[SPECIAL] Discipleship Rhythms
Many Christians are frustrated with trying to fit discipleship and spiritual growth into their increasingly busy schedules. But what if God designed all of life as a perfect fit for discipleship?
In this episode of the Everyday Disciple Podcast, I am sharing Day 3 of the Everyday Disciple Challenge. This is the audio from the Live training we did online. I reveal six ordinary rhythms of your life that are perfectly created by God for natural, daily discipleship that fits everyone’s schedule.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- Why moving from “additional” to “intentional” with discipleship is critical.
- How discipleship is both organized and organic.
- How God has perfectly designed all of life for natural, organic disciple-making.
- 6 Rhythms of life that everyone in every context of life shares.
From this episode:
“If everything you do in the church and with discipleship is Organized it feels very artificial, robotic, and removed from everyday life. If all you do is organic discipleship… taking things as they come up, you are probably not developing mature disciples.“
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Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Coaching in everyday discipleship w/ Caesar and Tina
Transcript
And there again in our communities, we suggest, Hey, look to bless three people a week with either word action or gift each just, you know, word blessing, easy peasy, right?
Caesar:Maybe an action.
Caesar:Ask the Lord to show you.
Caesar:Or some small gift.
Caesar:What if you blessed three people a week?
Caesar:And can you imagine how different a neighborhood would be that has a community of people live in this way?
Caesar:A handful of families, or maybe a big Missional community?
Caesar:What, what if everybody in the community and in that neighborhood was seeking intentionally to bless three people a week.
Caesar:So let's say.
Caesar:dozen of you and your blessing, three people a week.
Caesar:That's 36 blessings happening every week in your neighborhood.
Caesar:Just small word action or gift you think people take notice.
Caesar:Do you think it would change the dynamic of that neighborhood?
Announcer:Welcome to the Everyday Disciple podcast where you'll learn how.
Announcer:Greater intentionality and an integrated faith that naturally fits into every area of life.
Announcer:In other words, discipleship as a lifestyle, this is the stuff your parents, pastors, and seminary professors probably forgot to tell you.
Announcer:And now here's your host Caesar Kalinowski
Caesar:well, hello.
Caesar:Again.
Caesar:Good to be back together as all.
Caesar:Hope you're having a great week here.
Caesar:We are middle of the week, depending on when you're hearing this, I suppose, but, uh, yeah, it's been the busiest week of my life.
Caesar:This Everyday Disciple challenge has exploded.
Caesar:There are thousands of people watching these videos and engaging, and thousands of comments have come in.
Caesar:Um, the videos and takeaways and cool little live videos of people posting their ahas and so much homework.
Caesar:And I hope you caught day one.
Caesar:Of the training, which is what is discipleship, where I gave you a really practical working definition and kind of twisted your head a little bit around that.
Caesar:If you haven't heard that you sure want to.
Caesar:And then yesterday we shared the audio from the training and it was about our gospel identity, the foundation of everything when it comes to discipleship.
Caesar:So you definitely want to hear both of those.
Caesar:They kind of build on each other, but, uh, yeah, the water's fine.
Caesar:Come on in, continue listening to this.
Caesar:Feel free.
Caesar:And in fact, I'd like to invite you to join us over at the Everyday Disciple Podcast, Facebook group, that's where the live videos are happening.
Caesar:That's where the replays are.
Caesar:That's where all the comments and you can post your homework and win prizes and all that kind of stuff.
Caesar:So come on over.
Caesar:You can go to Everyday Disciple dot com forward slash Facebook and join us there.
Caesar:But, uh, I want to give you day three of the training today.
Caesar:We're going to talk about discipleship rhythms and the normal ordinary rhythms of life that God has created the world and your time and schedule and everybody else, you know, in, and maybe, or maybe not.
Caesar:You've heard me talk about this before on the podcast, but I'm going to talk.
Caesar:In light of all, that's going on with the church being so scattered and our social distancing and all of that.
Caesar:So I think you're going to love it.
Caesar:Go ahead, give this a listen, and then I'll be back at the end with a few of my thoughts today.
Caesar:We're going to be talking about discipleship rhythms in all of life, and this idea of moving from thinking discipleships.
Caesar:Something additional to be kind of added into our lives, but what if we could see it as something where it's already happening, but I have to be intentional about it.
Caesar:And I want to tell you today is kind of a two-parter today and tomorrow.
Caesar:I mean, they stand alone, but.
Caesar:Tomorrow is going to fit today and the resources like crazy.
Caesar:You'll see.
Caesar:And what I'm going to give you today is this general overview of rhythms and some homework that gets started doing some stuff.
Caesar:But tomorrow I'm also going to give you a framework for how you help other people move from, Hey, this kind of sounds like a good idea all the way through embracing it and then starting to live that way and then help others do the same.
Caesar:And this is how we teach and coach.
Caesar:And I'm going to, I'm going to give you that framework tomorrow.
Caesar:So it's kind of a two-part thing.
Caesar:It's kind of a two-part thing.
Caesar:All right.
Caesar:So I hope you're being encouraged.
Caesar:It's your seems like from your, uh, from your, your posts and your homework and your notes, you sure are.
Caesar:Let me go ahead and share my screen.
Caesar:And we're going to get started.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:We're going to get started here with discipleship rhythms.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:So what did we learn yesterday?
Caesar:Uh, we learned yesterday that we're all created in God's own image to be like him, and we don't have to do anything for that to be true.
Caesar:That is just true of us.
Caesar:It is.
Caesar:How about our identity?
Caesar:Our true identity flows from God whose is three and one.
Caesar:So identity is Trinity.
Caesar:Yeah, that's big.
Caesar:And a lot of you posted about that, that changes things.
Caesar:We have identities in Christ.
Caesar:Yes.
Caesar:But do you think about you are creating the name of the spirit and rebaptized immersed in that identity?
