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 David Servant ( - )
Read freely text sermons and articles by the speaker David Servant in text and pdf format. David Servant is the Founder of Heavens Family, helping the least of these world-wide. David Servant has been serving in ministry since 1979 as a church-planter, pastor, teacher and missionary. When David Servant read the results of his high-school vocational aptitude test, he laughed. The results told him that he was best suited for a career in ministry or in entertainment. At the time, David's future goal was to live in a log cabin in the wilderness and live off the land for the rest of his life. The Lord, however, had different plans for David Servant. God didn't intend for him to run away from the world, but rather to play a part in changing the world by building God's kingdom. David received his call to ministry during his (reluctant) freshman year at Penn State, and one year later was enrolled in Bible School.
David Servant is the author of eight books, including Forever Rich, and the The Disciple-Making Minister, a 500-page equipping manual that has been translated into more than 20 languages and is being distributed to tens of thousands of pastors.
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showing from 1 to 50 of 542 articles
(Disciple-Making Minister) 001 - Setting the Right Goal
To be successful in God's eyes, it is essential that a minister understands the goal that God has set before him. If he doesn't understand his goal, he has no way of gauging if he has succeeded or failed in reaching it.[1] He may think he has succeeded wh ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 002 - True Saving Faith
When modern evangelists and pastors invite the unsaved to "accept Jesus as Savior," (a phrase and concept never found in Scripture), it usually reveals a fundamental flaw in their understanding of the gospel. When the Philippian jailer, for example, asked ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 003 - The Big Vision
Let's go back to Matthew 28:18-19. After declaring His supreme lordship, Jesus then gave a commandment:
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obser ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 004 - My Failure
Some years ago, when I was pastoring a growing church, the Holy Spirit asked me a question that opened my eyes to see how far short I was falling in fulfilling God's general vision. The Holy Spirit asked me the following question as I was reading about th ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 005 - A Time for Self-Examination
This would be a good time for every minister reading this book to ask himself or herself the same question the Holy Spirit asked of me: "If the people I minister to died right now and stood at the judgment of the sheep and the goats, how many would be she ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 006 - Disciples of All Nations
Before we move on, let's look once more at Matthew 28:19-20, the Great and General Commission that Jesus gave to His disciples, to see if we can glean any other truths from it.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the n ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 007 - Jesus Defines Discipleship
We've established that Jesus' overriding goal for us is that we make disciples, that is, people who have repented of their sins and who are learning and obeying His commandments. Jesus further defined what a disciple is in John 8:32:
If you abide in My ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 008 - A Second Requirement
Jesus continued speaking to the multitudes that day who were going along with Him by saying,
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:27).
This is the second requirement Jesus laid down to be His disciple. ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 009 - A Third Requirement
Jesus listed one more requirement of discipleship to the multitudes that day:
So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all His own possessions (Luke 14:33).
Again, it would seem logical to conclude that Jesus was using hyper ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 010 - A Final Sobering Thought
Clearly, Jesus wants people to become His disciples, as revealed by His Words to the multitudes recorded in Luke 14:26-33. How important is to become His disciple? What if one chooses not to become His disciple? Jesus answered these questions at the close ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 011 - Beginning Rightly
Biblically speaking, a disciple is a sincere believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, one who is abiding in His Word and consequently being set free from sin. A disciple is one who is learning to obey all of Christ's commandments, and one who loves Jesus more t ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 012 - Redefining Discipleship
Although Jesus made it quite clear what a disciple is, many have replaced His definition with one of their own. For example, to some the word disciple is a vague term that applies to anyone who professes to be a Christian. To them, the word disciple has b ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 013 - Jesus' Commentary
Jesus certainly didn't think that becoming a disciple was a secondary, optional step for believers. His three requirements for discipleship that we read in Luke 14 were not addressed to believers as an invitation to a higher level of commitment. Rather, H ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 014 - The Origin of this False Doctrine
If the idea of two separate classes of Christians, the believers and the disciples, is not found in Scripture, how is such a doctrine defended? The answer is that this doctrine is solely supported by another false doctrine about salvation. That doctrine a ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 015 - A Woman Whom Jesus Saved by Grace Through Faith
A perfect picture of salvation offered by grace through faith is found in the story of Jesus' encounter with the woman caught in the act of adultery. Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you [that is grace, because she deserved to be condemned]; go yo ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 016 - The New False Gospel
Because of a false concept of God's grace in salvation, the modern gospel has often been stripped of essential biblical elements that are considered incompatible with a message of grace. A false gospel, however, only produces false Christians, which is wh ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 017 - Repentance Redefined
Even in the light of so many scriptural proofs that salvation depends on repentance, some ministers still find a way to nullify its necessity by twisting its clear meaning to make it compatible with their faulty conception of God's grace. By their new def ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 018 - Jesus' Calls to Commitment
Not only did Jesus call the unsaved to turn from sin, He also called them to commit themselves to follow and obey immediately. He never offered salvation on lesser terms, as is often done today. He never invited people to "accept" Him, promising them forg ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 019 - Sentence #1
If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me (Mark 8:34).
