June 23, 2025

Rules Of Engagement: A Quick-And-Dirty Guide For Effective Discipleship

Jesus commands us to make disciples.

I’ve been giving that a good bit of thought lately and I thought I’d share what I use as a quick-and-dirty guide for discipleship.

These are three principles I personally lean on—whether I’m leading a small group, walking marriage ministry, a Bible study, or just walking with another believer.

I’m offering them here in hope that they might be helpful.

𝟏. 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐭⁣
When I was growing up, there was a fear of being wrong—not just in the classroom, but especially in the church.⁣
⁣
I want to reframe that fear into discernment: 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵?⁣
⁣
When someone shares, we don’t need to fixate on flaws. “𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥.” (Romans 12:9)⁣
Even if their understanding is off, a heart that aims to edify others is in itself worthy of encouragement.⁣
⁣
Like a miner panning for gold, we’re not focused on the bits of dirt and rock, but on that precious treasure which is Christ.⁣
⁣
Let’s pray for eyes trained to see Him, the real treasure, and help draw Him out of the Word and each other.⁣
⁣
𝟐. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐒’𝐬 — 𝐀 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧⁣
Division in the body of Christ often comes from selfishness:⁣
A desire to be right, defend a position, protect a tradition, gain influence, or stay in control.⁣
⁣
To guard against this, I submit the 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐒’𝐬:⁣
⁣
𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫 – Jesus alone saves (Acts 4:12), not our works, systems, or heritage.⁣
⁣
𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 – If we have Him, we lack nothing.⁣
⁣
𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 – His life, words, and Spirit are the final authority (Hebrews 1:2). Jesus is the answer to every question.⁣
⁣
This stance keeps us from being derailed by secondary disagreements or philosophical debates.⁣
Satan’s work is to divide, but Christ came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).⁣
When we stand in Christ Jesus, we’ve already won.⁣
⁣
𝟑. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐈𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝⁣
What God is doing is far greater than anything we could organize or imagine.⁣
We must be careful not to quench the Holy Spirit by forcing His work into our expectations.⁣
⁣
“𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘔𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦; 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵.”⁣
— Exodus 20:25⁣
⁣
The moment we shape God’s work into something of our own design, we trade His wonder for our control.⁣
⁣
We see this in Acts when the Spirit fell on Gentiles—to the utter amazement of the Jewish believers.⁣
God is doing something “𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬” (Ephesians 3:20).⁣
⁣
Let’s not get in the way.⁣

March 28, 2025

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #13 – A Smile

In Week 13 of 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for a smile.

We’ve been working with some students to prepare for a cybersecurity competition.

I noticed that one of our kids stopped coming to the meetings.

So, I went to their class and asked for them by name.

They come to the door with a blank stare—a palpable hardness.

I say, “Hey, I’ve missed you at the meetings. Do you want to go to the competition?”

Something in their face shifts for a second and they say, “Yeah, but I didn’t think I was good enough.”

I responded, “That’s why I’m here, because you’re one of my best”, and handed them the registration form.

Then, there was that shift again but this time it gave way to a brief smile. As though to hide it, they looked down at the form.

“You’re going to bring this back to me tomorrow?” I asked.

They nodded affirmatively and then walked back into class.

The child that walked away was different than the one that came to the door, and I’m grateful.

#52WoG

March 20, 2025

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #12 – A Confession

In Week 12 of 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for a confession.

Today, I attended the Men’s Lunch that is held on Thursdays at New Horizons Christian Fellowship at 1010 Victory Lane in Starkville.

It was one of the most beautiful times of Communion I’ve experienced this year, and it all began with a brother being real and opening our discussion with, “I struggle…”

James 5:16 says,

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

I don’t often see “confession” in our gatherings. Instead, we fall into churchiness and deflect or pretend that we’ve got it all together. In so doing we become guilty of what the Apostle Paul warns against in 2 Timothy 3:5 “having a form of godliness, but denying its power.”

Imagine being sick, going to the hospital, and talking about how bad someone else’s illness is. I’ll never get well doing that. We give up the power available to us when we do that. But all it takes is one person sick and desperate enough to cry out for help to change everything.

There is power in confession, there is power in prayer, there is power in His presence and He is present among His people.

“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
– Matthew 18:20

It is no coincidence that Matthew 18:20, quoted just above, is in the context of forgiveness. Hallelujah.

This brother’s confession released what God had already pre-ordained for this moment through brethren God had already prepared for this moment.

I can’t speak for the brother who confessed about whether he was healed.

But, I was.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

March 20, 2025

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #11 – A Token

In Week 11 of 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for a token.

“That is so cool!”, I say to my wife as she pulls out her toothbrush.

I’m actually referring to her toothbrush cap that is a svelte transparent capsule with a clean silver inset. It looks like a product that came straight out of the Infinite Loop.

Today—a week or so later, I go to wash my hands and I’m greeted by this shiny capsule and a loving note.

It was the highlight of my week. I felt loved.

The fact that she heard me, she remembered, and took even one step out of her way to do that for me means the world to me. And this is not the first time.

So, when the enemy tries to convince me that I am not loved, I’m going to show him my toothbrush and recall the countless other tokens I’ve been blessed to receive.

While the token is disposable, the meaning is eternal.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG #love #expressions #marriage #perfectourlove

March 6, 2025

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #10 – What We Still Have

In Week 10 of 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for what we still have.

Earlier this week we received a phone call that makes the heart of every parent drop, “Dad, I’ve been in an accident…”

I thank God that the voice on the other end of the phone was our child. Upon hearing the details of the accident, it easily could have been a different call.

