We recently completed a church camping trip, which means several of us lived in a community of fellowship for about four days. When it was time to eat, we all shared what we had. When it rained, those with the largest campers opened them up for the rest of us. A large canopy was set up at the end of our row for eating under, and the campfire ring was set up at the other end, where we gathered each night to sit around the fire.

The fellowship was excellent and it caused me to reflect on whether this could happen on a larger scale and why it doesn't. 

In Acts 2:42-47, we see a picture of the early church. Everything was new and exciting because of the resurrection of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Many were visiting Jerusalem from far away so they didn't have their own homes to go to or even their own food. But all the believers came together in one heart and one mind, sharing what they had so that no one had a need. They focused on the teaching of the apostles, on fellowship, on prayer and on eating together. Fellowship was vibrant among this early.

Contributing factors to this fellowship were their proximity to each other and the common bond they shared in Christ as members of his body. If they didn't have such a bond, they may not have seen the needs that were present as clearly as they did. If they weren't close to one another, they would not have known who needed what.

We replicated this, in part, on our camping trip because of our proximity to each other and because of the common bond we all shared in Christ. But how could we continue this on a regular, daily basis?

What if we gave serious thought to where we lived? What if we lived close(r) to other Christians, with the intention to build stronger bonds of fellowship?

What if we let the priorities of the Bible, learned through teaching, shape the way we view and treat others? How would our views of fellowship change if we took seriously Jesus' parable about the "good Samaritan"?

What if we focused on the common bond we have each other in Christ? What if you took time every week to invite others to a meal in your home? What if you gathered with others at a park regularly for a barbeque and social time?

How might your fellowship with others grow by thinking through these three things? What can you do this week to increase your fellowship with others?

Spiritual growth rarely happens by sitting passively and learning. Sermons, Bible classes, and spiritual books are great for learning, to grow spiritually, you must do something with the knowledge you gained. Resources are tools.
 
Spiritual growth also happens best in relationship with others. The sage in Proverbs says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another" (27:17). There is value in building common relationships that focus on growing spiritually together.

One of the best tools for such relational spiritual growth is Life Transformation Groups (LTG). LTGs were pioneered by Neil Cole, a church planter, who saw discipleship and spiritual growth flourish when he used them in his church plants. I have written about and discussed LTGs elsewhere on my blog. This is a PDF that describes LTGs and includes a set of accountability questions.

A Life Transformation Group is a simple group that facilitates spiritual growth among a few people at a time by focusing on a weekly meeting that emphasizes scripture, prayer, accountability, evangelism, and reproducibility.

LTGs begin with 2 or 3 people of the same gender. The same gender is important; it helps create the context for accountability to occur. The size of the group is important--too many and it becomes a different thing (more like a small group). The size of the group is also important because it keeps things reproducible, which I'll touch on later.

LTGs focus around scripture and accountability. The core activity of the group, during the week, is reading a large block of scripture. Neil Cole advocates reading around 30 chapters each week. I have had success using that number, but also with as little as around 15 chapters each week. The key is to pick a number that challenges the group. 

Accountability comes in during the group meeting when each member reports whether they finished the reading. If everyone did not finish, the whole group rereads the same block of scripture until everyone finishes in the same week. There is no pressure to finish; if someone doesn't, they just don't; the group proceeds with the idea that God has something else to teach them that week in the same scripture.

Despite the large volume of scripture that is read each week, the group meeting focuses more on a set of accountability questions that each member works through. Accountability is expressed through honest answers and encouragement to continue growing.  Any time left over can be given over to discussion about the Bible reading. Here are some examples of accountability questions.

A final component of LTGs is prayer. This includes prayer for each other, but also prayer for those who are not yet believers. By praying for non-believers, we keep them and their spiritual needs on our minds. The idea is that these folks can be invited to and integrated into the LTG. This is where reproducibility comes in.

When the group reaches four consistent members, it can reproduce by hiving off into two groups. Again, this keeps things small and focused on accountability and reproduction. Since the group consists of simply reading scripture, discussing accountability questions, and prayer, it is easily led by anyone. There are no classes to attend, no books to master, no training to undergo--just general Christian discipleship.

