Purpose & Timing – #170

Welcome Back! Today, we’ll be looking at the Gospel of Luke to see the transformative power of trusting God’s purpose and timing in our lives.

So let’s dive in.

Luke 13:31-33

At that very hour, some Pharisees came to Jesus and told Him, “Leave this place and get away, because Herod wants to kill You.” But Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look, I will keep driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.’ Nevertheless, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day, for it is not admissible for a prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem.

My Thoughts

I am amazed at two aspects of Jesus’ life: His confidence in the Father’s purpose and His confidence in the Father’s timing. And notice I am drawing attention to the Father’s part. You might automatically assume, “Well, Jesus is God. Of course He’s going to have confidence in His purpose and timing!” But you may miss the point. I’m shocked that the human part of Jesus trusted the Father with these two essential elements of life, stating it time and time again. In John 5:19 and 5:30, Jesus says He can do nothing on His own initiative, but only what He sees the Father doing. And in John 12:49–50, He makes it even clearer, saying He did not speak on His own initiative, but that the Father gave Him commandment regarding what to say. Jesus is modeling something for us here. He knew the purpose and timing given to Him by the Father, and He stewarded that to the nth degree.

Why am I so amazed? Because I have struggled with both. I have struggled with clearly knowing God’s purpose and timing in my own life, and even when I thought I knew what God was doing, I’ve had issues fleshing that out. (Pun intended and I know I’m not alone). That’s why I am convinced that being saturated with the Bible and with the example of Jesus is so important. It’s like pushing a “reset” button. I need to be reminded daily, if not hourly, of God’s grand design for my life as an individual and my role in the bigger picture of what He is doing. Scripture keeps bringing me back to the road, reminding me where I’m going, why I’m going there, and Who I’m following. This reminder, if we don’t kick against the goads, so to speak, will tell us we are on the right track. It gives us assurance that what we’re doing with our lives will matter in the eternal scheme of things.

Now how important is this in making disciples of Jesus? This is absolutely huge. First, all of us—and I mean all of us—have a built-in tendency to pursue our own purposes instead of God’s. We want to write the story, call the shots, and have God bless our plans. That road doesn’t just lead “nowhere”; it actually leads to death (Romans 3:23, 6:23). Second, a life without purpose is meaningless and is a death in itself. I’ve literally watched people sleep themselves or drink themselves to death because they felt like they had no purpose in life. As disciple makers, we have two essential truths we need to instill into a new disciple’s life from the very beginning: God has a purpose for their lives, and He has the right time for it to be fulfilled. In doing so, we will set the trajectory of this young follower of Jesus for a lifetime, teaching them not just how to believe in Jesus, but how to truly follow and trust Him as their King.

My Story

If you’ve been following my posts on Substack, you read my piece on “Bezalel and Oholiab.” In it, I outline the lives of these two obscure craftsmen and illuminate their crowning contribution to the children of Israel and to everyone who reads the Old Testament. They were literally chosen by God for a very special work—to build the meeting place for God and His people.

I spent days thinking about those men and the purpose and timing God had for them. I did a lot of reflection on my own life, asking the questions:

What has been my crowning contribution to this point in life?
How long did it take for God to prepare me for the task?
What were the specific events in my life where I saw His hand preparing me?
When did I recognize that this was my purpose in life?
How would I sum up what God has designed me to be and do?

That exercise was very encouraging and instructive.

I basically saw my purpose as “Helping others push the boulder of generational discipleship up and over the hill for Jesus.”

I have the advantage of looking in the rearview mirror and seeing a long way back. Sixty-seven years’ worth of training and practice have brought me to the point where several “boulders” are now rolling down the hill, and I ain’t pushing no more.

Disciples are reproducing more disciples of Jesus, and I have no control, influence, or say about what the fourth generations and beyond are doing. But it’s never been about who gets the credit (unless, of course, we’re talking about Jesus). It’s about making disciples of all nations so God gets the glory. Needless to say, I’m very thankful that God gave me a purpose—and that I have been walking in His timing all my life.

Now, I am confident of this:

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;

And in Your book were all written

The days that were ordained for me,

When as yet there was not one of them.

Psalm 139:16

Our Action Plan

Now it’s time for application. Here’s some questions and ideas;

What is your purpose in life? Does it align with God’s purpose for your life?
Do you recognize the seasons, the “Stops and Goes,” and interruptions as God’s way of guiding you and others around you?
How will you help those you are discipling to discover and align themselves with God’s timing and purposes?

It’s easy for us to lose sight of God’s plan for our lives and head in our own direction. Or to simply be paralyzed by the myriad of choices we have set before us. As we live our lives and make disciples along the way, let’s align ourselves with His purpose and timing by staying in His Word and listening to His Holy Spirit.

Ingredient #12: Perseverance

The WIGTake for Spiritual Generations

All 12 Ingredients for Spiritual Generations and Podcasts

By Pheaney (Peter) Lindell and Chuck & Deb Wood

Rather Listen? Click here…

We have covered eleven ingredients, from character and love to the very promises of God. But all of them require one final element to see them through to the fourth generation. Spiritual reproduction is not a sprint; it’s a marathon full of hurdles.

If you expect quick results, you will quit. We see this resilience in Jesus, who modeled a gritty perseverance with His disciples despite their chronic slowness to understand. When they panicked in the storm and accused Him of indifference—“Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38-40)—Jesus didn’t abandon them; He calmed the sea and then addressed their fear.

The Jesus Model

Throughout His ministry, He faced their hardened hearts. When they worried about bread mere moments after a miraculous feeding, Jesus had to ask, “Do you having eyes not see, and having ears not hear?” (Mark 8:17-18). Later, when they failed to heal a boy due to their lack of faith, His frustration was palpable: “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?” (Mark 9:14-19). Yet, He did put up with them. Even after the resurrection, He had to reproach them for their “unbelief and hardness of heart” (Mark 16:14).

Most leaders would have fired this team. But Jesus was patient and persevered. In His High Priestly prayer, He declared victory not because they were perfect, but because He had finished His assignment: “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4-8). He stuck with them until the transfer of the mission was complete.

The Scriptural Model

Paul understood that the ministry of spiritual reproduction is a marathon, not a sprint. He urged the Corinthians to run in such a way that they might win, disciplining their bodies like athletes to avoid disqualification (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). He knew the temptation to quit was real, so he anchored his endurance in the mercy of God: “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:1).

