Following Jesus

Ten years ago, youth leaders talked about seeing entire schools transformed. Creative strategies were birthed to impact young people of all

ages. Concerts were arranged after school, flyers were handed out, and in some places youth leaders got the opportunity to speak at assemblies. All in the name of effective evangelism. Ten years later, many are doing the same thing. The question we need to ask is: why do we do what we’ve always done when we are searching for different results? Much effort and energy has been put into a lot of events and strategies that have borne little fruit. We are not seeing the results we have dreamed of and deep down we know we have just got busier doing tasks and leaving people underdeveloped. There must be a simpler and a better way to fulfil our calling.

Change is in the air. Many youth leaders are waking up to the fact that their job is to train young people to be able to lead their peers. There is a new awareness that young people have the potential to do much more than we have ever realized. Many are beginning to inspire their youth group to rise up and lead their friends into life. Stories of transformed lives are being circulated because Christian young people are getting into society again. There is a new generation emerging with a compassion for their friends, and a stirring for their schools. They believe that God can do all things and that transforming a life and a school is not difficult for Him. The majority of people today, unfortunately, are not well trained to make disciples. Many lead their friends to a salvation decision not knowing why or how to take it further. Many people come to Jesus and drift away a short time later due to a lack of community and understanding. This needs to change as we have been commissioned to bear fruit that will last. We need to re-learn why we do what we do and how to interpret this into a postmodern culture. This booklet has been developed to assist in the training of a new generation by detailing several stages of development necessary for making disciples. Our hope is to show that evangelism and disclipleship is the same intentional jouney towards life with Jesus.

Learn to love people like God loves them and see your friends transform.

introduction by mark dowds

6 12 18 24 30 38 44 50

tableofcontents

written and developed by mark dowds design and photography by freshresource (http://www.freshresource.com) copyright © 2001 fresh initiatives, inc. manufactured and distributed under license by freshresource Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

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stageone {tears}

Ask God to touch your eyes and heal your heart so that you will be moved with compassion and weep for those who are lost.

stagetwo {holy spirit}

Ask the Holy Spirit to come fill you and equip you with the gifts and tools you need to fulfill what God has asked.

stagethree {church}

Become part of a community that is making disciples and training leaders.

stagefour {dream}

Ask God to let you dream about what He wants to do through you.

stagefive {prayer}

Start a prayer group.

stagesix {friends}

Choose someone to spend your time with who does not know Jesus.

stageseven {invite}

Invite your friends to an Exploring Christianity course.

stageeight {challenge}

Discover what your friends believe and share your heart with them.

stagenine {disciple}

Encourage your friends to become part of a small group.

stageten {multiply}

Train your friends to multiply with you.

5 _contents

Tears are a sign of compassion. Weeping for your friends and your school is

a good indicator that you are ready to become an effective witness. Jesus was moved into action by compassion for those He saw around Him. He had eyes to see that the people around Him were lost and wandering like sheep without a shepherd. They needed a leader, a shepherd leader who cared about belonging and development. This touched more than Jesus’ intellect; it went to the depths of his heart and soul drawing out tears that would be heard in heaven.

{te

People long to be led by a leader who is humble and broken with the capacity to love. Your friends will be drawn by someone who desires to serve rather than to be served. This is Jesus style leadership that reflects the ability to draw out the best in others. It is a nature that prefers others needs before your own. We need God to touch our eyes so that we can see people differently than we do today. When Jesus touched the blind man’s eyes he asked him, “Do you see anything?”. The blind man looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” So Jesus touched his eyes a second time, his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. We need to ask Jesus for this second touch that will allow our eyes to fill with water out of compassion to see our friends discover the fullness of God and His love. This stage of the process is often hurdled by eagerness to see results. Many press on without having their hearts ploughed and cultivated by God. It is easy to let passion and impatience drive our actions, instead of compassion, which leads to being hard and angry with people. This often roots to our insecurity as people who want to be recognized. When God touches our eyes and heals our hearts we have a greater capacity to love others and express ourselves more honestly. We need to have the ability to accept God’s love before we can give it away, therefore, becoming a Christ-like leader necessitates patience to walk through the pain of this stage in development.

Anyone can lead without tears in their eyes but making a disciple requires engaging the emotions of the heart as well as the strategy of the mind.

stageone {tears}

As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it. Luke 19.41

stageone {tears}_ 6

7 _stageone {tears}

ars}

Ask God to touch your eyes and heal your heart so that you will be moved with compassion and weep for those who are lost. >Go to a high place (a hill, a rooftop) and look over your city. Wait on God, and ask Him to give you his eyes for your neighbors. Pray for those who are lost and unloved, the sheep without a shepherd. Ask God to raise up servant leaders to care for and lead these people. This stage will change you to be able to treat people more like God does. It will assist you to be able to see the potential in people and what they could become. A desire will grow to serve them to fulfil their calling as well as leading them to Jesus. Disciples are people on a process of development and life-change. You need to have personal experience of the development stages in order to compassionately lead your friends one step at a time. ( use this space to journal your thoughts ) 2 Kings 20.1-5, Psalm 6.6-10, Psalm 39.12,13, Psalm 56.8-13

