Sermons & Devotionals by David Servant
David Servant
(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 also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glo... Read More
David Servant
(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 from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, an... Read More
David Servant
(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 expression of saving faith. Therefore, the successf... Read More
David Servant
(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 this: I should question everything I've been tau... Read More
David Servant
(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 test question, if asked honestly, would eliminat... Read More
David Servant
(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 short), but also of private conversations that ... Read More
David Servant
(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 make disciples who obey all of Christ's commandme... Read More
David Servant
(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 that follow a biblical model. That is, those... Read More
David Servant
(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 professional fundraiser. I've dreamed of buildings, ... Read More
David Servant
(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, and all age groups of children were unheard ... Read More
David Servant
(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 in the U.S.) He had only a small flock to loo... Read More
David Servant
(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 church cannot offer the quality of ministry pr... Read More
David Servant
(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 who was also called Mark, where many were gathere... Read More
David Servant
(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 on church buildings, owning, renting, repairin... Read More
David Servant
(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 to children and youth. Yet they hide the fac... Read More
David Servant
(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 pastor of an institutional church, I have experien... Read More
David Servant
(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 parcel of house churches. It is what the Bible refe... Read More
David Servant
(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 group doesn't reach a consensus, love, not doc... Read More
David Servant
(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 them to be the most important aspect of their ... Read More
David Servant
(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 who are responsible to make executive decision... Read More
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David Servant ( - )
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.