OnCampus Kingdom Training

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  Bible Study

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Living in the Kingdom [pic] Table of Contents

Introduction and
Overview….................................................................
..iii

Session One Biblical Overview of Kingdom of God…...................1

Session Two Manuscript Study Micah 4:1-5…..............................7

Session Three
Disciplemaking….......................................................12

Session Four Multiethnicity, Racial Reconciliation and Cross

Cultural
Mission…....................................................31

Session Five Manuscript Study on John
17…...............................43

Session Six The
Church…............................................................48

Session Seven Manuscript Study on Isaiah 65:17-25…..................51

Session Eight Pursuit of
Justice…...................................................57

Session Nine Vocational and Financial Stewardship…...............64

Session Ten Kingdom of God Revisited: Moving On….............70

Material prepared by the Northeast Ohio Team (mppapai@ameritech.net)
Introduction and Overview

Do you know what the most common teaching subject of the Lord Jesus
was? What most concerned Him in his instruction to the disciples? More
than love or grace or money or anything else? The answer is the kingdom of
God. What is the kingdom of God? There are many definitions, but perhaps
the most simple is God’s gracious reign among God’s people. It focuses on
the accomplished work of King Jesus, who inaugurated and sustains the
kingdom, leading its mysterious and inexorable growth. It is the concept
that ties the whole of the Bible together, for it is in its essence the
story of God-establishing at great cost this good kingdom of righteousness
and peace. All Christians are by virtue of their redemption citizens of the
kingdom of God. Like citizens of any country, there are ways of living in
that country that lead to the welfare of all. In this module, we examine
ways that we as members of God’s gracious kingdom are called to live, from
ones who embrace the King’s leadership, His zeal for reconciliation among
all things and people, His passion for justice, His present and coming
reign, and the needed response in our lives, our work, and our church. This module in many ways builds on the previous ones, though you do
not need to have done those to find this material useful. We begin with a
presentation of the kingdom, to get familiar with the concept and reality;
we then move to a manuscript study in Micah, to see what God’s description
of the kingdom is, from one of the many descriptions the Old Testament
offers us. This vision leads into a concern for the most basic kingdom concern
of Jesus-making disciples (Mt 28:19-20). Jesus invites, indeed commands,
us as disciples to be reconciled to one another (Jn 15:8-15; Eph 2); and
this is across all lines that would otherwise divide us: race, class,
gender, and so on. Jesus has established a new creation (2 Cor 5:17), a
new person (Eph 2:15), a new society (Gal 3:28; Eph 1). The call in our
American context to racial reconciliation is particularly important. We next look at John 17, the great high priestly prayer of Jesus, and
far and away the most extensive look into the very prayer life of our
Master the Bible gives us. We look to this chapter, given the night before
Jesus’ death, as a clarion call to community and mission. So the focus
here is the church and its life as the presence of Christ in the world. Following this is a turn toward the working out of the kingdom in
terms of justice. Isaiah 65 gives us a picture of that just kingdom, and
in the subsequent session you will be challenged to look hard at what
pursuing justice in a corrupt society like America might mean. We will
then consider how to move toward stewarding our vocation in a God-honoring
and people-empowering way, using the privilege of higher education for His
glorious service. Finally, we wrap up with a recapitulation of kingdom themes, and the
call to give oneself unreservedly to that King and His marvelous kingdom.
We hope and pray that you will meet King Jesus and respond with abandon to
His rich instruction.

Session Objectives:

1. To give students an introduction to the concept of the Kingdom of
God. 2. To establish hopes and goals for each student with respect to the
Kingdom of God and this module

Possible Approaches:

This will be in lecture format, with some interaction. Start with an
exposition of Gen. 1 and 2 to establish the foundation of how God intended
things to be, then explain that the concept of the Kingdom of God is a
thread throughout the whole Bible, and we will spend the next ten weeks
looking at that thread and how it relates to us.

Text

Genesis 1 and 2

Activities:

Lecture, and possibly some small group prayer/worship time.

Alternative Resources:

Much of this material is adapted from teachings by Professor Terry
McGonogal of Asuza Pacific University from the Pilgrimage for
Reconciliation. We hope there will be audio and/or video available for
this teaching soon, as well as written materials. Contact Mindy Jenkins at
mindyivcf@juno.com for more info. Genesis 1-2 (NIV)
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth
was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the
Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be
light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he
separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and
the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was
morning-the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the
waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the expanse and
separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was
so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was
morning-the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be
gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God
called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And
God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the land produce
vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with
seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land
produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees
bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it
was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning-the third day. 14
And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate
the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and
days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give
light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights-the
greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night.
He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give
light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate
light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was
evening, and there was morning-the fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the
water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across
the expanse of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea
and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to
their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that
it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in
number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the
earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning-the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their
kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals,
each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals
according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all
the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God
saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in
our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of
the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures
that move along the ground.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number;
fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds
of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the
whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be
yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of
the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-everything that has
the breath of life in it-I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was
evening, and there was morning-the sixth day. 2:1 Thus the heavens and the
earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had
finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from
all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because
on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. 4 This is
the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the
LORD God made the earth and the heavens-5 and no shrub of the field had yet
appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the
LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the
ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface
of the ground-7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living
being. 8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and
there he put the man he had formed. 9 And the LORD God made all kinds of
trees grow out of the ground-trees that were pleasing to the eye and good
for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river watering the garden flowed from
Eden; from there it was separated into four head-waters. 11 The name of the
first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havi-lah, where
there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx
are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds
through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the
Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the
Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden
to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You
are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will
surely die.” 18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.
I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19 Now the LORD God had formed out
of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He
brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the
man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave
names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the
field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused
the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one
of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God
made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her
to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”
24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to
his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25 The man and his wife were both
naked, and they felt no shame.

Lecture Notes

These notes can be expanded and adapted to introduce the concept of the
Kingdom of God and introduce the next nine sessions.

I. What is the Kingdom of God?

II. The way things were meant to be-Genesis 1 and 2

A. Read Genesis 1 and 2 aloud. Have students close their eyes and imagine the Creation as it is being read. B. Ask students to give words to describe the Creation. Write responses on chalk/white board. C. Before the Fall, God looked at all He had created and said it was “very good”. This phrase in Hebrew is “tov me’od”-it means an everflowing, unceasing goodness and order. This is the world as God meant it to be. This is what the Kingdom of God looks like. 1) Everything in the creation narrative is in relation to something else-isolation is the only thing mentioned that is not good. 2) Balance is a very important concept in this narrative. We can only understand ourselves in relationship to the creation, each other and God. 3) The God of Creation is the God of relationships and shalom. D. The result of the Fall was broken relationships. 1) .between man and woman (3:6-7, 16) 2) .between Humanity and God (3:8013, 21-23) 3) .between Humanity and animals (3:14-15) 4) .between Humanity and physical creation (3:17-20) E. Violation of God’s created order results in destroyed relationships, death, and the absence of God’s shalom in ALL of creation.

III. Where are we now and where are we going? -an overview of Living in the

Kingdom
A. Since the Fall, God has invited and empowered His people to bring the world back to the state of everflowing, unceasing goodness that existed in the beginning-although we have not always accepted the invitation or the power
1) Through the Law God provided:
a) A system by which people could re-connect with God
b) A social system which, if enforced, would mean no one would have too much or too little
c) A way for His chosen people to be a witness to the nations around them to God’s uniqueness, goodness and mercy
2) When His chosen people violated this Law He sent prophets to warn them, and when that didn’t work used the surrounding nations to discipline them.
3) At the right time God sent His Son to be an example of righteous living and to die for our sin so that we would no longer be separated from fellowship with God.
4) God sent us His Spirit which gives us the power to proclaim the reign of God and establish his shalom on this earth.
5) There have been times throughout the history of the church where Christians have taken up the charge to bring justice, peace and reconciliation to our broken world. But we still need to be challenged to consider how we can work to reveal the Kingdom of God to those around us.
B. Throughout the Bible we can see descriptions of the world God promises, when all things have been brought back under His reign. We will be looking at several of these descriptions in the next nine weeks, and examining how they apply to our situations today.

Application

Questions for reflection
1. How has your understanding of the Kingdom of God changed in light of

this material?

2. How does your life-your choices, your values, your commitments, your

plans, your actions-testify to and express the Kingdom of God? Where do they express the kingdom of the world?

3. What do you hope to grow in through these next sessions? What are your

goals that you could share with others to pray for with you?

4. How could your life even this week point to the King and His Kingdom?

What change is the Holy Spirit calling you to?

Spend some time in prayer and worship over these realities. Pray that your
heart would be open to the teaching about the Kingdom, and that you would
even now commit yourself to obeying what the Holy Spirit says to you.

Session Objectives:

1. To understand the character and substance of God’s Kingdom 2. To be motivated to know God’s ways and walk in them- pursuing the Kingdom of God in its fullness

Possible Approaches:

This session will be a bible study. A suggestion is to have the group
go outdoors and find a nearby hill or to gather some pictures showing
mountaintops. Ask what mountains symbolize and what they could reveal to be
true about God.

