Doug Nuenke - Five Traits of a Disciplemaker

Five Traits of a Disciplemaker

Copyright 2021 by The Navigators. All rights reserved.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the (NASB) New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message, copyright 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Some of the anecdotal illustrations in this book are true to life and are included with the permission of the persons involved. All other illustrations are composites of real situations, and any resemblance to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

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ISBN 978-1-64158-505-7

ISBN 978-1-64158-507-1 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-64158-508-8 (Kindle); ISBN 978-1-64158-506-4 (Apple)

Build: 2021-08-09 16:32:13 EPUB 3.0

DAWSON TROTMAN, who began The Navigators ministry among sailors in 1933, had a knack for developing illustrations to make spiritual truths easy to remember and apply. The most well-known of these illustrations is the Wheel.

The hub of the Wheel represents Christ the life and driving force of the Christian life while the rim represents the lived environment of the obedient Christian, especially the people in the Christians life. The two vertical spokes represent the Word of God and prayer, the principal means by which we draw upon the life and power of Christ. The two horizontal spokes represent fellowship among believers (what we now call community) and witnessing (what we now call evangelism). Thus the vertical spokes emphasize our relationship with Christ, and the horizontal spokes represent our relationship with fellow believers and with unbelievers.

The Wheel may seem a bit simplistic to many today. In fact, I have at times been specifically asked to not refer to the illustration when teaching these principles to college students. But the basic truths of the Christian life illustrated by the Wheel are timeless. They are as old as the Word of God itself.

The five areas of Christian growth and competency covered in this devotional are a modern-day restatement of and enlargement on those fundamental principles illustrated in the Wheel. There is, however, one area of competency in the devotional that is not included in the Wheel: reproducing generations, an aspect of discipleship ministry that has been a primary emphasis of The Navigators from its early days. It was known as the 2:2 principle, based on 2 Timothy 2:2: And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also ( ESV ). In fact, Dawson Trotman would often ask young men, Wheres your man? by which he meant, Whom are you discipling for the next generation?

Regardless of what strategies and techniques we develop in our discipleship, we must always keep going back to the basics. There is a famous story about Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach who led the Green Bay Packers to victory in several NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls. Once, standing before a team of disheartened players, he held out an oblong leather object and said, Gentlemen, this is a football. Why would he say such a thing to a group of men who had played football from childhood and were now professional players? This was his way of saying, We are going back to the basics of the game. This is what we believers need to do constantly. We need to keep going back to the basics of the Christian life. This book of devotional readings on the five primary areas of Christian growth is designed to take us all the way back to the fundamentals of Christian growth and competency. It is my prayer that this book will accomplish that objective in each of our lives.

Jerry Bridges

Author, The Pursuit of Holiness

Navigator staff member, 19552015

ARE YOU SOMEONE who is living with joy and purpose? Is the song of your life flowing freely from the person God has made you to be? Or do you, like many people, lack confident knowledge of Gods love and purposes?

Do you believe that your life matters and that you are destined to bring healing to a broken world that needs what you bring?

The gospel is a redemptive ballad of Gods love and purpose for a sin-drowned world. We are each destined to experience closeness with God and to draw others into that same relationship.

To Know Christ and Make Him Known a phrase that has been the driving motivation for The Navigators (and many other churches and mission organizations) summarizes so much about a life dedicated to following Jesus. Jesus appeal to some of His first disciples reflects a twofold calling: Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men (Matthew 4:19, ESV ). They were called to Him and to work with Him.

To be a follower of Jesus means that no matter our career, our education, or our season of life, we are called to know Him and to work with Him in a spiritual harvest. This devotional is intended to help each of us walk closely with God and work more effectively with him in our world. Youll be led through five areas of growth for each of us.

1. Walking with Jesus. Howard Hendricks once said, You cannot impart what you do not possess! Jesus makes it clear that only as we are connected to Him will we experience a healthy spiritual life: I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5).
2. Knowing and living the Scriptures. The Scriptures are Gods means of bringing guidance and wise counsel to the life of each believer. The Holy Spirit guides us into knowing and living the truth of the Scriptures. As the psalmist said, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105, ESV ).