What It Really Means to Follow Jesus

Many people know about Jesus, but fewer truly follow Him. In this message from Luke 24 and Matthew 28, Pastor Chris Teien explains what it means to become a genuine disciple whose life is transformed by a personal relationship with Christ.

Following Jesus is more than gaining biblical knowledge or practicing religious habits. As we recognize who Jesus truly is, allow God's Word to shape our lives, walk with Him daily, and faithfully share Him with others, we grow into the disciples He has called us to be.

In This Message: 

1. Recognize When You Are Missing Jesus

The disciples on the road to Emmaus walked with Jesus without recognizing Him. It is possible to know about Jesus without truly knowing Him. Following Christ begins with a personal relationship, not merely religious knowledge. (Luke 24:13-24; Matthew 7:21)

2. Let God's Word Shape Your Understanding

Jesus explained the Scriptures and revealed God's plan through His Word. Lasting spiritual growth comes as we build our lives on biblical truth rather than personal opinions or cultural ideas. (Luke 24:25-27; John 5:39; Hebrews 4:12)

3. Move Toward a Real Relationship with Jesus

Jesus invites us into a daily relationship marked by trust, obedience, prayer, and fellowship. Discipleship is more than learning information. It is walking closely with Christ each day. (Luke 24:28-32; Acts 3:19; Matthew 6:33)

4. Expect Your Life to Be Transformed

When we truly encounter Jesus, our priorities, attitudes, and direction begin to change. God transforms us from the inside out as we grow in our walk with Him. (Luke 24:31-35; Romans 12:2)

5. Share What Jesus Has Done in Your Life

Real faith does not remain private. Every believer has the opportunity to tell others what Christ has done and invite them to become His disciples. (Acts 4:20; John 9:25; Matthew 28:19-20)

Takeaway

Don't settle for simply knowing about Jesus. Walk with Him personally, allow His Word to transform your life, and faithfully point others to the Savior.

Illustrations

• The disciples on the road to Emmaus demonstrate that people can know about Jesus while still failing to recognize who He truly is.

• Training new employees illustrates how discipleship involves helping others learn, grow, and eventually teach others.

• The difference between information and relationship highlights the difference between religious activity and genuine discipleship.

Key Quotes

"Following Jesus is more than learning about Him."

"A disciple pursues a relationship, not just information."

"Real faith does not stay private."

Search Topics

Luke 24, road to Emmaus, following Jesus, discipleship, Christian growth, knowing Christ, spiritual transformation, Matthew 28, making disciples, Pastor Chris Teien

Full Episode & Transcript:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2285086/episodes/19002908

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Helping you apply God's Word and follow Jesus in everyday life. Learn more at ChrisTeien.com and Rockwell.church  Find episode transcripts at Well.faith 

