May 29, 2022 - DISCIPLESHIP (May Sermon Series)
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Today we come to our final topic in this short series we’ve been walking thru...
THRU the month of May...
A series that has seen us dive into:
Prayer
Water Baptism
Giving
and Missions…so far
And now - TODAY - we come to - Discipleship
And i think it’s THIS topic of Discipleship that is meant to speak INTO not only the other previous topics discussed...
BUT also - all of Christianity as a whole...
If there was ONE THING we could point to - as the MAIN ASPECT of the ministry of Jesus on this earth...
it would be this - Discipleship.
In a Nutshell - what is Discipleship?
Well - a DISCIPLE - is - a Christian…a FOLLOWER of Jesus
A Disciple is NOT - a level of Christianity… (which some people believe).
Some would say that when we put our faith in jesus…we become a Christian...
BUT THEN - if we WANT TO - we can then choose to become a Disciple (level 2) - a more committed Christian...
And then if we get REALLY into it - we can maybe make it to LEVEL 3 - Disciple Maker...
Well - that whole idea is FOREIGN to the Bible...
ALL Christians are disciples...
As we saw last week - ALL believers - are IN the Ministry of Reconciliation...
And so - if ALL Christians ARE disciples...
…then Discipleship - is
The intentional process of teaching/modeling Christlikeness, from a mature believer to a less mature believer, for the purpose of Spiritual growth
- And so with THAT understanding - if we were look at the Life of Christ....
We would see that Discipleship was his MAIN focus!
He comes on the scene and says what?
19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
We can hear - in this verse - the foundations of discipleship!
Jesus didn’t just CATCH all the fish for the disciples...
What did He do?
He trained them to - FISH
What’s the saying?
Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime
So Christ HERE - lays the groundwork for His ministry...
“I’ll make you fishers of men”
And then right before Jesus departs....what does He say?
19 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,
I will MAKE you fishers of men - I’ve DONE THAT...
NOW GO!!
FISH! Fish FOR men!
The ministry of Christ was - Discipleship!
An INTENTIONAL process of teaching/modeling Christlikeness, from a mature believer to a less mature believer, for the purpose of Spiritual growth
And so if we’re asking ourselves - is this REALLY important?
Answer - it’s everything!
And so let’s start today by looking at what a Disciple is.
The characteristics of a Disciple...
If Disciple MAKING is our call - which it is - then we need to know what we’re in the business of helping to make...
All of these characteristics came from the mouth of Christ...
A DISCIPLE is someone who:
Is willing to give up all earthly possessions
33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
• I'm gonna keep saying this - WE START WITH SCRIPTURE... Scripture dictates reality...
• This is saying - Any one who does not SAY GOODBYE to all that he has cannot be My disciple... Does this mean I have to sell all my possessions (car, house, computer, bike?)?
• No - Now, before you say - WELL WHEEEHHHW!
• It says - Unless you SAY GOODBYE to all that you have... Meaning - What you do have...They're NOT YOURS...anymore
• Someone comes to your door... You hear of a need... MEET that NEED - OTHERWISE you are now holding onto your possessions... Someone who has NOT renounced all that he has...
• But why? Why do we have to have SAID goodbye to all that we have??
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
And so - A Disciple is someone who has RENOUNCED all of his earthly possessions
A DISCIPLE is someone who:
Abides in God's Word, and experiences freedom in Christ
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
• Did you hear that? IF YOU CONTINUE in my Word, then you TRULY ARE My disciples...
• The word of God is POWER... It transforms our minds...IF we read it, study it, memorize it, meditate on it... IF we ABIDE in it...
• We cannot be a disciple if we don't consume the Scriptures...
• Disciples abide in God's Word...and are set free
A DISCIPLE is someone who:
Genuinely loves other believers
35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
• If you do not love other believers, then you don't know the God OF love...
• Francis Schaeffer observed that our love for one another should be so strong that it would unite believers in such a way that the world “would believe” that Jesus was sent by God.
