Music by Samuel Overton on his acoustic guitar
Teaching Today's Disciples
Prepared by John and Dot Overton Sixteenth Issue: November 2010 www.discipletraining.net Matthew 28: 18-20, “He (Jesus) told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore 1) go and make disciples in all the nations, 2) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then 3) teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” First Baptist Church of Dickinson: We started another series of Discipleship classes at the First Baptist Church in Dickinson on October 10th. Bay Area Rehabilitation Center (BARC): We have also started our discipleship course at the Bay Area Rehab Center across the street from First Baptist Church in Dickinson. About 25 men participated in our orientation session and agreed to attend all of the upcoming sessions. This opportunity is proving to be the most encouraging course we have taught. It is not often that a student asks, “Can we have this class more than just once a week?” Nicaragua: Plans are being made for Pastors Bob Gibson and Richard Robeson to travel to Managua to coordinate details of a return trip for a Missions team during the school Spring Break next March. Pray to determine if God would have you join us next March. THE TWO COVENANTS I read lots of Christian books and over time have collected a fairly nice library. Christian books are being printed much faster than I can read them so I ask my Heavenly Father to put the books of His choosing before me. An old book by Andrew Murray caught my attention a couple of days ago and I added to my stack of books to read. My stack is made up of some new books and many to be re-read. Murray has written lots of books and we have many of them in our collection. The title of this particular little book written in 1898 is The Two Covenants. I noticed that I had added lots of underlines and stars in the margins as I thumbed through it. To be honest, I do not recall having read the book before but I must have been impressed with it several years ago. The two covenants that Murray references are the Old Testament and the New Testament (The word Testament is the same as contract or covenant in today’s vernacular.) I have been very well informed that the Old Covenant was given to Abraham and Moses and other prophets wrote much about what we call The Law. The Law basically informs us when we break it (sin against God.) God’s Law is His moral standard for His created universe. Paul confessed that he would not have known that he sinned had the Law not informed him that to covet was to sin. It’s sort of like you know when you are speeding when your speedometer indicates a higher number than the number posted on the speed limit sign. The second covenant that Murray writes about is the New Covenant which is covered by the Bible’s New Testament. Unlike the Law described by the Old Covenant, Grace is the focus of the New Covenant. Jesus’ said that He did not come to do away with the Law but to fulfill it. Thus, we can live as though we have totally fulfilled the Law by our trusting Christ who has fulfilled the Law for us. Now this trusting bit is a conscience choice on our part and most of us still do not get it. There are two major characteristics of becoming a Christian: 1) our sins are removed and placed on Christ, we are assured that He is preparing an eternal place for us to live with Him and 2) His Spirit takes up residence in our spirit. The first part is extremely important but there is more! We are to actually die to our old carnal life and enter into a totally new lifestyle as we choose to grant Christ the Lordship of our lives. Christ is to use us to perform His tasks on earth to grow His Kingdom. This death and entry into new life is vividly illustrated with water baptism by immersion. You will die (drown) under water but it is so refreshing to rise back up into the life supporting atmosphere where we can breathe! In other words, Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and ascension back to sit at the right hand of the Father as our intercessor took care of our sins (Justification) but the Holy Spirit living in our spirit takes care of the sinner! We are to be in the process of being transformed into the likeness of Jesus (Sanctification.) Too often, mostly due to my ignorance, I accept the first part of the New Covenant but do not employ the second part. I slip back under the Law by leaving the Holy Spirit out of my choices. I have too often tried to do good things through and for the church but those deeds were not performed by Christ living in me. By not abiding in Christ and giving Him the Lordship (Mastery) of my life, I have often failed to attain the desired results I thought I could accomplish and sometimes offended others by my efforts. This never happens when He is given the total freedom to perform His desired tasks through my yielded being. I can tell when I have not employed the second part of the Second Covenant by the resulting character traits that I harbor; pride, egotism, jealousy, envy, impatience, hatred, lust, anxiousness, judging others, and lack of self control. On the other hand, when Christ performs His tasks through me, I enjoy love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Churches are being destroyed today by well meaning Christians that only practice the first part of the Second Covenant! Satan does not have to muster lots of external resistance to the church; he must grin when he observes us doing his work from the inside! Recommended Reading Assignment The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus will challenge the reader to break out of traditionalism that holds Christians to routine, “civilized” ways of practicing true Christianity. McManus calls for the Barbaric Christian to be an invader of his spiritual enemy by getting behind his lines. The Disciple is a monthly publication. Help us increase distribution of this publication by returning email addresses that you feel would benefit from receiving it. Contact Us: The Overton’s at 281-337-2075 or email at dotnjohn@comcast.net or by completing the ‘contact us’ form on www.discipletraining.net
THE DISCIPLE
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THE DISCIPLE
Prepared by John and Dot Overton
Sixteenth Issue: October 2010
www.discipletraining.net, 281-337-2075 or email at dotnjohn@comcast.net or
Matthew 28: 18-20, “He (Jesus) told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore 1) go and make disciples in all the nations, 2) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then 3) teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
First Baptist Church of Dickinson: We completed another series of discipleship classes at Maranatha Baptist Church in San Leon on September 5th. We are starting a new series of classes at the First Baptist Church in Dickinson. We will be trying a joint class with members of FBC and men from the Bay Area Rehab Center across the street from the Church.
Lost Sheep Ministries / Discipleship Retreat: Our first retreat was a big success. A total of 25 pastors, missionaries, and discipleship teachers attended the overnight retreat at the Christian Renewal Center in Dickinson. The theme of the retreat was the three legs of Christian Discipleship. 
The Tree Legs of True Discipleship
True Christianity (Discipleship) is like a three legged stool. It requires three basic elements to operate properly. The first two legs are commandments and the third is a commission. When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus responded that the greatest was to love God with all of your heart and being. He went on to state that the second was to love others unselfishly. These two commandments make up the first and second legs of our three legged stool.
Leg one is very personal. It is the fellowship between a Christian and his Heavenly Father. This leg is maintained with such disciplines as daily prayer, daily Bible study, fasting, abiding in or meditating on Christ, seeking God during times of solitude when He is the object of reflection and meditation. Once this practice (leg) is started, it must never stop. Leg one alone is not sufficient, however, to enjoy the full and abundant life that Christianity provides. Leg one alone is like being isolated in a monastery! Leg two alone is being religious but with no spiritual power.
The second leg is the active participation in community with others that are also practicing leg one. This is practiced through the church and the consequence of such fellowship results in confidence and encouragement due to accountable camaraderie. Shared experiences will build up each Christian as well as strengthen the church.
Legs one and two are both necessary before group expression through the third leg. It takes all three legs to support a balanced stool (Disciple) properly.
Disciples working together empowered by the personal fellowship with God and group fellowship of the church community will Move Mountains for the Kingdom.
Such mountain relocation will not result from a one legged or two legged stools. Attempts to do so will fail resulting in discouragement and a spirit of “can’t do” rather than a spirit of “can do” when sustained by the three legs.
True discipleship requires the balance of all three legs from the Greatest Commandment (1. Love God, 2. Love others) and the Great Commission (3. Go and make disciples.)
Too often, Christians attempt to live their Christian life as one or two legged stools! This results in discouragement and an unwillingness to venture out beyond their comfort boundaries. The consequences of one or two legged Christians are personal frustration, anemic churches and multitudes destined for hell!
Recommended Reading Assignments
Glad News by Samy Tanagho was loaned to me by my daughter, Tracey. It describes the similarity between Islam’s Qur’an and our Christian Bible. Having read this book, I have every intention of securing and reading a copy of the Qur’an as a means for effectively witnessing to Muslims.
The Disciple is a monthly publication. Help us increase distribution of this publication by returning email addresses that you feel would benefit from receiving it.
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THE DISCIPLE
Prepared by John and Dot Overton
Fifteenth Issue: September 2010
www.discipletraining.net
Matthew 28: 18-20, “He (Jesus) told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore 1) go and make disciples in all the nations, 2) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then 3) teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
First Baptist Church of Dickinson: We will complete another series of discipleship classes at Maranatha Baptist Church in San Leon on September 5th and start a new series of classes at the First Baptist Church in Dickinson.
We have approached the Bay Area Rehab Center across the street from First Baptist Church in Dickinson with the proposal to teach the ones there how to become Disciples of Christ
Lost Sheep Ministries / Discipleship Retreat: Our first retreat is scheduled for September 24th and 25th at the Christian Renewal Center in Dickinson, TX. We have reservations for twenty overnighters but it now looks like we will need to increase this to about thirty.
Nicaragua: Awas, Pearl Lagoon, Haulover, Kukra Hill and Corn Island are not familiar locations for us. They are all located along the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua. Our Christian Brother Clayton Moody will soon be using the projector we sent to him to make Disciples of Christ at these and other locations.
Pastor Austin and wife Daphne Lewin are starting a new radio ministry in Bluefields, Nicaragua. We are encouraging this start up ministry with prayers, discipleship materials and financial support.
Three Spiritual Lines in the Sand
Graig Groeschel concludes his book, Christianatheists by sharing a vision he had of three lines in the sand. The first line represented entrance into Christianity or the act of being born-again (spiritually.) To the left of this line represents non-Christians who, according to II Corinthians 4:4 remain blinded (spiritually) to the truth of the Christian gospel. Between lines one and two are a set of Christians who believe in God and the gospel of Christ enough to benefit from it. In other words, they have become Christians for what they can get out of it. They are consumer Christians or some would call them cultural Christians.
