THE FOUR CALLINGS: OUR CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP

CALL TO WORSHIP SCRIPTURE: REVELATION 15:3-4

CHILDREN’S TIME: Matthew 3:13-17

GOOD MORNING ONCE AGAIN! I hope that you had a good week, and that you have had some Gospel conversations this week. This past weekend, I attended a Pastor’s Retreat out at Cold Springs, and it was a good time to spend with Pastors, and to share life over the weekend.

Last week we started looking at what it means as a church to get back to basics. There are four major callings to the church and those callings are:

Evangelism

Discipleship

Missions

Worship

We began talking about getting back to the basics by focusing in on our calling as a church to evangelism. I shared how for many churches, evangelism is a struggle, yet it is necessary for growth in any church. You and I who are followers of Christ are called to be a witness. We are called to share our faith with the world that so desperately needs it. When we evangelize, we are proclaiming the power that is not ours but is that of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As we go and share the love of Jesus we can do so knowing that we can trust the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us as we share, and that sharing the Gospel is more than just doing so with our words, it is also through our actions. You and I as followers of Christ are called to say and do things that point people to Jesus.

Last Sunday Night, I talked about how the other side of evangelism is discipleship. Discipleship is the process of training people incrementally in the glory and admonition of the Lord, guiding them to become them fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. It is necessary for the growth and grounding of new and lifelong believers in the faith. When my family and I first came here in 2019, it was such a blessing to find out that we have discipleship classes for people of all ages. We had discipleship for adults, children, and youth. And then covid happened and the church shut down. Discipleship stopped for most of our church with the exception of our youth. Other programs and classes came back for the church, except discipleship.

Just like there are churches who struggle with the call to evangelism, there are churches right alongside us who also struggle with Discipleship. Yet, it is something that we are called to do. You might say, well we have Sunday School. And I’m so glad we do! While some discipleship happens in Sunday School, it is not the same thing. Discipleship is much more than just having a class with a lesson.

As a church we need to get back to the basics of what it means to be salt and light in the community. We need to get back to evangelism, and we need to get back to Discipleship. So what is discipleship? Just now I defined discipleship as the process of training people incrementally in the glory and admonition of the Lord, guiding them to become them fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Put another way, Discipleship is a continuous journey of growth and empowerment in Christ, essential for fulfilling the mission of the Church and transforming our communities.

This morning we are going to look at three truths in light of what Discipleship looks like:

Discipleship Truths

Commissioned for Christ’s Cause

Community: The Heartbeat of Growth

Equipped to Empower Others

Let’s pray and then we will dive into these points

Let’s look at that first point about how discipleship is commissioned for Christ’s Cause.

1. Commissioned for Christ's Cause

Matthew 28:18–20 CSB

18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 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 everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

I mentioned before that the church is called to engage in the discipleship process. Jesus gathers His disciples together and commands them to do three things - to go, baptize, and teach. Yet when it comes to discipleship - the teaching portion of the the commission that Christ has instructed us to do, along with going and baptising — there is a lack of it.

What would happen if someone has a baby, and there’s excitement about the baby, but nothing is done to help the baby grow? We would be outraged over what happens with the child, and we would do everything in our power to ensure that would never happen.

What about a good coworker or employee who is new? You would do everything in your power to help that employee grow and develop, wouldn’t you? Because the alternative is that they would perhaps feel ignored, undertrained, ill-equipped, and would leave and go somewhere else, right?

Yet, what do we do with someone who is a new Christian? We get them saved and often that’s it. We give them some tips and say good luck with that. And then we get upset that they seem to drift away.

The reality is that if we do not disciple them, the world WILL. The world will disciple them. With their false gods, and their lies.

Church, we are called to disciple. We are called to train up a new Christian, as a newborn child. We are to invest in them, in their lives. We are to walk with them in every aspect, guiding them. How dare we expect new Christians to grow in their faith and to hold true to godly principles and not teach them! As a church, we need to get back to growing new believers in the faith.

So who is to Disciple? It is simple. It is you. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are called to disciple. You are called to be a disciple-maker. Being a disciple maker is not a calling, like a pastor or missionary. It is a command by God to all followers of Christ. As a church, we are called to disciple so that we help grow healthy Christ-followers who in turn help grow healthy Christ-followers.

Some of you might be here this morning, and you know that there are young believers you have been burdened about who need someone to help them grow in their faith. Maybe you want to help somehow, but you don’t know what to say or how to say it. What I love about this passage is the promise that Jesus makes, and I think a lot of the time we overlook that when it comes to evangelizing and discipling. He says, And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. When we disciple, we are not doing it alone. Christ will lead and guide us every step of the way. Our role is to trust in His guidance. When Jesus calls us to do something, He does not abandon us. He is right there with us in the midst of it. Paul said this about what Jesus does in us in Philippians 1:6.

