True revival is something many Christians long for and pray for. Bill Wilks, founder of D-Life and pastor of NorthPark Baptist Church in Trussville, believes discipleship is fundamental to bringing revival.
“These 12 common men that Jesus discipled became world changers,” Wilks said. “They literally launched the movement that we’re still meeting in today. Unbelievable. This movement was launched by 12 ordinary men — really, 11 because Judas didn’t work out too well.”
Wilks continued, “I believe if the Church today is going to see revival, it’s not gonna come by a superstar pastor in some big megachurch that puts on a great Sunday morning show. Sorry, I just don’t think that’s the answer and the key to revival.”
Instead, Wilks believes “every church in every little place across the country” will bring the world to revival through discipleship.
What it’s all about
During a recent D-Life Boot Camp at NorthPark, Wilks and his wife, Rondie, explained what living the D-Life is all about. The workshop included how to start D-Groups in local churches.
Though the boot camp is a structured program, carrying out the purpose and mission of D-Groups is not.
“Disciple-making is not a program — it’s a lifestyle,” Wilks said. “We don’t need any more new programs. Amen? We’ve got more programs than we could ever possibly know how to use.”
He added, “But [we do need to know] how to train common people … to live a life of making and multiplying disciples. That is what this process is all about — living a lifestyle of disciple-making.”
D-Groups are the core of living the D-Life. The groups are built around Jesus’ model with His disciples.
“Jesus modeled for us that disciple-making works best through the caring, relational environment of what we can call a D-Group, or a discipleship group,” Wilks said.
D-Groups consist of three to five people who meet weekly for fellowship, Bible study and prayer. Though the group can meet anywhere and at any time, consistency is vital.
D-Group members should be chosen intentionally. The disciples didn’t come to Jesus and ask about joining His group. He specifically called them out of their regular lives to follow Him.
Key characteristics
Prayer must be the first step. Wilks said, “God may lay someone on your heart that you would have never thought of.”
Diversity in a D-Group is important. Jesus chose disciples who had very different backgrounds.
Optimally, D-Groups should include the person starting the group, another mature believer who can lead when needed and eventually start a new group, new believers who need to be discipled, unbelievers and multigenerational believers, where older are training younger.
“I believe the greatest resource for disciple-making in the church is our senior adults. A lot of them have the time; a lot of them have the head knowledge. If we could just get them trained and willing to make disciples — wow, watch out, world,” Wilks said.
Hospitality is also a major component of D-Groups. Translated from the Greek, hospitality means to show kindness to a stranger. The first discipleship group a person starts is usually composed of friends, but eventually, after the group multiplies, the leader will include those outside of his/her circle.
Having a “defective” group is another crucial element.
“What do we mean by ‘defective?’” Wilks asked. “Well, we mean, they have issues. We want to disciple people that have issues. It’s not hard to find them, right? I mean, they’re everywhere. How are we going to help people who have issues if it’s not in an intimate group like a D-Group?”
Commitment
In a D-Group, everyone teaches. Reading five chapters a week is one of the commitments members make, with an emphasis on application. The discussions in the group sessions flow out of these personal study times.
The suggested agenda includes a short fellowship time, prayer, accountability, storytime, Bible reading, Bible study, ministry planning, weekly assignments and a closing prayer.
After the first few meetings, no one person directs all of the elements. Before each meeting ends, members are assigned tasks for the next meeting, such as who will pray or who will paraphrase the meeting’s focus chapter.
Wilks recommends that groups do one ministry outreach of some type every other month.
Stephen Hall, D-Life presenter and NorthPark’s executive pastor said, “If I’m going to reproduce disciple-makers, I’ve got to show them what discipleship means — what it means to follow Jesus. Following Jesus is growing, but it’s also serving.”
He continued, “I guess the question is, can you make disciples in a classroom only? We’ve deceived ourselves if we think we disciple others only from a classroom. Disciple-making involves a lab, and the world is our lab. Making disciples must involve on-the-job training in ministry and evangelism.”
Wilks asserted, “[The disciples] were just ordinary people that launched a movement because they knew how to make and multiply disciples — that was the one thing Jesus taught them to do. We’ve got to see a revival of that movement. And that’s what D-Life is all about.”
To find out more about Living the D-Life, D-Groups and available resources, go to LiveTheDLife.com.
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