Eighteen months into His ministry, Jesus made a radical move. He issued His third challenge to a group of four men—James and John, Simon and Andrew. “Follow me,” He said, “and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17 ESV). Jesus singled out these two sets of brothers for a deepened investment. They were not yet the Twelve, although they all became a part of His Twelve eventually. At this point, they were in Chair 3.



Perhaps the best term to describe someone in Chair 3 is a “worker” or “young man.” He is a teenager of sorts, someone who is no longer a child, but not yet a parent. Young men are zealous for action and becoming independent. They have mastered some basic skills and desire to be others-oriented. Whereas a child or infant (Chair 2) is “me” oriented—in a healthy way—a Chair 3 person begins putting others before their own interests. They become aware of the needs of others and begin to experience the joys of serving others and being productive.
Workers are engaged in the work of ministry. While working within the Body of Christ (the church), they are also laboring in the field (the world). They are concerned about bringing in the harvest. I call this peer care (within the body) and peer share (within the harvest field). Peer care is caring for younger believers, and peer share is caring for unbelievers.
We may be tempted to think of a worker as someone busy within the church, but Jesus had a different perspective of the need for workers. He was moved with compassion as He looked upon the crowds. They were “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). So Jesus took action. He called His disciples to be part of the solution. “The harvest is plentiful,” He said, “but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:37–38). The Father was the Lord of the harvest. What He lacked were workers to send into the field. So Jesus did the very thing He told His disciples to pray for: He sent out His disciples two by two into the harvest field, equipping them to share their faith with authority, becoming true “fishers of men” (Matthew 10:1–4).
A worker is not yet fully trained, but he is moving in that direction (Luke 6:40). He is stepping out in faith and experiencing God working through him. In Luke 10, the disciples are full of joy as they experienced God using them. Jesus is also “full of joy by the Holy Spirit,” because He was seeing the fruit of His laser focus upon “making disciples who could make disciples.” They were growing in maturity and gaining experience. It was important that they be prepared, because Jesus soon would commission them to “go and bear fruit,” even to “all nations” (John 15:16; Matthew 28:19).
Having worked as a youth pastor for years and raised my own three daughters through their teen years, I have learned to love this stage of life. Energy, zeal, unbridled passion, and invincibility are all characteristics of this stage. Teens are willing to step out and try new things. They have a teachable spirit, which makes this stage of life full of new experiences. They long to be given the chance both to fail and to succeed. If they fail, we need to be there to help pick them up. If they succeed, we need to be there to remind them of the source of their success. Regardless, energy tends to rule the day. “I’ll try anything once,” is a common motto among young workers.
Working with teenagers can be both joyful and demanding, all on the same day. Sometimes they act like adults and they amaze us with their keen insight and fresh views. Then, at a moment’s notice, they can revert to childishness and become angry, discouraged, or self-centered. It is all a part of the growing-up process. Developing workers can have the same ups and downs. That’s why we find Jesus seventeen times spending time with the masses but forty-six times with these few followers. If they were going to mature, He needed to invest in them.
Jesus offers a clear picture of what a maturing worker looks like. While not fully trained or completely mature, they are moving in that direction. They are in search of more. In Luke 4:42–44, Jesus had just returned with His disciples from a “missions” trip, preaching in the synagogues of Galilee with His disciples (Luke 4:42–44). The trip could have taken as long as two months, because they visited all the synagogues in Galilee. However long the trip was exactly, it’s clear Jesus’s disciples were away from their fishing business for a period of time.
Upon returning, I’m sure they felt the pressure of paying the bills and meeting the needs of everyday life. I’m sure Peter’s wife (I like to call her Ruthie) liked that her husband spent time with Jesus, who had healed her mother. Even so, I’m sure she was still very concerned about meeting the family’s daily needs. So after a long missions trip with Jesus, Peter and his buddies returned to their fishing business to earn a living, only to spend the night catching nothing (Luke 5:5). I’m sure they were not in a good mood. Ruthie was not going to be happy. They had been serving with Jesus, and now this is what they get? A crowd had gathered on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee to buy fish from the night’s catch. This time there was nothing to buy. Jesus comes walking by the marketplace, and the crowds immediately begin to gather around Him (Luke 5:1).
