Unchurched Friends - Interview #2

Age: 19 years old

Sex: Male

1. Have you ever gone to church before?  If so, where?
1. Answer: Yes, but i'm not sure where.
2. What was it like being a part of that church?
1. Answer: Interesting. A lot of friendliness.
3. Have you/or friends been involved in serving in ministries anywhere at/for church?  How much did that make a difference for you or your friend?
1. Answer: No, it doesn't really make a difference to him.
4. What do you believe churches do well at?
1. Answer: Preaching. They bring the good out of people's lifestyles. Make you feel welcomed and love like you are a really good person inside.
5. Why do you think people don't attend church regularly or why don't you?
1. Answer: He doesn't because it's too early, doesn't fit his schedule. Other people though, too early and depends on there beliefs.
6. What doesn't make sense to you about Christians?  Do you see a difference from people who have a relationship with God to ones who don't?
1. Answer: He says it actually makes perfect sense to him what Christians believe. Yes, very big difference. When they have a relationship with God, they are kind and friendly. Thinks everyone finds religion at some point and time.
7. What are your beliefs on church and God?
1. Answer: He thinks God is 100% real and watching and loving all of us. He put us on the earth for one good reason. If you've done something wrong, he forgives you.
8. If there was something you could change about church, what would it be?
1. Answer: He says what he has seen they are really good. Have more environments for all age groups.
9. How is your life going right now and do you think it could be better if you were a disciple of Christ?
1. Answer: For the past couple months dated someone and then after, decided he wanted to change. He loves his life right now. Not dating but feels God is saying I have someone special for you.
10. What do you think churches could do around the community that people would like?
1. Answer: Have parties such as movie parties. Put it somewhere neutral.

Response:

Surprised and Amazed!

            No way!  I can not believe the awesome interview I just had with this old friend.  This friend is someone who I knew growing up in school and we ended up working together for about a year at Jane's Market in Biglerville, PA.  I never knew anything about his relationships or "religious" views.  Something really cool he and I have in common are the same high schools, same job, same friends and same football team!  Yes he is an Eagles fan!  It was such a random yet great person to talk to.  He was/is always nice to me and takes the initiative to talk to people and make their day better.

              I am just so surprised and amazed by his answers and it means so much to me more than people would know.  I like how he has really seemed to grow since I last talked to him in just how he carries himself in his life.  He's gone through a lot in the relationship area but God has healed and worked with him on that!  God I believe is working in his life now more than he knows.  I didn't know what his religious beliefs really were until we had this interview.

                I am so happy to know and hear that this friend believes in God and that he can forgive us of all our sins.  I pray for him that what he went through in his past, he has asked God for guidance in that.  His answers were just very sweet and to the point.

                 Something now that i'm going to do to reconnect with him is get him to come to church, meet my wonderful boyfriend and friends.  I cannot wait to see how God is going to really bless him very soon and in a powerful way.  Thank you God for this wonderful interview tonight!

Class Response #8 - Cullen Allen (APC)

Wow!  What a way to run a ministry going after God!  Cullen Allen is a Pastor who oversees Kids, Youth, and Young Adult ministries as well as running MCM for Mission SOS at Allison Park Church, Pittsburgh, PA.

He has such a heart for living out what God has planned for him and the ministries he's in.  I love how the way they are teaching their students is by living out the book of Acts and in the way they teach personal discipline is by using the Matthew 18 principle.  I love that they call their prayer time Warfare Prayer.  It has such a ring to it!

I really feel that as he was talking to us, I was picturing/thinking how are ministry school is as well as others I've heard about.  Everything he said was just so good!  I love that in about every class period, every speaker has talked about the verse to "go out and make disciples..."  It is part of The Great Commission and we need to be getting others to follow Christ in our ministries.  His quote of reproducing a person, a student, a leader was such a refresher for me.  I feel that I haven't really thought that much of reproducing myself, teaching others how I've learned so that was such an eye opener for me!  Those points were the ones that stuck out to me the most!  Here are some other notes I took through the class...

