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Every one of us in this room is a disciple. Every single one of us that sit here is a disciple. Now, disciple is not a word we use very much in our culture. It's not a common word in our language, our everyday vocabulary, but it's a biblical term, and uh it's a term that was not only used in scripture, but has been used in other religious uh practices. And so the idea of being a disciple is what I want us to spend some time focusing on because it's very important and essential for us uh to be a disciple, um to be an intentional disciple, and we'll talk some about that tonight, um, if we're gonna grow, if we're gonna mature in our faith, if we're gonna learn, if we're gonna develop. And so for some of you, maybe maybe you're not a believer in Christ, maybe you're not a Christian, uh, maybe you have never put your faith and trust in the claims of who Christ is, what he did on did on the cross for all of mankind and anyone who would receive the gift of salvation, like he offers life. Maybe you haven't made that decision, maybe you haven't come to that place where you really believe that. Hey, listen, this is a safe place to uh to doubt and to question and to wrestle through that, okay? But if you have, um, my challenge to you and to myself, because I've made that decision, saying, Christ, I trust you, you are my savior, you're my Lord, and I want to follow you, is that we would step in and say, God, would you help me to grow as a disciple? Would you help me to grow as a follower of you? Okay. Um, my uh my son Leaf, uh, who is six years old, it's a lot of fun being a dad as your kids grow up in your home, uh, even though there's some challenging days to parenting, there's also some really fun ones. And uh yesterday we went to the outlet malls down in uh San Marcos, and uh we were down there looking around for some summer clothes because my kids just keep growing. I don't know what the deal is. Every year, like their clothes don't fit anymore. And so um, we had to go try to see if we could find them some summer clothes because it's starting to get hot. And uh and so we were down there at the outlet mall, and I don't know what it was, but my son decided that he had to have a hat for the summer, and he wanted a hat just like his dad's, and which that was cool. I like that, you know. I like the fact my son likes me. And uh and I have this black hat that I got at um Marshall's like a Hurley hat, and uh, and so I I enjoy wearing it, and he he's always liked that hat. So he's just determined he's gonna find a hat like dad's. And so we went to store after store after store, and at you know, every time we go in, we look around and disappointment on his face. No, they don't have a hat here. And the last store we went to, I think it was store like number eight or nine, and uh they had the hat, and his face just lit up like he was so fired up and so excited. So some of you came to my house earlier today, uh, you saw him wearing this black hat that he had on, the little Hurley logo. Yeah, so that was like a big deal because we found that hat. But I'm the cheap dad. I was like, there's no way I'm buying that hat because that's way too much for a hat for a six-year-old boy, because that's probably gonna get lifted the swimming pool this summer and we'll never see it again. But at least right now, um, he's got this cool hat and he's wearing it around. And he was like so excited that as soon as we got home last night, he went and put it on. Um, he had had a new shirt on that has the sleeves cut off so he could show off his muscles. And um, and then he came and he said, Dad, dad, dad, where's your hat? And so then he went to the closet and he got my hat out, and then he brought it to me and he made me put mine on and tilt it just to the side, just like his was because it has a flat bill, because he had to have a flat bill. And so now we're both wearing our hats, and he just thinks it's the coolest thing, right? And I'm like, it's a hat, you know? But to him it was a big deal because now I've got a hat like my dad's. You see, that's discipleship. It's when when there's somebody in our life that we want to be like. I mean, just simply put, there's somebody that we want to imitate, we want to follow, we want to be like them. Um now I know there is a day coming when he's gonna think I'm the biggest dork on the planet, but at least right now my son thinks I'm cool, okay? Because every kid gets there, right? I need a place to set this copy down before I like toss it on Christoph over here. Um but but the the the the thing that I want to say is that um when we think about the word discipleship, I just want to kind of um uncomplicate it for us and think about it practically. What does it mean to be a disciple and what does it mean to make disciples? And if we are going to be the church that God has called us to be, and again, if you're a visitor to us uh tonight, uh we just welcome into this conversation about how we want to grow to be a disciple-making church, because we believe that that's what Christ has called us to do. In fact, if you'll go with me in your Bible to Matthew 28, we're gonna look at some verses at the end of Jesus' life where he's talking to his disciples, um, specifically eleven, because they had lost one of them, um Judas. And even if you don't know much about church, maybe you've heard the name Judas before, because Judas was the one of the twelve disciples who decided to betray Jesus, his leader, his rabbi, at the end of Jesus' life. And so now there's only eleven, and Jesus is trying to give them some final instructions in Matthew 28, and we're gonna start in verse 16. So if you want to follow along with me, we're gonna read this and just kind of download this a little bit tonight, and