Caesar:That's what it means to be a disciple and be a Christian.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:And then we talked about like, this is what's true of us as the church that we're a family of missionary servants sent as disciples who make disciples.
Caesar:That's almost tattoo worthy.
Caesar:And we looked at our doing flows from our being.
Caesar:There is what we do ultimately flows from who we believe we are.
Caesar:And sometimes we think, and a lot of you posted this, I know where you believe, you know, I think, I know I want to believe this, but I still feel like I have to earn, and I have to do certain things as a Christian to kind of earn God's favor and love and all.
Caesar:And I just want to say you don't someone was asking yesterday about, well, how do you separate this?
Caesar:Doing where in scripture says be doers of the word.
Caesar:Not just hearers.
Caesar:Absolutely.
Caesar:That's true.
Caesar:But here's the difference.
Caesar:And if you read that statement in all of its context, you realize what's going on, there is being doers not to earn God's love and favor.
Caesar:But because you already have it.
Caesar:So don't just sit back and hear the word and nod and go.
Caesar:Yep.
Caesar:Aha.
Caesar:But be doers, but not to earn, not to prove anything we're free.
Caesar:We're loved.
Caesar:We're dearly loved.
Caesar:So that's what we learned today.
Caesar:Now, today, I want to start talking about these rhythms of life and discipleship as a lifestyle, through the lens of these common rhythms of life.
Caesar:First off, I want to talk about that.
Caesar:Discipleship and community is both organized.
Caesar:And organic.
Caesar:It is.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:Just like your normal family life.
Caesar:Remember the church is a family and when you start building out communities, oikos's of families, right.
Caesar:on mission together like neighbors and friends and all that over time, just like your family, like life has organized.
Caesar:You also have organics, lots of them.
Caesar:Like you have organized things in your family.
Caesar:Like you have to pay the bills on a certain day of the month, pay your mortgage, go shopping, do some chores, maybe help your kids with homework, get them off to school.
Caesar:There's a handful of organized things that we schedule, right?
Caesar:What time we eat dinner maybe and all that.
Caesar:But from those few organized things, Lots and lots of organics flow all the in between the cracks, the stuff of life happened.
Caesar:But if you weren't getting together, ever, if you weren't doing your organized things, then you organics couldn't happen.
Caesar:So like, think about this when, when we do like Thanksgiving dinner and we have lots of people come, like, not just team K, but like the extended team K.
Caesar:And we have to say, well, what time are we doing that?
Caesar:Are we doing it actually on Thanksgiving?
Caesar:Yeah, we're going to do it then.
Caesar:Oh, what time we have to organize that and what are we cooking?
Caesar:And who's bringing what.
Caesar:And, and all that, but while we're doing that little organized part, while when he's finally have the meal and that day together, oh, the conversations that happen and the fun out in the yard.
Caesar:And, and then the plans to, oh, my wife and the girls, they're all going to get mani pedi's later.
Caesar:And, and I decide, you know, I have a conversation with my son-in-law and how, how are you doing with treating my daughter?
Caesar:And so all these organics.
Caesar:Because of the organized.
Caesar:And I want to tell you, life in discipleship is the same way that there's going to be a few things.
Caesar:You got to organize, you know, like getting together and having a meal and maybe like what days we're going to pray together or what days we'll study and all, but you're not going to try to jam it all into one little event.
Caesar:You're just, you can't, you can't make a disciple like in a couple of hours a week or something like that.
Caesar:Just like you can't raise kids that way life in community and life on mission, making disciples is going to have both organized and organic.
Caesar:And I'll tell you, when you give yourself to this as a lifestyle, and I'm going to give you these rhythms of life in a minute, you'll see a few organized things with intentionality lead to all the organics, where our gospel identity flows into them.
Caesar:And the gospel is spoken and experienced and displayed, and God is glorified and it helps people move from unbelief to belief in every area of life.
Caesar:So, let me ask you a question, which do you most, which do you most, uh, tend towards?
Caesar:Are you, are you more organized or are you more organic?
Caesar:Like extend your own life and ministry?
Caesar:Let's just say, but however you want to see it.
Caesar:Do you tend more to the organized?
Caesar:I like to have everything in order or more to like, I like to let it flow and the organic.
Caesar:Both are important, both are needed.
Caesar:Which, which do you flow to?
Caesar:What do you think?
Caesar:Give me your thoughts there.
Caesar:Yeah.
Caesar:See both are needed.
Caesar:Here's the thing, when it comes to disciple-making, if everything we do is just organized, like a meeting to a meeting, to a meeting.
Caesar:That's not life on life.
Caesar:And that starts to feel like a program.
Caesar:And so people start feeling like a project and a program.
Caesar:But if all we do is organic, like, well, you know how we make disciples?
Caesar:Just like, whatever, like whatever happens, whatever comes up, then you're probably not making disciples.
Caesar:You're probably not.
Caesar:You're probably just have a little social club whenever it fits people's schedule.
Caesar:So we need both organized and organic.
Caesar:I'm seeing both coming in organized.
Caesar:Organized task focus.
Caesar:Yeah.
Caesar:Remember there was Martha and Mary, right?
Caesar:So we need both.
Caesar:What I encourage you in is whatever you tend to most naturally lean towards the organized or the organic, then look to grow in the other.
Caesar:And.
Caesar:Partner with and do ministry with and discipleship with People of the other string.
Caesar:Remember, we need both.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:We need both.
Caesar:All right.
Caesar:So let, let me, uh, let me take us on, and I'm gonna start talking about these six natural rhythms that once you see these, we all live in.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:Everybody, you know, lives in them, Adam and Eve lived in these rhythms.
Caesar:And so did Israel and the disciples with Jesus and you do, and everybody in every culture and country in the world has the same six rhythms.
