Sermon Notes 5-1-2022

 

What is Discipleship?

 

Matthew 28:18–20 (NLT)

¹⁸Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

¹⁹Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

²⁰Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Jesus commands his disciples to go and make new disciples! So what does it mean to make disciples and what are disciples anyway???

 

 

Let’s dig in and find out what it means and how we are to disciple each other???

 

What is a disciple??

·      Simply put it is a converted unbeliever. 

·      It is anyone that follows Christ

Acts 14:21 (ESV)

²¹When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 

 

 

A misunderstanding in the church

·      A disciple is someone who has like hit the second stage of knowledge

·      Or someone who is mature in their faith

·      This is a misconception

·      A disciple is simply a follower of Jesus

·      At any stage in their walk after conversion

Acts 11:26 (ESV)

²⁶and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. 

·      Everybody that was converted to Jesus was a disciple. 

·      Everybody that was converted to Jesus was a Christian. 

·      Disciple was, in fact, not a favorite term for Christian as time went by, it seems. 

·      Paul never uses the noun or the verb “disciple.” In fact, neither the noun disciple nor the verb make disciples occurs anywhere in the New Testament outside the Gospels and Acts. 

·      So I think what is important is not the terminology, but the reality. 

o   People need to become Christians and people need to be taught how to think and feel and act as Christian. 

o   That is, a disciple, a follower of Jesus, one who embraces Him as Lord and Savior and Treasure Him.

·      For some reason the church has come up with catchphrases to build a social order

·      There is no social order, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ

o   We all have a role to play and we all have a place

o   No one is better or worse than the other

o   And we must understand these basic theological terms and understand we all matter to Christ

o   No denomination is better

o   No one is seen different in God's eyes

·      And that’s why Christians should be color blind

o   We should not see social status 

o   We should not see ethnicity

o   We should see God's children!!

 

Discipleship is a whole other thing!

John Piper

“Every Christian should be helping other believers grow to more and more maturity. That is making a disciple.

And every Christian should be seeking to get help for themselves from others to keep on growing. And that is also our discipleship. And every church should think through how they will grow every person in their church.”

 

·      Discipleship is the growing in knowledge of who Christ is and following His commands and teaching. 

·      Discipleship is our growing in Christ and teaching others about Christ

·      It’s being mentored and mentoring someone

 

Everyone is capable of mentoring someone

·      We have to lose the idea of classes of Christians

·      I don’t care how new to Christ you are there is always someone newer than you

·      There is someone that can benefit from your help

·      Someone needs you to hold them accountable

·      So stop saying I can’t help anyone and start helping

·      It’s amazing how much you grow in Christ when you help someone else!

 

 

So what does the bible say about discipleship?

 

We encourage

Hebrews 3:12–13 (NIV)

¹²See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 

¹³But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 

·      We encourage one another

·      We do life together

·      We hold each other accountable

·      We watch out for one another

·      We live life together

·      So that we don’t fall into sin

 

Too often I get the phone call after the sin has occurred

·      I’m drinking again

·      I have a porn addiction

·      I have cheated

·      And the list goes on and on

·      But if you were walking with others

·      Living life with others 

·      You might have avoided the sin altogether!!

 

 

 

 

We teach each other!

Acts 18:24–26 (NIV)

²⁴Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 

²⁵He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 

²⁶He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. 

·      I love this scripture!

·      They taught each other

·      They boldly shared the gospel

·      They worked together to further the kingdom

·      There is no reason why some of you can’t meet together

·      Learn together

·      And learn from each other

 

I will help and so will others in this church, if you have friends in this church and you don’t study and share scripture because you don’t think you can, we will help. It's powerful sitting around a table with friends, and a bible and sharing and learning from God's word!

 

We feed others!

2 Timothy 2:1–2 (NIV)

¹You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 

²And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. 

·      We find a mentor and we mentor others

·      We should always be looking to learn from someone and teach someone else

·      This is a grassroots mentality

·      It's organic

·      It’s the way God designed all of nature

·      Just look at the animal kingdom 

 

 

 

We hold each other accountable and never give up!

Hebrews 10:24–25 (NIV)

²⁴And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 

²⁵not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 

·      We walk together

·      We hold each other accountable

·      We love each other

·      We form tight relationships inside the church

·      We weave the church into our daily existence

·      We don’t get too busy and let life get too hectic to find time to regularly meet with our brothers and sisters!!