try to make this uh uh maybe a working definition, if you will, for discipleship that we can come back to over the coming weeks. So here's what it says: Matthew 28, verse 16. And if you don't have a Bible, by the way, there's some Bibles in the front of those uh chairs in front of you, there's underneath, and uh grab one of those. And if you don't own a Bible, take it with you, it's your free gift. Okay. Says this, verse 16. The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, and that was where Jesus spent most of his life growing up, okay, as a boy. Jesus from Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. Isn't that interesting? Just to make a note there, that Jesus had twelve disciples, one of them betrays him. Eleven now are still around. He's given them final instructions. They've seen him for almost 40 days, is what the scripture teaches us. And it says that as he's giving them final instructions, that even out of the eleven, some doubted Jesus. Makes me feel better when I have my moments of weakness, when I have my days of doubt, that even those who had been with him all that time still struggled. But it says this Then Jesus came near, and he said to them, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make, everybody say it together, disciples, 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 everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always to the end of the age. As I said, if you're following along with me in the notes, everyone is a disciple. Everyone is a disciple. And I want us to talk about tonight four things that help us understand what a disciple is. Now, this is whether you're a disciple or a follower of Jesus or not, this is what a disciple is. First one is simply this a disciple is someone who follows. A disciple follows. Now, let me explain to you really fast, even from this passage. Clearly, Jesus had spent a lot of time and energy and effort in discipling these twelve that he had been given, and now the eleven that are left. He had spent three years investing every single day into these guys, teaching them, growing them, developing them, okay? But all of their discipleship started with an invitation. It started with an invitation. Jesus said to them, as Matthew was sitting at the tax collector, by the way, you've got to understand, Matthew is a uh a hated man in his culture. I mean, he is he is a dude that no one wanted to befriend. He had to be have a lonely existence because as a tax collector, not exactly uh the guy that everybody's like, man, uh, we want to be like him or we want to hang out with him. Tax collectors were known for not being honest, for stealing, and even the way they they lived their lives was just not one that people really um would have condoned, especially Christians or believers or followers of Jesus. Um we get Matthew, and what happens is Matthew is sitting there at the tax collector's table, collecting taxes. Jesus comes to him and he says, Come and follow me. Matthew gets up from his table where he's collecting those taxes and he follows. You get some of the other disciples who are fishermen, and they're out with their nets, and they're cleaning their nets after their day of fishing. I'm hearing some music. Anyone hearing music? I'm hearing music through the monitors or something. I don't know where it's coming from. Hey, there it is. Okay, sweet. I'd like to have a little background music here. Sorry. So here they are, they're cleaning their nets, and Jesus comes while they're there and he says, Come follow me. And they drop their nets and they follow. You see, discipleship starts with an invitation. An invitation to follow. And so a disciple is one who follows. And here's the thing: we have to decide, just as the disciples did, who is in charge. Because to follow requires me to leave behind what I know and what I'm doing, my own agenda, my own focus, my own way of life, to go and to follow someone else's agenda, someone else's way of life. And so these guys literally had to abandon everything, leave it there, and to go and to follow Jesus. But a disciple is one who makes that decision to say, I'm going to follow, whether that's Jesus or someone else. But to follow. You see, the discipling process always starts with that invitation. It's not a forced decision, but it is an offer. That's why when I tell people about Christ and what he has done for them, once they have a clear understanding, I try to remind people: Jesus doesn't make us follow him. In fact, if you're here tonight and you don't believe in Jesus Christ, that he was the Son of God who died and who was buried and then who rose again, like it's not my job to make you believe that message. It is my job to tell you that that message is true and it's beautiful and it's life-changing, because we can be set free from all of the shame and the guilt and the fear that our our rebellion to God brings because of the person and work of Jesus, who, though we are not good enough and never could be good enough, he was perfect and he was sufficient. And so the point I want us to make, I want to make tonight in that to begin with, is that we have to decide, are we going to follow Jesus? It's an invitation to come and to follow. You see, here's the thing. Every one of us are following someone. We're all on a journey going in a direction, following someone or something at times. But we're all moving in a discipling type of relationship. So hold on to that. We're going to come back to it in a minute. The next thing we see is not only that a disciple follows, but that a disciple learns. A disciple learns. They're a learner. There is a content to discipleship. There is information that we have to learn to be a disciple. And so that information shapes the way that we think about life. It shapes our