WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:12.480 Well, if you recall last week, if you were here last week, I opened the sermon with a question, you know, asking how often you reflect on or think about the reality that this isn't your home. 00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:14.720 You're just passing through. 00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:16.480 It's been a week. 00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:18.480 How often have you thought about it? 00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:24.000 Have you woken up these past six days, seven days, thinking, yeah, this is not my home. 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:28.000 I'm passing through, or do you feel more at home? 00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:43.119 And as we were looking at Luke chapter 9 last week, and Jesus is telling the crowd, those who are following him, and some are following because they're being fed free food, or they want to see a miracle happen. 00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:54.799 And he reminds them, if anyone would come after me, if anyone would be a follower of me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 00:00:55.600 --> 00:01:03.119 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 00:01:03.840 --> 00:01:11.040 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:18.159 Are we living for the pleasures of this day and age? 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:20.879 Are we living for the life to come? 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:25.200 And this is the beauty of the song that we just sang, I am not my own. 00:01:25.439 --> 00:01:26.959 I belong to the Lord. 00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:28.640 Oh, I am not my own. 00:01:28.879 --> 00:01:30.799 I belong to the Lord. 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:32.400 I am not my own. 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:34.319 I will honor him, for this I know. 00:01:34.480 --> 00:01:37.680 I belong to the Lord, I am not my own. 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:51.599 And in a day and age where individualism and freedom seems to be the best thing going for us, is that you're free to do whatever you want to do, whatever's going to make you happy, whatever's going to give you pleasure, you're free to do that. 00:01:53.040 --> 00:01:59.599 Just as dangerous as it would be for me to give my son Russell, who's four, complete freedom. 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:03.519 If you know Russell, you can only imagine how bad of an idea that would be. 00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:06.159 That'd be awful, right? 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:09.919 But he would do everything he thought would be fun. 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:15.199 It would be fun and bring him excitement and pleasure. 00:02:16.159 --> 00:02:20.240 It's a blessed thing, Christian, to say, I am not my own. 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:21.919 I belong to the Lord. 00:02:22.159 --> 00:02:24.639 I'm not free to do whatever I want. 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:29.680 And even in that, as Romans would tell us, we belong to the Lord. 00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:35.360 We're slaves to righteousness now, which means we're no longer slaves to sin. 00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:38.639 We're no longer a slave to sin. 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:41.199 We belong to the Lord. 00:02:41.520 --> 00:02:42.800 He has us. 00:02:43.599 --> 00:02:46.560 So in this, Jesus makes this call. 00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:53.360 If anyone's going to come after me, he has to deny himself, no longer belonging to himself or to sin in a sense. 00:02:53.680 --> 00:02:55.360 He must belong to me. 00:02:56.000 --> 00:02:58.479 Take up his cross and follow me. 00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:02.719 And there is so much life to be had in that. 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:17.360 When you understand what Jesus is saying, that when you deny yourself, when you say no to the pleasures, the thrills of life that are sinful, the things that come in and entangle you and steal your affections. 00:03:18.159 --> 00:03:24.400 When you leave those things, when you follow Jesus Christ, there is life to be had. 00:03:25.280 --> 00:03:29.360 It's not just life, it's life. 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:31.680 It's life eternal. 00:03:32.879 --> 00:03:38.639 But verse 24 would say, if you lose it for the sake of Jesus, for his sake, you will save it. 00:03:39.439 --> 00:03:45.280 And your soul, your life, you are of significant eternal value. 00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:47.840 Because Jesus draws this comparison. 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:56.560 You can have the whole world, you can have every pleasure you can imagine to the max, but it's not worth it if you lose yourself. 00:03:57.039 --> 00:03:59.439 If you forfeit yourself. 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:04.800 So the question remains: are we following Jesus? 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:07.280 Are we followers of Jesus? 