This past Saturday we spent six hours with 70 church leaders from seven congregations. What a great day. These
We had a great day with these church leaders resourcing them on the spiritual formation, the DiSC personality profile, running a small group.
churches have been gathering to learn how they can build a disciplemaking culture in their church. They are in year two of our three-year process.
We came into the workshop hoping and praying one skill in particular would be a reality in each of these church leaders. We actually had been wondering if this seemingly little spiritual discipline was present. Wow, as each church shared we were so energized to hear the good stories of God showing up!
The skill we were looking for is a regular engagement with the Scriptures.
What moves ahead believer at every stage of their spiritual growth?
That may not sound like a big step forward, but it actually is the spiritual secret to growth. The Reveal survey, which Willow Creek designed wanted to find out what were the factors that caused believers to move ahead in their spiritual life. They were amazed that the number one factor in growth was not church services or programs. What they found through the survey was that engagement with the Scriptures propelled people to further growth no matter what maturity level they found themselves! Simple digging into the Bible makes a huge difference.
Doesn’t scripture back up too? We know from Hebrews 4 that God’s word is living and active. It has power. It has ability to impact us deeply.
My favorite passage on this subject is Is 55:9-11. “As the rains come down and water the ground and cause it to flourish.” Don’t we see that when the rain comes down our grass grows (ugh) and the corn grows tall? Rain does have an effect, a big one. Here’s the comparison in this passage. “So my Word goes out and it will not return void or empty.” God’s words found in the Bible have a powerful spiritual effect. This book, crazy book can totally transform us. In fact, the Lord has a purpose for it every time it goes out. Yes!
Here’s some of the comments our attenders said they’ve been experiencing.
“I’ve never had a daily devotional life but now I‘m meeting with God daily. My team is keeping me accountable for my goals.”
“My daily appointment with God is not only changing me but is impacting my family. It’s transforming my life as a father.”
“This experience has changed my life. I’m putting Christ first by spending time with Him daily. I’m choosing to be intentional.”
“Before I felt that I was close to God but this training has given me the tools to go even deeper.”
“I’m learning that I have to run to the throne before I go to the phone. I’m learning to trust God first!”
We were thrilled during our sharing time to hear how each person shared the significant impact this regular habit of engaging in the Scriptures. Our staff went home so privileged to play a small part in helping these folks take these steps ahead.