What is the Church Part 2 (Edited: Discipleship and Serving)
What is the Church Series • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Announcements:
Welcome!
Wednesday Bible Study on discipleship at 6:30PM doors open at 6:25PM
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Thank you to those who have given or purchased items for our upcoming outreaches. More info coming soon
A local church saw us on socials and the leadership team decided to help us with 2 weeks rent! What a great example of building the kingdom of God together As they said “what a great opportunity to build the kingdom together!”
Worship:
House of the Lord
2. Goodness of God
3. Through It All (chorus)
Introduction:
Last week, we talked about how we, the church, are called to go out and evangelize (share the “good news” of the Gospel of Jesus Christ). And we can’t use excuses to justify us not telling other about the good news of Jesus Christ.
Remember these stats?
96.2% in Clay County claim to be religious (25+ churches in Hayesville, NC)
52.1% in Towns County claim to be religious (11+ churches in Hiawassee, GA)
Then we gave a challenge for all of us to do.
How did everyone do on the challenge we gave you last week?
Challenge Update from last week:
Talk to one person this week (a person who haven’t spoken with before). It doesn’t have to be a deep conversation. Just get to know them if possible.
Offer to help carry their groceries, etc.
Ask them open-ended questions: What do you think what happens after someone dies? Or do you think there is an afterlife?
We actually had an awesome Divine Appointment after church last week (Charity share). Afterwards, we all said to each other, “Well we accomplished the challenge from church this morning!” LOL
Well, this week we will conclude our series on “What is the Church?” What does evangelism lead to and produce? That is what we are going to talk about this morning.
So, without further ado, here’s Pastor Jordan!
Body:
John 15:1-5
1“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 5“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
Jesus is spending his last little bit of time that he has left and is preparing the disciples for what is to come, his death and resurrection. Up to this point, Jesus has made 6 “I am” statements and gives an explanation to each of them in order that the disciples understand and are ready. Here we find the 7th and last “I am” statement of Jesus before his death.
In this last “I am” statement, we see what it means to walk with Jesus, to be a disciple.
What does a disciple of Jesus look like?
It starts with us and our time with Jesus. Last week we talked about teaching others to do what the master does, but if I’m not spending time with Jesus, then how am I supposed to teach someone else how to? We can’t make disciples if we are not disciples ourselves
It’s equal to me claiming to be a mechanic and trying to teach someone how to fix a car engine; I am by no means a mechanic and would not be able to properly walk someone through how to fix an engine because I don’t know how to do it myself. There’s no evidence of what I am claiming, in fact, the evidence is contrary to what I am claiming to be
So, the question remains, what is the fruit that is being produced (or lack thereof)? The fruit that we produce is a great representation of who or what we are living for.
We can claim to be disciples of Jesus, but the way we live will speak great volumes
When anything is being planted in expectance to produce fruit in time, we don’t lay the seeds on top of the soil and call it a day; they need to be buried and immersed in order to develop deep roots and a solid foundation because that’s the only way it can effectively be fruitful. It’s the same way with our relationship with Jesus. We cannot remain surface level in our relationship with Jesus because we will fail to produce anything due to a lack of foundation and depth.
Do you know how grapevines are grown? I was curious and looked it up to see if it would give a better understanding of this passage and the imagery Jesus uses. It did.
1. Grapevines require a support system in which the gardener provides
2. Grapevines support the branches which then produce the fruit
a. Though the vine doesn’t directly produce the fruit, without it no fruit is produced because it provides the means for the branches to produce the fruit
b. The branch only has to remain connected to the vine in order to bear fruit, nothing else
3. Pruning
a. Pruning is necessary to cut off excess that is no use to the plant and taking up energy and space preventing growth and fruit bearing
b. There are also times when whole bunches of grapes are cut off because there are 2 or more on the same spur (or branch) and that spur can only support one
We cannot produce both good and bad fruit; for example, humility and pride cannot be supported at the same time in that moment because one will ultimately be chosen over the other
One of the biggest concerns in the Church and even more so in the Bible belt is being a Christian is more of a fad than anything. Look at the stats we saw last week, it seems one of the biggest downfalls of the Church is a lack in discipleship. Without discipleship we lack depth in the relationship Jesus is calling us to. Then, when we see no point to go any further because we believe the shallow relationship we have is all there is, we drop it altogether
Sometimes we find ourselves caught in the lie that going to church on Sundays, and maybe Wednesdays as well, is enough, but, in the words of President Kim, “preaching doesn’t make disciples. Disciples make disciples.”
We don’t only eat twice a week to sustain our bodies physically, so we cannot expect to spend time with Jesus twice a week to sustain us spiritually
Jesus tells us to “remain” in Him as He remains in us…it’s a daily thing
How do we make disciples?
Acts 2:42-47
42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
Leading up to this the Day of Pentecost happens, and Peter preaches to the crowd. Fast forward, they become believers
As soon as this happens, they are being taught and taken under the wings of the disciples. It wasn’t simply “you’re a believer now, see you later;” that would make zero sense. We see Jesus gives us this concept of discipleship as He pours into the twelve.
