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Bobby Harrington (Panel Host) Amen. Amen. Joey, that’s good. That’s really good, brother. Thank you. All right, I have the privilege of talking to these men for a few minutes here, and I want to start off with a fundamental question. And here’s the question: What is it that convicted you that you have to be about disciple making and you have to lead a disciple making church? What is it that turned you? And Jim, I’m going to start with you, then I’ll go to Joey, and lastly Josh. Jim Putman (Panel Response) Well, I think when I finally did decide to follow Jesus—and I was finally discipled by my father, who I had not been discipled in his church, I had not been discipled in his home— It was when all that came crashing down, his change in approach in my life, what I saw real disciples should look like changed the way I understood the church. And I went: If people got that instead of that, then it would lead to this. And so when I experienced what it was supposed to look like and the impact it had on my life, I wanted everybody to have that. And yes—Jesus—but even knowing Jesus and who He is, and how He sees the world, and how He interacts… I had to see a physical model of it. Take it off the pages and see it lived. That changed everything for me. And then I knew other people needed that too. Joey Oflin (Panel Response) Yeah, I think that once I started to see that we’re just like living the most over-contented, under-obedient generation in the history of the world… That more sermons were not going to form people into resilient enough disciples to stand up against the tide of culture. I was just like: “This isn’t enough.” Me yelling at them for 45 minutes on a Sunday isn’t forming them into disciples. (laughter) I yell pretty aggressively, yes. I kind of like it. But ultimately—it wasn’t enough. It doesn’t matter how passionate or charismatic you are. There is something that only happens in the context of life-on-life relationship. Where people: ● see it lived ● experience it ● walk in it That’s what made me fall in love with it. Discipleship changed my life. I am who I am not because of a sermon I heard… But because somebody opened up their home and their life and taught me how to follow Jesus. That’s where the adventure is. That’s where the joy is. That’s where transformation happens. Every sermon I preach will be forgotten. Every book I write will collect dust. But the people I invest in… They multiply. And that matters more than anything else I do. Bobby Harrington (Follow-up to Joey) So is it the relationships you entered into that persuaded you—or was it someone discipling you? Joey Oflin Both. There was a pivotal moment when somebody invested in me. But also just realizing: Ministry can look big—but feel shallow. And discipleship is where it becomes real. Josh Howard (Panel Response) Yeah, I think for me—it was a journey. But there were a couple significant moments. The first one was: I showed up in India… And realized: I had never made a disciple in my life. I had preached sermons. I had done ministry. I had served in churches. But I had never actually made a disciple. And when I got there, I realized: Jesus didn’t say: “Go preach sermons.” He said: “Go make disciples.” And I didn’t know how to do it. And even if I did—I wasn’t a disciple worth reproducing. I had to ask: If everyone lived like me… Would that be a good thing? And honestly… It wouldn’t have been. And it was Indian believers who showed me: This is what it looks like to be a disciple. This is what it looks like to live in relationship. I thought I was going to help them… But they transformed me. Bobby Harrington (Follow-up to Josh) Was there a particular person who discipled you? Josh Howard It was a group. My father-in-law poured into me. Others did too. But it was really seeing it lived out in community. Bobby Harrington (Reflection + Closing Thought) I want to encourage everybody with a couple of things here. I was discipled by a French professor at the University of Calgary. He never said, “I’m discipling you.” He just loved me. And over time, I realized: He’s like Jesus. Then later I read The Master Plan of Evangelism . And then I forgot it. And then Jim Putman came into my life… And reminded me: “This is how Jesus made disciples.” And I realized: I want others to experience what I experienced. Let me be transparent: There are many motivations for making disciples. But there is only one good one: You love God and you love people If love is your motivation… That’s enough. Jim Putman (Final Panel Advice) I would first tell you… This is going to be really painful. You’re going to invest in people… And you’re going to have a Judas. You’re going to have a Peter. And you’re going to ask: “Why am I doing this?” You’re not doing it for results. You’re doing it because of what Christ did in you. There will be victories… And there will be heartbreak. You might see your own children walk away from God. You might see people you poured into leave. So you have to stay rooted in Christ. You have to have people around you who keep you grounded. Because sometimes people will: ● elevate you (dangerous) ● tear you down (also dangerous) And you must stay anchored. If you’re going to do this long-term: ● stay close to Jesus ● stay in community ● stay humble Because this is: Messy Painful Hard But it is worth it. Bobby Harrington (Final Prayer) Let me pray. God, thank you for these men. We pray that everyone here would be strengthened, encouraged, and equipped. That we would leave committed to being disciples who make disciples. In Jesus’ name, amen.