Many Christians remain at the entrance and for lack of discipleship they live as though God really did not exist or certainly remained irrelevant to their lives. Crossing the first line was easy. Sadly, many who call themselves Christian live here. They want to be on His good side. They want to go to heaven. They want Him to bless them with good health, good relationships, and a happy life. They want God’s benefits without changing how they live. They don’t fear God and don’t share their faith!
Some Christians advance past the second line where they express their beliefs in God and the gospel of Christ enough to contribute comfortably. If they don’t have to change too much, they’ll do some of what God asks If it doesn’t hurt too much. They’ll get more serious about God, but everyone has their limits, right?
Past the third line is where Jesus call’s His disciples to live. The Christian that advances to this level of spirituality believes in God and the gospel of Christ enough to give his life to it.
Matt. 16: 25-26 quotes Jesus, “For whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul.” The question for the third line Christian is, “Am I willing to lose my life?”
Phil. 3:8 goes on to ask, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ. Now this is the highest level of Christian living where the Disciple of Christ lives. He must ask himself daily, “Can I truly count all my earthly possessions a loss, making Christ my greatest treasure?”
Of course there is the ol’ familiar Galatians 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.” This challenge brings the third line Christian in cold confrontation with the question, “Will I realistically sacrifice my selfish desires, my selfish hopes, and my selfish dreams so that Christ can actually reign as Lord of my life?”
Most of the text about the three lines of the sand so far has been taken (and slightly embellished) from the book, Christianatheist. As I read the book I had to face up to my level of commitment to the gospel of Christ. I really want to be a consistent third line Christian but I must truthfully admit that I too often slither back across the line(s?)!
Herein lies the weakness of today’s church. We members of the Body of Christ do not consistently practice being third line Christians though we want others to think we are (kinda Pharisaical don’t you think?)
Recommended Reading Assignment
Transformational Church by Ed Stetzer and Thom Rainer, Beyond Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson and Christianatheist by Graig Groeschel. These books instruct us in how churches need to be more outreaching into her surrounding communities and how we as individuals should pray for more territory for God. The Prayer of Jabez and Beyond Jabez have impacted our lives significantly. Bruce Wilkinson challenges us to pray the prayer of Jabez for thirty days and expect God to answer those prayers as He did for Jabez in I Chronicles 4:9-10. It has certainly worked for us and we invite you to do the same for new spiritual life. Christianatheist is a must read for Pastors, teachers and church leaders. Three Spiritual Lines in the Sand in this issue was taken from this book.
The Disciple is a monthly publication. Help us increase distribution of this publication by returning email addresses that you feel would benefit from receiving it.
Contact Us: The Overton’s at 281-337-2075 or email at dotnjohn@comcast.net or by completing the ‘contact us’ form on www.discipletraining.net
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THE DISCIPLE
Prepared by John and Dot Overton
Fourteenth Issue: August 2010
www.discipletraining.net
Matthew 28: 18-20, “He (Jesus) told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore 1) go and make disciples in all the nations, 2) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then 3) teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
Maranatha Baptist Church: We will be completing our discipleship teaching at Maranatha by the next issue of The Disciple. This has been a wonderful experience for us and we have made some life-lasting friends there.
Ethiopia: Our sister Theresa Curry visited our home and shared her recent two week stay in Suruba, Ethiopia near the Somalia border. A team of nine traveled to evangelize, disciple and start a home church in an area of the world where there is no Christian presence. We plan to help fund a water well in Suruba so the nomadic people can stay there and continue to be discipled through this new church.
Japan: Granddaughter Allison just returned from Tokyo where she served with a group of Christian youth sharing the gospel. She says she is ready to return if given the opportunity.
Columbia: Grandson Daniel is in Columbia. He was invited by a friend he met through Calvary Chapel in Friendswood to accompany he and his family on the two week trip. The family is originally from Columbia and they often return to perform mission work.
Nicaragua: We just received this message from our brother Clayton Moody in Bluefields, Nicaragua. “Hi John I hope you are enjoying the blessing of the most High with your family. I am glad to hear that everybody is O.K. We really need a projector to teach in the communities that we normally visit. Awas, Pearl Lagoon, Haulover, and planning to reach Kukra Hill and Corn Island.
Thanks once again and may God be with you now and forever more.
Clayton”
Who is My Neighbor
I always thought that my neighbors were folk that lived close to where I live. When I was a kid living on a farm in Arkansas, our neighbors were very friendly and seemed to make an effort to help us when we needed help. They always seemed to have the time to stop by for just visiting and if invited joined us for a meal though no plans had been made earlier to host guests. As I recall, things were just a lot less formal then than we have made it now. I miss the way it used to be. Those were the days when we never locked anything and never seemed to need to.
We are instructed in the Bible to love our neighbors and consider their needs as much as we consider our own. That practice has sure gotten away from our culture and we are losers as a result.
Looking for a way to practice missional living, I asked two of my grands, Allison and Daniel, if they would use their keyboard skills to present a concert in our front yard for our neighbors. I was amazed at how they jumped on the chance to perform at their very first concert. The Fourth of July was the best time for us to try this experiment at being missional. I printed up some invitations to Meet Your Neighbor at the Overton’s front yard and enjoy a concert by the A and D Players (Allison and Daniel.) I then went to each of the houses on our street and passed out them out. Many of the neighbors were not at home so I left the invitations in their mail boxes. Several neighbors showed interest and some expressed puzzlement at such an invitation.
Allison and Daniel started choosing arrangements to play and even composed a duet. Son Bill arranged to borrow an amplifier and microphone so the keyboards and announcements could be heard by the audience seated in lawn chair in our driveway.
At the time designated to start, there were none in the empty lawn chairs! First one and then another could be seen walking down our street for the concert. Nine families with lots of children showed up. I introduced the purpose of the event and turned the mic over to grandson Samuel who provided a brief patriotic greeting and reminder of the role that our military soldiers have played and are playing for our freedoms. Daniel introduced Allison’s first number. At the conclusion of her presentation, she announced Daniels number and informed the audience that he composed all of his presentations. Finally they presented their duet and the audience applauded their appreciation for the concert.
The rest of the evening was used to get acquainted and share some light refreshments of melon, chips, soft drink, lemonade, etc.
I did not recognize one of my neighbors that I assumed must have just moved in so I introduced myself and asked how long she had been living on Plantation Drive? She responded, “Thirteen years!” I was shaken to the depths of my being; how could someone live on my street that long and I not realize that she existed? I apologized for my neglect and indicated that I hoped to get better acquainted with her. She asked me to pass on to the parents of Allison and Daniel her commendation for supporting, encouraging and paying for their music lessons (which I have since done.)
Last Saturday, I took my neighbor some flowers and again apologized for my overlooking her as my neighbor for all these years. I asked for her name so I could pray for her. She expressed her appreciation for the flowers and asked about Allison and Daniel. At the time, Allison was in Japan on a youth mission trip and Daniel was preparing to leave the next day for two weeks in Columbia, South America. She shared some very complementary remarks about my grands (which I am always glad to receive.)
This experience has taught me a great lesson about practicing being missional rather than just reading about it. I have some great neighbors and I want to get better acquainted and do some fun things together with them.
Recommended Reading Assignment
Missional Renaissance by Reggie McNeal and A Field Guide for the Missional Congregation by Rick Rouse and Craig Van Gelder. These books instruct us about how to take the gospel message from inside our church buildings out into our neighborhoods and community. Missional Renaissance provides insight into the difference between typical attractional churches and missional (outreaching) churches. The Field Guide provides instructions to congregations of traditional churches about how to transition to a more outreaching church.
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THE DISCIPLE
Prepared by John and Dot Overton
Thirteenth Issue: July 2010
www.discipletraining.net
Matthew 28: 18-20, “He (Jesus) told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore 1) go and make disciples in all the nations, 2) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then 3) teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
First Baptist Church in Dickinson has a new Pastor. Richard Robeson, wife Amy, Landon, and Mattie joined the church on June 27, 2010. His first sermon, “I Love You Man!” was well received. The Robeson’s have lived in Dickinson for the past four years and he has been pastoring a church in Schulenburg. Pastor Robeson has initiated 21 days of prayer for FBC. Though 6:00 AM is early for some, the turnout is very encouraging and serving to build unity and purpose in the church.
Maranatha Baptist Church: We are now at the half-way point in our discipleship course at Maranatha Baptist. Participation remains good and some of our students are sharing new Christian disciplines that they are now practicing.
Front Yard Concert: In an effort to practice Missional Christianity, The A and D Players (Allison and Dan Overton) will present a keyboard concert in their grandparent’s front yard on July 4th. All of the neighbors on the street have been provided written invitations to bring their lawn chairs and get to know each other better.
Nicaragua: We have been told that our discipleship course materials are now being taught at some new start-up churches at Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua.
Christian Renewal Center: If your church is looking for a local site for retreats, conferences, or rallies for any age check out the Christian Renewal Center in Dickinson. All denominations are welcome. Check them out by visiting at 1515 Hughes Road or www.retreatcentercrc.org.
The Pharisee Check!
The Pharisee in Jesus’ day drew more criticism from Him than any other group. They were the spiritual leaders of Judaism!! He called them hypocrites because they were good actors at portraying someone that they were not. The Pharisees put lots of effort into appearing to be pious outwardly though remaining rotten inside!
Jesus also said that we must be more righteous than a Pharisee if we expect to enter the Kingdom of God! These guys were the most righteous appearing people around at the time He made that statement!
It was the Pharisees that jealously watched Jesus and accused Him of associating with sinners; which they were too good to do! One had to be of the inner-religious elite to be accepted by the Pharisees.
