discipleship - Gospel Publishing House

discipleship
SOLUTIONS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL & SMALL GROUP LEADERS
SEP/OCT/NOV 2015
WE ASKED A FEW LEADERS HOW DISCIPLESHIP HAS
IMPACTED THEIR LIVES AND THIS IS WHAT THEY SAID...
“To disciple through
relationships is
the greatest thing
we can do!”
“Everything
I am today, I owe
to discipleship.”
- WES BARTEL
SPRINGFIELD, MO
- KEVIN BROWN
NAALEHU, HI
“It wasn’t just
tradition, it was the
“I could feel the Spirit
of God through my
teacher’s lessons.”
- JOE LARA
CROSBYTON, TX
Hunger for the Holy Spirit resides within each of us.
Leaders who address this need through ongoing
systematic discipleship can anticipate church-wide
spiritual growth. Nourish your Spirit-filled church with
Radiant Life and Vida Nueva curriculums. Sunday
School materials for all ages in English or Spanish.
importance of learni
God’s Word.”
- LARISSA COCKRELL
ROCKY MOUNT, NC
“The Sunday
School Bible stories,
lessons, and teachers
made me the man I
am today.”
“I remember
that was the day
my life changed and
all because of that
sunday school
teacher.”
- CLAUDIA RIVERA
ORLANDO, FL
- NICOLAS ALFARO
SPRINGFIELD, MO
“Discipleship
taught me about
God’s Word and
how to apply it
to daily living.”
e
-MARK ENTZMINGER
SPRINGFIELD, MO
ing
“Discipleship for
“Discipleship
helped fill in the
foundation
of faith...”
me is all about
planting and
growing seeds.”
- LILIA RODRIGUEZ
TEXAS CITY, TX
- MANUEL ALVAREZ
OLD TAPPAN, NJ
WE CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR YOUR STORY TOO.
FIND THESE AND OTHER GREAT RESOURCES AT
MyHealthyChurch.com OR CALL 1.855.642.2011
contents
6
PA G E 6
Kidmin Isn’t Just about Kids...It’s about Families!
PA G E 8
Radiant Life themes
PA G E 9
10
Vida Nueva themes
PA G E 1 0
Weaving the Word into Your Daily Life
PA G E 1 4
Equipping Parents to Disciple
14
For more information about all the resources featured in Discipleship Ideas,
visit MyHealthyChurch.com or call 1-855-642-2011.
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© 2015 by My Healthy Church, 1445 N. Boonville Ave., Springfield, Missouri 65802. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
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BY MARK ENTZMINGER
Kidmin Isn’t Just about Kids...
It’s about Families!
E
very children’s ministry leader desires to
reach the hearts of kids in their ministry.
But what if the best way to truly create a lasting
impact, to truly make a transformational
difference in their life, wasn’t through Sunday
morning services and personal conversations,
but by reaching their families first?
The idea of intentionally equipping and
empowering parents isn’t a new idea for
children’s ministry leaders, but I think it’s one we
quickly forget. Recently George Paul Wood shared some
valuable thoughts about why reaching families
should be a priority for kids’ ministry leaders
in a Vital magazine review he wrote for a book
entitled Families and Faith. While the book
6
isn’t necessarily written from an evangelical
Christian perspective, Wood’s insights from his
own personal life were an incredible reminder of
truths we should embrace as children’s ministry
leaders. Here are a few ideas Wood shared that
stood out: The transmission of faith and
practice across generations
is an important part of
biblical religion.
Throughout Scripture, we see God’s people
transferring the wisdom and desire to know
God from one generation to the next. While it’s
God has always used the family unit to
reveal himself throughout generations. important for kids to develop their
own personal relationship with God,
we must remember that God has
always used the family unit to reveal
himself throughout generations.
Success at transmitting
religion is unequally
distributed.
Our culture has experienced some
incredible shifts in the past 20 to 40
years. But one thing has remained
true. Parents who value, prioritize,
and practice their faith are more likely
to pass that faith on to their children.