 

We need to get involved and engaged in serving in the church!!

 

Titus 2:3–4 (NIV)

³Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 

⁴Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 

Ephesians 6:4 (NLT)

⁴Fathers,* do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. 

1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)

¹⁰God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sermon Notes 4-24-2022

So where do we go From here??

After Easter

 

 

So, we have celebrated our Risen Savior! 

So, what do we do next? 

What do we as believers need to be doing?

What about the new people returning, that God touched their hearts to start a relationship?  

 

It’s simple, start looking at the basics of the gospel and do a gut check.  

·      We revisit the mirror 

·      We take a long hard look at our relationship

·      And the new believers, they start to establish a relationship with Jesus!!

 

 

So, let’s look at both and see what we all need to be doing.

 

New believers, things we all need to remember!

 

1. You are called to follow!

Matthew 9:9 (ESV)

⁹As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

·      You are called to follow

·      Simply follow

·      No matter where you are, or what you are doing now, He just wants you to follow

·      Jesus always wanted the outcast and marginalized to simply follow

·      There are no rules to follow, no standards you have to meet to start following Jesus

·      Church has for too long put rules on us to start following Jesus

·      And Jesus simply says “Follow Me”

 

Jesus Loved Sinners!

Matthew 9:10 (NIV)

¹⁰While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.

·      Jesus loves sinners

·      Jesus didn’t hang out with the religious

·      So, don’t ever think you’re not “good enough” for Jesus

·      He spent most of His time in relationship with sinners just like you and just like me

·      Jesus likes you

·      Jesus is not put off by your sin

·      Jesus loves you right where you are

 

The first step is understanding we all need help!

Matthew 9:11–12 (NIV)

¹¹When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 

¹²On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

·      Everyone in this room, believer or not, has to come to grips that we all need help

·      We all sin

·      We all fall short of God

·      If you think you don’t need help, that everything in your life is going good, you will never follow Jesus

o   I don’t care where you are in your life, we all sin and fall short daily

o   And that is the first truth we must come to terms with

Four truths about following Jesus

1. Being a sinner does not disqualify you from following Jesus, it’s a prerequisite!

·      Every person Jesus ever asked to follow Him was a sinner

·      The only people Jesus didn’t ask to follow Him believed they weren’t sinners

o   They were rule followers

·      And there is no sin that you have done that leaves you out of the invitation

 

2. Being an unbeliever doesn’t disqualify you! 

·      None of Jesus’s followers started out believing!

·      Some doubted even after He rose from the dead

·      There is not a person in this room who started following Jesus who truly believed in the beginning

o   Everyone had doubts

o   Everyone had questions

o   Belief comes with time in a relationship

 

3. The invitation to follow is an invitation to a relationship

·      It’s not about following a bunch of rules

·      It’s not about blind obedience

·      It’s about building a relationship

·      Relationships take time

·      Trust takes time

·      And your relationship with Jesus will be no different

 

4. Following will force you to focus on where you are, not where others are not

·      This is so important; believers and non-believers hear me on this

·      If you are working on your relationship

·      If you are constantly looking in the mirror

·      You won’t have time to worry about what others are doing

·      It keeps you humble

·      Because you see yourself as the sick person that needs a Dr. 

·      We won’t judge, we won’t gossip, because we will see others with compassion, and mercy

 

 

If you’re a new believer or maybe you’re on the fence, Jesus is saying “just take a baby step and Follow me” 

·      Give Me an opportunity to show you a better way

·      Give Me a chance to soften your heart

·      Give Me a chance to love you like no one else ever will

 

 

Believers

 

Are you following??

·      If you are truly following Jesus, you should be making unbelievers comfortable around you

·      They should not see you as intimidating

·      Jesus followers don’t look down on people or ignore people, they love them right where they are

 

If you think you’re doing all the “right things” you’re doing it all wrong

Matthew 9:11–13 (NIV)

¹¹When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 

¹²On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 

¹³But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

·      I don’t care what bible you read

·      I don’t care how many times a day you pray

·      I don’t care what you give

·      Never get comfortable in your walk

·      Or you will find yourself outside the ones Jesus comes to call

·      Jesus wants you to always be searching, 

·      always be looking in the mirror, 

·      and always to be questioning and cultivating your relationship with Him

·      never, ever be comfortable with following a bunch of rules and miss your calling to continually follow Jesus

·      that’s exactly what the Pharisees did, and if we aren’t careful so will we!