• Now, how can you love like that...how can we UNITE...if you're not here...?
How can we unite in this way if GRACE isn’t out in front of us and the ground upon which we walk…?
Thought experiment: We claim Christianity....yet - are we content with our grudges?
In my day - I’ve known some pretty major grudge-holders...
Did you know God hates that? Literally?
Disciples genuinely love other believers....
A DISCIPLE is someone who:
Abides in Christ, prays, bears fruit, and glorifies God
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
• When we abide in Christ... we will begin to ask God for His will to be done in our lives (we'll desire this)... This results in fruit... Spiritual fruit...
• And God is glorified!
• Do you see how EVIDENCE always points to reality... Fruit will prove the disciple...
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people - LOVE to talk about Spiritual things...
LOVE to talk about Christianity...
LOVE IT...
UNTIL - it comes time to show grace...
UNTIL it comes time to LIVE OUT the claims...
And what ends up happening is - they WALK!
They DISENGAGE!!
And their fruit - PROVES who they are!
Disciples ABIDE in Christ, pray, bear fruit and glorify God!
A DISCIPLE is someone who:
Full of the Holy Spirit
52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
• Part of the fruit of abiding in Christ is the fruit of the Spirit, which is...
• love
joy
peace
patience
kindness
goodness
faithfulness
gentleness and self-control
• Disciples grow in these areas... (they become MORE loving....MORE joyful....MORE Peaceful…MORE patient!
A DISCIPLE is someone who:
Obediently follows the desires of the Master
19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.
• It sounds like a very basic verse of obedience... You're right...that's what it is...
• Disciples obey... And when they don't obey...they run TO God, not away from Him...
In our arrogance we think we can HIDE from God.... Can’t happen!
A Disciple obediently follows the desires of the Master!
A DISCIPLE is someone who:
Is intimately involved in the mission of Jesus to make disciples
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 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,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
• There's one command in this passage... MAKE DISCIPLES...
• Jesus says - ALL authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me... When did Jesus say this?
• he had already gone to the cross... to the grave... He had just RISEN from the dead... He had just conquered death...
• And now He points to His authority over ALL things Spiritual and physical...and says....
• "Go therefore!"...and make disciples...
• Our making of disciples is a SPIRITUAL MATTER... Our making of disciples is FOUNDED on the SUPREME authority of Jesus Christ...
• How was it that the Apostles could NOW go into the world, proclaim the gospel, and people be saved???
• how? - The authority of Jesus Christ... He had conquered death... His sacrifice accepted by the Father...
• The Spiritual war now won - Jesus Christ victorious!
• A disciple cannot respond to the person of Christ without responding to the mission of Christ...
And so - Because Jesus has ALL AUTHORITY - over all things physical and Spiritual - GO...
GO and DISCIPLE!!
So just look at this list...
A disciple is someone who:
1. Is willing to give up all earthly possessions
2. Abides in God's Word, and experiences freedom in Christ
3. Genuinely loves others believers
4. Abides in Christ, prays, bears fruit, and glorifies God
5. Full of the Holy Spirit
6. Obediently follows the desires of the Master
7. Is intimately involved in the mission of Jesus to make disciples
• This is what a disciple looks like...
• And if this is what a Disciple looks like, NO DOUBT it takes a COMMUNITY to help make this happen.
Know this - no one just STUMBLES into becoming this?
It takes discipleship!
• We ALL need help with this!
And so let’s close today by walking through the PHILOSOPHY of Discipleship here at AFBC...
Discipleship is something that everyone TRIES to - Master...
And so we’ve programmed ourselves to death trying to get there...
Our approach won’t be a PROGRAM - but a philosophy...
What’s the difference?
PROGRAM -
Will have specific content - or curriculum to use
Will have a detailed approach - and that approach will be at ground level
Walk through THIS particular book...
Ask THESE SPECIFIC questions...