- Their underlying philosophy or basis for their training is: Raising up spiritual warriors for the kingdom of God to teach them how to live out the book of Acts in signs, wonders, and miracles.

-  9 month training ministry school

            Training in life, spiritual, and academic skills

            Hands on ministry training, real life work

            Personal discipline

                        Timeliness and being on time: Prayer School (Warfare Prayer) 40 min.

                                    -using the Matthew 18 principle

- A recent success story: about students who had bad pasts and are not redeemed and in full time ministry. 

- There needs to be flexibility and necessary pieces in each one.

- Students come in from a church background or who have a past.  They define a win to the student that they cease on some of the self destructive habits they have in their life or maybe just need to pray out loud.  Maybe there’s looking internal, or speaking in front of others for the first time.  Understanding who they are in Christ.

- Creating students to be what God called them to be.

- Discipleship is important to him because it was important to Jesus.  “Go out and make disciples…”  It’s part of the Great Commission.  Reproducing a person, a student, a leader!

-     He needs help with the program.  He needs leaders that will invest back into the students.  Teachers, leaders, administrative, counseling, prayer leaders, disciplers. 

-          Discipleship is the hardest thing to do but totally worth it.  That is a difficult aspect as well as confrontation.

-          Follow through and discipline.

-How he balances family and ministry.  He constantly has to work at it.  Be engaged and updating your family, spending time with them.  Constant process of tweaking.  Continual and constantly working on it.

- He’s had high level of discipline and requirements.  You must always have consequences with the standards and discipline and requirements.  That’s what makes it effective.

- Maybe a great thing to do is to teach them the core values, core principles.  You make that commitment and covenant at the beginning, so keep it.

- How do you build your ministry team?  You build them from the school of people who stand out, who model what they are doing.

- Who are the heroes in your ministry?  People you look up to you in your ministry, church, family, friends.

            Force yourself to confront as soon as possible. Tone, approach, etc.  How can I please God in this moment?  How can I keep this person’s best interest at heart?  How can they benefit?

The only way you won’t mess up is if you don’t ry.  You are growing in it.  Leave earlier.  Go through a series of coaching questions.  Help them to overcome excuses change the behavior patterns.  Our requirements are only as good as consequences allowed them.

Class Response # 7 - Chuck Lenhart

Many are called or chosen but not everyone goes through with it.  We need to go with a sense of purpose.  Jeremiah 29:11.     FOCUS ON THE WORK AND RELATIONSHIP MORE SO OF THE LORD!

Strengthen your team up and focus on Christ.  He needs to be the center.  Don’t be focusing on the unsettling things.  Do the things you tell your team to do.  Don’t just be a leader but be a friend.  Pray as a team when you begin to move into something. – Gift of Discernment 1 Corinthians 12: Spiritual Gifts    Prayer NEEDS to be THE KEY element.  Acts 1:1 picking it up from the book of Luke – after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit through prayer, they became great by giving Holy Spirit instructions to the team.  Stepping out in faith.

Everyone may not always be on the same page or chapter but show them how to carry the vision you have.  You can say any amount of words; they might not get it but practice it.  Pray that when you share the vision that God would give them and you a revelation.  Think about the goals, and long term goals.  Rekindle and restire the passion and love for your ministry.  See it through God’s eyes and not by your own.  The JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH.

1.      The things I am doing, ask God to help us function in everything we do, that he wants us to do in his purpose.

a.       In Chuck talking about chosen, God really spoke that to me last year.

2.      Write down and speak the vision God puts on your heart. Habakkuk 2-3

a.       Read Corinthians

b.      2 Corinthians 3:4-6 – Not about our confidence but our confidence that comes from God.

I think it’s so great that he mentioned this because vision has been a huge word lately for me

We need to influence people through the Holy Spirit.  God is calling us in this generation to humble ourselves, giving God all the honor and glory.

