How to Start Shifting Your Church Outward

The way we gather as the Church has changed. Our once rock-solid pattern of meeting all together on Sundays has been fractured, and statistics show that as much as 30% of people are not returning to our weekend gatherings.

In this episode of the Everyday Disciple Podcast, Caesar talks about the need for the Church to start creating new, outward-focused “predictable patterns” that everyone can start in their own families right at home.

In This Episode You’ll Learn:

  • How the change in our gathering patterns may be a blessing in disguise.
  • Why new predictable patterns can and must start in our homes.
  • How you could double the size of your church this week. Seriously!
  • 5 steps that you can initiate in your family and church-wide right now.

Get started here…

How To Start Shifting Your Church Outward

From this episode:

“Your family is the first place to begin when starting new spiritual rhythms. Begin at the beginning in your own lives. Trying to organize others into a series of activities, events, or rhythms that you and those closest to you are not already living will produce unnecessary stress and set you up for failure. This is especially important for pastors and leaders. Live as a family worth joining and imitating, and start making space in your schedule (and hearts) for others to join you.

Each week the Big 3 will give you immediate action steps to get you started.
Download today’s BIG 3 right now. Read and think over them again later. You might even want to share them with others…

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Join us on Facebook and take part in the discussion!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of this page or right below.

Also, please subscribe and leave an honest review for The Everyday Disciple Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Coaching with Caesar and Tina in discipleship and missional living.

Free Download of the Big 3 For Episode #403

How to Have Amazing Family Dinner Nights

Where to Find Your Unique People of Peace

 

Join us on Facebook

Transcript
Caesar:

We've gotta start to create new predictable patterns.

Caesar:

In other words, things that are occurring in a predictable way, the same day and the same time of the week that we can, we used to see for many of us for maybe most of us as Christians Sunday has been the only predictable pattern that we've had when it comes to our spiritual life.

Caesar:

But for many and more people that's broken, that's changed.

Caesar:

And so even if you've shifted.

Caesar:

to online Streaming and videos, it's not the same predictable pattern.

Caesar:

It was.

Caesar:

And I wanna say that first and foremost, we gotta start thinking, what are the new.

Caesar:

Predictable patterns in life that we need to create.

Announcer:

Welcome to the Everyday Disciple Podcast where you'll learn how to live with.

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.

Announcer:

Kalinowski

Caesar:

Alrighty.

Caesar:

As always.

Caesar:

Good to be with you.

Caesar:

I hope your week is starting off.

Caesar:

Well, I don't know if you're hearing this at the beginning of the week when I, you know, we drop the episodes every Monday, when you wake up, it's there waiting for you.

Caesar:

If you subscribed wink, wink, or if you're hearing this later in the week, or maybe on the weekend, or maybe you took me to the gym with you or on a walk, I appreciate that.

Caesar:

What are you looking at right now?

Caesar:

Anyway, uh, I'm having a great week and I'm excited as always to be, uh, a part of this great kingdom and get to live this life that Jesus created for us to live as disciples who make disciples.

Caesar:

It's amazing.

Caesar:

as always, I wanna invite you to join us on Facebook, join us in that community.

Caesar:

Uh, we're in there talking about discipleship and, how the Gospel applies to everyday life and all of that.

Caesar:

You can join us over there at everyday Disciple dot com slash Facebook, or just when you're in Facebook, kicking around, just do a little search for everyday Disciple and you'll find us okay.

Caesar:

And I would love for you to.

Caesar:

Subscribe to the show.

Caesar:

So you don't miss episodes, so it's always in your feed and when you're like going, Hey, what do I wanna listen to today?

Caesar:

You're like, oh yeah, my new, Everyday Disciple Podcast in there.

Caesar:

So if you've not done that, would you go ahead and do that?

Caesar:

Whatever platform, tool, you know, uh, whatever you're listening on, would you go ahead and just subscribe?

Caesar:

And then I don't know if people are doing this very often, but we'd love if you would leave a review, you know, leave some stars and an honest, short little review.

Caesar:

We are growing as a podcast, more and more listeners, every.

Caesar:

Praise God.

Caesar:

And, um, but we've not been getting in a whole lot.

