Intentional Gatherings

“A New Kind Of Disciple…”

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 04:18:01 +0000

“…Can you imagine what it would look like if college students who claim Jesus as Lord were equipped and released to lead their friends to Christ, Baptize them, and allow new legitimate local church communities to birth…?”

Michael was a college freshman who found himself deeply saturated in a lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, and parties, which landed him jail. It was then that he came head on with a community of radical believers who were not your run-of-the-mill pew-sitters…

Shortly after encountering the power of God, and a few of these “new kinds of disciples”, Michael confessed his belief in Christ as Savior. Upon his decision to follow Jesus he was immediately Baptized in the river by a student who had been discipling him. He was welcomed into a new “spiritual family”, which met in homes throughout the city, prayed at the house of prayer together for hours each week, and actively pursued the spread of the Gospel in their individual contexts.

What appeared to be a rather healthy and fruitful “local church community” had no “name” or paid staff, but was led by other students. In the DNA of this “spiritual family” was a desire to birth new “families” as disciples were raised up and released into the harvest. Those sent out continued to be a part of the original family, but were simply no longer dependent upon their “mother”. They were anointed, and sent out to further the kingdom by making more disciples and birthing new churches while continuing to foster the close relationships of a healthy family.

(Michael being Baptized by his sister Meghan)

Michael did not know any better than to follow the lead of his disciplers. He simply did what was modeled for him. He devoured the Word, and sought Truth in the context of Biblical community. He carried a confidence in who he was as a child of God much like that of those who have known Jesus for years! This confidence was embedded in the culture of the entire community. The story of his transformation was, and still is powerful among his “druggy buddies” to this day. He still lives with some of them, and has the privilege of frequenting the parties he used to go to, now as a man transformed by the love of a real God.

Because Michael was discipled, and Baptized by one of his peers it wasn’t half a year later that he Baptized a brother in the same river he was “dunked” in. Because he was welcomed into a new spiritual family that had been started by fellow students he and another student also went out from that church to seek the birth of a new one. It’s just “what Christians do” according to the environment Michael came to Christ, and was disicpled in. It was the norm. He simply went and did likewise what he had personally experienced himself – there was no “pulling of teeth”…

There seems to be a new breed of Christ-follower emerging here in the states. Following these disciples, and surrounding them everywhere they go is a truly unique culture that empowers existing, and new believers alike. Freedom is in the atmosphere; control and manipulation are difficult to find. Some mistake their passion for rebelliousness. The things many pastors/leaders spend a lifetime “pulling teeth” to get “their people” to do are a normal way of life for these radicals who do not know any better.

This type of culture does not currently make the headlines, sell books, or attract financial donors. Sadly, because of how far off our current cultures of discipleship have strayed from what Jesus modeled for us we become easily offended by an authentic example of such when it is lived out in front of our eyes. Our being offended causes truly beautiful examples of Kingdom growth to be doubted, and sneered at because they do not jive with our current practices…

Perhaps we should start asking ourselves why we send thousands of missionaries overseas every year to make disciples & plant new churches, but refuse to do so right here in the states? What might we be doing to “handicap” those we lead, and how might we be preventing these discipleship cultures from being birthed & fostered in our own lives? We are believing for hundreds and thousands of “Michaels” to rise up as the new norm as existing, and new believers are released to live out this life as a “new kind of disciple”.

Student CPx Austin 2010…

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:41:05 +0000

“We had our first Baptism last night. He was a gang member and has been hanging out with me and my friends”, was the text message I received from Cameron, an 18 year-old student from SCPx Austin 2010 a few days after he got home. This is one of many stories that we get to hear all throughout the year as ordinary followers of Jesus step out in faith to live out the teachings of scripture. Yes, we are training EVERY believer to Baptize new believers. Yes, we are equipping EVERY believer to make disciples, and start NEW CHURCHES. (Yes, “real” churches. YES, it is their “HOME church”-meaning they don’t ALSO go to another one. =)

There was a lot of freedom being experienced in Austin during Student CPx. Many people were, for the first time, experiencing the love of the Father, and uncovering their true identity as children of God. As this reality hit home they began realizing the most basic commands of Jesus found in scripture. When all the “extra stuff” that has been added to “being a Christian” is removed, and students begin walking in confidence in who they are in Jesus the sense of freedom becomes tangible. You can see it on their faces…

After our session on Baptism and Communion several students decided to get Baptized! So, we did what anyone would do…we went down to the river and had one of their friends Baptize them! Check it out…

Thanks Caryn Werner for taking some LEGIT pics for us!

