Prayer and Disciplemaking

Much of this content is from an earlier post related to a pastor's meeting on prayer.
Also, there is content in this post that was not presented in class.

We begin each class with a principle from Lead by Paul Tripp.  This week's principle is LIMITS.  Here is the Limits video.  One of the connections between Limits and Prayer is that we are limited and need to depend upon God.

Most of the material I presented was not original to me.  It was quoted or adapted from  Prayer:  How Praying Together Shapes the Church by Onwuchekwa, Praying with Paul by D.A. Carson, and The Praying Church by Paul Miller.  

The time began with three groups examining the following passages about prayer and how to pray.

• Daniel 2:17—23
• Psalm 13
• Philippians 1:9—11

Rather than sharing what we discussed, I want to encourage you and others in your church to study and pray these verses.

Here are other prayer passages from Ephesians 1:15 - 24, 3:14 - 19, 6:18 - 20.

I have been learning how praying prayers from the Bible helps with God-centeredness, specificity, and more.   Most, if not all, Bible-believing Christians would say prayer is important.  However, Bible-praying Christians see the need to pray more and live more God-dependent prayers.

"When prayer is sparse and sporadic when it's done just enough to ease the conscience and not much more, we've got a problem."  

Here are some faulty ideas about prayer.  Here are a couple of these ideas. 

• Seems like a waste of time.  
• Lie: Let's get working and doing something.
• Truth:  We are commanded to pray.  We need to grow in our dependence on God.  

• "I don't know how to pray."
• Lie:  There is an exact way that I need to pray.
• Truth:  Ask others to help you grow in your prayer life.  If you aren't sure how to pray, look to the Bible for examples of prayer.  
• If God is sovereign, why bother praying.
• Lie:  There is no reason to pray if God is sovereign.
• Truth:  We are commanded to pray.  The purpose of prayer is not to change God's mind.  
• Prayer does not work.
• Lie:  I have prayed for specific things and didn't get what I wanted.
• Truth:" Effective prayer is the fruit of a relationship with God, not a technique for acquiring blessings." D.A. Carson

KEYS TO PRAYER

• God and His Glory
• Man's dependence on God
• God's Word
• God's family, the church
• God's timing

Marks of a praying church?

• People pray more.
• Harmony and unity in Christ.
• Growing dependence upon God

• "Where prayer is abundantly present, it teaches the church that we need the Lord.  Where prayer is absent, it reinforces that we believe we are okay without God."

• Understanding that prayer is not ONE MORE activity of the church.  Prayer lies at the heart of all the church's ministry.  (The Praying Church, p. 28)
• Individuals pray for each other and ask others to pray for you. 

Pray for the Church, MInistries, and Missionaries.

Here are some ways you and others in your congregation can pray for our church, other churches, Christian ministries, and missionaries.
Following these helps are specific people and ministries to pray for.

1.  Pray they will keep their eyes on God.

King Jehoshaphat faced three combined enemy armies and did not know what to do except to lock his eyes on God. That’s the answer whenever we have no clue about the next steps.

“For we are powerless before this vast number that comes to fight against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to You.” (2 Chron. 20:12, HCSB)

2.  Pray they will not take a step apart from God's leading.

Moses prayed this prayer when God would send only an angel to lead His people after their fiasco with the golden calf. He would rather the people not start the journey if God Himself were not leading them.

“If Your presence does not go,” Moses responded to Him, “don’t make us go up from here.” (Exod. 33:15)

3.  Pray they will beware of relying on their own strength instead of God's

David, who knew the Lord is the one who fights for him (1 Sam. 17:47), trusted in his own might when he took a census of the Hebrew armies. Recognizing his sin, he prayed a prayer most leaders need to pray at some point:

“I have sinned greatly in what I’ve done. Now, Lord, because I’ve been very foolish, please take away Your servant’s guilt.” (2 Sam 24:10)

4.  Pray they will be wise in leading God's people.

When Solomon might have asked for much more, he instead asked God to give him a “listening heart” as he governed the people of God. All of us who lead congregations need this wisdom.