Caesar:

Uh, you know, reviews and stuff lately.

Caesar:

So, you know, could you just, you wanna bless me back and bless others that help put the show together.

Caesar:

Would you, would you just go ahead and subscribe, but then go ahead and, and leave a review.

Caesar:

All right.

Caesar:

Leave a review for us.

Caesar:

I'd really appreciate.

Caesar:

I know from looking in our analytics that there are a lot of people who are listening on their phones and a lot, a lot of y'all are listening through devices where you can do that.

Caesar:

So please do.

Caesar:

I hope you will.

Caesar:

All right.

Caesar:

Appreciate that.

Caesar:

All right.

Caesar:

So today, I'm gonna talk a little bit about how to start shifting your church outward.

Caesar:

Okay.

Caesar:

and maybe you're going like, yeah, it already did.

Caesar:

after, you know, the Corona thing hit uh, it just sort of did shift outward and the church is people.

Caesar:

So we're out there obviously.

Caesar:

Right.

Caesar:

But the organized aspect of our church, is it happening?

Caesar:

Is it out there?

Caesar:

You know, I, I think around 30, 33% of regular faithful church attenders, have not yet come back.

Caesar:

To a Sunday gathering,

Caesar:

and it's looking like they're not going to that.

Caesar:

They're choosing to try to be the church more in their own lives and at home and all that.

Caesar:

And I, I wanna call us as leaders and as Christians to say, well, okay, if that's what's happening, it's happening.

Caesar:

Right.

Caesar:

, this might be the best thing that's happened in a long time, but we don't have to then.

Caesar:

Just throw up our hands and abdicate.

Caesar:

I think we can still encourage and guide and equip.

Caesar:

Obviously.

Caesar:

And that's what I wanna talk about today.

Caesar:

So if you're leading a church or part of a church, or maybe you're part of that percentage that says, I don't know if I'm starting to go back on Sundays.

Caesar:

I wanna talk about, you know, what are some real basic initial steps that I'd suggest taking to start shifting your church to be the church more out.

Caesar:

And with an outward focus as well.

Caesar:

So not just detached from a centralized gathering, which, you know, we're hoping we still get to do right.

Caesar:

Obviously in increasing ways, but being the church.

Caesar:

In everyday life and with a more outward focus.

Caesar:

And so I get asked all the time, like what, like what would you do?

Caesar:

What are the first few things you would do?

Caesar:

And, um, that's, that's what I, that's what I wanna talk about today.

Caesar:

And I think that, um, some of the fears that people face, and maybe you, maybe you face these fears as well is, um, you know, as leaders.

Caesar:

I don't know how to lead them out there.

Caesar:

I was sort of taught and trained and got pretty good at doing this in here in the church building.

Caesar:

Right.

Caesar:

And so, um, these are gonna apply to you today.

Caesar:

This is gonna help you.

Caesar:

start and model new rhythms and practices.

Caesar:

And these things are just the beginning.

Caesar:

They're not everything, but there, again, as I've been asked many, many times, how would you start?

Caesar:

What are some of the very first things you do?

Caesar:

And, you know, people ask like, what am I actually inviting people out there?

Caesar:

In my church into like, if, if I'm trying to help equip them out there to be more outward, focused and out on mission, what am I inviting them to?

Caesar:

Right.

Caesar:

And so, by the way, before I forget, and I'm gonna dive right in, I'm gonna give you five simple sort of beginning steps today, but I wanted to let you know.

Caesar:

That we have just opened up a couple coaching cohorts.

Caesar:

Okay.

Caesar:

Uh, starting this fall here real soon.

Caesar:

And, uh, Tina and I coach couples and we, we teach and train on how to live this life and then how to equip others to do the same.

Caesar:

Make disciples who make disciples starting as families in community, and then multiplying out as communities and all that.

Caesar:

Right.

Caesar:

And so, We're opening up an opportunity to work.

Caesar:

Two teams of couples from the same church or organization.

Caesar:

And, we want to have you together in a cohort with us, so you can gain the insight and frameworks and tools and help to successfully establish new outward, focused discipleship rhythms in all of life.