00:04:07.520 --> 00:04:10.879 Because if we are, we're going to be followers of Jesus. 00:04:12.639 --> 00:04:16.319 Jesus speaks of this language of discipleship. 00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:22.240 I think this is easy for us to hear a sermon on Luke 9 and think, yeah, that makes sense. 00:04:22.560 --> 00:04:28.000 I could be more radical, I could give more away, but in general, I'm sacrificial. 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:30.800 I give to the church money and some time. 00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:36.480 I'm not giving over into addictions or sin in that sense. 00:04:36.639 --> 00:04:40.639 I fight sin, but I'm not, it doesn't have a stronghold in my life. 00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:41.600 That's good. 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:42.639 Praise the Lord for that. 00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:47.439 Those are indicators, marks, and fruit, if you will, for the Lord's work in your life. 00:04:48.240 --> 00:05:06.959 But I think what is almost probably unique to our culture than any other culture where Christianity has been, I shouldn't say a subculture as Christians, is this idea of, well, I am a disciple, and then discipleship just kind of happens. 00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:08.879 It's just kind of out there. 00:05:09.040 --> 00:05:13.839 And, you know, people do it different ways, and they they have different methods for those things. 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:21.040 But I'm not, I'm a disciple, I'm called to be a disciple, but I'm not sure about this discipleship thing. 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:26.879 Now, last week in your bulletin, I gave you a definition of a disciple, follower of Jesus. 00:05:27.199 --> 00:05:30.240 We added to that a little bit discipleship. 00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:31.920 What's discipleship? 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:34.800 It's helping others follow Jesus. 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:36.480 It's pretty simple. 00:05:36.720 --> 00:05:39.199 Trying to make it uh really clear. 00:05:39.519 --> 00:05:45.199 A disciple is one who follows, and discipleship is helping others follow Jesus. 00:05:45.680 --> 00:05:56.720 And it's almost redundant to say, uh, well, I'm a disciple of Jesus and I do discipleship. 00:05:57.040 --> 00:05:59.519 That's kind of a redundant statement. 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:06.879 That's like saying, I'm a loving husband, and I spend time with my wife. 00:06:07.519 --> 00:06:09.120 Well, you can't really separate them. 00:06:09.199 --> 00:06:11.360 If you're a loving husband, you're gonna be spending time with your wife. 00:06:11.519 --> 00:06:17.199 If you're a disciple of Jesus, you're going to make disciples. 00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:20.639 You're gonna be involved in this discipleship activity. 00:06:21.199 --> 00:06:30.319 As one pastor puts it, I think, well, he says, I don't know what you mean when you say you're a follower of Jesus, but you don't make disciples. 00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:41.360 Jesus said, if this is what he's doing, if you're gonna follow him, you're gonna do what he does, then you have to be a part of making disciples. 00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:49.680 Here in Matthew 28, we have this the great commission passage, very well known. 00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:58.800 Jesus has resurrected, he spent some time with his followers, and now he goes to ascend back to glory. 00:06:59.839 --> 00:07:01.519 Verse 16 of Matthew 28. 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:07.439 Now the eleven disciples went from Galilee to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:10.879 And when they saw him, they worshiped him. 00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:13.279 But some doubted. 00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:19.920 And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:32.959 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. 00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:38.399 And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. 00:07:39.839 --> 00:07:41.600 Very well-known passage. 00:07:41.839 --> 00:07:56.000 Alright, you read Matthew 28, and you think, okay, we're missions, we're gonna go do missions, we're gonna send missionaries, all nations, all over the world, and we're gonna do baptism, we're gonna do it the right way, and we're gonna and we're gonna teach them to observe. 00:07:56.160 --> 00:07:57.040 This is awesome. 00:07:57.199 --> 00:07:58.480 And he's with us. 00:07:59.040 --> 00:08:00.000 Wonderful. 00:08:01.120 --> 00:08:09.439 I just want us to unpack this a little bit this morning, and we're gonna kind of camp for a little bit around this idea of baptizing and teaching them. 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:19.040 But first, what Jesus says, remember to those who've who are gathered, some are worshiping, some are doubting. 00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:26.879 He says, all authority, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:29.040 Just in case that doesn't make sense. 