Rescue: so Others May Live!: Training Small Group Leaders for Effective Discipleship

Copyright © 2013 J.D. Wilson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™. All rights reserved.

WestBow Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 (866) 928-1240

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1435-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1436-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1434-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013919850

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/29/2013

Contents

Acknowledgements

Forward

Prologue

Chapter 1   The God-Ordained Family

Chapter 2   Kingdom Roles (for small group leaders, a must to know)

Chapter 3   Silencing the Soul

Chapter 4   Purity

Chapter 5   Disruption

Chapter 6   Realms of Authority

Chapter 7   Disciple

Chapter 8   Engaging in the Fight!

Chapter 9   Healing the Wounded Heart

Chapter 10   Rescue: Girding your loins for war!

Chapter 11   Disillusionment

Chapter 12   Shepherding like the Father

Chapter 13   The Small Way

Finale

Bibliographical Index

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank all of those who have encouraged me along this journey for your contributions to my insight into this topic and for your training and prayer along the way.

First of all, my wife, you have been a bright beacon in the dark days of this process. If you were not standing there believing against belief when others cast darkness on these ideas, I’m not sure if this work would have been accomplished.

To those who trained me as a Pastor, Hope Community Church back in the old days of the Sweetbriar building and the many SALT sessions with men who were struggling with addiction. This is the place I cut my teeth in life-on-life discipleship that I speak about with so much authority in this book because I lived it out with these men in classrooms at churches all over Hampton Roads. Ken Tombley, thank you very much for your years of mentoring and challenge.

Last all of you who served alongside me in creating this work and harmonizing the final stretch of changes and developments, especially Bill Cotten for his tedious editing work. I know I will leave a name off, but here is what I can recall from memory: Sarah Defontes, Keith Defontes, Christopher Woodland, Jeff Mount, Pierre Scott, Tracey Scott, Gary Warren, Chandra Warren, Vineyard Church of Central Maryland, Regeneration Ministries in Baltimore and the amazing shepherd, Josh Glaser, all of you who sat in coaching/mentoring for me at Regeneration which are too numerous to name.

My deepest gratitude goes to the Holy Spirit who has guided me every step of the way and shepherded my heart through horrendous days of doubt, from the very hatred of my ideas to the enlightenment of my soul in understanding the word of God through your teaching Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ the perfect law-giver, the one the Martyrs spilled their blood for is the very love of my heart and life, the one true God and Father who has redeemed my brokenness and continues to redeem me every day.

This book is also dedicated to Nathan E. Keen who in a tragic set of circumstances took his own life on October 8, 2013. Nathan was an amazing man with a deep zeal for life and tragically let go of his own in the end. The reasons for this will never be fully known but what I do know is that I will not sleep another night without offering the hope in this book by living it out in offering 24/7 support to those in crisis. (@www.recoveringeden.net/nathanhotline). I love you my friend and will see you again.

Please know that if you were omitted from this list that I love and have a deep hope for every person who crossed my path on this journey, and I hope that this book will be a continued encouragement in your transformation process. I hope and pray that you will take up this mantle of fighting for the wounded heart by unleashing the small family fellowship in your church and over the whole earth.

Forward

Jesus the Rescuer

A man appeared in Palestine around 4 A.D. This man was average in every sense of the word. He did not come from a wealthy family. He was not famous. He did not have any power. When he was 12 years old he did show a few signs of being slightly abnormal. He left his parents’ side to stay behind in Jerusalem and sit in the temple to teach the older Jewish men about the scriptures. There is a legend that he brought a baby bird back to life after it died but nothing is confirmed.

After this, much about his life is silent until he was around the age of 30. He was single. His profession was that of a tekton, the Jewish equivalent of a handy man. And people began to refer to him as a Raboni. This word means teacher and is the high title the Jews gave to the ones who taught the scriptures.

One thing is certain about this man; he is not like other men. He seeks out John the Baptist and asks John, who is a rabbi in his own right, to baptize him. John refers to him as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. John also declares that he is not even worthy to untie this man’s sandals. Eventually, some of John’s disciples begin to follow Jesus, to which John releases them graciously and goes on his way preparing the way for The Lord. The man who John baptized is named - Jesus.

This name means rescuer. Many of the Jews in this timeframe believed that a messiah figure would come and rescue the Jewish people from the hands of the Romans and finally bring an end to their bondage. Many believed that Jesus could be that deliverer. What they did not know was that the way Jesus chose to rescue them from bondage would be unlike anything they believed would happen and, not only would he come and rescue them, but others who would put their trust in Him. Jesus healed many diseases and He brought sight to the blind. He even raised a man from the dead.