Yet, Jesus faulted them for being like rotting carcasses on the inside. Jesus made this statement about the religious leaders because they made little, if any, effort to practice inner spiritual disciplines.
I have to ask myself about me; do I have traits like that of a Pharisee? Much to my embarrassment, I must confess that I do. I too place much emphasis on my outward acts of being pious rather than practicing inner disciplines. It pleases me when I am applauded or recognized in some manner for good (outward) performance. I know that such recognition by my peers will be all the reward I will receive for such acts of righteousness!
I may be slow but I am learning the value of practicing inner discipline. I am learning that times of solitude and waiting upon God results in my hearing from Him. I am also learning that during such times, my thoughts are much more pure and righteous resulting in improved outer performance. Though I always seem to have more on my plate than I can reasonably accomplish, I am discovering that daily times of prayer with an open Bible in a very quiet place provides changes to my soul which results in accomplishing more than if I skip such rendezvous with God because I do not have the time. Another discipline I started since the first of this year is journaling my thoughts while in these times of solitude.
From this daily discipline of quietness and listening for God’s voice, I am discovering that my spontaneous outward actions are improving and I certainly enjoy the many consequences of living with the peace and inner fulfillment that overshadows all the spiritual “atta-boys” I get from my public performance.
How about you dear reader, have you made a personal Pharisee check lately? Are you willing to forsake the worthless legalism of religion to start living a truly spiritually filled life. I highly recommend that you do and make the inner discipline adjustments necessary to enjoy many “Well dones” from Christ.
Recommended Reading Assignment
Spiritual Knowledge by Watchman Nee cautions the reader to seek spiritual knowledge directly from God via prayer and meditation rather than to just seek spiritual knowledge by reading and studying. Studying the Word of God is good but incomplete according to Nee. A balance must be developed by seeking spiritual knowledge (and experience) both from the Bible and directly from God.
Discipleship Is Available
We have developed a new course that includes the following topics 1) What is a True Disciple of Christ? 2) The Disciple and the Church, 3) The Disciple, Judgments, Eternity, and Rewards, and 4) A summary of the course and discussions. This course is particularly suitable for a week-end retreat.
Arrange for a Free Demonstration. A demonstration of the course can be made by contacting the Overton’s at 281-337-2075 or email at dotnjohn@comcast.net or by completing the ‘contact us’ form on www.discipletraining.net
The Disciple is a monthly publication. Help us increase distribution of this publication by returning email addresses that you feel would benefit from receiving it.
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Prepared by John and Dot Overton
Twelfth Issue: June 2010
www.discipletraining.net
Matthew 28: 18-20, “He (Jesus) told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore 1) go and make disciples in all the nations, 2) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then 3) teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
Maranatha Baptist Church: We challenged the class to adopt a discipline such as daily prayer, daily Bible study, fasting, tithing, etc. As an encouragement, John agreed to lose a pound of weight a week for the approximately 15 weeks that we will be teaching. He is ahead of his weight lost plan at the end of four weeks.
Five new converts were brought into the Kingdom following the morning worship services on May 16th.
All are invited to participate in the course that starts at 9:30 AM each Sunday at the church located at the corner of FM 646 and 24th St in San Leon.
Nicaragua: We have sent copies of our discipleship materials to two of our contacts in Bluefields, Nicaragua.
Christian Renewal Center: If your church is looking for a local site for retreats, conferences or rallies for any age check out the Christian Renewal Center in Dickinson. All denominations are welcome. Check them out by visiting at 1515 Hughes Road or www.retreatcentercrc.org.
Galv. Baptist Assoc. (GBA) Web Site:
The GBA has upgraded their web site at http://www.galvestonbaptist.org We now have a page under Ministries / Discipleship.
Rebel Against Low Expectations
My grandson Daniel loaned me a book he finished reading entitled, “Do Hard Things.” This book was written by twin teenage brothers Alex and Brett Harris. The theme of the book is about teenage rebellion against low expectations. This book is one of the most inspiring books I’ve read in a long time. All Christian parents, Church leaders, and teenagers should read this book and follow up by checking out their website at www.TheRebelution.com. They have also written “Start Here” which I have read and loaned to Daniel.
Whereas their focus is aimed at the teen years, I would like to echo their message for Senior Citizens and Adults alike in our churches. The church is suffering for allowing Herself to wallow in mediocrity and promote low expectations of her congregates. This is so very foreign to the Biblical model for the church. Until the church rises up empowered by God’s Holy Spirit and forsakes the ways of the world, she will never become the effective beacon in her community that God ordained her to be.
I shudder to think of Christian leaders facing judgment who have not instructed their flocks to live up to the expectations of Biblical Christianity. The damage resulting from such low expectations are immeasurable!!
Too many new Christians have been led to believe that their salvation has paid for their sins, assured them of eternity in heaven, and if they will faithfully attend church sponsored meetings, help pay the church bills, and help some around the church building they are living the full Christian life. It is no wonder that the traditional church is so irrelevant to today’s culture!
So many adult Christians have attended Sunday school and listened to sermons for so long that they have a complete knowledge about Christianity but have not necessarily experienced Christianity!
New Christians being inducted into churches with low expectations end up being deceived by believing that their spiritual maturity should match the other lukewarm Christians they encounter. Consequently the entire church loses its community impact for lack of spiritual power!
True Christianity results in a TRANSFORMED life in the Kingdom of God! Transformation means changed from a previous state into a new state. This supposed change is graphically pictured by water baptism where the new convert (transformed from the old state into a new state) depicts death with Christ to his/her previous way of living (submerged) and new life with Christ (coming up out of the water.) The Bible is filled with instructions about living transformed lifestyles. Here are but a few: Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ …”, Romans 12:2 “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds…”
Recommended Reading Assignment
Radical by David Platt in which the writer challenges Christians to wake up, trade in false values rooted in the American dream, and embrace the notion that each of us is blessed by God for a global purpose. It is a wake-up call to sleeping Christians and churches.
Recommended Watching Assignment
Discipleship Is Available
We believe the Discipleship course we have developed will help heal and strengthen churches by teaching the course to congregations. This is a general overview of Christianity from the time of salvation through death, judgments, and heavenly rewards. We make no charge for presenting our courses.
We have developed a more advanced course for pastors, staff members, and mature Christians. This course can be taught in four three-hour classes. The topics include 1) What is a True Disciple of Christ? 2) The True Disciple and the Church, 3) The True Disciple, Death, Judgment, and Rewards, and 4) A summary of the course. We introduced this new course on our Nicaragua trip.
Arrange for a Free Demonstration. A demonstration of the course can be made by contacting the Overton’s at 281-337-2075 or email at dotnjohn@comcast.net or by completing the ‘contact us’ form on www.discipletraining.net
The Disciple is a monthly publication. Help us increase distribution of this publication by returning email addresses that you feel would benefit from receiving it.
____________________________________________________________________
THE DISCIPLE
Prepared by John and Dot Overton
Eleventh Issue: May 2010
www.discipletraining.net
Matthew 28: 18-20, “He (Jesus) told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore 1) go and make disciples in all the nations, 2) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then 3) teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
Maranatha Baptist Church: We conducted our first discipleship teaching class at Maranatha Baptist Church in San Leon on Sunday morning, May 2nd. The attendance was greater than anticipated so we will move to the main auditorium for the following classes. All are invited to participate in the course that starts at 9:30 AM at the church located at the corner of FM 646 and 24th St in San Leon.
Nicaragua: It has now been over a month since we returned from Nicaragua. We hold rich memories about the people we left behind. We are in touch with one from Bluefields via face book. We would really like to keep in touch with those we got to love in Christ. We have added a new page to our web site entitled Nicaragua Trip. It is an account of our recent trip.
Poverty
Poverty is usually associated with lack of material posessions sufficient to provide a quality of life considered to be normal or above normal. True quality of life, however, is not always provided to those rich in material possessions. Some very rich people are miserable because their lives are really not fulfilling and they are lacking in contentment.
I think that real poverty is the lack of spiritual fulfillment. We are a body, soul, and spirit. Material possessions, at best, will provide a measure of short-term satisfaction to the body and the soul’s pride and ego. But if a person’s spirit is not filled with spiritual contentment, that person is incomplete and will pursue happiness and contentment in many ways; most of which lead to frustration and anxiety!
Poverty is a relative term. My boyhood lifestyle, for instance, would now be considered a life of poverty but I didn’t think so at the time and as I recall I was a happy young fellow. For example at one stage of my youth, I lived with my parents in a four room house with no plumbing. We drew water from a well with a bucket attached to a rope. Out toilet was in a small building separate from the house. We raised most of our food from a garden, a cow, some chickens and pigs. The house was not air conditioned; we didn’t even have a fan! I walked to school no matter what the weather was like. My Dad used our one car to travel to work and we were very grateful that he had a job. Most of my summer time entertainment was exploring the woods behind our house, digging caves, and building club houses from materials I could scrounge. Fishing and hunting was not a sport but a source of food. Today, such a lifestyle would be considered below the poverty line.
From this I must conclude that happiness and contentment cannot be attained by material possessions. If we are not careful, we will become slaves of our possessions rather than the happiness we seek.
We just returned from a trip to Nicaragua and experienced much poverty; children were begging in the streets and vendors were attempting to sell homemade wares in the midst of traffic. What we experienced there included much material and spiritual poverty.