practical {stageone}

stageone {tears}_ 8

9 _stageone {tears}

We have to know God. It is that simple and the rest is details. We have to know

what He has done for us, what He is like, and what life with Him can be like. There are thousands of people who have no idea about Jesus and need to be told about Him in a way that they can understand. We are a team in the U.K. dreaming of thousands of young people knowing, hearing, and believing God. For us, Fresh Start is the tool to arm this generation to break the darkness with the Word of Light. We ran the course on Saturday nights at our youth congregation so that everyone could take part in it and get a better understanding of the hope to which they have been called. It was a chance to hear, and be reminded of, the foundational truth on which our life is built. It is so easy to become complacent and satisfied with an inherited faith, or to become accustomed to the awesome miracle of Immanuel, God With Us. When we discover anew what it is that we’ve been given, then the passion to give it away emerges in a new and real way. We now have a whole load of workers who have caught a glimpse of the Kingdom again; the bright shining city they are a part of, that they have been born to build. There’s a whole lot of praying going on, more and more friends are being invited to cell meetings. The worship times are gathering more and more people who don’t know the words and don’t know what’s going on, but something inside of them wants a piece of the action. The knowledge that there is a safe, non-confrontational way of reaching friends and presenting the Gospel is inspiring and releasing. Prayer, praying, and learning how to pray as we pray becomes an exciting journey that makes sense, and it’s not as hard as it used to be, because we know why we’re doing it and what we’re doing it for. Jesus is the

answer, and the rest is details.

gettingpersonal

James Guard, Sub City One (England)

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11 _stageone {tears}

Jesus invested a few years with his disciples, training them how to live and

do all the things He was able to do. He took the time to play, to listen and to know who they were by becoming their friend. He strategically developed them with the ability to multiply themselves with people in the same way He had done with them. Jesus was an extraordinary leader with a simple but effective plan. When it was time for Jesus to go back to heaven, He commissioned His friends to engage the culture and make disciples of every people group by the power of the Holy Spirit. He asked them to wait on God until they were filled with the Holy Spirit, who would enable them to continue this work. Jesus relied upon the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and empower Him do what He was called to do, because he was completely human as well as being God. It is diificult for us to wrap our heads around the fact of Jesus humanity and realize that without the Holy Spirit, Jesus would not have been able to do what He did. The encouraging thing about this, however, is that we can do what Jesus did through the empowerment and guidance of the Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14.12).

{ho

If you want to live for Jesus and make disciples you will need more than your own knowledge and understanding. A bracelet with four letters will not be enough. You need to rely on the Holy Spirit to communicate with you and guide you in every unique situation. The Holy Spirit can show you how to approach someone and tell you what to do or say at the right time. You do not need to be an expert in ministry to experience this; you only need to be willing to learn and be used by God. If you read the stories of how Jesus ministered to people you will notice that it was different every time. This is because the Holy Spirit led Him to give every individual a personal and unique encounter with God that would lead them into a fuller experience of life. It is important to remember that God is relational as well as functional in his approach with people. I have seen many people come to Jesus through a supernatural encounter when God used someone else to reveal things only He could have known. This is similar to when Jesus talked with the woman at the well and told her everything about her life without actually knowing her. We should be careful not to discount these methods and occurrences but instead ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you to do similar things at the right time.

stagetwo {holy spirit}

God still works through people by the power of His Holy Spirit in ways beyond our understanding and natural capability to draw people to himself.

Wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Acts 1.4-5

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13 _stagetwo {holy spirit}

irit}

Ask the Holy Spirit to come fill you and equip you with the gifts and tools you need to fulfill what God has asked. Surrender to God completely and deal with any self-sufficiency, pride or sin that could hinder you from receiving more of the Holy Spirit in your life. Ask specifically for the gifts you desire most (1Corinthians 14.1) The gifts of the Holy Spirit are like God’s power tools. Read 1Corinthians 12.8-14 and list the tools you think will be most helpful for you to do the job of revealing God to your friends. The Bible tells us to eagerly desire spiritual gifts, therefore, it is vital to name, ask and persevere after the gifts we want. God can give all things to all people and does not dangle carrots in front of our noses. When God says it, he means it so do not be afraid to ask for more than one. (Luke 11. 1-13) >Spend time seeking God everyday asking Him for the spiritual gifts you desire most. ( use this space to journal your thoughts ) Acts 2, 10, 16.16-40, 19.1-7

practical {stagetwo}

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15 _stagetwo {holy spirit}

I was offended by the Christian representation at my school in 1997 and had

recently experienced God for myself, so I decided to do something. It was my last year, so I was urgent about it. My friend and I decided to get a room in our school to pray everyday for God to come and touch our friends, our teachers, and anything else that we could think of. We believed in what we asked for. Shortly into the term, we decided that prayer wasn’t enough, so we asked all our friends to come and discuss their views in what were the early stages of ‘Exploring Christianity.’ They all came, week after week, eager to tell their stories and give away their views. A few weeks into the course, we started asking our friends if they wanted to meet the Jesus we had talked about. So, dayby-day, we had lunchtime appointments with people to pray with them and ask God to meet whatever their need was. At first nothing happened, but then stuff started with people breaking down in tears. Some said when we prayed they felt ‘stoned.’ People began to hear about what was happening and came to watch. We were challenged to pray at six o’clock every morning and we did. Soon afterwards our friends gave their lives to Jesus, one at a time. Whether it was at the pub on a Friday night, or after school on a Tuesday, they committed to follow Him. By the end of the year our un-churched headmaster gave us the chance to take an assembly where the senior school met on a Thursday morning. We took five minutes each and then prayed at the end. During the assembly, two girls started screaming and crying. We asked for a response and invited people to ‘the room’ that lunchtime. When we got there, it was packed with about 40 people, eager to experience God. Two years on, we have all learned a lot. Some still passionately follow Jesus, while some others didn’t last too long. I recognize two keys to moves of God: one is believing in

what you regularly pray for, and the other is continuing natural community; not trying to shift people into church, but realizing that church can be most evident in our schools.