worldview. I don't know if you use that word, worldview or not, but there's a way of thinking about how information it sets a lens through which we see all of life. And so I am a dad, and the way I see my role as a dad is shaped by the information I've taken in about what a dad is, right? And for some of us, that's been good information, and for some of us, that's been bad information. For some of us, we've been told something that is good and right in the way that God intended. And for some of us, we've been shown and told information that's not what God intended for a dad to look like, or a husband to look like, or for those women, a wife, or just a woman in general, okay? And here's the thing: in life, we have to understand that we are always being bombarded with information, with messages, with data that's coming at us. I mean, that's the way the world works, right? And we're information junkies. I mean, we live in a day and age where we can get on the internet and just absorb so much data, so much information, so much stuff. And you know what? Here's the thing. We've got to know how to filter that stuff. We've got to know how to actually have a grid of truth that helps us let in what is good, but to keep out what is not good. Because the problem is that so much information is coming at us, and if we don't make an intentional decision to say we're gonna filter it, we will just passively absorb things that will shape our values and will shape our ways of life. They will define our worth for us. They will define our roles for us, they will shape how we spend our money, they will shape what we make is our highest goal and highest aim in life. Are you with me? And so we have to be really careful the information that we are absorbing into our life because here's the thing. You guys know that people get paid millions and millions of dollars to advertise to us every day, to sell us a picture of what our reality should be. Right? And you and I have to think about that because a disciple is one who learns, who is bringing in that content, and his, and whether it's explicit content or whether it's subversive, whether it's, you know, it's like you see it really obviously, or whether it's just kind of seeping in, information is coming into our life. It's coming into our minds. And I see this in my own life. I mean, um, I'm an Apple junkie, I love Apple stuff. And uh, and it's funny because Apple's now like, you know, they're getting out cooled by some of the other people because they're starting to use it against them that so many people like Apple, but I like Apple products, so I like, you know, like iPhones and iMacs and all that stuff. But what's funny is that every time the new one comes out, like, man, they are incredible marketers. They are incredible. And maybe I'm just maybe I'm just dumb, but I every time they they they know how to like, oh man, look at this feature. And honestly, it hasn't changed that much, you know. It's like when Siri came out, the little voice thing on there. It's like that had been going on with other phones for a long time, but the way they marketed it was everything. And to make you think you have to have this, you know? I mean, we give teenagers a really hard time about the have-to syndrome. I've got to have this, mom. I need it. I've got to have this. I mean, I'm I've we got our 10-year-old daughter, Aubryn, who, I mean, she's a really awesome girl, but I've already seeing her be impacted as a pre-adolescent, like she's really struggling because all around, and then she's not even in a public school environment right now where every day she's bombarded by friends who are telling her, you've got to have this, or this is what defines you, this is what makes it cool. But but we see the culture advertising and shaping and selling us ideas, don't we? And they're good at it. They're good at it. And we need to understand that because I'm not saying it's all wrong and evil and yuck to have that kind of stuff. Um, in fact, I mean, I'm standing here, I've got an iPhone in my pocket. Okay? I'm not saying that stuff is bad, we should get rid of it. I'm saying we've got to be careful what we let define us and how we absorb information in that shapes the way we we live our lives. Okay. So it's got an information about it, it's got a content to it, and that information is influencing our lives. Here's the next thing that does. A disciple also obeys. A disciple also obeys. Notice what it says in verse 20. And by the way, I skipped over this, but in verse 20, it starts out by saying, teaching them. The first thing that he tells his disciples is he says, to teach them, to teach them. Um that's where the information, the learning comes in, that he's giving his disciples a command, a direct instruction to teach others. But notice he says, he goes on to say, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And in some uh translations, I think it's the NIV particularly, it actually says, to obey everything that I have commanded you. And what he's trying to get across is that information is great, but when we implement the information, that's when we know we actually are believing it and actually uh applying it, if you will. And so he says that a disciple is one who not only learns information, but actually obeys. And here's the thing: all of us are obeying, being controlled by, being instructed by, that's shaping our behavior by things in our lives. We are uh implementing behavior that's consistent with what we believe, and it's consistent with um what we value. And our obedience is taking uh what we know and actually applying it, actually living it out, okay? And so um I know with my kids that um this is always an issue in my house, right? Uh learning to obey. So my kids, we talk to them about a specific definition of obedience