But perhaps the most encouraging word comes to the Galatians. Paul shifts the focus from the labor to the harvest: “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Galatians 6:9-10). The author of Hebrews echoes this, stating simply, “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised” (Hebrews 10:36). The scriptural model teaches us that the promise is on the other side of patient perseverance.

Stories

At 3:00 AM, staring at the shadows on the ceiling, the words finally escaped my lips: “I quit.” I had reached breaking points twice before, but I had never dared to utter the “Q-word” to God. I was a “crispy critter”—burnt out, hollowed out, and physically failing.

The truth was, I wasn’t acting my age, nor was I respecting my disease. Living with Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) meant my body had a finite capacity, yet Deb and I were still trying to maintain a high-octane, military-like schedule in our ministry. A younger, healthier version of me might have muscled through, but the real me was finished.

It was in this “forced desert” of a two-year sabbatical that God began to reconstruct my understanding of sustainability. I realized that for a movement of disciples to multiply through generations, the pace of the leader must be repeatable. If my “Ranger” mentality required superhuman effort, I wasn’t modeling a lifestyle—I was modeling a crash course.

Sustainability is the essential ingredient for seeing generations of disciples. If the first generation burns out, the second generation becomes afraid of the cost, and the third generation never exists. I had to stop playing Tetris with my calendar and start embracing “Rest Rhythms.” I had to learn that saying “No” was not a failure of mission, but a protection of the mission’s future.

I began to ask: Why did an omnipotent God rest on the seventh day? It wasn’t because He was tired; it was to set a sustainable rhythm for all of creation. And why did this same God give Adam and Eve a full day of rest before they had even lived 24 hours? In the New Covenant, rest is an act of trust—a declaration that Jesus is the one building the Church, not my frantic striving. Now, I act my age and respect my disease, knowing that a sustainable pace is the only way to ensure the baton is successfully passed to the next generation.

Suggestions

Rest Rhythms: Model a weekly 24-hour Sabbath where you disconnect from work and ministry to rest. Teach the disciples that the world doesn’t fall apart when they stop spinning the plates.
The 10-Year View: When they are discouraged by slow growth, remind the disciples to zoom out. Help them set 10-year goals rather than just 10-day goals.
Conflict Resolution: When things get hard between you, don’t let the disciples ghost or quit. Teach them how to have hard conversations and resolve conflict biblically. Perseverance is often learned in the friction of relationships.

Application for Disciple Makers

For us, the WIGTake requires holding the tension between long-suffering love and wise stewardship. We must refuse to give up on people too soon, rejecting a cancel culture that discards people for their stumbles. Spiritual parenting requires grit—loving people through their “hardened heart” phases. Yet, perseverance is not blind stubbornness. We must discern the difference between a person who is struggling to grow and one who is refusing to follow. We persevere with the willing, no matter how messy the process, but we also exercise the wisdom to know when an investment is no longer bearing fruit. It is the holy grit that refuses to let someone’s current immaturity determine their future destiny, while maintaining the discernment to know when to say when.

This concludes our look at the Top 12 Ingredients of the WIGTake. While the list isn’t exhaustive, these are the non-negotiables. Now, the question isn’t “What does it take?” but rather, “Are we willing to pay the cost?”

All 12 Ingredients for Spiritual Generations and Podcasts

Ingredient #11: Trusting the Promises of God

The WIGTake for Spiritual Generations

All 12 Ingredients for Spiritual Generations and Podcasts

By Pheaney (Peter) Lindell and Chuck & Deb Wood

Rather Listen? Click here…

We spend our lives reminding those we disciple of the truth. But what is the bedrock of that truth? Jesus did not attempt His ministry on a hunch; He built it on the absolute confidence that the Father would keep His Word.

Within the pages of Scripture, there are over seven thousand promises spoken by God. While they vary between blessings and warnings, conditional and unconditional, they are all profound treasures waiting to be uncovered. As His children, digging into these promises not only brings immense encouragement to our own lives, but it equips us to deeply encourage the people we are discipling. We’ve discovered over the years that when God’s promises become the bedrock of your ministry, they produce the lasting endurance and joyful zeal needed to multiply spiritual generations.

The Jesus Model

This trust was the fuel for His boldest invitations. When He told Peter and Andrew, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19), He wasn’t just giving a command; He was making a promise. He trusted that if they provided the obedience (“Follow Me”), the Father would provide the transformation (“I will make you”). He knew that the burden of changing hearts rested on God, not on human effort.

Even at the end, as He commissioned the disciples for a task that seemed impossible—reaching all nations—He sandwiched the command between two realities: His authority and His presence. “All authority has been given to Me… and lo, I am with you always” (Matthew 28:18-20). He trusted that the Father had given Him all authority and it was sufficient to back the mission.

The Scriptural Model

Paul mirrored this absolute confidence in the divine guarantee. He did not view the promises of God as hopeful possibilities, but as current realities. Writing to the Corinthians, he declared, “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Paul understood that in Christ, God’s answer to every promise He ever made is a resounding “Yes.” This gave Paul the audacity to claim that the Galatian believers were not merely converts, but “children of promise” (Galatians 4:28). Just as Isaac was born not by natural power but by divine promise, spiritual generations are born by God keeping His word. We do not birth spiritual children by our own effort alone, but by relying on the Promise-Maker.

Stories

The pursuit of generational discipleship is rarely a sprint; it’s a marathon through varying terrain. It requires a relentless blend of patience, hard work, and an unwavering trust in God’s timing. Deb and I have walked through many “deserts” in our journey—seasons where the ground felt cracked and the fruit seemed non-existent.

A few years ago, we felt a distinct stirring. It wasn’t an audible voice, but through the quiet rhythm of Scripture and prayer, the message was clear: start over. God led us to begin a church right in our living room with a simple promise: “I will fill this room, it will multiply, and you will see My hand.”

We set a date, arranged the furniture, and began to pray. Then, we waited. For two long years, our Tuesday night gathering consisted of exactly five participants: me, Deb, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Twenty-four months is a long time to stare at empty chairs. However, we didn’t panic or throw in the towel. Having leaned on God’s promises since our earliest days in ministry, we knew that a “dry season” didn’t mean a “dead season.” We kept showing up. We kept trusting.