That night could have ended in heartbreak. I can only hope that we could remember God’s goodness in the midst of such unimaginable grief.

Life is a vapor, but God is good all the time.

So, I’m thankful for what we still have.

I intend to make the best of it.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

February 28, 2025

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #9 – Constant

In Week 9 of 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for my father’s consistency in honor of his birthday.

There are few constants in this world, and my Dad is one of them.

In a life that can be confusing to navigate, his consistency helps me solve for the variability of the rest.

I’ve tried to pass this on to our sons, teaching them:
“Do what you’ve set out to do regardless of how others act or react.”

I have found that I can navigate virtually anything with anyone when there’s something to come back to that does not move.

Thank you for being that for me, Dad.

I hope to honor you by being that for others so that this value I’ve received from you remains

Constant.

Happy Birthday.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

February 22, 2025

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #8 – The Questions

In Week 8 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for the questions.

My pastor, mentor, and spiritual father, Dr. Gregory Wilson Jones, did not just tell us what Scripture said; he constantly asked us what Scripture said.

First, he made sure we were reading, and second, he ensured we were engaged with Scripture by asking questions that made us wrestle with and explain its meaning in our own words.

Dr. Jones did not just lead Bible class, he taught Bible courses! There was literally a syllabus for each series and everyone received a printed outline for each class. He taught hefty theological concepts but in a way anyone could relate to. I remember many nights where children were sincerely engaged, asking wonderful questions during our discussions.

Dr. Jones understood that growth comes from challenges that are indicated by questions rather than from comfort that results from being spoon-fed.

Oh, how I love that man and miss him.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

February 22, 2025

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #7 – My Person

In Week 7 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for “my person”.

It’s conference season and this week my wife and I had a happy happenstance where we had conferences in the same city on the same day. So, we got to travel and room together.

We also have an upcoming conference where the other gets to tag along. We had a little tiff because there was yet another conference for the very next week but I couldn’t attend. I was like, “Babe, I want to, but I can’t be away from the office that long!” 🤣

I thought about this as we were traveling recently. We weren’t doing anything special this go round, no flights, no fancy restaurants, just a basic road trip. We simply wanted to be around each other. That’s not a small thing and I’m extremely thankful for it.

To have someone I want to be with who wants to be with me (today 🤣) makes me very happy.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

February 6, 2025

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #6 – A New Generation

In Week 6 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for a new generation.

My nephew and I were out one Saturday and happened upon a car broken down in the middle of traffic. There’s a young man driving with several other young men in the car.

You could see in their faces they weren’t sure what to do. So, my nephew and I stopped to see if we could at least help to push them out of traffic. As it turns out, their car, a 2013 Ford Escort, has a shift lock mechanism that prevents the car from being put into neutral if it doesn’t crank (darn new-fangled doohickeys).

As we’re figuring out how to disengage the shift lock and get the car in neutral, the driver, a young man by the name of Jeremiah (who is no more than 16) introduces himself to my nephew. He engages in conversation, sharing that he and the young men that were with him were on the way to a baby shower. He asks my nephew, “Are you a new student at State? What are you studying?”

Then Jeremiah says (as we’re all standing closely around a car in the middle of traffic), “Man, it’s great to meet you. I really appreciate your help today. If you don’t have a church home, I invite you to come hang with me at Peter’s Rock.”

I could have swallowed my head I was grinning so wide at this young black man’s poise, confidence, boldness and willingness in his witness.

Though this young man didn’t know what to do about the car, he fully understood the ultimate assignment.

In the words of KB,
“They say [young people] are leaving God.
I just smiled, like, ‘You really need to see the squad.'”
-From the song, “We right here”

God is doing something
in every generation.
(1 John 2:13-14)

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

January 30, 2025

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #5 – A Co-laborer

In Week 5 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for a co-laborer.

A man walks up to me in the gym and says, “I want you to know that I love your heart for the Lord and I want to encourage you to continue doing what you’re doing.”

We go on to talk about how we’re called to snatch each other as fellow believers out of the fire (Jude 1:23), but what stuck with me was his exhortation to do so with grace—expounding that it’s initially jarring to any of us to be faced with the prospect that we may be engaged in idolatry. “None of us wants to believe we have an idol and it takes us a second to come to terms with it.”

That man’s name was Joseph Horan. He’s a pastor at Bridgeway that I met through a men’s prayer group that goes to every school in our city and county, and prays for the teachers, staff, students and their families.

While that men’s group started with prayer, I’m delighted to testify that’s not where it’s ended. From that has sprung mentoring efforts, joint fellowship between churches, and meaningful relationships—communion. And its fruit is playing out in our interaction in the gym.

Moments after Joseph walked off, another man who overheard our conversation asked me about my faith, shared how he hasn’t been to church in years, how he wants to connect and shared his phone number.

This is The Way.

It’s the only way. And Joseph’s act of goodwill was deeply encouraging especially in our current climate. It reminded me of 1 Kings 19:18 where God said He had reserved for Himself thousands who had not bowed and who were not serving the idol of the times.

Joseph Horan reminded me that I am not alone. I am not the only one fighting for communion.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

Paul Luckett

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Tag Archives: 52WoG

Rules Of Engagement: A Quick-And-Dirty Guide For Effective Discipleship

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #13 – A Smile

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #12 – A Confession

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #11 – A Token

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #10 – What We Still Have

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #9 – Constant

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #8 – The Questions

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #7 – My Person

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #6 – A New Generation

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #5 – A Co-laborer