“So give Your servant an obedient heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who can judge this great people of Yours?” (1 Kings. 3:9)

Prayer Help for TBC's supported workers:  Trinity Baptist Church's Supported Workers

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

PERSONAL PRAYER:  Do you pray?  A Question for Everybody by J.C. Ryle

Free ebook @ www.monergism.com/call-prayer-ebook

1.  I ask, `Do you pray?' because prayer is absolutely necessary to a person's salvation

2.  I ask, `Do you pray?' because a habit of prayer is one of the surest marks of a true Christian

3.  I ask, `Do you pray?' because private prayer is the most neglected Christian discipline

4.  I ask, `Do you pray?' because the Bible is full of encouragement for all who want to pray

5.  I ask, `Do you pray?' because faithfulness in prayer is the secret of true holiness

6.  I ask, `Do you pray?' because neglecting prayer is one of the great causes of backsliding

7.  I ask, `Do you pray?' because prayer is the best recipe for happiness and contentment

CHURCH—WIDE PRAYER:  A Praying Church by Paul Miller

“We’ll hear sermons on prayer, listen to a pastoral prayer, and begin meetings with prayer, but prayer seldom happens naturally in conversation.  It just feels too religious.”  (18)

“Prayer is not one more activity of the church—it lies at the heart of all the church’s ministry.” (26)

“Good preaching (and teaching) needs good praying, or we begin to rely too much on the power of our horizontal words.”  (56)

“The act of praying itself is a kind of dying, where you give up your self-will to “make things happen” and go to God with a collective “Help us.”  The initial feeling of prayer is dying to self because praying is an act of the will, a decision to shut down your activity and open the door to God’s activity.” (111)

“Prayer isn’t just another ministry; it is the ministry that sparks the rule of the Spirit of Jesus in all ministries.”  (154, emphasis authors) 

Bible and Disciplemaking

"The Bible is a story that preaches a message.  From the beginning to the end, the Bible tells a single story of salvation."  Sound Doctrine by Bobby Jamieson.

The Trellis and the Vine and The Vine Project from Matthias Media talks about an every-member word ministry, a church ministry mindset in which every church member and every form of church ministry seeks to help each person hear the gospel, grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ, and become better equipped to share Christ with others.  

Payne and Marshall respond to the critique that this type of every-member work ministry would devalue expository preaching and the work of the preacher with the following.

In our view, the word ministry of pastoral leadership (especially in expository preaching) takes on an even greater importance when it is seen in relation to a flourishing ‘every member word ministry’. For the sermon is not just one word ministry among many; it is the foundational word ministry that feeds and regulates and builds all the others… In his preaching, a pastor sounds the tuning fork so that the whole orchestra knows in what key to play. He teaches and guards the sound deposit of the gospel so that all may know it clearly and thoroughly (for how else will they speak it?). He shows them not only what the Bible says, but how they can read and speak that truth for themselves. He constantly teaches the sound doctrinal framework that shapes the Bible reading and speaking of the whole congregation. (p. 117)

Ministry needs to be rooted in the Bible because the Bible is sufficient, clear, authoritative, and necessary.  The graphic below explains each of these.

To see the poster and more info, click on the image

What do we use the Bible for?  Many answers to this question exist, but we looked at three VERY BASIC uses in our class discussion.

1. Evangelism
2. Personal, spiritual growth
3. Corporate, spiritual growth

In teaching the lesson on Sunday morning, I wanted to allow those in attendance to encourage others with God's word.  Here is how this happened.

Each person was given one of the passages below and told to summarize what it says about the Bible.  Along with this assignment, each person shared a verse that has been an encouragement and a source of help.

Here are short sentences explaining what each verse says about God's Word.

• 2 Timothy 3:16-17:  The Bible is from God and for the good of those who hear it.
• Romans 15:4:  The Bible was written for instruction and gives hope.
• Matthew 24:35:  The Bible will not pass away.
• Isaiah 55:11:  The Word of the Lord will not pass away.
• Hebrews 4:12—13:  The Bible is sharper than a two-edged sword.
• 2 Peter 1:19—21:  The Bible is a lamp shining in a dark place and comes from God.
• Galatians 3:21—22:  The Bible gives life and gives us Christ.
• 2 Peter 3:15—16:  The Bible can be challenging to read and used for sinful purposes.  
• Luke 24:27:  All of Scripture points to Jesus Christ.
• Matthew 4:4:  The Bible gives life.