Sure enough, the tide turned. Our living room didn’t just fill; it overflowed. That small circle multiplied into several groups of disciples making disciples, eventually sparking two or three new churches and even sending a missionary to Egypt.

Recently, coming off a sabbatical, we found ourselves leaning into the promise of Leviticus 26:9: “I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you.” Just one month after that season of rest, we are seeing significant fruit. It’s a powerful reminder that when we rely on His covenant rather than our own speed, the multiplication is inevitable.

We need to remember God works on a much different timescale than we do. We get antsy after a few months, but God waited 20 years to give Abram his follow-up instructions.

Suggestions

Promise Journal: Encourage your disciples to keep a journal of specific promises from Scripture that they are standing on for their life and ministry.
Rehearse the Wins: Regularly share stories of how God has come through in the past. “Remember when we prayed for X, and God did Y?” This builds faith for the current battle.
The Faith Step: Challenge your disciples to do something that is doomed to fail unless God shows up (e.g., sharing the Gospel with a stranger). Help them exercise the “trust muscle.”

Application for Disciple Makers

For us, the WIGTake is moving from “hoping” God shows up to “trusting” He already has. We often hesitate to lead because we look at our own inadequacy. But spiritual reproduction isn’t based on your ability; it’s based on His promise. When you disciple someone, you are standing on the promise that He is the one who makes fishers of men. You are trusting that His authority is real and His presence is constant. You aren’t just crossing your fingers; you are saying “Amen” to God’s “Yes.”

Next Week: Trusting the promises is the “why” that allows us to exhibit the “how” of the long-term marathon. Next week, we conclude with the grit required to finish: Ingredient #12: Perseverance.

All 12 Ingredients for Spiritual Generations and Podcasts

Association Does Not Equal Salvation – #169

Rather Listen? Click here…

Welcome Back! Today, we’ll be looking at the Gospel of Luke to see how Jesus answers this question: “Will only a few people be saved?”

So let’s dive in.

(Click here to get a copy of the Gospel Sync document)

Luke 13:22–30

Then Jesus traveled throughout the towns and villages, teaching as He made His way toward Jerusalem. “Lord,” someone asked Him, “will only a few people be saved?” Jesus answered, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves are thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And indeed, some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.”

My Thoughts

“Will only a few people be saved?” Jesus answers this person’s question, and His answer should make us pay attention—like a man walking on a frozen lake who suddenly hears a loud CRACK beneath his boots. Something is dreadfully wrong here, and it might just cost me my life! Jesus draws the person’s attention (and everyone else within earshot) to the sobering reality that “association does not equal salvation.”

Jesus was around a lot of people. I mean, a lot of people. His presence may have made them feel safe. And when you’re with the Good Shepherd, you should feel safe… unless, of course, you’re a wolf. Jesus poignantly points out that many people are “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” They obviously don’t see themselves that way. That becomes clear in His story when these people are shocked to find they aren’t gaining entrance into the kingdom of God.

And notice that Jesus connects “being saved” with entering the “kingdom of God” (in fact, He emphasizes this twice in the passage). Those who enter His kingdom aren’t simply people who lived in the same neighborhood or saw Him on TV a few times or even ate a meal or two with Him. He wants loyal subjects who desire to be with Him so much that they submit their lives to Him. They humble themselves by owning their shortcomings and wanting to do something about them. They repent—turning away from living life on their own terms and turning toward the way God wants them to live. The King actually influences their thinking and, by His grace, their actions.

People coming from every direction sounds like a lot of people to me. It’s just not the people who assumed they were “in” simply because they were a “churchgoer,” celebrated Christmas, or prayed a prayer with all the right words. It sounds like Jesus is looking for more than just association. He’s looking for people who love their King so much that He has become their very life.

My Story

I’ve mentioned in a couple of posts that I’m sharing the gospel with an emphasis on the kingdom of God. This week, I was sharing with four soldiers. After we discussed and discovered that Jesus is the King, that we are His subjects, and that He rules over everything, I got to the punchline: “The subjects of the King can respond in three ways: allegiance, indifference, or rebellion. Which one are you?”

For the first time since I started presenting the gospel this way, someone said they were in outright rebellion. This one person’s stark admission was contagious. All four soldiers agreed they were in rebellion against the King.

I asked my next question: “Do you want to rebel against King Jesus?”

All four said, “No.”

Then I asked, “What would it take for you to quit rebelling?”

They were brutally honest and had some good ideas, but they all revolved around being a “better person.” That’s when I explained the reason He had to die for our sins. I shared that we need to respond by believing and receiving the gift of His mercy, and by repenting—doing an “about-face” in our hearts and desiring to have Him rule over our lives. By His grace, He will respond to our heart’s desire; He is the One who makes us better people.

They all thanked my dad-in-law and me for sharing with them, and they resolved to get to know the King better and allow Him to call the shots in their lives.

Our Action Plan

Now it’s time for application. Here’s some questions and ideas:

Do you and those you are discipling know what true repentance looks like?
Do a Bible study with those you are discipling on those who believed and repented in the Gospels.
Share the gospel in a way that emphasizes repentance.

Jesus offers us a sobering warning: simply growing up hearing His name or attending religious services is not enough to enter the kingdom of God. While these are good things, the King requires more than mere association. He calls for our complete allegiance and a genuine willingness to align our lives with His will. Though we will inevitably stumble along the way, true faith is marked by a heart whose deepest desire is to know and serve Him.

Ingredient #10: Reminding (Constantly)

The WIGTake for Spiritual Generations

All 12 Ingredients for Spiritual Generations and Podcasts

By Pheaney (Peter) Lindell and Chuck & Deb Wood

Rather Listen? Click here…

Last week, we looked at the posture of a servant. But even the best serving can be forgotten. Jesus knew that we drift and we forget. Because of this, His ministry was a relentless cycle of repetition and reminding.

The Jesus Model

Consider the scene in the boat in Mark 8. The disciples had just witnessed Jesus feeding thousands of people—twice. Yet, when they realized they had forgotten to bring bread, they immediately panicked. Jesus had to walk them back through the math of the miracles, asking, “When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” (Mark 8:14-21). He was frustrated, yes, but He was persistent. He refused to let them live in the “leaven” (the false teaching) of the Pharisees; He kept bringing them back to the reality of who He was.