Text:

Micah 4:1-5

Activities:

An assignment for individuals in the group is to reflect on and
evaluate how an upcoming experience of corporate Christian worship and/or
fellowship is reflective of God and the character of His kingdom as
described in Micah 4:1-5. What is present and what is lacking? (This could
be a meeting within the chapter or worship at your local church) As suggested above, take the group outside to a nearby hill and ask
them what hills or mountains connote? You could also use some pictures
from a book, slides, or photographs. The passage starts with a description
of the “mountain of the Lord’s temple” so the idea is to get the group
thinking and feeling what this might be and its significance to
understanding God and His Kingdom.

Alternative Resources

Note: the next session calls for reading an article you will want to
assign today.
Summary and connection to next sessions: [note to staff: While you may or
may not refer back to this passage in the following sessions, I’ve included
this ‘summary and connection’ with each manuscript study session as a way
of helping you and the students make the transition from this passage to
the following sessions. It is important that they see the thread of the
Kingdom throughout Scripture, and see how that relates to the more
practical topics that will be discussed.] In this passage Micah describes “the mountain of the Lord’s temple”
as a place where many nations will come to learn the ways of the Lord so
that they may walk in his paths. This is a picture of the Kingdom of God.
From this passage we see that the purpose of coming to the mountain of the
Lord isn’t just to “get in”, but it is to learn how to walk in the ways of
the Lord. In our next session (Session 3) we will talk about making
disciples-not just saving souls, but inviting people into the Kingdom to
learn how to walk in His paths. We see also from this passage that God’s Kingdom is one in which
people of all ethnicities and nationalities will come together to worship
Him. In Session 4, we will look throughout the Bible to see that racial
reconciliation and multi-ethnicity are not tangential to the gospel, but
central to it.
Questions/Notes on Micah 4:1-5

Background

Micah prophesied in the eighth century B.C. He was a contemporary of
Amos, Hosea, and Isaiah. Micah was from Moresheth, a Judean town about 25
miles southwest of Jerusalem near the Philistine city of Gath. Micah
prophesied about the Assyrian destruction of the northern kingdom (Israel)
and the later defeat of the southern Kingdom (Judah) by the Babylonians. He
prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Micah also wrote about the Messiah’s birthplace, lineage, and reign. The
book of Micah is written in poetic form, not prose. It is filled with
powerful images and word pictures. To know the truth of its contents, it is
necessary to employ both our intellect and our emotions. Although Micah lived in rural surroundings he was very familiar with
the corruptions of city life in Israel and Judah. He noted how wealthy
landowners took advantage of the poor. He condemned the corruption of
religious leaders and the gross injustice of those dedicated to upholding
the law. “The fact that all this was carried on in an atmosphere of false
religiosity proved to Micah to be the crowning insult.” (New Bible
Dictionary under the topic of Micah) Due to the extent of idolatry under the pagan Canaanite religions and
the corresponding social corruption of society, Micah saw God’s judgment
and destruction of Judah as inescapable. The way would be prepared for God
to ultimately save His people through the Messiah, God’s ruler who would
establish and reign over God’s kingdom. For a more thorough look into the Book of Micah look in the New Bible
Dictionary or any reputable commentary.

The Text

Have someone (or yourself) read the text out loud. Have participants take one of the word pictures contained in the
passage and draw a picture to express its meaning. Examples could be: 1. The establishment and exaltation of the mountain of the LORD’s temple over the other mountains with people streaming and many nations gathering with the law going forward to teach and guide them. (verses one and two) 2. The Lord judging between the peoples and settling disputes with the result being the transformation of weapons of warfare into resources of agricultural blessing and provision. (verse three) 3. Under God’s kingdom, each individual having the ability and the capacity to reap the fruit of their labor without fear of war or oppression because of the edict and authoritative power of the King. (verse four) Micah 4:1-5 (NIV)

1 In the last days

the mountain of the LORD’S temple will be established as chief among the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.
2 Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
4 Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken.
5 All the nations may walk in the name of their gods;
we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever. Have some separate newsprint and paint or markers/colored pencils handy.
You could either assign individuals to do one so that all the word pictures
in the passage are represented or let them chose their own. It might be
helpful to point these out to them in case they are not seeing them.
Perhaps there is another that they see as well that’s not represented here.
If time permits hang these up as a collage before reading and discussing
the passage. (If you decide to go outside, this could be difficult!) You can go through the passage by means of communal discovery and/or use
some of the following questions:

1. What might the last days be referring to in the opening line? When will
this take place?

2. What and where is the mountain of the Lord’s temple and what’s the
significance of it being raised up over all other mountains and hills?
(Have someone look up the symbolic use of mountains in Scripture in the New
Bible Dictionary.particularly the last three paragraphs)

3. Who, how, and for what purpose are people coming to this mountain of the
LORD (representative of God’s kingdom)?

. Many nations . People streaming . The need and desire to have the LORD, the God of Jacob, teach and instruct them in His ways that they might walk in his paths.

4. Who are the many nations represented on your campus (international
students but also people following other gods.both religious and cultural,
i.e. sex, comfort, self) and is God’s presence within your fellowship
drawing them? Why or why not?

5. Have you had the experience of worshipping with people of varying
nations, race, or ethnic backgrounds? Describe the experience and what
did/does that convey to you about God and His Kingdom?

6. What is Zion and the law that is coming from there? What role does Zion
have in gathering the nations to God?

7. Where do the Scriptures play into your life individually and as a means
of witness within your fellowship?

8. In what ways in verse 3 does God act as a judge and what are the results
of His justice?

9. Try to envision the global implications if nations gave up their weapons
of warfare, ceased having a military budget, and stopping training for war?

What positive means might all those resources be used for?

10. Think of a time when you God invited you to exchange your “weapon of
warfare” for an instrument of peace or blessing? Were you satisfied with
the exchange?

11. How is the picture of everyone sitting under their own vine and fig
tree without fear in verse four descriptive of God’s kingdom and what’s the
significance of this word picture?

12. Think of a time when you felt violated, taken advantage of, oppressed,
or discriminated against or perhaps you saw this happening to someone else.
How did you feel?

13. What about the description of God’s kingdom in these verses is most
attractive to you? What do you most long for?

14. Where lies the basis for confidence that this kingdom will be
established and its character and effects realized?

15. Spend some time praising God for His present and coming Kingdom and
asking God to advance His kingdom in your life and in the life of your
church and chapter.
Session Objectives

1. To understand how central disciple-making is to the inner growth and the outward expansion of God’s kingdom 2. To grow in understanding of Biblical disciple-making and especially the dynamic of communal, incarnational, and multiplicative ministry. 3. To make a personal commitment to be engaged as a disciple-maker in a disciple-making community

Approach:

1. Consider the present nature of students’ relationships by working through the “Taking Your DiscipleMaking Temperature” questions 2. Select and study one or more of the texts 3. Discuss “Michelangelo or the Tumbler” (you should hand this out the week before to have members read) 4. Make a personal and chapter plan for disciple-making. 5. Schedule a time to watch Dead Poets Society together

Texts

Mark 6: 7-13 1 Thessalonians 1-2

Activities

Watch Dead Poets Society together and discuss the following: 1. What were the key values that the school stood for? Where are these good? Where are they problematic? 2. In what ways did the student body function as a disciple-making community? Again, where was this good and where was it negative? 3. What kind of disciple-maker was Mr Keating? What motivated him? How did he practice it? How did his students take on his instruction? His values? His vices? 4. What suggestions/practices emerge from this film for our practice of being a disciplemaking community? Of being disciplemakers ourselves?

Resources

Michelangelo or The Tumbler, Rich Lamb Dead Poets Society (film) Taking Your DiscipleMaking Temperature

1. What are some different ways that others have initiated relationships
with you? And you with others? Success stories? Total disasters? We can
learn from both!

2. Have you ever tried to help someone grow in their faith in an
intentional and/or systematic way? Others with you? Success stories?
Total disasters? What materials did you find helpful? Any we should burn?

3. Who is the least likely person that you’ve learned from in ways you
didn’t expect? Any other ‘least likelys’ that you’ve impacted?

4. How have you been able to help your friends grow in their faith? What
unstructured approaches to discipleship have really challenged you?

