If you are like me you try to read as many articles, blogs and books as possible but just cannot catch all of them.  “In Case You Missed It” is my way of pointing out a few “reads” that I think are too good to miss.

What is the Goal of Biblical Teaching?

Most churches have small groups, bible studies, Sunday morning messages, Sunday school, accountability partners, support groups, and more. What is the goal of biblical teaching that happens in these circles?

How we answer this question is critical to knowing why we are teaching specific things and also to becoming more more effective at whatever our answer to that question is.

From my experience, it seems like a lot of teaching in these groups revolve around teaching information about God and His Word, which is great and very necessary. But at some point I think we make the mistake of assuming that because people know something that they must then believe it.

It’s an easy mistake to make because often we equate belief with, “giving mental consent that something is true.” If that is how we define belief, then yes, they may believe it. But what if we define belief a bit differently?

Read more here.

How can I disciple if I’ve never been discipled? – Chris Brooks

About a year ago, I was praying and reading and studying through some leadership challenges and content decisions for the upcoming year of ministry for the college ministry I lead. I was in my good introverted routine of waking up early in the morning to be by myself to read, pray, and listen for about 90 minutes. Then I would go on a run to process, pray, and listen to a sermon or two on podcast.

At the time I was reading through Building A Discipling Culture and listening to series of lectures given by Mike Breen, the author. It is just one of those books that collides with your life at the right time in such a way that you know you will never be the same again.

If you are a minister, let alone a Christian, I’m sure you have (like me) wrestled with the difficulties and challenges of making disciples who make disciples – mature Christians who don’t just survive but even thrive and go on to reproduce and multiply. Breen presents not just a theology of discipleship but also holistic Biblical vehicle for transmitting the discipleship principles Jesus taught in such simple and yet compelling way. I’m sure he is not the first or the last author to do this with discipleship, but his work connected so many scattered dots in my brain. I could see exponential potential for discipleship spreading like a virus through our church and ministry.

Needless to say, I was loving every minute of it. God’s spirit was downloading a renewed passion and vision for discipleship and missions. I was encouraged, challenged, overwhelmed, and committed. I was certain this was the direction our ministry should head. (By the way, the endorphins that this kind of revelation releases are incredibly helpful in fueling early morning long-distance runs.)

On one particular morning, my run and lecture were both about to end. (I love it when I time those things right.) I was running down a hill with only about .3 miles left to my house. The lecture I was listening to ended with prayer and then went into a Q and A time. It sounded and felt like the audio guy had just forgot to turn off the record button, because there was no audio from the audience, and Mike was answering questions I couldn’t even hear. I was gliding down a hill, almost home, half-listening to Mike answer unspoken questions, half-dreaming about the next year in ministry, when it happened. I heard Mike give an answer to an unheard question, and it stopped me dead in my tracks.

Here is what he said that left me on my knees, fighting back the tears, at the bottom of that hill:

“Well, the reason your church is not making disciples is probably because you have never been discipled yourself.”

Read more here.