This need for reminding is so central that Jesus revealed it as a specific role of the Holy Spirit. He told the disciples, “The Helper, the Holy Spirit… will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:26). If the Third Person of the Trinity is dedicated to the ministry of reminding, we should not consider it beneath us.

The Scriptural Model

The apostles picked up this mantle of repetition. Paul, writing to his seasoned protégé Timothy, didn’t assume Timothy was on auto-pilot. He wrote, “For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you” (2 Timothy 1:6). Even the most faithful leaders can let their fire dim; they need the external spark of a reminder to blaze again.

Peter was even more explicit about this strategy. He didn’t apologize for repeating himself. He declared, “Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them… I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder” (2 Peter 1:12-13). Peter understood that knowledge isn’t enough; we need “stirring up.” The goal of reminding isn’t to inform the intellect but to awaken the will.

Stories

When I first grasped that discipleship was about becoming like Jesus, I realized I wasn’t the only one who had been missing the mark. For years, I treated discipleship like a Wednesday night line-up: a class to attend, a curriculum to finish, or a method to master. It was a program, not a pursuit.

I soon discovered that the core discipline of discipleship is the relentless effort to keep Jesus at the center. He isn’t just a distant Lord or a historical Savior; He is the target and the ultimate model. I started a constant internal rhythm, reminding myself to think, speak, and act like Him. Most importantly, I had to learn what it meant to simply abide in Him.

The power of this “constant reminding” became clear during a recent coaching session. I was working with a group of church leaders on the topic of healthy families. They were asking great questions. I paused and asked, “Before I give you an answer, where am I going to look first?”

“The Scriptures,” they answered confidently.

“Close,” I said with a smile.

They caught my drift immediately. “Jesus!” they shouted in unison.

Exactly. While the Scriptures are our map, Jesus is the destination. This is the art of discipleship: keeping the Master in sight when the “business” of religion tries to fog the view. Of course, this requires a fair amount of persistence. I often joke that there are only three ways to truly learn anything: repetition, blunt force trauma, and repetitive blunt force trauma.

While that’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, the truth remains. We are forgetful people. We need to be reminded—over and over—that every principle and every truth we teach must eventually lead us back to the same place: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

Suggestions

Jesus-Centered: In every lesson, no matter the topic (relationships, finances, work), find the thread that leads back to the Gospels. Remind them that Jesus is the hero of every story.
Review Identity and Purpose: Regularly bring them back to their identity in Christ and His purpose for their lives. Try to always bring these two together like Jesus did.
Review the Basics: Don’t be afraid to reteach the fundamentals annually (Time with Jesus, Sharing the Gospel, The Great Commission, etc.). Assume they leak and need a refill on the basics.

Application for Disciple Makers

For us, the WIGTake is accepting the role of “Chief Reminding Officer.” You will often feel like a broken record, repeating the same truths about grace, identity, and the Kingdom over and over. Do not be discouraged by this. Those you are discipling are being bombarded daily by the world’s counter-narratives. Your voice needs to be the steady rhythm of truth that cuts through the noise. Spiritual parenting isn’t just about teaching new things; it’s about helping people remember what is true when life tries to make them forget. It is not just about checking a box of information transfer; it is about “kindling afresh” the fire of God in them, knowing that sometimes the most profound ministry is simply reminding someone of who they already are in Christ.

Next Week: We remind people of the truth because the mission feels impossible. When the task feels too big, we have to lean on something sturdier than our memory. Next week: Ingredient #11: Trusting the Promises of God.

All 12 Ingredients for Spiritual Generations and Podcasts

Ingredient #9: Serving

The WIGTake for Spiritual Generations

All 12 Ingredients for Spiritual Generations and Podcasts

By Pheaney (Peter) Lindell and Chuck & Deb Wood

Rather Listen? Click here…

We just explored the heart of a spiritual parent. But in the Kingdom, parenting and leadership don’t lead to a throne; they lead to a servant’s towel. In a world obsessed with ladder-climbing, Jesus taught us how to descend.

The Jesus Model

When James and John asked for positions of glory, Jesus did not just deny their request; He deconstructed their worldview. He told them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them… But it is not this way among you” (Mark 10:43-45).

This phrase—“it is not this way among you”—draws a line in the sand. In the Kingdom, leadership is not about how many people serve you, but how many people you serve. Jesus did not just teach this; He lived it as the ultimate reality of His mission: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” If the King of the Universe entered history to serve, then no task is too small for us.

The Scriptural Model

Paul echoes this radical posture in his letter to the Corinthians. He clarifies the content of his message and the nature of his position: “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5).

Note the duality: Jesus is Lord, and Paul is a servant. The word for servant here is doulos—a bond-servant or slave. Paul didn’t view his spiritual authority as a platform for prestige but as a mandate for service. He belonged to Jesus, and because of that, he made himself a servant to the people he was leading. He wasn’t serving them to please them; he was serving them “for Jesus’ sake.” This is the safeguard against burnout: we serve people, but we do it for the Lord in the context of our calling.

Stories

It was time to leave the nest. The Army had put me on orders for Korea, signaling the end of my season living in Cecil and Jeannie’s basement. They had treated me like a son, and I wanted to honor that relationship. Cecil was on full-time staff with The Navigators, relying on financial support for his ministry. I decided that as soon as I settled in overseas, I would write him a check every month. I wanted to serve him the way he had served me.

There was just one problem: the Army wasn’t paying me.

When I had re-enlisted, the Army was happy to retain my services, but a glitch in the finance system meant they forgot to pay me for them. For three months, I served my country for free. It sounds noble in retrospect, but at the time, it was a disaster. I was writing checks to Cecil, assuming the direct deposit would hit. It didn’t. The checks bounced.

After three months of bad paper, Cecil knew something was wrong. He didn’t get angry, and he didn’t write me off. Instead, he took action. Even as a civilian, he drove onto Fort Campbell, walked into the finance office, and advocated for me until they sorted out the error.

Then I received his letter—this was in the days before email. He didn’t lecture me about balancing my checkbook. He simply told me to stop sending checks until I was stable. Then came the part that blew me away: he had deposited $500 into my account to make sure I was okay.

