The Art of Effective Challenging

Summary

This session from 'Building Spiritual Movement' delves into the art of effective challenging in evangelism and disciple making. It emphasizes the importance of encouraging individuals to deepen their commitment to Christ. The video draws on Jesus' approach, illustrating how he discerned individuals' spiritual states and progressively challenged them. It outlines four elements of an effective challenge: creating thirst, offering information, clarifying the course, and asking for a specific response. The session also provides practical examples and stresses the need for ongoing support as individuals respond to challenges.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Challenging people is about encouraging them to pursue a higher level of commitment in their spiritual journey.
• 🔍 Jesus demonstrated insight into people's spiritual state and used that insight to challenge them to new levels of commitment.
• 📢 The first step in challenging someone is to invite them to 'come and see', as Jesus did with his disciples.
• 🛠 The ultimate challenge from Jesus to his disciples was to take up their cross and follow him, symbolizing a commitment to face persecution and death.
• 👥 Jesus challenged his disciples individually and in groups, using different approaches based on their needs and circumstances.
• 🤔 Effective challenging involves helping someone recognize their spiritual needs and consider taking action to address them.
• 💡 Creating a sense of 'thirst' or need is crucial in challenging people; this can be done by asking thought-provoking questions or sharing personal testimonies.
• 📚 Offering information to quench the thirst created by the challenge is essential; this helps individuals make informed decisions about their spiritual growth.
• 🗣️ Clarifying the course of commitment is vital; leaders must be transparent about what they are asking individuals to commit to.
• ✅ Asking for a specific response ensures that the challenge is clear and that individuals understand the expected next steps in their spiritual journey.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the session on building spiritual movement?

The main focus is on the art of effective challenging in both evangelism and disciple making.

Why is challenging people considered important in spiritual growth?

Challenging people is important because it encourages them to pursue a greater level of involvement or commitment with Christ.

How does Jesus demonstrate effective challenging in the script?

Jesus demonstrated effective challenging by discerning where people were spiritually and inviting them to new levels of commitment through sequential steps.

What does the phrase 'a little salt in his oats' imply in the context of challenging people?

The phrase suggests that a small but significant action or encouragement can greatly influence someone's willingness to engage more deeply.

How did Jesus progressively challenge his disciples?

Jesus progressively challenged his disciples by inviting them to 'come and see', then to 'follow me', and ultimately to 'take up their cross and follow him'.

What is the significance of the cross in the context of the disciples' commitment?

The cross symbolizes a commitment that involves facing mockery, persecution, and even death as part of discipleship.

How did Jesus personalize his approach to challenging his disciples?

Jesus personalized his approach by using different methods for different individuals, sometimes in a group setting and sometimes one-on-one.

What is the role of creating 'thirst' in the process of challenging people?

Creating 'thirst' involves making people aware of their needs and stimulating their interest in finding solutions or taking action.

What are some methods to create 'thirst' as mentioned in the script?

Methods include asking good questions, sharing personal testimony, involving in life experiences, and modeling through personal lifestyle.

Why is it important to offer information after creating 'thirst'?

Offering information is important to provide people with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about how to meet their needs.

What does the acronym COCA stand for in the context of effective challenging?

COCA stands for Create, Offer, Clarify, and Ask, which are the four elements of an effective challenge.

How can the art of challenging be applied to both pre-believers and believers?

For pre-believers, it involves creating 'thirst' before sharing the gospel, while for believers, it's about challenging them to take further steps in their relationship with Christ.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Effective Challenging in Evangelism and Discipleship

This paragraph introduces the concept of effective challenging as a crucial component in evangelism and disciple making. It emphasizes the need to encourage individuals to deepen their commitment to Christ. The speaker uses the analogy of leading a horse to water to illustrate the idea that while one can guide someone to the opportunity for spiritual growth, the decision to engage must come from within. The paragraph outlines the process of challenging people, which involves discerning their current spiritual state and encouraging them to take a further step with Christ. It highlights the importance of personalizing the impact of one's life and ministry and provides examples of Jesus' approach to challenging his disciples, illustrating how he progressively increased the level of commitment he asked of them.

