By:         Emmanuel Adeoye

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DISCIPLESHIP MODEL OF FOUR FIELD

DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING NOTES AND TOOLS

• INTRODUCTION

A Baptist missionary was sent to India but could not achieve much after many years and was recalled home. He begged for a second chance, he was given and he adopted this model he discovered after rigorous search for a simple, practical and reproducible discipleship formula.  In six months, he planted 300 churches and 1000 by one year. The rest is now history.

• THE DISCIPLE AND THE GREAT COMMISSION – MATTHEW 28: 18 – 20
• Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
• Verse 18 – Christ has authority to judge our performance in actualizing the Great Commission.
• Verse 19 – We are to go and make disciples. We have not sufficiently obeyed this command.
• We make Christians, not disciples. We are not discipling ourselves, hence, we are not making disciples. We have been baptizing and not discipling our converts.
• Who is a disciple? John 8: 31 – ³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
• Those who are obedient to Christ are his disciples. A disciple obeys the command of Christ.
• A disciple bears fruit, much fruit – John 15: 1-8.
• “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.

 ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. ⁵ “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. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 

³ You are already clean because of the word I have ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Disciples love one another – John 13: 34-35 -“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

            CHARACTERISTICS OF A DISCIPLE

• A Disciple obeys Christ dogmatically, without thinking
• A Disciple bears much fruit
• A Disciple loves his fellow disciple as Christ loves him
• Christ means business for the Great Commission to be actualized, his disciples must not handle it with levity– This is evidenced in Christ’s radical statement in Luke 14: 26, 27, 33.
• 26“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 
• ²⁷ And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
• ³³ In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples
• Jesus comes first in the life of his true disciples – v 26
• Stake your life to make more disciples – Vs 27
• You give up everything to be his disciple – Vs 33
• There must be of necessity a paradigm shift in disciple making – from theology grounding to obedience driven.

            ACTUALIZING THE GREAT COMMISSION

• Every movement in history has always being characterized by:
• GLOBAL VISION – (GENESIS- REVELATION)
• LOCAL VISION – (BRUTAL FACTS)
• PERSONAL VISION – (RELATIONAL MAP)

GOD’S VISION – GLOBAL – FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION

• God’s vision to save humanity commended in the Great commission is huge and all-encompassing. This was unfolded in the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation.
• Genesis 1: 26-28 : ²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,^[a]and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,   in the image of God he created them;    male and female he created them. ²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

• Genesis 3 -5, ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ; 22 – ²² And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”         Sin Came
• Genesis 6: 1 –When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them; 5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.  -Judgement came
• Genesis 9: 1 –Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. – New start

LOCAL VISION

• How do we reduce this God’s global vision to our local level?
• Brutal Facts on Abeokuta as a local vision. Abeokuta population – 550,000
• Abeokuta population outside Christ – 90%
• 90% of 550 = 495,000; 10% of 495,000 is 49,500
• In wining 49,500 souls for Christ in Abeokuta, if we project 54 members per church, then, 49,500 divided by 54 = 917. It means we must plant 917 churches to reach 49,500 people in Abeokuta for Christ.

LOCAL VISION

• How many church planters do we need to plan 917 churches? Let’s say 46. If each of the 46 church planters plant 20 churches each within the space of 5 years, our desire of planting 917, even 920 will be accomplished.  Let’s find encouragement in what Paul did in Asia Minor.
• How did Paul convert between 8-15 million population of Asia minor in two years? See Acts 19: 8-10 –Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
• Like Paul initially in verse 9, we go out and argue about church and our prospects are obstinate. When he changed his strategy, took disciples with him and study with them daily, he started achieving results.
• 2 – And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.

• We see discipleship at work in this verse. The words were committed to disciples, the disciples were trained to go out. They came, receive and go out.

                                                PERSONAL VISION

• What will it take to plant 20 churches in Abeokuta in 5 years? (WARRI IN 5 YEARS)
• Commitment – are we willing to give our lives to accomplish this goal?
• We need a CLEAR PATH to achieve our purpose.
• By clear path, we mean strategy = The 4 Fields.

• Mark 4: 26-29 –He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷ Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸ All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

SIMPLE TOOLS

• Simple tools required to enter a new field includes:
• RELATIONAL MAP
• PERSON/PLACE OF PEACE

FIELD ONE:

EMPTY OR ENTRY FIELD

TOOL 1. RELATIONAL MAP

TOOL 2: YOUR PERSON OF PEACE

Who is a person of peace? Whoever welcomes you with a hand of fellowship in anew field is a person of peace or his house a place of peace.