Mark 6:7-13 (NIV) He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; 9 but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. 10 He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11 If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. 13 They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Mark 6:7-13: Jesus and Disciplemaking This text exposes us to the two key aspects of Jesus strategy in
disciplemaking: the importance of the community, and multiplicative nature
of Jesus’ ministry. Further, he does several things in this passage that
awaken us to His values and strategy in disciplemaking that we would do
well to emulate.
1. What actions of Jesus are seen in this passage? Discuss what each means
in terms of disciplemaking . Jesus calls people into his mission-he takes the initiative, but he doesn’t do all the ministry; he exercises discernment, finds willing people. So disciplemakers will recognize those willing to grow and will pursue them . Jesus sends people-disciplemakers will encourage others to take risks, to obey the Lord, to do ministry in which the opportunity for success and failure is real. Disciplemakers are always senders. . Jesus gives people authority-He equips them for the ministry they will encounter; disciplemakers will provide training for others while delegating real tasks and responsibilities
2. Why does Jesus send them out two by two? What are the implications for
disciplemaking? . Partnership: the twelve don’t go out alone. It is true that Jesus greatly values community, and insists that we pursue His kingdom in real community. But why? While the text doesn’t tell us about the disciples’ interactions, it is clear that they would discuss together how to put into practice what Jesus had told them. Further, they would experience conflict and hardship, which can be very valuable teaching tools. . This may suggest that the value of co-leaders in chapter ministries (like small groups, for instance) might be for more than subbing when the other person can’t come-that what we learn in community is valuable enough that it may mean the ministry expands more slowly than having singleton leaders would allow. . The powerful experience of trusting in God together, taking risks with doing a missionary task: summer project, spring break in Florida, etc. Group risk taking is a powerful multiplicative ministry experience.
3. What do Jesus’ words of instruction to his disciples tell us about
disciplemaking? . Specific training: he gives them words to say, helps them think through difficult situations. . Challenges them to rely on those they do ministry to. . Affirms the urgency of the mission . Reveals that the mission is not easy, yet they must remain faithful. He tells them to move on when they meet up with unresponsiveness. Don’t try to make up for lack of responsiveness with sheer effort. Move on. Trust God to bring you to responsive people. Jesus met up with unresponsiveness routinely.
4. Jesus was a much better teacher, healer, and judge than his disciples,
yet he sends them out to do just these things. Why? What do we learn from
this about disciplemaking? . Delegation is a routine part of Jesus strategy. He invested in these few men that they would minister to many. He multiplies effectiveness. Also, He doesn’t train them so that they could be sent out, but sends them out so that they would be trained. . Relationship over coverage or Depth over breadth. He tells them to stay in one place: They might be tempted to go from house to house, to try to cover more ground. Jesus says, invest in one place, go deep. So SGLs who have 10 people in their SG may be tempted to spend 20 mins with each person per week, vs. really trying to focus on a few who are able to relationally “host” the SGL in the dorm. Again, focus on a few for the sake of the many.
5. What connections can you see between this passage and the vision of the
mountain of the Lord (i.e., the Kingdom of God in its fullness) that you
studied in Micah 4? 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5; 2:1-12 (NIV)
Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you. We always thank
God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember
before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted
by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For
we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel
came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy
Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your
sake. ...You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. We
had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but
with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong
opposition. For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure
motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men
approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to
please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery,
nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not
looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. As apostles of
Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you,
like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we
were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives
as well, because you had become so dear to us. Surely you remember,
brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be
a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. You are
witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were
among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a
father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you
to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
Questions
1. What principles can you identify about disciplemaking from Paul’s team’s
example among the Thessalonians? . Team ministry – Paul Silas and Timothy are ministering together . Incarnational ministry – The team is living with the Thessalonians, modeling godly life for them; caring for them, like a mother and a father . They were deeply convinced of the power of the gospel and God’s commitment to it. This fired all that they did. . The great joy of working with them; disciplemaking was not a burden for Paul’s team . They worked hard to serve the Thessalonians, convinced that God had called them and was at work in them to make them godly . Scripture, empowered by the Spirit, was the substance of their disciplemaking . They are committed fully to not “feeding off the sheep”; they were humble and sincere in all that they did in Thessalonica

2. What was the result of this disciplemaking?

. Their godliness, endurance, love, and obedience.

3. What does this passage imply for our own disciplemaking? How can we
emulate Paul’s team in this?

Michelangelo or the Tumbler? The Disciplemaking Strategy of Jesus Copyright © Richard Lamb Draft May 1995
Introduction
Irving Stone, in The Agony and The Ecstasy, tells the fascinating story of
the life of the renaissance genius Michelangelo. One incident illustrates
something of the great mind and powerful imagination of the sculptor.
Michelangelo won a commission from the Florentine elders to work on a huge
block of marble, il Duccio, a “flawed” and mis-cut mass of stone. Other
Florentine sculptors assumed the block would break under the strain of the
huge gouge in its side. Yet in his mind’s eye he was able to see in the
stone a larger-than-life-size image of David, the shepherd boy-man who had
killed lions and bears with his bare hands. After four years of painstaking
carving, he was able to release the beautiful image of “The David” from the
piece of flawed marble, turning the block rejected by others into the most
striking sculpture in Florence.
Often, when I hear teaching or read books about disciple-making, it sounds
as though leaders or disciple-makers are supposed to resemble Michelangelo,
seeing in young Christians raw material waiting to be crafted into mighty
men and women of God. It is as if we are to apply our chisel and tools to
chip away all that is not Christian Maturity, finally producing a
breathtaking work of art we call “The Disciple.”
And yet I find that I don’t identify very closely with Michelangelo. I
don’t easily see the final product from beneath the raw block of immature
personality and undeveloped gifts. I don’t usually know what is extra stone
and what is essential to the particular sculpture. If I applied my chisel I
feel all too likely to slip a bit and chop someone’s nose off. I have spent
many years investing my life in young Christians, yet the image of a
sculptor-discipler leaves me fearful and uncertain.
Let me use another image depicting how rough, ordinary rocks become things
of beauty and great value. In order to fashion smooth polished gemstones
from ordinary gravel-sized rocks, you use a lapidary tumbler. You put the
stones in the tumbler, add a little grit and water, and then close the lid
and turn the machine on-for days and weeks, until the rough rocks become
smooth, polished gem stones. Of course, the finer the raw material, the
more beautiful the final gem, but it is difficult to imagine at the outset
exactly what will become of the material that is placed inside the tumbler.

I have come to see that Jesus’ own disciple making strategy was more like
polishing gems in a lapidary tumbler. He made disciples in community. As a
disciple maker today, my role also is to gather stones for the purpose of
tumbling and to add the grit of Scripture study and mission. God empowers
the process through an outpouring of the water of his Holy Spirit. The
process, over time, involves the stones rubbing up against and falling on
one another: conflict, reconciliation, communication, learning to work
together and challenge one another (“iron sharpening iron”). This doesn’t
make me a passive observer of the process-in fact, I understand myself to
be inside the tumbler too! As I land on and chip away at the other stones,
I myself am polished and changed. The longer I am in God’s tumbler of
community the more I take the shape of the gem God intends me to be.
Both models assume that there is a value to making disciples. The beginning
point for either model is Jesus’ great commission: “Go therefore and make
disciples, baptizing them. and teaching them all that I have taught you.”
Jesus tells his disciples to make other disciples, to reproduce the process
Jesus worked in them. We start our discussion of two models of disciple
making with the assumption that we want to be disciples of Jesus and we
want to help others to grow in their discipleship as well.
Dynamics of the Michelangelo (One-to-One) Model
When I first began learning about ministry, I was a student in a fellowship
which taught a one-to-one discipling model. Let me briefly describe some of
the characteristics of the discipling process as I understood it then.