gettingpersonal

Keith Winter (Northern Ireland)

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17 _stagetwo {holy spirit}

Jesus had a strategy and ministered with a purpose. If you take the time to

look closely, you will see that this was not a new mission but one that had been unfolding from the beginning of time. Jesus came to remind everyone that God had not given up on creation but had a clear plan to populate it with people who would demonstrate his nature and creativity. When God created the world, He also created Adam and Eve in His own image. They reflected the nature of God and showed the earth what He was like. God had a plan to fill the whole earth with people who were like them, so he told them to “go forth and multiply”; to reproduce and have children, who would enjoy Him and walk with Him. Adam and Eve ignored God and gave into temptation, only to end up separated from living and walking with him every day. As a result, the reflection of their creator started to fade and life got progressively worse from that point on. The image of God was still evident in every person that was born but a natural tendency to ignore and disobey Him was passed on to every person and generation.

{ch

When Jesus came, He treated people differently than anyone else alive. He spoke words of hope and life, drawing out the depth of who people really were, and stirring up the image of God again. He was in constant contact with a few people he called His disciples teaching them about life and showing them the nature and mission of God. He invested three years of His life to transform the lives of these few men, and in doing so redeemed God’s plan for the earth. When the time was right, He commissioned them to go into all of creation and do what he had done with them, by pouring their lives into a few people who could make disciples. Jesus sent them to go out and multiply just like His Father had done with Adam and Eve, by reproducing themselves in other people. Jesus said,

stagethree {church}

I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it. Matthew 16.18

stagethree {church}_ 18

I’ve laid down a pattern for you, what I’ve done, you do. (John 13.15 - The Message).

Jesus has plans to change and develop every one of us to become more like Him. This is a process that cannot be accelerated and will last for the duration of our lives. It is a slow painful journey that leads to a life beyond our normal experience. We need to support one another through change and work together to fulfil the mission Jesus has given us. Acts 2.42 gives us a glimpse of how the early Christians met and supported one another to live for God and effect society. Church was designed to be a gathering of people organized to fulfill the great commandment as well as the great commission.

19 _stagethree {church}

rch} Making disciples means being dedicated to serve the same few people for a significant amount of time. After leading your friend to become a Christian, be prepared to serve them on their journey to become more like Jesus. Training people is most effective when working together with others who are doing the same thing. It is important to find a community of people who know how to love people and make disciples of those who are un-churched. This may not be easy to find, so take your time and be careful not to get sucked into a church that is not actively leading new people to Jesus.

You need good friends who can hold you accountable and pray for you when step into society to serve people, as well as an experienced leader who can mentor you and develop good support systems for new believers.

Become part of a community that is making disciples and training leaders. When Jesus spoke to his disciples and said “follow me and I will make you fishers of men”, they were not dangling hooks off the pier hoping to land a big one, they were standing together holding a net they knew how to use. These experienced fishermen who knew that working as a team was the only way to fill their nets and bring the fish home. Jesus designed the art of discipleship to be a community exercise this is why we need to find a few others who can share the responsibilty and build a home for your unchurched friends. >Ask God to lead you to someone else who shares the same desire so that you can work together towards leading and discipling your friends. ( use this space to journal your thoughts ) John 10.10, 2Corinthians 9.8, Colossians 2.8

{practical {stagethree}

stagethree {church}_ 20

21 _stagethree {church}

I was first challenged to start a prayer group in my school back in October 1999 by a guy named Mike Oshiro. He had a really challenging

message and it really spoke to my heart. I started asking myself why I wasn’t doing anything in my school. I was witnessing to my friends and trying to demonstrate my love for Christ by my actions, but I didn’t feel like I was truly acting on it. So I spoke with some of the people around me and they led me to Darian Kovacs. He provided me with the rough draft of the resource book that was in the works for starting a prayer group. It was so great to have something in my hands, and some sort of direction to start going in. I talked to some of the people in my school who I knew to be Christians and we started praying every morning, half an hour before school started. We were blessed in so many ways. A teacher at my school attends the same church as I do, so he was more than willing to offer his room to us, so that we could have somewhere to meet. My principal had been my basketball coach for the last four years, so we had a great relationship and he didn’t have any problem allowing us to meet. I had been praying for a group of my friends for awhile, and I wasn’t seeing any fruit. I started telling them about the group, and how we’re all going to do the ‘Exploring Christianity’ course. It is amazing to see God working in their lives. These are not the people that you would expect to be doing this and sharing these things. They are the ‘popular’ people who party every weekend. We are doing the first session in four days, and they are all getting excited. It makes me nervous, but knowing that the Holy Spirit will be leading brings much comfort. I feel as though I can just sit back and let the Lord work in me and give me the right words. I have confidence that He has already been, and will continue to work in their hearts as well as in my school. What we have seen so far is just the beginning. I encourage those who are getting started to just do it faithfully, and give God the glory.