To plant a seed and ignore the commission to teach (Matthew 28:20) is a lack of obedience
God calls us to witness to everyone, but then there are also those that are placed in our lives that we have the opportunity and privilege to walk side by side with. In doing so, opportunities arise to pour into their life and be someone they can talk to and learn from and vice versa
Jesus invested into the lives of the twelve disciples for three years! He never missed out on an opportunity to teach and walk alongside others. However, these were not cliques and were not exclusive. It wasn’t “this is our group you can’t join.” As the disciples were being discipled, they were discipling others.
We see a pattern in the discipleship cycle. There are four key factors that need to be in place in order to follow the biblical construct of disciple-making:
1. Close in proximity (v. 44 and 46; “all believers met together” “they worshipped together”)
a. Must be relational
b. If we aren’t building relationships, then what are we doing
i. We were created as social beings
c. If we aren’t spending time with each other, the relationship will be lacking
2. Pin Ball Effect (Proverbs 27:17 “as iron sharpens iron”)
a. Encouraging each other
b. Challenging each other
c. Ephesians 4:16
i. “He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”
ii. The body works together as a unit
3. Invest in the Few
a. For example, disciple 10 and they each disciple 10; now you are at 100 people discipled
b. You can’t effectively pour into a large number
i. You get a larger circle but lack depth
c. Even Jesus chose 12 from his disciples (Luke 6:13-16)
4. Immediately (v. 42)
a. Discipling isn’t a “wait and see” it’s a “here and now”
b. It starts right away
c. The disciples made no hesitation to begin discipling the new converts
Discipleship is in no way a short-term process…it’s long term
It’s also not a one-way street, both people are learning and walking the journey together
We see in 1 Corinthians 12:12-26, Paul is illustrating the body of Christ as being made up of different parts; each person has a unique design and part in furthering the Kingdom. We are all unique and function differently, but we are still one body.
How do we function as one body? By pursuing a shared vision and purpose which in turn brings unity
What’s the shared vision and purpose? The Great Commission
What’s the Great Commission? Go and make disciples
How do we make disciples? Teaching them to do what the Master does
If we cannot, as different parts of the same Body of Christ, get on the same page, then we will get nowhere
My legs can’t go in opposite directions and make any progress
We need to have great appreciation for the different parts of the Body because each has been given special talents, gifts, and abilities and has been called by God
Sometimes it’s easy to for us to see some callings and talents and abilities as lesser than others because we fail to see the greater mission at hand that all of us are called to…making disciples
When we’re not building the Kingdom of God, we’re building our own kingdom and then it becomes a “me vs you”, not a “me and you”
It’s kind of hard to disciple someone when you see them as competition and not as God’s child
What’s the point in all of this? If we cannot unify ourselves under the same mission, then we risk acting as though we are different parts of different bodies
How do we apply this?
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So, evangelism leads to discipleship (as long as we are staying in Jesus Christ and His Word). But it doesn’t stop there. The trifecta is complete with serving. Jesus doesn’t save us just so we can become spiritual chubby bunnies who come to church on Sundays and Wednesdays to listen and learn and that’s it.
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.
24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.
25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
We have to go out and apply what we are hearing and learning from evangelism and discipleship which results in serving others!
I. Serving others is following Jesus’ example too!
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.
II. The Marks of Genuine Service: Compassion, Empathy, and Sacrifice
A. Cultivating a compassionate heart: seeing others as Christ sees them (Matthew 9:36).
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
B. Empathy in action: walking in the shoes of those we serve (Hebrews 4:15).
15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
C. Sacrifice as the essence of love: giving without expecting anything in return (1 John 3:16-18).
16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.
17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?
18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.
III. Practical Ways to Serve Others: A Call to Action
A. Serving within the church community: volunteering, supporting, and encouraging one another (1 Peter 4:10).
10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
B. Reaching out to the marginalized: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and caring for the sick (Matthew 25:35-36).
35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.
36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
C. Serving with humility and respect: honoring the dignity of every individual (Romans 12:10).
10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.
D. Serving others can be as simple as listening to someone in need, offering a helping hand, or providing for the less fortunate.
E. Acts of service should be done with a genuine heart, without expecting anything in return.
Conclusion:
We are going to have some challenges on this path of evangelism, discipleship and serving.
Some of those challenges can be:
1. Selfish desires: our own desires and ambitions can often cloud our commitment to serving others
2. Judgment/prejudice: thinking we are better than others can hinder our witness
3. Pride: our gifts and talents are from God and nothing we have earned
4. Busyness: we often can get caught up in our routines and not make serving others a priority
5. Fear: of the unknown or of rejection
We need to encourage one another and help each other when we experience these challenges as well!
Challenge for this week to write down and pray for God to help you in one of these areas:
What is one thing that is keeping you from sharing Jesus with someone else?
What is one thing that is keeping you from being involved in being discipled?
What is one thing that is keeping you from serving other people?
Evangelism, discipleship and serving are not without their challenges; they require sacrifice and selflessness.
We live in NC. So, back in the day, one would assume that we would be huge UNC, NC State or Duke fans and Carolina Panthers fans.
If you notice, I am wearing a OSU jersey and Jordan is wearing a Browns jersey. We may live in NC but we are fans of other teams and you can recognize that once we wear our team jersey that we represent.
People who go to church aren’t Christians and we can’t assume they are. The only way we can identify a person who is representing God’s team is to show by the love we have for one another.
The only way we can do this is also the same verse we will wrap up this series:
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.