Caesar:

And so, if you're interested in coaching, Period, or if you were interested in being one of those two teams that we're gonna coach together.

Caesar:

So you kind of own this as a church and or as a network or whatever, either way, go ahead and go to every day, Disciple dot com slash coaching and, uh, read all about it.

Caesar:

I got a little video there explaining some things, and then there's a, just a little sort of form on there.

Caesar:

Nothing big, just a little form.

Caesar:

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Caesar:

And, uh, and we can hop on a zoom call and, and maybe, maybe you can get one of those two slots that we're gonna open up to work with teams.

Caesar:

All right.

Caesar:

So, um, there again, you can go to everyday Disciple dot com slash coaching and check that out.

Caesar:

All right.

Caesar:

So here I go.

Caesar:

Here's, here's, uh, the five things that I think I would get going right away to start, you know, um, moving and shifting folks in your church, in your own life, more outward.

Caesar:

Okay.

Caesar:

The first one is we've gotta start to create new predictable pattern.

Caesar:

Yeah, new predictable patterns.

Caesar:

In other words, things that are occurring in a predictable way, the same day and the same time of the week that we can, we used to see for many of us, for maybe most of us as Christians Sunday has been the only predictable pattern that we've had when it came, comes to our spiritual life.

Caesar:

But for many and more people that's broken, that's changed.

Caesar:

And so even if you've shifted to online, Streaming and videos, it's not the same predictable pattern.

Caesar:

It was.

Caesar:

And I wanna say that first and foremost, we gotta start thinking, what are the new predictable patterns?

Caesar:

In life that we need to create.

Caesar:

So often when we start something new or we wanna make a suggestion to people, or even in our own lives and families, we kind of do them as one-offs.

Caesar:

And so people go like, you know, I saw this thing on the internet, or I heard Caesar talking a few podcast back about, you know, he's doing driveway happy hours, or people are doing ice cream socials.

Caesar:

And I, I have some friends that are doing their own little sort of mini Octoberfest, and they're like, oh, I'm gonna do that.

Caesar:

And those are good things, but they're like, one-offs.

Caesar:

And.

Caesar:

We build some relationship.

Caesar:

We make some, maybe some new friends and then we don't see people for months and months and months.

Caesar:

Again, this is so key to anything when it comes to making disciples is and creating new rhythms and discipleship relationships and all that is we need to create predictable patterns.

Caesar:

So if, for instance, you're doing.

Caesar:

An open table night or a happy hour, or you're gonna have a brunch on the week, whatever you wanna have it, where people can count on it.

Caesar:

You ever been to a restaurant that's like, just not open outta the blue.

Caesar:

And you're like, what's going on?

Caesar:

Like, oh, we're not open Mondays.

Caesar:

You're like, well, why not?

Caesar:

And then you, you know, you say, oh, alright.

Caesar:

And then next time you come back and you're like, It's Wednesday.

Caesar:

We're not.

Caesar:

Oh yeah.

Caesar:

We switched.

Caesar:

We used to be, you know, it's right.

Caesar:

You just go forget it.

Caesar:

Well, it's the same thing in relationships.

Caesar:

People need to understand and get used to a predictable pattern and then they start to shift their own schedule, their own calendars to fit that type of thing.

Caesar:

So for instance, when we are doing like a weekly barbecue or something like that in our life, we'll, we're gonna pick the same day of the week and the same time, and we're gonna do it regardless if anybody's coming or not, we're just doing it and we're gonna let people know and we're gonna remind them.

Caesar:

And what'll happen is, you know, you always get a few.

Caesar:

But other people go like, oh, I totally forgot.

Caesar:

I can't believe it.

Caesar:

Like, you're doing it again.

Caesar:

Yep.

Caesar:

Still doing it at the same time next week.

Caesar:

Yeah.

Caesar:

Can't you know, can't wait to see you and they'll forget again, but eventually they'll start going, like, Hey, it's Friday, what's going on?

Caesar:

What's going on?

Caesar:

And so it's really key not to do one off little shot gun approaches of sort of Missional outreach activities or whatever you want to call.

Caesar:

'em.

Caesar:

We really need to establish predictable patterns.