Transcript

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Chris T 0:16

All right, so we're starting a new series, The Adventures of Disciple Making. And I'm afraid that some people are going to push back and say, Oh, no, that's not for me. That's for those people that are like super spiritual. That's for those people who, you know, have training and everything. Let the pastor do that. But as we just saw on the screen in that video, and here in Matthew 28, before Jesus ascended into heaven, he said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surely I am with you always to the end of the age. So that is our mission. That is our mandate. Making a disciple isn't really that big of a thing. Basically, what it would be is be like training somebody to do what you do or to be like you be, to be a Christ follower. Many, many years ago, I got to be a training supervisor, and that meant that I trained all the new people in. When you get to teach somebody stuff that's important, and then they start to do the things that you suggested because you taught them how to do it. And now they're successful in it, and they're teaching other people how to do it. That is what disciple making is like. It's not that difficult, it's not that hard, except for one thing. There's one little thing about that's different than being a trainer at work is that when you want to be a trainer to train people up and how to live the Christian life and how to share their faith with others and how to make an eternal difference in the world, there is a spiritual battle that goes on in the midst of it that makes it more difficult. But through Christ we can overcome and be victorious. So the first one in the series of four that we have is the adventure of following Jesus. What does it actually mean to follow Jesus? So in four Sundays, I can't teach you everything that there is to disciple making. But actually, I don't believe there's ever a point where any person says, I'm a fully trained disciple maker. I know everything about disciple making. There's nothing more to learn. I don't think that ever happens. I think that you continue to grow, you continue to learn, and actually becoming a disciple maker isn't so much about learning as it is about teaching others, about teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, to be out there looking for opportunities. I don't think that ever ends. I don't think that you ever age out of that. I think that you and I have an opportunity and we should pray for that opportunity. Luke chapter 24, starting in verse 13 in the NIB Bible. So that same day, it starts out now that same day. So we're still just like last Sunday. Resurrection Day on Sunday, that day of the week where everybody's starting to notice that Jesus isn't in the tomb. So on that same day, two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. So you actually see they're moving away from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them, but they were kept from recognizing him. So they just thought he was another traveler on the road, didn't know it was Jesus, even though they are Jesus' followers. Jesus asked them, What are you discussing together as you walk along? They stood still, their faces downcast, because they felt defeated. They felt that they had just lost the battle and lost Jesus. Anyway, one of them named Cleopus asked him, Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened here in these days? Jesus says, What things? About Jesus of Nazareth, they replied. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning, but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it, just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus. And Jesus said to them, How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things, and then enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, Jesus explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, Stay with us, for it is nearly evening. The day is almost over. So Jesus went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, they recognized Jesus, and Jesus disappeared from their sight. And they asked each other, Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us? They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven and those with them assembled together, saying, It's true, the Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon. Then the two told what had happened on the way and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. So that is an exciting passage that Jesus shows up and explains to them what they had in peace together. And this is a perfect example of what it would be like to invest into somebody to disciple them. When a new person wants to give their life to Jesus, and so then they do, and they're like, okay, what do I do now? They get confused a lot of times because there's the things maybe they haven't heard about the Lord and you know how to live the Christian life and about Jesus. So there's the things they haven't heard, and there's the things that they have heard that are wrong that need to be corrected. The best thing for them is if somebody comes alongside of them and says, Hey, this is so exciting. Let me show you in the Bible how it works, how there's an Old Testament and a New Testament, and how it's 66 books under one cover, and there's poetry here, and Old Testament law here and the New Covenant. There's four Gospels that talk about Jesus and they overlap, and then there's the Acts of the Church in the middle, and all these instructional letters that, and so to show them that, and then to say, maybe, maybe you'd want to start reading in the book of John, or maybe you'd want to start reading in the book of Philippians, and walk with that, walk with them through that, and that can be a really good thing. Teach