292. Tools for Multiplying Disciples

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Today I’m talking about the tools you need to become a multiplying disciple.  When you think of a mechanic, a home builder or a surgeon, you naturally think of the tools they need to accomplish their task.  If you want to build the Kingdom, save lives for eternity and repair and supercharge your relationship with God, you will need to invest in tools that will help you get the job done.  I’m going to share some of the tools that have helped me the most.

Transcript for: The Tools of a Multiplying Disciple

My 1997 Honda Civic needed a new clutch.  It was slipping and my mechanic friend told me it was going to cost a couple of thousand dollars to replace.  That was more than I had at the time and so I decided I would do it myself.  I’ve never been much of a “shade tree mechanic.”  I had changed the oil a few times and that was about it.  I started asking around and a few people in the church encouraged me to try doing it myself and two older brothers said that would help me and offer advice.  The problem was that I didn’t have any tools to work on a car.  I was told to go to Harbor Freight Tool Store.  Harbor Freight is like Toys “R” Us for men.  It’s got every tool for every job you can imagine, painting, car repair, car body work, house repair.  If you have a project, you need to go to Harbor Freight.  My wife absolutely hates the store as much as I dislike walking into a Hobby Lobby home goods store or an Ulta cosmetics store.  I walked into Harbor Freight and bought everything I needed to change the clutch, a floor jack, jack stands, a clutch pulling tool, a wheeled floor crawler for getting under the car and a 300-piece mechanics tool set with all the wrenches and sockets I needed for any car job.  It took me about a week to change the clutch.  With the advice of the two older brothers and hours of watching YouTube videos, I finally got it back together and back on the road.  It was a fantastic feeling.  Not just having an operating car again, but viewing myself as a person who is capable of fixing mechanical problems.  All I needed was good advice and the right tools for the job.

Becoming a multiplying disciple also demands the right tools if you want to be successful in walking with God and saving souls.  The Apostle Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2 to, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.”  Timothy needed to prepare for the work he was called to do.  He needed to have the right life, doctrine and tools necessary to get God’s will done.  If you want to grow in your spiritual skills, you need to get the right tools for the job.  Here are the ones that help me the most:

·         The first thing to buy when building your spiritual tool kit is a paper study Bible.  God’s word is by far the most powerful tool on your tool belt.  As I shared earlier, I started with a Zondervan Study Bible that had commentary notes embedded below the scriptures.  It increased my comprehension of God’s word dramatically.  You don’t need a combined commentary/Bible, but a large, easy to read Bible will provide you the space to take notes, highlight and dig into. 

·         Good books and spiritual books.  Look at how valuable books were to Paul in 1 Timothy 4:13, “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.”  I already covered this in an earlier chapter, but a few classic books and biographies will inspire and equip you.

·         Bible App.  The Bible App is a great free resource that combines in one location tools that in the past demanded multiple tools.  It works as a great concordance so you can find scriptures.  I use it when I don’t have my paper Bible with me.  I probably use it the most for listening when I go for a walk in the morning.  I like having the Bible read to me and that is the way most people in the past “read” the Bible.  It also offers many other Bible study tools and series that I rarely use.

·         Gospel Study Series.  I rarely leave the house without my Bible and “Disciple’s Handbook.”  This is a book printed in the nineties that includes a gospel study series that covers the first principles of the faith.  Whenever I lead a Bible study, I use it to guide my discussion.  The version I have has a leather cover and was printed in the Philippines.  If you want to multiply disciples, you need a tool for guiding a seeker from initial interest to belief, repentance, baptism and the first year of discipleship.  There are also first principles apps that can be used. 

·         One volume commentary.  My friend, John Lusk, gave me a one-volume commentary when I was a younger Christian.  It was incredibly helpful in getting deeper into God’s word and offered more insight than the study Bible I had.  I would recommend one like the “New Bible Commentary” by Gordon J. Wenham.  Instead of multiple volumes, it covers the entire Bible in one book. 

·         Commentary set.  Once you are ready to move on from a one-volume commentary and you are starting to prepare Bible discussions and sermons, you will need multi-volume commentaries.  I have several that I used in preparing my Sunday sermons.  The first one I start with is the Tyndale New Testament Commentary set.  This series is inexpensive and basic, but it’s very readable and offers a great first approach to any New Testament passage.  The second commentary I read after the Tyndale is The New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament.  These commentaries are too expensive to buy in a set, so when I’m preparing to go through a series on Genesis or Matthew, I buy that specific volume that covers the book or letter I’m preaching on.  It offers great insight and a modern writing style.  The third commentary set I read in preparing for a sermon is the Pulpit Commentary Set.  This set was written in the late 1800’s and it’s prose can be a little tough to read at times, but I love it because it is written for preachers in particular.  It offers sermon outlines, ideas, illustrations and applications that are super handy for sermon preparation.  Some of my friends don’t like this series because it’s a little more difficult to read, but it’s always my last reference before preaching a good sermon.  Many times, it has helped me come up with outlining and providing subject headings for a particular passage.  You can buy the entire series for a little over $400.  I bought it in the early 90’s for $199. 

·         Audible.com.  Leaders are readers.  Often the only way I can find the time to read the books I’m in is by listening to them.  The best service I’ve found is Audible.com.  I listen to great books while walking, working out or driving.  Another benefit is that my family can share my audio library with me.

·         Journal.  I’ve gone back and forth between paper journals and digital.  Most recently I’ve kept a journal on a Microsoft Word document.  I started it in 2017 and use the same file and just keep adding to it.  This file has grown to over 700 pages   I borrowed the following questions from Tim Ferris and expanded them a little.  They serve as an outline and memory jogger:

§  I am grateful for:

§  Daily affirmations, I am…

§  Three amazing things that happened yesterday

§  How could I have made yesterday better?