Caesar:

And I think today, given what's changed and for most people, what we're doing is we're creating new predictable patterns.

Caesar:

All right.

Caesar:

So here's my second sort of insight and suggestion for you.

Caesar:

This would be probably the first predictable pattern I would want to introduce, and that would be, and I would do this like churchwide so if you're leading, I would like make this a thing.

Caesar:

Um, I would, I would help my people start to have a family dinner night.

Caesar:

That's really special.

Caesar:

Like really just them and their own family.

Caesar:

There there's seven nights a week that they probably have an opportunity to have dinner.

Caesar:

And most people do not take advantage of that or make it special or make it intentional at all.

Caesar:

That's my experience, Tina and I are always blown away at how many people tell us, like, I, yeah, we don't really eat.

Caesar:

Like everybody just kinda grabs stuff and we sit in front of the TV, the kids go, whatever.

Caesar:

It's like, no, at least let's start having one a week.

Caesar:

That's a family dinner night, that's special.

Caesar:

And we're gonna start to learn and model certain things together.

Caesar:

And I would do this.

Caesar:

Churchwide like, I'd make it kind of a thing.

Caesar:

Right.

Caesar:

A good friend of mine, Bryce, who leads a, a church.

Caesar:

He pastors up in, in North Dakota, they did this churchwide they kinda made it a thing for like, I think they said, Hey, for the next eight weeks, every family in the church, we're gonna have one special family dinner night, and you're gonna sit down with your own family and look into each other's eyes.

Caesar:

And we're gonna give you some resources and some help and some suggestions on how to make it.

Caesar:

And that's what they did.

Caesar:

And it was really cool.

Caesar:

And what it did was it started to pre create a new predictable pattern within those family units that would give them something.

Caesar:

Maybe there'd be a model for what they might later do in community.

Caesar:

Right.

Caesar:

But instead of saying like, Hey, go out and start doing all these things with your neighbors.

Caesar:

right.

Caesar:

And they're like, oh, I can't even do that right now.

Caesar:

You know, like they're not even allowed to, or I don't, my heart's not ready for that.

Caesar:

Hey, let's start doing it as a family and start to interact in certain ways where the kingdom of God shows up and grace is established and spoken and experienced and all that.

Caesar:

And, uh, let's, let's start a new predictable pattern.

Caesar:

As a church where, you know what all of our families, they all have at least one really special family dinner night, and we're not talking about just, we eat together.

Caesar:

There's a bunch of cool stuff you can do together to make it awesome.

Caesar:

And like, like I said, sort of become a model.

Caesar:

For what you might start to do out in community.

Caesar:

Okay.

Caesar:

So, um, you may have heard, we did an episode, a little ways back.

Caesar:

It was episode number 2 73 called uh, you know, how to have amazing family dinner nights.

Caesar:

So you can Google that up.

Caesar:

, you'll find it or scroll back in your feed, but how to have amazing family dinner nights.

Caesar:

And, and I get into a lot of steps in how to do it, and a lot of our tips and tricks and, uh, I think you're gonna.

Caesar:

All right.

Caesar:

That's the second thing.

Caesar:

So create predictable patterns and that start having a family dinner night and, and really lead your church to say, Hey, we're gonna do this.

Caesar:

We're gonna start being like a family so that we can include more people in the family.

Caesar:

See, and, and help 'em do that.

Caesar:

Second thing.

Caesar:

Here's the third thing.

Caesar:

It's another churchwide thing is I would encourage people to have one.

Caesar:

Dinner per week, just one outta seven.

Caesar:

So they're doing, they're doing one now.

Caesar:

That's family dinner night.

Caesar:

They were already doing probably something like this, but now that's intentional.

Caesar:

But now this is a different night, one dinner per week with a, not yet believing friend or neighbor.

Caesar:

So a non-Christian friend or neighbor, and just say, you know what, like we're gonna pick a night as a family or as a couple, maybe you don't have kids at home or whatever.

Caesar:

Um, we're gonna.

Caesar:

We're gonna have one night a week and we're gonna pray about it and we're gonna just lock it in the calendar and we're gonna start.

Caesar:

A, not yet believing friend over if, if a whole church did this.