When parents actively practice their
faith, most of their kids adopt the
religious beliefs of their parents. If
we want kids to experience what it’s
like to genuinely trust God with every
aspect of their lives, the best way to do
that is to help their parents exemplify
that in their own lives. The intergenerational
transmission of unbelief
is just as strong as faith
in Christ.
In the same way that parents who
are examples of living Spirit-filled
lives are likely to pass that on to their
kids, parents who aren’t serious about
living a life that seeks to know God
set the same example. Unfortunately,
this is an ever-increasing trend in
our society. According to the Pew
Research Center, nonbelieving
families have grown from 7 percent in
1972 to nearly 20 percent in 2012. Creating the best environment to
change the life of a child doesn’t start
in the church; it starts in the home. As
we seek to play our part in developing
healthy disciples of Jesus, I pray that
we won’t neglect the opportunity we
have to reach kids by intentionally
reaching their families.
As the senior director of Children’s Ministries for the
Assemblies of God, Mark leads a high caliber team. He
and his team focus on equipping the local church in
reaching and discipling children so each child can hear
the voice of the Holy Spirit and respond to his call.
7
Check out our
Fall 2015 unit
themes. Radiant
Life curriculum
provides a proven
way to systematically
disciple and educate
believers of all ages.
NURSERY
O N E -Y E A R C YC L E
· God Gives Elijah Food
· Daniel and the Lions
· Jonah and the Big Fish
TODDLERS &
TWOS
T WO -Y E A R C YC L E
Thank You, God...
· We Can Praise You
· For My Friends
· For My Home
· For Water
PRESCHOOL
& BEGINNING
EXPLORERS
T WO -Y E A R C YC L E
· Joseph
· Moses
· David
KINDERGARTEN PRIMARY
MIDDLER
PRETEEN
T WO -Y E A R C YC L E
T H R E E -Y E A R C YC L E
T WO -Y E A R C YC L E
T WO -Y E A R C YC L E
· Moses and the Israelites
· Jesus Teaches Us
· God Gives Judges
· Jesus Has Power
to Heal
· Jesus Has All Power
· Jesus’ Power Shows
His Love
· Who Is God?
· God’s Care
· God’s Power
· Faith
· My Choices
· Books of
Minor Prophets
YOUNG TEEN
HIGH SCHOOL
YOUNG ADULT
ADULT
T H R E E -Y E A R C YC L E
F O U R -Y E A R C YC L E
· Staying Connected
· It’s Time (Esther)
· World Changers:
Missions
8
· Believe It or Not
· Paradoxes of God
· Fax on Faith
Graduates & Professionals
S E V E N -Y E A R C YC L E
· The Book of Joshua
· Jesus in Action: Mark
S E V E N -Y E A R C YC L E
· The Book of Joshua
· Jesus in Action: Mark
Revise los títulos de
nuestras unidades de
septiembre 2015 a
febrero 2016. El currículo
paralelo Radiant Life/Vida
Nueva provee el mismo
discipulado de excelente
calidad para alumnos de
habla hispana de toda
edad. Para una descripcíon
de cada unidad, visite
www.MyHealthyChurch.
com/VidaNueva si necesita
ver la tabla de esquemas
temáticos de Vida Nueva.