Think of it this way, material poverty or material riches may be with us for about 90 years while we live in our bodies here on Earth but spiritual poverty will last for eternity! Therefore which type of poverty should we be most eager to relieve? I’m reminded of Peter and John’s encounter with a beggar at the temple gate. Expecting some coins from them, the beggar held out his hand. Peter responded by saying, “Silver and gold have we none but in the name of Jesus, get up and walk!”
Recommended Reading Assignment
Do Something Hard by Alex and Brett Harris is a must read for teens, parents, and church leaders. It is one of the most inspiring and challenging books I have read in a long while. Written by twin teen boys from Oregon the book calls for a Rebelution against low expectations in teens. They have written a second book, Start Here that I just completed and passed on to one of my grandsons. Check out their web site at www.therebelution.com.
Website Continues to Grow. Grands Allison, Daniel and Samuel have now contributed to background music on our web site at www.discipletraining.net.
Discipleship Training Is Available
We have developed a more advanced course for pastors, staff members, and mature Christians. This course can be taught in four three-hour classes. The topics include 1) What is a True Disciple of Christ?, 2) The True Disciple and the Church, 3) The True Disciple, Death, Judgment, and Rewards, and 4) A summary of the course. We introduced this new course on our Nicaragua trip and it was received with open hearts.
Arrange for a Free Demonstration. A demonstration of the course can be made by contacting the Overton’s at 281-337-2075 or email at dotnjohn@comcast.net or by completing the ‘contact us’ form on www.discipletraining.net
The Disciple is a monthly publication. Help us increase distribution of this publication by returning email addresses that you feel would benefit from receiving it.
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THE DISCIPLE
Prepared by John and Dot Overton
Tenth Issue: April 2010
www.discipletraining.net
Matthew 28: 18-20, “He (Jesus) told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore 1) go and make disciples in all the nations, 2) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then 3) teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
Nicaragua!
What an adventure we enjoyed while working in the Kingdom of God in Nicaragua! We flew to Managua on March 13th and returned to Houston on March 21st. We provided our discipleship training to the church at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Managua then we flew to Bluefields on the Atlantic coast where we presented the course to the Zion Baptist Church. Both English speaking churches received us lovingly and responded well to the instruction.
Several were led to the Lord through personal witnessing by team members Cliff and Sonia Shearrow, Pastor Bob Gibson of San Leon Community Church, Daniel Overton, Mammy Overton, and the writer.
A dear minister that had been greatly offended was restored to active ministry as well as his home being restored. A new Christian radio ministry will be initiated in Bluefields as a result of this blessing.
Ministry at a drug rehabilitation center south of Managua was very gratifyi
ng. Pastor Bob explained the plan of salvation, several gave testimonies and Dan led in a prayer for their salvation. The 19 men and boys present slipped out of their chairs and knelt on the concrete floor to receive Jesus as their Savior.
Oh dear Christian, become a Disciple for Christ! Use the knowledge you have accumulated and go make disciples of all nations and teach them all that Jesus has taught you.
The Christian and Risk
Taking a risk means venturing into an unfamiliar area where you are not assured of the outcome in advance. The definition of the sort of risk I’m talking about is a state of uncertainty where some of the possibilities involve a loss, catastrophe, or other undesirable outcomes. On the other-hand, risk taking can be very rewarding if the venture taken is successful.
An example of what I’m thinking about would be stealing home base when your team is one point behind with two outs in the final inning of the game. Success could result in winning the game and becoming the team hero but failure could result in you being dubbed the team looser.
Willing to take risks seems to vary with age. As a child, riding a bicycle seemed like an impossible accomplishment. With age and experience, however, I’ve noticed kids performing wheelies and even traveling over ramps and doing aerial loops!! This must be risky since ambulances are usually standing by at public performances. Did you notice the snowboarders at the Vancouver Olympics? What motivates such risk taking? Sometimes it is for monetary reward but often it is just for the satisfaction of knowing it can be done.
Why do we take risks when we know the consequence of our choices can be disastrous? I think we take risks when we believe the rewards of success far outweigh the consequences of failure or if we believe that we won’t fail.
As a Christian, according to Dallas Willard, it is absolutely essential to the nature of our personal development toward maturity that we venture and be placed at risk, for only risk produces character. This truth is intensified when it comes to our walk with God. In truth, we need not seek risk, but we will never be without it, at least in this world.
By the time you read this piece, we will have flown to Nicaragua and back. I’m reminded of my very first flight in an airplane. I was scared but I really wanted to fly and I trusted the pilot and the aircraft. So it is with Christian risk, we must exercise trust in God and the promises of His word. We knew the trip to Nicaragua was not a vacation but the rewards of success well justified the risks undertaken.
As Christians, we often do not undertake what we know we should for fear of failure, lose of treasure, or of what others will think of us. We should envision the consequence of success when we are confronted with Christian risk. The immaturity of many Christians today is due to their never taking Christian risk. As I ponder the Christians that I most admire, I realize that they were (or are) all risk takers for Christ.
Recommended Reading Assignment
The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard is a must read for the serious Christian who wants to know how to stay very close to God on a daily basis. We have recommended similar books but this one is an essential guide for spiritual growth.
Website Continues to Grow. Grands Allison, Daniel and Samuel have now contributed to background music on our web site at www.discipletraining.net.
Discipleship Training Is Available
We believe the Discipleship course we have developed will help heal and strengthen churches by teaching the course to congregations. This is a general overview of Christianity from the time of salvation through death, judgments, and heavenly rewards. We make no charge for presenting our courses.
Recently we have developed a more advanced course for pastors, staff members, and mature Christians. This course can be taught in four three-hour classes. The topics include 1) What is a True Disciple of Christ?, 2) The True Disciple and the Church, 3) The True Disciple, Death, Judgment, and Rewards, and 4) A summary of the course. We introduced this new course on our Nicaragua trip and it was received with open hearts.
Arrange for a Free Demonstration. A demonstration of the course can be made by contacting the Overton’s at 281-337-2075 or email at dotnjohn@comcast.net or by completing the ‘contact us’ form on www.discipletraining.net
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THE DISCIPLE
Prepared by John and Dot Overton
Ninth Issue: March 2010
www.discipletraining.net
Matthew 28: 18-20, “He (Jesus) told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore 1) go and make disciples in all the nations, 2) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then 3) teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
The Disciple is a monthly publication. Help us increase distribution of this publication by returning email addresses that you feel would benefit from receiving it.
Nicaragua! We have developed a new discipleship course for our Nicaragua training. We will be presenting it to seminary students and pastors. This course is approximately half as long as the one we have been presenting to churches. The three main topics of focus are 1) What is a True Disciple of Christ? 2) The Disciple and the Church, and 3) The Disciple, Death, Judgment, and Rewards.
We look forward to leaving on Saturday, March 13th for Managua and returning to Houston on Sunday, March 21st.
Foundations
Foundations are so important. Builders (or least wise ones) must understand how to lay a proper foundation for a building before proceeding to erect the building. The outward appearance of a building may be very attractive but if the foundation is not correctly constructed, the pretty building will be in for serious trouble.
We humans also have foundations upon which we build our lives. Like buildings, poor human foundations will result in disastrous consequences. I believe that everyone’s foundation is their accumulated beliefs. Beliefs are what we base our spontaneous choices on. For example I may know to observe the 65 mile per hour speed limit but if I believe I can safely go 70 miles per hour and not get caught, I’ll probably choose to drive faster than the law allows. This illustrates the difference between my knowledge and my beliefs (foundation.) I know one set of facts but I believe differently. I will always base my choices upon my beliefs (my foundation) rather than my knowledge! Of course our learning process requires that we accumulate knowledge first and then we accept or belief some of our knowledge.
To bring this notion about the importance of my personal foundation (my set of beliefs) to a spiritual context, I will say that all Christians (me included) have more knowledge about the Bible, God, Creation, Heaven, and etc. than what we really belief about those subjects. Taking this further, I will say that all Christians will make choices upon their beliefs rather than their knowledge. Should they be given a test about Christianity, they would score well due to their knowledge but their daily choices may be radically different. Their accumulated beliefs (faith) will always be less than their knowledge.
I’m sure this is the reason the Bible constantly instructs us to act upon what we learn. Such action will result in what we learn (knowledge) being converted into belief (further building our foundation or increasing our faith) as a result of the experience gained from doing the word rather than just hearing it. Most of our churches are ineffective as a result of her pews being filled with knowledgeable Christians that have not really built their foundations well. Most all Christians know what the great commandment and great commission are but they really don’t believe them!! (I say (I
Colossians 2:7a says, “Plant your roots in Christ and let Him be the foundation of your life.”
If I am correct about this, then it seems to me that the highest priority of any church is to challenge her members to put what they know into action (shore up their foundations.) More and more Bible study should be reserved for new converts (provide them with spiritual salt.) Those Christians that have been church attendees for a while should be radiating light from their salty foundation into the world.
“Whatever we build on that foundation (Christ) will be tested by fire on the day of judgment….. We will be rewarded if our building is left standing.” 1 Corinthians 3:12, 14
Recommended Reading Assignment
Any of Dallas Willard books are very good reads for the mature Christian. These books are not easy to read but go into great depth. Professor Willard teaches at the University of Southern California in the philosophy Department. I am about to complete “Hearing God” by Professor Willard and looking forward to reading “Celebration of Discipline” by Richard Foster.
Website Continues to Grow. Grands Allison, Daniel and Samuel have now contributed to background music on our web site at www.discipletraining.net. Check us out.
Discipleship Training Is Available
We have developed and taught a comprehensive Discipleship course over the past 37 years and want to help heal and strengthen churches by teaching the course to congregations. This is a general overview of Christianity from the time of salvation through death, judgments, and heavenly rewards.