Again, note that Jesus' words were addressed to anyone who wished to come after Him, anyone who wanted to become His follower. This is the only rel ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 020 - Sentence #2
Jesus' second sentence makes the meaning of His first sentence even more clear:
For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's shall save it (Mark 8:35).
Again, notice this sentence begins wi ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 021 - Sentences #3 & 4
Now the third and fourth sentences:
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36-37).
In these the person is highlighted who will not deny himself. He is al ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 022 - Sentence #5
Finally, we arrive at the fifth sentence in the passage under consideration. Notice again how it is joined to the others by the beginning word, for:
For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 023 - Another Call to Commitment
There are many we could consider, but let us look at one other call to commitment by the Lord Jesus that is nothing less than a call to salvation:
Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 024 - In Summary
All of this is to say that a truly successful minister is one who obeys Jesus' commandment to make disciples, and who knows that repentance, commitment and discipleship are not options for heaven-bound believers. Rather, they are the only authentic expres ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 025 - Continuing Properly
For many years and in many ways, I unknowingly followed practices that worked against the goal that God wanted me to pursue, the goal of making disciples. But gradually, the Holy Spirit graciously opened my eyes to my errors. One thing I've learned is thi ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 026 - The Role of the Pastor Considered
The minister's goal of making disciples should shape everything he does in ministry. He should continually be asking himself, "How does what I'm doing contribute to the process of making disciples who will obey all of Jesus' commandments?" That simple tes ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 027 - The Weekly Sunday Morning Sermon
A pastor makes another wrong assumption if he thinks that his teaching responsibility is primarily one of delivering weekly public lectures. Jesus' teaching ministry consisted not only of public sermons (and for the most part, it seems they were fairly sh ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 028 - A Comparison of Methods, Ancient and Modern
If the goal is to obey Jesus and make disciples, wouldn't we be wise to follow His methods for making disciples? They worked quite well for Him. They also worked quite well for the apostles who followed Him.
And how well are modern methods working to m ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 029 - A Biblical Alternative
Am I advocating taking three-month old believers and giving them oversight over churches (the very thing that Paul did)? Yes, but only if those believers meet the biblical requirements for elders/overseers, and only if they are given oversight of churches ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 030 - Church Buildings
What about church buildings? They are another modern "essential" that the early church did quite well without. Do they help in the process of disciple-making?
