Discipleship (2)

Pray for Trisha to have a Safe Trip to Arkansas

This Year is Quickly Coming to an End

We’re Over Half-Way Through October…

And the Holiday Season of November & December Always Quickly Go By

At the Beginning of Next Year…

We as a Church are Going to Start Putting Major Focus on Discipleship

We’ll Eventually Talk Specifics in this Series

My Hope is that this Congregation…

Will Be Full of People Who are Committed to Being Disciples of Jesus

Quick Review of Last Week

Discipleship = “The Process of Devoting Oneself to a Teacher to Learn From & Become More Like Them”

Disciple = “A Student or Apprentice”

A Disciple Follows His Teacher Wherever He Goes…

And in Whatever He Does

A Disciple is to Become Like the Teacher

Luke 6:40 (LEB)

40 A disciple is not superior to his teacher, but everyone, when he is fully trained, will be like his teacher.

That’s the Purpose/End Goal of Discipleship:

To Become Like the Teacher in Every Way

When a Person Believes the Gospel of Jesus…

Then They Choose to Become His Disciple

They Choose to Learn from, Follow, Imitate, and Become Like Jesus

Discipleship (The Process of Becoming More Like Jesus)…

Should Look Like the Developmental Stages of Life

I Think this Chart from Discipleship.Org is Helpful

Every Disciple Begins at Birth in Baptism

New Disciples Need Lots of Guidance, Help, Instruction

As They Grow in Knowledge/Understanding of Jesus & His Teachings…

They’ll Eventually Enter the Next Step in Their Discipleship Journey

At this Stage, They should Begin to Move from Only Being Fed…

To Being Able to Feed Themselves

Like All Children, They Still Need Guidance, Help, & Instruction

But They shouldn’t Totally Rely on Others…

For Spiritual Nourishment & Growth

You should Start to See Some Personal Growth/Transformation…

As They Continue to Set Their Minds on Christ

This Stage is Mostly about Personal Growth in Christ-Likeness

Growing in Christ-Likeness is Both Knowledge & Practice

In the Next Stage of Their Discipleship Process…

They Should Start Looking Beyond Themselves

It’s No Longer Only about Personal Spiritual Growth

It’s Now Time to Add to that:

Serving Their Brothers & Sisters in the Kingdom

Using Their Gifts to Contribute to the Work of the Church

Using Their Gifts to Encourage & Edify the Church

In the Next Stage of Their Discipleship Process…

They should Start Looking Beyond the Christian Community

As They Continue to Work on Spiritual Growth & Kingdom Service…

They should Start Sharing Their Faith/Lifestyle with Outsiders

They should Start Sharing the Gospel to Others

At this Stage, They are No Long Only Being Discipled…

They are Being Disciple Makers

They are Leading People to Jesus…

And Then Training Them to Be More Like Jesus

Then Comes the Final Step

Now Their Disciples are Making Disciples Themselves

Those Who They have Discipled…

Are Now Going Out and Discipling Others

Discipleship should Be this Continuous Cycle…

Like that of a Family that Continues to Grow

Let Me Ask You a Question:

Based Upon Your Experience…

Which Stage Best Represents Most Christians in Churches Today?

I’d Say the Vast Majority are in…

The Infant & Child Stages

Many are Still in Need of Total Guidance, Help, & Instruction

Or They’re Only Focused on Personal Growth/Sanctification

A Much Smaller Percentage…

Are Focused on Serving & Using Their Gifts to Build Up the Church

And Very, Very Few are Actively Evangelizing & Discipling Others

Unfortunately, I Believe that’s an Accurate Evaluation of the Church Today

But it shouldn’t Be that Way

This is Supposed to Be the Natural Life-Cycle of a Disciple of Jesus

The Church is Supposed to Be Made Up…

Of People Who are Discipling & Being Discipled

Everyone is Involved

Everyone is Growing

But Now We Hear that the 80/20 Rule is the Norm

20% are Involved in Serving & Mutual Growth

80% Just Show Up to

Churches are Run Like Businesses…

Where the Paid Staff/Employees…

And a Few Generous Volunteers…

Are Expected to Run the Business

And Everyone Else Just Gets to Show Up & Be Served/Fed

There’s a Saying in Business:

“The Customer is Always Right”

What Does that Mean?

The Highest Priority is the Customer’s Satisfaction

Why would a Business Adopt that Way of Thinking?

That’s How You Get More People in the Door

What have Churches Been All about for Far Too Long?

Getting as Many People in the Door as Possible

Because of the Business Mindset that So Many Churches have Adopted…

We’ve Turned What should Be Disciples Who Serve…

Into Customers Who are Looking to Be Served

You can Point to Those Sunday Morning Attendance Numbers…

And Think that as Long as Those Numbers are Getting Bigger, We’re Doing Good

But When it Comes to Needing People to Serve in Any Capacity…

You May Get a Handful, if You’re Lucky

Christianity has Become Consumeristic & Shallow…

Because We’ve Babied People…

And have Allowed Them to Believe that Simply Showing Up is a Sacrifice

Whatever it Takes to Keep Those Numbers Up

And the Best Way to Get Numbers…

Is to Offer the World & Expect Nothing in Return

“We’ve Got the Just the Program for You!”

