A PUBLICATION OF
The
WINTER 2013
Navigators
Discipleship 80 Years at the Heart of The Navigators
Was Discipleship
S
important
ome people may be surprised to learn that the word discipleship never appears in the Bible.
to Jesus?
Was discipleship important to Jesus? His own words certainly indicate that. He specifically told His followers, “. . . go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19,20). Some people may be surprised to learn that the word discipleship never appears in the Bible. Not only that, but the word disciple never appears as a verb in Scripture, either. Look all you want, but you won’t find a mention of Jesus discipling Peter or John or any of the twelve. What does that mean for an organization such as The Navigators that has focused on making disciples for 80 years? It’s easy for us to define discipleship by certain criteria. We can look at how well we know the Bible and how much of it we’ve committed to memory. We can consider the amount of time we spend in prayer and the kinds of things we pray about. We can evaluate our skill at sharing the truth of the Gospel with others. There are plenty of spiritual disciplines by which we can define our discipleship. And all of these disciplines are good things and are important for a life of discipleship. Jesus, however, made a very revealing comment about what it means to be His disciple. “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher,” (Luke 6:40, nkjv). Some translations replace the word disciple
with pupil or student. That’s what a disciple really is: a learner. As disciples of Jesus we are to learn, and when we are perfectly (or fully) trained, we will be like Him. That’s the true goal of discipleship. It’s not to generate Bible scholars or evangelists, or counselors or even leaders. The result of discipleship is someone who is like Jesus. That’s a powerful thing. Consider the impact the early disciples had. It wasn’t their Bible knowledge or their oratory skills that made them stand out. “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus,” (Acts 4:13). The apostle Paul, who devoted his life to equipping believers to be followers of Jesus, embraced this. No wonder he wrote: “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ,” (1 Corinthians 11:1, nasb). Keep that thought in mind as you read through the stories in this issue of Disciple! No matter where people are engaged in the process of discipleship, no matter what tools or techniques they use to pass on spiritual truth, the goal is men and women who become more and more like Jesus—and are able to pass this character on to others and help them do the same. “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit,” (2 Corinthians 3:18). D! Dig Deeper at my.navigators.org/disciple
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Photograph by Sean Sheridan
A Vital Movement of the
O
FOLLOWING JESUS IN TODAY’S WORLD
FIELD NOTES NOTES
More Than a “Soccer Mom”
Gospel
ur Navigator Vision statement starts out this way:
“We see a vital movement of the Gospel, fueled by prevailing prayer, flowing freely through relational networks and out into the nations. Workers for the Kingdom are next door to everywhere!”
As we enter a new year, it is always encouraging to have a vision that is bigger than reality—something only God can accomplish! That’s what is behind the word movement. A movement, in a spiritual sense, could be defined as a spontaneous, perpetual, cascading domino effect of the Good News of Jesus. Like an infectious chain of laughter, Gospel movement injects faith, joy, love, hope, and freedom into the lives of people it touches. The Navigators is pleading for God to use us in a movement that has God as its source and sustainer and reaches people in every walk of life. This kind of movement has prevailing prayer as it’s fuel, relational networks as its conduit as it ripples out to touch the nations of the world. The Navigators has as its unique vision and contribution in the Body of Christ to raise up Kingdom workers in every nook and cranny of our world—everyday people, like you, who are able to embody and communicate the love of Jesus—next door to everywhere. And because of God’s power, goodness, and grace, it is happening—here in the United States and in more than 110 countries around the world. We are glad that you are part of the adventure! D! In His Grip, Doug Nuenke U.S. President, The Navigators
Sometimes people think that discipleship is mystical or complicated, but to a mom in Melbourne, Florida, it’s not all that complicated. She knows spiritual reproduction is the simple act of extending God’s love to others in the context of daily life—and watching it spread. As a sophomore at the University of Florida, Lynne Mills was “on the fence” as far as her relationship with God. Then she met The Navigators. “I really grew in my relationship with God,” she says. “People spent oneon-one time with me and invested their lives in me.” The principles she learned became the foundation of a lifelong walk with God. It was a foundation that Lynne built on right where she was. “I got married and started a family,” Lynne shares. “And it was through my investment in my kids’ lives, and what they were doing that I’ve been able to use the foundational principles I learned from The Navigators.” The things she learned 30 years ago as a college student, Lynne now puts into practice every day. When one of her daughters wanted to play a sport, Lynne got her involved in soccer. Lynne soon fell in love with the game too, and ended up coaching—even though she’d never played herself! “More than falling in love with soccer,” says Lynne, “I fell in love with being involved in the lives of youth.” And she added, “You hear about ‘unreached’ or ‘untouched’ people in other countries,” she says, “but there are a lot of ‘untouched’ people—especially youth—
