Multiplying followers of Jesus

Introduction

Looking forward to continuing our series “Who is LBC?”

This series was birthed from a conversation with the church in October where I facilitated a discussion surrounding our core values, vision, mission, and process.

Our first week we went over our core values:

Loving, Inspiring, Bold, Enthusiastic, Relational, Timeless, Yearning to Impact

Say those with me.

These speak to who we are and how we make decisions in order to accomplish what God has called us to as a body of believers.

Our vision statement reads

VISION-Liberty Baptist Exists to Become a Diverse Family that Inspires People to Follow Jesus by Multiplying Followers of Jesus who love, serve, and invest in our community and beyond.

Liberty Baptist Exists to Become a Diverse Family that Inspires People to Follow Jesus by Multiplying Followers of Jesus who love, serve, and invest in our community and beyond.

We’ve seen from scripture that being a diverse family lets us experience a little Heaven on earth. We also saw that to inspire people to follow Jesus we have to be an inspired people following Jesus.

We are going to be that diverse family that inspires people by multiplying followers of Jesus.

That’s the focus of the message today. What does my life look like if I am multiplying followers of Jesus.

I’ve got 4 points I want to drive home for your today that I believe if you apply, you will see yourself not only following Jesus but also be actively involved in the multiplication of followers of Jesus.

Do you want to multiply followers of Jesus with your life? Say yes right now.

Colossians 3:1–3 KJV 1900

1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Col 3:1-3

Paul writing from a Roman prison to the church at Collasea becuase he had hearrd they had fallen into error with false doctrine and teaching and it was threatening their faith.

Now he is reminding them to put their focus on the thing of Christ, the things above.

in our culture, we would say Paul, under Inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is writing to them about their mindset. What is mindset?

If you want to know your minidset, ask yourself what your mind is set on.

Do you have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset? A positive mindset or a negative mindset? A gospel centered mindset or a worldly mindset?

The church at Collassea seems to have found themselves with a worldly mindset as they were being drawn away from the thinigs Paul had taught them. Paul is now bringing them back to a kiinigdom mindset.

Jesus spoke of thiis same priinciiple

Matthew 6:33 KJV 1900

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matt 6:33

Keepinig your mindset on the things of God means someone else has to be foccused on the things of the world.

Who could that be?

Luke 12:4–7 KJV 1900

4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? 7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Luke 12:4-7

God watches over the sparrrows, you arer worth more than parrows.

What is your mind set on? Is your health, your business, retirement? Your familys health? How the kids will turn out? What do you allow to consume you?

Being an inspired follower of Jesus is knowing He will take care of you. Knowing He will take care of you starts with knowing Him and then knowing Him more. The more you know Jesus the more He impacts your heart. The more you open your heart to Him the more your mind will focus on Him.

You see

I. If you keep your heart set on the kingdom, He will keep His eyes set on you.

When your heart is set on the kingdom, your mind follows. A kingdom minded life asks the questions: How am I living for the kingdom? Am I doing anything for the kingdom? Do I develop relationships with people for the kingddom? Do I do anything to multiply followers of Jesus?

having your heart set on the kingdom leads to 3 traits that I believe innspired people who inspire people have as a staple in their lives.

The first one is the trait of Growing

II. Growing

What does that look like. Go down a few vereses there in Collossians 3

Colossians 3:12–15 KJV 1900

12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Col 3:12-15

Paul calls us to put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience and most of all love.

We can’t just put that on though. Yes, i believe you should choose those actions even though you don’t feel like it but how are we able to get to that place?

Romans 12:2 KJV 1900

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:2

Growing as a believer is about renewing your mind through the word of God. How much exposure to the Word do you have in your life?

Sunday morning only? Not enough. My preraching is not enough to renew your mind.

Sunday morning and Wednesday night? Great start. If you don’t have a life group as apart of your weekly schedule, I highly recommend it as you seek to grow closer to God and each other. But it’s not enough.

How often do you need to be exposed to the word for your mind to be renewed? Every day.

Pastor…every day? Every day.

Growing as a beleiver is an every day trait. Whether it’s a chapter or a verse, every day seek to grow in your knowledge and understanding of the one who have His Son for you.

Maybe you need to spend time thinking about the Lord and mediitating on Him. Siing some worship Songs off key and praise God for what the song is talking about.

Deepen your relationship with Jesus daily.

A realtioniship with Jesus that is deep results in an life that is inspired by Jesus.

