Zúme Discipleship Training: Make Disciples Who Multiply

S.O.A.P.S. Bible Reading

Jesus said -- “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of

the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey all I that I

commanded…”

If every follower of Jesus is going to obey all that Jesus commanded,

then they need to know what Jesus commands.

The Great Commandment and The Great Commission are a great

summary of what God has to say to us, but if a follower is going to grow

into the full measure of what God created them to be, then they need to

know and obey even more.

SOAPS stands for:

Scripture

Observation

Application

Prayer

Sharing

It’s a simple way to learn and remember an effective Bible study method

that any follower of Jesus can use. Let’s look at each section a little

more.

When you read or listen to the Bible:

Scripture: Write out one or more verses that are particularly

meaningful to you, today.

Observation: Rewrite those verses or key points from those scriptures

in your own words to help you better understand the meaning.

Application: Think about what it means to obey these commands or

concepts in your own life. What would you have to do? What would

you have to do differently? Write these down.

Prayer: Write out a prayer that tells God what you’ve read in His word

and what you understand about obeying His commands and putting

what you’ve learned to work.

Sharing: Ask God who He wants you to share with about what you’ve

learned and how you’re applying it.So let’s put SOAPS to work:

Scripture - The Bible says -- “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens

are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and

My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9.

Observation - As a human, I’m limited in what I know and what I know

how to do. God is not limited in any way. He sees and knows

everything. He can do anything.

Application - Since God knows everything and His ways are best, I’ll

have much more success in life if I follow Him instead of relying on my

way of doing things.

Prayer - Lord, I don’t know how to live a good life that pleases you and

helps others. My ways lead to mistakes. My thoughts lead to hurt.

Please teach me Your ways and Your thoughts, instead. Let Your Holy

Spirit guide me as I follow You.

Sharing - I will share these verses and this application with my friend,

Steve, who is going through a difficult time and needs direction for

important decisions he’s facing.

SOAPS Bible Study. One of the simple tools in the Zúme Toolkit.

Jesus said - “From everyone who has been given much, much will be

demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much

more will be asked.”

Jesus shared many stories of accountability and told us many truths of

how we will be held responsible for what we do and say.

Jesus tells us these things now, so we can be ready for later. And

because we will be accountable to him one day, it’s good to practice

being accountable to one another now.

Accountability Groups are made up of two or three people of the same

gender - men with men, women with women - who meet once a week to

discuss a set of questions that help reveal areas where things are going

right and other areas that need correction.

Every follower of Jesus will be held accountable, so every follower of

Jesus should practice accountability with others.

Accountability Groups. Another simple tool in the Zúme Toolkit.

Producer Not Consumer

In this session, we’ll talk about how we can help a follower of Jesus

become a PRODUCER in God’s kingdom instead of simply a

CONSUMER.

In His perfect plan, God created us to live in balance - to PRODUCE and

to CONSUME, to CREATE and to USE UP, to POUR OUT and to be

FILLED so we can POUR OUT again. But, in our broken world, people

have rejected God’s plan, and many spend their energy living out just

part of God’s perfect equation. They LEARN but they don’t share. They

are FILLED UP but they never pour out. They CONSUME but they don’t

produce.

If we’re going to make disciples who multiply, then we need to share with

them how they can be producers and not just consumers.

Here’s how — God uses His Written Word - which we call Scripture or

The Bible - to grow us spiritually.

Every disciple needs to be equipped to learn, interpret and apply

Scripture. Over thousands of years and through many different authors,

God spoke His word into the hearts of faithful men who captured and

shared what they heard. The Scriptures teach us God’s story, His plans,

His heart, His ways.

In an earlier session, you learned two simple tools - SOAPS Bible Study

and Accountability Groups. In an upcoming session, you’ll learn one

more simple tool - 3/3rds Groups. These three tools work together to help

equip new followers to learn, interpret and apply God’s Written

Word. They will learn not to be just hearers of God’s word but doers and

sharers, also.

God also uses His Spoken Word - which we can discern through Prayer -

to grow us spiritually. Prayer is speaking and listening to God. Prayer

helps us know God more intimately and understand His heart, His will

and His ways. Prayer helps us minister and serve others, helps us teach

and share in specific ways that helps individuals or a group know God

better.

Two simple tools - Prayer Walking and The Prayer Cycle help followers

develop a personal prayer life and learn to pray in ways that serve

others. These tools help develop a habit of praying without ceasing andlearning to see the world from a spiritual perspective instead of only

relying on what we can visibly see.

When used consistently, they help a follower of Jesus, increase their

capacity for prayer and enhance their ability to hear from God and share

what they hear.