right here in America. So many kids in this country never hear about who God is.” So Lynne began sharing spiritual things with some of the players. “It started simple l i ke saying a prayer before games,” she says. “Then we began inviting the kids to church and to our home. Coaching these kids has opened up so many doors to being involved in peoples’ lives!” Through Lynne’s influence, a number of these kids attended a youth camp sponsored by Lynne’s church. In fact, of the kids attending the camp who didn’t have a faith background, the vast majority came through Lynne’s children or through her soccer connection. But was “spiritual reproduction” happening? Lynne’s daughter, Kassidy, related that, “My mom taught me a lot about relationships with people. She taught me the importance of taking the time to get to know them and— when the opportunity comes—to tell them about Jesus.” “It’s so neat to see my kids picking up the vision of wanting to share what God is doing in their lives,” Lynne says. “It’s a lifestyle The Navigators instilled in me.” And now she gets to see her children living it out as well. Lynne sees herself as more than a “soccer mom.” As she puts it, “I’m a soccer coach. But at the foundation of my heart, I’m proud to say that I’m a Navigator!” D! Check out the generational video at my.navigators.org/mills
For more on The Navigator Vision Statement visit: Navigators.org/us/aboutus/values-vision my. n av i gato r s .o rg/ d i s c i pl e
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A He art Fo
FOLLOWING JESUS IN TODAY’S WORLD
FIELD NOTES NOTES Next Door to Everywhere by Jin Rood Navigators talk about making disciples “next door to everywhere.” That means that wherever they are and whatever they do for a living, they are living out the Gospel among the people they are around. For some people, that environment is quite different than the one they are used to. As Navigator staff members Mark and Jin Rood prepared to return to minister in Japan recently, Jin gave voice to some of her thoughts about advancing the Gospel in a culture so different from her own. I’ve been thinking a lot about how I will adjust to life back in Japan. The past few days, I’ve felt rather reluctant to go. As I’ve thought about it, the main reason is the fact that I can communicate so easily in my native tongue and not so easily in Japanese. In the United States, I can banter with the barista at the coffee shop, and ask questions of the homeless man on the street. I can have a 20-minute conversation with the mom at the park who just moved here from Las Vegas. I can make a quick joke when the waiter brings my drink without that pang of fear in my gut that perhaps my joke was misunderstood. I can spin lovely phrases and sound oh-so-very educated and smart. I can choose how I want others to perceive me, based on my phrasing and intonation. I can picture myself developing relationships with these people and seeing the doors to the Gospel and Jesus opening with the slightest push from my fingers. In stark contrast to this, when I am in Japan, I am easily misunderstood and often have no idea whether people “get” the spiritual things I share or not. My comments are often greeted 4 | d i s c i pl e! | w i n t er 2 013
with awkward silence and furrowed brows. There is a lot of bending over the dictionary and fumbling through explanations. I find myself using a lot of “kindergarten” language—although I’m not even positive exactly what that sounds like. One thing is for sure: In Japan there is a lot less of me, and a whole lot more of God. When I’m in Japan, I frequently pray throughout whole conversations with friends. It’s not because I’m holy. It’s not some spiritual discipline I’ve developed. I don’t do that when I have conversations here in the United State, in my own language. I just talk. In Japan, however, I’m needy. Oh God, help me know what to say next. Let this woman I’m talking to understand in her heart. If I say the wrong thing, let her ears be stopped. Don’t let untrue things about You circulate because I don’t know what I’m doing or saying. Help me to know what would encourage her. Let us have fun. Let her understand. Let me understand. I think I finally understand why I feel nonplussed about leaving. In America, I’m competent. I am smart and capable, and my ego grows larger by the day. I don’t get those same strokes for my ego in Japan. Sometimes I wish it were different— easier. But I do know that things worth having are often difficult to obtain. And I think humility might be worth having. And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe (1 Thessalonians 2:13). D!