You get the impression that the disciples are off to the side, not involved with the teaching. Perhaps they are still steaming, because they’ve just spent a night of hard work with no fish to show for it. Jesus climbs in Peter’s boat and pushes out from the shore. Peter is probably washing the nets with the other disciples, wrapping up the disappointing night’s work. Jesus tells Peter to “put out into the deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Peter responds begrudgingly, “We have worked hard all night and haven’t caught a thing. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
From this text we can glean several insights into the characteristics of Chair 3 people. First and foremost, the disciples were available (Luke 5:1–3). They were present and allowed Jesus to use their boat. When Jesus called them into service, they were willing to respond.
Second, they were faithful as they responded to Jesus’s difficult request. He told them to put their nets down out in the deep for a catch (5:4–5). They had fished all night and had caught nothing—the morning hours were not the time to try again. And definitely not out in the deep, as it was in the shallow of the spring waters of the northern shores where fish gathered. But they obeyed, faithfully doing as Jesus requested.
Third, they were teachable (5:6–8), willing to do what the Master requested, even though they had worked hard all night and caught nothing. Against all practical wisdom, they were willing to learn any new lessons that only obedience could bring them.
Fourth, they were enthusiastic about the new lessons they were learning. When they saw what Jesus did, Peter was quick to call in his partners. I can imagine the excitement as both boats almost sank due to the large catch of fish. “When Peter saw this,” he dropped to his knees and exclaimed, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man” (5:7–8).
And finally, they were responsive to Jesus and His leadership, as they responded again to His repeated challenge to come and “catch men.” They were not perfect, but they were seeking AFTER more—available, faithful, teachable, enthused about the things of God, and responsive to leadership. These are all qualities to look for in faithful workers.

THE PROCESS MODELED
Making the decision to prioritize a few disciples was a defining moment in the life of Christ. I would call it one of the major defining moments of Christ’s entire ministry strategy. Having just faced rejection in His hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:28–29), Jesus is now faced with a number of new events. Jesus leads His ministry through four major transitional issues during this time.
First was a transition of leadership. In Matthew 4:12–22, Jesus receives news that His cousin John has been put in prison. How alarming it must have been for Jesus and His family knowing that Herod Antipas had been watching the Jesus movement grow and placing his spies in the crowds to report what was happening. John was the leader of this movement and multitudes were coming out to hear him speak and to be baptized. John was like the Billy Graham of His day, eventually amassing disciples over 300 miles away. John was providing cover for Jesus, allowing Him time to build His own team and spend time with His disciples. John knew that eventually, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30). John’s imprisonment had to have been difficult for Jesus and His family. John’s execution later would have an even greater impact on Jesus as He sought to get away to a solitary place when He received news of John’s death (Matthew 14:13; Mark 6:30-31). Jesus, in John’s absence, became leader of this movement.
Second, Jesus experienced a transition of location. Realizing the political tensions and regional transitions happening, Jesus decided to relocate His ministry eighteen miles to the east in Capernaum (Matthew 4:13–16). He had been working in Nazareth, a small community of twenty or thirty families tucked away from the major transportation routes. Possibly consisting of a group of families of the lineage of David, they were probably isolating themselves from others to await the coming of the Messiah.
Even though the Messiah had appeared in their midst, they continued to reject Him, saying in Matthew 13:54–56, “‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?’ And they took offense at him.”
From this remote place, Jesus went to Capernaum, a larger and more strategic city in the region. Located on the Via Maris or “The Way of the Sea” highway, it was the major trade route connecting Egypt with the northern empires of Mesopotamia. Capernaum was large enough to host a centurion with his soldiers, a royal official and his family, and several tax collectors. It was the crossroads of the region, and anyone traveling through the area traveled through Capernaum. Located on the beautiful shoreline of the Sea of Galilee, it was a prosperous town with a large Jewish contingency and a major synagogue for the area. Many have called this region the evangelical triangle. It was in the small region of Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Korazin that Jesus performed most of His miracles, a region of just a few square miles and easily traveled by foot.