Caesar:And so it's not like, oh, I can't do do discipleship.
Caesar:Uh, yes you can because you're already living in these rhythms.
Caesar:It's not a matter of additional, it's a matter of intentional.
Caesar:And I'm telling you, this is going to change everything for you.
Caesar:It really was how, how you realize how discipleship really can and does happen and how God has perfectly ordered.
Caesar:This world, your world, this life for discipleship, helping people move from unbelief to belief about him becoming more and more like Jesus filling the world with God's glory.
Caesar:And wouldn't it make sense that God has ordered the world to work this way for us?
Caesar:Yeah, it really does.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:So let me go back to my screen real quick here.
Caesar:And, uh, so I'm going to talk about these.
Caesar:Rhythms.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:Discipleship in every day, life there's six of them and it doesn't really matter what order they kind of go in there.
Caesar:All you'll see, they all kind of intertwined in all, but instead of feeling like you have to add a whole bunch of other activities and events to your life and schedule, and then talk everyone else in your life or your small group or your church or Missional Community into attending these events.
Caesar:Yikes.
Caesar:I want to show you how the everyday rhythms of life are full of gospel opportunity and connection as a family.
Caesar:And you start to think about those identity statements yesterday.
Caesar:About we being a family and missionary and servants and disciples were sent live in that out being leads to the doing, but in all of normal life that you're already living.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:So here's the six rhythms story formed and that's a made up word.
Caesar:It's this idea of, of being shaped by story and having a story and connecting your story to God's.
Caesar:I'm going to go through each of these.
Caesar:Listen, we're always listening, but who are we listening?
Caesar:Hm, everyone's listening.
Caesar:Everyone has a story.
Caesar:See, these are common.
Caesar:These are already going on.
Caesar:Celebrate.
Caesar:Uh, you, how many celebrations do you go to in a year and there's holidays and all these different things.
Caesar:We'll talk about that.
Caesar:Eating all of us eat in rhythm, everybody in the world does most of us eat at least, you know, in the west three meals a day, times seven.
Caesar:If you're in Norway, you have parts of Scandinavia four times a day, you ate, right.
Caesar:There's a lot of rhythm there that you can intentionalize for the gospel and for discipline.
Caesar:Bless.
Caesar:We've been blessed to be a blessing.
Caesar:It's one of the original sort of mandates a God who's family, Israel.
Caesar:And there, there are opportunities all around us and needs to bless people and very simple and practical ways.
Caesar:I'm going to show you.
Caesar:And then this recreate, this is two words we put together.
Caesar:Uh, it's this idea of rest and create you.
Caesar:We rest in Christ completed.
Caesar:Right is finished.
Caesar:We're free we're family.
Caesar:Now we're restored.
Caesar:Our identity is true and held by him and out of that rest, not to earn or prove anything.
Caesar:We can create beauty and value and work and bless others.
Caesar:And these all connect with each other.
Caesar:They really do.
Caesar:So maybe take a screenshot of this or write these down, but I'm going to go through them real quick.
Caesar:And I could teach on each of these for an hour, like no problem.
Caesar:And I have in our communities.
Caesar:Maybe you've heard me teach on these rhythms before.
Caesar:I don't know.
Caesar:I, you know, I've been teaching on these for years because these are foundational to how we make disciples in regular, everyday life.
Caesar:So this may be a refresher, but it's absolutely key to unlocking discipleship and gospel intention relationship and all that.
Caesar:So after I go through them.
Caesar:Then I'm going to give you a tool and a method for integrating into the lives and rhythms of your family and those of your friends and in community and in your church with others.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:So I know you're going to have questions.
Caesar:I'm going to try to get to them all, but I'll have to do it at the end.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:So here's the first one story formed.
Caesar:We all have a story.
Caesar:Everybody has a story and all of our stories are a part of ultimately God's bigger story.
Caesar:And by the way, God's still writing that story.
Caesar:Like it's, he's still fulfilling his eternal purpose to fill the world with his glory.
Caesar:Jesus is coming back.
Caesar:So the story is still being written and we are eternal beings.
Caesar:How well do you know how to tell your story in light of God's story?
Caesar:This is important.
Caesar:We can learn to tell our stories through the lens of God's story creation, fall redemption restoration.
Caesar:How well do you know the story of God.
Caesar:We teach in our communities, the story through many, many weeks, something called a story formed way, and it's all narrative and dialogical.
Caesar:So story and then questions.
Caesar:And we always, always, always see people come to faith and deepen their faith and move from unbelief to belief in all kinds of areas.
Caesar:Now we've done this story.
Caesar:I've done it personally, all over world.
Caesar:Probably 30 countries and we've trained thousands and thousands.
Caesar:I can give you copies of all this.
Caesar:I'm going to give you links to those stories and those narratives.
Caesar:Let me ask you this.
Caesar:How well do you know the stories of those people God's called you to disciple or even the people like maybe in your small group or church?
Caesar:I'm not talking about like, I know, well, they're from Chicago and they got two kids and he works over here at the mall.
Caesar:No, no like their story, getting to know each other's stories.
Caesar:Well enough that we know where our unbelief lies so that we can do discipleship, right?
Caesar:Help people move from their unbelief to belief in the gospel.
Caesar:This is big getting to know each other's stories, telling our stories, our testimonies, but through the lens of God's stories and helping people connect deeply to God's story is integral to disciple.
Caesar:This next rhythm is listen.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:Listen.
Caesar:We're always listening to someone and we teach our disciples and in community and people, we coach that we need to learn to listen both backward and forward.
Caesar:We listen backward to God through his word and through the story.
Caesar:Listen backwards whose God what's he like, what's he been up to what's he doing?
Caesar:Is he consistent?
Caesar:Does he ever change?
Caesar:And we listened forward through the holy spirit and through others in community who also have that same spirit, your brothers and sisters.