PRIMEROS PASOS
CICLO DE DOS AÑOS
TESOROS
DEL REY
MIS AMIGOS
CICLO DE TRES AÑOS
CICLO DE DOS AÑOS
SEPTIEMBRE 2015 A
FEBRERO 2016
· José
· Moisés
· David
· El nacimiento de Jesús
· El ministerio de Jesús
· Jesús ama a los niños
SEPTIEMBRE 2015 A
FEBRERO 2016
SEPTIEMBRE 2015 A
FEBRERO 2016
· Moisés y los israelitas
· Jesús nos enseña
· Dios da jueces
· La Navidad
· La Palabra de Dios
· Dios ama a todos
· Jesús puede sanar
· Jesús tiene todo poder
· Jesús muestra su amor
· La primera Navidad
· La salida de Egipto
· El pueblo de Dios
en el desierto
EL COMPAÑERO
EL EXPLORADOR
EL EMBAJADOR
EL MAESTRO
C I C L O D E C UAT R O A Ñ O S
C I C L O D E C UAT R O A Ñ O S
CICLO DE CINCO AÑOS
CICLO DE SIETE AÑOS
SEPTIEMBRE 2015 A
FEBRERO 2016
SEPTIEMBRE 2015 A
FEBRERO 2016
SEPTIEMBRE 2015 A
FEBRERO 2016
SEPTIEMBRE 2015 A
FEBRERO 2016
· La fe
· Mis elecciones
· Los libros de los
profetas menores
· Respuestas de Jesús
· Actitudes y acciones
· La oración
· Realidades de la fe
· Paradojas de Dios
· Verdades de la fe
(Gálatas/Efesios)
· Liderazgo espiritual
· Inicio del ministerio
de Jesús
· El sexo y lo que
dice Dios
· Los diez mandamientos
· La ética en la sociedad
· El evangelio segun
Lucas
· Compañerismo
cristiano
· El buen manejo del
dinero
· El libro de Josué
· Marcos: Jesús en acción
· Las profecias
mesianicas
· Efesios: la vida cristiana
normal
9
BY GARY SMALLEY
Weaving the Word
into Your Daily Life
I WA S IN M Y L AT EF IF T IES W HEN A
F R IEN D A SK ED,
“How many of Jesus’ teachings
can you remember right now?”
I
was a bit embarrassed to realize that I hadn’t
really meditated on God’s truths, stories, and
promises in a way that made them relevant to my
everyday life, my marriage, kids, and grandkids.
Since that time, I’ve memorized, or have become
very familiar with, over a hundred of His
teachings. Why?
Words build relationships
Part of your generational legacy is faith. Family
is God’s invention and He only wants good things
for his children. We’re well aware that our words
have the power to build a relationship or tear a
family apart—to honor a person or hurt them.
10
I’ve been reading the words of Jesus since I was
a child. But I was a grandfather when I finally
saw the power of His words—not only as a model
for our attitudes and actions, but as having a
unique power to transform us from the inside out.
Time to engage
Many times we avoid reading the Bible because
we have wrong expectations. We believe the
words will only bring condemnation and guilt. I
understand. Many times, Scripture verses have
been used to divide and condemn people. Maybe
you’ve experienced this firsthand. Let the truth of God’s love recalibrate your
3 STEPS
TO A STRONGER FAMILY MINISTRY
11
thinking. You can trust His words for
your life and for your family. You can
introduce the words of Jesus to your
family. Through the Holy Spirit, you’ll
grow together in love and honor.
Learn, understand,
and model the
teachings of Jesus
Tip for Teachers
“Change in our world begins
with positive change in a
family,” Gary Smalley’s new
book notes. “Families change
when men and women
humble themselves and
connect with a loving God.”
As a Christian education
teacher or leader of a
small group, you have an
extraordinary opportunity.
You can promote the healthy
habit of daily Bible reading
and Scripture memorization
among those in your
classroom.
Imagine the potential for
growth. If only half of the
people in your group start
memorizing Scripture now,
and they pass this pattern
to their own kids or friends,
amazing things will happen.
We can be certain about
this because the Bible tells
us that God’s Word will not
return void.
12
Yes, some of Jesus teachings are
promises to us, like “If you remain in
me and my words remain in you, ask
whatever you wish, and it will be done
for you” (John 15:7, NIV).
See what He’s showing us? God
wants goodness for our lives and our
families. He wants our lives to be solid
and unshakable! We don't have to be
perfect. We simply need to believe.
I've found God’s promises to be
true for me. My kids have found them
true and so have my grandkids. One
hundred years from now? Still true—
words to build a life upon, and words to
build generations of love and honor. Inside out
If you want to see changes in your
spouse or kids, don't try to change
them. If you want to see changes
in yourself, don’t rely on your own
efforts. Consider the teachings of Jesus.
Apply them in the messiness of your
relationships. Invite your spouse, your
kids, and your grandkids to join you.
But don’t put your trust in your own
will. The Holy Spirit will do the work of
transformation.
Brain change
When you engage your heart, soul,
and mind on the words of Jesus, your
life will change. A neuroscientist
who helped me understand this is Dr.