However, none of this would compare to what he does close to his 33rd birthday. He gives up His very life on a Roman instrument of torture: the Cross - a death so vile that it is where we get the root word for excruciating. Jesus did that. He died on a cross purposefully because it was His response to the Father’s will. His disciples were devastated. They sat paralyzed after His death… no doubt wondering who it was they put their trust in for the last 3 years. Had they mistaken His identity? Were they wrong for believing in Him? No doubt these and many other questions raced through their minds.

What would they do now? How would they rebuild?

All of these questions were undoubtedly running through their hearts and minds when Mary Magdelene burst through the doors where they were staying and shouted, He is alive!

Jesus had come back to life. He had brought himself back to life.

I remember being in Israel at the Garden Tomb where Jesus was supposedly kept during his burial, and on the open door of the tomb were the words, He is not here, He is risen. I broke down in tears that day because I realized that I, like the disciples of Jesus who lost their lives for this belief, believed this too. Not only did I believe it but someday I would give up my life for it too. It is the reason I still live today, and it is the reason I share this book with you and those God has called to be his workers that will live up to His name of being rescuers.

If you want to be a rescuer like Jesus and you believe in His resurrection, then turn the page and let’s take a journey together. It will be more like a quest because at the end of this journey we take together, you will receive a prize, something that many have sought after and died for. The coveted position of small family fellowship leader - it is not glamorous and it will not bring you fame. Even if it does, you won’t care. Because one thing will be certain: your life will no longer be your own, it will be His. It will belong to the God-man, Jesus Christ, and so will the lives of those you go after. So, rescuer, let’s get started.

Prologue

There is a legend of a man who lives beneath the sea. He is a fisher of men, the last hope of all those who have been left behind. Many survivors claim to have felt his gripping hands beneath them; pushing them up to the surface; whispering strength until help could arrive. But this, of course, is only a legend. (The Guardian, 2006)1

This is a true legend in the Kingdom of God and it is what Jesus is creating in each of his followers. You are that legend or you are becoming that legend. We are to be his workmanship in healing and rescuing the brokenhearted. This is our place in the final phase of not only Recovering Eden for us, but to help rescue the rest of God’s sons and daughters who belong in the Higher Gan Eden. Our destination is to live together in the Garden of Righteousness.

Here is what I mean by that, the wind whips over the trees shaking the limbs and whipping the leaves back and forth. There is a deep sense that someone is watching and overseeing your every move. Deep within your soul you sense something bigger than your small life (on this earth) is guiding the movement of your heart. You feel small but not alone. Who does this sense come from? What could be driving this passion within you? What would build this kind of anticipation in your soul? And why on earth is this peace calling to you?

Imagine a Garden - or maybe in modern terms, a resort - that embodied a settled peace. There were no arguments between spouses in the hallways, no charge for your weekend stay, and your companion never lost interest in what you were sharing. What if you could walk the entire resort area without losing your breath, never being wrestled out of your comfort zone by angry individuals waiting to go off on you at the slightest misstep, and never experiencing those lonely moments when your partner just needed a break from the conversation. Imagine having this weekend away without the slightest possibility of losing any momentum at work, losing vacation days, or any of the other small misfortunes that plague the lives of many who try to really rest, take a small break, or even slow down entirely.

Now, obviously the Garden of Eden in the Old Testament of the Bible was not a vacation resort, but it was a place of peace, where humanity ruled and subdued the land and drank their fill of relationship with God - and even walked with him. What would it be like to go back to walking with God again? Just think about that for a moment. Would he teach us things? Would he show us things about life that we never knew before? Would he explain things about science that we would never understand otherwise? Imagine if he came close to us and kissed us on the cheek, embraced us. Imagine riding bareback in the Rocky Mountains with God, or working side-by-side on a project with him guiding our hands step by step. Remember this line from Genesis: Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the cool of the day. (Genesis 1) Remember that: Moses spoke to God and God spoke to Moses, face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. (Exodus 33:11) What a deep, satisfying connection that was lost there! The Man and Woman could drink their fill of God and even walk with Him. Do you want that back? Would this give you back your heart? Would it be possible to see your heart and its restoration as a doorway back to such a fulfilling experience? Let me explain what I mean:

In Jewish theology and philosophy there are two types of Gardens of Eden, one is referred to as the lower Gan Eden. This is a place of fertility, lush vegetation, and earthy. The Garden that Adam and Eve experienced was much like a lower Gan Eden. The other is a place called higher Gan Eden. It is a heavenly place, a home for the