them about prayer, teach them all of these different things that they wouldn't know otherwise to get them up to speed so that they can start to enjoy the Christian life. The Holy Spirit works in their life to bring them information, and sometimes the Holy Spirit brings them a person or people like you, like me, to help them. So I can preach sermons and put them online and have a whole library of topics, and people can write books and all of these things, but there's nothing more powerful than a person conversing with another person in conversation, engaging, answering questions. Maybe sometimes even when questions are asked of you and you don't know the answer, you just honestly say, That's a really good question, and I don't know how to answer that. Let me think about that, or let me check into that and get back to them. So never pretend to know the answer. But so, number one, recognize when you are missing Jesus. So, what I really want to focus on in this first week is who is a true follower of Christ. It's not always the religious person. There's people that know a lot about the Bible, there's people that have memorized a lot of the Bible. Many theological minds out there don't truly know Jesus, don't truly have a relationship with Jesus. And so the two guys on the road to Emmaus, it wasn't 100% their fault because they were kept. It says God kept them from recognizing Jesus that they didn't know it. But I think that sometimes people spend a lot of time in church, a lot of time doing churchy things, but they don't truly know Jesus. They're not truly walking with Jesus. So to think about that, think about do I know a lot about Jesus or do I truly know Jesus? The Bible says that Satan knows about Jesus, but he's not truly a Christ follower. So it's not just believing that Jesus exists, it is believing upon, having faith in, walking with Jesus, giving your life to Jesus. So you can be near Jesus and still not recognize him. Still not recognize him. You can even agree with biblical truth, but Matthew 7, 21, Jesus says, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father. So being close to church, people, being close to church, that's not a guarantee that you are tight with Jesus. Does the Spirit testify in your heart that you're truly a child of God? As you think about your walk with Jesus, has it been academic or has there been something more to it, something spiritual, something that you just know for sure that Christ is in your heart, in your life? Because disappointment and wrong expectations can cloud your view. That happens a lot. It happens a lot when somebody says, I want to follow Jesus, and they think everything about it's gonna be easy. They think everything about it is just now that I'm following Jesus, I won't have any more trouble. Everything will be blessed, I'll never be in need. And it doesn't always work that way. Sometimes when you start following Jesus, things get even more difficult. Sometimes friends or family turn against you, think that you're some religious fanatic. Sometimes spiritual warfare increases. But in Luke 24, 21, again, the guys on the road to Emma said, We had hoped that Jesus was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And so their hopes were shattered. They thought Jesus was going to be a military leader that was going to come in and kick the Romans out. There'd be great days ahead. And the thing that they thought was going to happen wasn't what had happened. And so they were disappointed. They were disappointed because they didn't know what God was doing. They didn't know what the master plan was. And we're told in Proverbs 3:5 to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding. That means that we go through this life and we trust. Now we're doing everything that we know that we can be doing. We're confessing any known sin. We're trying to live according to God's word. We're doing the things that we should be doing. And then when things aren't working out 100%, we trust and we wait. Sometimes God surprises us in the way that he answers. Sometimes he has something for us, and what we think is a sidetrack and a detour where we gain a new skill or we meet a new person or something, something about life changes because we were in that difficult situation. Following begins when you see Jesus for who he truly is. So Jesus isn't just a helper or a teacher or a moral example, he is Lord. And we should follow him. So the problem is that undeiscipled people don't truly understand who Jesus is because they don't know. They don't have a faith based on Scripture. They don't have a basic understanding of God's plan through time from his old covenant and who's with the Israelites and all of that, and how Jesus came and brought in a new covenant, and now we're saved by grace through faith, and not under that Old Testament law and all those things. They don't know how that works. They don't have a scriptural mindset to ground them in the truth, to help them through the storms of life. And so discipleship helps them to gain that, to help them to have a commitment, to help them to know reasons why that they should be pursuing Christ and putting him first, to really know who he is when we are involved in training up people, when we're involved in investing our lives. What we're really doing is we're giving another person a training so that they can become used in God's hands, so that they can have a strong faith, so that they can be eternally significant world changers like we want to be. So we we train up other people and we invest our lives in them so that they can carry on. That's a good thing. We always want to do that when we're old. We always want to leave a legacy and pass that on, but we should do that when we're young too. I mean, we have a burden