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Review:

Love God
Love People
Live Truth
Proclaim Jesus

We best do this in our relational worlds.  In Scripture that relational world is called our OIKOS.

Oikos (def)- household [where you do life with people]

Why is your oikos the best place to be a disciple maker?  Tom Mercer in his book “8 to 15, The World is Smaller Than You Think” answers this question.

1. It is the most natural and common environment for evangelism to occur.
   
   
2. Your sphere of greatest influence is likely a group of 8 to 15 people with whom you share life most closely.
   
   
3. These are the people for whom God wants to prepare you to become an ideal instrument of His grace.
   
   
4. Your oikos is a microcosm of the world at large, for whom God sent His Son—that all who place their faith in Christ would be delivered from the bondage of sin and enjoy life to the fullest.

Examples of this in Scripture:

John 4:53        The Official whose son was healed which led to his oikos coming to Jesus.

Mt. 9:9-13       Matthew invites to his home his fellow tax collectors to his home to hear from Jesus.

Luke 19:9        A healed man is told to go home to tell others rather than traveling with Jesus.

Testimony, Invitation, Their current relational world.

Common patterns of oikos disciplemaking.  Acts 10:23b-33; 11:14

• God is always working ahead of us in changing hearts. It’s His work.
  
  
• Personal testimony of God’s work in your life is powerful to those in your oikos.
  
  
• Inviting others into gospel conversations, our homes, or even to church is likely to be received more than we might expect, especially in our oikos.
  
  
• Our homes can be a great resource in providing encounters with the gospel.

Identifying and praying for those in your relational world, your oikos:

• Neighbors
• Friends
• Work
• Family
• School
• Other

1. Prayerfully discern who God has given you influence with—believer and non-believer.
2. Pray for each of them to know Jesus more.
3. Ask God to give you vision for how you can be part of their journey in knowing Jesus more.
4. Go.

 Love must lead how we disciple others verses a seeing people as a task.

1 Thessalonians 2:7b-8 “…Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, ⁸ so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”

• When we delight in sharing the gospel and our life with someone, they will know you truly love them and care for them.
  
  
• As they experience your care and love for them, your opportunity to disciple them grows. LOVE is the motivation that fuels our disciplemaking with others.  LOVE for GOD and LOVE for Others.

How we can show love for God right now in the context of loving others is by taking communion together.  Coming to the table that draws us all together.  It is an invitation.

Prayer