I
by Lorne Sanny
came to know the Lord in my first year of junior college and I remember only one person giving me any personal help in the Christian life—someone who took five minutes to suggest that I read the Bible.
Then I met Dawson (“Daws”) Trotman and got into a Bible class he held each morning at 6:15. One afternoon he said, “Sanny, how would you like to have prayer with me tomorrow morning?” He told me to meet him on a little sand bar down at the edge of a creek. I got there at five and we had a couple of hours together in the Word and in prayer. Then he said, “How about tomorrow morning?” Deep in my heart there were things plaguing me, and I wanted someone I could talk to. I wasn’t the kind of guy to open my heart to just anybody, but Daws was a man interested enough in me to give me help, to invest his time in me. He was a man to whom I could open my heart, and he helped me. Early in my life with The Navigators, I helped a friend who had a high school ministry. He had lined up 18 meetings for me in 16 days with 17 different groups. I told him, “You can’t follow up people like that. You don’t just wave a magic wand, give them one pep talk and automatically get them moving on for Christ. Let me talk individually with some of your key young people.” First, I met with his “key guy.” After we had talked for a while, I asked him about his Bible reading and the time he was spending in prayer and found out he wasn’t doing too well. Later I asked his youth leader, Ben, how he thought his “key guy” was doing with reading the Bible and prayer. Ben replied that this guy was one of his best guys and was doing all right. I
rt For
Individuals told him how he was really doing and then said, “You’ve got to get some time with him individually to know how he’s getting along.” Then I talked with a young lady who was the “key Christian girl” in her high school and discovered that she was in an inappropriate relationship with her boyfriend. In tears he told me, “I want victory, I really do! But I don’t know anyone to go to.” Later, I told Ben. “This girl goes to a church where the Bible is preached. She goes to Sunday school, Sunday night youth meetings, Sunday night service, and to Wednesday night prayer meetings. And yet the effects of all of these are being nullified by the sin taking place in her life. And I was the first person who ever sat down and took an individual, personal interest in her.” What’s involved in having a one-to-one ministry to individuals? Most people are looking for a list of steps, but it’s more than a formula. You’ve got to have a heart for people—a vision of the worth of every person, and a vision of the possibilities of that person as a channel for God to use. A lot of us don’t have a vision of what God can do with a person. We often think about the sharp guy with brains, creativity, and ideas. But God doesn’t need that guy’s brains. He doesn’t need his creativity. He doesn’t need his ideas. That isn’t God’s problem. His problem is getting people to carry out His ideas. Before I met Charlie Riggs, he had worked as a roughneck in the oil fields of Pennsylvania. He could hardly talk without stuttering. If you asked a personnel board to consider him as a trainer of counselors, he would have been last on the list. But God picked him out, and Charlie trained several hundred thousand people in personal counseling all over the world through his work
with the Billy Graham team. In those days I didn’t realize the importance of helping just one fellow, but it’s astounding what God has done with him.
Jesus Had a Heart for Individuals
blessed you with? What has He done for you? Where have you been successful? Where have you failed?
