Discipleship and Riverstones.
When I heard "Riverstone" sung by the composer, Austin Cunningham, I knew what I would name my next church. He sings, "Lord make me beautiful like a riverstone". That idea of a rough rock being shaped and polished struck me. We all start out rough. The Lord throws us in the river together and its our job to just keep moving in the flow of His river of love and grace.
Discipleship is like that. Jesus took a bunch of rough as a cob men and transformed them. As they listened, watched and then did what he said they became different people. They became just like him. It wasn't easy, but the world is a better place because they hung in there to the end.
Jesus' call to us today is to jump in, get moving with Him, and take shape. Eventually we become rounded and beautiful as we are shaped to be like Him. Finally, when we are polished the true beauty trapped inside the rock is revealed.
At RiverStone we have developed an approach to discipleship for everyone. Most programs have a one size fits all approach. It doesn't work. The seeker or new Christian is confused and those who have been around a while are bored, and everyone is frustrated. Kind of like an onion, we've got layers (couldn't resist the Shrek reference).
This approach is modeled upon the one Jesus, a Rabbi, used with his disciples. He taught, judged cases, applied the Law and His knowledge of God's character to cases brought to Him, and touched peoples lives deeply. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not merely "knowing" stuff, but also "doing" something. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. So, RiverStone disciples must KNOW and DO.
Here is an explanation of the 5 levels of discipleship.
D1 - Discipleship level one. Beginning level, for those just getting their feet wet. Maybe you know nothing about Christianity, or its been a while and you need to start over again. Perhaps you just need to refresh on what the answers a beginner seeks are.
D2 - Getting rolling. Now that you have liked being a disciple (student) of Jesus Christ, you want to move further downstream. You have learned His teaching makes life work and you can trust Him. KNOW: We will lay a foundation, broad and shallow. Even if you've been in church forever, there are probably some areas you need to brush up on. There are probably even gaps that never got filled in, even questions your never knew to ask. DO: You will get involved on a Team that does things together. This builds community and character as we shine the light of Christ to our neighbors in many ways.
What about salvation in this system? Aren't you forgetting something? Not at all!
Somewhere in level one or two a person will have to come to a conclusion. Jesus didn't demand conversion from His disciples up front. The disciples didn't understand Him yet. Likewise, Jesus didn't tell us to go "evangelize and make converts", but to go "teaching...making disciples". So we teach them Jesus' ways and commands.
Everyone has three options after they learn about and from Jesus:
Option 1. He is not the sole source of salvation for humanity, and I won't take him to be my savior and Lord.
Option 2. He is the savior of the world, but I choose to ignore Him and go my own way.
Option 3. He is savior of the world and I will commit my whole life to Him as my savior and Lord.
Everyone is welcome to hang out with us at D1 or D2. We can only present Jesus patiently to all, not willing that any should perish. When they make that commitment, Lord knows!
However, only those who made the 3rd commitment above can make it to D3. Its not our policy, its just the facts. D3 requires that a person have the Holy Spirit working in and through them for the good of the faith community. The Bible tells us He does this uniquely through those who have taken Christ as Lord. He gives us a new birth spiritually, teaches us, guides us and gives us spiritual gifts to use to help others and testify to the world about Jesus.
D3 - Taking Shape. When you have mastered D2 your natural and spiritual gifts will begin to be evident to all around you. It is time to learn to be a leader, a servant leader utilizing and refining your gifts, talents and calling. KNOW: You will continue to grow in your knowledge of the Lord and His ways. DO: You will also be trained to be a leader. At the right time you may become a Team leader. You will also be discipling others who are younger in their faith, growing together.
D4 - Now your life evidences Christlike love and righteousness to all in the faith community, and to everyone else. Your conduct, service, spiritual maturity all make you meet the qualifications of an elder according to Paul's specifications. See 1 Timothy 3 You will be coached, mentored, and trained to meet the qualifications and execute the duties of an elder in the church. (This doesn't mean you will be an elder, just that you are qualified to lead the church in that way.)
D5 - Making Ministers. And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; Ephesians 4:11-13 Some will feel called to ministry. The fruit of their ministry, the quality of their lives, their Christlike character will confirm and the leaders of the church will affirm their calling. The existing ministers in the church will train them, pairing each one up with a mentor who shares their ministry calling (evangelists with an evangelist, apostle (church planter or missionary) with apostle, pastor with pastor...).