Third, Jesus experienced a transition of message. The text tells us that, at this point, Jesus picked up the message of John the Baptist. “From that time on,” we read, “Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near’” (Matthew 4:17). This statement makes me wonder, What was Jesus preaching before this point? Was He preaching at all, or just investing in His few disciples?
During the initial eighteen months of Jesus’s ministry, which began with His baptism, Jesus called people to Himself, explaining to them that He was the Messiah, and spending time with them. But now Jesus inherits a movement of baptized followers, a movement that was gaining steam. And His message was clear: repent. He was calling them not to turn over a new leaf but to find a new life. Entrance into the Kingdom begins with repentance, turning from the way of sin and turning to the source of life. His message also announced the Kingdom of God. More than eighty times Jesus references this Kingdom. At least seven times He says that the Kingdom is “near” or had “come upon them” (Matthew 4:17; 10:7; Mark 1:15; 12:34; Luke 10:9, 11; 21:31). He tells the “secrets” of the Kingdom (Mark 4:11) and gives eight examples of what the Kingdom is “like” (Matthew 13:24, 31, 44, 45, 47; 18:23; 22:2; Mark 4:26, 30). In the book of Acts, after His resurrection and during the forty days He appeared to His disciples, He “spoke to them about the Kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).
The apostles and disciples continued to preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus (Acts 8:12; 19:8; 28:23). The very last verse of the book of Acts describes Paul boldly preaching, “the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 28:31). As a result of this message, over eighteen times the Gospels record that the “news spread everywhere.” This was a bold message filled with expectation and hope.
Fourth, Jesus experienced a transition of calling. Jesus now steps up the challenge. He calls four disciples, with whom He has just spent the last several months, into Chair 3, to become workers in the harvest field. Gone were the days of just “come and see” or “follow me.” Now there is a new challenge. Become part of My team, My ministry team, Jesus charged, and I will teach you how to reproduce. Ultimately you will lead your own family of disciple-makers under My authority and through My power.
The disciples did not realize fully at this point that this challenge would involve servanthood, sacrifice, and suffering. It would demand more than they could ever realize and offer more than they could ever comprehend—for now and eternity. It would require them to understand their own limits, recognizing that in and of themselves they could never accomplish this challenge. They would have to learn full dependence upon the Holy Spirit power, learn to walk as Jesus walked, no matter what they faced. It was the beginning of a radically new lifestyle. It truly was a new adventure and would ultimately lead to the final challenge (Chair 4) of “go and bear fruit” (John 15:16). From this point on, the disciples become the priority of Jesus. They were His future. Their success at learning to become “fishers of men” would determine the future of the Christian movement.

THE NEEDS OF WORKERS
When disciples make the transition from spiritual childhood to their spiritual teens, their needs of growth and development change radically. Perhaps one of the greatest needs believers have at this stage is to see and experience God using them.
When I was a new Christian, I was sent to O’Hare International Airport in Chicago to share my faith for the first time. Scared and excited, I circled a stranger several times trying to work up the courage to ask him a few questions. This was a new challenge for me—intentionally approaching someone and initiating a spiritual conversation. After about thirty minutes of convincing myself that I could do this, I approached a man sitting at the American Airlines baggage claim.
I’ll never forget that conversation. I was a brand-new Christian, and he was working on his PhD in philosophy of religion at the University of Chicago. He chewed me up and spit me out. I couldn’t understand half of his questions or half of his words. All I could say was, “Once I was blind, but now I see.” It didn’t go well. I wanted to quit. This is not for me, I thought. I am not an evangelist.
But I decided to try once more. I went upstairs at O’Hare and found another person to practice on. He had just stepped off a plane and was sitting down. I waited a moment, hoping he’d get up and leave. He didn’t. Finally, summoning every last ounce of courage I had, I approached him with a couple of questions from a spiritual survey. He was open and eager to talk. I didn’t know how to handle this.