3.      Understand and walk in faith

a.       God gives us the inspiration to be a blessing around people.  Pray God gives you another believer in Christ.  Through our faith, through our prayer, pray and ask God for what you want.

b.      Key in onto God’s economy, not the world’s economy

4.      As God is bringing you up (promoting) be a giver

a.       There is prospering in this.

b.      In our lives, when being faithful to God, there is this door of blessing that continues to provide for us.

c.       Ephesians 14?3-20? – Christ dwell in our hearts through faith.

d.      As we give and let God stretch our faith, he turns on the channel of blessing and pours out his abundance.

e.       Romans 15:3

                    

5.      John 14:16 ( don’t remember the topic )

6.      Go out in the power of the Holy Spirit

a.       Using our spiritual gifts

b.      Luke 4 – Satan and Christ

c.       God is filling us whenever we are in his word

7.      Be flexible and be willing to bend

a.       “blessed are those who…do this”

b.      Galatians 2:20

c.       What is your worldview? How do you define it? What all do you do?

8.      Be true to your call

a.       Do the things God calls you to do. Be who you are in God

b.      DEFINE YOUR CALLING!!!!

c.       Galatians 2:6-10

d.      Is a cultural or cross-cultural call

9.      Know the language in the call

10.  Build a team around you to serve Christ’s great commission/ vision he gave to you.

a.       Build people up around you…the true disciples are made into the kingdom

b.      Being connected and getting to know your team

c.       Bring the guidance

d.      Bring in the stewardship

e.       When scheduling, it isn’t just what’s easier.  Tune your ear into where God wants to go.

f.        Find their gifting, their character…become the empowered through the team.

g.       Don’t allow anyone or anything to get in your way in the way of the will of the Lord for your life.

h.       Be prepared to face rejection

                                                               i.      People you are trying to reach

                                                             ii.      People on your team – humbly serve God and believe he’s going to protect our hearts and it is because he died on the cross for us.

11.  3 Major Items his team functions under

a.       2 Corinthians 3:17 – Walk in the fields God planted us him

b.      John 4 – Samaritan   (Where God wants to plant you pray)

c.       Psalm 127:1 – Building God’s house in his way!!!!

12.  Knowing those among you

a.       A way to build/strengthen your team and not separating

Don’t let ministry be a complete competition.  Though there are different gifted people keep pride away.

Class Response #6 - Ack Ackerman (ACRM)

Ack Ackerman – Men’s Director at the Adams County Rescue Mission

He read a great scripture and also explained then about recycling.  Not only do we recycle what you normally think we would but disciplining men and women.

He got into a lot of things and got delivered from it all.  He was from the city, came here to Adam’s County and is attending The Intersection.  You can tell so much that he has such a heart for hearing the Holy Spirit.

1.      Why does he think discipleship is important?

a.       It is designing us and transforming us to be more like Christ!  We need to be more Christ minded. 

2.      What kind of help do you need in doing your work?

a.       He only really needs the Holy Spirit.

b.      In Christ you need to work on both the outside and INSIDE!!!

3.      How do you balance family and ministry?

a.       His family is his first ministry.  He puts his wife and his daughter above all else but after God.  His first ministry is them but after that it is different.

4.      Two things he has tried and never will again?

a.       Finances

b.      Better devotions – he said that we should all be accountable to do our daily devotions.  That is something he really believes in.

c.       Anyone who goes to “live” at the mission, work there in some way.  They don’t work outside of the place.  Some are homeless, poor, or you but yourself in a bad situation that got yourself there.

5.      How did you build your ministry team?

a.       He said that his was already set in place.  I can tell he loves working with the staff he does work with.  He believes that John 14:12 verse.  That is not only do we try to image Christ but have the faith and walk in that agape’ love that we are taught from the Bible.

He definitely loves working with people there as well as being with his family.

Class Response #5 - Mark Chester (4Square Gospel)

I was so excited to hear Mark speak today!  He is so, inspiring!