Cecil was my spiritual leader, my mentor, and yet he served me. He lived out Mark 10:43-45 vividly:

“But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Another Story from a Friend

A good friend who is making disciples at his workplace was in a fix. He switched home insurance companies to save some money, but the new company required him to repair a fence.

So, I jumped in the car early one morning with one of my kids, drove 3 hours, and spent 4+ hours repairing his fence.

Fast forward three weeks, and the insurance company wasn’t happy with another part of the property, so they still dropped his coverage.

Seems like a lame story, except that this friend reaches out to me all the time with updates, prayer requests, and questions. Serving deepened the relationship, even if it didn’t do anything else at that moment.

Suggestions

The “Towel” Task: When you are together at a ministry event, be the first one to take out the trash or stack the chairs. Model that spiritual authority does not exempt you from menial labor.
Generosity: If you know they are struggling financially, look for ways to bless them without creating dependency. A surprise gift card or paying for a meal can demonstrate the Father’s provision.
Serve Together: Plan a service project where you serve the poor or help a neighbor. Train them to look outward and see the needs of others as a priority.

Application for Disciple Makers

For us, the WIGTake involves embracing the inconvenience of serving. We often desire the influence of leadership without the grit of service. But spiritual authority is accrued in the trenches. It is found in helping someone move apartments, staying late to clean up after an event, or listening to a broken story when you are exhausted.

Those you are discipling are watching. They need to see you use your influence to lift others up, not to prop yourself up. Serving destroys the entitlement that often creeps into ministry. It reminds us—and demonstrates to those watching—that we do not preach ourselves. We preach Jesus as Lord, and we offer our lives as servants to those we are raising up.

Next Week: We often assume that if we serve and lead well once, the lesson is learned. But human beings have spiritual amnesia. Next week, we look at the necessity of the “broken record”: Ingredient #10: Reminding (Constantly).

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Retreat or Tactical Repositioning? – #168

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Welcome Back! Today, we’ll be looking at the gospel of John to see how Jesus discreetly chose to avoid persecution.

So let’s dive in.

John 10:39–42

At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp. Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and He stayed there. Many came to Him and said, “Although John never performed a sign, everything he said about this man was true.” And many in that place believed in Jesus.

My Thoughts

It’s interesting how Jesus responds to the heat He’s getting from the religious leaders in this season of His ministry. This is what we used to call in the Army a “tactical repositioning” not a “retreat.” In other words, “Run, run away. Live to fight another day.” It’s not an act of cowardice. No one could ever rightfully call Jesus a coward. It’s an act of stewardship. Jesus knows when to duck and weave and when to take a punch. There would come a day when He literally let’s them kill Him. But not this day. There was still work to do.

Notice how Jesus was in fact modeling for the disciples what He commanded them to do when things got a little too dicey on their mission.

“But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next…” (Matthew 10:23)

Discretion is the better part of valor. There is a time to stand your ground and a time to move on.

So how did Jesus know when was the right time for a “tactical repositioning” and a time to go to the cross. Answer: Abiding deeply in the Father (John 5:39). And Jesus instructs us to abide in Him the way He abided in the Father. This is when we will know which to choose as we are living life and making disciples.

My Story

As an Army Chaplain, I had to learn early on which hills were truly worth dying on.

Sure, we encountered situations that felt sketchy, and a few that were just flat-out wrong. But I didn’t bat an eye when instructed to provide a Quran to a Muslim soldier or to ensure a Wiccan soldier wasn’t persecuted for their faith.

The Army was crystal clear on the difference between providing and performing. My job was to provide access to religious support for all soldiers. However, I was not required to perform a service that violated my personal convictions or my endorsing body’s theological standards.

Under our Constitution, every person has the right to practice their faith, provided it doesn’t infringe on the rights of others. As chaplains, we were the guardians of those rights.

If you think through the day-to-day scenarios, you can see where this gets a little tricky. There is a massive amount of gray area—or maybe not so massive, depending on your convictions—that a chaplain has to navigate.

One area I wrestled with was the expectation of “non-sectarian prayers.”

By definition, a non-sectarian prayer is kept general, intended to be inclusive of people from various faiths or no faith at all. My problem was simple: I don’t have a generic God.

The Triune God of the Christian faith specifically instructs us to invoke the name of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I couldn’t bring myself to pray to a “vanilla god” or a “government god.” I could only pray to the God of all creation—the One who truly answers.

For years, I went about my duties without this being an issue, consistently praying in Jesus’ name. But eventually, it caught up with me. I was officially asked to resign my commission as an Army officer and chaplain.

This was the hill I was willing to die on.

Ironically, the situation was ultimately resolved when a higher-ranking chaplain stepped in and plainly pronounced, “Chaplain Wood has Constitutional rights, too.”

Ultimately, the instructions of Jesus helped me pick my battles wisely.

As we are discipling others for Him, it is only a matter of time before they face this kind of hostility. When that day comes, we will need to be ready to point them right back to His example.

Our Action Plan

Now it’s time for application. Here’s some questions and ideas.

Do you know how to discern when and when not to “fall on your sword?”
Are you training the folks you’re mentoring how to handle push back and persecution?
Read and study Daniel chapter 1 and learn how Daniel navigated some tricky situations.

It’s always good to prepare for the storm before it comes. And they will come. Let’s take a page out of Jesus’ playbook and be wise stewards of the life and circumstances God has given us.

Kingdom Kernel #56 – The Kingdom of God in Your Midst – Luke 17:20-21

The Kingdom Personified

Kingdom Kernel Collection

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“Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:20-21)

Introduction

In this essay we will discuss the Pharisees’ reasons for asking such an important question and Jesus’ answer. We will also look at the translation and contextual interpretation between the King James Version and many contemporary translations including New American Standard Bible 95. We will discuss present realities of the King of kings being “in us” and “in our midst.” Furthermore, we will look at the transformative effect this truth has on believers today.

Key Words and Phrases

Signs to be observed – παρατήρησις (Strong’s G3907 – paratērēsis) inspection, i.e. ocular evidence:—observation. Jesus said “You won’t be able to see it.”