Recently we have developed a more advanced course for pastors, staff members, and mature Christians. This course can be taught in four three-hour classes. The topics include 1) What is a True Disciple of Christ?, 2) The True Disciple and the Church, 3) The True Disciple, Death, Judgment, and Rewards, and 4) A summary of the course. We will be introducing this new course on our Nicaragua trip in March.
Arrange for a Free Demonstration. A demonstration of the course can be made by contacting the Overton’s at 281-337-2075 or email at dotnjohn@comcast.net or by completing the ‘contact us’ form on www.discipletraining.net
______________________________________________________________________
THE DISCIPLE
Prepared by John and Dot Overton
Eighth Issue: February 2010
Matthew 28: 18-20, “He (Jesus) told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore 1) go and make disciples in all the nations, 2) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then 3) teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world."
The Disciple is a monthly publication. Help us increase distribution of this publication by returning email addresses that you feel would benefit from receiving it.
Final Sessions at First Baptist Church, Dickinson. We have completed all fifteen presentations of our discipleship course at FBC in Dickinson, TX. The students were very gracious to us and based upon the survey taken at the end of the course they were strengthened in their Christian walk. Please check out some of their testimonies on our web site.
Nicaragua! Our focus is now on preparations for our trip to Nicaragua. We are developing a revised discipleship course for use with the seminary students and pastors we will be teaching there. We will be accompanying Pastor Bob Gibson, of San Leon Community Church and grandson Daniel. We plan to take our shots for the trip this coming Wednesday.
Recommended Reading Assignment
John actually read the book “Transformation” five times! It is well marked. Excerpts from many its pages are now part of a revised discipleship course for pastors and church Leaders. Much of the piece, “Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives” in this issue has been taken from Wilkinson’s “Beyond Jabez” which we recommend highly. Finally, we recommend “The Divine Conspiracy” by Dallas Willard. This is a terrific read but will take a bit longer to digest.
Website Continues to Grow. Grands Allison, Daniel and Samuel have now contributed to background music on our web site at www.discipletraining.net. Check us out.
Discipleship Training Is Available
We have developed and taught a comprehensive Discipleship course over the past 37 years and want to help heal and strengthen Churches by teaching the course to congregations. We completed the course at the San Leon Community Church in late August 2009. As stated earlier, we complete the course at FBC Dickinson on January 17th.
Arrange for a Free Demonstration. A demonstration of the course can be made by contacting the Overton’s at 281-337-2075 or email at dotnjohn@comcast.net or by completing the form on www.discipletraining.net
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives
Frances Schaeffer wrote a little book entitled, “No Little People and No Small Places.” The theme of the book is that there are no unimportant tasks or ministries in Christendom and there are no unimportant Christians. In other words, there are important ministries available for all Christians. Christianity is an active lifestyle. Christians who are content with not ministering in some capacity are missing out on the full and victorious life that God intends for them to enjoy.
New Christians should immediately be enrolled in discipleship. The rest of their life on earth should be a process of learning and applying what they are learning. Please notice the emphasis on applying.
We have joined the ranks of senior citizenship. We don’t recall applying for this honor; we just realized one day that we had arrived. John always thought that as long as he has the health and opportunity, he will remain in the work force rather than retire (He’s never found the word “retire” in the Bible!). He believes remaining physically and mentally active will result in his health and mental alertness remaining good. Thus, he has elected to remain active in ministry as a teacher. This requires lots of reading and study as well as preparation.
As we approach our 80s, we are compelled to do all we know to do to help churches. Over the years, we have developed a series of discipleship slides and a discipleship manual which we want to use every opportunity that God opens to us.
This is a long way of saying that all senior citizens should (must?) be fully engaged in ministry. Realizing that we will be rewarded in heaven for our work in the Kingdom, we should all 1) Pray earnestly for more territory on a daily basis. Ask for heavenly discernment to recognize what God is drawing us to. Good things will sometime serve to distract us from the best that God has planned for us, 2) tell others about your commitment so they will be understanding of the changes they observe in our life, 3) learn to recognize a God moment; constantly remain tuned for divine appointments, 4) accept service opportunities that stretch our faith, 5) prioritize our time, talents, and treasure. Take the same resources you are using for other purposes and use them as effectively as possible for God, and 6) build up God’s reputation by crediting Him openly.
Senior Citizens are a special group – some may think their usefulness has ended!! There is too much ground to take to fritter away these years when we could not just walk or run, but accelerate across the finish line.
Just think that your adventure for Christ continues until He takes you home. You have at your disposal time, wisdom and the most experience of any generation! Please do not succumb to the temptation to take life easy because your barns are full. The younger generation is desperate for mentors and influential leaders to show them how to live strong Christian lives. Consider adopting a younger person or family to pray for and personally interact with for Christ’s sake.
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THE DISCIPLE
Prepared by John and Dot Overton
Seventh Issue: January 2010
www.discipletraining.net
Matthew 28: 18-20, “He (Jesus) told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore 1) go and make disciples in all the nations, 2) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then 3) teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
The Disciple is a monthly publication. Help us increase distribution of this publication by returning email addresses that you feel would like to receive it.
Final Sessions at First Baptist Church, Dickinson. We have completed eleven PowerPoint presentations and two video presentations at FBC Dickinson. We will complete the discipleship series on the evening of January 17, 2010. Thus we are seeking God’s next assignment for us.
e. Our 20 year old grandson Samuel Overton spoke to the audience about being a Christian on a college campus. Sam is a sophomore business major at the U of H and is pursuing a commission in the US Air Force. Sam likened his fear of God to that of a soldier to his commander. When orders are given, the soldier obeys without question. The Christian is to trust that our Heavenly Commander knows best since He has the global picture or strategic view whereas we are limited to our present circumstances
Dr. Bruce Peterson serving as Interim Pastor. Dr. Bruce Peterson now serves as the Interim Pastor for FBC Dickinson as the Pastoral search team seeks a permanent Shepherd for the flock. He and his wife, Beverly, have hit the ground running, so to speak, and the church is enjoying a time of healing and deep spiritual growth.
Recommended Reading Assignment
I am studying the book “Transformation” for the fourth time! Many of the pages now have underlines to remind me to cite the book’s messages in an updated version of our discipleship course. All pastors and lay leaders should consider this book as MUST READING!
Nicaragua! We have been invited to provide our discipleship training to students at a seminary located in Managua and to a group of pastors in Bluefields, Nicaragua next March. We will be accompanying Pastor Bob Gibson, of San Leon Community Church and grandson Daniel. We have our passports and tickets and are looking forward to this assignment.
Website Continues to Grow. Grands Allison, Daniel and Samuel have now contributed to background music on our web site at www.discipletraining.net. Check us out.
Discipleship Training Is Available
We have developed and taught a comprehensive Discipleship course over the past 37 years and want to help heal and strengthen Churches by teaching the course to congregations. We completed the course at the San Leon Community Church in late August. As stated earlier, we will complete our discipleship course at FBC Dickinson on January 17th.
We request that a Church member (or couple) with the gift of teaching agree to take the course and teach it on a continuing basis in their church. All materials for follow up courses will be left with the future instructor.
Arrange for a Free Demonstration. A demonstration of the course can be made by contacting the Overton’s at 281-337-2075 or email at dotnjohn@comcast.net or by completing the form on www.discipletraining.net.
Salt and Light
The Sermon on the Mount is often referred to as Jesus’ mandate to all Christians. As part of this discourse, He said that we are the Salt of the Earth and the Light of the World. There are few instances in the Bible where we are told what we are. When I think of salt, I recall how a little goes a long way in flavoring food. When I was a young boy, I remember my Dad building a smoke house and hanging meat from the ceiling after thoroughly salting it for preservation. To use the meat, the salt had to be washed off but the flavor had penetrated to the point that all of the salt taste could not be removed. My Mom would have me gargle with salt water if I let her know I had a sore throat so that my throat would heal. Thus salt serves to flavor, preserve and heal.
If we Christians are the Salt of the Earth, then we must be supposed to flavor (influence) our culture, preserve (maintain values), and assume a healing role for the Earth. In Jesus’ sermon, salt represents the Christian’s character and integrity. True discipleship deals with the heart where one’s character and integrity reside. Christianity must progress beyond conversion to transformation. Only transformed Christians become salty. One of the major functions of the church is to make disciples that, in turn, will make disciples. Such disciples are expected to influence the culture, maintain Christian values and be part of a healing process for the community in which they live. This is not a job for church members and converts.
He also said that we are to be the Light of the World but Christians are poor lights if they don’t first have the salt. Whereas salt can be imitated in a hypocritical way, I know of no way to imitate light. Thus, if we expect to really enlighten (be the light) of the world then our salt must be real. That’s where I believe true discipleship is mandatory in our churches if we really expect to be winsome light for a dark world.
This is a PowerPoint chart we use to explain Matthew 7: 13 – 14. “Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate! The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide enough for all the multitudes that choose its easy way. But the gateway to Life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.”
It takes salty Disciples of Christ to light the way to heaven.
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Prepared by John and Dot Overton
Sixth Issue: December 2009
www.discipletraining.net
Matthew 28: 18-20, “He (Jesus) told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore 1) go and make disciples in all the nations, 2) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then 3) teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
The Disciple is a monthly publication. Help us increase our distribution by returning email addresses that you feel would like to receive it.