Caesar:

Okay.

Caesar:

If a whole church did this and just as believers who live their faith and know the Gospel, um, started doing this, not with any, like, okay.

Caesar:

Then when you get 'em over, like, like pull out a bunch of tracks and really hammer 'em and all that.

Caesar:

No, just have 'em over to love on them to show them grace to model and glorify our father.

Caesar:

What he's like.

Caesar:

Right.

Caesar:

The love of the father and Jesus and what it's like to be in a family.

Caesar:

That loves people right.

Caesar:

And is full of grace.

Caesar:

And, and, and I think if a whole church like was to, to like say, you know what, we're gonna commit to that.

Caesar:

We're gonna give it, you know, we're gonna give it one night a week.

Caesar:

We're eating anyway.

Caesar:

Right.

Caesar:

So it's, there's nothing to add.

Caesar:

We're gonna do one night a week and everybody's gonna have a, not yet believing friend or couple over.

Caesar:

And then what I would do is I would give time.

Caesar:

At your gathering, if you're, if you're gathering right, or even online.

Caesar:

And I would give time for stories from those dinners.

Caesar:

right.

Caesar:

I would let people from your church.

Caesar:

Tell little stories of like, well, okay, this week we had this one guy over, like, he seems like the real grumpy guy in the neighborhood.

Caesar:

And he had, we couldn't even believe it.

Caesar:

He said, yeah, I'll come on over.

Caesar:

And we did a little something outside on the deck and everything, and you wouldn't even believe where it went.

Caesar:

Right.

Caesar:

And I, I would tell, you know, one or two stories a week and maybe this is something you make into a series there, again, like the family dinner night.

Caesar:

Maybe you're gonna really promote the heck out of it and equip people.

Caesar:

Um, and you're gonna do it over a series of weeks as a community as a church, maybe you do this like the same way.

Caesar:

And so every week, while you're sort of talking about it, or you just feature it for like six or eight weeks, Hey, you know, we're all doing this, we're doing this sort of a, like an open table kind of thing we're gonna have, but we're just making it real simple because you know, COVID now and all that one person or family, that's not yet believer over every week, just a different person.

Caesar:

We're gonna check it out.

Caesar:

Do you think that the evangelistic fruit in that church or community would go up a.

Caesar:

You bet it would, it'd be crazy.

Caesar:

And often when people you know, there again, when people have asked me, like, what's the very first thing you do start moving your church towards discipleship and mission as a lifestyle.

Caesar:

This is usually where I'd said I would start.

Caesar:

I would really encourage people and I, you have to model it as leaders.

Caesar:

Right.

Caesar:

But I'd start having one dinner per week with a, not yet believing.

Caesar:

Or neighbor and it would like just high invitation, meaning come on low challenge.

Caesar:

I'm not trying to get you saved or get you to say a prayer.

Caesar:

Just, I wanna get to know you get to know your story, know more about you.

Caesar:

I wanna share our life and story.

Caesar:

See, see if there's a connection, right.

Caesar:

And that leads right into the fourth thing that I, I would do to start shifting people more outward is I would begin to teach your people how to identify their own unique People of Peace.

Caesar:

Okay.

Caesar:

Their own unique People of Peace, those People of Peace as we use the term, are those people in your life that once you meet them and they've met you, maybe, you know, more than once or two or three times, sometimes it's pretty quick.

Caesar:

Um, they kind of they're leaning into relationship, right?

Caesar:

You've you've heard me talk about this.

Caesar:

People of Peace are those people are like, you kind of pronounce peace in their life.

Caesar:

Like, Hey.

Caesar:

Like, it's good to see you.

Caesar:

And I'm like, oh, I love the way you're doing that.

Caesar:

You're such a good mom with your, with your kids.

Caesar:

Wow.

Caesar:

I really wanna encourage you.

Caesar:

So you kind of bless them or you invite them over.

Caesar:

Right.

Caesar:

See how this fits into the third step that we just did one, not yet believing friend or neighbor a week.

Caesar:

And you're looking for People of Peace, like, Hey, who seems to be like leaning in like, man, they're like, when can we do this again?

Caesar:

And, and I like to have you over, they wanna serve you back.