00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:30.560 That's all authority. 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:34.720 Any authority that could be had, it's been given to him. 00:08:36.399 --> 00:08:42.559 So he has all the authority, and now he's giving this instruction go. 00:08:44.480 --> 00:08:45.039 Right? 00:08:46.320 --> 00:08:51.679 No one has that kind of authority for Jesus. 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:56.399 And here he says, Go. 00:08:57.120 --> 00:08:59.519 Go do this, go make disciples. 00:08:59.919 --> 00:09:05.519 When I'm teaching my children or trying to instruct them, I'll say, listen, I'm your father. 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:07.360 I'm in charge. 00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:14.159 And we use this language around our house, and I'm not even sure if it's great language, but we just say, I'm the boss. 00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:14.960 Okay? 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:17.120 I'm the boss. 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:21.200 And you need to go because I have authority over you. 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:27.279 You need to go and do what I'm telling you to do because I'm your father, I'm your parent. 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:36.720 Clarifying, I have the right, the full and complete right, and I'm giving you a good command, go. 00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:39.120 And Jesus has all authority. 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:40.879 There's no other place to appeal. 00:09:41.039 --> 00:09:45.360 And he says, Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations. 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:56.799 He's not sending them out, saying, I have a lot of authority, and I think, followers, I think we can pull this off. 00:09:57.600 --> 00:10:04.960 Calculated the numbers, ran some scenarios, I got some power, I think we can get this some, we can make some headway. 00:10:05.039 --> 00:10:06.720 We can move the ball forward. 00:10:07.200 --> 00:10:07.519 No. 00:10:07.919 --> 00:10:10.240 He says, I got I got all the authority. 00:10:10.720 --> 00:10:16.320 Because he knows what he's sending them out to do is spiritual. 00:10:16.639 --> 00:10:17.840 It's significant. 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:26.000 And it deals with authority and power, not just human authority, but spiritual authority and spiritual power. 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:37.600 As 1 John 5, 19 says, we know that we are from God and that the whole world, those who are not Christians, lies in the power of the evil one. 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:45.519 So Jesus is commissioning his followers to go to places that are that lie in power. 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:47.279 Their power lies with the evil one. 00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:51.519 They're under the sway of the evil one, under his influence. 00:10:52.639 --> 00:10:58.879 But that is not to deter them because they are with Jesus and He has all authority. 00:10:59.200 --> 00:11:00.240 All authority. 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:03.360 So Christians go with this power. 00:11:03.600 --> 00:11:07.279 And as we probably all know, there's a bunch of weird ways that people mess that up. 00:11:07.519 --> 00:11:07.759 Right? 00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:11.519 I have the power, so no, it's kind of about me, or let me prove my power to you. 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:12.559 No, no, no, no. 00:11:12.720 --> 00:11:14.720 This is about Jesus and his power. 00:11:14.879 --> 00:11:19.919 He's given it to us so we can point others to Jesus and they can see his power. 00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:24.080 So we go and make disciples. 00:11:25.039 --> 00:11:27.200 Because Jesus has commissioned us. 00:11:27.440 --> 00:11:39.759 He has the authority to commission us, and he's guaranteed that with him there's this authority that we will have, this ability to see fruit, because all authority rests in him. 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:49.600 So you might sit and think, man, well, how discipleship, like, how's that gonna really change the world? 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:55.840 You know, talking with people about Jesus, opening the Bible, praying together, like, how's that gonna change a heart? 00:11:56.000 --> 00:11:58.080 How's that gonna transform someone? 00:11:58.399 --> 00:12:01.519 And if you're not a Christian, that's a reasonable question. 00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:06.159 Or if you're a really young Christian, you've grown up in the church and you don't really know, that's a reasonable question. 00:12:06.320 --> 00:12:14.799 But there's plenty of people that who have just they're running with the ways of the world, and they start to hear the word being preached. 00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:24.000 They start hearing someone explain the good news of the gospel and the scriptures, and they're reading them and they're praying them, and they start to change. 00:12:24.320 --> 00:12:27.679 And they're they're born again and who they once were, they are no longer. 