for lost people to get saved. We have a burden for God to help families. So what if not only did God answer that prayer, but he answered that prayer through the people that we helped train up in discipleship? Number two, let God's word shape your understanding. Let God's word shape your understanding. So in verse 27, Jesus, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself. And so as Jesus revealed the scriptures, he showed himself. And so we know that the Holy Spirit works in all believers' lives to help them to understand scripture. And he often uses people to come alongside and to ask questions of that scripture and to talk about that scripture. And so if you can read it, and if you can learn it, and then you can teach it to somebody else, and then that person can learn it and then apply it and teach it to someone else. You're doing a really good job of teaching and training, and that's the best thing that we could do. John 5 39, Jesus says, These are the very scriptures that testify about me. God works in your heart before your life changes. Hebrews 4.12 says the word of God is alive and active, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. So many times when you have a conviction, it's based on what's in Scripture. And really that's the best place to have conviction. The Holy Spirit convicts them that they should make a change. When it is their desire, based on scriptural principles, to change something like that, then they should change it. Now the Bible makes it clear that we should be careful of the words that we say, we shouldn't use God's name in vain. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. So, yeah, we should try to help people clean up their speech. Sometimes the Holy Spirit just helps them to clean up their speech. But God works in your heart before your life changes. And so many times when you read in Scripture and you're spending time in God's Word, you start to get convictions that I'm not going to listen to that anymore, I'm not going to watch that anymore. I'm not going to do these things anymore because the Bible makes it clear that I'm supposed to live this way, that I'm supposed to walk this way, that I'm supposed to be an example, that I'm supposed to do these things. It's your inner conviction. And so discipleship isn't behavior modification first. It's heart transformation that leads to life change. So people have lots of questions about these things. And when you're available, and then you can help them to find the answers. Sometimes the best answer isn't just telling them, it's, well, what does the Bible say? And then going to some scripture that talks about it. What you're doing is you're helping them to build the foundation for their faith and their belief. And the best thing, if you can do this for your kids, if you can do this for your friends, your coworkers, or whatever, is if you give them a scriptural foundation so they know what they believe and why, then when somebody questions it or pushes back against it or even persecutes them for it, they'll be like, I know whom I have believed, and I know why I believe that. And it's very clear. And that is the beginning of a powerful life in Christ. A disciple responds to truth, not just hears it. It is so easy to listen to the Bible now. So I can easily get in my vehicle and I can listen to audiobooks, I can listen to the Bible. James 1 22 says, Do not merely listen to the word, do what it says. Luke 24, 32, they asked each other, were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us? Have you ever experienced that before? That's like this inner thing that's like welling up in you that you need to say something or you need to do something, or God's like moving you to do it, and you just know it's the right thing to do because you just you're just feeling that God's working in you, and it feels like that. Your heart's kind of burning within you, and it's just like something you gotta do. You gotta say, you gotta, it's a good thing. It's a good thing. I think that's how God, well, I know that's how God has worked in my life. Hopefully the same is true for you. And lasting fruit, lasting fruit comes from knowing whom you have believed, knowing what you have believed, knowing why you believe it, and putting it in to practice. And those are good things, and you can have an opportunity to do that in someone's life if they let you. So you don't want to call a person out for every little thing that they do, but eventually, if they want to grow in Christ and they've said, I want to be more Christ-like, then you can start to call out little things that you see and say, I really care about you, and I know you want to grow in Christ. And so I just noticed that when you said that, maybe I might be wrong, but it seems like maybe it was based on pride instead of humility. What do you think? And don't convict them for it. So the Holy Spirit's job to convict, but to guide them down that path. And sometimes people will delight in having somebody come alongside them. Athletes, they want to have coaches to make themselves better. Business people actually hire life coaches. If you could invest in someone's life, that would be cool. Is anybody investing in your life? How are you growing? God is not looking for perfect people, he is looking for people who are fully his. So Diel Moody said something like, the world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. And then A. W. Tozer said, What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. He said something like, When you're at rest, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Is it I'm gonna have to get the lawnmower out? Is it what did I do with the umbrella? Or is it I wonder what Christ could do through me today? Three, move towards a real