Hero Maker – Week 2 – Living Like a Hero Maker
Ice Breaker: What is the best approach for you to learn a new task or role?
From Week 1: Jesus commissioned his disciples to “make disciples” in Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus demonstrated the process as he discipled the Apostles and provided a model that we can follow. In ministry, and in life, it is easier to focus on doing the things that need done, on being the disciple/hero rather than the hero-maker. Yet God wants each of us to not only use the gifts he has given us for his purpose, but to teach others to do the same. That is the secret to the Kingdom of God multiplying throughout the generations. The process of hero making involves an intentional approach to recognize who God has given you to apprentice and investing yourself in their lives. At the end of the sermon, Pastor Brian challenged us to ask God who in your sphere of influence or ministry you are to build into.
Luke 6:12–17 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. 17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon,
1. How did Jesus choose his apostles from the multitude that was following him? (Luke 6:12-17) Why do you think He chose only a few people from the large crowd of followers? Note: In this passage the apostles were a small specially chosen group from the larger set of Jesus’ disciples.
2. Why do you think it would be important for us to focus our attention on a small group of people?
Jesus & “Diatribo”
John 3:22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.
Note: Jesus “spent some time with” his disciples. The original Greek word “Diatribo” (διατρίβω) means “time spent together rubbing shoulders with each other.” When you spend enough time with someone you begin to rub off on each other. So when it says Jesus spent time with his disciples, It was through diatribo that his followers ended up turning the world upside down.
3. What general strategy did Jesus use to make disciples once they were chosen? (John 3:22)
4. At the end of his sermon last week, Pastor Brian challenged us to take some time to ask God to make clear who are the few people He wants you to intentionally invest in over this next season. Who are the few people you that God has placed on your heart to disciple so that they can take their next step toward Christ?
5. What value can be gained from “spending time with” and doing God’s work with those who you are discipling (apprenticing)? (Deuteronomy 11:18:21, Titus 2:3-5, Acts 16:1-5, 2 Timothy 3:10-11, 14-15)
Deuteronomy 11:18–21 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.
Titus 2:3–5 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
Acts 16:1–5 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
2 Timothy 3:10-11,14–15 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them…. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Note: God’s work can be many possibilities. It can be raising of godly children, doing good in Jesus’ name, working in ministry, sharing the Gospel, doing missions work together, prayer, and workplace discipleship among many. Making disciples begins with influencing and leading someone to Christ, but extends through a person’s life as they continue to take their next steps toward Christ.
6. What keeps us from purposely including others in doing life and ministry with us? How can we overcome this tendency and intentionally make disciples?
7. What are ways you can “spend time with” (diatribo) the people you want to disciple?
8. Why do you think it is important to share our lives and ministries utilizing our God-given gifts? Why do you think it is important to recognize the gifts we see in those with whom we are doing life and ministry?
ICNU
9. Andy Stanley in his book Visioneering talks about how important it is to “Speak to someone’s potential instead of their performance.” How do you think the disciples felt when Jesus gave them an aspirational vision of their future? (Matthew 4:18-20; 16:17-19; John 14:12-13) How does it motivate you to know that these aspirational visions are also for us?
Matthew 4:18–20 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
Matthew 16:17–19 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
John 14:12–13 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
10. What if someone pulled you aside, looked you in the eye and said, “You know what, I believe you’ve got what it takes. I see in you (ICNU) someone who could influence others towards Jesus. I really think you can do this.” What do you think would be the result of their confidence in you? What if you said something similar to those around you; what do you think the result would be?
5 Steps of Hero Making
Step One is I lead, You watch, We talk.
Step Two is I lead, You help, We talk.
Step Three is You lead, I help, We talk.
Step Four is You lead, I watch, We talk.
Step Five is You lead, Someone Else Watches.
11. Each of these 5 steps of hero making are evident in the ministry of Jesus as he built into his Apostles. What do you think was Jesus’ purpose for spending 75% of his ministry time discipling his Apostles? (2 Timothy 2:2, John 17:20-21)
John 17:20–21 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
2 Timothy 2:2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.
The continuing result has been a multiplying church throughout the generations for nearly 2,000 years.
12. How has this lesson impacted you and how will that affect you in your relationships and your future ministry?
Conclusion: Here at Sun Grove, we realize that the work that needs to be done is beyond our capacity. We can only do so much by ourselves, but if we really want to take the mission seriously, we need to start thinking like hero makers to move the mission of Jesus forward.
Summary From the lesson above: Steps to be a Hero Maker
1. Pray for God to show you who are the few from amongst the many you should focus on.
2. Deliberately spend time rubbing shoulders together (diatribo). Use your God given gifts to impact others and have your apprentice join you. Overlap your life with them in your current activities.
3. Point out the strengths that others possess that could be used for the kingdom (ICNU) and point out the future possibilities (ICU-becoming).
4. Follow the 5 steps of Hero Making
Step 1 – I lead, you watch, we talk
Step 2 – I lead, you help, we talk
Step 3 – You lead, I help, we talk
Step 4 – You lead, I watch, we talk
Step 5 – You lead, someone else watches,