Ingredients for Fruitful Discipleship
Luke 18:35–43 describes Your time together should Jesus walking into town with have three basic ingredients. crowds of people around. The first is testimony. You When a blind beggar called openly identify with Jesus out to Jesus, He stopped. Christ. You share how God “What do you want me to do has saved you, and fulfilled for you?” Jesus asked. “Lord I His promises to you, and want to see,” the beggar said. Lorne Sanny was president of The answered your prayers. Navigators for 30 years following And Jesus healed him. The second is God’s Dawson Trotman’s death in 1956. Then Jesus saw Zacchaeus Word. There’s something the tax collector in a tree above the crowds, and about sharing something fresh and vital Jesus said, “Come down immediately. I must and alive from the Scriptures that strikes a stay at your house today.” Amid the throngs of fire inside. people, Jesus saw individuals of worth and posThe third ingredient is prayer. You haven’t sibilities. Likewise, you and I need to have such really shared your heart with someone until a heart for individuals that we’ll be willing to you’ve prayed with him. Looking back on my invest ourselves in one out of a crowd. life together with Daws, the times that stand out Being willing to invest in one means we’ve as mountain peaks in our relationship were the got to be willing to get involved with people’s times we prayed together. problems. But sometimes we don’t want to get As the person you’re helping begins to grow, involved. We don’t want the phone to ring at help him start moving out into ministry— night. But if you’re going to get involved with winning the lost and making disciples. Get him people, that’s the price to be paid. to do what you’re doing. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:15, “So I will It isn’t complicated. It just happens to be a very gladly spend for you everything I have and costly thing. It will tear you apart. But it will expend myself as well. If I love you more, will also thrill you. And you’ll have no greater joy you love me less?” Have you ever really suffered than to see that person walking in the Truth— for anybody else? That’s what it means to work except to see him get someone else walking in with others, one to one. the Truth. That’s sweeter still. D! If there’s a key word on this subject of helpAdapted from the May/June 1983 issue of Discipleship ing individuals, it’s sharing. Don’t make it comJournal. Used by permission of NavPress. plicated. Just share your life. What has God my. n av i gato r s .o rg/ d i s c i pl e
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alongSidEr
the WaYs oF the a conVersation With Bill MoWrY
B
ill Mowry is a veteran staff member with The Navigators. He has a masters in adult education from Ohio State and is a published author in the areas of education, learning, discipleship, and leadership. Bill and his wife, Peggy, live in Columbus, Ohio, and serve with The Navigators Church Discipleship Ministry. His passion is to create ministry cultures where people are relationally doing the Great Commission, one person at a time.
DISCIPLE!: Your book is titled, The Ways of the Alongsider. Where did that descriptor originate? Describe for us just what an “alongsider” entails.
Bill Mowry: It occurred to me that while the Gospels talk about disciples, there is little or no reference to that term in the epistles. The model we see in the early church was one of “one another”—individuals coming alongside others to help follow Christ whole-heartedly. Rather than a hierarchy of teacher and student, it’s an emphasis on two adults in relationship where one is intentionally helping the other to follow Jesus.
D!: So, how does the “alongsider” approach differ?
D!: In the book, you say that you want to change how people think about disciplemaking. What do you consider to be the biggest misconception about making disciples?
Bill: That pastor understood that making disciples isn’t just for the professionals. So he asked the class, “How many of you think you could build a solid relationship with another person, read the Bible with them, ask him good questions about his life and what the Bible says about how to live, and encourage that person in applying the truth of Scripture to his life?” Every person in that class thought they could do that.
Bill: A pastor I worked with was teaching a class on discipleship and one of the adults in the class said, “I don’t think I could ever be a disciplemaker.
D!: It’s intriguing that the book focuses on the ways of the “alongsider”—rather than the secrets, the skills, or the methods. Was this intentional?