Caesar:Part of discipleship and we have to cultivate this because most of us aren't very good listeners.
Caesar:I dunno.
Caesar:How about you?
Caesar:Are you a good listener?
Caesar:But even when it comes to our prayer times, we we've realized that we have to like Jesus, learn to listen more than we speak.
Caesar:Let's be honest in your prayer times.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:With God who does most of the talking you.
Caesar:Or the omnipotent father, God of the universe who holds and sustains all things see in our prayer, in our prayer times, we usually just kind of come to God and bombing with a list.
Caesar:And then we split and God's like, yeah, but I wanted to tell you, I loved you.
Caesar:I love you.
Caesar:And we're like, yeah, but I got to go.
Caesar:I just want to give you my to do list.
Caesar:And I want to encourage you to cultivate stuff, try this, add this to whatever, quiet time or spiritual disciplines you have liver spend 10 minutes a day.
Caesar:It'll be hard at first.
Caesar:Like try it.
Caesar:You'll be blown away by what God's wanting to tell you.
Caesar:Can you imagine it's like, I use this analogy.
Caesar:Maybe you've heard me tell it.
Caesar:You inherit like, uh, uh, from your uncle, you inherit a 1963 split window Corvette.
Caesar:That's my favorite car.
Caesar:It's just amazing.
Caesar:They didn't make a whole lot, but you inherit one from your uncle.
Caesar:Problem is it's all in boxes.
Caesar:It's in a million parts, but your uncle while he was alive told you no, no, I got it all here.
Caesar:And I'm gonna put this thing together.
Caesar:Every part's there, but you inherited it.
Caesar:And now you're trying to figure out how to assemble this thing.
Caesar:So you can drive this and enjoy it.
Caesar:And you're out in your garage, kicking around, working on it and your neighbor comes over and says, Hey, what are you doing?
Caesar:Well, I inherited this 1963 split window Corvette and trying to put it together.
Caesar:And, uh, he goes, wow, that's crazy.
Caesar:I used to, you know, he's an old guy, he, this back in the sixties, I worked for GM, actually worked for Chevy for their Chevrolet division.
Caesar:And you're like, oh, that's cool.
Caesar:And you're busy and you're working and you're telling them what your plans are.
Caesar:And he goes, in fact, I was an engineer and a designer.
Caesar:I designed the 1963.
Caesar:Corvette.
Caesar:Yeah, that was one of the guys on the team.
Caesar:I know every nut and bolt and wire and every why and all that.
Caesar:And, and then you just proceed to burn his ear on all your plans and your problems and what you can't find.
Caesar:This part.
Caesar:I don't know where the nuts for that are, and this doesn't seem to fit.
Caesar:Right.
Caesar:And he's like, but I, and this guy knows it and see that's, that's how we are with God.
Caesar:Very often, cultivate listening both backward and forward in your own life.
Caesar:And with those you disciple and with those that you disciple.
Caesar:Yeah.
Caesar:Yes, indeed.
Caesar:Right Jennifer?
Caesar:Yeah.
Caesar:Amen.
Caesar:Here's the next rhythm celebrate?
Caesar:We live in a rhythm of celebration.
Caesar:We do.
Caesar:We all do think about how many parties, birthday parties for nephews, nieces, siblings.
Caesar:You go to holiday parties, Superbowl work-related neighborhood.
Caesar:You see, it's not a matter of adding to your life.
Caesar:It's a matter of bringing intentionality to those celebrations.
Caesar:God loves to celebrate, and the church should be the most celebratory people on the planet.
Caesar:wouldn't you agree, think about.
Caesar:Like we get to live forever.
Caesar:We're free.
Caesar:We get to live on our true identity forever in the power of the holy spirit.
Caesar:This is amazing.
Caesar:Seeing people should look at the church and go like, ah, I don't know if I believe everything that they say, but boy oh boy, you want to get invited to their parties because these guys can celebrate.
Caesar:That should be rep.
Caesar:That should be our street cred, that we are the partiers.
Caesar:I think about a God mandated for Israel, a series in the law, a series of festivals that they were to participate in annually.
Caesar:There was seven major ones and a bunch of little smaller ones.
Caesar:And in each of those celebrations, those festivals, the whole nation came together throughout the year.
Caesar:some were days and , some weeks and each of those celebrations were both, uh, uh, a reminder of who God was and what he was like.
Caesar:To them and, and a demonstration of how they can then live throughout the year.
Caesar:And then you jump ahead.
Caesar:What's Jesus' first miracle, like right out of the box, it's at a celebration, it's at a wedding feast and he turns a couple hundred gallons of water into what the Bible says is the best wine that the wine, the professional wine steward and taste is like, wow, what are you doing?
Caesar:Pulling this out now a couple hundred gallons, three days into a celebration.
Caesar:Now, why was that?
Caesar:Jesus' first miracle?
Caesar:If it was up to me, I go right straight to children's Memorial and heal all the babies and say, well, Jesus did all that.
Caesar:I am convinced because at the heart of understanding the kingdom of God, you have to understand the father's heart and he's not angry and he's not distant and he's not ticked off.
Caesar:And you don't have to try to please him.
Caesar:He's got a heart of celebration and he wants our lives to be full.
Caesar:Remember Jesus, when he said I came that you'd have abundant lives.
Caesar:And so Jesus' first miracle is at a wedding and he creates hundreds of gallons of wine.
Caesar:See God has a got a celebration.
Caesar:How can you be the bringer of the better wine to the next picnic or barbecue you go to or throw or throw parties, right?
Caesar:How can you bring the best and not just what gets by.
Caesar:How can you come with a, with an intentionality of living out your identity is like, I'm going to treat everybody like family here, or I'm going to be a servant and I'm going to, I'm going to help set up.
Caesar:I'm sticking around.
Caesar:I'm helping to clean I'm I'm clearing plates.
