A Path, Not Just a Place

Good morning, everyone! Whether you're here with us in the room or joining online—listening live or later—I am truly glad you're here. Leaf River Baptist church exist to Know God, grow in faith, and to go make Him known.

Hey, if you’ve got kids with you this morning—now’s a great time for them to head to class. We’ve got an amazing team ready to welcome them and help them know Jesus in a way that makes sense to them

For everyone else, grab your Bible, get comfortable, and get ready for what God has for you today. Today we are finishing our series on who we are as a church.

Now, I want to get us all up to speed in case you’ve missed anything the last few weeks. Over the course of the last few years we have been meeting to discuss who we are as a church, and put some things into writing so there is no confusion about anything that we are doing. We wanted to be able to look to who we are and decide what we should, or should not, be doing.

So over the course of this series, we have introduced the following defining statements that will direct us as a church into the future. First of all…

We have shared our renewed vision “To KNOW God, to GROW in faith, and to GO make him known. “

Second we discussed a brand new vision to help us accomplish our mission, We said that,

Leaf River Baptist Church is a community rooted in God’s Word and united in Christ.

From this foundation, we strive to live as a spiritual family of growing believers—encouraging one another in faith and serving with joy.

Together, we are committed to reaching Ogle County with the Gospel of Jesus, reaching the world through missions, investing in families and future generations, embracing new opportunities, and equipping believers to share their faith boldly—all for the glory of God.

Third, last week we introduced values as a way to understanding what is important, and how we should be functioning as a church. Now these values were a result of the surveys that everyone filled out. So, here is what we are claiming as our values here at LRBC.

VALUE 1: PRAYER

VALUE 2: BIBLICAL TEACHING

VALUE 3: WORSHIP

VALUE 4: REACHING THE LOST

VALUE 5: FELLOWSHIP

VALUE 6: EXCELLENCE

All of these things together help to truly describe who we are as a church. Then there is today. Today we are going to talk about what is called, a “Discipleship Pathway”. What is a discipleship pathway you ask…Well, these are what, we believe, every commited church member will be engaged in. This is what you will be doing as a growing believer. For LRBC, I am introducing a concept called the rhythms of discipleship. So, the discipleship pathway, is the rhythms of discipleship. These are the different catagories that we will seek grow as individual believers, and as a church.

Now, when someone asks, ‘Where do you go to church?’ what do they usually mean? They’re asking about a building. A location. A place you attend. But heres the deal—Jesus never said, ‘Come sit.’ He said, ‘Follow Me.’ So, what if church was less about a place we go, and more about a path we walk?

Over the past three weeks, we’ve talked about why we exist, where we’re going, and how we live together. Today, we answer the most personal question of all: What does faithfulness look like for me?”

So, just like the last few weeks, we are going to look at various concepts that are going to lead us to LRBC’s new discipleship pathway. The first thing that we should remember is that , Jesus had crowds—but He didn’t build His movement on crowds. He built it on disciples. So how do we move…

From Crowds to Disciples

You see, Jesus undeniably drew very large crowds. People traveled from far off places to hear the great teacher and to potentially be a part of healing, or some other miraculous work. However, Jesus wasn’t sold on numbers…he wasn’t worried about getting a bigger crowd than the next guy. Jesus was concerned with truth and with growth.

LIsten to the very first invitation Jesus gives in Matthew’s gospel account.

Matthew 4:18–19 ESV

18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Now, we need to really see what is happening here to understand this command. Jesus sees these brothers and he brings them into relationship with him so that he can teach them and pour into them individually. Jesus wasn’t just asking them to join him as he travels. Jesus is inviting these men to follow his example and replicate his character. The reality is that following Jesus, for these early disciples, involved significant sacrifice. They were leaving their jobs and how they provided for themselves and their family. This was a radical move here.

Jesus disn’t say, ‘Believe this statement’ or ‘Attend this gathering.’ He says, ‘Follow Me—and I will make you something you are not yet.’

Now, here’s what I truly love about this story…

Jesus calls ordinary people into a lifelong journey

These men are fisherman…these are blue collar workers, you know, guys with their names on their shirt kind of guys. These are the scholarly educated crowds. Jesus went to the normal guy who spent his days living to provide for his family and those he loved, not some “elite”

Of course following Jesus implies movement, direction, change…These are all things that Jesus is calling hist first followers into, and these are the same things Jesus is calling you and I into as well.