I pulled out an evangelism booklet and asked if I could share it with him. He said, “Yes, I’d love for you to.” Then he pulled the same booklet out of his shirt pocket. He had just come from Philadelphia where another student had shared the same booklet with him, but he only read half of it before he boarded the plane. He had been thinking about it the whole trip. As I had been trained, I began reading the whole booklet from the beginning. He was always one step ahead of me. He finally asked me straight out, “What must I do to know Christ personally?” With tears in his eyes, he prayed and asked Christ to come into his life. He thanked me for talking with him. For months we corresponded about his newfound faith and his personal growth. I would never be the same again! I experienced God working through me, and the experience changed me forever.
Chair 3 people (workers) need this experience. It may mean something as simple as caring for a baby in a nursery and experiencing God’s pleasure. It may mean having the opportunity to share your story or ministering to a senior citizen by teaching God’s Word. The experience is not just religious activity. It is something that instills the sense that God is using me. He is working through me. I am seeing the spiritual happen, lives are being touched and I know it’s not me. It is God. This is the reason I was created, to be a vessel through whom God could flow. I want more!
One of the most critical lessons to be learned in Chair 3 is the “new way” of living in the Spirit. Ministering in the Spirit. Loving in the Spirit. Serving in the Spirit. Giving in the Spirit. Dying to self through the Spirit. Victory over sin by the Spirit.
I’ve seen it happen so many times. People come to Christ, they begin to grow, and they want to be used by God. They volunteer as a Sunday school teacher, a worker in the nursery, an usher, or a counselor after an outreach event. They try to reach out to their neighbors or work associates because they’ve heard this is what they should be doing. In the fear of the moment, the busyness of life, the challenge of a new project, they decide to work really hard at this spiritual endeavor. They give it their best. After several weeks or several months, they find themselves worn out, tired, disillusioned. It didn’t go the way they were hoping. Problems surfaced, conflicts arose, frustration came from within. The joy is gone. What went wrong?
Paul describes a similar situation in Romans 7. “I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”
He then goes on, “what a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” (Romans 7:24). Twenty-nine times in Romans 7 Paul says “I … I … I.” But in the very next chapter, Paul gives the glorious answer to his conundrum. It is the Spirit who gives us the victory. Nineteen times in Romans 8, Paul explains it is “the Spirit” who will live within us, set us free, and help us serve in “the new way of the Spirit” (Romans 7:6).
The Spirit-filled life is the victory that sets us free. It is the new way; it is the only way. There are many ways to describe this lifestyle: the exchanged life, the Spirit-filled life, the crucified life. Without learning this new way of living, a Chair 3 person will be doomed to frustration, legalism, burnout, a loss of joy, an unproductive lifestyle. But most of all, they will be unable to get to Chair 4. The only way to Chair 4 is through Chair 3. And the lessons of Chair 3 must be learned. Romans 8 living is essential in this journey.
Moving into Chair 3 in our Christian journey demands learning new skills. Skills such as learning to run with endurance—not just walk. Learning to feed yourself and others—not just depending upon someone to feed you. Learning to defend God’s Story and in a deeper way tell your story. Learning to deal with deep-seated sin and pursue holiness on a deeper level. All of these are skills needed to move to maturity. And this list is obviously not exhaustive.
Ephesians 4:12 speaks to the role of leaders within the Body of Christ. They are to “equip the saints for the work of service” (NASB). The word translated “equip” is the Greek word katartizo, which has a double meaning: to repair and to prepare. When Jesus called James and John to follow Him in Matthew 4:21, it says they were preparing (katartizo) their nets. Fishermen in the first century, at the end of a long day of fishing, had to repair any broken sections of their nets in order to prepare them for the next day’s usage.
In the same way, as we move into Chair 3 and begin to be engaged more aggressively in the battles of life and ministry, we will soon recognize ways in which we are broken vessels and need to be repaired. Time in the battle tends to reveal these wounds. At the same time, as we begin to help others grow, we need to be prepared to share the Good News with Chair 1 people, and then what it means to change diapers, feed babies, and nurture new Christ-followers in Chair 2. We need to be prepared to help others learn these basic skills in order to succeed. All of these are skills needed to eventually move toward the birthing of our own family in Chair 4.