Disciplemaking for the Rest of Us Jesus charged His disciples to “go and make disciples.” But being a disciple of Jesus involves much more than simply doing Bible study or completing the curriculum of some “discipleship program.” That’s why The Ways of the Alongsider is more than simply a Bible study. It’s a guide to learning and developing “life-to-life” skills that are essential for making disciples. The Ways of the Alongsider paints a fresh picture of disciplemaking that makes it clear that this
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I could never stand in front of a class and teach like you do.” In this man’s mind, that’s what making disciples looked like and it was something only professionals or particularly gifted people can do. That’s a huge—and common—misconception. And a lot of people think discipleship needs to be complicated. It doesn’t.
vital ministry isn’t just the domain of ministry professionals. Making disciples and participating in the Great Commission is something every follower of Jesus can do. The 10 chapters in this guide are packed with Bible studies, creative assignments, and challenging reflection questions that tackle topics such as authenticity, transparency, vulnerability—and other relationship issues that you won’t find in most “discipleship” curriculum.
oRDeR BILL’S Book, download a FRee CHaPTeR, or find out more information at my.navigators.org/mowry.
ministry snapshots
For 80 years Navigators have been making disciples wherever God has placed them. Here are a few “snapshots” showing how things have changed over 80 years.
Bill: It’s very intentional! There should be a certain “way” about those who follow Jesus. Discipleship is relational. An “alongsider” builds authentic, transparent relationships with others in which both parties are vulnerable. The things we pass on aren’t “secrets”—they’re available to anyone. It’s not primarily about methods, either. Discipleship is about helping others discover what the Scriptures say and asking good questions that encourage people to respond to the Spirit. D!: What do you think is the single most important thing someone can learn from working through the material in this book? Bill: Two things stand out to me. First, I want to change the image people have of discipleship. I want to move it from the picture of a ministry professional or a classroom to an alongsider who makes disciples in life2life ways. Second, people will learn some practical skills that will enhance their disciplemaking ministry. The book will help them learn how to build authentic relationships, ask powerful questions, read the Bible with others, and start discipleship conversations. The Ways of the Alongsider is more than a book to read or a study to complete. It’s about how to create a new way of life—the life of an alongsider. D!
t movemen g n li ip c is d In 1933, a under fo r to a ig v en Na began wh d n disciple a tm o r T Dawson who then , r e c n e p S d sailor Les ers aboar th o g in h c began tea ia. est Virgin W S S U the
In 1949, Roy Robertson entered China as the first Navigator international missionary.
and In 1958, LeRoy egan the Virginia Eims b Collegiate first Navigator Universit y e th t a y tr is in m of Nebra sk a.
Today, Navigators work among military personnel on 112 military bases worldwide. Plus, Navigator discipleship has spread to college campuses, city centers, churches, and coffee shops as everyday people capture the vision for creating disciples.
I n 20 12, N av i g a t or s h ad a c t i ve m i s si on s i n 10 8 c o u nt r ie s a c ro s s t he g lo b e .
At the beginning of 2013, there are Navigator Collegiate ministries on 158 different campuses across the United States.
my. n av i gato r s .o rg/ d i s c i pl e
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Money Matters you Can afford It, But Should you Buy It? by Matt Bell Financial success has much to do with how well we make certain key decisions. How much should we spend on a house? Should we finance a vehicle? By the same token, day-to-day money management can be simplified by using a Cash Flow Plan built on an objective look at how much a household of our size and income can afford to spend on this or that. However, truly wise money management requires more than a spreadsheet.
God’s Math For anyone whose faith is at the center of his or
her life, God-honoring money management isn’t primarily about being out of debt and living within our means. It’s about loving God and people well. And that’s what makes the words from 1 Corinthians 10:23, 24 so challenging:
hand, could it be a blessing to others? Could it enable us to have a positive impact on people we might not otherwise have an opportunity to interact with? If we can afford to buy an expensive vehicle that turns heads, should we? Or, could the turned heads impact the way we view ourselves? Could it negatively impact how others in our sphere of influence use money? On the other hand, could such a vehicle be part of the “everything” God provides “for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17)?