• Luke 10: 1-9
• After this the Lord appointed seventy-two^[a]others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. ² He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. ³ Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
• ⁵ “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 
• Luke 10: 1-9
• ⁶ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
• ⁸ “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. ⁹ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 
• Luke 10: 1-9
• Highlights of the Passage
• Sent out in twos- in teams for support and encouragement
• Sent ahead of him – Christ is already on the field waiting for you to join Him
• Harvest is plentiful – confirm by the brutal facts
• Send out workers – train disciples

DOS AND DON’TS ACCORDING TO THE PASSAGE                                                             

DOS

• VS 3- GO
• GO IN TWOS
• VS 3- BE DISCERNING, APPLY WISDOM
• VS 5- LOOK FOR A PERSON OF PEACE/HOUSE OF PEACE – THE PERSON WHO FIRST WELCOMES YOU, ANYONE WILLING TO SUPPORT OR HELP YOU.
• VS – 9 – HEAL THE SICK- PRAY FOR THEIR NEEDS, DO SOMETHING TO BLESS THEM, BE USEFUL TO THEM
• PREACH THE KINGDOM
• PRAY

     DON’TS

• Vs – Do not take purse/bag/sandals – No excuse for not going, no encumbrance of any form, no complain about lack of support.
• Greet no one – Tell no one where you are going, they may discourage you
• Don’t force yourself on them

FIELD 2:  SEEDED FIELD

• How do you start to teach your person of peace?

            The three strategies become handy

• 15 SECONDS TESTIMONY – YOUR STORY
• THE THREE CIRCLES – JESUS’ STORY
• BAPTISM HAMMER

            TOOL 3: 15 SECOND TESTIMONY

• You begin by sharing with your prospect your own story before you become a Christian and how Christ made the difference in your life when you encountered Him. After telling you story, you encourage your prospect to share his/her own story. 

• Your story is best illustrated with Christ encounter with Samaritan woman in John 4: 1-42
• ³⁹ Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. ⁴¹ And because of his words many more became believers.
• The Power of Your Story by Craig Etheredge
• You have a powerful story. Believe it or not, you already have a very effective tool that will help you point people to Jesus Christ. That tool is your personal story.
• Every believer has a story, and when you tell how Jesus encountered you and changed your life, it yields powerful results. Just think about the woman Jesus met at the well on that hot afternoon in Samaria. Jesus had a nice conversation with her about the “living water” that only He could give her.
• TOOL 4: THREE CIRCLE
• THE STORY OF JESUS

                        TOOL 5: BAPTISM HAMMER

(Conversion Accounts in Acts)

• These attest to the fact that baptism should be done immediately.
• Why Baptism:
• Acts 2: 38
• Acts 22: 16
• 3: 27
• 1:13-14
• 1 Cor. 5: 17-20
• As people are baptized, they are trained to become disciples
• Your story is best illustrated with Christ encounter with Samaritan woman in John 4: 1-42
• ³⁹ Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. ⁴¹ And because of his words many more became believers.
• The Power of Your Story by Craig Etheredge
• You have a powerful story. Believe it or not, you already have a very effective tool that will help you point people to Jesus Christ. That tool is your personal story.
• Every believer has a story, and when you tell how Jesus encountered you and changed your life, it yields powerful results. Just think about the woman Jesus met at the well on that hot afternoon in Samaria. Jesus had a nice conversation with her about the “living water” that only He could give her.

Why Baptism:

• Acts 2: 38- for remission of sins and the gift of Holy Spirit
• Acts 22: 16- washing away your sins
• 3: 27- to put on Christ
• 1:13-14- the seal of Holy Spirit
• 2 Cor. 5: 17-20- a new creation, reconciliation, ambassador
• As people are baptized, they are trained to become disciples

SEEDED FIELD

• Sword Model of Bible Study
• Hebrews 4: 12-13
• S-Sin to avoid?

The emphasis here is how to help the new disciple grow and mature by studying the Bible on their own. It helps those who can’t even read and write to understand the word of God.

PEAK: The peak of the sword points to God. What can we learn about God in the passage?

HANDLE: The handle represents what the Bible tells us about man.

LEFT SIDE: What are the sins to avoid or blessings to claim (Examples)

RIGHT SIDE: What are God’s commands to obey in the passage

APPLICATION – What I must do to obey the scripture – I must share this message with someone else or change attitude to live the scripture

LOVING ACCOUNTABILITY (Hebrews 10: 22-26): We are accountable to help one another to obey the scripture. Help one another in love to put what we read in the scripture into practice. If we do this, we will all be more obedient to the scripture.