Now, there is something really cool that is happening with these disciples. What we know about these men is that they did leave their jobs and followed Jesus and they were transformed into something they never thought they would be…That’s because

Discipleship involves transformation, not information

Listen, Jesus is not hiding anything from these men. When Jesus says, “I will make you”, he is telling them that change is coming. Change is required if Jesus is going to make us into disciples. Growth is expected to happen—this is not a hope…it is an expectation.

But listen, this is important, the goal isn’t about attendance to Jesus’ meetings…no, the goal is becoming what Jesus is creating you to be. Again…this REQUIRES change in all of our lives.

So, if following JEsus is a journey, the next quesion should be obvious: Does growth just happen…or does it require intention?

Well, the New Testament assumes that believers will grow…the concern is never if—but how. That’s because…

Growth Is Expected, Not Accidental

If someone is going to follow Jesus, there will be growth in their lives. That is a given…However, it also takes intentional actions and intentional decisions to continue to grow as a believer. The apostle Paul actually helps us out and writes to Christians who already believe—and then he tells them what should come next.

Colossians 2:6–7 ESV

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Even here we see a progression that Paul is acknowledging. It starts with belief and salvation. Then it moves into being rooted and built up in Christ, finally showing the abounding joy to all others outside the faith. Here’s the deal…

Spiritual growth has direction

This is not some ground breaking concept here.Pauls practical concern here was that believers would grow in spiritual maturity. The very basis of their conduct is Christ’s lordship and indwelling. The command to continue to live in him is followed by expressions of what this looked like.

Being rooted—meaning having a deep theological konwledge.

Being built up—meaning to have a structure which allows you to grow

Being established in the faith— this was a legal term which mena to be confirmed or established in the faith. In other words, there is stability. and finally

Overflowing with gratitude— meaning pretty clearly to allow others to see Christ in you.

Growth may be gradual, it may be slow at times, but it is always intentional.

Something else is that…

Growth requires rhythms, not resolutions

Very rarely will someone wake up and just say, “I’m going to do everything right today”. No, growth requires consistent work and consistent change. It requires faithfulness to simply continue on taking the next step. Trees don’t grow overnight, and neither do Christians.

In order to truly grow you have to do things like, discipline yourself to pray, reading the Scripture, meditating on God’s glory.

Faith matures through repeated practices over time. For those of you that I have had the privilege of counseling, you know there are times that I ask you to simply read the same Scripture every single day, or I will have you do Bible studies on specific topics. I do this because I want your brain and your spirit to recognize God’s word as the default reaction, and that takes muscle memory—it takes repeated practice over time.

But here’s why so many churches seem to struggle—not with desire, the desire is there, but with clarity. People want to grow…you want to grow, but people don’t know what their next step is. That is what the discipleship pathway helps to define. The reality is that God never designed discipleship to be a solo run, it’s a shared journey.

So, here’s…

How We Walk This Journey Together

This is the question we have been leading up to over the last few weeks. How do we grow together, how do we walk together, how do we encourage each other if we aren’t even sure what that looks like for us.

Well, listen, Paul explains why the church exists—not just to gather people, but to grow them. Let’s take a look at

Ephesians 4:11–16 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

There’s a whole lot going on there, but basically, here’s what it means for the church. The church doesn’t manufacture maturity—but it does create an environment where growth can happen. You see, ministry is intended to move believers towards accomplishing three goals. 1. unity of faith, 2. maturity, 3. the fullness of Christ.

Ultimately, here’s what happens. The church will grow up into Christ in all aspects of life, and with each part of the body, fitting together and supporting each other. You see, it takes all of us, as a church family, working together to continue to grow. So, that means that

Leaders equip; Members grow

That’s the beginning right there. Leaders are not called to do all of the work of the ministry. No, leaders are called to help others grow to do the work of the ministry. That means that I am not the guy that is called to do the outreach of LRBC. I should be a part of it, but I am not the person that should be focused in on that. My role is to encourage and equip you to minister to others. That includes all different types of ministry, from cleaning to preaching.

When that takes place, then the body builds itself up in love. There is a unique love that a church family should have for each other. This church family should be concerned and care for all Christians and all those outside of the church. However, to each other, we are bonded together in love and are a spiritual family.

Now, it’s easy for a church to get really busy and put something on the calendar every week and just really look like they are killing it in ministry. But that’s not a sign of maturity.