Mark Chester is the senior pastor at Gettysburg Foursquare and both our churches partnered together this past summer for our "Hope For The City" event.  It was fairly successful and thanks to he/and his church we were able to praise God for all he did there.  He's been there at the church for the past 5 years and is one of those pastors in our county trying to make a difference.  He has a wife and 2 sons.

He was talking to us saying that AG and Foursquare aren't to different.  We believe in much of the same things.  Him in discipleship, he says that it's like weight loss or self help.  He thinks that with our times discipleship needs to change and transform our lives more!  He quoted from Proverbs 21:31 where he mentioned that perfection is direction in our lives.

His discipleship philosophy is of a few things.  The first thing he said is that approach to discipleship is holistic vs. compartmentalized.  Wholistic or holistic is the perspective to look at.  In Mark 22:47 it says the whole "love the Lord your God...".  Our culture tends to be very messed up.  We also need to learn to point people toward answers to help them.  The next thing he said was theat method must be incarnational vs. transactional.  Departmentalized.  We need to want to birth people in and develop from God about this sin.  He said that some things that grow in us IS legalism, and that it especially happens in a program/church/ministries like ours.  He had started to say something about that the word we study, is the word we have prayed theolgians...but from sitting still in the presence of the living word..."  I love when people say it's not about just hearing the words but it's the action of the words.  His third point was results must be transformational vs. informational.  He mentioned one of my favorite verses which is Galatians 6:15 and mentioning about the new creation..That always makes me think of 2 Corinthians 5:17.  We need to not just attend a service but we need to learn to serve.

TAKE NOTES ALWAYS!!!
I pretty much already do that anyways.  I like how he said out about what we tithe is pretty much what we get or  why people are how they are.  He mentioned 2 Timothy 1:6-8 which says about believing in growth even when challenged.  That is what part of a discipleship program is!  Mark saying that, it made me think back into our amazing breakthrough prayer time that morning about running the race.  Though it gets hard at times, that is when the true strength comes in!  Matthew 25 "The Parable of the Talents" is part of what he talks from.  It was interesting to hear the Foursquare thought of the 80/20 principle like FV does.  There are many different talents and people.  Everyone has a place they can serve.  Some people 10, 5, of 1 talent.  Either way, I believe in what he said about the talent in us, is a gift from God so therefore use it to serve others!  I never heard it this way before until Mark said, "We should be discipling with people that double our investment."  I never heard anything spoken like that before.  He who has, even what he has, can and will be taken away."  That is that will happen if we don't use it in the correct way for God.

The core of discipleship he spoke about was a lot from LIFE Journal.  The website is great and I can't wait to look into that website and book a bit more.  Journaling is an excellent way to both record and process what God has spoken to us.  We need to use the SOAP application.  S, standing for Scripture, O, standing for Observation, A, which means Application, and P, which means Prayer.  I can't wait to also start looking at "The Divine Mentor".  He recommended that book to us to read.  People are the #1 goal of discipleship.  I've been thinking a lot more lately about expectations.  We need to learn to manage our expectations but sometimes things like expectations tend to lead to discouragement.  I personally love when someone goes up to Gerry and asks him how they can help on something.  He changes it around and asks no, what are they/we interested in helping out with.  That is one of the most interesting things I've heard from Gerry.  Interesting because I never really hear people talk like that.  Last but not least, he says, "forget being a disciple if you can't disciple yourself."  That is such a good word that many people don't want to really face but we all need to do that.  If we don't do well discipling ourselves, we can't disciple others.  That also means, if you aren't going to follow rules of your minsitry, you can't expect your team to.

My final words from a few hours of hearing Mark Chester, is that I love his heart for his church and his word in wanting to start an internship/discipleship program at his church.  He says that not the right person has come along yet, but you know, I can see in the future that his program is going to launch and it is going to be great.  It's going to be so great that our team and their team come and work together.  I can't wait to see how God blesses the group, church, and area even more.  It was such an encouragement that day!