Pause Before Buying When making financial decisions, we
“‘Everything is permissible’—but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible’—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.”
would do well to stop and ask questions based on 1 Corinthians 10:23, 24. What would a person of faith do in this situation? And, assuming it’s a permissible decision, how might it impact the good of others? It’s also best not to answer such questions too quickly. I can’t tell you exactly what type of home or car to buy, or which brand of laundry detergent a Christ-follower would choose for that matter. But I’m confident that asking such questions will lead to benefits that extend far beyond the bottom line. D!
If we can afford to buy a huge, lavish home, should we? Or, could living in such a home do something to our hearts? Could it put some distance between us and other people? On the other
Matt Bell is Associate Editor at Sound Mind Investing and the author of three personal finance books published by NavPress http:// www.navpress.com/author/A12715/Matt-Bell#speakerInformation.
part of the plan Multiply your Impact!
D
id you know that there are tangible ways that you can maximize your stock investments while giving to the charity of your choice? Non-profit organizations like The Navigators can receive gifts of stock and other appreciated assets. Here are a few other savings options to consider.
option 1: If you have held a particu-
lar appreciated stock for more than one year and give it to a non-profit organization, you can deduct it’s full value, not just what you paid for it. You also save by avoiding paying capital gains tax that otherwise will be due on the sale.
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option 2: If the value of your stock
presently is less than its cost, you also have the option to sell and make a gift to a charity. The benefit of this choice is that you are still able to take deductions for both the capital loss and your charitable gift, effectively deducting more than the current value of the security.
option 3: If your future investments risk high taxability at the end of life, there is a way to limit this burden. A bequest of stock is a viable option. In your will or trust, simply include
instructions for transferring the stock to that non-profit organization. This charitable deduction will lessen the taxable impact for your estate and your heirs. These are just a few options on how you can make your stock investments work for you, your family, and a charity. For more information on how you can invest in The Navigators ministry, visit our website today at www.navigators. org/us/support or call Marie HughesWabst directly at 1-888-283-0157 for personal assistance. D!
For more information on the benefits of making gifts of stock, visit: nationalchristian.com/1615.
We are not
By Joel Helms Twenty-two student leaders launched 14 Bible studies at the University of South Carolina after some serious recruiting during our fall launch. We wish we could say that every time we launched something on campus or in the dorms, it would be a rousing success. The reality, however, is that some efforts work and some don’t. Of the 14 Bible studies that our student leaders launched, three struggle each week just to survive. When it comes to advancing the Gospel on campus, sometimes the most important thing we can do is just show up. Other times, the most important thing is not to give up! What’s so encouraging about the situation here in Columbia is that I don’t have to remind the student leaders to persevere; they are persevering! Recently, I suggested to a couple of our leaders that they might want to consider moving their focus away from a particular dorm where we weren’t seeing a lot of response. Both leaders responded, “God has laid this dorm on our hearts and we’re not giving up! We want to continue praying, believing, and go for it.” How can you argue with that? God is rewarding the perseverance of these leaders with creativity. They’ve taken pizza into the dorms. They’ve tried football party outreaches. They’ve taken spiritual surveys. God is helping them make inroads. And doors are beginning to open. These two leaders called me recently with incredible excitement in their voices. They had been in several dorm rooms and engaged in the lives of the young men living there after taking a couple of pizzas to them. Their perseverance was paying off. We love to see and report on the times when God blesses our efforts with wild success. The thing is, it
giving up doesn’t happen all the time. But we are even more encouraged by persevering hearts we see among our campus leaders—hearts that grab hold of the promises of God, pray them, and believe them. Please pray for the leaders of the other two struggling Bible studies and ask that that they, too, would remain steadfast and not give up. Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good (Ecclesiastes 11:6, nasb). Joel and Kelly Helms are Navigator staff members at the University of South Carolina.