We spent lots of time in the prayer room worshiping and praying. We encountered the Spirit in fresh new ways all week! The Holy Spirit ISN’T the “black sheep” of the trinity anymore! It’s so cool that we get to “soak” in His presence.

Part of the DNA of SCPx is creating a culture of honor everywhere we are, and everywhere we send students. One of the ways we start creating that culture during SCPx is to pray and impart blessings/prophetic words over each guest who comes to pour into us. This is the students praying over Neil who joined us from Long Beach to teach us about Church Planting Movements and Multiplying Disciples.

We met for dinner one evening at Jon & Cherie Werner’s house where we got a real taste of what “house church” might look/feel like. We worshiped, prayed, & talked about sabbath rest & communion as we celebrated the Baptisms from that day.

Overall, this is definitely a group of world changers. I am super excited to see how God uses them in their individual contexts this next semester, and for the rest of their lives. Stay tuned for more on what God is doing directly in the city of Austin as a result of SCPx. Also, feel free to watch the short slide show of pictures from Student CPx below…if you are inspired by what you see here, and want to sow into what God is doing through Intentional Gatherings and Student CPx then CLICK HERE to give.

Student CPx San Diego = Legit.

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 20:07:23 +0000

2 down, 3 to go. Student CPx in San Diego was incredible. Not sure if you followed the twitter/facebook feeds that were going out all throughout SCPx, but they were nothing short of supernatural! The way God is building spiritual family, and releasing ordinary followers to step into their destiny is like nothing I have ever experienced. Students are being set free to begin living out the works of scriptures that they once thought they were “not allowed” to pursue. Praise Jesus!

There are too many stories to tell. You can CLICK HERE & HERE to view some pics from the week.

There was a LOT of personal inner healing that took place as students were taken through SOZO sessions. Once they worked through some past baggage & junk they began stepping into their identity as ADOPTED CHILDREN of the LIVING GOD! It is unbelievable how many of us operate out of an “orphan spirit” throughout our lives as “Christ followers”. Once we step into our identity as sons & daughters of the King we are confident in who we are in Him, and who He is in us. We now know the authority we carry as His kids! We have the keys to His Kingdom! He gave them to us to unlock & usher in the Kingdom ON EARTH as it is in heaven!

Once our students begin understanding & walking in their supernatural identity we start equipping them in disciple-making & kingdom lifestyle formation. This is concluded by a time of commissioning students back out to their campuses & individual contexts to make disciples, Baptize new believers, & start new churches among those new believers!

Here’s a video of Tiffany, who stepped into her identity as a daughter of the King during Student CPx & got Baptized in the fountain on the UCSD campus!

On Friday night (Aug. 6th) we will kick-off Student CPx here in Austin, Tx. This will be the second Student CPx here in Austin. We are excited, & trusting that God will do even more this summer than He did last summer. As many of you already know we have seen several beautiful new student led house churches birthed here in Austin since SCPx last summer along with several new believers & Baptisms! Join with us in prayer for SCPx in Austin, as well as Phoenix & Kansas City!

“A Lifestyle Of Repentance” Part 2

admin — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:27:10 +0000

“Some judged them (mostly Christians), but many were blown away by this real life testimony of the Gospel.”