Caroline Leaf. Here's what she taught
me about really valuing the words of
Jesus. Every thought we have actually
develops chemically and electrically.
The more emotion we put into a
thought, the bigger the change in our
brains.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.” At first those
words might not make sense. But if we
focus our attention, and ask God for
help, all kinds of practical insight will
emerge.
Believe
Imagine the growth and
transformation happening as you,
your friends, and your family receive a
deep, heartfelt revelation of how much
God values and loves them!
I’d read the teachings of Jesus, but
couldn’t speak any of them from my
heart—because His words weren’t
abiding in me. So the first step I took
was to select four verses and grab onto
them with everything in me. Over and
over I go through these steps:
1 Read the words slowly and
carefully to understand each word.
2F
eel the emotion behind the words.
3 A sk the Holy Spirit what He wants
me to see and hear in them.
4 Read my favorite commentators on
each of the verses.
Then I rinse and repeat. Yes, I rinse
my human thoughts out of my head
and admit that I need to think like God
does. Then I repeat the process.
Positive change in our world begins
with positive change in a family. And
families change when men and women
humble themselves and connect with a
loving God. Why go it alone?
This article is based on excerpts from the new book,
Let’s Do Family Together, by Gary Smalley.
® 2015 Gary Smalley. All rights reserved.
STRENGTHEN
THE SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION OF YOUR HOME
CUNNINGHAM
THE POWER OF HOME
Talk Now and Later
DOLLAR
FIND THESE AND OTHER GREAT RESOURCES AT
MyHealthyChurch.com OR CALL 1.855.642.2011
13
14
BY CASEY GIBBONS
Equipping Parents
to Disciple
{ a parent’s perspective }
"Love is not rude!” said my two daughters in unison after I asked the weekly
Sunday question, “What did you learn at church today?” Boom. They
knew it. They had listened. The Bible lesson was on love and the girls got it.
Mission accomplished. The kids’ ministry should be proud. But now what? A
s you well know, teaching a
lesson at church is one thing,
but leading children in the day in and
day out application of the lesson for
the rest of the week is an enormous
task for even the most engaged dad
or mom. Parents need adequate
information to help guide a child from
the lesson learned at church to the
application in the home. In preparation
for leading the families in your area
of influence, remember to include a
strategy of equipping parents to disciple
their kids after the service is over.
Here are some simple, yet effective
ideas from a parent’s perspective: + Place a sticker on each preschool
child as they leave the class that
includes the main lesson learned,
Scripture, and discussion question.
Although sending home a paper version
can add value, oftentimes these are
dropped, left in the car, lost, forgotten,
or discarded before used. A sticker
helps keep up with the information
from the moment the child is picked up.
+ Send out an e-mail, text, or church
app update (better yet, do all three) with
a brief description of the lesson as well
as a couple of discussion questions that
parents can talk about in the car or
around the dinner table.
+ Use the church bookstore, resource
center, or Web site to reiterate the topics
taught or to promote parenting books
that would give insight for those raising
children.
+ Host parenting classes for a few
weeks that include teaching on how to
apply at home what is taught at church.
This class could be scheduled during
a Sunday morning small group time
or during the midweek service. Use
role playing to keep it engaging with
a visual example of taking church
lessons and applying them day in and
day out. Teach your parents how to
talk with their children about God, His
Word, and how biblical truth affects
their lives.
+ Have a connecting point from your
lead pastor. Ask your lead pastor to take
a brief moment to encourage parents as
they leave service. He could ask them
to discuss the children’s service with
their children over lunch, to utilize car
time to worship, or to spend moments
before bed to read the Word with their
children. Adults will respond to their
pastor’s encouragement.
With these suggestions and other
great ideas, the “now what?” question
for parents can be answered as they
are equipped for further discussion and
discipleship with their child following
services.
What new idea can you implement
to strengthen parents in their role of
discipler?
Casey has a passion to lead young people to Jesus through
the local church and in the family setting. She is the mother
of 6 young children, a youth pastor’s wife for 15 years, and a
strategic partner with Girls Ministries.
15
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