God uses His Body of Believers - which we call The Church or the

Followers of Jesus - to grow us spiritually. As the gathering of believers,

we are connected. God’s Word says that in Jesus - we are many parts of

one body, and we all belong to each other. In other words, we’re not just

connected to God - we’re connected with each other. God says to submit

to one another. God says to serve one another. Each of us has different

strengths and each has weaknesses. God expects us to use

our strengths to help others who may be weak. And He expects us to

allow others to help us in our weakness using the strengths He has given

them.

God’s Word says God has given each of you some special abilities; be

sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many

kinds of blessings. Simple tools like 3/3rds Groups, Accountability

Groups and Peer Mentoring help us encourage one another to love and

good works by not only helping us to obey what God tells us to do

but also helping us find ways to share what we learn with others.

God also uses Persecution and Suffering - sacrifice and loss that we

suffer on behalf of Jesus - to grow us spiritually. When people oppress

and hurt us because we love and obey Jesus, or when bad things

happen even though we love and obey Jesus, God uses those

persecutions and sufferings to refine our character and make us more

like Jesus. He develops our character, strengthens and purifies our faith,

equips for ministry and allows us to serve others who are suffering in a

special way - all while making Himself known more clearly to everyone

who watches us and knows our pain. God tells us that as followers of

Jesus we should expect to be persecuted.

Jesus said - God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and

tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. Be happy and excited!

You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to

the prophets who lived long ago.

Simple tools like 3/3rds Groups and Accountability Groups give followers

of Jesus an opportunity to share the persecutions and sufferings they

experience.These groups give you a chance to teach disciples that God’s word says

we should expect hard times and to equip them in how to respond well by

trusting God’s love even when things go wrong.

Scripture. Prayer. Body Life. Persecution and Suffering. These are all

ways that God grows us to be more like His perfect Son, Jesus.

Simple tools help us not to just be consumers of these good things that

God has given us but to be producers and sharers as well.

DISCUSS(10 min)

Of the four areas detailed above (prayer, God’s Word, etc.), which

ones do you already practice?

Which ones do you feel unsure about?

How ready do you feel when it comes to training others?

List of 100

Jesus said - “Go and make disciples…” And His followers did just that.

They went to their family. They went to their friends. They went to people

they knew in town. They went to people they worked with. They went.

Jesus said “Go” and they obeyed. And God’s family grew.

God has already given us the relationships we need to “Go and make

disciples.” These are our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and

classmates - people we’ve known all our lives, people we’ve just met.

Being faithful with the people God has already put in our lives is a great

first step in multiplying disciples. And it can start with the simple step of

making a list.

A List of 100 is a simple tool in the Zúme Toolkit that multiplies disciples.

Prayer Cycle

Jesus often taught His followers about the purpose, the practice and the

promises of prayer.

Jesus said - “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock

and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he

who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Jesus taught His followers that prayer isn’t for public praise, a selfish

wishlist or a rambling speech we repeat over and over again.

Jesus showed us prayer has power because it’s a direct and ongoing

conversation with our Father in heaven who loves us. Like any good

conversation, a good prayer means both sides get to listen -- and

speak. But speaking to the God who created the universe can seem

intimidating. And actually hearing something back - well for most people

that can be downright scary.

The good news is that getting better at prayer - having better and deeper

conversations with a God who loves us - is not only possible - it’s exactly

what God wants.

But when prayer feels like learning a new language - how do you get

better? The answer is simple - you practice. The Prayer Cycle is a simple

tool for practicing prayer that you can use by yourself and share with any

follower.

In just 12 simple steps - 5 minutes each - the Prayer Cycle guides you

through twelve ways the Bible teaches us to pray. At the end, you’ll have

prayed for an hour. The Bible tells us -- “Pray without ceasing.” Not many

of us can say we do that. But after this hour of prayer - you’ll be a step

closer.

The Prayer Cycle - One more simple tool in the Zúme Toolkit

Spiritual Economy

In this session, we’ll talk about God’s SPIRITUAL ECONOMY. In this

broken world, people feel rewarded when they take, when they receive

and when they gain more than those around them.

In His Scriptures, God tells His people - My thoughts are not your

thoughts, neither are your ways My ways. God shows us in His Kingdom

economy we’re rewarded not by what we get - but by what we give

away. God says - I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Jesus said -

It is better to give than to receive. Giving away what God gives us and

blessing others when God blesses us is the foundation for the

SPIRITUAL BREATHING we learned about before. We breathe IN and

HEAR from God. We breathe OUT and OBEY what we hear and SHARE

with others.

When we are faithful to OBEY and SHARE what the Lord has shared

with us, then He promises to share even more. Jesus said - Whoever can

be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.