A few days ago I posted “A Lifestyle Of Repentance” Part 1. Today will conclude the post with a practical, everyday story of two individuals who I have had the pleasure of watching live out this type of lifestyle over the past 9 months. They are ordinary people, but their love for Jesus is nothing short of radical. I was blessed to perform their wedding a few months ago. I introduce to you Ty & Emily Richards…

Ty and Emily are passionate followers of Jesus, though Emily had only recently experienced the reality of Jesus in her life. Ty and Emily met, and were instantly drawn to one another. One thing led to another and they ended up falling into sin by sleeping together. They became deeply convicted of this poor decision, repented to one-another, and people they trusted. They began walking in purity. Ty began thinking about marriage, decided to start looking for a ring, and propose to Emily very soon. After some time had passed they discovered some surprising news that Emily had become pregnant during their previous stumble into sin. They were shocked, but new they only had one choice in this matter, to continue to walk in repentance. They were very open with everyone about the situation, and were confident in the grace of Jesus they had been living in since they first repented. At every turn they gave glory to Jesus, confessed their sin openly to EVERYONE, and walked in repentance in every relationship they had. Both families were informed quickly, along with many friends and loved ones. Some judged them (mostly Christians), but many were blown away by this real life testimony of the Gospel. They got married shortly afterward (Because they were in love, not because they were pregnant). They have continued to walk in repentance to this day, and Jesus has blessed their pursuit of Him, and acceptance of His grace. The enemy used their sin to make life very difficult by them getting pregnant when they were not ready, and not married. Before repentance this baby was a “consequence” of sin. As a result of God’s grace, and their repentance this baby has now been redeemed for God’s glory! The true message of the Gospel and God’s grace has shined through in a difficult situation-the truth that He takes what we have done in our sin and makes it beautiful as a result of our repentance. What the enemy had stolen for his purposes were brought back into alignment with God’s kingdom through the repentance of His children. Beautiful.

Ty and Emily could have been secretive about this situation, and tried to hide it. They could have made excuses, and questioned why this happened when they already repented (initially), and were walking in purity. This choice would hinder Jesus from taking what was broken in their sin, and redeeming it for His good. They chose differently by asking for forgiveness, and repenting of that sin through word and behavior. This opened up the flood-gates for the truth of the Gospel to begin reconstructing those broken pieces of glass in the hearts Ty and Emily.

We have all heard Romans 8:28. “For God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.” We have all recited this verse to ourselves, or quoted it to a friend or loved one when something “bad” happened. However, could there be more to this passage when we read it through the lens of a lifestyle of repentance? Perhaps this scripture is speaking to what happens when we enter into a repentant relationship with Jesus, and invite Him to begin taking back what the enemy has stolen in order to further His kingdom. Maybe Paul was saying that in our sin, and brokenness God can take a willing/repentant heart and make it right again. It is as if the repentant posture of our heart allows the Spirit to come in and not only assist in preventing that particular sin from happening again, but to go back and redeem what was. The Spirit of God in Ty and Emily did not just desire for them to stop engaging in sexual immorality, but that through grace and love the sin that was used for darkness would now shed light on why Jesus did what He did!

Ty and Emily both gave permission for their story to shared on “A Holy Discontent” as well as in an article in the online e-magazine at www.shapevine.com

“A Lifestyle Of Repentance…Part 1″

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:20:32 +0000

“The scary thing about this reality is that grace is only present when we are wrong. If we refuse to admit when we are wrong, and repent we cut-off the supply of grace that seeks to cleanse us.”

How tragic it is when such powerful words become diluted, or “cliché”. Does the power in a word fade away when it is used too much, or when the word is only spoken with the mouth and not practiced with the heart? Perhaps the word repent rubs many the wrong way, or holds no power because we do not know how to…do it. After all, it is much easier to merely say certain things, and leave it at that. Words begin to lose their power when the user stops at speaking the word, yet does nothing to pursue its depth through action.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:22-25

Many of us fail to experience the true freedom that is present within the beauty of the Gospel because we miss out on one of its most basic, core verbs. Repent. Or, for those of us who thought it was a “one-time” to-do when we “accepted Christ”, repentance may be the more necessary word. This is not something we do once, but something we are to stay in constant pursuit of. It is quite interesting that the main message brought by John the Baptist, Jesus, & His disciples was to “repent”. They then go on to say “be Baptized”. Repent. Perhaps we should press into this powerful command a bit more as we pursue Jesus.

Repentance means so much more than “turning from our sin”. The picture painted in ones mind is that of sin being a thing that is turned from once when we give our lives to Jesus, and no longer necessary throughout our journey. This leaves one to wonder, though, what it means to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling”? This is no one-time decision, but a lifestyle in which the believer must become a master. How might one become a “master-repenter”?

“Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.” Romans 2:4-5

First, we must learn to practice “The Art of Being Wrong”. (See previous article) We cannot repent of things in which we do not believe we are wrong. We cannot conclude we are wrong if our pride is always certain of how right we are. The scary thing about this reality is that grace is only present when we are wrong. (Romans 5:20) So, if our pride screams that we are never wrong then we are hindering ourselves from receiving the grace that desires to cleanse us. In our refusal to admit we are wrong, repent, and receive grace we blaspheme God, and Jesus’ work on the cross. We cease to grow in a deeper understanding of His work of grace in our lives. This is central to the message of the Gospel so many of us claim to live by. It is time we reprogrammed our default from defending ourselves/decisions as a pursuit of being right to a humble reflection of how we could have been more like Jesus in a particular situation. At this point we can begin to walk in a lifestyle of repentance…

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16

Once we begin to experience the freedom, and redemption that follows a lifestyle of repentance we not only welcome being “called out” by others for potential sin in our lives, we begin to crave it. The Holy Spirit begins to replace in us the insecurity of having to be right all the time with a deep desire to be more like Jesus that only comes through this lifestyle of repentance.

When we fall into sin the enemy gains a small victory. He steals something away from us. When we get seduced by the things of this world we add to it’s sickness, as well as our own brokenness. The beauty of the Gospel is that we are forgiven and cleansed from that sin – IF we recognize it, and repent. We must walk in a constant spirit of repentance in order for the sanctifying truths of the Gospel to be at work in our lives. This is when things get exciting. You see, the things the enemy stole are taken back – they are redeemed as a result of our repentance. When we repent we invite the Spirit of God to enter into the situation and fix it, to make it right. Yes, there are consequences in this world for the sin we commit. However, a Gospel truth is that Jesus, in His goodness and through our repentance, will piece back together that which is broken…He redeems it for our good, and His glory. (Romans 8:28)

Stay Tuned for an incredible, real-life story of two people who have learned to walk in the “lifestyle of repentance”…

Student Church Planting Manual…

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:12:23 +0000

This is an incredible resource for anyone who has a desire to make disciples, and allow for new churches to birth from the harvest on their campus. It’s also great for those who have a desire to mobilize others, lead, and resource them to do so in their context. We use much of this stuff in our Student CPx Training (Of course, nothing beats the real-deal experiences from actually being a part of one of these hands on trainings) and know of others all over the world who have gotten a hold of it, applied many of the principles, and seen some incredible things happen for the kingdom.

It is a bit long, but feel free to download, save, print, copy, distribute, etc. as much as you like. Our heart is to see this information get into the hands of anyone and everyone who has a heart to see ordinary followers of Christ released to live out the teachings of the Scriptures. Enjoy!

Click Below to download, or go to the box.net widget on the CPM resources page to download it from there…

StudentChurchPlanterKit

“Why I Love Student CPx” Via Meghan-Says

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:04:17 +0000

From a Student CPx Austin 2009 “grad”: Meghan-Says… (Watch Video Below)

Last August I went through a 10-day training called SCPx, Student Church Planting Experience. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced, and Jesus completely rocked my life during it. If you are college student, I strongly encourage you to look into this training. It is one the best things I ever did.