In your midst – ἐντός (Strong’s G1787 – entos) within, inside, within you i.e. in the midst of you, within you i.e. your soul

Messianic Model – Focus on Jesus’ example

Being the King, Jesus personified the kingdom of God. If you wanted to see the kingdom, you could look at Jesus and see that everything He said and did represented the present kingdom in its glory. That’s why He said “the kingdom of God is in your midst.” He was standing right there in front of them. But Jesus is also saying it is much more than just observable evidence. It is an invisible reality that all kingdom citizens experience and carry in their very hearts (metaphorical, not literal heart). It is what they believe, trust, think, comprehend, long for, and submit to. It is the state of being which results from the Triune God taking up residents within them. And Jesus being in the Father and the Spirit completely and wholly brings the kingdom of God with Him into those who truly believe. He personifies what so profoundly is in Him and who He is. In fact the kingdom is so intrinsically part of Him, one could say “He IS the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 3:16–17, 28:19, John 17:14:16–17, 21–23)

Key Theological Implications

Many of the parables Jesus taught were about the priority and stewardship of God’s kingdom. But there is another category that Jesus emphasizes and that is awareness of the kingdom of God. Knowing what the kingdom is and its pervasiveness, its reality are essential first steps to entering and stewarding it. Jesus began His ministry with the statement that “the kingdom of God is at hand.” It has come near, closer in time, space, and energy or power (Mark 1:15, 9:1, Luke 11:20) because of Jesus’ coming into the world. Now Jesus is describing the “whereabouts” of the kingdom. It is in “your midst or within you.” It’s not just a physical or geographical presence. God’s kingdom, just as His person, is present within, around, and through those who believe and also confronting the reality of those who refuse to submit to it. (John 14:16-17, 23) As most of the Pharisees didn’t believe Jesus to be the Messiah, the coming King, we cannot say that the kingdom was “within” them. This is why the Greek word ἐντός is translated “in your midst.” This is a case where context provides clarity in translation.

Contemporary Spiritual Significance

This kingdom should permeate every part of our hearts, minds, and actions. In a very real sense, the kingdom of God has been “in our midst” from the beginning. Jesus is now clarifying a reality that man has neither understood or submitted to since the garden. Now He has come in the flesh and the kingdom is in our very presence. And although it has not reached its culmination, its present reality is enough to confront our rebellion, provide a platform for forgiveness, and bring glory to God. Acknowledging this reality forces a decision; to accept the lordship of the King and live in His values or deny its existence and remain in rebellion. (Matthew 7:21; Luke 6:46; Acts 2:36; John 3:18–21)

The Transformative Power of the Kingdom in Our Midst

Recognizing the kingdom’s presence in the King, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the King’s presence among us is a bold challenge to the worldly status quo. It confronts everything we know to be “natural” and our rebellion against the King. It forces the question; “Who will I serve?” Embracing the truth and the true King sets one free (John 8:31–32) and transforms us into new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17). It provides the motivation and the power to change and align with kingdom values and the King’s design. (Romans 1:16, 8:37)

Conclusion

The question on how to translate the Greek word ἐντός is answered by the immediate context. The Pharisees did not believe and therefore did not have the King or His kingdom “within” them. But having Jesus standing right there in front of them was indeed proof the kingdom was in their “midst.” They continued in their rebellion and died in their sins (John 8:24). But the transformative power of the King and His kingdom is at work not only in the midst of true disciples of Jesus, it actually resides “within” them.

Disciple-Maker’s Short Story

The Kingdom in the Gridlock

Dallas dusk had a way of swallowing hope. The sun bled through the skyline until the towers turned to silhouettes, and the long streams of cars on Central Expressway shimmered in static red.

Ethan gripped the steering wheel, jaw tense. His car crawled forward one car-length at a time. Another day burned out, he thought. Around him, people honked, cut in, cursed through closed windows—a symphony of impatience thick with exhaustion.

In the passenger seat, Mark, his older mentor from work and church, shifted his weight, the faint smile of patience softening the lines around his eyes. The two had commuted together for months, using the slow drive to talk about everything from engineering projects to theology. But today, Ethan’s silence was jagged.

Finally, he exhaled. “Mark, can I be honest? I’m tired of pretending everything’s fine. I look around—politics, greed, families torn apart—and we keep saying the ‘kingdom of God is here.’” He shook his head. “If the kingdom’s here, it’s awfully invisible.”

Mark looked out the window at the endless stream of brake lights crawling ahead. “Invisible,” he repeated softly. “That might be closer to the truth than you think.”

Ethan laughed, sharp and bitter. “Don’t go full metaphor on me. I’m serious. I read Luke 17 the other day. Jesus said the kingdom doesn’t come with visible signs. Then He said it’s ‘in your midst.’ But I sure don’t see much of it in anything.”

Mark nodded slowly, folding his arms. “You’re not the first to feel that way. The Pharisees asked Him the same question—and missed the answer for the same reason.”

Ethan frowned, skeptical. “Which is?”

“They expected thunder,” Mark said simply. “Miracles on demand. Proof that the world would flip overnight. But Jesus—the King—was already standing right in front of them. They wanted a spectacle. He offered Himself.”

The car jolted forward, moving half a dozen feet before halting again. The movement punctuated the point like an invisible hand pressing pause.

“So, what—you’re saying the kingdom’s sitting in traffic with us?” Ethan’s laugh was cold. “That’s great.”

Mark turned toward him, eyes thoughtful. “Maybe it is. Christ said where two or three gather in His name, He’s present. You and I—right now—He’s here.”

Ethan looked straight ahead, jaw set. “If He’s here, why can’t I feel it? Why doesn’t the world look any better?”

Mark studied his friend a long moment. “Because, Ethan, He’s not fixing the world around you first. He’s starting with the world inside. That’s how the kingdom spreads—from one changed heart to another. Quietly. Patiently.”

Ethan let the words hang like distant thunder. He wanted to argue, to point out the senseless headlines, the failures of men who claimed to represent God. But Mark’s calm disarmed him, not with counterargument but with peace.

“I used to think the same way,” Mark continued, voice low. “Fifteen years ago, I was a youth pastor. I watched corruption topple people I trusted, saw pain swallow faith. I almost walked away. Then I realized what Jesus meant when He said the kingdom doesn’t come with observation. It’s not a realm you watch happen—it’s a reign you submit to.”