When your mind is on the kiingdom, your heart is on Jesus, and your growing as a rresult of being in the presence of the master.

The 2nd trait is

III. Giving

What does a life lived for the kingdom of God and multiplying followers of Jesus give? Tiime on Sunday for church? Yup.

Tithe to the Lord through the Church? Yup.

Time in the word throughout the week? yup

but is that it? nope

God calls you to give Him much more than just your money and your time. In fact, when you have given God what he asks for, giving your money and your time are not even questions.

Truly he asks for something more important than both of those

Matthew 16:24 KJV 1900

24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Matthew 16:24

What does Jesus ask for you to give? What is it that a person gives who is multiplying followers of Jesus?

everything.

You deny your own fleshly desires and adjust your life, not just the things in your life, all of it, to Him and His will.

Many of oyu have children or have at least been around children right?

Ever had one recieve a gift from a friend? You know like na expensive collectors card or a game or just anything?

Kids give away some crazy stuyff. Like, hey…your my friend, here’s this $50 gift card my parents got. You cna have it.

As a parent I have to have the ethical discussion in my head “welll, posession is 9/10th’s right?”

What happens when you have to tell the kid to give that giift bacck?

Are they happy about it? no

Why? Becuase they saw it as theirs and they wanted it.

Your heavenly father has given you so much moree than a gift card. He has given you the gift of life. You here in this room have been given the gift of being born in a country where opportunity abounds and you have freedom to worship Him.

He has given you everything. And he asks for you to give it back to Him as an act fo worship.

But he doesn’t take it and ruin it. He ddoesn’t spend it on omething worthless.

He honors the faithful worship and wantss you to excel in every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:6–8 KJV 1900

6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

2 Cor 9:6-8

Your willingness to sow, and your willingness to give to the lord comes from where? the heart.

A every man has purposed in his heart…let him give.

Have you given your heart ot Jesus?

Many woudl say they have anwered the masters inviation and given their soul to God but when the servant cocmes and call on you to give your heart and be involvedd with that God has going on, do you?

You see,how you give to God and what you give to God physically is a representatiion of how much you have given to God spiritually.

When you have given God all of you, you no lnger give of your time, talents, and treasures like that little kid giving the gift card back.

You give it with a smile on your face and joy in your heart as your innvolved with the expanding of the kingdom of God.

When you mindset is on the kingdom, you grow cloer to the king, and give more to the king, and lastly

You go forward for the king.

The last trait I believe you need to be an inspired Christian multiplying followers of Jesus is

IV. Going

Matthew 28:18–20 KJV 1900

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Matthew 28:18-20

Acts 1:8 KJV 1900

8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 1:8

If you came to Liberety from another church, I thank God for you. If yyou came to Liberty and you’ve neveer been in churcch, I thank god for you.

I’m all for you inviting your Christian friends to visit and support a church. I’m all for a person leaving a church where they can’t serve God best.

However, it is impossible to be obedient to the great commission if the only people we are talking about Jesus to is peoplle who know Jesus.

We have to speak aboutJesus to peoplle who don’t believe in Jesus.

We have ot hare the message and and the invitation for them to be with the master.

And now matter how many times you share it, no matter how many people you share it with, there still room for more.

Multiplying followers of Christ is about sharing the messge of Jesus with people that donn’t know Jesus and then when they trust in Jesus, it’s about sharing th ethings that Jesus has hwon you by reading and obeying His Word.

You see how this goes around full circle?

If your mind is not being renewed by the word of God and by what He does when you live for Him, you can’t be multiplying followers of Jesus.

If you re going to be apart of Liberty, you need to knnow this is who we are. We ar ea falwed nd imperfceect people loved by a pereect God that seek to have our minds rewneed by His word o that we can be inspired peoplee who inspire peoplel to follow Jesus.

How are you doing at multiplying followerrs of Jesus?

The results of your efforts are not iin your control by the way. Who you are in Christ i not determined by how many disciplels you are involved with making. Your idenntity is in Jesus and Jesus alonee.

With your identity in Jesus you live from His love, mercy, goodness, justicee, and wrath to impact your community and beyond by being faithful to living out these traits.

How are you gorwing iin Jesus this week? How are you giving your life to Him through your time, talents, and treasures? How are you going for Him?

Which one of these do you need focus on this week and takee a steep of fiath in?

Would you ccommit that to God now?

Time of Response