Chair 3 disciples must also learn endurance. Back when I ran cross-country in school, my coach would always say, “Set a good pace that you can maintain long term; you’ll end up much farther if you do.” Too often inexperienced runners start the long distance race at a pace that neither they nor others can keep. Well short of the finish line, they collapse unable to finish. The runners who run the farthest are ultimately those who pace themselves well. In the zeal of ministry excitement, new workers need to learn to pace themselves well.
But even more than good pacing, we see in Jesus’s life another powerful picture. Right after Jesus explains to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the Law—including being killed (Matthew 16)—He then goes on a six-day journey with three of His disciples up to the Mount of Transfiguration. Luke 9:31 tells us that, there with Moses and Elijah, “they spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.”
Could it be, that even Jesus, in His humanity needed encouragement about what He was about to face? Could it be that the heavenly Father, who spoke for the second time with a voice from heaven, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen, listen to Him,” knew that His Son needed to hear from Him, and even from Moses and Elijah, about what was coming? I don’t know for sure. But from this point on, over the next nine months as Jesus sets His face toward the suffering and sacrifice coming, you find Him at least ten times speaking about returning to His heavenly home.
His focus now becomes what was beyond the finish line! We are told in Hebrews 12:2 that Jesus, “who for the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame.” Could it be that we too, will never make it through the suffering and sacrifice required in Chair 3, if we don’t keep our eyes focused on what is beyond the cross that we all need to bear? A good runner looks beyond the finish line. Jesus clearly focused on the “joy set before him and endured the cross.” In that same passage, Jesus, after telling His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and die, then tells His disciples that they too, “must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

PRINCIPLES FOR MINISTRY TO PEOPLE IN CHAIR 3
There are several very practical principles that we can identify in Chair 3 living.
1) Chair three is not easy, but it is our joy. Paul says it this way: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10). What does it mean to “become like him in his death?” As I reflect on the nine months leading up to Jesus’s announcement that He must go to Jerusalem to die, I can identify some very clear truths about what it means to “become like him in his death.”
First we know that it means being willing. In John 10:18 Jesus clearly states, “No one takes it [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Second, we know it means dying intentionally. “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem,” Luke 9:51 tells us. Jesus was not a victim. He committed to His mission and saw it through to the end.
Third, we know it means dying graciously and lovingly. Jesus never retaliated when He was insulted, never made threats when He suffered, never cried out along the painful journey (Isaiah 42:2, I Peter 2:21–22).
Fourth, we know it means He courageously faced His cross. So many times He could have escaped. Even the very last evening before His betrayal. But He courageously faced His cross and, living out the words of Psalm 44:22: “Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
Fifth, we find Jesus enduring the opposition against Him. He was mocked, ridiculed, spat upon, and beaten. All the weight of the brutal Roman crucifixion was imposed upon Him. Yet He deserved none of it. Hebrews 12:2 says He “endured” this cross. In the next few verses, we are told to “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (12:3).
Finally, we see Jesus, during this journey to His death, “entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). “Into your hands I commit my spirit” were His last words (Luke 23:46).
I believe Jesus was able to have this attitude as He willingly moved toward the cross, because His focus was not on the cross, but on the joy beyond the cross. Who “for the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame” (Hebrews 12:2). Like a runner running a marathon, Jesus focused beyond the finish line. His focus was on the joy set before Him. In the same way, we can learn to “deny ourselves and take up our cross daily,” as we learn to focus beyond the finish line for the joy set before us!
Chair 3 means learning the lifelong lessons of “becoming like him in his death.” This is a willingness to, in the same way, pick up our cross daily, to intentionally set our hearts on this journey, to graciously and lovingly treat well those who mistreat us, to courageously face our privileged calling, to endure opposition, and finally to entrust ourselves to the One who judges justly. What a privilege! But what a challenge, becoming like Him in His death.
