrupt ways of living. We expect them to work hard

in their service to Christ and his Church. We expect them to forgive others

when they are offended. We expect our disciples to devote time to prayer,

fasting, and study of the word of God. We call our disciples to live up to a high

standard. But that does not mean that we should be harsh with them.

Jesus said, “I am gentle and humble in heart.” Jesus gives rest for the souls of

his disciples.

What about you? Do your disciples know you as a kind man or a harsh man; a

kind woman or a harsh woman? When you call on your disciples to work hard,

do you also make sure that they have time to rest and recover? When you

correct the behavior of your disciples, do you also remember to give words of

encouragement and hope? You can be kind and still be a strong leader. You

can be kind and still achieve great things. The Holy Spirit wants to help you.

So, my word of encouragement today is “Walk in the Spirit; express the fruit of

kindness. Don’t lord it over you disciples, rather, serve them in kindness. As

you do so, God will be glorified, your disciples will be strengthened, and

together you will achieve great things.

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

encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #Kindness

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

Demonstrate Ministry Skills for Your Disciples

 

Hello, this is Multiply, the podcast designed to encourage village church planters and leaders. I am Brad Snowden, and today we are going to explore John 13:12-17. In this scripture, Jesus has just finished washing the disciples' feet. This is not an easy task; it was typically assigned to a servant. 

I believe this was one of the key lessons Jesus wanted to impart to his disciples. Jesus understood that the most powerful lessons are often learned through observation. When those we are disciplining see our lives exemplifying what must be done, it becomes easier for them to learn. For instance, if I want to teach someone how to put a roof on a building, the student will learn much more effectively by watching me demonstrate the task. 

The same principle applies to gaining ministry skills in serving and other necessary tasks. We must practice these skills in front of our disciples. This not only instructs them on how to perform the tasks but also explains why we do them and highlights how effective that work can be. By being genuine examples, we also provide disciples the opportunity to reflect and ask questions, enabling them to learn even more for their own ministries. 

It is our responsibility to model Jesus' example for our disciples to foster both spiritual and functional growth in ministry. John 13:17 states that if you know these things, you are blessed, happy, and favored by God if you put them into practice and faithfully do them. If we demonstrate ministry skills before those we disciple, we will all be blessed by the Lord. This is a word of encouragement for village church planters. 

Who will you share this with today? Lord bless you!

More and More

 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 hardest challenges for church planters is to make the transition from evangelist to disciple maker. When we start new churches, our focus is on finding persons of peace, sharing the Good News and helping new believers get started in obedience to Christ.  These are the activities of fields 1 and 2 in the Four Fields Model. And the need to evangelize never ends.  The need to explain Good News of Jesus to new people is a constant need in any church.

But sometimes church planters get stuck in the role of evangelist and do not take on very well the role of disciple developer. Their churches grow in numbers, but after a while, as many people are leaving the church as enter the church.  Church planters must be both evangelists and disciple developers. We must preach the Good News and call people to repentance and faith in Christ. And we must also constantly be helping new believers go on to maturity in Christ.

But sometimes church member can get discouraged and resistant if we push them too hard toward a holy life.  So Paul’s example expressed in his words to the Thessalonians is a great pattern for us to follow.  He said in 1Thessalonians 4:1, “We instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.”  What a great combination of affirmation and challenge!  This is the sign of a good leader. Good leaders know how to strike the right balance between affirmation and challenge.  Paul affirmed the Thessalonians progress in pleasing God. Then he challenged them to please Him more and more.

He uses this pattern of affirmation and challenge again in verses 9 and 10: “Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.  And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more.” Affirmation and challenge.

Why this insistence on growing in a life that pleases God? Because Paul understood that his job as a church planter was not simply to bring people into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, but to help them become fully mature in Him.  He told the Colossians1:28, “[Christ] is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.”

My church planting friend, keep up the good work you have begun. Keep on evangelizing; keep on inviting men and women, boys and girls to follow Christ. And don’t forget to help them go on to maturity.  You are on a good path. Don’t quit!

This has been “Multiply.” And I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #GoOnToMaturity

Passing On Encouragement To Our Daughter Church Planters

 

Welcome to Multiply, a podcast to encourage church planters, pastors, and Christian leaders. I am your host today, Daneille Snowden.

In Luke 19:4-6 it says, “So he (Zacchaeus) ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.”

My church planters, the power of encouragement is surmounting! Surmounting means to prevail and overcome! When we encourage others, we place courage into others! I have been studying about Jesus passing by lately and noted here, as Jesus passes by Zacchaeus, we notice that just by speaking to this man and spending time with him; Jesus encouraged Zacchaeus to become even more for God than he ever had hoped or thought before. 

As we work hard in our work as church planters, we too need to be encouraged! God does this too, and one way is in the Body of Christ! We exhibit this to our disciples as well, and how rewarding it is when we walk into our new churches and see the power of encouragement among the entire new church! 