Resources:

• How Can I Get More Out of My Bible Reading by Jeremy Kimble
• Order book:  https://www.9marks.org/books/how-can-i-get-more-out-of-my-bible-reading/
• Free audiobook: https://www.crossway.org/articles/full-audiobook-how-can-i-get-more-out-of-my-bible-reading-by-jeremy-kimble/
• Why Trust the Bible? by Greg Gilbert
• Lead by Paul David Tripp—drodgersjr.blogspot.com/search/label/lead
• Class posts—https://tinyurl.com/tbc-pray-prepare
• Church Ministries Conference, March 13 & 14— grchurchministriesconference.com/

My Father-In-Law Was Not Normal: 2025 review

From my father-in-law funeral

Welcome to the memorial service of a man who welcomed so many people into his life and home.

Good morning, my name is Dave Rodgers, Pat's favorite son-in-law, without a doubt.

I am going to paraphrase a comment someone made on one of Krista's posts.  "Pat & Lori were not normal."

Pat was not normal

According to him, he controlled how well the University of Michigan played.  When he was in the room watching, they played poorly, and when he left the room and was not watching, they made great plays.

According to that post I mentioned earlier, the way they served was not normal.  Many of us were served by Pat Ryan

87 years at one church is not normal.  Through amazing times and hard times, Pat faithfully served the Lord at Emmanuel Baptist Church.  He faithfully prayed for this church and the churches his children and grandchildren were a part of.

Pat was not normal.  He was an amazing prayer warrior, faithful church member, loving husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, great-grandmother, and a great man of God because his hope was in the Lord.  

One of the verses that Pat had marked in his Bible, would quote often, and lived out, is Psalm 42:5

 

 

 

 

 

Four Big Words

Entering 2026, I want my life and Trinity Baptist Church to be marked by four words (worship, discipleship, evangelism, and missions) and a question connected to each word.

Worship - How has my life made much of God this week?

Discipleship - Who am I building into?

Evangelism - What opportunities have I taken to share the Gospel?

Missions - How have I invested my resources and life for the spread of the Gospel around the world? 

WORSHIP is not merely about singing.  Worship is about all of life, of which singing privately and corporately is a part.  

Under Authentic Worship, Trinity's website says we are "a church that places high priorities on sound doctrine, community, and relationships."

Worship doesn't begin with singing.  It starts with Biblical truth and right relationships with God and others. The songs we sing together are the overflow.

The sermons that are preached, the studies that are selected, the songs that are sung, and the decisions that are made come from a desire to help our church family make much of our great God.

DISCIPLESHIP needs to be centered on Christ and grounded in scripture.  

Here is a very basic definition of discipleship I have used.  

SEEKING someone TO HELP YOU FOLLOW Jesus. 

HELPING someone FOLLOW Jesus and

I am praying that Trinity will be filled with members who are growing in their fellowship with Jesus Christ and are seeking to help others grow into the image of Christ.

It is my prayer that discipleship connected with Trinity Baptist Church means more than that which is done at 2050 Aberdeen Street, NE.  Discipleship at Trinity Baptist Church is carried out through its members and those we have discipled.

I read somewhere that EVANGELISM and MISSIONS are not compartmentalized programs of the church for an elite few.  They are for EVERY believer.  

Evangelism and Missions must proclaim the Gospel and build up the church.

May the church be known for its proclamation of the Gospel in our neighborhoods and around the world.

At the heart of decisions made regarding the ministries of any church should be four words: worship, discipleship, evangelism, and missions.-

These four BIG words are so much more than strategic thinking for church leaders.  

They should be the life and ministry of EVERY  member.

Ministry and Missions

Ministry and Missions

During Week 3 of "Be a Disciple and Make Disciples," we talked about what ministry and missions are.

Each week, we will look at one of the chapters/words in Paul Tripp's book, Lead.
This week's word is ACHIEVEMENT.  (click the word for video link)

Notes from Lead by Paul Tripp.