Why I love SCPx…

SCPx is a hands-on training, not a conference.– I have been to many conferences. It seems that most end with a sore butt from sitting for 3 days straight and a headache from the information overload. Consumption, not always followed by action. At SCPx, you experience interactive teaching every morning and then immediately you are “sent out” into the city or campus to apply it that day! Fruit is seen instantly. No better way to learn than to trust the Holy Spirit and get your hands dirty.
SCPx feels like family– Usually anywhere from 15-40 students go through SCPx. It is not large scale. You can imagine the deep relationships that are formed over 10 days of living, eating, praying, and loving people together. The SCPx I attended last year in Austin birthed a community that has felt more like family as we have continued to live out church over the past year. I have never felt closer to the church in Acts.
SCPx is not just about the campus, but the nations.– After SCPx, I saw disciples made, new believers, baptisms, simple church lived out, and signs and wonders on the UT campus. But God also broke my heart deeply for the nations. Because of the church planting training I received at SCPx, I felt equipped and empowered to go to South Asia in January of this year. Now, some of the other SCPx “grads” and I will return there to train young people in the same way to reach their country!
SCPx fosters an atmosphere of freedom.– God showed His power by healing me physically and setting me free of a life-long battle of allergies and asthma during those 10 days. Also, many bondages and sin struggles I had carried for a year were broken off of me at SCPx. This is because, more than church planting curriculum, SCPx is about knowing how much God loves us and our identity in Him. Then we were freed to love people radically. I have heard many SCPx “grads” say it was as if they received “permission” to live in freedom and walk in radical obedience.
SCPx is a challenge.– This is the disclaimer I give to students interested in SCPx… this training will challenge you. It will challenge you physically. It will stretch you. It will cause you to trust the Holy Spirit in a way you have never done before. It will put you completely out of your comfort zone at times. It will probably challenge your theology at some point. It will confront your ideas of what “church” is. It will wreck you out in all the best ways possible. It will push you closer to Jesus and others. If your experience is anything like mine, it will be the best challenge of your life.

Meghan Strickland Testimony – Student CPx from Aaron Snow on Vimeo.

Check out this site for more info, or go to studentcpx.org for info and the registration application!

For all the Austinites, SCPx Austin is August 6-15. Registration is filling up and there are limited spots, so apply soon.

Healing Story & Baptism Video!

admin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:43:36 +0000

A lot took place at Student CPx in Pittsburgh earlier this month…here’s some more “whole grains of the kingdom” for ya…

For various technical reasons we could not get these videos to post directly into the site. So, you can CLICK HERE for the healing testimony and CLICK HERE for the short BAPTISM video!
Enjoy!

Jesus Healing People in Streets at SCPx Pitt!

admin — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:21:02 +0000

From a post by Erik Fish:

The Pittsburgh University football player took off his sling and began swinging his arm around. “I couldn’t move it like this before!” Tears filled his eyes. “What’s happening?”

“Jesus loves you,” was the reply he heard.

Other football players began lining up, presenting their various injuries; a glint of faith was beginning to spark in their eyes toward Jesus. “Will you pray for me, too?”

The students began praying. As they did, they told them about Jesus and why they were out in the streets meeting people. Whether they experienced healing or not, they each encountered His love.

A woman walks by right then and asks, “What’s going on here?”

“These people are praying for people and healing them,” a football player informed her.

“Will you pray for me? I’m on my way to the hospital. I just recently had brain surgery. I woke up this morning and I can’t move my arm.”

She walked home, no longer in need of a hospital visit.

This was just one story from the Student CPx in Pittsburgh, PA last week.

The story above might sound crazy. Perhaps it’s a bit outside the norm of many of our Christian experiences. But it’s true. These things are happening. Crazy things happened in the Bible. They can happen today. Why do some people get healed when we pray and other times they don’t? I don’t know. Jesus just told us to heal the sick and live by faith. There’s a lot of mystery in following Him.

Students are simply taking Jesus’ commands and trying to follow Him. They lead people to Jesus – six people accepted Christ from the streets of Pittsburgh during Student CPx. New believers were baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. Simple churches are starting on campuses.

This is a student movement we’re witnessing. When students are sent to represent Jesus among the lost and broken, He likes to go with them. That’s the heart of Student CPx: to release the potential in students to change the world.

I can’t say the fruit is just the quality of the SCPx training. It’s not just the hype that a well-implemented advertising and promotion plan produces (ours isn’t that great, anyway). These students love Jesus. They’re bringing that love to lost people everywhere they go. I’m amazed at the students Jesus is raising up.

To find a Student CPx near you this summer CLICK HERE!

To register online NOW CLICK HERE!

Student CPx San Diego…

admin — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:17:10 +0000

We are ultra excited about Student CPx on the West Coast. We are working with our close friend Brian Orme to host SCPx in San Diego in a few weeks! If you are on the West Coast, know anyone in that area, or just cannot make it to one of the other SCPx locations this summer then make sure you GET REGISTERED for SCPx in San Diego by July 9th! Check out a quick promo video for San Diego…

Student Church Planting Experience UC San Diego from Brian Orme on Vimeo.