Through out our years of ministry, God would send humble servants our way and encourage us in the work we were doing. Many times, Brad and I would become a bit weary and quite bewildered; then a woman or a man of God would lift our hearts with the sweetest, yet most powerful words of encouragement to keep going, look up to Jesus, and so much more. 

Dear church planters, trainers, coordinators, pastors, and evangelists: May I encourage you as well? You are doing great! Move forward, as you are working towards God’s Will and work He has for you! 

And remember as Paul wrote in 

1 Timothy 4:10 “For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”

This has been Multiply, please share this podcast with others. Remember we have a website: www.vcpencouragement.org, we are also on Facebook and Youtube. God bless!

Prayer Walking For Daughter Church Planting

 

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

provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

As church planters, we are ambassadors for Christ. We help people be

reconciled to God. We share the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

We help people draw near to God by expressing repentance for their sins and

by trusting in the blood of Christ to cleanse them from all unrighteousness.

But with whom do we share this Good News? As village church planters, you go

to villages that do not have churches. Sometimes you find in that village a

friend from school or a person you buy from or sell to in the market.

Sometimes you meet a person you have gotten to know at a wedding or a

funeral. Sometimes you simply greet people and begin talking to them. Soon

your conversation turns to Jesus and his power to save and to heal.

There are many ways to get to know people in a village without a church. And

everyone you meet is connected to other people. Sometimes your friends and

acquaintances are not ready to respond to the Good News, but their friends

and family members are.

A good way to remember all the people you know in a new village is to create a

relationship map. A relationship map will also help you remember the people

who your friends are connected with. It shows people your friends have

connections with through family, school, and other community relationships.

Remembering people is important. When you remember people, you pray for

them. When you remember people, you make plans to see them. When you

remember people, you can invite them to cell groups, evangelistic meetings,

prayer groups and worship services. When you remember people, you can make

plans to share the Good News with them.

So what is a relationship map? It is a drawing made on paper. A relationship

map has a circle in the middle of the page with your name in the circle. Then

it has lines going out from your circle to other circles, each with the name of a

person you know who is far from God. Typically, it has your name in the

center, with 5 or 6 names of people who are far from God written and circled

around yours. Then outside those 5 or 6 circles are more lines going out to

people that are connected to your friends. In all, a relationship map may show

the names of 20 people or more.

So how do you use a relationship map? It’s simple. Make and use a relationship

map to pray for the people shown on the map. Except for you, the people

named are people who are far from God. Ask God to give you deeper

connections with each person on your map. Pray for opportunities to share a

Bible story, pray for them, or share your 15-second testimony. Then, by faith,

look for opportunities to get to know these people, to serve them, and to be a

blessing. Trust God to use you to help them know Christ and be born again.

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #RelationshipMap

Proverbs to Live By Part 2

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

provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

Recently, Brad, Daneille, and I produced a series of Multiply episodes on

marriage that resulted in many listeners giving us positive feedback. We love

to hear from you, so this was quite gratifying!

Proverbs 15:23 says,

A person finds joy in giving an apt reply —

  and how good is a timely word!

It seems the words we shared in the series on marriage were timely. So many

men and women associated with village churches struggle with their marriages.

Marriage is not easy. Anyone who says it is has either never been married or is

lying. But wisdom goes a long way toward making marriage easier and more

rewarding. The Book of Proverbs collected by King Solomon is designed to

transform simple people into wise people. So let me share some proverbs that,

when heeded, will produce wisdom for marriage.

A lying tongue hates those it hurts,

    and a flattering mouth works ruin. (Proverbs 26:28).

Truthfulness is the foundation of a sound marriage. If you want your marriage

to be strong and lasting, give up lying and speak the truth in love. So,

Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

(Proverbs 4:24).

When you speak with your husband or wife, reject gossip, deceit, and slander.

By doing so you will build trust and set yourselves up to make wise decisions

together.

Proverbs 5:2-4 says, "For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,

    and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end, she is bitter as gall,

    sharp as a double-edged sword."

Every man or woman who is tempted to commit adultery should take the long

view. In the short term, adultery can appear to be full of pleasure, but in the

end, it brings great suffering and heartache.

From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of

their hands brings them reward. (Proverbs 12:14).

Words that build people up, that is, the truth spoken in love, bring good to

those who speak them just as careful, diligent work brings a reward to the

workers. Healthy marriages are filled with both, edifying speech and

productive work.

Dear church planter, this is a very small sample of the proverbs that have

fruitful application to marriage. My brother, my sister, please strengthen you

church by strengthening the marriages of church members. Strengthen

marriages by infusing them with the wisdom of these and many other proverbs

from Solomon’s collection. By so doing, the simple will be transformed into

the wise.

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

encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #Proverbs #StrongMarriages

Coach with Confidence

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

For you as a church planter, how has the experience of planting a first generation church been different from the experience of helping others plant second-generation churches?  What has been your experience?