Caesar:

Right.

Caesar:

If, if everybody in the church let's just capital C church.

Caesar:

In the world.

Caesar:

Okay.

Caesar:

Or in your country?

Caesar:

I live in America, right?

Caesar:

Most of the people listen to today, probably do live in the us, but wherever you live, just think about it.

Caesar:

Like, okay, how many people are in the church?

Caesar:

If every Christian, everybody who claims Christ was to identify one person in their life that is a person of peace, meaning it's not like, oh, that's a hard rock to break.

Caesar:

No, this is a person who likes me.

Caesar:

They know my faith.

Caesar:

They still are interested in who we are.

Caesar:

They wanna hang out.

Caesar:

If we could identify one person of peace each.

Caesar:

And start to hang out with them more and invite them into a life in Christ with us, we just doubled the church tomorrow.

Caesar:

And think about it where the church is all flipping out right now, pulling out their hair.

Caesar:

Like, I don't know what to do.

Caesar:

I don't what to do.

Caesar:

Everything's changed.

Caesar:

A lot of churches have closed 30 something percent of people aren't coming back.

Caesar:

Da da, well, I'm giving you some really basic, simple steps here.

Caesar:

And if you want to double you wanna double things.

Caesar:

Now I know we only count people if they show up at our service, but wait a second.

Caesar:

If the mission is make disciples.

Caesar:

of Jesus, teaching them how to walk in my ways so that they'll come to know the truth and be set free, right.

Caesar:

Helping people move from unbelief to belief in the Gospel, in every area of life.

Caesar:

That's how we define discipleship.

Caesar:

Then that counts that counts.

Caesar:

Right.

Caesar:

In other words, everybody in our church identifies one person, a peace, just one.

Caesar:

And I know God's already got them for you.

Caesar:

we've just doubled effectively and there's like, no problem with what's going on.

Caesar:

And you know what?

Caesar:

It didn't have to happen at a, at a building.

Caesar:

Do you see how this is all kind of starting to fit together?

Caesar:

Right.

Caesar:

Create new predictable patterns.

Caesar:

Churchwide, I'd start helping equip people and encouraging.

Caesar:

'em like crazy to have one special family dinner night, a week.

Caesar:

Churchwide I'd also encourage people.

Caesar:

And maybe you do this a few weeks later after they've established their dinner night, you know, family dinner night start having another night where you have one, not yet believing friend or neighbor over.

Caesar:

I mean, you're doing 'em anyway, you're eating 21 meals a week and maybe it's not dinner.

Caesar:

Maybe it's lunch.

Caesar:

You know, maybe you choose to do it at breakfast.

Caesar:

I, it doesn't matter.

Caesar:

Or, or we're gonna do a dessert once.

Caesar:

That's fine too.

Caesar:

Right.

Caesar:

And then start to learn how and equip your people and how to identify their own unique People of Peace.

Caesar:

Now, I don't have time to go into exactly how you do that.

Caesar:

We have exhaustive teaching and training on that and we coach and equip to that like crazy.

Caesar:

But if you go to episode 2 22, It's called where to find your People of Peace.

Caesar:

Just search that up, just put in Everyday Disciple Podcast in Google, where to find your People of Peace or just Everyday Disciple Podcast, People of Peace it'll pop up.

Caesar:

I, I I'm sure it will.

Caesar:

And that that'll go deep then into uniquely.

Caesar:

How do you find your People of Peace?

Caesar:

And you can, you can share that with the people in your church.

Caesar:

You can encourage them to listen to that and give it a shot.

Caesar:

You.

Caesar:

To, you know, distill that into your own teaching sermons or whatever.

Caesar:

I don't know.

Caesar:

Right.

Caesar:

But that's a key thing, cuz that starts to take what we're doing and starts to turn it outward.

Caesar:

And then we still look for those unique People of Peace that God's gonna call us to do life with.

Caesar:

And then that leads me to my.

Caesar:

Fifth sort of simple little step that kind of wraps around all of them is then once you've identified those People of Peace, either just from your neighborhood or maybe hanging out at a local pub or gym, whatever you wanna start to invite those People of Peace into your family's predictable patterns and rhythms.