§  Goals

§  What would make today great?

§  10 ideas

This takes me about five minutes and helps me keep track of where I’m trying to go in my life and what I can work on.  My advice is to use whatever journaling tool that you will actually use and stick with.

·         Clipboard and yellow pad.  I can’t really function without my clipboard and yellow lined pad.  This is as “old school” as it gets.  The reason I like it is that I’m a chronic list person.  When I sit at my desk and meditate or pray, I keep it next to me with a pen and when the Spirit brings up an idea, I immediately write it down on my pad so I won’t forget it.  I’m not a naturally organized person and without writing things down, I often forget what I need to get done.  Studies show that writing things down by hand actually improves your memory and recall.  A Chinese proberb says, “The faintest ink is more powerful than the strongest memory.”  You can use your phone or phone app or something else, but whenever God gives you an idea, make sure you take that thought captive and put in on paper or somewhere you can recall it later. 

·         G-2 pens.  I’ve tried all sorts of different pens and have landed on the Pilot G-2 07 blue pen as my favorite.  It’s inexpensive and super smooth flowing.  I buy them in a large bundle from Amazon. 

·         3x5 cards.  I absolutely love 3x5 cards.  They can’t be beat for versatility and utility.  I use them to keep track of the people I’m reaching out to.  I don’t like putting people’s names into my phone until they get baptized because it’s so easy to get lost in my contacts.  I write someone’s name down, their phone number and what I know about them and then every time I call, text or study with them I put the date.  I have 3x5 cards from people I met, followed up with, studied with and baptized.  It’s so encouraging.  I also use them for memory scriptures and inspiring quotes.  I use them often at our midweek gatherings when I ask for prayer requests or ideas for the ministry.  They are super cheap, disposable and incredibly portable and helpful.

·         Invitation cards.  Invitation cards make it much easier to share your faith.  There is so much natural reluctance to reaching out that I can’t imagine going without this handy tool.  I read a book on evangelism that compared it to handing out tickets to heaven.  One card can change a life.  Yet, without an invitation card, you are forced to rely on your natural conversational skill and inventiveness to get into a conversation and then steer it toward God.  With a card it’s as simple as, “Hi, I go to a great church and I’d love for you to come!”  If the person has any openness, they may take that first step. 

·         Freedom.  Freedom.to is a web blocking software that I use to increase my ability to focus.  If I want to write a book, prepare a sermon or podcast, or do anything else that demands sustained attention, the first thing I do is turn on Freedom for 45 minutes and it keeps me from going to distracting or damaging websites.  It’s a game-changer for me and one I’d recommend to anyone who wants to be able to concentrate on big projects.

·         Ear Plugs.  I can’t live without Mack’s Ultra Soft earplugs.  I started using these when my wife allowed our pug, FSBO “Fizbo”, to sleep on our bed at night.  He had a nasty snore and I got into the habit of using earplugs.  I found out they are also incredibly handy for screening out other noise when I’m working at my desk.  I need tools that keep me focused on my work.  They are very cheap and super handy.  The only problem is that my new pug, “Rocky”, slips into my office and eats the ear plugs.  I wonder where they all went and then I find them in my back yard after they have passed undigested through her GI tract!

·         Walking shoes.  I’ve gotten into the habit recently of walking for three miles.  It accomplishes three things at once.  It’s good exercise and burns around 300 calories.  I listen to the Bible on audio for the first thirty minutes and then I pray on the thirty minute return leg.  You need good walking shoes.  I’m currently using Hokas, but I also like any Nike running shoe brand.

·         Airbuds.  Airbuds create time in your life that you didn’t know existed.  Time while driving, working out, walking or working is time you can be learning or developing new skills.  I rarely turn on my car without first plugging in my Airbuds and turning on a book on Audible.  I recently finished a 130+ hour listen to “The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire” by Edward Gibbon.  There is no way I’d have time to read this 2,100 page monster if it were in book form, but I can fit it into the “cracks” in my life and benefit from great writing and excellent narrators.  Prioritize reading over listening to music.

·         Purity accountability software.  I use accountable2you.com software to provide “guard rails” against pornography on the internet.  It sends a weekly report to a couple of friends showing my viewing habits.  I wish I didn’t need accountability but here’s how God views the human heart, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”  Jeremiah 17:9-10 NLT. I know God will hold me accountable.  I need to hold myself accountable.

·         Private location.  Every disciple needs a private place to meet with God.  You need your own desk or chair that gives you the privacy and space to connect with God.  I like a good desk and even enjoy having sidewalls that keep me focused on the work at hand.  A cubicle style of desk assists in concentration.

·         A good desk that is organized.  I can’t get anything done if my desk is dirty.  I have to keep everything as organized as possible.

·         Spiritual and personal development conferences.  In the summer of 2022, prior to our family of churches’ World Discipleship Summit in Orlando, I also attended a church leadership conference that was happening the week before.  I learned some things and gained some fresh insights.  Though theologically there are some differences, I want to learn from people who are growing and developing their skills.  Pay the money and travel wherever needed to grow personally.  You can learn from so many different people and sources. 

These are only some of the tools that I use to help me walk with God and seek and save the lost.  Don’t be afraid of investing in yourself and your walk with God.  I read somewhere that you should spend 3% of your income on tools for your personal development.  Anything you spend on yourself to grow closer to God and save souls is an investment that has dividends reaching into eternity.  Don’t hesitate to spend.  I hope this will help you to invest in tools to help you grow.