"Fruit in ministry is the result not of our wise planning and diligent execution but of the loving operation of God's rescuing and transforming grace." (48)

"Prayerlessness in a leadership community is always a result of putting credit where it is not due.  Your leadership community is in trouble if your leaders are more excited about a strategic planning meeting than a prayer meeting. "(48)

As we continue this study of ministry and missions, we must remember that both are dependent upon God and His work.

What is essential for spiritual growth?

Contemporary church culture tells us there are so many different things.  Many "silver bullets" are being promoted through the mail and online.  The reality is that the essentials for spiritual growth are the Gospel (Romans 1:16-17), the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:15-17), the Holy Spirit (John 14:26), the church (Hebrews 10:23-25), prayer (Philippians 1:9), and time.  

Many things can be helpful but are optional for growth.  Books other than the Bible can be beneficial, but they must point you to God and His Word.  Many people believe finding the right program is necessary.  The problem is that some people think the program must be "new and exciting," while others believe the "old and familiar" is needed.  

The Trellis and The Vine summarizes disciple-making with the following statement.  "Disciples are made by the persevering proclamation of the Word of God by the people of God in prayerful dependence on the Spirit of God."  

Another way to think about developing a disciple-making culture is developing a Biblical counseling mindset in which members share their hope in Christ with one another.

Ministry is NOT programs or events to keep people busy and entertained.

Ministry is the faithful proclamation of the Word of God, knowing that He is the one who changes people and helps them grow.

Below, there are specific prayer points in purple related to these specific levels of Biblical Counseling

ATMOSPHERE OF GRACE & SOUL CARE CULTURE

Pray that God's Word will be faithfully preached and God's people will lovingly care for one another.

Biblical counseling in a local church setting allows the church to offer real hope to church members, regular attendees, and the surrounding community.

The Sunday preaching and teaching are foundational in helping people understand and live out this hope. The BIBLICAL DOCTRINE taught and the ATMOSPHERE OF GRACE experienced during the church meeting time is essential because this is a standard meeting time for everyone. Throughout the Pastoral Epistles, Paul reminds Timothy and Titus to teach and live the truth before people. Specifically, in 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul tells Timothy to share what he has learned with faithful men who will share it with others. The preaching and teaching prepare a congregation of "mini-preachers" to proclaim the Gospel to their families, neighborhoods, and workplaces. The church's ministry on Sunday is so much more than just the pulpit ministry. It is also a "pew" ministry. Each member is a minister.

The ATMOSPHERE OF GRACE goes beyond Sunday meeting times. A church body with a growing biblical counseling mindset also has a CULTURE OF DISCIPLESHIP and SOUL CARE that is marked by a love for one another (John 13:14, 34, 35; 15:12, 17; Romans 12:10; 15:14; 16:16; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 5:21; Hebrews 3:13). This CULTURE OF DISCIPLESHIP is Spirit-led, relationship-driven, not program-directed.

This ATMOSPHERE OF GRACE, CULTURE OF DISCIPLESHIP, and DIRECTIVE COUNSELING is an every-member church ministry.

DIRECTIVE COUNSEL

Pray that EACH MEMBER OF TRINITY BAPTIST CHURCH would be a biblical counselor/disciple-maker by speaking biblical truth into one another's lives.

"The body of Christ is built up because the men and women in a church family openly acknowledge their pain, hurts, and struggles. There is mutual edification. This is biblical counseling." Biblical counseling is not a silo ministry. It is not a ministry that is isolated from other ministries. The counseling ministry and discipleship ministry are two separate areas of ministry. The biblical counseling ministry of a church is interwoven throughout its disciple-making mandate.

A church will never have enough highly trained, certified counselors to meet all its counseling needs. If we genuinely believe in biblical community and the priesthood of believers, then EVERY MEMBER of the church needs to be equipped to "speak the truth in love to one another at every level in the body of believers." Every disciple is a disciple maker.

Every growing Trinity Baptist Church member needs to be involved in DIRECTIVE COUNSELING. This is counseling that is life-on-life. It happens through friendship, Sunday School classes, small groups, conversations before church, after church, and throughout the week. DIRECTIVE COUNSELING aims to encourage and obey by speaking the truth in love. Each member is a counselor. The question is, "What kind of counselor are you?"

The quotes and the basic idea of this post have been taken from Biblical Counseling and the Church.