Caesar:

But even if it's just your family dinner night and you have a, a regular night of the week that you have not yet believing friends and stuff over, you wanna, then once you've identified those People of Peace, you wanna start to invite them into your.

Caesar:

Predictable patterns and rhythms and not just your family dinner night, or maybe that, you know that special dinner night, but what's other predictable patterns that you do as a family.

Caesar:

Think if you sit and think about it, talk about it tonight at dinner.

Caesar:

I'll bet.

Caesar:

You'll find that you've got quite a few predictable patterns.

Caesar:

Some of them are really fun.

Caesar:

Some of them seem very mundane.

Caesar:

Like, you know, we work in the yard most weekends or once a month, at least we're, you know, we're pulling weeds, we're raking, we're planting some flowers, we're trimming up some stuff.

Caesar:

You invite your people of peace to do that stuff with you and have a simple lunch or something.

Caesar:

Trust me, they will, because that's what it means to be a person, of peace they wanna hang out with you.

Caesar:

And then you say, Hey, this was blast.

Caesar:

How about we next Saturday, we go to your house and knock out a bunch of gardening.

Caesar:

And it'll be really fun that way.

Caesar:

Cuz I hate just sitting here in silence and ripping out these weeds by myself and trying to get the kids to do it.

Caesar:

How about we do it together and then we'll have a lunch again.

Caesar:

So start to invite your people of peace into your family's predictable patterns and rhythms.

Caesar:

Now there is a whole lot more to do yeah.

Caesar:

To fully embrace discipleship and mission is a lifestyle and certainly growing in your gospel fluency.

Caesar:

So that you can speak and live and enjoy the good news of the Gospel in all of life as families, and as the church and with others, that's gonna be a big part of where you'll need to learn and grow.

Caesar:

Okay.

Caesar:

So that everything you're doing, all these simple little things we've talked about today are just increasingly filled up with good news.

Caesar:

I'm not talking about preaching or chapter verse in people.

Caesar:

I'm talking about a fluency of the Gospel where we can speak to good news.

Caesar:

To everybody's bad news problems in life, right?

Caesar:

Uh, that's gonna be a big part of this, but with all that we've experienced and with the breakdown of the Sunday gathering as our primary predictable pattern, it really is time to start establishing new rhythms that will lead to new outward focused lives and relationships for the sake of the Gospel and discipleship.

Caesar:

Remember, that's the only.

Caesar:

Jesus gave us go and make disciples.

Caesar:

He didn't say when it's convenient, or if you have a building, remember he never did that.

Caesar:

We can't find that in the early church, they, they weren't setting up church buildings in services like that.

Caesar:

Right?

Caesar:

So clearly with that same power of the holy spirit that lives in us, that dwelt in the early church, we can make disciples who make disciples.

Caesar:

Jesus said, I will never leave you forsake you, but go and make right.

Caesar:

But go and make, but I'll be there with you.

Caesar:

That's our mission.

Caesar:

And I don't know how long it's gonna be until things get back to, you know, what we thought it was or whatever.

Caesar:

But I've said on many episodes of the podcast in the last six months, since the pandemic hit, I'm kind of grateful for, God's shaking us up.

Caesar:

Like maybe this pandemic's not happening to us, but it's happening for us family.

Caesar:

And so I, I, for one, I just I'm advocating.

Caesar:

Don't just throw up your hands.

Caesar:

And do your best to encourage your people to do little mini church services at home, let's start to establish new outward, predictable patterns, new outward rhythms, right?

Caesar:

That's that's what we get to do.

Caesar:

Like we, we wanna be the church that's out there cuz we are out there but we wanna do it with intention and that intentions to make disciples of Jesus filling the world with him, with Jesus, with God's glory.

Caesar:

Okay.

Caesar:

Now as always, I wanna leave you.

Caesar:

With the big three takeaways from today's topic, from what we've been talking about.

Caesar:

So, uh, if nothing else you don't wanna miss these, um, these are the big three sort of okay.

Caesar:

If you don't miss this, right.

Caesar:

And as always, you can get a printable PDF of this week's big three, where you can just print off PDF of, of these as a free download, like to do is go to everyday Disciple dot com slash big three.