When this process has been completed the church will have trained ministers of each type Christ gave to the church, ready elders, and trained leaders. The hope is that enough will be trained that new churches can be planted, missions started and ministries launched. The new ministries will be piloted by people that have the RiverStone DNA, many from birth, new-birth that is.
You can see that at RiverStone we aren't looking to make bench warmers. If this sounds like the kind of Christianity you can believe in and get excited about we invite you to jump in the river with us! How about contacting the pastor right now.
Discipleship is like that. Jesus took a bunch of rough as a cob men and transformed them. As they listened, watched and then did what he said they became different people. They became just like him. It wasn't easy, but the world is a better place because they hung in there to the end.
Jesus' call to us today is to jump in, get moving with Him, and take shape. Eventually we become rounded and beautiful as we are shaped to be like Him. Finally, when we are polished the true beauty trapped inside the rock is revealed.
At RiverStone we have developed an approach to discipleship for everyone. Most programs have a one size fits all approach. It doesn't work. The seeker or new Christian is confused and those who have been around a while are bored, and everyone is frustrated. Kind of like an onion, we've got layers (couldn't resist the Shrek reference).
This approach is modeled upon the one Jesus, a Rabbi, used with his disciples. He taught, judged cases, applied the Law and His knowledge of God's character to cases brought to Him, and touched peoples lives deeply. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not merely "knowing" stuff, but also "doing" something. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. So, RiverStone disciples must KNOW and DO.
Here is an explanation of the 5 levels of discipleship.
D1 - Discipleship level one. Beginning level, for those just getting their feet wet. Maybe you know nothing about Christianity, or its been a while and you need to start over again. Perhaps you just need to refresh on what the answers a beginner seeks are.
D2 - Getting rolling. Now that you have liked being a disciple (student) of Jesus Christ, you want to move further downstream. You have learned His teaching makes life work and you can trust Him. KNOW: We will lay a foundation, broad and shallow. Even if you've been in church forever, there are probably some areas you need to brush up on. There are probably even gaps that never got filled in, even questions your never knew to ask. DO: You will get involved on a Team that does things together. This builds community and character as we shine the light of Christ to our neighbors in many ways.
What about salvation in this system? Aren't you forgetting something? Not at all!
Somewhere in level one or two a person will have to come to a conclusion. Jesus didn't demand conversion from His disciples up front. The disciples didn't understand Him yet. Likewise, Jesus didn't tell us to go "evangelize and make converts", but to go "teaching...making disciples". So we teach them Jesus' ways and commands.
Everyone has three options after they learn about and from Jesus:
Option 1. He is not the sole source of salvation for humanity, and I won't take him to be my savior and Lord.
Option 2. He is the savior of the world, but I choose to ignore Him and go my own way.
Option 3. He is savior of the world and I will commit my whole life to Him as my savior and Lord.
Everyone is welcome to hang out with us at D1 or D2. We can only present Jesus patiently to all, not willing that any should perish. When they make that commitment, Lord knows!
However, only those who made the 3rd commitment above can make it to D3. Its not our policy, its just the facts. D3 requires that a person have the Holy Spirit working in and through them for the good of the faith community. The Bible tells us He does this uniquely through those who have taken Christ as Lord. He gives us a new birth spiritually, teaches us, guides us and gives us spiritual gifts to use to help others and testify to the world about Jesus.
D3 - Taking Shape. When you have mastered D2 your natural and spiritual gifts will begin to be evident to all around you. It is time to learn to be a leader, a servant leader utilizing and refining your gifts, talents and calling. KNOW: You will continue to grow in your knowledge of the Lord and His ways. DO: You will also be trained to be a leader. At the right time you may become a Team leader. You will also be discipling others who are younger in their faith, growing together.
D4 - Now your life evidences Christlike love and righteousness to all in the faith community, and to everyone else. Your conduct, service, spiritual maturity all make you meet the qualifications of an elder according to Paul's specifications. See 1 Timothy 3 You will be coached, mentored, and trained to meet the qualifications and execute the duties of an elder in the church. (This doesn't mean you will be an elder, just that you are qualified to lead the church in that way.)