There will be days when it might be only you and Him in those prayer meetings, but go anyways knowing that He hears your prayers.

gettingpersonal Liz Willock (British Columbia, Canada)

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For many years, I heard this verse preached in a way that encouraged me to hide from the world and become detached from reality, but this is

not the sort of holiness that Paul was intending when he wrote this part of the Bible. This verse has nothing to do with the sort of clothes we wear, the friends we have or the places we hang out. Paul wanted to teach us that our minds need to be continually renewed and reformatted by God’s words and thinking patterns to enable us to live as He intended. The best way to do this is by studying the bible, listening to God and meditating on the truth he speaks:

{dr stagefour {dream}

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12.2

stagefour {dream}_ 24

The pattern of this world says that only gifted leaders can lead but God says that He chooses the weak and the foolish. (1Corinthians 1.27-28) The pattern of this world says that it is not possible to do what you dream about but God says all things are possible through Him who gives you the strength. (Philippians 4.13) The pattern of this world says you have to know the right people but God says that if He is for you who can be against you? (Romans 8.31) The pattern of this world can help you feel defeated before you start but God says that you are a victor and more than a conqueror. (Romans 8.37)

The pattern of this world tries to dictate how many people you lead but God says that the least of you will become a thousand and the smallest a mighty nation. (Isaiah 60.22) The pattern of this world breeds fear and insecurity but God says that you have not been given a spirit of timidity but one of power, love and self-discipline. (2Timothy 1.7) Abraham and Joseph believed their dreams were from God and lived them out every day even when it was tough and didn’t make sense in the eyes of everyone else in society. They knew how to transcend the norms of their culture and believe in God’s mysterious ways.

25 _stagefour {dream}

am} A lot of people are afraid to dream in case their dreams are not from God. It is important, though, to realize that dreaming draws out the things that are already deep in your heart and that cultivating a fruitful imagination can help with the discovery of what God has called you to do. Dreaming allows God to lead your imagination so that you can be fulfilled in the knowledge of walking in the direction he has destined for you. When your imagination becomes fertile you will find that many beautiful plants and flowers grow showing the wonderful things that God will let you participate in. Like every fertile environment, weeds can grow as well as flowers. This does not mean that the dreams are from your own mind, it just means that you need to learn how to do some weeding. The common weeds sprout in the form of lust, greed and power. They try to choke the real beauty of what God is doing and distort the dream into being for your own personal gain. It is better to learn how to remove these ‘ego’ weeds than to stop dreaming and see the whole garden die. Ask God to lead you and cleanse your mind so that you can use this God given nature for his Kingdom.

Ask God to let you dream about what he wants to do through you. >Read the story of Joseph (Genesis 37-47) to see how God leads through dreams and circumstances and recognize that your situation today doesn’t necessarily reflect what God holds in the future for you. This will help you to see that it is God who is in control of your future and can help you to relax and wait on Him to reveal more when the time is right. You will begin to live differently when you view yourself differently and see yourself as a son/daughter of God who is heir to all the riches of heaven. You will begin to act and pray differently as

you will slowly become aware that you are seated at the right hand of Christ in the heavenly places. ( use this space to journal your thoughts ) Genesis 12 and 37, Galatians, Ephesians

practical {stagefour}

stagefour {dream}_ 26

27 _stagefour {dream}

It has been amazing to learn how God can use even little things to do big things. This year God has used my little things to do cool stuff, like

starting an underwater basket weaving club to meet, and create relationships with environmentalists at my school. I bake muffins for people when they come over, or enjoy their company through art projects.

God is a creative God, and He made us to be creative as well. Let us never constrain or repress the ways to reach people on our campus. We have the same God that created pomegranates. If He created a rotten-apple-looking fruit that holds these little sacks

of juice, our God can reach your whole campus through amazing ways by letting us reflect Jesus into people’s lives.

gettingpersonal

the ramblings of a student

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29 _stagefour {dream}

Prayer shows your dependence on God. The more you learn to rely on God,

the more you will pray and listen to what He says. Hopefully by now you are aware that God answers prayer. You have probably several stories where God obviously responded to your requests. Praying for your friends is no different. You need to learn how to pray for your friends when alone and in a group setting. Prayer is learned. Ask God to teach you how to pray, and then read Matthew 6.1-18. There are some clear guidelines to follow and patterns that can help you remain focused. Meditate on the words and journal the thoughts that come to your mind. This will help in the discovery of the clarity you need. Some of the main points to emphasize in these verses are:

{pr stagefive {prayer}

·Pray for the right reason rather than trying to impress people ·Use your normal language and say it as it is. God doesn’t need to be impressed ·Speak your mind. God loves to hear your thoughts and feelings expressed. It’s all part of your relationship with Him ·Believe that God has plans to change your life and the society you live in to become a clearer reflection of heaven on earth. ·Live a life of forgiveness and grace so that you can receive more from God. When you pray, you “stand in the gap” between your friend and God. It is a time to pray for their salvation and also for particular needs you know they have. You can ask God to show mercy to them and to forgive them. You can also pray that God will open the eyes of your friends who have been blinded by the enemy. If you recognize that your friend is held back by fear, pray that they would be delivered from fear and that the love of God would come in replacement. Take some time to read up on intercessory prayer. There is much to be discovered. There are many ways you can gather information for your prayer group. You can go to the principal and ask him/her for things you could pray for in the school. Ask them if you could pray for God to financially bless the school. Ask if there are any problems that you could pray about e.g. violence, stealing, vandalism, etc. Go back every so often and ask if they recognize the difference since you began to pray. Expect God to answer your prayers. Ask

God to show you the right way and timing for what to do and what to pray for.

Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. Matthew 7.7,8

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31 _stagefive {prayer}

yer} You can pray anywhere at anytime as God is not confined to any particular time or space. Some people meet at lunch time to pray together for their friends while others meet in the mornings or after work/school. Some meet in church buildings while others meet in coffee shops, restaurants, classroooms and each other’s homes. All it takes is someone who is in constant contact with the people who particicpate to organize the meeting time and place. It is a good idea to start praying for one another’s friends as well as your own so that you can begin to work as a team. Make a short list of the people you are jointly praying for and tape this into the inside of your bible or journal for reference when you pray.

Start a prayer group. >Find a few others who share the same desire to pray for their friends and organize a consistent time to pray together. Try to choose a time that is not anti-social yet accessible for everyone. Lunch times are not always the best as this is when you have the best opportunity to chat and socialize with other people in work or school. Be careful not to isolate yourselves or begin to hang out all the time together in public as this will be counter productive to being integrated into the normal life of work or school. Praying together publicly is not a good idea either. Jesus clearly told us to avoid this sort of thing but recommended that we go to a private or hidden place to talk with Him. Prayer is not a statement to those who do not know Jesus but rather an opportunity to talk with God. Prayer rallies in school and work will be counter-productive to making disciples who follow Jesus. ( use this space to journal your thoughts ) Galatians 6, Mark 11.24, Matthew 5.44, Matthew 6.5-15, 1Thessalonians 5.17, James 5.15

practical {stagefive} other resources: Intercessor: Rees Howells by Norman Grubb Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets stagefive {prayer}_ 32

33 _stagefive {prayer}

I had a desire to see my friends meet Jesus, but lacked genuine compassion. I began asking God to give me His heart for the school and soon I

not only had a desire to see my friends transformed but a deeper hunger for their salvation and freedom. My desire to see them saved has grown into a burning in my heart to see them not only come to know Jesus, but to be free to grow and go farther than I could ever imagine. I got a few friends together and we started to pray. We mainly prayed for our school and unsaved friends and teachers. Within days, God started opening doors. In my English class one day, my teacher handed the class over to me to answer questions about God. I was able to share so much and I wasn’t asked to stop until I was finished. With our friends, things began to change too, their openness and curiosity grew, and God seemed to give us a lot of favour. We have started a cell group for our friends who are interested in knowing who God is. Many of them have never been shown the unconditional love of God and have never seen the freedom that He brings. What is so great about seeing our friends meet God is that it is not about us preaching at them, or quoting the Bible all the time. It is about us being real with each other, seeking God and hungering after Him. My friends see something that they don’t have and they want it. Not just in the meetings, but day after day, no matter what comes our way, they see that we have a real peace. It’s amazing how faithful God has been and is to our prayers. We need to be more covered in prayer, more accountable to each other, less self-seeking and more God seeking.

Remember, no matter how bad it gets, God is in control and He always draws us back into His heart and His love for our friends.

gettingpersonal

Tobey MacKinnon (British Columbia, Canada)

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Jesus took the time to become friends with His disciples. Jesus grew up

in a small town and knew these men for quite a while before choosing them to become his disciples and investing His life with them. It was not a random act as many would suppose but was a well calculated action that was a result of intense prayer.

{fr

Jesus was also recognized to be a friend of sinners. He did not call Himself this but was given the label by those who watched the sort of people he associated Himself with. Many people will not understand your actions when you begin to befriend those who are unchurched and live the wild life. The greatest opposition you will receive will be from those who claim to be religious who will judge you and spread rumours about you. This is only to be expected because Jesus said that a servant is not above his master which means that we will encounter what He did in His day when we begin to follow Him. It is important to learn to ignore what these people think and say and press on into what God has for you. Don’t rise to their bait or schemes to trap you but rather learn to be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove. The greatest gift you can give to your friends is to not be ashamed to be seen with them, so learn to overcome the fear of what other people think about who you socialize with. Follow Jesus by going to the parties and places your friends go to and be normal as this is a sign of holiness. Be open and accountable with your prayer group and ask them to pray for you or go with you when you feel tempted to act inapropriately. Learn to stand up for what you believe when someone at a party questions why you are different or why you choose not to participate in something you know would dishonor God. Be honest about your feelings without making judgement on others as this will eventually gain you respect as a person who has a viable purpose and reason to life. When you reach out to your friends let them know where they stand with you. Be careful not to offer more than you can give. Many make the mistake of pledging an undying allegiance to one another from day one which does not always help things. It is better to grow together and learn to get to know one another first before promising a longer-term relationship. It is better to give more than you promise than to not give enough.

stagesix {friends}

Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15.13

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Choose someone to spend your time with who does not know Jesus. >Pray that God will direct your steps and lead you to the right person. >Pray for this friend every day. >Be in constant contact with this friend by phone, e-mail, letter, or face to face meetings. Do not enter this relationship presuming how things will turn out but simply have fun and spend time listening to this person. Learn to play and laugh a lot and let God do the rest. Avoid manipulating the conversation to talk about God but wait on your friend to ask questions about your faith and lifestyle. Your friend will see your life and recognize how God influences your decisions. Think of the story of Daniel and how his diet was a simple witness that following God leads to a healthier life. Your friend will make their own decision about Jesus as the relationship develops and they see that following Jesus leads to a fuller life. ( use this space to journal your thoughts ) Luke 9.28, Mark 14.32-34, John 17.6-19