Caesar:

Okay.

Caesar:

Every day, Disciple dot com slash big three.

Caesar:

And, uh, here you go.

Caesar:

Here's your big three for today.

Caesar:

First, your family is the first place to begin when starting new spiritual rhythm.

Caesar:

Begin at the beginning, in your own lives, trying to organize others into a series of activities and events or new rhythms that you and those closest to you are not already living.

Caesar:

That'll only produce unnecessary stress, and it's gonna set you up for failure.

Caesar:

And you know what?

Caesar:

This is especially important for pastors and leaders live as a family worth joining and imitating.

Caesar:

And start making space in your schedule and in your hearts for others to join you second, God loves you, just where you're at.

Caesar:

I wanna remind you that, like some of you're gonna hear this and go, oh, this sounds so simple and so good.

Caesar:

And, but I have conviction right away.

Caesar:

Right?

Caesar:

I just wanna remind you.

Caesar:

You are loved.

Caesar:

God loves you right where you're at, but our father did not send his son Jesus, just to get us into heaven.

Caesar:

He came that we might have a full life.

Caesar:

He came that you might have life and life to the full, an adventure with him of being his disciples and making more disciples, starting first in our families with our own kids, our own church, and then moving outward towards others.

Caesar:

This is the life that God created us for.

Caesar:

It really was Jesus.

Caesar:

Didn't die that we might sit in rows in silence once a week or now watch a streaming thing and then get back to life right, this is the life we were created for, and that Jesus died to give us, will you embrace?

Caesar:

Will you help others on the journey?

Caesar:

Embrace this as well, both believers and not yet.

Caesar:

I hope so.

Caesar:

And then third, I really wanna encourage you to get the training that you need to get started.

Caesar:

To move outward, to stay on mission, to, you know, to live this way and to start to make disciples in everyday life.

Caesar:

I, I want you to don't get stuck, right.

Caesar:

A life of spiritual freedom and relational peace awaits you, but it is far too easy to, you know, to hear a talk like this and give some mental ascent like yep, yep.

Caesar:

Just nod sort of in agreement, you know?

Caesar:

Yep.

Caesar:

We gotta try that someday.

Caesar:

Uh, but then never really get started with new meaningful practices.

Caesar:

I don't want that for you.

Caesar:

And we would love to help, like I said, at the top of the show, we are just starting a couple, you know, not a lot of slots, but coaching cohorts right now for couples Tina and I coach couples, as couples, so that it's a family based thing and moves outward and, and that's.

Caesar:

Both just normal folks and pastors and leaders within the church.

Caesar:

and we are opening up an opportunity to work with two teams of couples from the same church or maybe organization or network to be in a cohort together.

Caesar:

So you can gain the insights and frameworks have the same language and tools and moving forward, that kinda multiplies it.

Caesar:

. So we're opening up two spots for unique cohorts of teams, basically teams of couples from the same church or organizations.

Caesar:

So either way, if you're interested in coaching as couples, or you'd like to see if you.

Caesar:

Before they're gone.

Caesar:

Grab one of those two slots for a team, you know, of like 5, 6, 7, 8, whatever couples, um, go to everyday.

Caesar:

Disciple dot com slash coaching.

Caesar:

Okay.

Caesar:

Every day, Disciple dot com slash coaching, and you can get a lot more information on, on what we're doing and what you'll gain and how it works.

Caesar:

And then there's just a short little form you can fill out and it'll send it to me and we'll hop on a zoom call and I'll answer all your questions and see if we can get you started.

Caesar:

Okay.

Caesar:

And keep you going.

Caesar:

All right.

Caesar:

Well, Hey, this has been a blast.

Caesar:

I hope this is helpful.

Caesar:

I hope these five small little steps give you encouragement to start to live and help others in, in your church, move outward, but in really simple ways, . Okay.

Caesar:

So I hope you have a great week.

Caesar:

I can't wait to talk to you.

Caesar:

Bye.

Caesar:

Bye.

Announcer:

Thanks for joining us today.

Announcer:

For more information on this show and to get loads of free discipleship resources, visit everyday Disciple dot com.