05:02

🔍 The Nature of an Infective Challenge

The second paragraph delves into the nature of an infectious challenge, using Jesus' interactions with his disciples as a model. It discusses how Jesus discerned the spiritual state of individuals and used this understanding to challenge them to higher levels of commitment. The paragraph outlines different levels of challenge Jesus presented, from the initial invitation to 'come and see', to the call to follow him, and ultimately to take up one's cross and follow him. It also touches on the idea that Jesus tailored his challenges to the individual, using personal approaches and sometimes crises to prompt spiritual growth. The speaker suggests that to effectively challenge others, one must assess their spiritual state and identify ways to help them take the next step, emphasizing that effective challenging involves helping someone recognize their need and consider action.

10:04

💡 Elements of an Effective Challenge

The third paragraph focuses on the elements that constitute an effective challenge. It begins by discussing the importance of creating a sense of thirst or need in individuals, which can be achieved through various methods such as asking thought-provoking questions, sharing personal testimonies, involving people in life experiences, and modeling a lifestyle that reflects the desired commitment. The paragraph then outlines the steps to offer information that can quench the thirst created, emphasizing the importance of providing complete information to allow individuals to make informed decisions without feeling pressured. It also stresses the need for leaders to clarify the course of commitment and to ask for specific responses, ensuring that challenges are not self-serving but aimed at helping individuals grow in their relationship with Christ.

🚀 Applying Challenges to Pre-Believers and Believers

In the final paragraph, the speaker discusses the application of challenges to both pre-believers and believers. It suggests that pre-believers need to have a sense of thirst created before the gospel is shared, using parables and real-life situations to spark interest. For believers, the paragraph highlights the importance of effective challenges in encouraging spiritual growth and involvement in ministry. It provides an example of a young graduate who was challenged to go on a mission trip and how the staff member who issued the challenge supported him through prayer and by rallying financial support. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the importance of challenging Christians to embrace the vision of the Great Commission and the Great Commandments, suggesting that a clear understanding of this call can lead to more lasting commitment.

Keywords

💡Challenging

Challenging, in the context of the video, refers to the process of encouraging individuals to pursue a higher level of commitment or involvement in their spiritual journey. It is about discerning where people are spiritually and encouraging them to take a further step with Christ. The video emphasizes that effective challenging is key to personalizing the impact of one's life and ministry, as it helps individuals recognize their need for growth and consider taking action.

💡Discipleship

Discipleship is the process of training and equipping individuals to follow Christ more closely. In the video, it is mentioned that Jesus progressively challenged his disciples to take further steps in their commitment, illustrating the concept of discipleship as a journey that involves facing trials and growing in faith. The ultimate challenge presented in the script is to 'take up their cross and follow him,' symbolizing a commitment to Christ that may involve suffering and persecution.

💡Effective Challenge

An effective challenge, as discussed in the video, is one that is personalized and timely, aiming to help individuals recognize their spiritual needs and consider taking action to address them. The video provides examples of how Jesus used insight and discernment to challenge people at the right time and in the right way, such as inviting them to 'come and see' or to 'follow me.' The effectiveness of a challenge lies in its ability to create a sense of urgency and a desire to grow.

💡Personal Involvement

Personal involvement is the concept of individuals taking a more active role in their spiritual journey. The video suggests that challenging people to a higher level of commitment can lead to a more profound personal involvement in their faith. This is exemplified by the script's mention of creating thirst or need, which then motivates individuals to seek ways to fulfill that need, such as through ministry opportunities or personal growth.

💡Commitment

Commitment, in the context of the video, refers to the dedication and loyalty an individual has towards their spiritual beliefs and practices. The video discusses the importance of challenging people to increase their level of commitment to Christ, which may involve taking on more significant responsibilities or facing greater challenges in their faith journey.

💡Discernment

Discernment is the ability to understand and interpret spiritual truths and the spiritual state of individuals. In the video, Jesus is portrayed as having insight into where people were spiritually, and this discernment formed the basis for his challenges to them. Discernment is crucial for effective challenging, as it allows one to tailor the challenge to the individual's current spiritual state and needs.

💡Spiritual Growth

Spiritual growth is the process of developing and maturing in one's spiritual life. The video emphasizes the importance of challenging people to pursue higher levels of commitment as a means of fostering spiritual growth. This growth is often achieved through taking on new challenges and responsibilities, as exemplified by the script's discussion of Jesus' challenges to his disciples.