relationship with Jesus. Move toward a real relationship with Jesus. So again, you can have an academic religious relationship where you're just trying to do things for God. I gotta get to church, I gotta read the, I gotta read my daily Bible reading, gotta say my prayers, and you go through the list. Or there's the relationship that says, I love to go to church because that's where God's people are, and hopefully I'll get something encouraging out of the message. But even if I don't, I know that God wants me to be there to encourage someone else. How can I serve? How can God use me? Or I'm excited to look into God's word today to see what I learned, to see what I'm reminded of, to see how I'm encouraged to see what I might need to change. I'm encouraged for God to use me. Jesus, if you want to interrupt my day, I'm available. Let's do great things together. That's a real relationship with Jesus. And so these guys invited Jesus. They didn't just say, hey, this has been really informational. You have a good day now. They're like, hey, why don't you stay with us? It's almost dark anyway. No one wants to go down that road in the dark. Why don't you just stay with us? And so they invited Jesus to stay with them. And so to invite Jesus to guide and direct your life. Following him requires a personal response. We're saying that seek first is seek ye first, Matthew 6 33, seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you. But these guys they were walking away from everything that happened in Jerusalem. They were walking away in disappointment. But they decided to take a personal, make a personal response to wanting to know more about what they missed about Jesus and all of these things. And You and I need to repent then and turn to God according to Acts 3.19. And a personal response would be: if you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, to prayer is talking to Him, to just admit that you're a sinner that needs to be saved and that you want to follow Him. Turn from your sinful ways and turn towards following Jesus. So many of these things that I talk about are found in the How to Find God New Testament. And right in the front, it talks about how you can have a personal relationship with Jesus and what that means. And so these are free right outside on the other side of the wall there as you leave. Take that, read that, share that. Those are good things. But we want to help you to know Jesus, to walk in Jesus. So come to me and ask me any questions, and I would love to help you to come into a right relationship with Jesus or to know how you can know for sure that you're saved. Those are good things. But a disciple's life is transformed when their mind is renewed by truth, when their heart is awakened to Christ, when their eyes are open to who Jesus is, and when their direction changes. So a disciple pursues a relationship, not just information. I don't know how to explain it to you really. I just know that I used to pray over and over again to be saved. J.D. Greer wrote a book called Stop Asking Jesus into your heart, and it didn't mean don't ask Jesus into your heart. It's not one of those things that say, never say the sinner's prayer. It's not that book. It's that me, like him, would repeatedly pray to receive Christ because I just didn't get what it meant. Then I started to understand what it meant that I truly had confessed my sin. I truly had asked Christ to come into my life and save me. And he truly did. And maybe he just got tired of me asking, because when I feel I truly got saved, I feel like the Holy Spirit just gave me this feeling of peace and acceptance and drew me towards Scripture and all these things. And I don't know if that happens for everybody in that way. And you definitely don't want to chase a feeling. That's not a good way to pursue Christ. But I do know that I am in a relationship with Christ, and it has been wonderful, and I hope that you all experience too. For expect your life to be transformed. Expect your life to be transformed. When you see Jesus clearly, everything begins to change. A lot of the aspirations that I had in life, all the things that I thought, many of the things that I thought were important, changed as I've been walking with Jesus. The things that I would like to do, the things that I would like to acquire, the things that I think about what's important in this life have changed as I've gotten, as I've spent much time in God's Word, as I've understood what it means to live the Christian life and how that this life that we live isn't even the pregame, isn't even a second in the pregame compared to all of eternity and the things that come next. And spending our lives for the things of Christ is one of the wisest things we could do. But Luke 24, 31, when their then their eyes were opened and they recognized him. Their eyes were opened and they recognized him. I hope that your eyes have been opened and that you've recognized Jesus and that he's a major part of your life and that you don't know what you do without him because your direction changes when your heart changes. When your heart changes, you have a new motivation. When your heart changes, you have a new goal. You have a new reason for living. You have a new reason for living the Christian life. Verse 33. These guys who were leaving Jerusalem, who had given up, who were quitting, who were saying, you know, what's the point? Let's just go home. They got up and they turned around. They returned at once to Jerusalem where they found their group and they assembled together. Pretty awesome thing. And hopefully, maybe you've walked away from Jesus. From what I understand, kids that grow up in a Christian home, as they are constantly hearing things about Christ and the Christian life in the Bible, as they