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Nathan Creitz

I help disciples make disciples.

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Christian, Stop Reading Your Bible!

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If you are hungry, reading a recipe from a cookbook won’t fill you up.

You could read one recipe from a cookbook every day, or even read the whole thing in a year, but if you never eat, you will die.

So, if you don’t want to die, you will need to read and follow the recipe. But even more than that you will need to cook the food, serve it, sit down at the table, take a bite, and then chew that bite until it can be swallowed and digested.

Then you take another bite.

Stop Reading Your Bible

You’ll never read in the Bible that you should read the Bible.

[Read more…] about Christian, Stop Reading Your Bible!

How To Become A Disciple-Making Church

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Most churches in the United States are declining or dying. While there are a variety of reasons, the simple explanation is that many churches are not proclaiming the gospel or making disciples.

DM Church

Thankfully, the Bible gives us ample instruction and encouragement to become powerful witnesses and grow our churches once again. In fact, there’s one verse that sums up what it will take to become a disciple-making church: [Read more…] about How To Become A Disciple-Making Church

Mark 4 Discussion Guide for Disciple Makers

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discussion-guide-for-disciplers-markThis is the fourth post in a series of discussion guides on Mark’s Gospel that can be used by disciple makers with new disciples. These questions are intended to help a new disciple learn how to study the Bible and apply the Word to his or her life.

Discussion Guide For Disciple Makers (Mark 4:1-41)

  1. [v. 1] From the last couple of chapters, what have we learned about the crowds and why they are following Jesus at this point? What is He doing to draw such large crowds?
  2. [v. 2] What is a parable? What was Jesus’ purpose in teaching the crowds in parables?
  3. [vv. 3-9] Does anything about this parable bother you? Was this the typical farming practice in the first century?
  4. [vv. 10-12] To whom is Jesus willing to reveal the “secret of the kingdom of God”? Why is He intentionally secretive with the crowds?
  5. [vv. 13-20] If you hadn’t read Jesus’ explanation of the Parable of the Sower, would you have been able to come up with these four explanations on your own? How would you explain this parable in your own words?
  6. [vv. 21-25] What is Jesus’ point about the light and standard of measure? What is the application to your life as a follower of Jesus?
  7. [vv. 26-29] What does the Parable of the Growing Seed tell us about our role in evangelism? What is God’s role?
  8. [vv. 30-32] How does the Parable of the Mustard Seed give us hope that God’s kingdom will advance?
  9. [vv. 33-34] Jesus explained everything to His own disciples. How does that inform your agenda as a disciple and as a disciple maker? Was Jesus’ secretive teaching temporary? Or should we be teaching the same way today?
  10. [vv. 35-41] How does the story about the fierce windstorm reveal Jesus as human and as divine? Why do you think Jesus’ disciples were terrified to discover Jesus’ power over the wind and waves?
  11. What is the most remarkable thing you learned about Jesus in this chapter?
  12. What does this chapter inspire you to do to be more like Jesus?

Additional Resources

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You can find the other discussion guides here as they come available (about one a week): Mark 1 | Mark 2 | Mark 3 | Mark 4 | Mark 5 | Mark 6 | Mark 7 | Mark 8 | Mark 9 | Mark 10 | Mark 11 | Mark 12 | Mark 13 | Mark 14 | Mark 15 | Mark 16

Mark 3 Discussion Guide for Disciple Makers

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discussion-guide-for-disciplers-markThis is the third post in a series of discussion guides on Mark’s Gospel that can be used by disciple makers with new disciples. These questions are intended to help a new disciple learn how to study the Bible and apply the Word to his or her life.

Click to download a free PDF of these questions.

Discussion Guide For Disciple Makers (Mark 3:1-35)

  1. [vv. 1-2] Why do you think the Pharisees in the synagogue were watching Jesus closely? What were they hoping to accuse Jesus of doing?
  2. [vv. 3-5] Before Jesus heals the man’s hand, what argument does He make for doing good on the Sabbath?
  3. What does Jesus’ power to heal reveal about Him? When Jesus said, “Stand before us” to the man with the paralyzed hand, what was His purpose?
  4. [v. 6] What is significant about the fact that Pharisees and Herodians are plotting together to destroy Jesus?
  5. [vv. 7-12] Verses 7-12 summarize Jesus’ popularity. What are some reasons Jesus silences the unclean spirits when they truthfully cry out that He is the Son of God?
  6. [vv. 13-19] Jesus hand picks His disciples and names them apostles. What does He appoint them to do and what can we learn about our own path for following Jesus?
  7. [vv. 20-22] Since becoming a Christ follower, have you suffered rejection from family or friends? How have you handled that? Does it help to know that even Jesus was considered crazy by His family at first?
  8. [vv. 23-30] How does Jesus respond to the charge that He is Beelzebul and that He has an unclean spirit? What point does He make to the scribes?
  9. What does it mean to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit?
  10. [vv. 31-35] How does Jesus describe His true family? What is the application to your life personally?
  11. What is the most remarkable thing you learned about Jesus in this chapter?
  12. What does this chapter inspire you to do to be more like Jesus?