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When I look back to my school days, I regret not making the choice to follow God and get involved with His plans. I am now 30 years old and

have been a youth leader, youth pastor, and many other titles that people call themselves out of insecurity. I have come to the place in my life where I realize that it doesn’t matter what you do in the church if you are not participating in the greatest commission ever given. Making disciples is the life-blood of the church. It is the deepest form of worship and obedience. Even everyone in Heaven parties when new people discover God and receive his forgiveness and grace. I want to keep them dancing up there by living like Jesus did. Living for the benefit of others and helping many to enjoy the life that is planned for them.

I was convicted to lead people through the Exploring Christianity course. I gathered about ten guys who were a similar age to myself. I went to a bartender I knew and a few of my party-centered friends. All of them said yes to the invitation to talk about Christianity in my living room on Tuesday nights. Some brought their beer and sipped along while reading the Bible and having Jesus pass their lips. It was life-giving and free. Everyone loved it. I was the only Christian at the beginning but there where a few of us at the end. Some committed their lives to God while others got more informed about the decisions they had to make. We journeyed together and met God. It did not always go like clockwork. It was often strange and hard. Every week, the discussion had a life of its own. I eventually got to realize that this was a good thing and that it was okay not to cover every point. I learned that it was more important to answer my friends’ questions and meet their needs than just completing a booklet. When discussion got unproductive or exclusive I reeled it into the main points again. The booklet was more of a tool than a structure. Look at your group like a garden. Learn to know what to tend to and when. Learn to leave things to grow and to prune things when they need pruning.

After all, God is a gardener - not a clockmaker.

gettingpersonal

Mark Dowds (British Columbia, Canada)

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Jesus didn’t just wait for things to happen. He was intentional with His

actions. He waited for the right time and then gave out an invitation to a few guys He knew. Using Jesus’s words, “I will make you fishers of men,” with your friends might raise a few eyebrows and you may gain the reputation of being a weirdo. Giving an invitation to a course, however, is different. One of the best things you can invite your unchurched friend to is an Exploring Christianity course (see freshresource.com). The benefit of a short, seven-week course is that it gives your friends an opportunity to be open about what they believe, which gives you the opportunity to be open about your faith. Because it is seven weeks long, you will get to know each other and begin to set the ground for a small group experience in the future.

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It is a good idea to plan a course with another Christian friend who will bring some people also. This makes a small group discussion more fun and also lets you know that you’re not alone. You can then serve one another in the process of leading your friends to Jesus. It is important to realize how much work it is to develop significant depth in a friendship. A deep relationship makes it easier to lead your friend into a growing relationship with Jesus which is why it is best to start with one or two friends before stretching yourself any further. Being and doing are not opposites, they work together. Some people say that if they just focus on being made holy and being decent to people, disciples will automatically spring up. This is far from the truth that Jesus taught. Jesus lived the life but He also called the disciples out. We need to imitate Jesus rather than live in someone else’s philosophy. Jesus eventually chose a dozen people, which is about the maximum anyone should take on in small group discipleship. Smaller numbers can produce better interaction and more opportunity for participation. Choose a few responsive people and ask God to lead you from there.

It is better to have a few well-discipled people than a multitude of people who are not formed properly.

Follow me and I will make you fishers of men... Matthew 1.17

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Invite your friends to an Exploring Christianity course. >Plan a room and a time that will suit to meet for one hour. >Partner with another friend if possible. >Invite your friends to come to the course for seven weeks. >Do not be shy about asking, as most friends will enjoy the opportunity. >Pray that God will move in an obvious way with your friends. Courses work best in most circumstances today. This is partly because those who are unchurched want to know who Jesus is before making a choice to follow Him. The course will also help everyone become closer friends because most talk more openly in this type of setting. Jesus will be with you when you step out in faith to ask your friends to participate in the course, so pray for the right time and act on your hunches. ( use this space to journal your thoughts ) John 4.1-26, John 3.1-21

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The course, which I led my friends in school through, was not brilliantly organized, or fantastically put together. Usually what we did was made up

on the spot, or decided in the class before it was due to start. Despite this, God used what we did in ways far beyond what we could ever have imagined. We simply met for about ten weeks with guys, most of who were completely unchurched, and who were all skeptics to say the least. We simply went through a discussion course, dealing with issues such as Jesus, church, and the meaning of life. The first weeks were tough. Gradually, however, things began to change, and we had opportunities to pray with nearly all the guys, many of who had dramatic encounters with God. After taking them away on a weekend, and praying lots, many made the decision to follow Jesus. While some of them today have given up, others have lasted the pace and are passionately following Jesus today. The effects of the course spread into the whole school and many people in other grades led similar courses. We even had an opportunity to take an assembly, where God moved very powerfully. We did learn some lessons. We learned not to be so focused on the point of conversion, but to trust that the Holy Spirit can bring people into relationship with God without us forcing the issue. Any opportunity to pray with the guys you should take, and talk about all the issues, but the choice is theirs. Remember that we are all on a spiritual journey, and our job is to help others move on in theirs. This is more than getting someone to pray the sinner’s prayer. Also, if people completely reject what you believe, don’t reject them. They are friends, not evangelistic projects.