00:12:27.840 --> 00:12:30.480 The things they love, they now hate, and the things they hated, they now love. 00:12:30.559 --> 00:12:31.600 And how does that happen? 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:35.440 Well, it's through God's word and God's spirit. 00:12:35.840 --> 00:12:39.519 That gets there through discipleship. 00:12:40.159 --> 00:12:43.840 Go and make disciples disciples of all nations. 00:12:44.639 --> 00:12:51.039 Romans 10, 13 through 15 says, For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 00:12:51.840 --> 00:12:57.360 How then will they call on him in whom they have not heard or not believed? 00:12:57.600 --> 00:13:02.240 And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? 00:13:02.480 --> 00:13:06.240 And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 00:13:06.480 --> 00:13:09.440 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? 00:13:10.960 --> 00:13:15.679 And he quotes Isaiah, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news. 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:21.840 See, there is a going and a declaring aspect to discipleship. 00:13:22.080 --> 00:13:25.759 We're going to go to declare who God is. 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:33.200 And with that, when that happens, faithfully, what you'll see is this repentance happening. 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:35.440 A change of nature. 00:13:35.679 --> 00:13:43.039 Something that humans cannot bring about, something that mere words cannot bring about, but a true repentance and a faith. 00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:47.600 A faith in a God that they once hated or they did not know about. 00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:50.480 We call that conversion. 00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:52.000 Conversion. 00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:58.639 Conversion is a really important Christian doctrine that you were dead in your sins, and now you're made alive in Christ. 00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:03.360 You're heading this way, and then God had saved you, and you're not heading this way. 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:06.879 There's a wonderful yellow book back there on the welcome table about conversion. 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:08.720 If you have questions, talk with me. 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:10.960 Talk to Pastor Jimmy or someone else. 00:14:11.200 --> 00:14:12.240 Grab that book. 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:15.679 We need to have a good and right understanding of conversion. 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:16.879 Right? 00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:18.159 Amazing grace? 00:14:18.320 --> 00:14:19.919 It's about conversion. 00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:26.399 Conversion happens when the gospel is faithfully proclaimed. 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:30.320 And then the church is to identify, right? 00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:31.440 Through baptism. 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:32.799 We're to identify men. 00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:34.480 These people are changed. 00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:36.080 They've been converted. 00:14:36.320 --> 00:14:38.159 They're with Jesus now. 00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:43.360 And so we're going to give them a symbol that represents what's happened spiritually. 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:48.320 They were alive, they died in Christ, they've been resurrected in new life with Christ. 00:14:48.480 --> 00:14:51.279 That is the symbol, the sign of baptism. 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:54.639 We're going to show them and show the world. 00:14:54.879 --> 00:14:57.519 And these are followers of Jesus. 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:01.759 They once were dead and now that they now they are alive. 00:15:02.080 --> 00:15:06.159 And then we're to teach them, to obey, to disciple them. 00:15:06.879 --> 00:15:11.440 So this discipleship, it begins to happen. 00:15:11.919 --> 00:15:18.480 I think one of the things about discipleship, it's kind of hard to put your finger on, is like, well, what exactly is it? 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:20.399 Where does it happen? 00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:21.039 Right? 00:15:21.679 --> 00:15:24.480 Is this right now discipleship? 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:38.879 Or when we're having a meal together and someone's kind of sharing a situation they're at in life, and some other person says, hey, you know, I was reading the Bible and this is what it said, and I think it connects to that, and I want to give you some encouragement. 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:41.120 Or is that discipleship? 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:54.799 Is it in the evening when you're gathered with your family and everyone sits quietly as you read the Bible in Latin to your children, and then they sing back to you all these things, and they memorize the catechism? 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:56.639 Is that discipleship? 