G
od is rewarding the perseverance of these leaders with creativity.
For more information about the Helms’ ministry, check out navigators.org/us/staff/helms my. n av i gato r s .o rg/ d i s c i pl e
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W h at Do You Do W hen I t ’s
not working
By Craig Parker
O
ur staff really wrestled over why things were not working at the largest
campus in
Boston.
Craig and Nancy Parker serve as Campus Directors for The Navigators at Boston University, and as the Metro leaders for campus ministries in the Boston area
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The Dartmouth baseball coach once said to me, “Craig, in the Ivy League, it’s not about wins and losses . . . unless you lose.” The Navigators corollary to this is, “In ministry, it’s not about numbers . . . unless nobody shows up.” Last year was a discouraging ministry year. Only two freshman women really got involved. No freshmen men. Only three students continued from the year before. Our staff and I really wrestled over why things were not working at Boston University, the largest campus in Boston with 15,977 undergraduates.
Many friends prayed— We thought about quitting, but this year things are different. Although He didn’t need to, God has graciously brought in some great people. Here’s a bit of what’s been happening at Boston University since September. During freshman orientation, we had a drawing for gift cards. We had tables at various locations including SPLASH (the student activities fair). We were one of hundreds of student organizations vying for the chance to connect with the 3,900 new freshmen on campus. After spending a week encouraging students to fill out cards indicating if they had interest in talking about spiritual things, we had the names of 477 freshmen and upperclassmen who showed interest in learning more about what we’re doing. But would it work? Would anybody show up? Then we prayed and reached out—and students responded. Here are some of those numbers that “don’t matter” until you think about the people behind the numbers, and how their lives can be changed:
• 60 people showed up at our first Navigator dinner. • 15 people started coming to Bible study consistently, including five to seven guys each week to our freshmen men’s study. • 30–35 students are showing up at our “Nav Night” each Thursday. • 30 students attended our fall retreat in New Hampshire. • Students from Berklee College of Music, Bunker Hill Community College, MIT, Harvard Medical, and Emmanuel College have also gotten involved. • We’re engaged with 15–20 students in sporting events each week. • 21 students signed up for community service with us in East Boston recently.
All of this activity is great. But what really encourages us is when we see God at work in the hearts and lives of these students. One highlight was when one of the students who joined us at our Nav Night shared a bit about her faith journey. I was confirmed as a Catholic in Brazil, but then I gave up on God through high school and college. It is only since being involved with The Navigators this summer that I have decided I really want to believe and be a Christian. Thank you for everything you do. D! For more information about Craig’s ministry at B.U., check out navstaff.org/parker.
Resources for Today’s Disciple
When it comes to living out our faith, we all need a little extra help at times. Here are some resources to help you pursue a deeper walk with God.
books
booklets
audio
Lifestyle Discipleship: Encouraging Others to Spiritual Maturity by Jim Petersen How can we attempt to influence people who care little about religion, let alone their personal spiritual growth? Perhaps it is time to set our agenda aside and focus instead on where others are. Jim Petersen reexamines our assumptions about discipleship against the Scriptures in light of our world today.
Marks of a Disciple by Lorne Sanny It’s one thing to talk about “making disciples,” but what does a disciple of Jesus really look like? Former Navigator president Lorne Sanny takes a closer look at three essential character traits that should define a disciple of Jesus.
The Need of the Hour by Dawson Trotman This timeless message from The Navigators founder Dawson Trotman about what is needed to advance the Gospel into the world is as powerfully compelling today as it was when he first delivered it. You can listen to his motivating
Blogs Making Waves: Reflections on Walking with God and Helping Others Do the Same by Doug Nuenke What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ—to walk with Him and help others to do the same—in today’s world? The Navigators U.S. President Doug Nuenke shares down-to-earth, practical insights from Scripture and life about what it means “to know Christ and to make Him known ®” in today’s challenging world.