. Leaders spent time with people in a variety of settings: small groups, large groups, leadership teams, prayer meetings, and a multitude of social settings. Yet when we thought of “discipling” or discipleship, we thought of the one-to-one meeting between an older Christian, the discipler, and a younger disciple. Our friendships involved time together in many contexts, but we understood the meat of the discipling process to happen in that one-to-one setting. . Many of the discipleship issues addressed in those one-to-one meetings involved after-the-fact discussions. We would debrief situations, interactions, conflicts, or ministry experiences after we were no longer in the situation itself. As I heard what often sounded like a report, I gave my perspective, helping the younger student learn from his experiences. . As a discipler I would ask questions regarding the younger student’s ministry or evangelistic relationships. I would try to be with my friend in natural settings for these friendships-this would give me more information to process with him afterwards. But the key discussions, those “light bulb” conversations producing clarity and challenge toward spiritual growth, would happen in the one-to-one setting.
I began to experience more frustration in my efforts to make disciples as I
became a staff member working with student leaders who were themselves
discipling others. These are some of the recurring patterns I observed. . “Who will disciple me?” Perceptive students entering a fellowship would observe that, to be able to grow and eventually enter leadership, they needed to be in a discipling relationship, hopefully with one of the most experienced leaders. So people began to ask, “Who will disciple me?” It was communicated in a variety of ways that one- to-one discipleship opened the doors to growth and leadership opportunities in the fellowship. People seemed helpless to grow apart from a ready-made one-to-one discipleship relationship. . Territoriality and glory. Just as sculptors don’t like other people to take a chisel to their sculptures, so in a one-to-one model I perceived subtle territoriality on the part of myself or other disciplers regarding the people we were spending time with. Certain younger students became known as “Jen’s person” or “Karl’s person.” Others could take interest but lots of outside influence was not especially welcome. Furthermore, when a sculpture is unveiled, its artist receives the glory. Likewise, as disciplers consider themselves individually responsible for the process, the result is that they receive much of the credit for its success, even if only in subtle ways. . Discipler idolatry. Sometimes the younger disciple became so dependent on and loyal to a single person for their spiritual growth that they couldn’t easily learn from anyone else. In an extreme form this can become an idolatrous attachment to a single person or teacher. Paul is absolutely clear in his reproach of the Corinthian church for their partisan loyalties (“I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos” ). . Few master-disciplers available. Especially as I began to watch seniors graduate from college, I recognized that most churches do not offer one-to-one discipling for their members. I was frustrated that the kind of relationship I offered people could not continue as they left college, not with me and not likely with anyone else. It seemed that a critical source of spiritual growth and vitality was somehow no longer available to people. . Teaching community but modeling individualism. The biblical value of community became important to me early in my ministry with students, but I was frustrated that the discipling model I pursued relied so much on an individualistic approach. It became clear that it was hard to deeply inculcate the value of community if the high-point of spiritual growth and discipleship was understood as happening in the one-to-one setting of the discipleship relationship. . Peer friendships. My biggest frustration was in the area of peer friendships. I found that in the one-to-one model, peer relationships were de-emphasized. This seemed to be backwards: Jesus told his disciples that by their love for one another would they prove their discipleship (John 13:34-35). Yet the one-to-one model emphasized vertical relationships. Everyone had a discipler, an older student or staff helping them grow, and older students had one or more younger disciples who they in turn were helping to grow as Christians. With the relational intensity necessary for this process to be effective, peer relationships weren’t convenient. People were subtly evaluated for their success in discipling, so peer relationships, which by definition were not discipleship relationships, didn’t count. Even when people did enjoy strong peer friendships, they felt a little guilty because these relationships didn’t feel like “discipleship” relationships. Since the relationships were mutual, they were not valued as real ministry.
The Tumbler Model: Another Way
Perhaps the most striking observation we can make about Jesus’ disciple
making strategy is that his sole disciple making context was the gathered
group of disciples. We have no record of Jesus spending one-to-one time
with any of his followers. John’s gospel does not tell us of Jesus taking
intimate walks on the shore of Galilee with “the disciple whom Jesus
loved.” Even Peter didn’t get one-to-one attention, except when he spoke up
and asked for it, and then only in the context of the rest of the
disciples, and usually a rebuke at that. So if we tend to conceive of the
one-to-one model as normal discipleship strategy, we must at least
acknowledge that Jesus didn’t practice it. What evidence is there that
Jesus conceived his strategy more like the tumbler strategy discussed
above?
Jesus gathered a group. The first task of the tumbler-model discipler is to
gather rough stones together for the purpose of tumbling in the lapidary of
community. This image of gathering is an overlooked but frequent biblical
metaphor for Jesus’ ministry. All the gospels show us the intentionality
with which Jesus gathered his first disciples, calling them to himself and
to his purposes (e.g., Mark 1:16-20, 2:13; Luke 5:1-11; John 1:35-51).
Jesus spoke of his ministry in Matthew 12:30: “He who is not with me is
against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” To be on Jesus’
team means to gather with Jesus. So Jesus tells us that his ministry of
gathering is to be ours as well. We are to gather in his name and continue
the process he began. Jesus said in John 4:36: “He who reaps receives
wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may
rejoice together.” He mentioned gathering in the context of his challenge
to his disciples to join him in evangelism, for “the fields are ripe for
harvesting” (v.35). Jesus intended for us to gather with him, to rejoice
with him and participate in his purpose to gather the scattered children of
God. Fundamental to Jesus’ purpose today is to gather people together.
Jesus added the grit: teachable moments. Much of Jesus’ teaching came out
of life experiences with the disciples. Rather than working through a
curriculum divorced from real-life content, Jesus often responded to the
scene, the crowd, the issue or the moment. Topics came up, it seems, more
because of the quantity of time together than because of the detailed plan
of discipling or training by Jesus of his disciples. This is how Jesus
seized “teachable moments.” A “teachable moment” is a time when people are
ready to learn because of their immediate circumstances. Perhaps they
acutely feel their need, or they recognize their sinfulness. Perhaps simply
their curiosity is piqued. At these times, Jesus addressed personal issues
of pride (Mark 9:33-37), greed (Luke 12:13-21), and forgiveness (Matt.
18:21-35). Jesus also addressed ministry topics such as evangelism (John
4:30-38), prayer (Luke 11:1-13), and servanthood (Mark 10:41-45). In each
of these cases Jesus’ teaching began as a response to a situation or a
question initiated by someone else. Yet Jesus was ready to seize the
moment. The issues were crucial; the topics current. He brought his message
into the daily lives of his hearers, thus making them into his disciples.
He was able to do this because he was keenly aware of his purpose, and yet
he was flexible enough to allow the situation to determine how he would
pursue it.
Jesus taught in the context of real life because that is where discipleship
most needs to happen. For us, discipleship issues are not often current
during a one-to-one appointment. A young disciple we meet with may tell a
story of his or her own weakness and sinfulness, but will rarely experience
temptation during that time. Tumbler disciple making is not accomplished in
a series of ten one-to-one, hour-long sessions with one topic per session.
Rather, it involves an endless variety of topics and myriad settings in
which to discuss those topics and model the character of a disciple. In the
tumbler, the seemingly random bumping and sloshing serve to produce elegant
polish and shine. Teachable moments provide some of the “grit,” speeding up
the polishing process. The goal is to develop in people timeless
convictions, values, and character, but the means to accomplishing this
goal are varied and situation-specific.
Jesus added more grit: partnership in mission. Jesus’ first disciples,
Peter, Andrew, James and John, understood and appreciated partnership even
before they met Jesus: they were partners in a small fishing business.
Jesus built on their understanding of partnership to make them the core of
his discipleship band, as he trained them all to be “fishers of men.”
Eventually, he sent out the 12 (and later the 70) two-by-two for short-term
missions trips to preach, teach and heal and to learn from and with each
other in the context of ministry. When he sent out his teams, he sent them
with no bread, money, extra clothes or provisions-he wanted them to depend
on his promises that people would feed and house them. Yet while removing
all their material supports, he still wanted each of them to have a
partner. Partnership in mission formed a central part of his discipling
plan. As the tumbler tumbled them together in faith-stretching
circumstances, they had to learn from as well as with one another.
Probably the most effective tool for our disciple making is to gather
together a ministry team and identify a group of people to care for,
through evangelistic outreach, teaching, servanthood, or compassion. As
your team works together to care for others, you all will learn about
yourselves and your deep need for God, for his wisdom and compassion. But
you also will learn about each other, and over time you will begin to
encourage and challenge one another toward greater love, more effective
teaching, more humble servanthood. This kind of team reveals complementary
differences between people; eventually your team will identify and affirm
the emergent spiritual gifts of its members. Being in ministry together
provides the grit to sharpen and enhance the discipling process.
To put it more strongly, Jesus didn’t make disciples in order to send them
out; rather, he sent them out in ministry in order to develop them as
disciples. If we try to develop disciples in a one-to-one (or even group)
context without mission, without an outward focus of our ministry, our
lives lack the vital grit that makes the tumbling process so effective at
polishing the stones.
Jesus addressed conflict and valued reconciliation. Jesus called the
disciples to a high standard in their relationships with one another,
especially in his teaching on forgiveness and reconciliation. He stressed
the importance of seeking reconciliation and quickly offering forgiveness,
when fellow Christians sin against each other (Matt. 5:23ff; 18:15ff.).
Whether we have been sinned against or have sinned, as we become aware of
it we are to make the first move toward reconciliation. These kinds of
interactions contribute to the “stones against stones” dynamic for the
tumbler model of disciple making.
Jesus not only taught on the importance of reconciliation, but he also
pursued and modeled this high standard with his disciples, again in the
group context. When James and John came to him to request a small special
favor-to be seated at his right and left in glory!-the rest of the
disciples became indignant (Mark 10:35-45). What began as a private matter
had poisoned the group of disciples, so Jesus gathered them all and taught
on the true nature of greatness in the Kingdom. Not to speak about it with
them all would have left tension, suspicion, and resentment festering in
the young community of disciples, something Jesus could ill afford.
Furthermore, the issue itself indicated that the disciples (all of them)
still did not understand the true nature of kingdom leadership and
authority. So to leave the issue unaddressed would have been doubly
dangerous.
Jesus also took conflict in his relationship with Peter very seriously, in
a way for all his disciples to see. When Peter began to rebuke him (Mark
8:31ff) regarding his destiny as the Christ, Jesus looked back at his
disciples and rebuked Peter: “Get behind me, Satan!” Jesus couldn’t allow
Peter’s ideas to spread to control the group’s thinking on the issue of his
own destiny and death. Later (Mark 14:29), Peter exalted himself before the
others, “Even though others fall away, I will not.” Jesus humbled Peter,
again before the others, “You will deny me three times.” And yet, the crown
of Jesus’ relationship with Peter in the gospels was once again lived out
for the others to see (John 21:15-19). Jesus asked Peter three times,
“Peter, son of John, do you love me?” Jesus accepted Peter’s threefold
declaration of love in a process of reconciliation and reinstatement that
left no doubt in anyone’s mind about Jesus’ love for and forgiveness of
Peter.
These examples are clear evidence of the tumbler disciple making model.
Disciple makers will sometimes pursue conflict and reconciliation, two
delicate interpersonal dynamics, in a group setting because of the
potential for deepening the relationships in the group and chipping away at
the rough edges of its members. In the tumbler, if stones had feelings,
they would feel the pain of the chipping caused by the relentless crush of
the other stones. The temporary discomfort of conflict and tension, rebuke
and reconciliation in the group setting brings its due reward, as the men
and women in the tumbler become more like the One who called them into
their discipleship.
Jesus gave them each other. A familiar yet profound disciple maker’s
insight observes that Jesus didn’t merely transmit principles to his
disciples; he gave himself to them. His time, energy, and life were given
away to his disciples in order to develop his character in them. This is a
powerful challenge to anyone who would help others grow in their
relationship with Jesus. But Jesus did more than give himself to them: he
gave them one another. Jesus did not simply call the group together so that
they could learn how to love him as he had loved them. Yes, he asked them
to love him, but significant to our purpose here: Jesus commanded his
disciples to love one another-their standard was to be Jesus’ love for them
(John 15:12, 17). Jesus commanded that they serve one another-even washing
each others’ feet (John 13:14)-and again the standard and model was Jesus’
servanthood to them. Jesus prayed to his Father that his disciples be
united in love and purpose (John 17:11), and once again Jesus’ own unity
with the father is the model. Jesus even said to his disciples that their
love for one another would validate his ministry of disciple making with
them! (John 13:34-35)
Any disciple making model which fails to take seriously Jesus’ priority on
peer relationships between his disciples does not fit the model and
teaching of Jesus. The tumbler model makes explicit the value and practical
role of peer relationships-the multiple stones in the mix. This insight
does not let the disciple maker off the hook in terms of the more familiar
call to give his or her life for those being influenced: the disciple maker
must still do this in order to model and call others into the kind of
relationships Jesus desires for his followers.
Corporate disciple making in the early church. I would love to take time to
demonstrate how these themes recur in the ministry of Paul as it is
illustrated in Acts and his letters. Instead, let me simply point out that
corporate disciple making was probably the only kind that happened in the
early church. Consider the size of the church before and after Pentecost
Sunday: the church grew from 120 believers to over 3000! The only way the
new folks could be organized and developed as disciples was in groups and
households. Tumbler disciple making, using peer relationships and household
groupings, had to be the method for training so many people.
Transition to the Tumbler Model
Steve and Brian were committed leaders in their college fellowship. They
each had so much ministry and other activity in their lives that they had
little time for peer friendship. Both could see value in a friendship
between them, but they never managed to set time aside for it. Finally, I
decided to stop meeting with them individually to encourage them to become
friends; we all began to meet together regularly with a new leader, Seth.
At the time this was not designed as a move toward the model of Jesus-it
was a pragmatic desperation attempt to bring about growth in relationships
and a more consistent discipling context. But the strength and depth of
what the four of us experienced together reshaped my expectations about
disciple making. Then as I studied Scripture with opened eyes, I was
prepared for a paradigm shift that came as I saw the weight of gospel
evidence.
The thesis of this article emerged out of a recognition that the one-to-one
disciple making model is deficient for the practical and biblical reasons
mentioned above. How do we take the observations of Jesus’ tumbler-style
disciple making strategy and begin to bring them into the way we practice
discipling?
New ways of thinking: First, we will need to think about disciple making in
different ways, as the following table illustrates.