[callout]Bonus: Click to download a free PDF of these discussion questions.[/callout]

Additional Resources

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You can find the other discussion guides here as they come available (about one a week): Mark 1 | Mark 2 | Mark 3 | Mark 4 | Mark 5 | Mark 6 | Mark 7 | Mark 8 | Mark 9 | Mark 10 | Mark 11 | Mark 12 | Mark 13 | Mark 14 | Mark 15 | Mark 16

The Big News, Bad News, and Best News Gospel Tract

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Screen Shot 2016-03-22 at 4.31.15 PMI never know how I feel about gospel tracts. Actually, most gospel tracts are just fine, but it’s the use of them I find to be appalling at times.

There have been times when I have flat out refused to use gospel tracts but I’m now discovering that I like to have some on hand in case I have a gospel discussion with someone and want to leave him something to reflect on later.

The problem I have with gospel tracts is that many are poorly made, have poor theology, and are handed out like it’s no different from a We Buy Gold! flyer. We cheapen the gospel when we sink to tactics like dropping a “million dollar bill” tract on the ground hoping that someone will pick it up. Or, another tactic I’ve heard is after you use a public restroom, leave a gospel tract in the toilet paper roll for the next person to discover.

Nothing conveys the incomparable value of Jesus’ sacrifice and glorious resurrection quite like discovering a cheap, unhygienic gospel tract just before you flush.

If your personal evangelism strategy includes dropping gospel tracts on the ground or hiding them in a roll of toilet paper you might need to rethink the gospel. [Read more…] about The Big News, Bad News, and Best News Gospel Tract

Mark 2 Discussion Guide for Disciple Makers

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discussion-guide-for-disciplers-markThis is the second post in a series of discussion guides on Mark’s Gospel that can be used by disciple makers with new disciples. These questions are intended to help a new disciple learn how to study the Bible and apply the Word to his or her life.

You can subscribe to be notified when a new guide is posted, or click to download a free PDF of these questions.

Discussion Guide For Disciple Makers (Mark 2:1-28)

  1. Jesus’ popularity has grown so much that when He returns home to Capernaum many people gathered to see and hear Him. By way of review, what were some of the things Jesus did in chapter 1 that led to this explosive popularity?
  2. Four men bring a paralyzed man to Jesus. What were the obstacles in their way and what were they willing to do to get to Jesus? Why?
  3. What is the significance of Jesus telling the paralyzed man that his sins are forgiven? Why not just heal him?
  4. What evidence does Jesus give that He is the Son of God in verses 1-12?
  5. Why does Jesus refer to Himself as the Son of Man when Mark wants us to see Him as God’s Son (see Mark 1:1)?
  6. Jesus chose a tax collector named Levi (or Matthew) to follow Him. What does this tell us about who God chooses? What does it tell us about who we should share Jesus with?
  7. What can we learn about following Jesus from Levi’s response?
  8. When Jesus responds to the critical scribes and Pharisees (verse 17) He gives an explanation for why He came. As His follower, how does Jesus’ purpose influence our purpose?
  9. What is the point Jesus is making about fasting in verses 18-22 in His explanation of grooms, garments, and wineskins?
  10. What is the appropriate way to view the Sabbath according to Jesus?
  11. What is the most remarkable thing you learned about Jesus in this chapter?
  12. What does this chapter inspire you to do to be more like Jesus?

[callout]Bonus: Click to download a free PDF of these discussion questions.[/callout]

Additional Resources

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You can find the other discussion guides here as they come available (about one a week): Mark 1 | Mark 2 | Mark 3 | Mark 4 | Mark 5 | Mark 6 | Mark 7 | Mark 8 | Mark 9 | Mark 10 | Mark 11 | Mark 12 | Mark 13 | Mark 14 | Mark 15 | Mark 16