00:15:57.039 --> 00:15:58.240 It's a joke. 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:06.720 Or is it when you meet up with someone in a coffee shop and you talk about life and you point them to Jesus? 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:08.480 Is that discipleship? 00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:17.360 Or is it when you're together and you say, hey, let's go exercise and let's talk about the things of the Lord as we run or as we lift weights or whatever? 00:16:17.679 --> 00:16:19.200 I think you probably can guess. 00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:22.320 All those things are discipleship. 00:16:22.559 --> 00:16:26.960 Because discipleship is helping others follow Jesus. 00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:31.440 So when you're helping others follow Jesus, you're doing discipleship. 00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:44.000 Okay, so I think that it's good for us to understand that as we think about discipleship, how it happens, I would say first and foremost, it does happen here. 00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:46.240 The gathering of the church. 00:16:46.480 --> 00:16:47.600 Church gathered. 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:58.559 It's the ecclesia, the gathering of the church, where we sing together, where we pray together, where we repent together, where we encourage one another. 00:16:58.720 --> 00:17:03.120 This is our primary discipleship time. 00:17:03.360 --> 00:17:10.480 And we have the means of grace, the ordinary means of grace of God's word and God's prayer, gathering with the saints. 00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:13.759 And we can do that when we're not gathered. 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:22.240 But there is also the grace that comes with confessing corporately together, the grace that does come through the ordinances of communion and baptism. 00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:26.720 So there's a particularly unique thing that's going on as the church gathers. 00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:32.160 It's our primary discipleship effort as a church is right here, right now. 00:17:32.319 --> 00:17:34.880 And that's why we prioritize Sundays. 00:17:35.039 --> 00:17:38.880 That's why we're commanded in Scripture and Hebrews 10 not to forsake the gathering. 00:17:39.039 --> 00:17:45.119 That's why we're to prioritize, as the church has a pattern of doing in the New Testament and 2,000 years since. 00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:50.079 Of saying, man, if I'm not sick or I'm not out of town, I'm gonna be at church. 00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:51.680 I think I'm commanded. 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:54.559 I think my conscience should bind me there. 00:17:54.720 --> 00:17:56.640 I should, I need to be there. 00:17:56.880 --> 00:17:57.200 Right? 00:17:57.359 --> 00:18:00.559 Not because Rick's just an awesome preacher. 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:02.720 Amen. 00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:03.279 Okay. 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:06.400 Um maybe it is, maybe that's why you're here. 00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:10.960 But you're here because God does something miraculous. 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:19.839 When ordinary people open God's word, they sing together of God's excellencies. 00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:20.000 Okay. 00:18:20.640 --> 00:18:22.720 They confess sin together. 00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:24.880 They hear the word preached. 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:26.799 God does something in us. 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:30.960 And I've used this analogy several times, and if you heard it, great. 00:18:31.039 --> 00:18:33.200 If you haven't, hopefully you enjoy it. 00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:35.920 Sundays are like meals. 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:37.759 It's like dinner. 00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:40.720 You're gonna forget this sermon. 00:18:41.039 --> 00:18:42.799 I'll probably forget this sermon. 00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:44.160 And you won't remember it. 00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:47.599 Just like you don't remember what you had for dinner Tuesday, three weeks ago. 00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:48.640 You don't remember. 00:18:48.880 --> 00:18:53.519 But hopefully it was good and it nourished you, it fed you. 00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:56.160 You needed that meal, right? 00:18:56.559 --> 00:19:08.559 So the same way, like this, not this isn't a mountaintop experience every time we gather on Sundays, but it is us communing with the Lord, and it is us being nourished in the Lord. 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:12.240 So that's why we prioritize, gather with the church. 