Following the example of Jesus in this way makes us part of a fellowship of participation in his sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). It is a fellowship that goes beyond anything this world can offer. It is an unspoken sweetness and aroma experienced by those who know Christ and seek to make Him known. It is the treasure that makes everything else pale in comparison, that makes every other gain seem like a loss (Philippians 3:8).
The only way to reach Chair 4, spiritual parenting, is through Chair 3. Chair 3 is hard, but all of us must go through it. It is a life of suffering, servanthood, and sacrifice. It is our calling. It is a great privilege. It is a life of joyful victory, overflowing with His grace during the difficulties of following Him. It is not easy, but it is right. It is not free of problems, but it is our joy and privilege. It is the journey through which the Lord in His wisdom has chosen to build in us the character and priorities of Christ, and it is the deep longing of all our hearts—to be like Him.
2) Many believers do not make it through Chair 3. I wish it were not true. But I must be honest. Many believers do not make it past Chair 3. In order to make it through the challenges of Chair 3, we must be aware of what is coming, and make a conscious choice to persevere.
Early in the Christian journey, when the time is right, I like to talk to new believers about what Jesus went through when He faced the cross. I try to help them imagine what Jesus was experiencing when He predicted His death in Matthew 16, what He was feeling, and what He was telling His disciples. Peter responded to Jesus’s news that He was going to Jerusalem to suffer and die, by saying, “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you” (Matthew 16:22). Jesus rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (16:23).
In His humanity, taking the easy route was a temptation for Jesus. But Jesus did what He was called to do. And then Jesus says to His disciples, in the same way, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” And where was Jesus headed, toward Jerusalem, where He laid down His life for others, a life of suffering and servanthood and sacrifice. It costs to be a Christ-follower! But the reward beyond the cross is well worth the price, and like Jesus, we must keep that joy before us as we endure our cross.
3) It takes time to mature to parenthood. So many of us want the benefits of parenthood without the pain of getting there. So many of us want spiritual children, but not the life of hard work, disciplined living, sacrificial giving, and hours of prayer and concern. Maturity takes time. It can’t be rushed. Teen years are fun, but most everyone who is finished with them says, “I’m glad that is done!”
To the mature, immaturity seems like such a necessity to get through. But to the maturing, it can feel like such a long journey. Be encouraged: time is a wonderful developer of maturity. Allow God to mold and shape you. Allow Him to work in your life, teaching you the tough lessons. Don’t shrink back, but lean into difficulties with faith and endurance (Hebrews 10:38–39). And after you have endured, you will reap the reward of the harvest.
4) Relax and enjoy the journey. Very early in my Christian life, I longed to be like Jesus. I was eager to engage with Him in making disciples who could make disciples. I wanted so badly to see a movement of multiplying disciples happening. And I wanted it immediately!
The Lord sent me off to Bible school, and for three years I realized how little I knew about Him. I began to see increasingly that the greatest problem I was facing was me! I ended up going through a number of years of very painful experiences, always asking, “Why, God?” I found myself facing conflicts and having to learn to deal with them. I found myself being falsely accused and facing painful rejection. More times than not, my life wasn’t going that well. People misunderstood my intentions.
But through all this, God had a master plan that He was working for me. I see that now. I needed to go on this journey and learn everything I could. Nothing came my way that He had not approved in advance. He was shaping my life and molding it, to further serve Him. When I learned this simple lesson, I began to relax and enjoy the journey. God was doing what only God could do. He was moving me into maturity, making me more into the image of His Son. I needed to relax, rejoice in Him and learn all the lessons He was teaching me, and then allow Him to do what only He could do.
Chair 3 is a critical time of development for growing believers. And that development is leading to Chair 4.




 5. After reading this chapter, how do you feel about Chair 3? Be honest.





 6. What are some major lessons you have had to learn on your journey as a worker for Christ?





 7. Read Hebrew 10:32–12:15. This passage is all about Chair 3 living. What lessons do you see in these verses?






Dann Spader, 4 Chair Discipling: Growing a Movement of Disciple-Makers (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2014).