He paused, glancing at Ethan. “Some of us don’t see it because we’re still clinging to our own kingdoms.”

The air conditioner hummed. Ethan stared ahead, something moving behind his eyes—a quiet, reluctant recognition.

“So how do you find it again? That belief?”

Mark smiled faintly. “You stop looking for the kingdom as if it’s something God owes you. You look to the King Himself. He’s already dwelling among you—if you’ll yield to Him. When the King rules you, Ethan, you start seeing signs of His kingdom everywhere: in forgiveness that shouldn’t exist, peace that makes no sense, love that costs you something.”

Ethan’s throat tightened. “That sounds good, but I don’t feel like one of those kingdom people.”

“That’s where you start,” Mark said gently. “Not by feeling, but by surrendering. The kingdom’s not waiting for conditions to improve—it’s waiting for hearts to open.”

As if on cue, a flash of light bloomed outside. A young man on the shoulder of the freeway knelt beside a car with a flat tire, hazard lights blinking. Without hesitation, Mark signaled, pulled to the shoulder, and opened his door.

“What are you—” Ethan started.

“Going to help,” Mark said simply. “Come on.”

The humid air hit them as they approached the broken-down sedan. The stranded driver, a teenager no older than seventeen, struggled with a jack that wouldn’t set right. Mark knelt, took the crank, and guided him through it with quiet instruction. Ethan fetched the spare. Ten minutes later, the tire was changed, the boy’s relief palpable.

“Thank you,” the teen said, eyes glistening. “No one even slowed down.”

Mark smiled. “Someone once stopped for me too. It was Jesus Christ and we’re just doing what He would do.”

When they got back in the car, Ethan stared ahead silently. The freeway ahead was clear now, traffic dissolving into motion.

Mark glanced at him. “Still wondering where the kingdom is?”

Ethan exhaled, half a laugh, half a sigh. “I think I just saw it. Not loud. Not flashy. But real.”

They drove in quiet for a few moments, the tension eased. Dallas glowed against the indigo sky, a scattered constellation of lights both artificial and strangely divine.

Mark spoke one last time before they took the exit home. “The world may look dark, Ethan. But the King hasn’t left. His kingdom keeps working its way through the dough. Every time someone chooses mercy instead of bitterness… every time someone loves like He did—the kingdom breaks through.”

Ethan looked out across the horizon, the words settling deep inside him. For the first time in months, he felt something more than fatigue—something close to hope.

Maybe the kingdom wasn’t far off after all. Maybe it was closer than his own heartbeat.

Kingdom Kernel Collection

Ingredient #6: Second Generation Conviction

The WIGTake for Spiritual Generations

All 12 Ingredients for Spiritual Generations and Podcasts

By Pheaney (Peter) Lindell and Chuck & Deb Wood

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Last week, we talked about the Hand of God moving through prayer. But spiritual reproduction fails when the second generation is merely echoing the convictions of the first. For the mission to survive our departure, the message must transfer with its original potency. Jesus did not want parrots; He wanted witnesses. He explicitly prayed for the next generation—“those also who believe in Me through their word” (John 17:20).

The Jesus Model

He understood that for the movement to survive His physical departure, the message had to transfer from the original twelve to others with the same potency.

But how does that transfer happen? It requires a shift from “I believe because you told me” to “I believe because I know Him.” We see this deep, sticky conviction in Peter. When the crowds deserted Jesus, He asked the twelve if they would leave too. Peter didn’t say, “We’re staying because we signed a contract.” He declared, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life” (John 6:68). That is the kind of bedrock conviction that weathers storms—a personal realization that Jesus is the only viable option.

Perhaps the most poignant example is Thomas. He missed the first post-resurrection appearance and refused to believe on hearsay alone. A week later, Jesus showed up specifically for him. He didn’t shame Thomas for his doubt; He offered His wounds. The result was a personal, ownership-taking confession: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:26-29). Jesus then pronounced a blessing on the coming generations—us—who would believe without seeing, relying on the conviction passed down through the Word.

The Scriptural Model

Paul codified this generational vision in his final letter to Timothy. He commanded, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). This is the biblical mandate for four spiritual generations: Paul -> Timothy -> Faithful Men -> Others.

However, Paul knew this chain would break if the conviction was weak. He immediately followed this command with metaphors of endurance: “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3). He likened the disciple-maker to a soldier in active service, an athlete competing by the rules, and a hard-working farmer waiting for the harvest (2 Timothy 2:1-7). Second-generation conviction isn’t just about agreeing with a doctrine; it’s about possessing the grit to carry that doctrine through the “fog of war” and the fatigue of labor.

Stories

Our son, Wes, grew up watching us make disciples of Jesus. Our living room wasn’t just a family space—it was a training ground for young Airborne Rangers from our ministry. These soldiers became his youth group, an unlikely congregation of faith and brotherhood under our roof.

When Wes graduated high school, he surprised me with a question that stung a little: “Who would you recommend to mentor me?”

Understanding that the bird must leave the nest, I swallowed my pride. “Andrew,” I said without hesitation.

Andrew didn’t disappoint. Under his guidance, Wes flourished in knowledge, conviction, and practice of Jesus’ Great Commission. He married Tina, joined the Army, blessed us with four grandchildren, and has risen to the rank of Major.

But what fills my heart most isn’t his military success—it’s what he does with it.

Every single place the Army stations them, Wes and Tina make disciples and host a church in their home. They carry the torch we’d lit, the same one Andrew and Cindy had carried before them.

His recent six month deployment to Japan proved the depth of his commitment. Within a week, he’d gathered fellow soldiers to read the Bible together. He’d seen his parents do it, Andrew and Cindy do it, countless others do it—disciples making disciples.

“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus…” (2 Timothy 2:2-4)

While his knowledge of this passage is commendable, what is truly impressive is the way he lives it.

From our living room to bases around the world, the chain remains unbroken. Wes doesn’t just wear his country’s uniform—he wears the mantle of faith we passed down, now passing it forward to faithful soldiers who will teach others also.

Story #2

The difference was striking if you pause a minute to consider.

I recently heard a pastor at a legacy church talk about 6 (yes SIX!) teaching times that he leads throughout the week. It’s not that there aren’t others who could do some of that, and he’s not particularly prideful, it’s just the result of the paradigm. The main teacher teaches.