💡Thirst

In the video, 'thirst' is used metaphorically to describe a sense of need or desire for spiritual fulfillment. Creating thirst involves helping individuals recognize their spiritual needs and the importance of addressing them. The video suggests that by asking good questions, sharing personal testimonies, and involving individuals in experiences, one can create a thirst that motivates them to seek spiritual growth and commitment.

💡Personal Testimony

Personal testimony refers to sharing one's own experiences and transformations as a result of faith. In the video, sharing personal testimony is presented as a way to inspire and challenge others by showing them the possibilities of overcoming challenges and growing in faith. It serves as a powerful tool in creating a sense of 'thirst' or desire for spiritual growth.

💡Great Commission

The Great Commission is a term from Christian theology, referring to the command given by Jesus to his disciples to spread the gospel and make disciples of all nations. The video encourages challenging Christians to embrace the vision of the Great Commission, viewing their role as a means of fulfilling this call. This involves not only personal spiritual growth but also active participation in evangelism and disciple-making.

Highlights

The art of effective challenging is essential in evangelism and disciple making.

Challenging people involves encouraging them to pursue a higher level of commitment with Christ.

Jesus demonstrated insight into people's spiritual state and challenged them to new levels of commitment.

Jesus' first invitation was 'come and see', a simple yet powerful challenge.

The next level of challenge from Jesus was to 'follow me', a call to discipleship.

The ultimate challenge was to take up one's cross and follow Jesus, symbolizing a commitment to face persecution and death.

Jesus challenged disciples individually and in groups, using different approaches.

Effective challenging requires assessing a person's spiritual state and identifying ways to help them take the next step.

Creating 'thirst' by asking good questions can help people recognize their need for growth.

Sharing personal testimony can inspire others to consider meeting challenges.

Involving people in life experiences can provide first-hand opportunities to be part of a solution.

Offering information can quench the thirst created by effective challenging.

Clarifying the course of commitment is crucial for leaders to maintain trust and integrity.

Asking for a specific response ensures clarity in the challenge and the expected commitment.

The acronym COCA (Create, Offer, Clarify, Ask) helps remember the elements of an effective challenge.

Challenging people to pre-believers involves creating thirst before sharing the gospel.

Christians should be challenged to take the next steps in their relationship with Christ.

Continuing to journey with someone after they respond to a challenge is essential for their growth.

People are hungry for purpose and progress, but often remain non-committed due to lack of challenge.

Challenging Christians to the vision of the Great Commission and the Great Commandments can lead to lasting commitment.

Transcripts

[Music]