I guess that if you commit yourself to do this, you are in for a lot of discouragements and disappointments, but ultimately they pale into insignificance when compared to the opportunity to introduce people to Jesus, and to see Him transform their lives.

gettingpersonal

Nick Mathison (Northern Ireland)

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A lot of people had a lot of ideas about who Jesus was when He walked the earth. Most did not recognize who He was. Only those who were given eyes

to see, like Peter and John the Baptist, were able to know who He really was. This is why Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do the crowds say I am?” He wanted to listen to their ideas and the rumours. But He also wanted them to know who He really was. It is difficult to ask the hard questions but it is these questions that help to get to know one another. After you have taken the time to listen to your friends’ ideas and beliefs do not be afraid to ask them why they believe what they believe. Ask with genuine concern and love. Don’t presume the answer but be willing to evaluate it. Listening to a person shows your respect for them.

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When someone comes off with a statement in the group that is ridiculous like, “I believe Jesus was an alien,” don’t shut them down; let the truth stand for itself. Ask them why they believe this. Let others share their philosophies and ideas and then share your beliefs. Be careful not to preach to the group. Be patient and let God do his work. Just be true to what you believe and allow your friends to ask you the hard questions too. If you don’t know the answer tell them you will find out for the next session. No one should expect you to know everything. During the duration of the seven weeks, ask if anyone would like to hang around afterwards for prayer. It may surprise you that some might want to. Put your hands on their shoulder and pray for them. Ask the Holy Spirit to come and show them that God is real and alive. Ask God to open their hearts to Him and ask God to bless them and speak to them. Take every opportunity to do this with your friends when they are open to it. By investing in each person individually you will deepen friendships and open channels for more honest conversation. Your friends will also realize that you are more interested in their development than the course you are leading. You will earn their respect through genuine concern and listening to who they are.

More opportunities will arise when there is no peer pressure outside of the group.

Who do you say I am? Luke 9.20

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Discover what your friends believe and share your heart with them. >Read the story of Thomas (John 20.24-29). Meditate on what it means to believe something that you have not seen. Think about how Jesus wants to meet your friends where they doubt Him, and pray that He would come to them quickly. This will help you to have much more spontaneous conversations with your friends on the issues they are interested in. Do not let the discussion go off track for too long within the group. Tell them you will answer some other off-track topics at another time

during the week.

( use this space to journal your thoughts ) 1Peter 3.15, Acts 17.16-34

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After e-mailing for three months with a guy who was challenging me to start a prayer group, a friend of mine and myself went out and prayed during

the lunch hour. We kept meeting every Thursday to pray for the school, each other, the teachers, the administration, and for those who were not yet Christian. It was awesome to walk into school each day knowing that the school was prayed for. It was cool to see a bunch of Christians coming together every Thursday from different churches to meet with one common purpose. The group is still going and now I am at university. Throughout the year it has really hit me about reaching out to the lost. We are praying for them, but what are we doing? We are praying for an awakening, but could we handle it? I love praying, but it seems that when it comes to making disciples, I’ve been quite lacking. I have done evangelism, but walking through all of Christianity with someone, walking through the swamp, valley and mountain with someone, I have yet to do. God is not looking for super-evangelists, tractgiving robots, or doctrinal geniuses. He’s looking for availability; willingness and humility to build relationships that are disciple-making. Jesus told us to, “Go and make disciples.” If we do this, we will reach our whole campus. When David went to Saul and said he wanted to fight Goliath, Saul gave David his armour that was seven sizes too big. It wasn’t going to work. He ended up using what he knew how to use: his slingshot. God has called me to disciple, to create a relationship with a few people. My desire is that the three people I am discipling will reach someone there was no way I could ever reach. With the unchurched at school it’s not a matter of looking at them as people to try to save and leave like many an evangelist. We need to treat them like people who God has created and loves, and who God wants to have a relationship with. Maybe He’ll use me to tell them about Jesus, to explore Christianity with them and to lead them into a small group. Go and make disciples, not out of duty, but out of love.

gettingpersonal Darian Kovacs (British Columbia, Canada)

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When you have reached the end of the seven weeks you may have one person, no one, or many that have become Christians. Continue to pray for them everyday so that they can continue in their development. Invite your friends to continue meeting together. The freshresource Experiencing Life course will help by taking things a little deeper. It follows a similar line to Exploring Christianity but focuses in on the person of Jesus.

{di

Keep a long-term focus on leading your friends into a small group so that you can lead them all the way. This sort of small group I mean is focused on the development of a person, not just a Bible study group. This small group needs to be outward focused so that you can do what you need to do. This small group is for prayer, the experience of Christian community and for strategizing together about how to reach the rest of your friends for Jesus. A good small group will help your friends to remain in the process of Christ-like development, were an unhealthy small group will breed dependency on the leader. You need to stay focused on seeing Jesus formed in your friends or you will get easily sidetracked into having a religious meeting. The freshresource Cell Leaders Manual will help you gain a wider understanding on how to lead this group effectively. If your friends are really open to God but have not yet made a decision to follow Him, invite them along to an event that would provoke more discussion and questions or introduce them to some other people who will take the process to another level. Work as a team within your church small group and dream of the day when each of your friends will lead their own groups and be training their friends to do the same. Some groups will form more quickly that others just like plants grow at different speeds in different seasons. You must learn to succeed and fail as a team instead of thinking that you are responsible for everyone’s development. The work of the Holy Spirit is to lead people into life-change, it is our resposibility to encourage people to continue in their walk.