Book Review #1 - The Complete Book of Discipleship

Wow!  Everything that I read in or heard about this book is just phenomenal!  Since reading this book, I’ve learned that discipleship is more than I ever thought in my life!  It’s crazy to think that discipleship is more than just defining the word disciple.  Being in a discipleship program, here at Freedom Valley, has been such a huge learning experience and a great way to be disciplined.  Area’s you never think you’ll have to face and such, it comes out when you are living a life for God constantly.  When following God, we think it will be the easiest thing in the world, but it’s not always that grand.  People get persecuted every day for the faith and that’s just crazy to me.  If we could change first ourselves, impact the people around us, then impact our world for the cause of Christ, that’s what I’ve learned about being a disciple.  We need to be working on ourselves from the inside out, following Jesus’ example.  On page 45 it gives this passage from Hebrews 12:1-3.  That is something where our GMC team needs to just go to God in, with arms wide open, holding nothing back, running the race to be disciples for God's kingdom!

In the Bible, we are told to be disciples and to go make disciples.  Another way to explain that is doing the Great Commission!  The first thing honestly, though most people may say this, but it’s true, the first thing to catch my attention was, “Christianity without disciple is always Christianity without Christ” (Hull 15).  God called us all to the Great Commission and to seek and save the lost.  We can believe in God and follow him for ourselves, but how does just that help the kingdom?  In my opinion after taking time in this book, I’ve learned that we need to be sent out, making other disciples, encouraging those around us to follow Christ.  Hull tells us in this book that there are three streams of thought in regarding discipleship.  Those three different streams are classic (one-on-one/bible study), spiritual formation (process of new believers taking on Christ attributes), and environmental discipleship (including community/congregation and how people get along).  I love that the book defines disciple, disciple-making, discipleship, spiritual formation.  In the discipleship-making process, I like how it breaks it down into deliverance, to development, and then deployment.  You know, that’s how I feel it is with missionaries.  They learn, pray, and ask.  The next thing they do is develop and then get sent off.  That is so fascinating to me.  We can be totally transformed when we allow God to work through us.  We just need to give him the time to be with us each day.  We need vision to inspire us, we need accountability in training, and we also need structure in order for us to empower us.  

Overall, I just love how broken down Bill Hull makes this book about discipleship.  I like that chapter 4 explains about imitating Christ.  That’s a principle that we should all be going after.  We should all be Disciples of Christ no matter what we do.  The origin as well as the development of discipleship is great to learn but that also didn’t interest me as much as the 4^th chapter of imitating Christ.  One of my favorite parts in the book is talking about the 6-fold definition of being conformed to Christ’s Image.  We need a transformed mind (believing what Jesus believed), character (live the way Jesus lived), relationship (love as Jesus loved), habits (train as Jesus trained), service (minister as Jesus ministered), and influence (the way Jesus led).  When talking about community, it’s always good to be disciple-making people.  It is also in that way, as well as our own personal time with God, we can be transformed spiritually.

Either way, throughout this book, I’ve learned that as we are learning to grow into mature followers of Christ personally, we also need to work on the outside in humbling ourselves and each other to empower those around us, be an accountability and vision.  We need to ask God to work on us first.  After that come your family friends, small groups, congregation, and eventually our world.  We need to pray and really think about pressing through to run the race and not quit until we are done.  It’s great to be able to read and learn what’s in these books.  I only pray that we become strong disciples of Christ and make disciples all over the world.  That is my vision after looking at this book.

-Unfortunately, I’ll be honest; I worked on the book as best as I could.  I probably read about 5-10%.  :(  My schedule and priority list prior to this week could have been better.  In the past few weeks though, with my schedule improving came, just a spiritual warfare or something.  I've felt like I couldn't get anything done or focus.  I feel it is under control now though. :)  I apologize; I did read some of the book but not too much.  I’ll do much better on the next one.