FIELD 3: DISCIPLESHIP FIELD

TOOL 6: “411” DISCIPLE MAKING PARADIGM

The 411 training equips Christians to make disciples by answering 4 questions in 1 hour on 1 sheet of paper:

1. WHY MAKE DISCIPLES?
2. WHO TO REACH?
3. WHAT TO SAY?
4. WHEN TO GET STARTED?

• Why make Disciples? Why do we obey the Great Commission in 28: 18-20?

Answer: 2 Cor. 5: 17 -20 – New Identity, New Function.

• Verse 17 -A Christian after baptism becomes a new man surrounded by a new identity. Old is gone, here is new.
• Vs 20 – A Christian has new function – an Ambassador. This is another commission put in another way and comes with a new function. God is making an appeal through His Son for people far from Him to be reconciled with him through Christ. This made possible as Christ ambassadors

WHO SHOULD I RECONCILE TO CHRIST?

ANSWER: RELATIONAL MAP.

PEOPLE IN YOUR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE

3. WHAT SHOULD I SAY?

A.15 SECONDS TESTIMONY

1. THREE CIRCLE: THE STORY OF JESUS
2. When to Share/Train? (Matt. 7: 24-27) – The wise and foolish builders:

• ²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

TOOL 7.

3G: GATHER, GROW, GO

• LOOK BACK, LOOK UP, LOOK FOWARD
• FIELD 4: HARVEST FIELD

TOOL 8: CHURCH CIRCLE

• Acts 2: 36 – 47
• In the harvest field disciples are taught how to organize a simple church and how to grow the church into spiritual maturity
• A healthy and mature church is characterized by these functions.
• When someone repents and baptized, he is taught how to pray, how to bring his relations and friends to the Lord, how to love, how to worship, how to partake of the Lord’s Supper, how to give, teaching is a continuous process and how to lead.

TOOL 9: LEFT AND RIGHT HAND GUIDE TO A HEALTHY CHURCH

• This is a simple method of church rapid and exponential multiplication. Adam and Eve’s multiplication was in the form of bearing children. A church multiplication is in replicating itself. The idea is that every disciple must reproduce and when that takes place there will be exponential growth. We must equip every disciple towards multiplication

TOOL 10: LEADERSHIP TOOLS

• We have more of church planters in churches of Christ than church multipliers. Such church planters remain in the planted church for life, rather that moving on to be church multiplier, multiplying churches.
• Unlike Paul’s desire to always break new grounds ( 15: 20- 24), most of our preachers lack pioneering spirit, always desiring to build on the foundation of others, rather breaking new grounds. We have professional preachers not willing to go where Christ is not known, unlike Paul who labored so much until there was no place left for him to preach (Rom. 15: 23)
• Romans 15: 20-24 – ²⁰ It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. ²¹ Rather, as it is written: “Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.”^[a]22 This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you. ²³ But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, ²⁴ I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.

TOOL 11:  M       A       W        L

MODEL                ASSIST                WATCH                  LEAVE

• We see this model at work as follows:
• Jesus in Mark 1
• Paul in Acts 13
• Also in, 1 Thess 3: 6
• John 4: 2
• 2Tim 2: 2
• Acts 1: 7
• And Ephesians elders in Acts 20

LEADERSHIP QUALIFICATIONS

 TOOL 12: IRON ON IRON (IOI)

• Proverbs 27: 17
• Purpose: Paying serious attention to leadership and learning from the practitioner.
• Focus: Inspired by love for lostness – having lost souls in mind
• Note: Problem solving, not attacking the plan or the person, forum for encouragement.
• Schedules: consist of two schedules: talk to the plans and talk to the person.

 TOOL 12: IRON ON IRON (IOI)

• Schedule A – Talking to Plans
• Are you abiding in Christ?
• Are there conflicts or forgiveness in your ranks?
• Share your vision for your locality
• Could you describe the population of your area?
• Which tools are you using or strategy you are deploying? Which tool(s) do you found most effective in advancing your cause?
• What is your weekly routine like?
• Share your GEN Map with us (GEN Map is the activities of your various groups).
• What are your challenges? Where are you stocked?
• Schedule B – Talking to the person
• Encourage
• Ask clarifying questions
• Discuss solutions
• Share 2 or 3 activities/actions on your action/accountability plan
• Pray for the leader/team

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