This is the path to deeper insights, greater intimacy and living the

abundant life God created us to live. This is the way we can walk in the

good works God has already planned for us to do. If we want to be

rewarded with God’s greatest reward, then we have to practice the two

things that He promises to bless.

We must —

OBEY and SHARE

DO and TEACH

PRACTICE and PASS ON

— everything that God tells us to do.

If we want others to receive God’s greatest reward, then we have to show

them how to do the same thing, too. This is a major part of being a

disciple and a major part of making disciples.

We are FOLLOWERS and LEADERS

We are LEARNERS and TEACHERS

We are BLESSED and we are a BLESSINGGod doesn’t want us to wait until we know everything before we start

obeying and sharing. That day will never come. God doesn’t expect us to

be fully mature before we start multiplying. He wants us to multiply right

away.

God wants us to obey what we already know and to share what we’ve

already heard. And then He wants us to teach others to do the same.

After all - that’s obeying and sharing what He’s already told us to do. This

is the path to maturity and growth.

DISCUSS(10 min)

What are some differences you see between God’s Spiritual Economy

and our earthly way of getting things done?

Great - Greater - Greatest Blessings

In this session, we’ll talk about God’s GREAT, GREATER and

GREATEST BLESSINGS and how you can share them with others.

When someone chooses to follow Jesus, how do you help them

move down the right path? How do you help them become a producer in

God’s kingdom and not just another consumer? How do you help them

receive all the blessings that God is willing to give?

I start by telling them this…

It is a blessing to follow Jesus.

It is a great blessing to lead others to follow Jesus.

It is a greater blessing to start a new spiritual family.

It is the greatest blessing to equip others to start new spiritual families.

You have chosen to follow Jesus and so God has blessed you. I want

you to have God’s great blessing, greater blessing and greatest blessing,

too. Can I show you how?

If they want to know more, I ask them to make a list of 100 people they

already know. Then I ask them to choose five people from that list - five

people who do not know Jesus - five people they want to share with right

away.

It is a blessing to follow Jesus. Who else do you want to share this

blessing with?

I teach them to share their TESTIMONY - the story of what God is doing

in their life. I teach them to share the GOSPEL - the story of what God is

doing in the world. I teach them how to share about God’s great, greaterand greatest blessings.

I have them practice these things one time for each of the five people

they’ve chosen to share with. First their story. Then God’s story. Then

God’s blessings. Each time, I pretend to be one of the five people from

their list. Each time, they share their story. They share God’s story. They

invite me to become a follower of Jesus, too. They teach about God’s

great, greater and greatest blessing. Each time, I ask them questions or

make comments that I think that person might make. After we’ve

practiced, I ask to meet them again - just two days later if possible - to

see how this sharing is going.

I want to give them enough time to meet with the five from their list, but I

don’t want to give so much time that they put it off or forget.

I always ask for a phone number or email address or another way to

keep in touch. I pray with them that God will give the right words just as

they’ve shared with me.

Two days later, we meet again and talk about how the sharing is going.

If they haven’t shared, I offer to practice with them more. I offer to go with

them right then to any of the five who might be available. I do everything I

can to help them begin sharing. But I won’t talk about new things. I want

to give them the best opportunity to be faithful with what they’ve already

learned.

If they refuse or make excuses, I ask God if this is really “good soil” that

will be fruitful for His kingdom or if there is somewhere else where I

should be investing.

If they shared - we celebrate!

Even if none on their list believed, I’m excited that they HEARD,

OBEYED and SHARED. That’s being faithful. And since they’ve been

faithful with a little, I’m glad to share more.

I share about BAPTISM and give them another tool they can use like

____ or _____ ask them to choose some other people from their list of

100 - people who don’t know or don’t follow Jesus.

And then I practice with them - just like before - with their story, with

God’s story and with God’s blessings. And we pray. Now if they shared

AND someone on their list believed, we really CELEBRATE!

God’s family is getting bigger! I always ask if they shared about the great,

greater and greatest blessing, because this is what keeps God’s family

growing.Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes

upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me

everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to

the ends of the earth.”

There’s no one “best way” to tell God’s story (also called the gospel),

because the best way will depend on who you’re sharing with. Every

disciple should learn to tell God’s story in a way that’s true to scripture

If they didn’t share about God’s blessings, we go over it again -- the

blessings, how a new follower of Jesus can make a list, how they can

share their story, share God’s story and share the blessings -- all so that

new follower of Jesus can learn share, too.

After we’ve practiced, I send them back to that new believer so they can

continue sharing. But what about those who have shared AND someone

on their list believed AND they shared the blessings?

When that happens I am OVERJOYED.

