A Generation Map is a great tool to help us get started, thinking about who we can pray for and share with as we make disciples. Here is the video and its script, showing us how to get started making our own Generation Map.
Welcome back to the Disciple-Making Training Sessions. In this session, we will learn a tool called the Generation Map to help us learn an important step in making disciples.
Let’s start this process by looking at what Jesus told a new disciple to do. In Mark 5:19, Jesus had healed a man who was filled with demons. It makes sense that this man, after being healed, would want to follow Jesus, but Jesus didn’t let him follow him. Instead, he told the man:
“Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
Jesus tells him to go home, to go to his own people. In this map, we are considering, Who are the people in your life who are far from God? They are the best ones to initially think of as you start to make disciples.
Start by drawing a circle in the middle and put your name there. Then think about who are some people in your life who are far from God. Draw at least five circles around your name and put in five names of people that you know. Think about your family, your friends, or people that you know from the activities in which you participate.
However, let’s not stop there. At this point, we have an opportunity to think about making disciples as Jesus thought about it.
In John 17, Jesus was praying for his disciples, but he prayed for those that they would reach as well. In verse 20, he says:
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
Jesus is praying for generations of disciples. That is why we call this a Generation Map because you are praying for a second, third, and fourth generation of disciples and beyond. Not only those in direct relationship with you, but those that they know as well. We want to start now and also pray for generations of disciples.
In your map, think about the people that your friends or family know and write their names in circles that are connected to those people. Take some time to ask the Holy Spirit to help you, and then map out these people in your life who are far from God.
As you can probably already begin to see, this Generation Map can easily become a Prayer Map. You can begin by praying each day for the people on your map and praying for the generations of disciples on this map. We want to ask God to work in their lives so that they will be open to hearing and receiving Christ when you share with them, so the first thing to do is to pray for the people on your Generation Map.
To do this, we encourage you to find a time in each day to pray for each of the people on your Generation Map. What time in the day will you set to pray for these people who are far from God?
In addition, begin to think about when you can share your 15-Second Testimony and the Three Circles with someone from your Generation Map. We want to try to specifically put down a name and a time. To do that, look at your Map and ask the Holy Spirit to give you one or more names. Then, ask yourself, when do you think, in the next two to three days, that you could go and share with that person?
You will want to come back to your Generation Map on a regular basis. Refer to it often and update your map so that you can track your progress as you pray for, and share with, the people on your Map. God bless you as you get started making disciples with the people on your new Generation Map.