Philippians 1:6 CSB

6 I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

You and I are called to make disciples. And Jesus goes with us every step of the way. Not only are we called to make disciples, we are called to continually be discipled ourselves. And not only are we commissioned for Christ’s cause, we are also called to Community which is the heartbeat of Growth.

2. Community: The Heartbeat of Growth

Acts 2:42–47 CSB

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. 44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

The early church was in community together. They lived their lives together. They ate together, they shared life together, and in some instances lived together in a communal living. The early church grew together as they grew deeper in their faith.

Being discipled is not just about attending a class and learning to live out your faith. It is about walking with each other, living life in community, learning and being there for each other. You and I are called to community together, to be discipled together in community. We don’t have to live with each other, and I’m grateful for that (have fun with this, like say some of you snore and I can here you all the way up here!). When we learn together how to live out our faith together, we grow stronger. There’s something that happens when we grow through something together - community. It is hard to be at odds with someone who we’re growing alongside.

Yet, what happens when we aren’t engaging in community and being discipled, is the direct opposite. Distance towards each other takes shape. Distance creates separation. And before long, that person who you go to church with becomes nothing more than an acquaintance. Over time, people start fighting with each other. Divisions happen, and before long disaster strikes.

Thom Rainer, founder of Church Answers, asked readers about some of the things churches fight about. He had a lot of responses. Here are five of them:

Argument over the appropriate length of the worship pastor’s beard 

Fight over whether or not to build a children’s playground or to use the land for a cemetery

A deacon accusing another deacon of sending an anonymous letter, and deciding to settle the matter in the parking lot

A church dispute of whether or not to install restroom stall dividers in the women’s restroom

A church argument and vote to decide if a clock in the worship center should be removed

And while we might laugh at them, thinking about how crazy these are, we know that these are real instances. I know of churches who have split over things like color of carpet, paint on wall, moving the organ from one side of the stage to the other. And as funny as we might think these things are, what we fail to see is the deeper issue that is the cause of this - a lack of community.

And the world around us, sees what happens and doesn’t want to have anything to do with church. They see the fighting, the gossiping, and the division, and it causes them to have more and more reasons to not have any part of it. I shared about how for a lot of churches, they stop evangelizing and end up closing their doors. A lot of other churches close because of a lack of being discipled in community together.

Being discipled in community together matters. In all honesty, our church has lacked discipleship for a long time. The issues that we have is because of a lack of community focus in discipleship. The truth is that we cannot have discipleship without community.

As followers of Christ, we are to grow together. That means we have to be willing to grow together in meaningful relationships and do things together. Things like fellowships where we share meals and talk life together. Things like engaging in discussions on how to live out our faith. Serving alongside each other. Reaching out to each other throughout the week, and committing to pray for each other.

This is what the early church did and they grew. Not from a “quick numbers” growth program, but through loving each other, being discipled together. We have got to get back to that as a church. For our own health and for the cause of Christ. The world is watching. Our community is watching. They are seeing how we respond. They are seeing how we love each other. That’s why Peter wrote to the church in 1 Peter 2:12 for us to “Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits.”

This is something that is going to take all of us to do. This isn’t just up to Pastor. To disciple while being discipled in community for us to grow is going to take all of us. Everyone has a role to play. And the amazing thing is that the Lord is the one who equips us to empower others.

3. Equipped to Empower Others

Ephesians 4:11–13 CSB

11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.

Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus that everyone had a part to play in discipleship. Everyone in the church has a role to play in discipleship. God has given each of us an ability and skill that we are to use for the growth of the kingdom. There is not one skill that is better or more important than the other. Each one is to take a part in using their gift not for their own gain, but for the glory of God. To build unity in the faith.

When we use our gifts together, the whole church is strengthened. We grow stronger together. How can we expect the world to see Jesus in us if we are not willing to help each other with the gifts that God has given us.

For some of you, you have the gift of encouragement. You have a natural ability of lifting others around you up. There is such a deep need for that in growing together. The life of the Christian is a life of hardship. We need encouragement.

For some of you, you have the gift of service. You have a natural ability to step in and help others. For others, you have the gift of teaching. There are those of you who have the gift of reaching those who no one can reach. And perhaps there are even those of you here who God is calling you to preach because you have a heart for people and the ability to preach the word.

Using our gifts is a part of discipleship. God equips us to empower others to grow in their faith. Our role is to simply trust in Him to guide and lead us.

You and I are called to Discipleship. It is time we answer that call and get back to the basics as a church. Discipleship is not easy. It will get messy. Being in community is messy, hard, and challenging. If we as a church simply trust in the leading and power of the Holy Spirit, it is possible for us to heal, to grow deeper, and to show the world that while we are imperfect - we follow a perfect Savior.

Go down for the invitation.