One-to-one mentality	Tumbler mentality
We often meet with people in groups,	We look for ways to bring disciple
but we assume discipling happens	making influence into the group
one-to-one. We leave the meat of our	settings we already find ourselves
influence to the one-to-one setting.	in.
With the person we are trying to	We acknowledge the value of peer
influence, we assume that our	relationships, not simply as an end
relationship is the only critical	of the discipling process, but as a
one. We tend to overemphasize our	crucial means and context as well.
role in the process. We then subtly	As we call people into relationship
or overtly communicate that it is a	with us as leaders we need also to
friendship with us that will be the	call them into peer friendships.
key to unlock spiritual growth.
When we notice an issue in, say,	We should consider “going live”
Kate’s style of relating to other	with the issue and ask ourselves,
people while in a group setting, we	”How might Kate benefit from my
tend to think, “I must talk with	bringing this up now? How might the
Kate later about that.”	group benefit from a discussion of
this?” Sometimes the answers to
both of these questions indicate we
should go ahead.
We tend to feel an ownership of the	We must repent of “territoriality”
people whom we are discipling, and	and look for ways for people to be
outside input into their lives can	helped and challenged by others,
sometimes be threatening.	both peers and other more mature
Christians.
Even though we’d like to find	The mutuality of the tumbler
mutuality in our discipling	approach is built in to the
relationships, certainly the model	defining model, as we understand
presents justification for a	ourselves in need of chipping and
unilateral flow of influence,	polishing, and are subject to the
advice, and challenge. We don’t	very same process as those we are
expect to be influenced in reverse.	in discipling.

As we begin to think in different ways about disciple making, we will soon
find opportunities to try new approaches in our relationships with younger
disciples. Consider the stories of a couple of people who are beginning to
view disciple making in a new way:
Sarah is a senior discipling Rachel, a sophomore. Rachel lives with two
other Christians who are also in the fellowship. Sarah has spent some time
in Rachel’s room getting to know her roommates, but she is focusing on
Rachel. How could she reorient her relationship with Rachel to serve more
of a tumbler-style discipling process?
Sarah wants to talk to Rachel about her desire for a romantic relationship.
Instead of spending time one-to-one, she could bring the group of friends
over to her place to see a video of The Princess Bride and then to have a
discussion regarding our society’s expectations for romance and sexual
relationships. The discussion could include honest sharing and a challenge
to pursue healthy friendships centered in Jesus. In the four-way
discussion, multiple views will come out, not all of which will perhaps be
faithful to God’s design for this area of our lives. But as Sarah trusts
the process and the desire of each, especially Rachel, to grow in faith,
even the expression of alternate views may ultimately be enlightening.
Sarah may debrief the conversation with Rachel later, not only clarifying
things for Rachel but also giving her vision to continue to be an agent for
growth and accountability in her roommates’ lives.
Sarah would like Rachel to consider participation in a Spring break urban
mission project, hoping that, among other things, the two of them would
spend time together. But Rachel has already begun talking with some of her
friends about a joint vacation together over Spring break. Should Sarah try
to get Rachel to forget her friends and join her? Suppose Sarah instead
helped to give Rachel a vision for inviting her friends all to be part of
the Spring break mission team with Sarah. To the attraction of Sarah’s
promise of deeper friendship with Rachel would be added the opportunity for
Rachel to deepen her peer relationships with other sophomores. A week in
intensive ministry together: what a perfect tumbler opportunity!
Jeff is leading a small discipleship group with five younger guys,
scheduled from 6-8 PM every Thursday, with the guys usually gathering at
5:15 for dinner. At the end of its fourth two-hour weekly meeting, one of
the guys, Ken, announced, “I just made the volleyball team, so that means I
will have volleyball practice every week until 6:00. I can grab a quick
dinner at my dorm, and I should be able to be here by 6:30 or 6:45. I still
really want to be in the group.” The other guys give various responses: “No
prob.” “Congratulations!” Silence. At this point, Jeff has a choice. Does
he talk about the importance of the group, of each member to the group, and
of the commitment they all made just a few weeks ago? Or does he stay
silent and not spoil the accepting mood of the group? Perhaps he considers
waiting and talking with Ken after the meeting ends.
Now, consider the advantages to the small group and to Ken if Jeff decides
to take the direct approach and raise the issue of Ken’s schedule conflict
in the group. Jeff might ask the group to stay a little longer to talk
about some options for scheduling the group time. After the group agreed,
Jeff could ask Ken to talk a little about his reasons for joining the
volleyball team. Had Ken considered the cost of time in his schedule? Is
there another way for Ken and the group to work together to solve the time
conflict? Perhaps Ken had never considered that the group might be willing
to move their group time in order to accommodate his new schedule. To hear
from the other group members might be the most powerful way for Ken to come
to appreciate the value and priority of the small group.
The result of this process may even be that the group challenges Ken not to
join the volleyball team, based on his prior commitments and time
constraints. But if Ken does join the team, he would know that the entire
small group is behind him, not resenting the burden of rescheduling and
eager to help him remain committed to the small group. Each member in the
group is called on to commit to Ken in a greater way, so they all grow in
their understanding of the value of commitment to the small group. They all
grow in their discipleship to Jesus.
This is not meant to imply that these kinds of issues should or could
always be dealt with publicly. You will ask yourself, “How would this
person respond? How will the group respond?” Sometimes the probable answers
make it clear that a one-to-one setting would be more helpful. But not
always, and that is my point. At times, this group attempt to care for
someone really pays off.
Contexts for the tumbler model.
Discipling using the tumbler model can happen in many different kinds of
small groups or teams. Each context requires a gathered group,
opportunities to teach and/or minister together (grit), and a leader that
welcomes conflict as an opportunity to deepen relationships and polish the
stones. Remember, as a leader I am also in the tumbler, and I will have
rough edges chipped off as well. Some of the most powerful group times I’ve
seen as a leader have involved my own confession of sin with the group
offering me forgiveness.
The following are a few of the settings in which the tumbler can be cranked
up to do its thing:

. Intensive Bible study, 4-8 people plus one or two leaders, requiring high commitment for members. Each person in the group expects to apply scripture personally and share with the others. The group prays for one another. The peer relationships provide a context for growth and people are expected to take each other’s growth seriously. . Accountability group, 3-4 people gathering weekly for sharing, confession, challenge and prayer. This works best in relationships between people who see each other often (and therefore have insight into each other’s lives beyond what is confessed or mentioned). . Mission group, a team of people organized around a relational ministry such as leading a dorm Bible study. The relationships on the team are as much a priority as the relationships between leaders and the members of the study. . Friendship clusters, roommate relationships and household communities, where intentionality is added to preexisting peer relationships. Living together can become a tremendous tumbler opportunity, but it can easily be squandered through relational laziness. . Summer missions teams are one of the best tumbler opportunities because of all of the “grit” provided by being in an intensive cross- cultural ministry setting. Look for missions opportunities where partnership and teamwork are a high value. . Road trips with a carload of friends can be powerful tumbler experiences because of the intensity of being in close contact for several days. Consider visiting and/or volunteering with ministries, churches or college fellowships in other cities.
I want to emphasize that a move away from a one-to-one model doesn’t mean
that disciple makers will not ever spend one-to-one time with people. We
will continue to meet with people individually, but probably not as
frequently as in the one-to-one model. We will perceive that time
differently, as well. A large part of our task in those settings is to do
the groundwork that will help people grow in their peer relationships (John
13:34-35; 15:12, 17) and make those tumbler relationships more effective.
Advantages of the Tumbler Model
If we move toward viewing our disciple making ministry as bringing together
“tumbler” experiences for the people we work with, we will come to view the
entire process differently. . Tumbler disciple making takes God’s role seriously. God gets the credit for the shape of the disciples-he is the one empowering the work of the tumbler. As leaders and disciple makers we play a key role, but the process is beyond our control. We are ourselves shaped by the same polishing work of the same tumbler. . Tumbler disciple making takes individual uniqueness seriously. In any discipling strategy our model is of course Jesus, but this strategy values the uniqueness of each person. We are not crafting disciples in our image, or even in our particular vision of Jesus. Rather, we don’t know exactly what the finished product will look like when we begin- nor do we need to know. We trust that the process will yield polished disciples, each unique but all having been shaped by a common set of experiences. . Yet, tumbler disciple making reinforces the discipleship value of community. No longer are we meeting one-to-one trying to instill the value of community while modeling individualism. Though this strategy honors the uniqueness of individuals, it calls them to the standard of love for the community that Jesus called his disciples to. . Tumbler disciple making puts the role of the discipler in the proper perspective. This strategy is less likely to produce “discipler idolatry” on the part of younger disciples or territoriality or pride on the part of disciple makers. Because many people-the stones in the tumbler-become influential in the polishing process, and because God superintends the process, the credit goes to God and not the “master- discipler.” . Tumbler model disciple making is portable. Few churches are set up for a thorough one-to-one discipling strategy, and some of those that are seem to abuse the discipling model to become extremely legalistic and authoritarian. The tumbler model is more easily reproduced by people who leave a campus fellowship based on it than is the one-to-one model. Because people have learned how to learn from and mutually influence their peers, they can graduate, remain with or find peer partnerships and friends, and continue helping one another grow in their faith as disciples of Jesus.
Jesus calls all of his disciples into the Great Commission ministry of
making disciples of others, and he tells us to do it as he did. Anyone who
is consciously trying to make disciples, by any model, is in pursuit of
this Great Commission task. Yet disciple making, to be effective and
complete, must involve more than a one-to-one approach with people. Our
ultimate goal in disciple making is that people come to love God and love
other people. This is a proposal to bring the relational quality of the
gospel together with a corporate methodology of disciple making that
practices what it preaches.

Session Objectives:

1. To grasp and believe that racial reconciliation (rr) and multiethnicity (me) are not tangential to the gospel but at the core of the gospel. 2. To be intentional and specific about pursuing rr/me and cross-cultural witness throughout the world

Approach:

1. Divide up several biblical passages and ask where do you see principles of rr/me and/or cross-cultural witness. Possible passages could be Rev. 7: 9-10, Ephesians 2:11-22, psalm 67, John 17: 20-23, Acts 2: 1-11, Acts 6: 1-7. The point is to see that re/me and cross- cultural witness are at the very heart of God and lie at the center of His redemptive purposes and ultimate goal in the Gospel. It’s important to get biblically clear on such matters. 2. Use the Biblical Principles of Multiethnicity/Racial Reconciliation in your discussion 3. Show the Rutgers video/DVD and go through some of the guided questions together. 4. The session could end with some suggestions from the handout on helping participants pursue a personal plan.

Text

See above

Activities

Have participants decide on and own a commitment to pursue one or more of
the suggested items on the personal plan handout.

Resources

See attached bibliography and handouts. Rutgers video available from Marc Papai (mppapai@ameritech.net) or
possibly from your staffworker. Revelation 7:9-10 (NIV) 9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no
one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing
before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes
and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a
loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Ephesians 2:11-22 (NIV) 11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and
called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision”
(that done in the body by the hands of men)- 12 remember that at that time
you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and
foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in
the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been
brought near through the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed
the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh
the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in
himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one
body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to
death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far
away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have
access to the Father by one Spirit.
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow
citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, 20 built on the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the
chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and
rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being
built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Psalm 67 (NIV) For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A 1 song. May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah 2 that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. 3 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. 4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah 5 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. 6 Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. 7 God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him. John 17:20-23 (NIV)
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe
in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just
as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world
may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you
gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me.
May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent
me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Acts 2:1-11 (NIV) When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and
filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to
be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All
of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other
tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem
God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this
sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them
speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all
these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us
hears them in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites;
residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10
Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors
from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we
hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Acts 6:1-7 (NIV) In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian
Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows
were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve
gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us
to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3
Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the
Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and
will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 5 This
proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith
and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas,
and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men
to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of
God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a
large number of priests became obedient to the faith. Biblical Principles of Racial Reconciliation, Multi-ethnicity and cross-cultural witness

1. Get clear biblically on what’s at stake and how to proceed. (Eph. 2;

John 17; Rev. 5; Ps. 67)

2. Racial reconciliation and multi-ethnicity is a lifelong process that

must be continually worked on (as is any relationship, but more so because of past mistakes and continual misunderstandings). Keep learning: Study the Bible and read books from an RR/ME/ISM perspective (Don’t expect a minority friend to be your primary teacher; it is exhausting for them and lazy of you).

3. All people are the same (in their humanity; they are just like you) – all people are different (in their culture, experiences, gifts,

understanding,.).

4. Every culture has something it can give to other cultures that reflects

and honors God, even if it is still deeply broken by sin. Openly acknowledge and affirm it.

5. Partnership does not mean unilaterally deciding, inviting and doing

something for other cultural groups. It means mutual decision-making, commitments and submission (the majority culture must choose to trust and share power at every stage).

6. Understanding and honoring (by doing the right thing) is more important

than being accepted or trusted (choose love over guilt as your motivation).

7. If your relationship is to survive the inevitable times of

disappointment, confusion, frustration and mistrust, you must be pursuing a spiritual relationship of open communication (including prayer, Bible study and confession).

8. Always ask and act on the prior question of trust: Will this opinion,

attitude, statement or action I’m contemplating build or tear down trust between us?

9. Move from a defensive passivity (“I’m not racist.”) To consistent

intentional action (“I will confront discrimination wherever I encounter it.”)

10. Don’t be “color blind”, either by a) acting as if other ethnicities

don’t exist or b. acting as if ethnicity doesn’t matter – both of which dishonor them and God as their good creator.

11. Pray for, seek and learn from cultural “interpreters” and “bridges”.

Make one friend who’s significantly different from you.

12. Be careful about your language – it reveals to you and others what you

really think and feel (Whites are “ethnics”, too; all food is ethnic food;

13. Be thankful, but not proud of God’s good gifts to you through your

country and culture.

14. Put yourself in a situation where you’ll experience being a minority

over a period of time.

15. Be an extender of Grace:

a. As a majority count minorities as better than yourselves (Phil. 2:1-5; Ro. 13:8). b. As a minority forgive that you may be forgiven (Mt. 6:14; Mk. 11:25).

16. Have hope – be vigilant (note the believers’ stumbling progress in Acts

1-15). God is building his church, and nothing will be able to prevail against him, but the roots and destruction of racism and cultural indifference run very deep.
Rutgers video discussion questions – one chapter’s story of pursuing their
mission in a multiethnic setting:

[Video length is 13 minutes, if all is used]

1. What areas of strength or success did you note? (E.g., shared vision for evangelism; shared M.E. activities; long term and intensive prayer) 2. What areas of weakness or struggle did you note? a. How are multiethnicity and racial reconciliation different? Which comes first? b. How do we deal with limited vision and contact with people of other ethnicities? 3. What methods are the Rutgers students and staff using to advance their mission? a. How do they flow from their vision for evangelism? b. How are they trans-cultural or culture-specific? c. How effective are they? 4. What insights or ideas can you glean and adapt from the Rutgers experience that you could use on your campus. Personal Plans in ME/RR

There are three basic areas our personal plan must cover:

1. Grow: We must continually grow our own vision and commitment (We each

have a lot of growing to do).
2. Go: We must reach out directly in love to people who are in need of God’s love (We can’t wait till later to act on what we know now).
3. Show: We must spread the vision to others (God’s call is to his whole people and the job is too big for any one individual or group to accomplish it alone).

Let’s consider these areas one at a time.

1. First, what are ways we can grow our own vision and commitment?

(Write this heading on a board or overhead transparency and then collect their ideas in rapid-fire fashion, as many as you can. Here are some ideas: a. Study the Bible, looking for principles and practices of mission in a multi-ethnic setting. b. Subscribe to magazines that people of other ethnicities publish and read (ask them for suggestions) – Also of mission agencies (there are dozens of the latter and they are all free!). c. Read books and discuss them – See the annotated bibliography for this track for suggestions on where to start. d. Join a gospel choir or other ethnic-specific group on campus. e. Attend a class in intercultural, Black, Asian, Hispanic, Native American or international studies; or campus lectures on pertinent topics, including on Martin Luther King Day. f. Pursue a friendship with an individual or group of an ethnicity different from yours. Remember: as with any friendship, you may not “hit it off” with the first person you meet. Keep trying and praying! g. Pray for God to open your eyes and soften your heart. h. Attend a church whose predominant ethnicity is different from your own

2. Second, what are ways we can reach out directly in love to people who

are in need of God’s love? (Write this heading on a board or overhead transparency and then collect their ideas in rapid-fire fashion, as before. Here are some ideas: a. Develop a friendship with an international student – Help them with their homework (or let them help you with yours!); invite them to your home over a holiday. b. Pray: for racial reconciliation and justice in your chapter, campus, church, city, our country, world; for those of other ethnicities who don’t know Jesus yet to come to know him; for laborers for the harvest. c. Be active evangelistically – including among those of ethnicities different from yours. d. Give money so that those of other ethnicities can attend training events as you can. e. Take part in an urban or global project this summer.