First Baptist Church, Dickinson. We only have two more slide presentations to make at FBC, Dickinson which will be followed by five weeks of videos about “Our Father’s House” and “A Life God Rewards.” The course will conclude near the end of January 2010. Joey Maxie continues to assist with teaching and responding to questions. We will be available to other churches next February.
Recommended Reading Assignment
We recommend reading “The Love Revolution” by Joyce Meyers. Until the commandment to love one another is practiced, the church will falter. This inter-personal preference of others over self is the condition necessary to attain the blessings of God on our churches. I’m re-reading “Transformation” by Bob Roberts, Jr. This is a MUST READ for leaders that want to get serious about effective and relevant churches.
Website Continues to Grow.
The entire discipleship manual, chapter by chapter, and the PowerPoint slides, chapter by chapter, is now available on our website www.discipletraining.net. Check us out.
Arrange for a Free Demonstration. A demonstration of the course can be made by contacting the Overton’s at 281-337-2075 or email at dotnjohn@comcast.net or by completing the form on the web site.
Church and State-What are the facts?
I’m often told that I (or my church) cannot do certain things because they are forbidden by the US Constitution. I’m told that there is a “wall” between Church and State which means that there must not be any mixing or cooperation between any federal, state or local government entity and my Christian world view. I decided to look up the US constitution to determine exactly what it says. The following is what I discovered:
“Separation of church and state in the United States. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The separation of church and state is a legal and political principle derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." The phrase "separation of church and state" is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists, where Jefferson spoke of the combined effect of the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. It has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court.
The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment refers to the first of several pronouncements in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, stating that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion". Together with the Free Exercise Clause, ("... or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"), these two clauses make up what are commonly known as the "religion clauses" of the First Amendment.
The establishment clause has generally been interpreted to prohibit 1) the establishment of a national religion by Congress, or 2) the preference of one religion over another or the support of a religious idea with no identifiable secular purpose. The first approach is called the "separationist" or "no aid" interpretation, while the second approach is called the "non-preferentialist" or "accommodationist" interpretation. The accommodationist interpretation prohibits Congress from preferring one religion over another, but does not prohibit the government's entry into religious domain to make accommodations in order to achieve the purposes of the Free Exercise Clause.
The clause itself was seen as a reaction to the Church of England, established as the official Church of England and some of the colonies, during the colonial era.
Prior to the enactment of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1868, the Supreme Court generally held that the substantive protections of the Bill of Rights did not apply to state governments. Subsequently, under the Incorporation doctrine the Bill of Rights have been broadly applied to limit state and local government as well.
The Free Exercise Clause is the accompanying clause with the Establishment Clause. The Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause together read:
In 1878, the Supreme Court was first called to interpret the extent of the Free Exercise Clause in Reynolds v. United States, as related to the prosecution of polygamy under federal law. The Supreme Court upheld Mr. Reynolds' conviction for bigamy, deciding that to do otherwise would provide constitutional protection for a gamut of religious beliefs, including those as extreme as human sacrifice. The Court said: "Congress cannot pass a law for the government of the Territory which shall prohibit the free exercise of religion. The first amendment to the Constitution expressly forbids such legislation." Of federal territorial laws, the Court said: "Laws are made for the government of actions, and while they cannot interfere with mere religious beliefs and opinions, they may with practices."
I’m no lawyer but all of the above tells me that the US Congress cannot establish a national religion nor can it interfere with the free expression of any religion. Of course that includes Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, etc. I do not see a rigid “separation” between government and the Church (Temple, Mosque, etc.).
I have subsequently been told that though the US Constitution may not be so rigid in separation of Church and State, State and Municipal laws frequently do. So I looked up the Texas Constitutional readings related to religion and found the following:
“Sec. 4. RELIGIOUS TESTS. No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State (Texas); nor shall anyone be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being (Isn’t that interesting!!)
Sec. 5. WITNESSES NOT DISQUALIFIED BY RELIGIOUS BELIEFS; OATHS AND AFFIRMATIONS. No person shall be disqualified to give evidence in any of the Courts of this State on account of his religious opinions, or for the want of any religious belief, but all oaths or affirmations shall be administered in the mode most binding upon the conscience, and shall be taken subject to the pains and penalties of perjury.
Sec. 6. FREEDOM OF WORSHIP. All men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences. No man shall be compelled to attend, erect or support any place of worship, or to maintain any ministry against his consent. No human authority ought, in any case whatever, to control or interfere with the rights of conscience in matters of religion, and no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious society or mode of worship. But it shall be the duty of the Legislature to pass such laws as may be necessary to protect equally every religious denomination in the peaceable enjoyment of its own mode of public worship
Sec. 7. APPROPRIATIONS FOR SECTARIAN PURPOSES. No money shall be appropriated, or drawn from the Treasury for the benefit of any sect, or religious society, theological or religious seminary; nor shall property belonging to the State be appropriated for any such purposes.”
Since religious organizations are the principle (if not the only) organization that teaches and practices morality and ethical conduct, It just makes sense to me that the promotion of closer ties between government and religion will improve the quality of life of our communities.
Government tax exemption of non-profit organizations, including the Church, is for the purpose of promoting the good she does for the people.
Non-believers have successfully used political intimidation to thwart the expression of religious thought in any government facility or on any government property by using threats of blocking funding or removal of tax exemption to curtail the free expression of religious (and political) speech by the Church.
A strong church being blessed by God should not remain dependent upon tax exemptions or any other governmental favor to carry out her Biblical mandate. She should, however, boldly practice and proclaim her Godly commission to the culture where she is located. Prepared by John and Dot Overton Fifth Issue: November 2009 www.discipletraining.net Matthew 28: 18-20, “He (Jesus) told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore 1) go and make disciples in all the nations, 2) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then 3) teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” The Disciple is a monthly publication. Help us increase distribution of this publication by returning email addresses that you feel would like to receive it. Our Fifth Session at First Baptist Church, Dickinson. We presented our fifth discipleship class on Where Do We Fit Into God’s Grand Scheme on the last Sunday evening of October. The attendance has remained fairly constant at around 75 for each session. Joey Maxie continues to assist with teaching and responding to questions. Special Prayer for First Baptist Church. A group of men gather at 9:00 each Sunday morning to pray for First Baptist Church. They are very serious about asking for God’s blessings on the church and are displaying a willingness to do whatever it takes to receive such blessings. Recommended Reading Assignment We recommend reading You were Born for This by Bruce Wilkinson. We first read The Prayer of Jabez by Wilkinson and followed its instructions to pray for 30 days to have God bless us indeed, expand our borders of influence for the Kingdom, receive His touch of empowerment to perform what He calls us to do, and to have his protective hand against any temptation that would interfere with our fellowship with Him. This prayer has apparently worked since we are now embarked on a considerably enlarged ministry over what we were doing before practicing the prayer. We recommend all of Wilkinson’s materials and we use his DVD of The Life God Rewards at the end of our discipleship course. We’re going to Nicaragua! We have been invited to provide our discipleship training to students at a seminary located in Bluefields, Nicaragua next March. Grandson Daniel will use his spring break to accompany us and make a video documentary of this mission trip. Grandson Will will edit this documentary and prepare it for our website. Arrangements are underway to secure our passports (Dan already has his!) Website Continues to Grow. We have added the capability to view and download all of the materials we use in our discipleship course. The entire discipleship manual, chapter by chapter, and the PowerPoint slides, chapter by chapter, is now available from our website www.discipletraining.net. Check us out. Discipleship Training Is Available We have developed and taught a comprehensive Discipleship course over the past 37 years and want to help heal and strengthen Churches by teaching the course to congregations. We completed the course at the San Leon Community Church in late August. We started the course at Dickinson’s First Baptist Church on September 27th. We request that a Church member (or couple) with the gift of teaching agree to take the course and teach it on a continuing basis in their church. All materials for follow up courses will be left with the future instructor. Arrange for a Free Demonstration. A demonstration of the course can be made by contacting the Overton’s at 281-337-2075 or email at dotnjohn@comcast.net or by completing the form here. Don’t Hurt the Body Most of us exert lots of caution to avoid pain. When pain does occur, it doesn’t remain localized. If our body hurts, we hurt all over. Our country is going through some of the most troublesome times debating about health care. Behind these debates are different views about how to bring the best, pain-free, medical care to all of the human bodies in the country at affordable costs. The cost of preventive health care and remedial health care for any of the options being considered is staggering. In the Bible Paul calls the church the Body of Christ. Many Christians must not believe that the church is really the Body of Christ by the way they treat her. I’ve told Mammy several times that I would really be afraid to hurt the Body by speaking or doing anything to hinder her proper function in the community. Any Christian that purposefully says or does anything to hurt the Body also must not believe that their words and deeds are being recorded in the books for review at the Day of Judgment. All of the current polls I have studied and books I’ve read about the state of effectiveness of the church (Body of Christ) indicate that she is in decline and loosing relevance to the general population! In other words, the Body is hurting! Many local churches are crippled and anemic! Clearly this is not the state of health Christ had in mind when he started the Church. Mammy and I sense an urgency to do all that we can to help heal the Body. The task is overwhelming but we choose to do all that we can anyway. About all we have to offer is a discipleship course we have developed over the past 37 years. Since churches are made up of members (like the members of a human body), it seems to us that the best way we can help is to try to obey Christ by making true disciples who, in turn, will make true disciples. The notion is that any church whose members are true Disciples of Christ will not do anything to hurt the Body. Instead, churches filled with true Disciples of Christ will receive God’s blessings resulting in supernatural healing. Since we are trying to bring healing to the Body, it really offends us when we hear anyone saying things or doing things that communicate a negative impression about the Body. We believe it would be much better to remain silent or inactive rather than be responsible for hurting the Body. There never have been any perfect Bodies because they are made up of imperfect members. Good physical human health will usually result in productive life to the ages of 70 to 80+ years. Most human bodies have imperfect health and suffer physical limitations but the Body of Christ was never intended to be that way. The picture of Jesus knocking on a door on the header of this newsletter is taken from Revelation 3:20. He is knocking on the door of churches. He wants to come into the churches and bring healing and restoration. Let’s please let him in!!