Christlikeness by Jim White Being a disciple is about more than just the things you do. It’s about who you are. It’s about being like Christ. Navigator Jim White discusses what it takes to develop and integrate three characteristics of Jesus’ life—transparency, meekness, and love.
Check out any of these resources at
appeal FREE at my.navigators.org/ discipleresourcespage.
bible studies The Adventure of Discipling Others by Ron Bennett and John Purvis Making disciples isn’t a program—it’s an adventure. Just like Jesus, you can pour faith into believers, helping them grow spiritually and fulfill their unique niche in God’s Kingdom. Veteran Navigator disciplemakers cover: • why we are called to disciple believers • what topics lay a biblical foundation for new Christians • how to develop a discipling process
my.navigators.org/discipleresources my. n av i gato r s .o rg/ d i s c i pl e
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TAKE IT AND USE IT
Discipleship: Helping Someone
Become Like His Teacher
D!2GO
When Jesus talked about what it meant to be His disciple, He used a pretty high standard: Himself.
WINTeR 2013 MINISTRy MaTeRIaLS To USe oN yoUR oWN oR IN yoUR SMaLL GRoUP
“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master” (Matthew 10:24,25, NASB).
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f our calling is to “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19,20) it seems obvious that we are to help people become more like Jesus. One essential part of doing that is to pray for those whom God had entrusted to our care and instruction. Jesus prayed for His disciples. How can we pray for the people God has entrusted to us? Sometimes when we’re helping someone grow as a disciple of Jesus, it’s perfectly clear how we should pray for him or her. The people we help spiritually sometimes face watershed decisions that having lasting consequences. Sometimes a younger disciple-to-be asks for specific prayer for an issue he or she is facing. How can you pray for a disciple when you don’t have a specific request or don’t know of a particular need? You can pray for a disciple to become more like Jesus. The Bible tells us, “. . . Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). We can use those broad categories as guidelines to pray for people we are helping to mature in Christ. Here are some suggestions: Feel free to copy this prayer guide for your own use or share with your small group. The page is set up to fit on letter-sized paper. Just place it face down with the at the edge of your copier. or download a FRee PDF of this tool at my.navigators.org/d2go.
WISDoM Biblical wisdom is not merely acquiring knowledge (as important as that is), but it is also learning how to apply knowledge to everyday life. We can pray that growing disciples will become more like Jesus in the way they daily live out the truth of the Bible (James 1:22).
STaTURe Jesus grew physically. It’s easy to overlook the importance of physical health—to consider it “non-spiritual.” But nineteenth-century preacher Robert Murray McCheyne worked so hard that his health finally broke. Before dying at age 29 he wrote, “God gave me a message to deliver and a horse to ride. Alas, I have killed the horse and now I cannot deliver the message.” We can pray that growing disciples will understand that “physical training is of some value . . .” (1 Timothy 4:8).
FaVoR WITH GoD Obedience—the ability to listen to God and to do what He wants—is essential to being like Jesus. We can pray that a young disciple will be like Jesus who said that His food was, “to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34).
FaVoR WITH MaN How did Jesus grow in favor with men? He did everything well (Mark 7:37). He engaged with people—even the “undesirable” people (Luke 15:13). He spoke with authority—but not arrogance (Luke 4:32). We can pray that God will help a disciple find favor with those around him—without losing his or her “saltiness.”
Copyright © 2013. Chief Development Officer: Jim Young; Donor Stewardship Director: Stephanie Rich; Editor: Mike Smith; Art Director: Anne Meskey Elhajoui; Memberships: Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and Evangelical Fellowship of Missions Agencies. The Navigators • P.O. Box 6000, Colorado Springs, CO 80934. www.navigators.org Feedback or Story Ideas? Email us at info@navigators.org. 12 | d i s c i pl e! | w i n t er 2 013