From Attending to Attaching

Making Disciples RECAP:

Far too often churches and ministries have slipped into merely running programs for people to attend, forgetting the purposes for which the programs exist. They call us the WHY!!! Jesus didn’t say we would know we would know his disciples by attending church, going to small group, giving a tithe. HE said we would know His disciples would be known by their LOVE for one another.

If the world looked at you, would they know you are a disciple of Jesus?

Making disciples: I’d like to ask us to refresh our thinking on what discipleship looks like. See some of us grew up with bible school, Sunday School, Bible studies, prayer groups, worship services, but the goal of all of these things is to make maturing disciples of Jesus. But some of us have had much experience with some or none.

But if the mission is to make disciples. And what we are doing is in need of improvement in order to help people take steps in their relationship with God, then what does a discipleship “program” look like in the life of the church. So those of us involved in classes, I pray each of our groups would consider the following and evaluate where we are and what we need to do going forward.

Disciples spend time with God.

Mark 1:35 ESV

35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

Mark 6:46 ESV

46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.

Luke 5:16 ESV

16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

Luke 6:12 ESV

12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.

John 6:15 ESV

15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Apart from people. Away from responsibilities. Putting the to do list on hold. Putting responsibilities aside. Time WITH GOD and GOD alone.

Disciples make time for this. Are you making time for this? In the midst of your busy schedule are you making time for this? If you are too busy to fit anything else in. What needs to give? What in your calendar needs to change? Do you need to take travel sports out of your life? Do you need to stop feeling the pressure to attend every event above the SON?

Disciples spend alone time with God? Do you?

2. Disciples are transparent.

We are not transparent as the world demands transparency. The world demands transparency so that others can know what is going on. I am not talking about that kind of transparency. When I say a disciple needs to be transparent I am saying that a person needs to be transparent so that they aren’t living in fear, insecurity, self doubt, and shame. The transparency that I am talking about isn’t for others benefit (although it is good for them) I am talking a transparency that is beneficial for the individual. You see…

Your external life is always the outflow of your internal life. Far too often we are spending time, energy, effort, emotions hiding what is going on inside, and it is a waste of energy because it is going to come out. You can try and hide it, but you can’t bury it deep enough.

Luke 6:45 ESV

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil…

What is inside is going to come out, so it is better to address it, than hide it. Which is why the bible teaches on the importance of the heart condition.

James 5:16 ESV

16…confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed…

1 John 1:6–7 ESV

6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

But for the longest time we have been ashamed of sharing our innermost thoughts. There is a word study in the Bible that illustrates this beautifully.

The Hebrew word for naked in Genesis 2 is different from the word for naked in Genesis 3. In Genesis 2 the word means “unclothed,” with nothing relationally keeping the man and the woman from being connected and receiving what they needed from God and one another. They felt no need to hide from each other. In Genesis 3, after they ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the nakedness they experienced was a shame over their need for one another that led to a relational poverty with God and one another. The response was a need to hide from God and one another.

3. Disciples are communal.

There is a communal aspect of the relationship we have with one another that is super helpful. These are the spaces where you share meals with people, talk, watch games, and as the more common phrase being used, “do life” with people.

When the disciples were afraid during the storm while Jesus was asleep. (They blundered together, and learned from it together) Every time the disciples processed the teaching of Jesus. When Jesus washed the disciples feet. (Why would Peter not let Jesus was feet?) Sharing Passover meal. These are all communal moments. And maturing disciples have moments like this in their life! Do you????

Most churches have this space in place. We have this space available. We call it small groups / Sunday school. IT is a group of less than 20. We know them, they know us in a deeper way that good morning. how you doing.

The question is this: Do you spend time together outside to the formal meeting time? Bible study together is good. But when no relationship growth occurs with the people we are in the room with, we aren’t growing in that way.

While we would like to avoid the mess and enjoy deep and intimate community, God says that it is in the very process of working through the mess that intimacy [and true community] is found.

Todd Wilson (Preaching the Word Commentary)

4. Disciples are social and public.

Jesus went to weddings. Where they ate, fellowshipped, talked, danced.

Jesus went to a party at Matthew the tax collectors house.

Jesus goes to Zachaeus’ house to celebrate.

This looks like the back yard bbq where you invite people who aren’t known well at all. Like the neighbor down the street who you have seen walking, but have never spoken to.

For a community this often is the football game, the concert, or the recreation department soccer game. For the church, this is our weekly worship gathering.

The Problem:

The right brain.

The left brain.

Conclusion: (With the list on the screen)

I suppose I want to task the following questions.

Are you maturing in your faith in ways that are made possible by some of the

Does your Sunday School class create space for…

Do you have a few close trusted people that you can be transparent and confess to?