DO THESE specific things
A program can be equated to - a FINISHED painting!
That’s NOT the path we’re going to walk down...
Our approach will be a PHILOSOPHY - and not a program...
A Philosophy is not a FINISHED painting - it’s a BLANK canvas - with CERTAIN colors already picked out to use!
And as a DISCIPLE MAKER - you’re called to = Pick up a brush! - and USE these specific colors to GUIDE you...
NOW - what’s the philosophy?
I was wracking my brain this week - trying to come up with something that is:
easy to remember
easy to implement
and yet - divinely powerful
And so let’s talk through this philosophy that will hopefully KEEP us on track in our Discipleship efforts!
Remember what we said Discipleship is?
The intentional process of teaching/modeling Christlikeness, from a mature believer to a less mature believer, for the purpose of Spiritual growth
This is what we’re doing - this is the point - when we live out - Discipleship
And it’s FROM this definition - that I wanted to find a word that would be the MAIN THEME of our APPROACH...
And based off of THIS DEFINITION right here - I came up with this word - used as an acronym!
SLIDE:
C
H
A
N
G
E
The word - CHANGE
When it comes to Discipleship - - This is what we’re after - is it not?
Discipleship Begins with....
SLIDE:
C - Commitment
H
A
N
G
E
Commitment:
*Specific Kind of engagement
*2-way street
HONESTY & GRACE
3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
Seems here that Timothy was committed to this endeavor of discipleship!
3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.
Paul was also obviously committed to this process - He also called Timothy his CHILD in the faith!
*Honesty - Confessing Sins
The Spirit works where Honesty is present
NEXT (H)
SLIDE:
C - Commitment
H - Hearing the Word
A
N
G
E
In the discipleship process - the Bible is our GUIDE!
Of course as disciple makers - we can walk people thru various books or what-not - BUT the BIBLE is our guide!
We must be committed to HEARING the word!
Faith comes by - Hearing - and Hearing BY the word of God!
And this is no different than how Jesus taught his disciples!
Look at all of these times Jesus quoted the Old Testament....
SLIDE: Jesus Quotes of OT
As disciple makers - we must COMMIT to allowing the one being discipled to - HEAR the WORD!!
But it can’t END there… if we want - CHANGE
SLIDE:
C - Commitment
H - Hearing the Word
A - Applying the Word
N
G
E
It must be both!
WHY?
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
The word must - BE APPLIED!
And so when it comes to discipleship....
As disciple makers - we must PROVIDE opportunities for the disciple to - Step Out of the Boat!
We have to ALLOW them to - walk by faith…and NOT by sight...
WHICH means - we have to let them - fail…fall down!
But then ENCOURAGE them to GET BACK UP!!
If they fail - that’s when we go back to - HEARING the word!!
And we hear about how we - as Christians - HAVE the RIGHTEOUS ONE!!
That HE’S our advocate when we FAIL!!
And so - we must - APPLY the Word!!
We HEAR the Word...
And we APPLY the Word… but in what context?
SLIDE:
C - Commitment
H - Hearing the Word
A - Applying the Word
N - Navigating life together
G
E
And this is why this is not a PROGRAM…but a Philosophy...
Life is so unpredictable...
One day things are going SMOOTHLY....the next day things are pure CHAOS...
One MOMENT things are good - the next moment they’re not!
But this here - is where the RUBBER meets the ROAD
We can gather in our bible studies and talk about spiritual matters, but if those things merely STAY at the Bible Study and never make it INTO our LIVES....
The Bible tells us = we’re DECEIVED!
And so DISCIPLESHIP - must be carried out - LIVING LIFE together
10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,
11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.
Look at this!
Paul and Timothy NAVIGATED LIFE TOGETHER! - Lived Life Together!
*POPULAR PHRASE - *1st century (“living life together”) - compared to TODAY (living life together)
Fisherman / Shepherd / Carpenter / tax collector
*Decisions of Life
Now - so far - we’ve looked at C.H.A and N.
