How to Grow as a Disciple
DiscipleShift • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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As you think about the year 2026...how many of you would actually like to change something in your life or grow in some way?
Now as part of that, how many you actually make some type of New Year’s Resolution?
I was looking at the most common types of New Years Resolutions:
Get healthier—lose weight, get in shape, eat right. go to the gym… “I have lifted several times this year—lifted a lot of twinkies..”
Get finances in order - develop a budget, save money, pay down debt “I am saving money way more—I no longer supersize my extra value meal at McDonald’s.”
be more intentional with relationships, a date night, a family night, maybe reconnecting with a family member or friend over something. “I am already succeeding because I no longer try to roll my eyes when I see what my family member posted on social media.”
but did you know, according to some stats and research—almost 80% of New Year’s Resolutions fail—by mid January?
in fact, the 2nd Friday of January, according to a friend in our church, is known as National Quitter’s Day—which happened to fall on January 9th this year. meaning most people quit their New Year’s Resolution by the 2nd Friday of January.
This idea of us growing and changing—is a HUGE felt need. when book stores were popular, just go to the self-help section and see all kinds of books on how to manage time, develop priorities, and accomplish your goals.
John 15—actually talks about the path to change.
and before I read that, we are in a series on disciple shift - to help us shift and make a prioritize growing as a disciple and making disciples.
Jesus said in Matthew 28:19—to go and make disciples of all nations...
let’s do a little review:
we said last week - a disciple is someone who is a student attached to Jesus. not merely for the sake of information—but transformation. Luke 6:40
40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.
they are an apprentice of Jesus—under his supervision and leadership, so that they can be with Jesus, become like Him, and do as He did, just like a student wanting to be an electrician, wants to
—be with Jesus
—become like him
—and do as He did (John Mark Comer language)
they are like a dust of the rabbi type follower—one of the highest compliments a student in Jesus’ day could get for following their teacher is “the dust of your rabbi is all over you.” they were following their rabbi so closely that even the dust is all over them.
this is what is exciting about the Christian life—not just getting out of hell and going to heaven—but a lifestyle, a way of constantly being with Jesus, so that we can become like Him and go accomplish the mission by doing what He did.
so to summarize...
so so far we have looked at:
becoming a disciple (Romans 3:23-26)
what is a disciple (John 15:8-17)
and now...how do we grow as a disciple...
how do we grow as a disciple...
how do we actually grow and change—so that we become more like Jesus and do as He did...
turn to John 15:1—-
Let me read John 15:1. We looked at verses 8 and following last week. Let’s back and look at some of the most wonderful and convicting verses. Jesus spoke these at the last supper to his disciples.
i have mentioned a couple of resources...2 that I so recommend if you want to grow deeper:
JMC - Practicing the Way
JD Greear - his sermon series on the Whole Disciple—I am indebted to for this work.
look at vs. 1
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
so Jesus compares himself to a vine, and we are the branches, and His Father is the gardener shaping the branches.
in 2 ways:
cutting - so those branches that don’t bear fruit—he cuts off.
pruning—that’s strategic cutting of a plant—it’s branches, buds, and unwanted growth. a good gardener is strategic about doing this so that the plant can be stripped away of what is unnecessary and really grow and thrive and produce more fruit.
spiritually speaking, Jesus does this with us. He strategically cuts away unhealthy things in our lives, sinful habits, so that we are healthy and attached to Jesus.
3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
that word “clean” seems to change the imagery. no clean is the same root word in the original language (Greek) as “purged” in vs. 2.
this is the idea that for those who have already become disciples, followers of Jesus, because they have believed the Gospel. they are justified—declared righteous in God’s sight.
but we are not always sanctified.
justification is the moment we believe in the Gospel (God declares us just—just as if we have never sinned, and just as if we have done everything Jesus has done)
sanctification is a lifelong journey to become more like Jesus (part of the goal of discipleship) - it’s lifelong—never get there perfectly until heaven.
so God has already pruned us as least positionally by the good news of Jesus Christ, and started that process...but we all have a long way to go. the Father needs to prune me more, which we don’t always like but is for our good. some of you feel like God is pruning you a lot right now in life.
4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
makes sense—a branch gets detached from the vine, it dies.
same with us—if we get detached from Jesus, if we lose connection to the Vine, Jesus, we cannot bear anything.
the word remain—some translations say “Abide...” I love that word...because that word implies dwell or make your home in.”
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
now, nothing can’t mean nothing.
JD Greear says Elon Musk is probably not connected to Jesus (I am guessing) but he’s done quite a bit—will probably put a human being on Mars in our lifetime.
but Jesus says we won’t do anything of eternal value. apart from Jesus—even the good stuff we don’t, won’t matter. only if we remain in Jesus do we bear must fruit.
and remember fruit...last week we said is what?
Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace...) becoming a person like Jesus
Fruit as in ministry or impact—everything we say and do—impacting others
6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
so there are 2 places you can be—2 categories in life...this is it.
either connected to Jesus, or disconnected. that’s it. life is really that simple.
those connected—bear much fruit.
those disconnected, thrown away and withers.
and to really grow, we need pruned—by the Gardner the Father
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
we see the wonderful results—doesn’t mean we will get that car or house we always want—but if we are abiding in Jesus—we will ask according to God’s priorities. we will bear much fruit—becoming like Jesus—doing as He did.
so how do we grow?
I would argue that growth in Jesus (to become like Him and do as He did) is both:
Intentional/disciplined pursuit of Jesus (one writer calls it mechanical growth)
organic
it’s both!
we both intentionally pursue and make space to grow, but we also rest and trust in Jesus to grow us.
which may seem like a contradiction but we need both.
Let’s think about organic first...
and certainly the image of Jesus the vine, we the branches—is very organic. literally
4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
remain or dwell or abide in me, and don’t forget Jesus says, “I am remaining in you.”
vs. 9
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
JD Greear says a lot of us try to grow in Jesus—by do, do, do, do.
as long as I do this, more attendance, more small group time, more tithing, more bible study, more fasting, more serving and witnessing...and the result if it’s all based on your effort—is EXHAUSTING.
He equates it to a fruit tree. If you have an apple tree, it should bear what—apples. if it doesn’t, it would be crazy for someone to go buy apples from the store and try to staple them to the tree. that would not work.
but that image is what we try to do when we try to produce spiritual fruit and grow on our own strength and effort. we are a bunch of fruit staplers. (that’s what my stapler sounds like)
look at vs. 4 again
4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
abide in me as I abide in you
we abide in Jesus—He abides in us.
only by resting in the love of God for you in Christ, will you be able to truly bear fruit.
Greear says “The irony of the Christian life is that the only ones who ever bear fruit are those who realize that their acceptance by Jesus has nothing to do with how much fruit they bear.” (say it again)
He uses an analogy—I promise to keep it G rated.
There’s an analogy here in how we humans create biological fruit. Think about this for a minute, and I promise to keep this G-rated. How do a man and woman produce physical fruit? They come together in a moment of intimacy with each other, and the fruit of that is a child. It’s God’s little genius thing there. At that moment, they’re not usually thinking about the science or the mechanics of making a child. Or, at least, they shouldn’t be. No, they get caught up in a moment of loving intimacy, with each other, and the fruit of that is a child.
in the same way, spiritual fruit is produced not by thinking about the mechanics of the fruit—but when you get caught up in moments of loving intimacy with Jesus, your Rabbi—just being with Him.
Being with Him enables you to become like Him and do as He did.
and as we focus on that reality—we also have to know that it’s God dwelling in us.
Greear talks Christian missionary Hudson Taylor. his son wrote a biography called Hudson Taylor’s spiritual secret. he was a missionary in the 1800’s in China—absolutely amazing at bringing the Gospel to a hard to reach place. and he came to a point where he was exhausted from all his effort, frustrated even at his own heart and lack of growth when he learned the secret to following Christ. do you want to know what it is—here’s what it’s not:
not Me for Christ — that’s often 1 approach we have. we think it all depends on me. Jesus saved me forgave me, now I have to prove everything—that is exhausting
not me and Christ - like a tag team professional team (used to watch this with my grandpa Schwartz) he loved wrestling. so it’s like I am in the ring, working hard for Jesus, I tag Jesus in when I get tired, and take a break, and he wrestles and then tags me back in. better but not best
instead the secret is Christ in me
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
in Christ—Paul uses that language dozens of time in the NT—we are a holy temple—where God and man come together in me.
I sometimes feel like Hudson Taylor. There’s a lot to do in the kingdom of God. so much, so many opportunities, if I just work harder—but it is exhausting.
I think God wants us to realize we can’t do it all. we can’t do anything—apart from me you can do nothing. and when we start to feel like this, this is where God wants us—complete dependence on Him so He can do it all.
so this is the organic side—I am in an intimate loving relationship with Jesus—abide in me, and I will abide in you. Christ in me. knowing how much you are loved.
so based on this first organic part—do you know this? are you organically growing in Christ, abiding in Him—knowing how much you are simply loved—that the God of the universe through Christ by His Spirit dwells in you, and you in Him. amazing
but let’s look at the other side—if Christian growth, is both organic and intentional...
let’s look at the intentional.
