February 28, 2022 - Functional Training

Had a Facebook memory pop up today of time with guys like Jon and Stew and… guys that the Lord allowed to be part of my team… guys that are younger than me, but allowed me to pour into them a little bit, with the hope they would then find others to pour into a little bit… and then I see on the memory list names of guys that were NEXT on the roster that they poured into... 

Discipleship is about finding somebody and making “INTENTIONAL CONTACT” with them… discipleship is about finding somebody to go alongside you and learn not just what the Playbook says but also how the Playbook is FUNCTIONALLY used. Sometimes I think we liken discipleship just unto the Book learning and skip the time-consuming part of doing life together where it is FUNCTIONAL TRAINING (a type of exercise that looks like movements you make in your daily life.)

This is on my mind heavily as I am planning/preparing our NEXT big outreach… SUMMER TRAINING CAMP ’22; which will involve FUNCTIONALLY TRAINING 4-6 young apprentices in how to LEAD by SERVING. Yes, they will be taught the Word but also given an opportunity to use it!

I have often stated that Christ’s model of discipleship was “Go with Me, listen to Me, and when I am gone, do what I did!” It was an apprenticeship of sorts.

Paul’s instructions had the same type of goal in mind… listen to what he told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:

1“You therefore, my son, BE STRONG (which requires training) in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, COMMIT these to faithful men WHO WILL BE ABLE TO TEACH OTHERS ALSO.”

What a beautiful picture of INVESTING in the lives of others! I love the word for COMMIT that is found in the Greek… one of its definitions is to “commit to one’s charge.” IN other words that you are teaching/training others with the idea that they are then CHARGED of CMMISSIONED to do the same… OH yeah, isn’t that a pretty common idea in the church that we are under the GREAT COMMISSION?

So, tell me, who are you making contact with? Who are you intentionally targeting? Has anyone done that for you?

SIDE NOTE: we have an awesome SUMMER TRAINING CAMP ’22 in the plans for 16-25 yr-olds that want to prepare for NEXT!