Caesar:I'm getting people, their drinks and refill and things like see how your identity can flow into those with some intentionality.
Caesar:And you got a zillion options.
Caesar:Here's the next rhythm.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:The next rhythm is eat.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:We all eat.
Caesar:At least three times a day, some of us more, and that is like 21.
Caesar:Let's just say let's just use that number 21 built in opportunity.
Caesar:To express love and gratitude and be with people like maybe a little organization has to happen, but then the organics of conversation and serving one another and being family and treating each other that way.
Caesar:And people who are far from God.
Caesar:I can't tell you how many times we've had people over to our family dinner nights were like, and people literally like, they're like dying to get in.
Caesar:Like when can we come to want, like the Tek family dinner?
Caesar:I, we just, I don't do this.
Caesar:I've never done this.
Caesar:Like what eaten?
Caesar:And they're like, no, Like our family doesn't do this.
Caesar:We don't sit down and eat and talk and encourage one another like this, and there's no fighting and there's, there's a joy.
Caesar:And there's grace, what would it look like to start to have three meals a week with just not yet believers or people?
Caesar:You're discipling.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:I'm gonna talk about three dinner parties, but what have you, what if you just prayed and said, God, show me who to have, like breakfast with one.
Caesar:Or coffee.
Caesar:And on one, one night, a week, we're just going to set it in the calendar.
Caesar:We're going to start having like, kind of an open table where we go, Hey, this is a night we'd anyway, you know, it's already happening and we're going to eat anyway, but that'll be the night that we just do something real simple, like soup and salad or whatever pizza night.
Caesar:And we'll just always know we can invite anybody.
Caesar:Hey, open table Thursday night, come out and do it.
Caesar:And what if you had like one lunch with somebody each week.
Caesar:But not maybe if you're at work, it's not the same people you always go to or you're skipping work, just skipping lunch.
Caesar:I mean, so you can get out early.
Caesar:What have you just, intentionalized three out of 21, it's kind of like a tith.
Caesar:How much more evangelists fruit and discipleship would be happening if you just, intentionalized a few of those meals that you're already eating.
Caesar:See no extra time required, right?
Caesar:Same with all these parties and celebrations that you're going to, you're going anyway.
Caesar:Bring your identity, bring the gospel intention.
Caesar:I'd say, start with one.
Caesar:Who could you have a meal with?
Caesar:But with intention each week, start with one.
Caesar:This next rhythm is blessed.
Caesar:Blessed to be a blessing.
Caesar:Wow.
Caesar:Like we have been given so much blessing in our life.
Caesar:Think about it.
Caesar:Think about all the things you own, not just stuff, but what about education?
Caesar:What about relationship?
Caesar:What about your health?
Caesar:What about.
Caesar:You know the stuff too, like tools in a house and cars and, you know, resources and maybe money and savings and maybe an extra home and a place to relax and think about all the blessings you have.
Caesar:I want to, I want to tell you, and I want to challenge you that you've been given all those both to enjoy, and you've been blessed to be a blessing.
Caesar:What would it look like to start taking all this stuff that you already have and enjoy, and it God's pouring into your life.
Caesar:And remember it all came from him.
Caesar:You weren't born with this.
Caesar:Hmm, like me, I'm guessing you were just born naked with nothing and guess what?
Caesar:That's how we die.
Caesar:So you're not taking any of it with you, but it's, you've been given all these blessings.
Caesar:What would it look like to start blessing others?
Caesar:And here's how we teach it.
Caesar:We look to bless maybe people in either words, actions.
Caesar:Or gifts.
Caesar:Those are three types of blessings, easy, easy to coordinate.
Caesar:So who could you give a word blessing to today?
Caesar:You know, really encourage them point out the image of God in them, or thank them deeply for who they are in your life and how you, they bless you.
Caesar:Words.
Caesar:How about actions?
Caesar:Who could you serve today?
Caesar:Some small little action of service, right?
Caesar:What would that be like or gift maybe a small gift to bless somebody or something, you know, they need.
Caesar:And you've got so you can give it to them or maybe, you know, that neighbor that he's been seen him just pull on his lawnmower cord, just it won't start.
Caesar:And he's cursing that thing.
Caesar:Maybe, maybe by that guy, maybe a bunch of you in the community pitch in you buy old van Tucker a new lawnmower.
Caesar:So he's not going to have a heart attack and get so angry trying to cut his grass, or maybe you cut it for him.
Caesar:Once in a while, words, actions are gifts and there again, in our communities, we suggest, Hey, look to bless three people a week with either word action or gift.
Caesar:Just word blessing.
Caesar:Easy-peasy right.
Caesar:Maybe an action.
Caesar:Ask the Lord to show you who or some small gift.
Caesar:What if you bless three people a week?
Caesar:And can you imagine how different a neighborhood would be that has a community of people live in this way or handful of families or maybe a big Missional Community?
Caesar:What if, what if everybody in the community and in that neighborhood was seeking in this community intentionally to bless three people a week.
Caesar:So let's say there's a dozen of you.
Caesar:And you're blessing three people a week.
Caesar:That's 36 blessings happening every week in your neighborhood.
Caesar:Just small word action or gift.
Caesar:Do you think people take notice, do you think it would change the dynamic of that neighborhood?
Caesar:It'd be powerful.
Caesar:And by the way, you can lead your kids to do all of this words, actions or gifts.
Caesar:Hey, when you're at school today, or when you're out playing today, who could you, who could you encourage with your words?
Caesar:Who could you bless with a small gift?
Caesar:Oh, we can make this.
Caesar:I can make a card for her.
Caesar:It's her birthday, or I can make a card for the old lady across the street.
Caesar:She's all by herself.
Caesar:She's widowed or she's a single mom.
Caesar:Let me go over there and just help her flip laundry and I'll help her fold and watch the kids while she, you know, gets a little break off her feet or something.