D5 - Making Ministers. And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; Ephesians 4:11-13 Some will feel called to ministry. The fruit of their ministry, the quality of their lives, their Christlike character will confirm and the leaders of the church will affirm their calling. The existing ministers in the church will train them, pairing each one up with a mentor who shares their ministry calling (evangelists with an evangelist, apostle (church planter or missionary) with apostle, pastor with pastor...).
When this process has been completed the church will have trained ministers of each type Christ gave to the church, ready elders, and trained leaders. The hope is that enough will be trained that new churches can be planted, missions started and ministries launched. The new ministries will be piloted by people that have the RiverStone DNA, many from birth, new-birth that is.
You can see that at RiverStone we aren't looking to make bench warmers. If this sounds like the kind of Christianity you can believe in and get excited about we invite you to jump in the river with us! How about contacting the pastor right now.
Phase 3 - Start Living!
Welcome to your new family! You now have over 1,000,000 new brothers and sisters living on this planet. Now He has freed you to start truly living the Life. Jesus himself is Life. "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 It is your relationship with Him personally and through His body the Church that will transform your mind, your relationships, and your world. Let's get started!
Phase 2 - Following Jesus
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100 Most Popular Verses
Here are the top 100 most-read Bible verses on BibleGateway.com (all verses quoted from the NIV):
- John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
- Jer 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
- Rom 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
- Phil 4:13: I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
- Gen 1:1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
- Prov 3:5: Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
- Prov 3:6: in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
- Rom 12:2: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
- Phil 4:6: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Matt 28:19: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
- Eph 2:8: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
- Gal 5:22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
- Rom 12:1: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
- John 10:10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
- Acts 18:10: For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”
- Acts 18:9: One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.
- Acts 18:11: So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
- Gal 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
- 1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
- Rom 3:23: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
- John 14:6: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
- Matt 28:20: and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
- Rom 5:8: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- Phil 4:8: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
- Phil 4:7: And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
- Josh 1:9: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
- Isa 40:31: but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
- Eph 2:9: not by works, so that no one can boast.
- Rom 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Gal 5:23: gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
- Isa 53:5: But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
- 1 Pet 3:15: But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
- 2 Tim 3:16: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
- Matt 6:33: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
- Heb 12:2: Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- 1 Pet 5:7: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
- Eph 2:10: For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
- 1 Cor 10:13: No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
- Matt 11:28: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
- Heb 11:1: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
- 2 Cor 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
- Heb 13:5: Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
- 2 Cor 12:9: But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
- Rom 10:9: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
- Isa 41:10: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
- Gen 1:26: 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.”
- Matt 11:29: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
- John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
- Acts 1:8: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
- 2 Tim 1:7: For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
- Isa 53:4: Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
- 2 Cor 5:21: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
- Rom 15:13: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- John 11:25: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
- Heb 11:6: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
- John 5:24: “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
- Jas 1:2: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
- Isa 53:6: We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
- Acts 2:38: Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- Eph 3:20: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
- Matt 11:30: For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
- Gen 1:27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
- Col 3:12: Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
- Heb 12:1: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
- Jas 5:16: Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
- Acts 17:11: Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
- Phil 4:19: And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
- John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- 1 Cor 6:19: Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
- 1 John 3:16: This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
- Ps 133:1: How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
- John 14:27: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
- Heb 4:12: For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
- John 15:13: Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
- Mic 6:8: He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
- Rom 10:17: Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
- John 1:12: Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
- Jas 1:12: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
- Jas 1:3: because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
- Rom 8:38: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
- Rom 8:39: neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Heb 10:25: Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
- 2 Pet 1:4: Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
- Phil 1:6: being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
- Ps 133:3: It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.
- Heb 4:16: Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
- Ps 37:4: Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
- John 3:17: For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
- Acts 4:12: Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
- Isa 26:3: You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
- 1 Pet 2:24: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
- Josh 1:8: Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
- Matt 28:18: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
- Col 3:23: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
- Matt 22:37: Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
- Ps 133:2: It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.
- Matt 5:16: In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
- Isa 55:8: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.
- Heb 4:15: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.
- John 13:35: By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”