Multiplying Groups

Before getting into Gaining by Losing, here is a reminder about the devotional connected with this week’s memory verse.  Click HERE to read the devotional entitled “A Dad’s Loving Advice.”

When Pastor Duke candidated at EBC, he preached about developing a church planting mindset.  This book Gaining by Losing gives some detailed explanation of what this looks like.  Here are some quotes for the book that were very challenging:

“We live by losing. We gain by giving away. What we achieve by building our personal platform will never be as great as what God achieves through what we give away in faith.” (18)

“You can’t really call yourself a follower of Jesus if you don’t see yourself as sent.  He sends each of us somewhere, to some group, to make disciples of those who don’t know him.”  (34)

“The question is no longer if we are called, only where and how.”  (49)

“Spiritual growth happens not by going beyond the gospel, but by going deeper into it.”  (60)

“Remembering the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ does more to compel generosity than a hundred sermons that pummel you with guilt or inspire you with promises.”  (61)

“One evidence of God’s Spirit at work in a church is when seasoned members begin to put their preferences aside to reach the next generation.” (90)

Bottom line is we want to be about glorifying God and giving so that more people would do that.

I was going to write a much longer post but in thinking about what I wanted to communicate, I came up with this statement.

I will be a worshiper and not a judge. I will focus on God’s glory and not my personal preference as I meet with my church family.

It is my prayer that each of us would be remember this.
Throughout this week there will be more posts about a church planting mindset.