3. Third, what are ways we can spread the vision to others? (Write this

heading on a board or overhead transparency and then collect their ideas in rapid-fire fashion, as with the first two areas. Here are some ideas: a. Find a prayer partner and share what you are learning with them – or with each other, if they, too, are already growing in these in areas. b. Share what you are learning with your small group and help them to chose to take increasing steps of faith and obedience. c. Model in your own life and words a consistent commitment to multi- ethnic service, partnership and reconciliation – including clarifying ignorance and standing up against bigotry, whenever it occurs and whatever the source. d. Regularly share with your friends, chapter, church and family Bible discoveries, prayer requests, testimonies and reports. e. Keep inviting others to join you in reaching out directly in love. Multiethnicity and Racial Reconciliation – A Beginning Bibliography

Bennett, L., Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America. Penguin

Books, 1984. A provocative history from a black perspective

Branch, Taylor. Parting the Waters: America in the King Years (Vol. 1)

Vintage, 1988 or so. A classic reference on the civil rights movement, won a Pulitzer Prize.

DuBois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. Fawcett, 1961. One of the great

thinkers and communicators on black equality and self-determination.

Ellis, Carl. Free at Last? The Gospel in African-American Experience.

IVP, 1996. An exploration of how the gospel has been rooted in and thrived among Black Americans.

Elmer, Duane. Cross-Cultural Conflict: Building Relationships for

Effective Ministry. IVP, 1993. Widely used in cross-cultural training; explores relating to others different from ourselves.

Emerson, Michael and Smith, Christian. Divided By Faith: Evangelical

Religion and the Problem of Race in America, Oxford, 2000. Sobering; research shows American evangelicalism and education each tend to increase the actual divide between ethnicities, esp. Black and white; what to do about it

_., United By Faith, Oxford, 2003. The followup volume indicating

how evangelicals have sought to address the racial divide in their churches and organizations.

Feagin, Joe, et. al. The Agony of Education – Black Students at White

Colleges and Universities, Routledge, 1996. Interview research into the cost to black students and parents of going to a white campus

Griffin. J.H. Black Like Me. Signet Books, 1960. A classic book

detailing a white man’s experience of racism in the American south after disguising himself as a black man.

Hopler, Thom and Marcia. Reaching the World Next Door: How to Spread the

Gospel in the Midst of Many Cultures. IVP, 1993. A valuable book that brings Scripture to bear on the problems and opportunities of cross- cultural ministry. Thom’s original book (out of print) A World of Difference is a better book, but this one is valuable as well.

Hunter, Bob and Carol. Loving Justice. IVP, 1990. A Bible study guide on

issues surrounding racial and social justice and equality.

Lin, Tom. Losing Face and Finding Grace. IVP, 1998. A very good Bible

Study guide; The introductions to the book and to each study are the best succinct summary around on Asian American issues.

Lingenfelter, Sherwood and Mayers, Marvin. Ministering Cross-Culturally – An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships. Baker, 1986. Used

as a cross-cultural ministry training text, on understanding our own and other cultures and responding well to both.

Little, M. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Ballantine, 1965.

Liu, Eric. The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker, Random House.

Insights into life as an Asian American.

Lupton, Robert. Theirs is the Kingdom: celebrating the Gospel in Urban

America. Harper Collins, 1989. An autobiographical collection of vignettes from Lupton’s Atlanta based ministry. We use it as the pre- course for the Cleveland Urban Project

Mabry, Marcus. White Bucks and Black-Eyed Peas: Coming of Age Black in

White America. Scribner, 1995. Autobiog. from poverty via prep school and Stanford to intl. Newsweek correspondent.

McBride, James. The Color of Water. 1997. Memoir of a white mother and

black father by a Christian Oberlin alum.

Osaigbovo, Rebecca Florence . Women of Color, Keys to Change. IVP, 2003.

Women of color have historically been on the bottom of the economic and social ladder. But the paradox of the kingdom of God is that being on the bottom is a plus. God often chooses the rejected and despised to confound the wise and mighty (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). By examining our spiritual history and God-ordained destiny, Rebecca Florence Osaigbovo helps us turn the tide of evil in our own lives and the lives of our families, cities and nations.

Ortiz, Manuel. The Hispanic Challenge: Opportunities Confronting the

Church. IVP, 1993.

Ortiz, Manuel. One New People. IVP, 1995. A good book on models of

multiethnic ministry for the church

Perkins, John. Let Justice Roll Down. Regal, 1976. Perkins, Wise

statesman and founder of Voice of Calvary Ministries and many other magazines and organizations, tells his story.

Perkins, Spencer and Chris Rice. More Than Equals, 2nd ed. IVP, 2000.

Perkins (now deceased) and Rice tell the story of their black/white friendship honestly, and with biblical reflection.

Raybon, Patricia. My First White Friend: Confessions on Race, Love and

Forgiveness, Penguin, 1996. An excellent, personal, treatise on forgiveness in racial reconciliation.

Steele, Claude. “Thin Ice – Stereotype Threat and Black College Students”,

Atlantic Monthly, pp. 44-54, Aug., 1999. Research shows the mere pressure to perform well and represent one’s group and the surrounding expectation that one won’t, significantly diminishes the capacity to do so.

Takaki, Ronald. Strangers from a Different Shore, rev. ed, Back Bay Books,

1998. Probably the best overall history of Asian Americans available; where they came from, when, why, and struggles they’ve faced.

Tatum, Beverly Daniel. Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the

Cafeteria? A Psychologist Explains the Development of Racial Identity. Basis Books, 1997. Very frank, helpful discussion of race, ethnic identity (black, white, Asian, Hispanic) development and its impact on race relations.

Tokunaga, Paul. Developing Asian American Leaders, 1998. Ask IVCF staff for

this compendium of research and how-to’s from InterVarsity’s director of Asian American ministry.

Trevethan, Tom. “Multi-Ethnic Mission and the University”, 2001. 20 page

paper on key issues and applications for M.E. and mission based on Acts 15. Contact IV staff for a copy.

Washington, Raleigh and Kehrein, Glen, Breaking Down the Walls: A Model for

Reconciliation in an Age of Racial Strife, Moody, 1993. Does corporately what More Than Equals does individually.

White, Randy. Journey to the Center of the City. IVP, 1997. Randy and

Tina White describe the move of their family from a mostly white suburb to the inner city of Fresno California.

Yep, Jeannette et al. Following Christ Without Dishonoring Your Parents.

IVP, 1998. A good book to understand the Asian American experience.

Session Objectives

1. To grasp the guiding passion of Jesus’ life and ministry 2. To understand Jesus’ full commitment to both mission and community, or a “missional community” whose passion is God’s glory 3. To value the places of prayer and truth in growing the mission and the community

Note that this session and the next are closely related; this session seeks
to focus on the passion and prayer of Jesus in the first 5 verses, and then
his prayer for protection and sanctification as the priorities of his
followers in the missional community. The following session will pick up
the themes of unity, love and joy in this community.

Possible Approaches

1. The key approach we want to encourage is a robust manuscript study of John 17. 2. See #1.

Text

John 17

Activities (see below)

Alternative Resources (see below)

Summary and connection to next sessions

It was very important to Jesus that His Church (all those who would believe
in Him through the disciples’ message) be unified in truth. In our next
session we will continue looking at John 17, asking questions about
community and mission, and how and where we see them in the Church today.

John 17 (NIV)

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify
you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give
eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life:
that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have
sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave
me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I
had with you before the world began. 6 “I have revealed you to those whom
you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they
have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me
comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted
them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that
you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for
those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and
all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will
remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am
coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name-the name
you gave me-so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with
them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None
has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would
be fulfilled. 13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am
still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within
them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for
they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is
not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the
evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the
world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself,
that they too may be truly sanctified. 20 “My prayer is not for them alone.
I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21
that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.
May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as
we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete
unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as
you have loved me. 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me
where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you
loved me before the creation of the world. 25 “Righteous Father, though the
world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.
26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in
order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be
in them.” [1] Questions/Notes on John 17 This is holy ground, an almost unique look into the inner (prayer) life
of Jesus. As you look at this text, begin with silence, breathing a prayer
of thanks to the Holy One who invites you to this special place. 1. Jesus was minutes away from his death as he recites this prayer in John 17. It captures the absolutely most essential commitments and passions that Jesus has. As you reflect on your own death, what would you like to have written on your gravestone? What is the key theme of your life? What gets you up in the morning? 2. What brings you the deepest joy in life? Why? 3. Read carefully John 17:1-5. Jesus has shared the Passover meal with his disciples, prophesied Judas’ betrayal, promised the Holy Spirit, warned the disciples of the persecution they faced, called them to intimacy with God, and now prays for them and for himself. As you read this text look for what Jesus is most passionate about. 4. In verses 1-5, what is the key prayer of Jesus? What is glory, and what does it mean for God to glorify Jesus? What is the relationship to the cross? 5. What is eternal life? What does it mean to you to know God? To what would you compare it? What images come to mind? What do you know in this way about God? 6. What work has Jesus completed? What is God’s work for you? How are you doing? 7. From these first five verses, what would you say Jesus’ passion was? What was his pole star, his guiding truth? How is this similar or different from your own? 8. Read John 17:6-19. What are the prayer requests that Jesus makes for the disciples? How do these reveal his priorities? 9. What does the term “sanctify” mean (v 17)? How does the truth of the word sanctify us? How has this happened in your life and the life of your chapter? 10. Jesus prays for our protection. Why are we hated by the world? What is our role toward the world? 11. How do your future plans and hopes mesh with the priorities and passions that Jesus expresses in these verses?