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THE DISCIPLE
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THE DISCIPLE
Prepared by John and Dot Overton
Fourth Issue: October 2009
Matthew 28: 18-20, “He (Jesus) told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore 1) go and make disciples in all the nations, 2) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then 3) teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
The Disciple is a monthly publication. Help us increase distribution of this publication by returning email addresses that you feel would like to receive it.
Our First Session at First Baptist Church, Dickinson. We presented our introductory discipleship class on The Importance of the Bible on the last Sunday evening of September. We are overjoyed with the approximately 70 adults and youth that participated. Joey Maxie really did a great job of injecting clarifications and explanations easily understood by the adults as well as the youth. This is our first experience with having a co-teacher. It is working so well that we plan to invite pastors / staff members of future churches to co-teach with us.
We are also super pleased to report that representatives from a start-up church in Kemah participated and they plan to use the materials to teach the course in their church.
My friend the patriot, Rolf Schuett, had II Chronicles 7:14 engraved at the base of the 20 foot cross that he 
installed on Hughes Road in Dickinson. I often stop there for prayer and am always reminded to confess my sin, seek His face, and leave with an expectant heart that He really is going to heal our land. Such healing will start in the churches that humble themselves, repent of corporate sin, and seek His face.
Our Web Site
According to the site counter, we are getting a number of hits on our Web Site. We plan to post upcoming events there and we eagerly look for responses from our viewers.
Recommended Reading Assignment
We recommend reading The Seven Faith Tribes by George Barna. The book provides insights into the seven basic religious categories of our culture from Casual Christians to Atheists.
Discipleship Training Is Available
We have developed and taught a comprehensive Discipleship course over the past 37 years and want to help heal and strengthen Churches by teaching the course to congregations. We completed the course at the San Leon Community Church pastored by Bob Gibson in late August. We started the course at Dickinson’s First Baptist Church on September 27th.
The main topics of the course are:
The importance of the Bible, What we know about God, What we know about Angels, How man fits into Gods plan, What happens when a person becomes a Christian, The function of the Church, About spiritual gifts, The World System, Death, Destinations, and Judgments Video about Heaven, Videos about the Man God Rewards
We request that a Church member (or couple) with the gift of teaching agree to take the course and teach it on a continuing basis in their church. All materials for follow up courses will be left with the future instructor.
No Cost for the Course
The course is free; all that the Church supplies is space, a wall or screen for projecting the images, an electrical outlet, and help in promoting the course.
How to Arrange for Free Demonstration
Arrangement for a demonstration or for a presentation of the course can be made by contacting the Overton’s at 281-337-2075 or dotnjohn@comcast.net or by completing the form here.
Get Ready
I seem to always be getting ready for something. I have to keep a ‘To Do’ list to remind me of important tasks I plan on doing. We live in a culture that seems rushed and overcrowded. I’ve often thought that there are more good things to do than I have time for. This is a definite change in the state of affairs since I was a boy growing up in Redfield, Arkansas. I recall long, summer days between school sessions that I really had a hard time thinking of something to do. Thus, I had to use my creativity and imagination to come up with ways to fill my time. Boy has things changed now that I have become a senior citizen.
In the “good ol’ days” my closest neighbor, Buddy Olive, and I would explore the woods behind the seven acres where our cow was fenced in. We undertook the task of digging a cave in the side of a sandy cliff overlooking Tar Camp Creek. We used a red Radio Flyer wagon to haul the spoil from our diggings and dumped it in the creek below. The resulting dam caused the creek to start backing up forming a fairly nice lake. None of the adults in our families were aware of our adventures so no one told us to be careful. We enjoyed a sort of Tom Sawyer lifestyle. We camped out under clear skies and watched “shooting stars” against a backdrop of amazing star fields. I’m reflecting on these early-in-life times because, as I recall, I didn’t use a list of things I needed to be ready for.
Those were the pre-TV and cell-phone days and I’m not suggesting that we trash our new gadgets. I sometime wonder, however, if we couldn’t find a better balance between the enjoyments that our gadgets provide and the creativity and adventure of exploration I enjoyed as a boy without them.
I still have good health thus I have stayed in the work force though I could have retired several years ago. So for five days a week, I have to be ready when my son Bill picks me up each morning. My wife and I teach a Christian discipleship course so I have to get ready for that each week. We are planning on some out-of-the-country missions so we have to get ready with shots (ouch), passports, etc.
I commented to my wife a few days back that we never seem to just sit down. At our age, we are becoming more and more aware of death so there are affairs that we need to get ready for that. I did take care of the most important thing in life when I was fourteen years old. I accepted my Lord’s offer for forgiveness and promise of everlasting life with Him. How about you? Are you ready?
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THE DISCIPLE
Prepared by John and Dot Overton
Third Issue: September 2009
www.discipletraining.net
Matthew 28: 18-20, “He (Jesus) told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore 1) go and make disciples in all the nations, 2) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then 3) teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
The Disciple is a monthly publication. Help us increase distribution of this publication by returning email addresses that you feel would like to receive it.
Early distribution of September’s The Disciple.
We are sending out our September issue of The Disciple early so we can correct an important date. We earlier reported that we would start our next Church course on September 13th but that has been rescheduled for September 27th at Dickinson’s First Baptist Church. We are very excited about jointly teaching the course with the Youth Minister, Joey Maxie. The entire church will participate in this course in the church’s fellowship hall starting at 6:30 on the last Sunday of September. Representatives of all denominational churches are encouraged to participate in this course. Training and materials will be provided so that the course can be taken back to the home churches.
Additions to our Web Site
We have added the chapters of our Discipleship Manual to our web site. Anyone wanting to download these chapters may do so by just clicking on the chapter title. Consider setting up a folder and downloading the entire discipleship manual to your computer.
Recommended Reading Assignment
We recommend reading Thinking Like Jesus by George Barna.
Discipleship Training Is Available
We have developed and taught a comprehensive Discipleship course over the past 37 years and want to help heal and strengthen Churches by teaching the course to congregations. We just completed the course at the San Leon Community Church pastored by Bob Gibson. We are starting the course at Dickinson’s First Baptist Church on September 27th.
The main topics of the course are:
The importance of the Bible, What we know about God, What we know about Angels, How man fits into Gods plan, What happens when a person becomes a Christian, The function of the Church, About spiritual gifts, The World System, Death, Destinations, and Judgments Video about Heaven, Videos about the Man God Rewards
We request that a Church member (or couple) with the gift of teaching agree to take the course and teach it on a continuing basis in their church. All materials for follow up courses will be left with the future instructor.
No Cost for the Course
The course is free; all that the Church supplies is space, a wall or screen for projecting the images, an electrical outlet, and help in promoting the course.
How to Arrange for Free Demonstration
Arrangement for a demonstration or for a presentation of the course can be made by contacting the Overton’s at 281-337-2075 or dotnjohn@comcast.net or by completing the form here.
Freedom, Economics and Faith
We took our grandson, Sam, to Washington DC when he was 12 years old. He was very interested in the national monuments, museums, battlegrounds around the area, etc. While at the Korean Monument, We noticed an engraved stone with the words, “Freedom is Not Free!”
This reminded me of a popular saying, “There are no free lunches!” The inference is that someone has to pay for every free lunch. So it is with freedom, many have paid dearly that we may enjoy freedom; it is not free!
Freedom can, and often is, abused. This generally results in ill consequences for the abuser and others of our culture. Such abusers resort to selfish and greedy lifestyles resulting in acts to gratify themselves that infringe on the freedom of others.
By now you are probably wondering what all of this has to do with economics. Just think about the cost to our society that freedom abusers (law breakers) cause. The cost (all tax funded) of building and maintaining prisons, jails and other means of incarceration is tremendous. The cost of personnel, facilities, and equipment to enforce our laws is high and rising. Our freedoms are being challenged as a consequence of those that break the law. For example, many of our public schools now have assigned police officers to help maintain order. When I was in public school, the fear of the teacher was enough to keep me in check. Today, the teachers as well as the students must be protected from those that insist on going beyond the bounds of acceptable behavior.
So where does faith play into in this scenario? According to the Internet’s free Wikipedia, faith is the confident belief or trust in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. Being a practicing Christian, I use the definition provided in the book of Hebrews, “Faith is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.”
I have remained in the active work force for 56 years with the expectation that I can live safely in my home (though we have experienced one break in and one attempted break in) and that our contributions to our retirement fund will remain protected and help finance our most senior years. So I exercise economical faith that circumstances or someone will not take away our savings.
In Christianity, Jesus freed the faithful from the penalty and power of their sins with the expectation that the resulting freedoms would not be abused but used to help other people.
In conclusion, we could all live a much more prosperous and fulfilling life if we would recognize that our freedom is very precious. We should all use our freedom to help our neighbors, live within the law of the land and be good citizens.
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THE DISCIPLE
Prepared by John and Dot Overton Second Issue: August 2009
Matthew 28: 18-20, “He (Jesus) told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore 1) go and make disciples in all the nations, 2) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then 3) teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
The Disciple is a monthly publication. Help us forward copies of this publication by returning email addresses that you feel would like to receive it.