When a new church planter sets out to plant a first generation church, he or she begins with prayer. In my experience, much of my prayer life as a first–generation church planter revolved around the simple phrase, “Lord, help me.”  I would pray, “Lord, help me to find people receptive to the Good News. Lord, help me share the Gospel well.  Lord, help me be sensitive to the needs of the people I am talking to. Lord, help me to understand them and Lord, please help them to understand me.”

And the Lord did help me and the ones I was working with.  Men and women came to faith in Christ; we started a church. Then we began to work on the planting of second-generation churches.  This is a very different experience. Now our prayer life changes.  Our prayer becomes, “Lord help him or Lord help her. Lord help my second generation church planter.”  This is a huge change. It is a change that some first-generation church planters fail to make.  They may pray, “Lord help him.” But then they step in to carry out the ministry that the second–generation church planter should be doing.  Instead of equipping and releasing the second-generation church planter for ministry, some first-generation church planters step in and take on the responsibilities that should truly be carried out by their disciple.  Have you ever done this?  I know I have.  I would say to myself. “I will just help him a little more until in the future he can do this ministry without my help.” But I wasn’t really equipping the second-generation church planter.  I was doing his work for him.  This is no good.  If we do this, we fail to develop more workers for God’s harvest field.

As first-generation church planters, when we are tempted to do the work that is the responsibility of our second-generation church planting disciple, that should be a signal to us that we need to stop what we are doing and begin coaching.

Coaching is the ongoing process of asking open questions to help other people make wise decisions.

Coaches empower others by helping them set achievable goals. They ask, “What do you want to achieve this month in you church planting ministry? Coaches empower others by helping them see clearly the true situation where they are working.  Coaches ask “What is happening with the people you are serving?” Coaches use open questions to help other people identify a variety of options to achieve their goals.  They ask, “What are some steps you could take to move forward to reach your goal for this month?” Finally, coaches ask “What will you do?” When they hear what their disciple plans to do, good coaches hold him or her accountable to do what they said they would do.

So here is my word of encouragement for first generation church planters: You can coach with confidence. Don’t do for second-generation church planters they work they themselves should do. Use open questions to help your disciples make wise church planting plans. Then pray for them saying, “Lord help them to do what you have put in their hearts to do.”

This has been “Multiply.” And I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?

 

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #Coaching #ChurchMultiplication

Who Is The Holy Spirit?

 Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters. As church planters, we focus much of our time, energy, and prayers on practical tasks.  We make plans to prayer walk to find persons of peace. And then we do it. We think and pray about sharing the Gospel by telling Bible stories or sharing the three circles. And then we do it. We plan worship services. And then we do what we planned. Church planters are practical ministers of the Gospel. I find this delightful. The practicality of church planters is one reason I enjoy so much the time I spend with them, from the newest beginner to the most experienced elder.

 

But in all our practicality, there are times when we are called to be reflective, studious, and thoughtful.  There are times we need to think and speak with great clarity so that we can be sure that our practical work is built on the firm foundation of truth revealed in the Scriptures.

 

Of all the questions the Bible answers, perhaps the most important is, “Who is God?” The Bible reveals that there is only one God, eternally existent in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  So who is the Holy Spirit?  The Holy Spirit is God.  He is one of three persons of the godhead.  And the Holy Spirit is a person.  

 

When we understand these two truths about the Holy Spirit (that he is God and he is a person), we can relate to him well; we can allow him to do his gracious work in us without fear and with great assurance and faith.  The Holy Spirit is God.  This means that He is eternal.  When the world was created, the Holy Spirit was already there. Genesis 1:2 teaches us that the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters on the first day of creation. He is eternal.

 

And the Holy Spirit is God. This means that he is good and loving and kind. He, along with the Father and the Son share all the qualities attributed to Yahweh in the Old Testament. He is merciful and kind, abounding in steadfast love. He is righteous and holy. He is the Holy Spirit.  Because he is good, we must not be afraid of Him.  Because he is holy we must revere and respect him.

 

But in addition to knowing the attributes of the Holy Spirit, we must also remember who He is not. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force.  The Holy Spirit is not some supernatural power that we can manipulate with special knowledge. No! He is God at work in the world today to accomplish God’s plan of salvation and sanctification. And so, we do not try to manipulate the Holy Spirit; we submit to him, we cooperate with him. We join him in his work. We listen to him and we are led by him.  We allow him to grow in us the fruit that demonstrates his presence in our lives; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And as that fruit is growing, we allow the Holy Spirit to empower us as witnesses for Christ, testifying in word and deed of his power and desire to save sinners and transform evil-doers into workers of righteousness.

 

Do you know the Holy Spirit? He is God. He is a person. He is at work today.  So humble yourself before him. Honor him as God. As you allow the Holy Spirit to transform your heart and empower your obedience to Christ, you will be used powerfully for the salvation and sanctification of many.

 

This has been “Multiply.” And I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?

 

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #Holy Spirit