hi everyone

welcome back to building spiritual

movement this session

we are going to look at an important

component in both evangelism

and disciple making that is the art of

effective

challenging

there is such a saying that says you can

lead a horse to water

but you cannot make him drink however a

little salt

in his oats goes a long long way

first of all let's look at what is

challenging people

why do we need to challenge people and

what are we challenging people to

challenging people is the process of

encouraging someone

to pursue a greater level of involvement

or commitment

is the process of discerning where

people are and challenging them to take

a further step with christ by developing

this skill

will help you to personalize the impact

of your life

and ministry the heart of effective

challenging

is helping people to pursue a higher

level of commitment

in christ

now let's look at the nature of an

infective challenge

one good example to look at is how

effective challenge is being done

is our lord jesus jesus demonstrated

insight into where people were

spiritually his

discernment formed the platform from

which he challenged people

to new levels of commitment his first

invitation

come and see in john 1 39 to his

disciples

he did not give a long sermon on the

course of committed discipleship

then he invited them to take the first

step

to follow me in john chapter 1 verse 43

jesus next level of challenge to his

disciples is to be vicious of man

in mark chapter 1 17

but his ultimate challenge to his

disciples came in luke 14

when he challenged them to take up their

cross and follow him

remember during the time everyone knew

what is a cross it is not an

ornament that people will be wearing on

their neck or carrying them around

it is a horrible symbol of tortures it

represents a painful slow torturing

death

jesus is challenging disciples to a

commitment of following him

and in the process they will face

mockery persecutions

and even death this is the cause of

discipleship

besides progressively challenging the

disciples to take a further step

in their commitment jesus also

challenged each individual

in different but appropriate ways he did

not use the same approach

or repetitive challenges sometimes he

used a crisis to challenge disciples

sometimes he gave his challenge to a

group of disciples but sometimes

it is one to one jesus often uses

a personal approach to challenge people

to the next appropriate level

of commitment

so to effectively challenge people you

must first

consciously assess where they are

spiritually

then you must identify ways to help them

to take the next step

effective challenging means helping

someone recognize his need

and consider doing something about it

one recent example i can think of is a

series of hackathons

that has been conducted online by the

ministry indigenous

participants are encouraged to identify

a group of people

whom they have a burden for participants

can then vote to decide which

are the few groups of people they want

to reach out to

a discussion group will be formed for

each targeted group to brainstorm

ideas on how to reach out to them the

participant needs to recognize the needs

and consider

whether they want to do something about

it

now let's look at what are some elements

of an effective challenge

first we can create tests when people

feel the need

they will pay greater attention to

anything with the potential to meet the

need

creating thirst is a normal part of

working with people leaders should help

people understand their needs for growth

and then show them how to meet those

needs

so how do we create this

one good way is to ask good questions

this will force people to think to

arouse interest

and to evaluate a good question asked in

the right way

at the right time will create an

awareness of need

ask questions to invite opinions to

probe or to stimulate thinking

another way is to share personal

testimony

by sharing this personal testimony allow

them to see the possibility

of them helping to meet those challenges

or we can involve them in life

experiences

by creating opportunities for them to

have first-hand experience

of how they can be part of that solution

or we can give them the opportunity to

teach instruct

and lead and of course we can

use our personal lifestyle modeling so

these are some ways

that we can help to create thirst as

people think about

how to meet some of those challenges

the second element of an effective

challenge is to offer information

that might quench the thirst that is

created

if a level of test has been created

people will want information on how to

satisfy doctors

it is time to tell someone about a

specific ministry opportunity

or the tool he or she can use

explain the details a person needs to

know in order to be able to make a

decision

by providing the complete information

you show

your respect for people's ability to

make wise decision

we must not pressurize people to make

commitments

due to guilt and before loading them

with information

give the thought a chance to make people

thirsty

people need time to think in fact the

greater the commitment you are

challenging them to

the more time they need to consider

waiting can be tough for the leader

but it is for their interest

the third element of an effective

challenge is to clarify the course

as a leader you must explain the cause

of the commitment

if you do not do this you are being

deceitful and you will undermine your

confidence in you

when you will hold the true course of

commitment you are refusing to believe

god will be able to do the conflicting

the fourth element is ask for specific

response

think carefully through the response you

desire beforehand

when you begin to speak with them make

your challenge specific

if you challenge people to take another

step of growth know the specific steps

you want him to consider taking

do not turn your challenge into a

situation

where your own well-being rests by

saying this means so much to me

i hope you will not let me down

remember we challenge people to follow

and pursue christ

and not for any other arterial motives

so here are the four elements of an

effective challenge

creators offer information than my queen

shelters

and clarify the cause and ask for

specific response

here i have used the word coca as

acronym

coca as in the popular drink coca-cola

so not only we

create this but also to quench tests

here are some applied examples of

challenging people

to the pre-believers we need to relearn

the art of creating the thirst

before you share the gospel jesus use

parables

real life situations questions to create

thirst

and to the believers one reason

christians pursue

spiritually is because they were never

challenged effectively

to take the next steps in their

relationship with christ

a well-planned and prayed-through

challenge is a great way

to help a believer take the endless

steps of ministry training

or involvement after you turn someone

and the person responded to the call

your role doesn't end there you have to

continue to journey with that person

as he responds to the call this includes

praying with the person

regularly and provides support and

advice when a person

faces challenges

one young fresh graduate was challenged

to go on a one-year mission train

the young man responded to the call with

enthusiasm

but he soon faced the challenge of

raising enough financial support for it

the staff that challenged this young man

was a seminary student

studying at east asia school of theology

she

prayed decided to write a personal

letter

to all these young men supporters to

help him raise

his funding this young man successfully

raised all the funds that he needs to go

on this journey the young man upon

returning from his one year

fruitful trade remains serving in the

lord

in full-time ministry

my dear brothers and sisters people are

generally hungry

for the greatest sense of purpose and

progress in their lives

but most remained non-committed about

life and ministry

is because no one has ever challenged

them to a higher goal in life

therefore it is important to challenge

christian to the overall vision

of the great commission and the great

commandments of jesus

when a christian understands a call to

the vision he will view his role

as a means of fulfilling it and if he

responds to that challenge

his commitment will be more lasting