get older, maybe their teenage years, sometimes older, sometimes younger, they might start to push back and say, I don't know if I really believe this. It's like a spiritual adolescence. It's always good when it happens in your home, as opposed to being in college or whatever when they're farther away or living on their own. But there might be that time when they start to ask a lot of questions. That's a good time to be praying and be ready to answer a lot of those questions, to help them to explore, to help them to dig in. And like I said before, to say, well, let's see what not only what God's word says, but what evidences are there that we can trust God's word? How did we get God's word? Where did it come from? And we offer the right now media video service. There's a lot of different videos on there for you to use as a tool. It's for your growth, but it's also for your ministry. And there's a lot of things on there. I can help you find some of the good videos if you're looking. But following Jesus reshapes your priorities and purpose. Following Jesus makes a difference in your life. And that leads to number five. Our life becomes a witness. Share what Jesus has done in your life. I say this often, but I think it's so true. If you and I are friends, neighbors, we've known each other for any period of time, we've had an opportunity to discuss whatever we wanted to. If I just went through life, because you're a nice person, and I never shared with you the most important thing that could transform your life, the most important thing to me, I wouldn't be a very good friend, would I? Wouldn't be a very caring person. Be condemned to eternity without Christ because they never heard the message. And they said something like, Well, why didn't Chris tell me? We spent so much time together. Hopefully that will never happen. But real faith does not stay private. Real faith does not stay private. These guys go back to the disciples, they're hiding. It's true, the Lord has risen and appeared to Simon, the group says. And then the two guys that were on the road to Emmaus told what happened on the way and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke bread. And they just wanted to tell these this group to encourage them to be so excited. And sometimes we don't know what to say. Sometimes we don't have all the answers. And John 9 25, the blind man says, I was blind, but now I see. That's a great testimony. And you can tell what you know about what Christ has done in your life. Acts 4.20 says, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard. So again, you don't need all the answers to speak up. Just share what you've seen and what you've heard and what you know. And that can be a great beginning because following Jesus leads to influencing others. Following Jesus leads to influencing others. So to invest your life into someone, to think about, okay, am I truly a Christ follower? Am I truly in Christ? And if I am, what is keeping me from wanting to share the Christ life as I have learned it with others? What's keeping me from training up other people? Because Jesus told us we're supposed to go make disciples. So it's not like we have a choice. We got to figure out how we do it. What's our method? How are we going to get started? If God gives us a person, what are we going to do? The key question is: am I fully following Jesus or just watching him? The disciple is not someone who just believes Jesus, but someone who sees him clearly, responds to his word, moves towards him, and is changed by him and begins to point others to him. And next week we're going to talk more about this. But I just want to, I don't even know. I thought this was interesting. You might think this is the most ridiculous thing. But I was trying to keep it simple, like Dr. Seuss, and I found this. You follow him here, you follow him there, you follow him everywhere with heart laid bare. You trust him in quiet, you trust him in strain, you trust him in sunshine, you trust him in pain. You read his word daily, you learn and you grow, you live what he teaches wherever you go. You pray in the morning, you pray through the day, you walk with your Savior in all that you say. You serve when it's easy, you serve when it's tough. You give when there's plenty, you give when it's rough. You love those beside you, the easy, the hard. You show them that Jesus is truly your guard. You stand when it's costly, you stand when it's rare, you stand for what's right, even when no one will dare. You share what he's done, you speak of his grace, you point others straight to his truth and his face. You grow and keep growing, you don't stay the same. Your life keeps on changing as you follow his name. And the simple truth, at the end, you can say, a disciple of Jesus, no matter how small, is someone who follows him, giving their all. The worship team can come up here. But Jesus, we just thank you for this time. We thank you for your word. So easy to talk about methods and hand people books on disciple making and do training classes, but our heart needs to be in it. And as we continue this series, God, help our hearts to be fully yours. Lord, if there's anybody here that doesn't feel connected to you, maybe they have received Jesus as you as their Lord and Savior. Maybe today is a day they recommit and they even pray something like, Lord Jesus, help me to follow your will and way, not mine. Jesus, help me to be used of you. Bring someone into my life I can start to share with, Lord, I want to do your will, your way, in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, so the next week is helping someone grow in faith. So if someone received Jesus Christ and they come to you, what do you do with them? That's coming up next week. So we're going to sing them.