“We’ve Got Classes for All Ages!”

“We’ve Got a Large & Active Youth Group!”

“We Serve Meals to the Seniors Every Week!”

“We’re Here to Serve You & Make Sure You’re Comfortable!”

That Church May have 500 People in Their Pews…

But How Many Disciples of Jesus Do They have?

Discipleship isn’t about Numbers

Discipleship is about Being a Jesus-Following Community

Being a Community of People Who:

Are All Growing/Transforming to Be Like Jesus

Are All Loving/Serving Their Siblings & Neighbors

Are All Using Their Gifts to Encourage/Edify the Church

Are All Involved in Sharing the Gospel with Outsiders

It Doesn’t Matter if We’ve Got 500 or 5

If We’re All Growing in Discipleship…

Then God is Going to Bless Our Efforts…

And He’s Going to Be Glorified in Us

Jesus had Opportunities to have HUGE Numbers

He had a Crowd of Over 5,000 Following Him at One Point…

And He, Out of Compassion, Fed Them All

Then He Withdraws from Them & Walks Across the Sea of Galilee

They Follow Him Across the Sea & He Says:

John 6:26–29 (NASB95)

26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” 28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

Then He Tells Them that He is the Bread of Life from Heaven

And He Goes on to Tell Them:

John 6:53–58 (NASB95)

53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. 58 “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”

Then We Read:

John 6:66 (NASB95)

66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.

When You Read the Full Passage…

You See that Jesus Knew These People weren’t Serious about Him

They Wanted What He could Offer, But They Didn’t Want Him

All Jesus had to Do was Keep Feeding People

Let Them Show Up & Be Served

He could’ve had an Army Several Hundred Thousand Strong

But Jesus Doesn’t Want 15,000 Customers to Serve

He Wants Disciples Who are Willing…

To Follow Him, Learn From Him, Become Like Him, and Serve Alongside Him

And if He can Only Get a Handful to Do that…

He'll Take the Handful Over the Army of Customers

So, What are We to Do about the Current Church Situation?

Where Do We Begin in Returning…

To the Church’s Original Purpose of Discipleship?

I Think We have to Begin with a Shift in Thinking

We’ve Got to Move Away from Viewing the Church as a Business

We’ve Got to Stop Catering to the Customers of the Church

We’ve Got to Start Expecting More of Each Other

That’s Not an Easy Transition to Make

We’re Used to Trying Different Programs & Marketing Tactics…

To Get People in the Doors

Maybe We Need to Shift Our Focus from:

Getting People in the Doors…

To Getting Christians Out the Doors

Getting More Christians Showing Hospitality

Getting More Christians Studying Together

Getting More Christians Spending Time Together

Getting More Christians Serving Others Together

Getting More Christians Visiting Together

Getting More Christians Evangelizing Together

We’re Used to Setting Time Apart for Bible Class & Worship

But Deep Discipleship Takes Place Outside of These Walls

We’ve Got to Make Time for Discipleship in Our Everyday Lives

Discipleship Takes Discipline

And Being Disciplined is Rarely Easy

It Takes Effort, Time, & Devotion

We Need to Be Willing to Put Effort, Time, & Devotion…

Into Growing in Discipleship Together

We’ll Focus on a More Specific Game Plan for this Congregation Next Week

Invitation

We are Looking at Discipleship in the Wednesday Night Class

It’s Most Important Topic for Christians to Study…

Because Being Disciples is Our Purpose/Goal

Discipleship is about Devoting Oneself to a Master…

And Being Trained so that He/She can Become Like the Master

Paul, a Disciple of Jesus, Discipled a Young Guy Named Timothy

In this Letters to Timothy…

We See a Lot of Imperative Commands

Paul Commanded Timothy to Do a Lot of Things

Things that would Help Him Grow as a Disciple of Jesus

For the Invitation on Wednesday Nights…

We’re Looking at These Commands…

And Seeking to Grow as Disciples Ourselves

1 Timothy 4:11–16 (ESV)

11 Command and teach these things. 12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

There are 10 Imperative Commands in These 6 Verses

They All have to Do with Timothy’s Role…

As a Leader/Teacher/Preacher in Ephesus

Paul Expects Him to Take this Role Seriously

He’s to Read, Teach, & Preach the Scriptures to the Church…

And He’s to Practice What He Preaches as an Example to the Church

He’s to Be Totally Immersed in the Teaching & Practice of the Scriptures

And if He is, He’ll Save Himself & Those Who Listen

The Part I Really Want to Focus on is in Verse 14:

“Do Not Neglect the Gift You Have”

Paul Made it Abundantly Clear When Writing to the Corinthians, Romans, Ephesians…

That All Christians have Different Gifts to Offer to the Building Up of the Church

We All have Gifts

And We’re All Expected to Be Using Our Gifts

Our Gifts are Very Diverse, But Their All Given to Us By God

There’s a Temptation to Neglect to Use Our Gifts

That’s Why Paul Tells Timothy Not to

The Church Needs What Each of Us have to Offer

As a Disciple of Jesus…

You have a Gift that can Help Encourage & Edify the Church

Are You Using it or Neglecting it?