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:14.960 Our primary discipleship happens here. 00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:18.000 And then from there, there's all kinds of ways. 00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:22.880 We as a church do small groups, we call them community groups because we're so cool and hip. 00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:28.559 And we have these groups that come together usually on Thursdays and they share a meal together, they get in the word. 00:19:28.880 --> 00:19:32.319 Um, if your group is like our group, there's a lot of children, which is great. 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:37.200 A lot of those children are my children and other people's children, and it's loud, it's chaotic, but it's real. 00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:40.319 And we try to encourage one another and pray and get in the word together. 00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:42.319 That's a discipleship element. 00:19:42.880 --> 00:19:44.000 There's different groups. 00:19:44.160 --> 00:19:49.279 There's groups of guys, groups of gals who get together, open the word, confess sin to each other. 00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:52.799 We don't oversee those, we just encourage people to go start those groups. 00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:56.160 You're a Christian, you want to get some people together to read God's word, you're like, go do that. 00:19:56.240 --> 00:19:59.039 You don't need my permission, you don't need Jimmy's permission. 00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:02.880 Um, if it gets crazy, it'll get back to us, and we'll we'll deal with that then. 00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:05.039 There's also classes we do. 00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:07.119 We do, usually once a month, we do a class. 00:20:07.200 --> 00:20:09.359 We have periodic things where we do some teachings. 00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:14.240 That's some discipleship or trying to help people understand how to follow Jesus. 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:16.559 And there's much more relational. 00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:20.160 I think this is primarily what people think of when they think of discipleship. 00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:32.160 You know, so this is the hey, are you meeting up with someone weekly or regularly, and you're reading through the Bible together, and you're talking about your sin struggles, you're being honest and open with them. 00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:35.440 And then there's the intermittent, just kind of happens. 00:20:35.599 --> 00:20:37.359 Someone has a question, hey, can we grab coffee? 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:38.480 Yeah, let's meet up. 00:20:38.640 --> 00:20:41.839 Um, just kind of happens sporadically, right? 00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:48.240 And I just want to I just want to say, you know, there's all kinds of ways to do discipleship. 00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:51.119 Sometimes we have people into our house. 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:58.160 It's great, we have all these kids, it's wonderful, but it's it's not as focused, it's not as quiet as when just one-on-one. 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:02.240 Sometimes you have to trust the Lord. 00:21:02.480 --> 00:21:03.759 And it's not ideal. 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:11.440 Maybe your house isn't as clean, your apartment isn't as clean, or you haven't read enough scripture, but you trust the Lord. 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:25.359 So here's the thing I want to just make really clear, and I want to be, I want to be, I want to walk the line of it's this isn't the law, but it's but it's the command to make disciples, is that it has to be a regular element of your life. 00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:28.240 Okay, so what I'm I'm not saying it has to be every week. 00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:34.079 I'm not saying every month you have to have met with five people or ten people or whatever. 00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:35.759 But there is an element. 00:21:36.640 --> 00:21:37.839 It's gotta be regular. 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:39.200 It should be regular. 00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:45.599 And I get you have a season where maybe you're renovating a house or someone's really sick, or those kinds of things happen. 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:47.680 I, you know, there's exceptions to that. 00:21:47.920 --> 00:21:52.319 But in general, this is a regular thing that you as a Christian are trying to do. 00:21:52.480 --> 00:21:55.759 You're trying to go and help others follow Jesus. 00:21:56.160 --> 00:21:57.119 It's just regular. 00:21:57.200 --> 00:21:58.400 It's what Christians do. 00:21:58.640 --> 00:21:59.200 Does that make sense? 00:21:59.279 --> 00:22:03.200 We're gonna To help others follow Jesus. 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:09.279 That is a challenge, though, because oftentimes we have fear that comes in. 00:22:09.440 --> 00:22:11.279 There's the fear of man. 00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:14.960 Man, what if what if I don't have all the questions? 