But our discipleship - needs some GUARD rails....lest we get off track...
SLIDE:
C - Commitment
H - Hearing the Word
A - Applying the Word
N - Navigating life together
G - Grounded in Prayer
E
What happens when we NEGLECT prayer?
We get out in FRONT of God...
And so this is VITAL to Discipleship - and it’s something we see when we look in Scripture...
Back to 2 Tim 1:3
3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.
Paul CONSTANTLY prayed for the one he discipled… Timothy...
And so we do the same...
What have we seen so far?
SLIDE:
C - Commitment
H - Hearing the Word
A - Applying the Word
N - Navigating life together
G - Grounded in Prayer
E
And if we want CHANGE to come....
SLIDE:
C - Commitment
H - Hearing the Word
A - Applying the Word
N - Navigating life together
G - Grounded in Prayer
E - Empowered by the Holy Spirit
Discipleship is a GRACE driven endeavor...
If it’s NOT - then we’re trying to do this in our own strength! And it WILL NOT WORK!
The “G” phrase - Grounded in Prayer - is also - GRACE SATURATED!!
Our Commitment in this thing called Discipleship is a commitment to GRACE...
WHY?
Because if it’s not - One of you will WALK!
And so What you see on the screen NOW - is our Philosophy on Discipleship...
WHICH MEANS -
Each one of these is a NECESSARY PILLAR that SUPPORTS our discipling efforts
HOW we actually LIVE THIS OUT - can happen in a million different ways....
There’s FLEXIBILITY here...
BUT THESE things SUPPORT and HOLD UP - our efforts!
AND THEN -
When the process has played out - and the Disciple Maker - PASSES the TORCH onto the disciple...
SLIDE
This happens - the Disciple is - CHANGED!
SLIDE:
C - Commitment
H - Hearing the Word
A - Applying the Word
N - Navigating life together
G - Grounded in Prayer
E - Empowered by the Holy Spirit
D - Disciple Others
And here’s the MULTIPLICATION of disciple making
Living this out until the Disciple goes and Makes Disciples!
1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,
2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
You see?
Make disciples - who then go and make disciples - who go and make disciples!
And so - with all of this said ...
We’re called to be - Intentional in this!
When Jesus walked by the apostles - and said- FOLLOW ME...
He was calling them to - a life of DISCIPLESHIP!
This is the Philosophy!
SLIDE:
C - Commitment
H - Hearing the Word
A - Applying the Word
N - Navigating life together
G - Grounded in Prayer
E - Empowered by the Holy Spirit
D - Disciple Others
If you remember - we started out this Month of May - with the topic of PRAYER!
Knowing that we would need to PRAY on these things!
Water Baptism (pray about it)
Giving (How much dare I keep?) (pray about it)
Missions (pray about it)
Discipleship (pray about it)
In the next several weeks - we’re going to be focusing in on Discipleship - WHY?
It’s the heartbeat of our MISSION statement here at AFBC...
We’ll jump back into Galatians next Sunday - but a focus this will be
Begin praying now about getting into a Discipleship - relationship
And if this is something you’d like to pursue.... we have a form on the app right now - where you can sign up...
OR - you can always speak to one of the elders… (myself, Bob, or Joe)
SUMMARY.....
1. Is willing to give up all earthly possessions
2. Abides in God's Word, and experiences freedom in Christ
3. Genuinely loves others believers
4. Abides in Christ, prays, bears fruit, and glorifies God
5. Full of the Holy Spirit
6. Obediently follows the desires of the Master
7. Is intimately involved in the mission of Jesus to make disciples
And we’ve seen that as we seek to MAKE DISCIPLES...
We must...
SLIDE:
C - Commitment
H - Hearing the Word
A - Applying the Word
N - Navigating life together
G - Grounded in Prayer
E - Empowered by the Holy Spirit
D - Disciple Others
Let’s pray