Caesar:right; bless.
Caesar:Learned to imply, bless intentionally and think of it through the lens of what we talked about yesterday.
Caesar:We're a family of missionary servants.
Caesar:We get to do this, right?
Caesar:Not that you have to, but you get to, and the last one is recreate, okay, it's recreate this idea of rest and create it really.
Caesar:It's the idea of Sabbath right?
Caesar:In our communities.
Caesar:When you first started teaching all.
Caesar:Sabbath was a bit of a weird word and people quite couldn't quite understand it.
Caesar:You know, it's like Sabbath is Ozzy Osborne still alive.
Caesar:How old is that guy?
Caesar:And so we, we called it recreate it, cause it was this idea of resting in the gospel, in the truth of who God is and what he's done in and through Christ.
Caesar:And what's true of us.
Caesar:And then out of that, we can work and produce beauty and create not to earn, not to be our own provision.
Caesar:But we, because we get to right.
Caesar:And then through that, we get to bless others and build relationships and hear people's stories.
Caesar:And we can listen to God for how should I bless them.
Caesar:You see how these all connect together.
Caesar:You see how these all connect together.
Caesar:This is powerful.
Caesar:And when you start to bring little intentionalities like this, let me tell you a blessing story real quick.
Caesar:Let me, let me, I'm gonna, I'm gonna start, uh, stop sharing my screen for a second in our neighborhood in Tacoma.
Caesar:This is several years back.
Caesar:And again, you may have heard me tell this story, but it's so perfectly illustrates this.
Caesar:There's an old guy, uh, in our neighborhood who.
Caesar:His name is Hal.
Caesar:And I used to walk past his house once a week and back past his house and other time to borrow a lawnmower because Jeff Vanderstelt, I live a few houses apart and we would share lots of stuff.
Caesar:And so I was sharing this, this lawnmower and every time I'd walk, like just like five houses away around the corner and get that lawn mower and cut my grass and walk it back.
Caesar:So it was four trips.
Caesar:Go get the lawnmower, come home, bring it back home.
Caesar:I'd see how very often working on his yard.
Caesar:And he's super old, like a million.
Caesar:And he's this old guy and he's got the oxygen bottle swing in there.
Caesar:I mean, he's old.
Caesar:And I got to know him a little bit here and there.
Caesar:And I started noticing he was cutting the Parkway of his lawn.
Caesar:You know, that part, the grass it's right out by the street.
Caesar:With this little orange electric lawnmower.
Caesar:They're kind of pathetic.
Caesar:If you've got one, sorry, you know, they're just not very wide.
Caesar:And, and he had to uncoil this like a hundred foot extension cord from up his stairs.
Caesar:Cause our house is in Tacoma.
Caesar:They're kind of set up high like that and roll that out and he's old and he's got this oxygen and I started thinking.
Caesar:I'm walking past his house with the lawnmower when I take it to my house.
Caesar:And then when I take it back to Jeff's, I'm walking past his Parkway is only this wide though.
Caesar:My lawn was about half that I could accidentally cut his lawn just by leaving it running.
Caesar:When I walk past his house one way in one day, and I said, Hey, how would, would you like me to cut your lawn for you?
Caesar:Like the partway parts?
Caesar:So you don't have to drag this all.
Caesar:Oh my gosh, it would save me like 45 minutes or an hour every week.
Caesar:And I said, well, I'll be happy to.
Caesar:And that started a relationship with him.
Caesar:And then he blessed us and he gave me some things I needed for my yard.
Caesar:And he started having us into the house.
Caesar:And then we started inviting them to every celebration and barbecue.
Caesar:We did a barbecue, like every friday night.
Caesar:And we still do lots, but for years we don't every single Friday night and, and, and Hal and his wife, Gail, they would always, always come.
Caesar:And I could, I could talk about Hal all day I won't, but see, I'm not boasting in that.
Caesar:That was nothing that was just like intentional in something I was already doing in life, cutting my grass, but I saw the opportunity and then built a relationship with him and then his wife.
Caesar:And maybe I'll get to tell you the story later of how this affected his son.
Caesar:In a big way and I get all choked up when I tell it, but I don't have time right now.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:So I hope you're understanding and seeing how we can bring intentionality to the normal rhythms of life, by the way, not only do you have these rhythms, but like I said earlier, everybody, you know, is eating meals, going to parties.
Caesar:They have needs for blessing.
Caesar:They have a story you can play and rest with them.
Caesar:And showed and model like we rest.
Caesar:So oftentimes we're the most freaked out busy frenetic people in the world as Christians, especially those of you who lead the church and what are we modeling this, it look like a life worth imitating.
Caesar:Can you see what I mean?
Caesar:And these rhythms, they're all interchangeable.
Caesar:And I want you to think from yesterday, Your identity, family, missionary, servant now sent his disciples who make disciples and how that naturally flows into those.
Caesar:In fact, I'm going to give you here in a minute, a tool where you can think through these six rhythms and you can think through the lens of up in and out.
Caesar:So up is our connection to God.
Caesar:And our identity in is like with family and community and out is with others.
Caesar:And I'll give you examples of how they all interconnect.
Caesar:And once you see your family missionary, servant identity, a disciple identity, those four things like matrix across the six rhythms.
Caesar:And then you take those and you go, but there's an up expression and an in and an out it's endless.
Caesar:Like it's a matrix of like, oh my goodness, you're right.
Caesar:This is true of me.
Caesar:This is all happening and going on.
Caesar:I just need to bring intentionality to it.
Caesar:And you're going to make disciples like crazy.
Caesar:I'm not kidding you with, through the both organized and organic lenses.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:You see how this framework, I love to teach you more and to go deeper in this.
Caesar:There's only so much time I got to keep, I got to keep us moving.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:Let me, let me, let me, before I forget, I want to go ahead and go back to share my screen.