00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:16.480 Well, that's an easy one. 00:22:16.559 --> 00:22:18.240 You don't, so that's good. 00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:21.039 What if they we don't click? 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:25.200 What if like just our personalities just doesn't click and it's kind of awkward? 00:22:25.279 --> 00:22:27.039 It's like, that's okay. 00:22:27.359 --> 00:22:30.880 You know, we weren't commanded to go and click with those we click with. 00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:37.279 So don't worry about how that person's gonna perceive you or that, but just just go and trust the Lord. 00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:41.039 Another thing that keeps us from this is just our comfort. 00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:43.599 I mean, I love my Saturday mornings. 00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:48.319 I don't want to go spend that, you know, time that's precious and you know, everyone's busy. 00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:49.519 It's kind of a family day. 00:22:49.599 --> 00:22:51.119 I want to I want to protect that time. 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:53.119 I get that. 00:22:53.599 --> 00:22:55.680 Same time, we're living for a kingdom of glory. 00:22:55.759 --> 00:22:56.799 We're living for heaven. 00:22:56.960 --> 00:23:04.319 So are you looking to kind of protect and comfort yourself and insulate yourself and say, I don't want to do those things. 00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:10.400 I mean, just to be real honest, like what like what else needs to get done? 00:23:11.200 --> 00:23:11.759 Right? 00:23:12.319 --> 00:23:14.480 All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me. 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:16.880 Go therefore and make disciples. 00:23:17.440 --> 00:23:21.200 You're right, Jesus, but I have a lot of canning to do. 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:24.880 I have a lot of Netflix I gotta catch up on. 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:26.720 I guess I gotta study for a test. 00:23:26.880 --> 00:23:34.000 I'm gonna go to college to get a degree to go in the workforce so that I can work, so that I can die and go to heaven. 00:23:34.559 --> 00:23:40.480 Like if you just, I'm not trying to oversimplify it, but it's like, what else is there to do than follow Jesus? 00:23:40.720 --> 00:23:41.759 This is what we're doing. 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:43.279 We're following Jesus. 00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:46.400 And now is the time to follow him. 00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:50.559 Let's say a word to parents. 00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:52.480 Just want to encourage you. 00:23:52.640 --> 00:23:58.160 Hopefully, you know this, that your primary area of discipleship is your children. 00:23:58.960 --> 00:24:03.119 Your primary area of discipleship is your children. 00:24:03.759 --> 00:24:07.039 But that's not your only area of discipleship. 00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:08.880 And praise the Lord. 00:24:09.440 --> 00:24:20.400 Praise the Lord that the gospel didn't go forth and spread over the whole world because only singles and only people without kids made disciples. 00:24:20.720 --> 00:24:21.279 All right? 00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:24.880 So we are called to go and make disciples. 00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:30.400 And if you have children, that's gonna look different than if you're single or if your kids are out of the house or whatever. 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:31.359 It's just gonna be different. 00:24:31.440 --> 00:24:32.240 I get that. 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:35.920 But you can't hide behind this while I'm discipling my children. 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:41.119 Therefore, I'm exempt from doing other discipleship. 00:24:41.920 --> 00:24:44.640 I'm sorry if I'm stepping on toes this morning. 00:24:44.799 --> 00:24:50.640 My intent is to think clearly as a church about discipleship and how we're to obey the command of Christ. 00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:58.240 You know, supporting the church financially, serving on a team here is wonderful. 00:24:58.480 --> 00:25:05.200 We would not be able to gather as a church like this, as we do now, if we did not have teams of volunteers. 00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:08.000 We're thankful for so many people who serve. 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:15.920 But serving on a Sunday, as wonderful as that is, does not mean that you are necessarily making disciples. 00:25:16.160 --> 00:25:18.799 No doubt it's helping in a lot of things. 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:24.160 It's helping this to happen, that all the children are not all in here. 00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:31.440 There's some who are downstairs and they're being well taken care of, and that we're gonna have a meal, and there's people who are watching with security, and all these things are happening. 00:25:31.519 --> 00:25:33.440 We're grateful for those things. 