When I was a pastor, I often felt more like a realtor, banker, general contractor, and a prof ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 031 - Eleven O'Clock Sunday is the Most Segregated Hour
Modern church facilities that copy the American model are expected to have, at a minimum, enough divided space to provide separate rooms for separate ministries to all age groups. In the early church, however, special segregated ministries for men, women, ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 032 - The Blessed Pastor
No house church pastor/elder/overseer suffered ministerial "burnout" because of being overwhelmed with pastoral responsibilities, something that is widespread in the modern church. (One study reported that 1,800 pastors are leaving the ministry per month ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 033 - House Churches
When people first hear of house churches, they often mistakenly imagine that the only difference between house churches and institutional churches is their size and their relative abilities to provide "ministry." People sometimes conclude that the house c ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 034 - The Only Kind of Church in the Bible
First, and foremost, institutional churches that meet in special buildings are unknown to the New Testament, whereas house churches were clearly the norm in the early church:
And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John w ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 035 - Biblical Stewardship
This leads to the second advantage that house churches have over institutional churches: The house church model promotes godly stewardship of its members' resources, which is certainly an extremely important aspect of discipleship.[1] No money is wasted o ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 036 - The End of Fragmented Families
Another advantage that house churches have is this: they excel at discipling children and teens. One of the great falsehoods perpetrated by institutional churches today (especially large ones in the United States) is that they provide wonderful ministries ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 037 - Happy Pastors
Having pastored churches for two decades, having spoken to tens of thousands of pastors around the world, and having many pastors as personal friends, I think I can say that I know something about the demands of pastoring a modern church. Like every pasto ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 038 - Happy Sheep
Everything about true, biblical house churches is what true believers desire and enjoy.
All true believers long for genuine relationships with other believers, because God's love has been shed abroad in their hearts. Such relationships are part and par ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 039 - Doctrinal Balance and Toleration
In the casual and open forums of small church gatherings, all teaching can be scrutinized by anyone who can read. Brothers and sisters who know and love each other are inclined to respectfully consider viewpoints that differ from theirs, and even if the g ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 040 - A Modern Trend
Interestingly, more and more institutional churches are developing small group structures within their institutional models, recognizing their value in discipleship. Some churches go even further, basing their core structure on small groups, considering t ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 041 - More Differences
Institutional churches with small groups are still structured like a corporation pyramid, where everyone knows his place in the hierarchy. The people at the top may call themselves "servant leaders," but they often are more like chief executive officers w ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 042 - What Happens at a House Church Gathering?
Not every house church needs to be structured the same, and there is room for a lot of variation. Every house church should reflect its own cultural and social nuances—one reason why house churches can be very effective in evangelism, especially in coun ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 043 - Bread and Wine
The nature of the elements of the Lord's Supper are not the most important thing. If we must strive for perfect imitation of the original Lord's Supper, we would have to know the exact ingredients of the bread and the exact kind of grapes from which the o ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 044 - The Spirit Manifested Through the Body
The common meal could occur before or after a meeting in which worship, teachings and spiritual gifts are shared. It is up to each individual house church to determine its format, and formats can vary from gathering to gathering of the same house church.
... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 045 - Teaching
Second on Paul's list is teaching. This again indicates that anyone might share a Spirit-inspired teaching at a gathering. Of course, every teaching would be judged to see if it lined up with the apostles' teaching (as everyone was devoted to that: see Ac ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 046 - Revelation
Third, Paul lists "revelation." That could mean anything that is revealed by God to some member of the body. For example, Paul specifically mentions how an unbeliever might visit a Christian gathering and have "the secrets of heart...disclosed" by means o ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 047 - Tongues and Interpretation
Fourth, Paul listed two gifts that work together, tongues and the interpretation of tongues. In Corinth, there was an overabundance and abuse of speaking in tongues. Namely, people were speaking in tongues during the church gatherings and there was no int ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 048 - How to Start
House churches are birthed by the Holy Spirit through the ministry of a house-church planter or an elder/pastor/overseer who is given a vision for a house church by God. Keep in mind that a biblical elder/pastor/overseer may be what the institutional chur ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 049 - How to Transition from Institution to House Church
Most likely, the majority of pastors who are reading this are working within the structures of institutional churches, and perhaps you, dear reader, are one of them. If I've touched a chord within you that longs for the kind of church I've been describing ... read more
(Disciple-Making Minister) 050 - The Ideal Church
Could a pastor of a house church actually be more successful in God's eyes than a pastor of a mega-church with a huge building and thousands in attendance every Sunday? Yes, if he is multiplying obedient disciples and disciple-makers, following Jesus' mod ... read more
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