Juxtapose that with a disciple-maker I’m friends with. He sent me a picture of a discovery Bible study he is leading. I asked, “Who’s the guy praying in the front of the room?” His reply? “Oh, that’s Derek, he leads the Bible study now.”

We have to pass on leadership if we want to see spiritual generations.

Suggestions

The “Pass the Ball” Test: Stop doing all the training. Ask the person you are discipling to prepare the lesson or lead the church next week while you sit back and observe.
Ask “Who?”: Regularly ask those you are discipling, “How are your people doing?” or “Who are you focused on?” Keep them thinking about the next generation, not just their own consumption.
They Memorize the Mandate: Have them commit the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to memory. Have them quote it to you often.

Application for Disciple Makers

For us, the WIGTake is having the patience to let those we disciple wrestle until they own their faith. We often rush to provide answers or secure their compliance, but second-generation conviction is forged in the fire of personal discovery. We must lead them to the point where they are no longer following us, but are following Him with a conviction that is entirely their own. It means preparing them not just for success, but for the hardship of a soldier and the patience of a farmer. True conviction is proven when they can withstand the pressure to quit and still choose to entrust the truth to others.

Conviction isn’t built in a classroom; it’s caught in the context of a life lived together. Next week, we look at the “inefficient” necessity of the Master’s method: Ingredient #7: Time With.

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Ingredient #5: Prayer and the Hand of God

The WIGTake for Spiritual Generations

All 12 Ingredients for Spiritual Generations and Podcasts

By Pheaney (Peter) Lindell and Chuck & Deb Wood

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We’ve discussed vision and the authority of the Great Commission. This week, we look at the “Hand of God” that must move if our efforts are to matter. If Jesus, the Son of God, could not produce spiritual generations without prayer, what makes us think we can? We often treat prayer as the garnish on our ministry meal, but for Jesus, it was the fire that cooked it.

The Jesus Model

His selection of the twelve was preceded by a night of prayer, and His sustaining of them was anchored in His intercession. Nowhere is this clearer than in John 17, the High Priestly Prayer.

Jesus recognized that the men He was leading were not His own discovery, but God’s gift. He prayed, “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world” (John 17:6). This acknowledgment shifts the burden; if God gave them, God must sustain them. Consequently, Jesus prayed specifically for them: “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me” (John 17:9). He did not just pray for their success; He prayed for their spiritual survival, asking the Father not to take them out of the world, but to “keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15).

Crucially, Jesus prayed with the future in mind. He wasn’t just looking at the men in front of Him; He was looking at the generations they would spawn. He prayed, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word” (John 17:20). He was interceding for you and me, centuries before we were born.

The Scriptural Model

The early church lived this reality. In Acts, when the Apostles were faced with the overwhelming needs of those in the church, they appointed deacons so they could dedicate themselves “to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). Later, the explosion of the church in Antioch wasn’t attributed to a strategic plan but to a spiritual reality: “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord” (Acts 11:21). Success was synonymous with the Hand of God resting on their efforts.

Paul embodied this dependence. He didn’t just teach Timothy; he prayed him into maturity. He writes, “I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day” (2 Timothy 1:3). This wasn’t a casual mention; it was a desperate, ongoing intercession. To the Thessalonians, he described praying “night and day most earnestly” that he might see them and “complete what is lacking in your faith” (1 Thessalonians 3:10). Paul understood that while he could teach them doctrine, only God could complete their faith.

Stories

It was the era B.Z.—Before Zoom—when I was on the phone with my friend Andrew. We were discussing the state of the Navigator ministry across the US Army. Honestly, the map looked sparse. We only had a handful of functioning ministries on about eight posts. It felt like we were holding ground rather than taking it.

I told Andrew I had been meditating on Joshua 1:3: “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.”

There was a pause on the line before Andrew replied, “That makes you want to take a long walk, doesn’t it?”

“Why don’t we?” I shot back. “Why don’t we go to every major Army installation and pray that God gives us the land?”

“Let’s do it,” he said.

We recruited Dave and Cecil, piled into a van, and launched a massive prayer road trip. We hit the major hubs: Fort Bragg, Fort Campbell, Fort Hood, Fort Benning, Fort Carson, and Fort Lewis, just to name a few. At every single front gate, we stopped the car and got out. Then—at my insistence—we took off our shoes and socks. We stood barefoot on the pavement, sometimes in freezing temperatures, literally placing the soles of our feet on the ground to ask God for that post.

It wasn’t just a solemn pilgrimage; it was a riot of fellowship. We drove through a blinding blizzard, survived on road snacks, and even got run off by security guards who thought four shoeless men at a military gate looked suspicious. But we trusted God for the outcome.

That act of faith sparked something. Over the next eight years, we watched Jesus multiply our efforts from those original eight posts to thirty-two functioning ministries around the country. It remains the most spectacular spiritual growth spurt I have ever witnessed.

Suggestions

The “Top 3” List: Keep a physical list of the people you are discipling (or wanting to disciple) in your pocket or phone. Pray for them by name daily, asking for specific breakthroughs in their character.
Prayer Walking: Physically walk the grounds of your campus, base, or neighborhood. Place your feet on the ground and ask God to give you that territory for His Kingdom.
Fast for Breakthrough: When you hit a spiritual wall with someone, stop talking to them about God and start talking to God about them. Commit to a day of fasting specifically for their growth.

Application for Disciple Makers

For us, the WIGTake is realizing that we cannot argue, strategize, or love someone into the Kingdom or into more fruitful ministry by our own strength. We need the “Hand of God” to move. Spiritual parenting requires battling on our knees. It means praying for those you are discipling by name, asking God to protect them, sanctify them, and use them to reach the next generation. Consider D.L. Moody, one of the most effective evangelists in history. He didn’t attribute the thousands of conversions in his ministry to his eloquence, but to the engine of prayer. He famously said, “Every great work of God can be traced to a kneeling figure.” We can preach or strategize until we are exhausted, but until the Hand of God moves through prayer, hearts remain stone.

Prayer invites God to do the work, but that work is only “generational” when the conviction doesn’t stop with us. Next week, we discuss the bridge to the future: Ingredient #6: Second Generation Conviction.

All 12 Ingredients for Spiritual Generations and Podcasts