This person is what God’s word calls “good soil” -- someone who may

grow God’s family in ways that are greater than I’ve ever seen! Whenever

I find someone like this, I make plans to meet with them often. I invest

heavily in their spiritual development.

I share new lessons like BAPTISM and how to start a THREE-THIRDS

GROUP. Now they can begin to grow a spiritual family - starting with

those same new followers of Jesus.

Since they are so faithful, I’m excited to share as much as I can and see

what God does next. Always a step at a time. Always giving them a

chance to LEARN, OBEY and SHARE what they know.

I also pray for this person - as often as I can - thanking God for allowing

me to share and learn with them and always asking Him to give them His

GREATEST BLESSING.

DISCUSS(10 min)

Is this the pattern you were taught when you first began to follow

Jesus? If not, what was different?

After you came to faith, how long was it before you began to disciple

others?

What do you think would happen if new followers started sharing

and discipling others, immediately?

The Gospel

In this session, we’ll learn how to share GOD’S STORY - The Gospel -

from Creation to Judgement, from the beginning of humankind to the end

of this age. There are many ways to share God’s story.

The best way will depend on the person you’re sharing with and their

view of the world and their life experiences.

God uses hearts willing to share to work on hearts willing to hear.

It’s His work. He just invites us to join in.

One way to share God’s Story is by explaining what’s happened from

God’s Creation to His Judgement at the end of this age. When we tell

God’s story in this way, we can make it long or short, detailed or just

broad strokes but always connected to the culture of the one who

hears. To help tell His Story across different cultures and world views,

you can also use hand motions that make it easier to learn and teach.

Here is God’s Story of Good News -

In the beginning, God made the whole world and everything in it. He

created the FIRST MAN and the FIRST WOMAN. He placed them in a

beautiful garden. He made them PART OF HIS FAMILY and had a

CLOSE RELATIONSHIP with them. He created them to LIVE FOREVER.

There was no such thing as death. Even in this perfect place, man

rebelled against God and brought SIN and SUFFERING into

the world. God BANISHED man from the garden. The relationship

between man and God was BROKEN. Now man would have to face

DEATH.

Over many hundreds of years, God kept sending MESSENGERS into the

world. They reminded man of his sin but also told him of God’s

FAITHFULNESS and PROMISE to send a SAVIOR into the world.The Savior would RESTORE the close relationship between God and

Man. The Savior would RESCUE man from death. The Savior would give

ETERNAL LIFE and be with man forever.

God loves us so much that when the time was right, He sent His Son into

the world to be that Savior. Jesus was God’s Son. He was born into the

world through a virgin. He lived a perfect life. He never sinned.

Jesus taught people about God. He performed many miracles showing

His great power. He cast out many demons. He healed many people. He

made the blind see. He made the deaf hear. He made the lame

walk. Jesus even raised the dead. Many religious leaders were

THREATENED and JEALOUS of Jesus. They wanted Him killed.

Since He never sinned, Jesus did not have to die. But He CHOSE to die

as a SACRIFICE for all of us. His painful death covered up the sins of

mankind. After this, Jesus was buried in a tomb. God saw the

SACRIFICE Jesus made and accepted it. God showed His acceptance

by raising Jesus from the dead on the third day.

God said that if we BELIEVE and RECEIVE Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins -

- If we TURN AWAY from our sins and FOLLOW Jesus, God CLEANS

US from all sin and WELCOMES us back into His family.

God sends the HOLY SPIRIT to live inside us and make us able to follow

Jesus. We are BAPTIZED in water to show and seal this restored

relationship. As a symbol of death we are buried beneath the water. As a

symbol of new life we are raised out of the water to follow Jesus. When

Jesus rose from the dead, He spent 40 days on earth.

Jesus taught His followers to go everywhere and tell the good news of

His salvation to everyone around the world. Jesus said - Go and MAKE

DISCIPLES of all nations, BAPTIZING them in the name of the

Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and TEACHING them to obey all I have

commanded. I will be with you always - even to the end of this age.

Jesus was then TAKEN UP before their eyes into heaven. One day,

Jesus will COME AGAIN in the same way He left. He will PUNISH

FOREVER those who did not love and obey Him. He will RECEIVE and

REWARD FOREVER those who did love and obey Him. We will LIVE

FOREVER with Him in a New Heaven and on a New Earth.

I BELIEVED and RECEIVED the sacrifice Jesus made for my sins. He

has made me clean and restored me as part of God’s family. He loves

me, and I love Him and will live with Him forever in His kingdom.NEXT STEP

God loves you and wants you to receive this gift, as well. Would you like

to do that right now?

DISCUSS(10 min)

What do you learn about mankind from this story?

What do you learn about God?

Do you think it would be easier or harder to share God’s story by

telling a story like this?