Pete Scazzero in his book emotionally healthy spirituality talks about a rule of life.
he is not the first to come up with it—the monks did back in the 6th century.
it is an “intentional, conscious plan to keep God at the center of all we do.”
JMC - a plan to follow Jesus.
so not talking about rules, but a pattern or rhythm to have you structure, plan, and do your life.
and here’s the thing—all of us have a rule of life.
think of the whole year—even seasons—patterns of vacation, patterns of work, rest. daily, weekly, seasonally. patterns and rhythms of relationships, community, isolation and alone time.
so they are your rhythms and patterns daily, weekly, monthly, seasonally, yearly...
the question is is your rule of life producing the kind of spiritual growth with Jesus that you desperately need?
John Mark Comer in his book “Practicing the Way” says a good rule of life does 3 things:
turns vision into reality
helps experience peace (b/c you are living in alignment with how God created you to be)
helps living at the right pace
helps balance freedom and discipline (you need both structure and spontaneity)
so intentional enough plan
JMC says his rule of life:
If you were to look at my Rule (one I live by with a small community of friends), you’d see a bunch of spiritual disciplines you would likely expect: an hour of quiet each morning to pray and read Scripture, a weekly Sabbath and meal with my community, a monthly day in solitude, and so on.
Comer, John Mark. Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did. (p. 182). PRH Christian Publishing. Kindle Edition.
but it’s not just addition he says but subtraction:
he puts his phone away every night at 8:30pm - and he doesn’t look at it until he has his morning quiet time
he does a screen Sabbath - a full 24 hours without screens
social media is just 1 day a week
Andy Crouch says he limits his intake of media to 4 hours a week
the goal is not legalism—or just rules—but setting me up so I can abide with and dwell with Jesus.
because let’s face it...all of us are remaining in something, dwelling in something, abiding in something
for some it is our phones—social media, YouTube, binge watching Netflix—and that does produce a kine of fruit—just not the fruit we want
for some it is the political news and politics all the time—and that does produce a type of fruit but not what Jesus wants.
so we set up some intentional structure and habits—a rule of life to help us intentionally focus on Jesus.
(trellis and the vine)
so what are some practical steps? some of which you know—this could look different from person to person—but if you look at our core values—with Worship right at the center. and the word—grow—how do we grow intentionally...
I would encourage some of these:
daily time in God’s Word (quiet time; I have called it a Battle) Lee and Liz Johnson talked about it—and there are so many ways, but do you have an intentional plan to tackle God’s Word this year—listening to it, memorizing it, dwelling on it, will look different from person to person. do you pray Scripture—do you listen to God’s Word and simply dwell on the fact that God loves me. the God of the universe?
as part of worship—do you have Christians that you can gather with for worship—part of that is corporate worship—but even a SS class, or small group.
if you look at more—look at the word “Connect” - do you have a plan to connect? don’t overthink it; use the church:
join a Sunday School class try it
try a Ripples group—or use Right Now Media and we can help you form a group
or get together with 2 or 3 others—and really connect, encourage and hold each other accountable. Read a book of the Bible together.
serve - this could be a part of your plan:
how can you serve your family -if married and kids
how can you serve in a church family - volunteer in a ministry here—make it part of your rule of life—intentional plan. build a mission trip into your family vacation schedule.
serve on the usher greeter team; the music team; we always need more kid’s volunteers. I ask other churches—do you have enough kid’s volunteers—I have yet to hear one say “we have too many!” what if we had too many because all of us want to help shape our kids into the image of Jesus—to help them be with Jesus, become like Him, and do as He did.
reach
—do you have at least one - one person you are intentionally praying for to come to saving faith in Christ. do you have at least one—one person you are strategically spending time with—not for the sake of making them a project—but as you have been loved, you want to love.
—go on a missions trip - on a service trip at some point. whether to Maytown...or even overseas. we have a small scholarship support available through our Great Commission team (missions committee) for those from our church who do go.
don’t just think individually—but communally.
—it could be even bigger—include things like Sabbath, fasting, things you want to cut out—screen free Sunday...subtraction; not just addition. generosity, giving, money, time, talents
finally—remember this discipline and organic journey of growth—takes...time.
it’s a process. not overnight.
we want everything instantly...I want this to happen right away. Sometimes I read my Bible, and I don’t really feel any different. be patient.
think for 3 months—for the next 3 months
if you have young kids, be especially patient with your goals and flexible—because those little ones will provide lots of holy moments of interruption...if you can call them that haha.
we do all this so that we will enjoy Jesus, grow to become like Him and do as He did
card?
one of the greatest spiritual formation practices we can do as a community is communion or the Lord’s Supper—
who needs elements (or gather at home)
let me remind you:
communion — 1 Cor. 11:23-26
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