LTGs are simple tools that facilitate spiritual growth. Let me know if you have any questions. Otherwise, pray about one or two others that you can invite to form a LTG with you...and get started!

Many of you will have taken some time off this summer, either to go on a vacation or simply to take a break from your work or the pace of your daily lives. Vacations and breaks are good. They allow you to slow down, even to stop doing certain things, and take a break. You rest, you relax, and you recharge ahead of your re-entry to your usual life.

There are many physical benefits to resting. But what are some of the spiritual benefits to resting?

In the Bible, we see a variety of different ways that rest from work is commended. In Genesis, rest is built into the fabric of creation and the character and nature of God. He rested after the seventh day. Later, when the Ten Commandments were given, a day of rest, a "sabbath," was built in as a remembrance and offering to God. The Sabbath became a hallmark, distinguishing the observance of which distinguished the Jews from the nations around them.

In the Gospels, we see Jesus taking regular breaks, periods of rest where he went off by himself to quiet places to be alone and pray. For Jesus, this was a habit.

Later, Jesus taught about abiding in him (John 15:1-4). In this teaching, Jesus discusses the spiritual value of rest through the idea of remaining, or abiding, in him. We bear fruit, Jesus says, by remaining in him. The corollary is this: if we do not remain in him, we do not, and cannot, bear fruit.

What does rest do for us, then? Physically, it recharges us. Spiritually, it revitalizes us. Sometimes, in our rest, we need a time of pruning. Jesus says that this happens so we will become even more fruitful. 

What would a regular pattern of rest look like in your life? On an annual level, of course, are vacations and breaks from the usual course of life. But what about quarterly? Monthly? Weekly? Daily? How can you build in a time of resting in Jesus each day? How can you set aside time each week or each month to rest? How can you include your family or good friends in these rhythms?

Meditate on Jesus' teaching about remaining in him and discern how and where God is leading you to abide and rest more.

This is my contribution to the 2014 Summer Compadres' Blog Tour.

Many churches struggle with discipleship. Church leaders want church members to grow spiritually and be evangelistic, but the old model of providing classes or trainings gives people a lot of information without the knowledge of how to apply. The problem is one of learning and application. 

In Mike Breen's and 3DM's excellent book on building a discipling culture, they discuss how we learn. We learn through a triangular relationship of information, imitation, and innovation. This triangle is demonstrated in the mission of Jesus as seen in the Gospel of Matthew. First, Jesus provided information to his disciples. Second, he instructed them to imitate what they saw in and learned from him. Third, he set them loose to go on mission within a general framework that they could innovate within. 

In the beginning of the gospel (4:18-22), Jesus called his disciples. He invited them into a relationship with him by calling them to follow him. He challenged them with a mission: "I will make you fishers of men." The disciples accepted this invitation and challenge by following, and they showed evidence of growth by what they left behind (family and work).

To these followers (disciples), Jesus provided information. He taught, he proclaimed the kingdom, he healed, drove out demons, restored sight, cleansed lepers, and even raised the dead. The disciples learned from Jesus as they observed what he did and taught. 

Later, in the "limited commission" (Matthew 10), Jesus told his disciples to imitate him. He provided specific instructions about this imitation by limiting the commission (the disciples were to go only among the Israelites, though Jesus interacted with Samaritans and even Gentiles) and by instructing the disciples to do exactly what they had seen and heard in him: "proclaim [the kingdom], heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons" (10:7-8). The disciples were to come back and report what they had seen and done and learned.

Finally, he set them loose at the end of the gospel, after his resurrection, in the "great commission" (Matthew 28:16-20). Here, only a general framework was given but the mission was expanded to all. They were to teach all nations to obey everything Jesus taught. The disciples were free to innovate, based on information received and imitation done, as they took the mission and message to all nations.

The idea of information, imitation, and innovation, as seen in Jesus' example, gives us a reproducible model for discipleship in our own churches. By using simple, reproducible models like Life Transfomation Groups, Discovery Bible Studies, or even 3DM's huddles, we can inform disciples, encouraging them to imitate even ourselves as we imitate Jesus. Through learning and imitating, they will become empowered to innovate and take the mission of Jesus to others in new ways.