Caesar:And I want to give you that, uh, that download.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:Download that six rhythm sheet where it really explains those rules.
Caesar:And it's going to give you that sort of up in out version.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:Now I was not going to give you this till tomorrow, but I'm going to give it to you today.
Caesar:There's another sheet you can get.
Caesar:If you go to Everyday Disciple dot com forward slash 30 ways.
Caesar:So the first one to get the rhythms at Everyday Disciple dot com for slash rhythms . Okay.
Caesar:I want to give you 30 ways to stay connected to people during social distancing.
Caesar:Now I created this a few months ago and wow.
Caesar:It was popular and we started doing a lot of them and we started doing a lot with other people.
Caesar:That's still kind of going on and depending on your neighborhood and your own risk levels and all that, and you know, your community and this isn't by the way, all just zoom stuff.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:I know people are getting sick of zoom, but it's a part of.
Caesar:It's part of how it works, but that'll give you 30, more of ways to stay connected to people and live out these rhythms flowing out of our identity even while social distancing.
Caesar:So go to Everyday Disciple dot com forward slash 30 ways for that.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:So let me ask you, is a, is this discipleship like your daily family dinners?
Caesar:Could that be discipleship?
Caesar:Heck yeah.
Caesar:Heck yeah.
Caesar:And which is that, is that organized or organic?
Caesar:Hm, maybe a little, both.
Caesar:How about this is just, you know, helping a friend move or any other access services that discipleship.
Caesar:Yeah, it really is many hands make light work.
Caesar:I can tell you so many stories, helping people move and serving them and how it built relationship.
Caesar:And they couldn't believe like I have a family now, is that organized or is that organic?
Caesar:Think through this?
Caesar:How about this?
Caesar:Hanging out with friends, getting some coffee or going out maybe to a local pub.
Caesar:Why not invite others to show up and join you even if only for a few minutes, like we, in our community, we started committing, Hey, whatever we're out doing at all, let's just invite everybody else in the oikos.
Caesar:And we use a little like WhatsApp for that or something like that, a little text and not everybody can make it, but that little bit of organization, Hey, Tina and I are going here.
Caesar:We're going to go quiz night tonight at the pub.
Caesar:Anybody want to join us ding?
Caesar:That's the organization part organically.
Caesar:Some people are like, heck, that'd be fun.
Caesar:Yeah.
Caesar:There's like, no, I'm busy tonight, but have a blast.
Caesar:Yeah.
Caesar:There's some people a peace there I'll be praying for it.
Caesar:Yeah.
Caesar:Yeah, that could be discipleship too.
Caesar:How about taking your kids to the park and maybe inviting some neighbors to do the same?
Caesar:Sprinkling life story, share your stories.
Caesar:Maybe listen to people deeply for where they live in unbelief.
Caesar:That's where all their pains coming from, whatever people are complaining about.
Caesar:Listen for the unbelief behind that.
Caesar:How about going to a movie with some friends and then maybe talking about it and what are the gospel implications of that?
Caesar:Or where is it not in line with that?
Caesar:Or, or maybe you just have fun, right?
Caesar:Either way.
Caesar:Or how about grocery shopping?
Caesar:Tina has taken more people from our community and neighborhood shopping over the years.
Caesar:It's almost seems ridiculous, but she's really good at hospitality.
Caesar:Food and making and people feel like family.
Caesar:And oftentimes people are like, oh, I'm so stressed with that stuff.
Caesar:And I don't know how you afford to do this.
Caesar:And she's like, listen, let's just, I got to go Costco anywhere.
Caesar:I'm going over here.
Caesar:Let's go together and I'll show you what I do and how I save a bunch of money and we'll come home.
Caesar:We'll cook together.
Caesar:And they're always yes.
Caesar:Yes.
Caesar:I love to do that.
Caesar:So could even that be discipleship?
Caesar:It sure could be.
Caesar:It sure could be.
Caesar:Remember we talked about this yesterday, that kingdom of God expands at the speed of relationship.
Caesar:And the gospel then moves along the pathways of trust.
Caesar:So all of these organized and organic rhythms of normal life, when you bring intentionality to them, there are great opportunities to build relationship.
Caesar:And then as you build trust, the gospel, people will hear good news from you and they're seeing it in your life.
Caesar:It's powerful, right?
Caesar:It's.
Caesar:I'm gonna remind you that tomorrow is kind of part two of this, and I'm going to give you a five step framework, like five stages of framework that help people.
Caesar:Oh, like how do you share this stuff?
Caesar:And then how do you help them embrace it and then start to live it and engage it.
Caesar:And then some equipping tools and yeah.
Caesar:Oh, now look at they're doing the same with others.
Caesar:Like I know you want that.
Caesar:Especially if you're leading a church or a small group or a Missional Community, or maybe you're a church planter, I'm going to give you, I'm going to give you how all this connects together and how you start moving yourself and others through these five stages.
Caesar:And they work and it's really it's.
Caesar:We didn't make them up.
Caesar:They're just built into the way God's made us, but I'm going to point them out and give you that full framework tomorrow.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:So, so what do we learn?
Caesar:We learned that discipleship, like all of life has both organized and organic rhythms to it.
Caesar:Yeah.
Caesar:We also learned that God has created the world in all cultures with common rhythms of life that we all live in.
Caesar:So we don't need to really add a whole lot to our life.
Caesar:We might have to organize some, all aspects of it, but it's really more about intention.
Caesar:These six rhythms, they give us handles for discipleship and mission.
Caesar:They really do like, like in our community, we post up here's our identity family missionary, servant disciples.
Caesar:We're a family missionary servants sent his disciples who make disciples and we post up the six rhythms and we, that really is a huge organic natural framework for decisions.
Caesar:Uh, sure.