New Web Site
Check out our new website at http://www.discipletraining.net.
The Commission
Please note that the Great Commission does not tell us to make converts but to make Disciples. Of course, one must first be converted to Christianity before becoming a Disciple of Christ.
What exactly is A Disciple?
A true disciple is a student or follower of a teacher or mentor. According to the dictionary, “The term disciple is derived from a New Testament Greek word coming to English by way of the Latin discipulus meaning "a learner". Disciple should not be confused with apostle, meaning “messenger, he that is sent” . While a disciple is one who learns from a teacher, an apostle is sent to deliver those teachings to others. The word disciple appears two hundred and thirty two times in the four gospels and the Book of Acts.” A true disciple advances beyond learning by applying and experiencing what has been learned.
What are the traits of a True Disciple?
· He follows Jesus, the Christ
· He says “No” to sin and “Yes” to the sinner
· He uses the Bible as his field manual and Jesus as the object of his devotion
· He is careful to not let the traditions of man cloud truth
· He knows discipleship is costly, not cheap, and he is willing to pay the cost
- He knows that cheap grace is the bitter foe of true discipleship
Are there Modern Day Disciples?
Yes, a serious Christian is one that is in the process of learning (studying) and maturing (doing, obeying, experiencing) the teachings of Jesus.
Are All Christians Disciples?
Unfortunately they are not. Too many professing Christians model their spiritual life after other Christians rather than Jesus. This has led to a “blind leading the blind syndrome!” For lack of strong discipleship emphasis in our churches, new converts are too often left to their own devices. They are frequently deceived into believing that Christianity is a set of rules and tasks to be repeated by rote such as attending church services, singing, giving financial offerings, and generally being nice people. These are all good things to do but fall far short of what the Bible teaches about being a disciple of Christ.
Should All Christians be Disciples?
Absolutely!! All Christians are saved from the penalty and power of sin for an earthly purpose. Otherwise they would be translated directly to Heaven. To fulfill the purpose for which Christians are saved, they MUST be discipled. Any church without a systematic means of teaching all new converts the basics of Christianity is very short sighted and will be held accountable for such short sightedness.
Are churches affecting the local culture as she should?
Absolutely not! Too many churches are filled with baby Christians who have not advanced to a state of spiritual maturity capable of performing the role of apostleship. Though the Bible is very clear about what the church is supposed to do in the way of cultural influence locally and globally, most are ill equipped to carry out her mandate for lack of true Disciples.
Recommended Reading Assignment
Two available books that should be studied (not just read!) are Growing True Disciples by George Barna and Transformation by Bob Roberts Jr. These contemporary books offer excellent information that, if applied, will turn our churches around from decline or plateau (We believe a plateaued church is a church in decline when considering the growth of the population outside of her walls!) A third, but much more difficult read, is The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonheoffer.
Discipleship Training Is Available
We have developed and taught a comprehensive Discipleship course over the past 37 years and want to help heal and strengthen Churches by teaching the course to congregations. We just completed the course at the San Leon Community Church pastored by Bob Gibson. We are starting the course at Dickinson’s First Baptist Church on September 13th.
The main topics of the course are:
The importance of the Bible, What we know about God, What we know about Angels, How man fits into Gods plan, What happens when a person becomes a Christian, The function of the Church, About spiritual gifts, The World System, Death, Destinations, and Judgments Video about Heaven, Videos about the Man God Rewards
We request that a Church member (or couple) with the gift of teaching agree to take the course and teach it on a continuing basis in their church. All materials for follow up courses will be left with the future instructor.
Testimony of a New Disciple (age 62)
“This is my first discipleship class since saved at 5 years old. I feel more joy, peace, love, and security in the Lord. I feel closer to my Heavenly Father than ever before and now have my heart overflowing in God; not just my head knowledge. This has been wonderful to grow in the Lord and see the verses working in my walk with God since starting this class. I feel like the box that I put myself and God in has been opened to freedom of what the Christian life is really all about, not just bits and pieces.”
Here’s another,
“We ‘commoners’, babes in Christ, have discovered maturity and learned purpose. The Holy Spirit has brought us to greater understanding of the Word of God. Even though we are not pastors or prophets we can be disciples bringing others to Christ. I pray many others have the opportunity to share this joy and expression of the Holy Spirit through these lessons. J.S. SLCC”
No Cost for the Course
The course is free; all that the Church supplies is space, a wall or screen for projecting the images, an electrical outlet, and help in promoting the course.
Free Demo of the Course
We will work with Pastors (of any denomination) for a demonstration of the course. A copy of the manual and a CD of the course will be left at the end of the demonstration.
How to Arrange for Free Demonstration
Arrangement for a demonstration or for a presentation of the course can be made by contacting the Overton’s at 281-337-2075 or dotnjohn@comcast.net or by completing the form here.
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THE DISCIPLE
Prepared by John and Dot Overton
Matthew 28: 18-20, “He (Jesus) told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore 1) go and make disciples in all the nations, 2) baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then 3) teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
We will attempt to publish The Disciple each month. Help us forward copies of this publication by returning email addresses that you feel would like to receive it.
Churches Must Be Making Disciples!
True discipleship is a major weakness of most churches. Disciples are disciplined folk and unfortunately many Christians are more apathetic than disciplined. The twenty-first century church is having less and less relevance to the current culture! As the population continues to grow, those participating in Biblical church life are diminishing!
The Commission
Please note that the Great Commission in Matthew does not tell us to make converts but to make Disciples. Of course, one must first be converted to Christianity before becoming a Disciple of Christ. Therefore, to be obedient to this Commission, Churches must prepare both their evangelists and their teachers to equip the congregational saints.
Impacting the Local Community
A church filled with true Disciples of Christ will significantly impact the culture where she is located. Such a church will also be affecting other nations. The leadership of all churches should ask themselves, “Would our community miss us if we were to cease operations?” If the expectation is that closing of the church would not be noticed, then the leadership should take a careful and thorough assessment of how it’s financial and manpower resources are being expended. The simple, but effective church should be loving God and caring for the folk all around (neighbors). This will best be accomplished by emphasizing 1) genuine (reverent fear) worship of God, 2) making disciples of all members and 3) helping all members to be actively using their spiritual gifts in service to other people. If church resources are being consumed on anything other than these three purposes, such activity should be stopped and those resources redirected.
New Christians Must Be Discipled
All new Christians should first be discipled and then mentored until they are ready to take on the role of discipling and mentoring others. Christianity is an active lifestyle. You can think of a church sort of like a football team. All team members are expected to execute some critical position on the active game field. Members are not needed as cheerleaders or spectators! Lots of exercise and learning game rules are essential for winning teams. Church members should expect their adversary to be tough and exercise every game trick known to distract and misdirect the team players. There is no place for discouraged or lazy players on the field. Each game is important but the end-of-season standing is what really counts. Life on earth has many trying and disappointing experiences but the end-of-life season is for eternity! The “Well done faithful servant” will be worth EVERYTHING endured for our brief time of earth but the “Depart from me, I never knew you” will be absolutely devastating (for eternity!)
What happens where Discipleship is lacking
Churches with good outreach evangelism but unprepared to disciple their new converts fill their congregations with baby Christians. Typical Sunday school classes and preaching fail to disciple new converts since they are not familiar with the language nor know where to find information in the Bible. A special discipleship course needs to be available to immediately plug all new believers into.
Discipleship Training Is Available
We have developed and taught a comprehensive Discipleship course over the past 37 years and want to help strengthen Churches by teaching the course to congregations. We are currently engaged at the San Leon Community Church pastored by Bob Gibson. We first presented the course on four Saturdays but attendance was fairly low. Pastor Bob asked us to present it again during their Sunday evening services. We are approximately half way through the course at this writing and we need to be lining up other Churches for training. The materials are projected as PowerPoint slides. Each session is very informal and students of all ages are encouraged to ask questions and discuss points about Christianity that they want further information about. Each class will run for approximately one and a half to two hours. The course will take approximately eleven sessions.
Each student is provided a book that contains all of the PowerPoint slides along with narrative information about the slides. The books are designed to assist a student make up material if a class has to be missed.
The main topics of the course are:
1. The Importance of the Bible
2. What we know about God
3. What we know about Angles
4. How Man fits into Gods Plan
5. What Happens When a Person becomes a Christian
6. The Function of the Church
7. About Spiritual Gifts
8. The World System
9. Death, Destinations, Judgments
10. Video about Heaven
11. Videos about the Man God Rewards
Ideally, a Church member with the gift of teaching will agree to take the course and teach it on a continuing basis. All materials for follow up courses will be left with the future instructor.
No Cost for the Course
The course is free; all that the Church supplies is space, a wall or screen for projecting the images, an electrical outlet, and help in promoting the course.
It is hoped that the course can be presented to multiple small Churches.
Free Demo of the Course
We will work with Pastors (of any denomination) for a demonstration of the course. The demonstration will require a wall or screen for projection, a power outlet and about an hour to present and discuss the overview. A copy of the manual and a CD of the course will be left at the end of the demonstration if coordination with other leadership is desired.
How to Arrange for Free Demonstration
John and Dot Overton have been residents of
What is Your Discipleship Story?
We would like to include your Discipleship story in upcoming issues of The Disciple. Please send your brief story to the above address along with permission to use and edit the materials for distribution.
John and Dot Overton
Discipleship Teachers
1116 Plantation Drive
Dickinson, Texas 77539
Home: 281-337-2075
Cell: 713-542-9463
dotnjohn@comcast.net