that helps us. I'm not sure it's helped them yet, but maybe one day it will. And we tell our kids all the time obedience is doing what I'm told to do when I'm told to do it with a right heart attitude. We tell our kids that over and over and over and over again. What I'm told to do, when I'm told to do it, with a right heart attitude. And every now and then I'm reminded that I don't even do that. Right? But I we tell them that obedience is doing exactly what you're told to do. It's just doing it when there's a time frame that you do it in, and then it's doing it with a happy heart, with a right heart attitude, because my kids don't get right heart attitude, we use happy heart. But that this kind of sounds fluffy too, right? But a happy heart. So, like if my daughter and her life, uh, any of them, uh the three daughters, or any of either one of my sons, though Cray's not quite there yet, but let's say um I give them an instruction and they do it only partially, they do it when I tell them to do it, and they even do it with a good attitude, but they only do it partially. Is that obedience? No, it's not. Or how about this? What if they do exactly what I told them to do, but they do it five minutes after I told them to do it, even though they do it with a good attitude? Is that obedience? No. What if they do exactly what I tell them to do when I tell them to do it, but the whole time they're kicking and screaming and slamming the doors and being angry? Is that obedience? No. Okay, just making sure you're with me. No, it's not obedience because obedience is doing what I'm told to do when I'm told to do it, with a right heart attitude. As a disciple, we obey the instructions of those who are discipling, uh, particularly again, Jesus, but we obey them. It's implementation of what the of the information that we have taken into our lives. And here's the thing is that obedience requires humility and it requires a submissive heart. And that is like the antonym of our culture, isn't it? I mean, isn't isn't it just um the norm to be prideful and resistant to instruction? And like wanting to be in charge and not being under authority? I mean, we do everything we can to try to undermine authority in our world. Um, and maybe again, as I just look around and I observe, the way I see this playing out a lot of times is we try to we try to see authorities and uh positions of leaderships and we try to pick apart their character or pick apart things that we don't like, the inconsistencies that are there, so we don't have to obey what's going on. And that's happened a lot in our schools, isn't it? As kids are learning, they're growing up in school systems where um they're they're able to pick apart the authority, and because um that authority doesn't have backing from the authorities over them, and because mom and dad always take the pay the kid's side, you know, it's like the kid gets off the hook. And it's frustrating because we're teaching these kids not to obey authority, not to respect and honor authority. And that's gonna uh come back in a major way later on in their lives because they've never learned to submit to authority. But here's the here's the bottom line a disciple is not just simply someone who's following, and not simply someone who's learning, but they're actually implementing, they're actually applying truth, applying information. The last thing, though, is that a disciple not only follows, learns, obeys, but leads, leads, leads others. Verse 19, he says, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Here's what he wasn't saying. Jesus wasn't looking at his 11 disciples, and he wasn't saying, you guys, you get the best small group in history, and y'all, y'all love each other well, you serve each other, uh, and then you you help each other get really, really smart about the Bible, and you get really, really um good at obeying my instructions and and doing all the right things. Like just you eleven work together and you just keep doing that together and stay together and don't let anybody else in, and just keep your little holy huddle. That's not what he was saying, right? Right? Okay. Because we're here today because that's not what he was saying. Okay? We're here in this room because what he was saying is go make disciples. Like you've got to get out. You've got to go and reach people who've never heard this message, who've never heard this gospel, who've never heard what I've done for them, or what I'm, you know, what will change their life radically. And so the point being this is that a disciple is one who leads others to follow as well. Again, whether you're inside of the context of the Christian faith and following Jesus or not, a disciple makes a disciple who makes a disciple who makes a disciple. Generations of disciples are made. And as I said earlier, I see this all the time in our culture because we're clearly doing a good job of discipling young men on what it looks like to not be a good leader in their home. I mean, I get frustrated all the time when I look up and I see how many men are being discipled by dads who were absentee and then they become absentee dads and then they become absentee, and it hands down to generation to generation to generation. And if that's your story, like let me just tell you, that's not God's desire for you. In fact, this summer we're going to be doing a study on manhood offline, not in this context here, because I am so tired of watching men get rooked out of a purpose-filled life where they get to lead the way God intended in their homes. And I'm not talking about men who like um lead with an iron fist. I'm talking about men who are servant leaders, who love their wives, who love their children, who lead well in their home and understand the responsibility that they have. And we've