Caesar:There's other tools and how we study the word and how we do the story of God and all those things.
Caesar:By the way, I'm going to add that to the homework post, where you can get the story materials.
Caesar:And by the way, we also learned today, if you didn't pick up on it, we're always in discipleship mode.
Caesar:It doesn't matter what we're doing.
Caesar:If there's people around, we're discipling them, we're either showing them what God's like.
Caesar:I'm at the grocery store in line and the people behind me, they either see someone who's patient and prefer the prefers others and is generous and wants to help.
Caesar:Or they see someone who too often is just nervous and wants to get through the line and I'm hopping back and forth.
Caesar:And I'm like, when the lady in front of me can't find that last few cents to pay her bill, like, let me just pay it for you.
Caesar:See, we're always in discipleship mode.
Caesar:But what are they seeing?
Caesar:Are we helping them move from unbelief to belief in the gospel?
Caesar:Or are we reinforcing that do to be right.
Caesar:So that's important now tomorrow I am going to be given away gifts and.
Caesar:I'm going to be loading you up.
Caesar:Oops, sorry about that.
Caesar:I'm going to be loading you up with some gifts and some of them, like I said, you have to be here, live and others.
Caesar:I'm just going to like, boom, I'm going to like pull the names and I'm going to send you some stuff and I'll give away some gifts a little later on too.
Caesar:Like maybe this weekend.
Caesar:Cause I want people to be able to catch up with their homework.
Caesar:I know some of you are having to do this.
Caesar:On replay.
Caesar:So, okay.
Caesar:So don't miss tomorrow.
Caesar:I'm going to give you these five stages of how you help others move from, Hey, these are new ideas, church, and how they start to, you know, you move them through this and starting to embrace this.
Caesar:All right.
Caesar:So don't miss tomorrow.
Caesar:It's kind of part two of this and it's going to be packed again.
Caesar:Let me give you your homework.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:Let me give you your homework for today.
Caesar:I have to go back to my screen.
Caesar:I'm back and forth on that today.
Caesar:I'm going to post this, this picture here.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:And when you see that and post your homework below that again, I appreciate that.
Caesar:Most of you yesterday, you did that.
Caesar:All your homework loads of it went right in that post.
Caesar:This'll be day three's homework in there.
Caesar:And this is your homework for today.
Caesar:Pick one of the six rhythms that appeals to you most.
Caesar:All right.
Caesar:Yeah.
Caesar:Which one appeals to you most?
Caesar:Is it?
Caesar:Listen, is it celebrate?
Caesar:Is it eat?
Caesar:Is it bless.
Caesar:Is it story.
Caesar:And then I want you to write that down this and why does this, does this, this appeal to you most?
Caesar:And why second, how will you engage in that rhythm?
Caesar:Whatever you pick specifically with who and when is it today?
Caesar:Like who could you bless today?
Caesar:Words, action or gift, or who could you have over for a meal?
Caesar:What do you think?
Caesar:Or who could you say while you're having a meal?
Caesar:Hey, I'd like to get to know your story.
Caesar:Right.
Caesar:Pick one of the six rhythms.
Caesar:This is your homework and who will you do it with?
Caesar:And if not today, when, cause some people say, you know what, we're going to host a barbecue and we're going to invite a bunch of neighbors.
Caesar:Like we've been meaning to, and this COVID thing is loosening up.
Caesar:And so we're going to invite some neighbors, whatever, you know, whatever the law is, follow the law.
Caesar:Right.
Caesar:Okay.
Caesar:Then, then put in there, like we're going to do this or we're going to do it on Saturday and then I want you to come back and tell me how it went.
Caesar:All right.
Caesar:Be specific.
Caesar:So don't just put like, uh, listen rhythm.
Caesar:As soon as I can know, like which rhythm and why are you most appeals to you to get started with?
Caesar:I don't suggest trying to tackle all six rhythms, just pick one and specifically with who and how right.
Caesar:And then download the, download the homework sheet where this is all spelled out again.
Caesar:You can go to Everyday Disciple dot com forward slash day three for the day three homework.
Caesar:All right.
Caesar:Did you, did you love that?
Caesar:Does that not help give you hope that like your whole day and life is filled with opportunities for discipleship and for the gospel to speak into all of life and, and not only yours, but everybody else, because we all live in the same rhythms, right?
Caesar:I hope that was powerful for you.
Caesar:And I would love to hear your thoughts and I'd love you to join the party and post homework and all those types of things.
Caesar:So if you've not yet.
Caesar:Join us over in the podcast group on Facebook, please do.
Caesar:You can go to Everyday Disciple dot com forward slash Facebook and join the party over there.
Caesar:We'd really love to hear your voice and your thoughts on all this and your questions been hopping in there.
Caesar:It's been pretty phenomenal.
Caesar:How many questions, posts, homework, all that stuff.
Caesar:And we've been up late and Tina and I are rocking through this, but we are loving it.
Caesar:We feel so blessed and so connected to people all over the world tomorrow.
Caesar:I'm going to drop the fourth part.
Caesar:Of the challenge day four.
Caesar:And I'm going to help you understand how to find the right Missional balance in your life.
Caesar:And we're going to, we're going to discover how Jesus balanced his time and attention, and also how he moved his disciples.
Caesar:Just being sort of newbies and curious onlookers to mature disciples and this'll help answer the, how do we do this?
Caesar:Like here in our context with all that we're facing now, that's going to really help answer that question.
Caesar:All right.
Caesar:So I hope you'll join me tomorrow for that.
Caesar:For part four, the Everyday Disciple challenge.
Caesar:I hope you're enjoying these special episodes.
Caesar:Can't wait to get into that training and I can't wait to share it with you, then talk to you soon.
Announcer:Thanks for joining us today for more information on this show and to get loads of free discipleship resources, visit Everyday Disciple dot com.