Activities

Interview five friends and ask them what they would like to have on
their gravestone.

Alternative Resources

1. My Heart Christ’s Home by Robert Boyd Munger; discuss what it means that Jesus is in you, and in your fellowship or church 2. Watch Saving Grace (the Tom Conti film not the 2000 movie) together and discuss what motivates the Pope in his leadership, what prevents the mission from going forward, and the differences between the formal leadership in the Vatican and the hurly burly leadership in the village.

Session Objectives

1. To understand the relationship between unity and truth 2. To devote ourselves freshly to unity and fellowship in the body of Christ 3. To embrace the place of joy and love in the Christian life 4. To value the Church as God’s chosen instrument

This session moves on from the one last week, but still centers its
approach on John 17.

The focus this week is on the unity of the missional community, and the
nature of the church.

Possible Approaches

You could continue with the John 17 manuscript you did last week; there are
questions below for this task

You could also look at the alternative texts listed below and discuss them
in a little more freewheeling format

You could visit a church as discussed in the homework section, and go out
for lunch afterwards and discuss this in light of Jn 17.

You could bring in a pastor or key lay leaders from a local church to
discuss these things, and to indicate how students could best prepare
themselves for life in the church during and after college.

Texts

John 17 Matthew 16:13-19 Ephesians 5:22-33 Eph 2:11-22 John 17 (again) 1. Where have you felt the most accepted? In what context? Why did you feel so accepted there? What did that do for you? 2. Rodney King once lamented, “Why can’t we all get along?” What is the answer to his question? Why can’t we get along? What is your experience of the body of Christ? What is the basis of our unity? 3. Read John 17:6-19. What do you notice about the relationship of Jesus’ identity and the church’s unity? 4. What is the relationship of truth and unity? How might this impact your relationship with other groups on campus. 5. What are the marks of the Christian community that Jesus seeks? 6. How are you contributing to this community? How is your chapter or church expressing the priorities and marks that Jesus prays for? 7. What is your attitude toward the church? What do you look for in a church? Why? How does your study of this text impact what you will look for in a church? 8. Jesus says in v 13 that he longs that we would have the full measure of his joy. What do you think he means, given that he is minutes away from death, and how do we experience such joy? 9. Read Jn 17: 20-26. In what way does Jesus continue to make the love of the Father known to you and your community? 10. Write out a prayer for your chapter or church using the words and priorities of Jesus from this text.

Other texts to examine

1. Matthew 16:13-19 What is the foundation of the church? What is Jesus’ commitment (and thus his attitude) toward the church? What authority is given to the church? 2. Ephesians 5:22-33 This passage is usually trotted out during weddings; what does it say about Jesus’ attitude toward the church? What is his goal for the church? What is the relationship between Jesus and his church? 3. Eph 2:11-22 What leads the church to be a holy temple in the Lord (v21), a dwelling place for God in the Spirit (v22)? How does reconciliation between people groups affect this? What picture of the church emerges from this passage?

Activities

1. Visit a church together and discuss how they are expressing both mission and community, unity and truth in light of John 17. Or visit another campus group and do this. 2. Pray your written out prayer that you did above for two weeks. See how God begins to answer this. Alternative Resources 1. Watch The Breakfast Club together. What is the ground of this community? What binds it together? What challenges does it face? 2. Read chapters on the church in Rich Lamb’s Following Jesus in the “Real” World (c 5 and 6) or Stan Gaede’s An Incomplete Guide to the Rest of Your Life (c. 11) 3. Use magazine ads or commercials to assess what values are being displayed and what the connection to the product is or isn’t; why do these ads appeal to people? How does the Christian community foster these values or debunk them? 4. Bring in a local pastor or lay leaders to discuss life in the church. Pray for their needs. Ask them to pray for you. Sessions 7-9- Isaiah 65:17-25

In this section of the Living in the Kingdom training resource, we focus
first on a vision of the new heavens and the new earth found in Isaiah 65.
This passage opens up for us a future that has very real present
implications. In these three sessions, we will listen to the Spirit speak
through this and related texts, and particularly focus on the topics of
justice and stewardship of the gifts God has entrusted us with.

Begin each session with a commitment to submit wholly to the Spirit’s
guidance and the truth expressed in God’s Word. Transformation of life is
the goal of these sessions, not the storing up of unused knowledge.

Each session has an approach, a study of the text, activities, and some
suggested alternative resources.

These materials may be used in a variety of contexts, for instance in small
groups, in weekly “class” format, in an intensive weekend setting or even
in one on one mentoring appointments. The goal of this material is again a
life transformed under God:

“Jesus we proclaim, teaching and admonishing everyone with all wisdom, that
we may present everyone mature and complete in Christ.” (Col 1:28)

Session Objectives

1. To understand the deep passion of God for justice 2. To gain a fuller appreciation of what heaven is and isn’t; and therefore what God’s intentions are now 3. To apply ourselves to matters of justice in God’s world

Approach

We strongly recommend that you use time to study this text in manuscript
form. The text is rich in allusions and imagination. It is poetry, so it
would be good to read it aloud, perhaps more than once, looking at it and
then simply listening to it.

Text

Isaiah 65:17-25

Activities(below)

Alternative Resources (below)

Summary and connection to next sessions:

In Isaiah 65 we see yet another description of the kind of future God
has planned for the world. In this future there will be health, long life,
economic stability and security and peace for all. This is a picture of a
just world. In Session 8 we will look more closely at God’s idea of
justice, and the connection between justice and worship. Isaiah 65 makes it clear that God cares about the practical things in
our lives-things like housing, work and physical health. We tend to
separate our lives into the sacred and the secular, the spiritual and the
physical. But in the Kingdom of God there seems to be no distinction. In
Session 9 we will ask if there are there ways that our seemingly ‘non-
spiritual’ gifts, resources and interests can be used to build the Kingdom
of God. Isaiah 65:17-25 (NIV)

17”Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.

The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.
18But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.
19I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more
20Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years;
he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth;
he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.
21They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree, So will be the days of my people;
My chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands.
23They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them.
24Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.
25The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD.[2] Questions/Notes on Isaiah 65:17-25

1. Describe heaven as you think of it in a letter written to a close

friend, one who doubts that it exists. Describe what makes heaven heaven. Include your own hopes for heaven, and what perhaps you are not looking forward to.

2. Read the passage aloud a couple of times. What is the tone of the

passage? . It is a passage of great joy and anticipation, of release and delight and freedom; it is a passage that dances

3. Who is the actor in this passage? What does God will in this

passage? . God creates (3x) – new heavens and a new earth; (new) Jerusalem and its people (!) . God hears and answers (v 24) – he is immediately present to his chosen ones . God rejoices – over Jerusalem and his people

4. Why does God say that he will create a new heaven, earth, city, and

people? . It is a picture of God’s transformation of the present realities to be that which is fully submitted to His joyous will. It is not an eradication of the old, but a transformation of the old. It is in some ways analogous to our new creation (Jn 1:12-13; 2 Cor 5:17); we are born from above as new creations, not ceasing our former identity, but “old things have passed away, behold, the new has come). Or better, Jesus after his resurrection was transformed; there was a continuity between his “old” self and his resurrected self. So God will (re)create a new heavens and earth and city, all with their original and glorious intent recovered and fully expressed.

5. What difference does it make to you now that you, and the work that

you do on earth, will be transformed rather than destroyed?
6. What are the areas of life and the promised God makes for each? Do any of these surprise you?

Area of Life	Verses	Promise
Age, or longevity	20,	All will live to full maturity,
22b	no death*
Work	22c-23	Deep satisfaction in work and
a	craft
Heritage or family	23	Blessing of children and
grandchildren who will live!
Fellowship/prayer	24	God will answer quickly and
happily
Peace	25	A new created order of harmony
and no violence; but sin will be
judged

7. In what ways does this vision of the kingdom of God occur even now?

How does it make a difference that Jesus the King has come? . Jesus is the kingdom-bearer; he has introduced the kingdom (Mk 1:13- 14), demonstrated its dynamics, taught its principles, and fulfilled its mission. Healing, wholeness, joy, meaning in work, free provision, intimacy with God, and the promise of victory over death are all available realities for the believer now . Our life in the world is thus different than the world; it is on a different footing. The things we pursue now already are marked with a heavenly scent. This gives new impetus to give ourselves wholly to the kingdom of God

8. Sp