00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:42.240 But we don't hide behind those and say, well, I'm contributing to helping others because I'm just I'm doing a task here. 00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:52.720 You know, I could buy groceries, I can meal plan, but if I don't cook the meal, I'm not feeding anyone. 00:25:52.880 --> 00:25:55.440 I'm not feeding them, I'm not doing the task. 00:25:55.680 --> 00:26:08.079 I can buy all the tools I want, I can search for the internet for hours trying to find the right design and buy all the material, but if I don't put my hands to work, I'm not completing the project. 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:18.799 This is where we have to be particularly careful that we're not kind of, in a sense, dodging the command to be disciple makers. 00:26:19.440 --> 00:26:22.960 Because we kind of see, well, I'm doing this here, I'm doing that here. 00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:27.359 And therefore, I don't have to be engaged. 00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:32.319 Like, I don't have to be like the person talking to the other person about Jesus. 00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:34.799 That's just not my gifting. 00:26:35.119 --> 00:26:41.039 No, brother and sister, when Jesus saved you, it became your gifting. 00:26:41.359 --> 00:26:46.640 You are as gifted as anyone else in disciple making because you have Jesus Christ. 00:26:46.880 --> 00:26:55.839 And if you're doubting that, I want to encourage you to trust the Lord to step out in faith and go and disciple someone. 00:26:56.160 --> 00:27:09.119 Go and say, hey, let's open the word together, let's meet up for coffee, come to my house, whatever that, however frequent or whatever, go and trust the Lord and his word and his spirit and see what he might do. 00:27:10.480 --> 00:27:17.119 And this practical, practically speaking, people ask, well, what do we do in discipleship? 00:27:17.200 --> 00:27:21.200 Like you're saying, have people over to your house, meet up for coffee, whatever. 00:27:21.359 --> 00:27:22.799 Like, what are we gonna do? 00:27:23.119 --> 00:27:25.440 Well, you're gonna open the word, you can open the Bible. 00:27:25.519 --> 00:27:27.039 It's great, it's fantastic. 00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:37.039 You don't need to have gone to seminary, you don't have to have a degree in the Bible, you don't have to know the original languages, or be having gone through Sunday school, or any of those things. 00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:42.720 If you have Jesus, you have Jesus, you have enough. 00:27:43.359 --> 00:27:46.400 Now there's also other resources that are helpful. 00:27:46.480 --> 00:27:50.000 There could be books that focus on theology, if that's helpful. 00:27:50.079 --> 00:27:58.480 There's books that focus on relationships and books that focus on missions or books that focus on holiness, books that focus on the attributes of God. 00:27:58.640 --> 00:28:01.680 All these things can be helpful, wonderful. 00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:07.119 But the Bible, obviously, is our primary resource. 00:28:07.359 --> 00:28:09.200 So if you're using another resource, that's great. 00:28:09.279 --> 00:28:14.160 Just make sure it's always coming back to how we're thinking and using the Bible. 00:28:14.400 --> 00:28:18.079 So the Bible's our primary resource. 00:28:19.440 --> 00:28:20.640 So how do we do it? 00:28:20.720 --> 00:28:23.359 How do we go make disciples where we're regular? 00:28:23.680 --> 00:28:25.359 We're regularly doing this. 00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:29.200 It's a pattern of life, it's in our schedule. 00:28:29.839 --> 00:28:33.279 We're using the Bible as the primary resource. 00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:35.599 Again, all of the resources, great. 00:28:36.079 --> 00:28:36.720 If they're good. 00:28:36.799 --> 00:28:39.440 There's a lot of bad resources out there, too. 00:28:39.680 --> 00:28:41.119 But we're using these things. 00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:43.440 And why are we why are we doing this? 00:28:43.680 --> 00:28:45.279 So that others might grow. 00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:46.480 There's this teaching. 00:28:46.880 --> 00:28:50.640 Help them grow in Christ's likeness. 00:28:50.799 --> 00:28:52.799 You're gonna help them grow in their knowing. 00:28:53.519 --> 00:29:00.720 Hey, man, you've been, I know you and your girlfriend are living together, but you need to know that Jesus has a better way for you to live. 00:29:01.039 --> 00:29:03.359 And you you need to change how you're living. 00:29:03.440 --> 00:29:04.160 That's a knowledge. 00:29:04.240 --> 00:29:05.599 You gotta know that. 00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:08.000 So now you know it, but you don't want to do it. 00:29:08.160 --> 00:29:13.200 Well, let's talk about the life that comes when we obey Scripture, when we trust God's word. 00:29:13.519 --> 00:29:19.359 Let's pray that God would change your heart in this area and give you wisdom and obedience in this. 00:29:22.400 --> 00:29:23.839 We all need this. 00:29:24.240 --> 00:29:28.000 Keep growing in our knowing and growing in our obedience. 00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:30.799 No one outgrows discipleship. 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:38.160