CORRECTIVE COUNSEL

Pray that people would seek help when needed, and pray that members of Trinity Baptist Church would seek training to become even more equipped biblical counselors.

There are times when more intentional, focused help is needed. Someone may need specific help with parenting, communication, finances, or other ongoing issues. If a church member has been doing DIRECTIVE COUNSEL, he or she may notice the same problems in a person's life. CORRECTIVE COUNSEL is meant to help those "stuck in sin." At this level, the counselor has more specific education and training to help those struggling. Individuals giving DIRECTIVE COUNSEL can come alongside the individual as a helper/advocate at the CORRECTIVE COUNSEL level.

INTENSIVE COUNSEL

Pray that counselors speak God's truth and have Godly wisdom as they help those struggling with complex, intense situations. Also, pray that those working with intense problems will seek the help they need.

INTENSIVE COUNSEL is focused on issues that have become life-dominating or tragic. Some examples include addictions, significant fear, and potential divorce. 

Because of the nature of the problems, INTENSIVE COUNSEL takes more time and requires a counselor with more in-depth training. Most people think of The level of counseling when they hear the word "counseling." The challenge in the local church setting is helping the congregation understand that if people sought and gave more counsel at the DIRECTIVE COUNSEL and CORRECTIVE COUNSEL levels, it would help with how much INTENSIVE COUNSEL needs to be given.

Plans and programs do not grow disciples, but one path of discipleship is our Adult Christian Education (ACE) classes.  These classes are designed to establish believers in the faith, edify them in their walk, and equip them to do the ministry's work.

This disciple-making mindset and movement should be part of the ministry that occurs in every church.

  

Missions is the church crossing barriers, whether they be linguistic, economic, cultural, geographical, or religious, to share the Gospel (adapted from Missions by Johnson and Understanding the Christian Mission by Sundquist)

Resources

• The Trellis and The Vine
• The Vine Movement 
• Missions
• Achievement video - youtu.be/m-zeszPUxMk?si=jBNIeogO5JYO0Rfr
• Lead by Paul David Tripp—drodgersjr.blogspot.com/search/label/lead
• All class-related posts - tinyurl.com/beandmake

 

Advent 2025

 4 minutes, 5 minutes, 6 minutes, and 8 minutes. 

The Advent episodes got longer each week. 
But I promise you the Christmas Day episode will be the shortest of them all.

Key Word:  LOVE
Carols:  Oh Come All Ye Faithful and Oh Come All You Unfaithful.
Verses:  Luke 2:15 - 18 and other verses.
Big Idea:  God is LOVE. We love others because he first loved us.

I want to read part of an OUR DAILY BREAD article on the song "O Come, All Ye Faithful" and then share some additional thoughts related to the article, the song, and the word LOVE.

We are challenged to recognize the lengths to which Christ went to save us.  He travelled the longest distance possible (from holy heaven to sinful earth), bending low to lift us up from the mud of sin.  He stooped down to make us great (Psalm 18:35 - You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.).  C.S. Lewis wrote so aptly, "The Son of God became a Son of Man that sons of men might become sons of God."  This is at the heart of our Christmas celebration.

The quote references the great distance Christ went to save us. 

I think of another great distance he went from

a baby wrapped in cloths lying in a manger

to an accused criminal wrapped in torn flesh because of the brutal beating he received, hanging from a cross, to a confirmed dead body wrapped in burial cloths and laid in a borrowed tomb.

Thank God Jesus did not stay in the manger.

Thank God, Jesus did not stay on the cross.

Thank God, Jesus did not stay in the grave.

Thank God, Jesus rose from the dead, victorious over sin and death.

Here is the thing, often, at Christmas time, the sentiment is whether you are good enough this year for the gifts you are about to receive.

Romans 5:8 tells us

"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

John 3:16 tells us

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

1 John 3:16 tells us

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

The reality of Christmas is that we are not good enough for the gift of eternal life. 

Carol:  Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful -youtu.be/b0YgwO_HMn4?si=8zCSfAbkOeIaBoao and Oh, Come All You Unfaithful youtu.be/C-QHbpYjuIg?si=SLhB70ZEq5jJo_IT

The other.three Advent episodes of Trinity LIfe.