Work together in evangelism and compensate for each other’s weaknesses.

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As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it. Luke 19.41

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Encourage your friends to become part of a discipleship small group. >Take time to consider what a disciple is like and list your five favourite characteristics of a disciple of Jesus. Continually encourage your friends to continue to participate in the small group so as not to lose momentum. It is more difficult to start all over again with someone than it is to take him or her to the next level. Even when your friends do not choose to follow Jesus encour-

age them to remain connected with you.

( use this space to journal your thoughts ) Acts 2.42-47, Acts 4.32-36, Acts 6.1-7, Acts 12.1-18

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I had just started my final year at school when I realized how little time was left with the friends I had made over the previous six years. I had

progressed in my understanding of God in the past year and I saw the need for helping my friends know the truth that is in Christ. A couple of my friends had started a course on Christianity for their friends at school (this was right at the start of freshresource, before it had its name, etc.) and I knew the option was open for me, although I didn’t really think it was for me. Within the first couple of months of the school year, God brought me into contact with a guy in the grade below me at school. His name was Phil Thompson and he was keen to do something more specific in school for our non-Christian mates. After some thought, we got together with Phil’s sister and a friend of hers and we organized the same course as my friends had been doing. Over the duration of about three months, we got friends to stay behind after school and discuss various aspects of what we believe about Christianity. They were free to ask whatever they wanted and they made a point to do so, which I really appreciated. Overall, the experience was a good one. I sometimes found it difficult to get my mates to come and I was fairly aware of what they thought of the whole thing. Nevertheless I realize, more than ever, that it was really worthwhile. The whole aspect of challenging the uncertainty of what I thought my friends would think, is something God is concerned with us doing. He wants us to battle any hindrances to doing His will by acting in faith against our fears. I want to encourage those of you who want to have a course for your friends but don’t feel you have the confidence or the certainty in God. It can be a very daunting task

which can develop your faith in God and aid you in overcoming the barriers the devil has placed before you to prevent you from doing what God wants you to do, and what you yourself want to do.

gettingpersonal Alan Bennett (Northern Ireland)

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It is difficult to know when Jesus’s disciples actually became Christians.

There are so many times when you can see that they still had not grasped who Jesus was or what He had come to do. Jesus, however, continued to lead them through life-change. It is important to know where your friends are on the scale, so that you can serve them more effectively.

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The purpose of the discipleship phase is to build in basic ingredients that will help your friends live for God and become more like Jesus. The discipleship phase will teach them all the basics of the faith as well as the skills on how to multiply and fulfill the mission of Christ. As a builder uses blue prints to follow when building, you need to know what you are attempting to make before you start. The clearer picture you have of what a disciple looks like, the better chance you have of making one. If you do not know what you are trying to make then you will miss vital ingredients. These ingredients are values to live by that reflect the life of Jesus. It is important that your church is supporting you with this or it will be too heavy for you to carry. You will need the support to lead your friends through healing processes, discipleship and leadership development. You should have a long-term goal of making a disciple who can reproduce and multiply. When you have led three people to Jesus, begin to explain to them how you intentionally led them. Show them how to do the same thing while walking with them. Get your three friends to pray for and invite a friend to the group. Work with them through the course again. Eventually, with much prayer, you will have a few more people in a small group who want to grow and multiply. Twelve people who can lead twelve who can lead twelve soon takes over your school or neighbourhood like a virus. It is hard work but not complicated work when you have the Holy Spirit leading you. It is as easy as reaching three friends, investing your life in them and training them well. Patience is a virtue during this process. If you rush things, you will ruin it so remember to treat the situation like a garden. Tend and water it by avoiding force feeding or trying to pull up the plant before it is ready to emerge. Resist the pressure of

the results of others but wait on God, be faithful and God will increase.

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Train your friends to multiply with you. >Take time to pray and ask God to begin to show you a strategy that is relevant to the people you are leading. Working alongside your friends will be important for them as they need to know you are still with them as they develop and step out. Live your life in a way for them to imitate allowing them see you grow each week.

You can only lead someone as far as you are willing to go.

( use this space to journal your thoughts ) Matthew 28.16-20, Mark 6.30-44, Mark 6.6-13

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Each section of this booklet has given you an opportunity to see into the lives of some people who have taken the plunge and started discussion groups about Christianity. The network of students and leaders that has evolved through freshresource is giving people an opportunity to share their experiences, good and bad, as they share their faith with their friends. As you start praying and bringing your faith into your schools, workplaces, and families, e-mail us and share your experiences. We are continually gathering and writing new materials that can serve people to lead and serve their friends. If you have any ideas or requests for resources that could serve your situation better please contact us and allow us to have the opportunity to serve you more. Jesus I ask you to come and inspire this person to believe what you are putting in their heart and mind. I ask you to connect them with other people who have similar dreams and desires to lead their friends into the Journey of life with Jesus. Come by your holy Spirit and impart a boldness and quiet courage into thier life that will give them the ability to say yes and follow you in everything that you ask of them. I ask you to reveal more of who you are and how to lead people effectively through the various seasons of life. I ask that you will bless them and give them ears to hear your words of encouragement every day of life. Amen. { www.freshresource.com }

gettingpersonal

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