discipled a whole generation of young men to not be men the way God intended. So we're doing a good job of discipling on that level. But see, when we disciple people with the truth, and we disciple them the way that Jesus intended us for disciple, they should make other disciples. They should help other people grow in their faith. They should help other people follow Jesus as well. So the point is this. All of us are a disciple of someone or something. All of us are being given information that we are having to process and implement into our life at some level, or we're just, and some of us are actively involved in that process, and some of us are passively involved in that process. Some of us are actively choosing who is going to disciple us, and some of us are passively choosing our discipleship. And when I say passively, what I mean is just simply absorbing the values and ideas and the information around us, following those around us. I joked about going to the Outland Malls yesterday, but it was a reminder again as I went into that setting, how many of these folks that I see dressing a certain way, talking a certain way, acting a certain way, reflecting people that they respect, people that they aspire to be like. But we all do it, don't we? We all do it. And so here's the blank that's at the end there that I want to challenge you on. And I want to challenge myself on. We need to choose wisely whose disciple that we are going to be. We need to choose wisely whose disciple we're going to be, because who we decide we're going to let lead us, who we are going to let teach us, who we are going to mimic and imitate, that's who we're going to be. In fact, Luke chapter 6, verse 40, Jesus says this. I think this is very telling. It's a really good insight. Once again, from the greatest teacher, the greatest discipler of all time. And he says this, verse 39 and 40. Can the blind guide, can a blind guide the blind? Won't they both fall into a pit? It's a silly picture, but he's saying, won't a white blind person lead another person into the pit, a blind person into the pit? Because he can't see? A disciple is not above his teacher, but when he is fully trained, he will be like his teacher. Who is teaching you in your life? Whose way of life are you following? Whose way of life are you implementing? Whose ideas are you absorbing? Because who you choose to be your discipler, you're going to look just like them. That's what the scripture teaches us. Who you are letting influence your life, that's the path you're headed on. Now, what I don't mean is that if you follow somebody who's really wealthy, you know, and uh and they look really cool, I mean that you can change all that stuff about yourself and become them, right? But I am saying that what they are reaping from the life that they are living, that's what you're gonna reap too, if you try to follow their way of living. Does that make sense? If you follow and implement their value system, you put those things into practice, that's what's gonna happen in your life. And all I'm challenging you to consider is if that happens in your life, if you're discipled by that person, do you believe that that's where you know you're supposed to be? Is that the life that you really want at its core? As we think about discipleship over the coming weeks, we're gonna break down those four things follow, lead, or follow, learn, obey, and lead. We're gonna have a couple of different guys share and teach from this section. But I want us to remember that Jesus said that the way the world would be reached with the gospel was by making disciples who make disciples who make disciples. That's what he said. And as a church, Redemption City Church, we are committed to be a disciple-making church. And the thing is, is that we want to make disciples who follow Jesus. Not who follow Nick, not who follow, you know, anybody else in this room. Um, yes, there's a need for us to follow human beings in the leadership structure of life, but ultimately, I want to be able to say with confidence, like the Apostle Paul said, he said this. He said, I implore you, follow me as I follow Christ. And I want to say to you tonight that my leader and the one that I'm following is Jesus. And I want to invite you to come and follow him with me. And I don't follow him perfectly. In fact, I screw up a lot along the way. My life in places, it's got a long way to go. But I know that he's the one that I aspire to be like. He's the one that I want his way of life. I want to lead others, I want to lead my children, I want to lead my wife, I want to lead people around me to follow him because even though I'm imperfect and even though I'm jacked up, he is perfect and he is good. And the life that he leads, as he says in Matthew 11, he says, Come, all who are weary and burdened. He says, and I will give you rest. Take your yoke upon me. My yoke is easy, my burden is light. He's saying, like, come follow me. It's not this set of rules that are gonna beat you down and make your life miserable. Some people they see the Christian faith as if it's something that, you know, is just really it's just gonna beat down and make their life uh just depressing and sad and so meaningless. Let me just tell you, when you follow Jesus, you find life. You find freedom. You find hope. Because the way Jesus has called us to live is to trust in him and to let go of all of the junk that holds us down in this world. All the things that will disappoint you and won't deliver in your life. Jesus Christ will not fail you in that. You can follow him. As he says in John 14, 6, he is the way, the truth, and the life. And if we're following anyone, if we're going to choose, we need to choose wisely, and I implore you to choose Jesus. Choose to follow him, to follow his way of life.