Class Response #4 - Adam Landers - YWAM

Here's what I've learned and typed as we heard from Andy.  He was such an inspiration, the way he talked about his ministry.  It was such a great learning experience for me.  My favorite part was the I+A=T.  It works so well with what I've been dealing with lately.

Matthew 16:24-25 – being a disciple of Christ.  Taking up the cross and following him.  Jesus says to deny OURSELVES and FOLLOW HIM!  He went around meeting God’s needs and following that call on his life and died for us on the cross.  If we have given our lives to Christ already, then it is not our life anymore.  It is God’s.  He’s our ultimate creator who made and loves us in his image.

He says we can look the “same” on the outside, but you also need to look at what’s going on in the inside.  We need to hear Christian principles but then take them into action.  Discipleship is not just about how it looks on the outside (Kings: crowing King David) but it’s about what is motivating our hearts.

Secondly, he started talking to us about the voice of God.  You can hear God in multiple ways.  It’s not just audibly.

3^rd part - I (information from the Bible) + A (Application) =T (truth/teaching/TRANSFORMATION)

Is there anyone that I have a broken relationship?  Is there a hindrance or fence?

When you hear the truth, apply it to your life!!!

4^th part is talking about being in a learned environment.  How is your training?  We need to find ways to be able to teach people in class but also through what goes on in your actual life.  It’s not all about the lectures but it is how you apply what you learn in the classroom.  You don’t want to just hear about the teaching part but the relational part.

The last part of their discipleship strategy is lots of structure, lots of love!!!  How much to you really work on that?  Do they have freedom, boundaries, etc?  People do need a high level of structure to their life to give opportunity to see the value in a disciplined life.  Some never learn to experience that.  He says the language of the Bible is the language of family.  This is how people should live.  It’s like having those spiritual roles.  If you don’t love them, how can you minister to them?  That is such a great quote from him.  This is really opening my eyes to more opportunity on my part and on the part of those around me.

Starting community to take initiative.  It needs to start with someone doing that, to make that sort of community grow. J

Question Time:

In this his first question was about a recent discipleship success story.  Went on a missions trip and one student, there was so much selfishness, he had to leave Thailand to go back to his church to figure out what was going on with the student.  The student had so much self pity, he had truth but wasn’t applying it to his life.  Jesus would give the law to the proud, but then when they get talked to directly then they didn’t want anything.  We need to be humbling ourselves more often.  We need to help those around us understand, it’s not about them but about taking up our cross for Jesus.

Well truth, is one size fits all.  The application of it, the input, can be the same but where do we walk it out.  Teaching as a team, Small groups make it really deep, 1-1 makes it really deep.  Taking time to work and have fun together at the same time, serving the Lord through serving each other.

How do you measure a win in your ministry?  It’s about their fruit.  The people that are graduated from the program, are they living out that discipleship process?  What are they doing with their lives?  He said that we can’t just reach out to one gender or generation…it needs to be bearing fruit to all others (2 Timothy 2:2).  I love how he says, though it can be hard, it to disciple them through the heart, not just the outside.

What kind of help do you need for the work you do?  Multiply yourself, your team.  Make disciples through what you have learned.

What are the 3 most difficult aspects of your ministry?  When well meaning Christians or the body of Christ say that you don’t have to take up your cross everyday.  The Christianity that is safe is not being a disciple.  It’s not about taking over the world, but it is giving up your life for the word of God, for the gospel.

How do you balance family and ministry?  Get your family involved in your ministry.  Ministry is a lifestyle, not a vocation.  Marry the right person, the one that works with your calling.  It really needs to line up.  One might be so on fire for the calling but the other may not feel the same way.  The life we live a blessing from God.  I think he’s doing a great job in the way he balances both.  It’s so cool when a whole family is in ministry together.

How did you build your ministry team?  What you do isn’t nearly as important in who you do it with.  You could be in so many different ministries and different people.  Who do you want on your team?  It’s about relationships.  You want to be with the people who will speak real truth, love, self-sacrificing.  It’s not about strengths of gifting, but it’s about relationship and character.