Maturity is measured by Christlikeness, not busyness

We can all get really busy…and still be a shallow baby Christian. That’s not what we’re looking for is it. Busyess doesn’t mean anything other that you like you plan a bunch of stuff…So what is it that woudl begin to mark growth and maturity?

Well, growth at LRBC would be evidenced by us continuing to be unified in the faith, for us to not be scared to be honest with each other, for us to truly care and love each other, and for us, as a church body, to be stable in our relationships and in our growth. You know what though…the thing about growth is that you don’t see if while you are growing. Growth is only visable over time. So…let’s put time to the test for a quick moment. A few years back I went around asking people if the community would notice if LRBC closed up and moved on. I did not talk to a single person that said people would care or even notice. Look at today—today we have people online defending LRBC from percieved slander…and this is from people who have never attended LRBC.

That’s not all, a few years ago I announced this idea that we would read through the Bible together, I struggled to get 10 people to commit to attempt to read the Bible through in a year. The biggest opsticle was consistently reading Scripture. Fast forward to today, more than 50% of our men proclaim to read the Bible at least multiple times per week. Now, the national average is about 16%. Folks, that’s growth!

But, if discipleship is a shared journey, and growth is expected, then the most loving thing a church can do is clarify the path towards growth. That’s exactly what we’re going to do this morning. I’m going to share with you what was developed in our purpose team meetings and affirmed with Elders.

Let’s look at the LRBC

Rhythms of Discipleship—(Discipleship Pathway)

First of all let me share this…What I am about to share is not a test that you have to check off and then you’re good…No, this is a tool for you to ensure that you are continuing to learn and grow as a believer. Think of this as a map to help you continue to move forward.

So we’ve come up four steps to look at. However, these steps are not independent, and these steps are not like a ladder that you climb and then you are good to go once you accomplish all four things. That’s not what we are looking at. These are four things that we believe we will continue in our lives, and this shows us how to invite each other into the next step of growth as well.

So, here we go. I’m going to share these with you now.

Gather — draw near

The reality is that God forms his people as they regularly gather to draw near to him together.

Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

True disciples of Jesus intentionally draw near to God and to each other.

That means that you prioritize Sunday worship, and other opportunities to be with your Spiritual family. It also means you orient our lives around God.

2. Grow — grow deep

We are rooted in the truth of God, and dsciples grow deep through God’s Word lived out in community together.

Colossians 2:6–7 ESV

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Jesus’ disciples intentionally seek to grow in their knowledge of who God is together.

That means that you make commitments to be involved in small group Bible studies, Sunday School, or prayer groups where Scripture is discussed and we challenge each other.

3. Serve — build up

God uses every believer, including you, to serve according to your God-given gifts to build his church. In other words, we all grow together, when you fulfill your role.

Ephesians 4:16 ESV

16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

If you are a disciple of Jesus, you have a role to play in the ministry of LRBC. Whether you are a member, or just a regular attender, there is opportunities for you to serve your brothers and sisters of LRBC. IN other words…church is not a spectator sport.

That means that if you’re not involved in some way of serving the church family, it’s time to look into what you should be doing on a regular weekly basis. That is both for your growth, but also for the encouragement of others, realizing that we all hold a shared responsibility for this local mission of God.

4. Go — reach out

We love the world in Jesus name.

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

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 all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus’ disciples live sent, carrying Christ’s love and message out into the world where there are people dying and going to Hell every day.

That means that you are specifically commited to serving along with your church family out in the community with various outreach opportunities. Your faith should naturally flow into a desire to be about the mission of the Gospel!

Conclusion

Listen, let’s make some commitments this week. Look at these four rhythms, which all feed and lead into each other, (make sure they are on the screen) I’m not asking you to try and make sure you are doing all four of these things every day or even every week. These are the rhythms of being a disciple of Christ. So today I’m asking you to take this next step. I want you to ask God, “Which rhythm do you want me to step into more intentionally this year God”.

Do you need to make a commitment to more faithfully attend regular worship or small group? Maybe you need to take the step to be a small group facilitator in your home. Maybe you need to make a commitment to actually join some team and serve regularly on Sunday mornings. Maybe, and I’ll be honest, theres alot of you that really need to pray about this one, maybe you need to make the commitment to participate in some outreach opportunities with your brothers and sisters. These are all important.

Now, if you’re new around here…maybe your biggest commitment is to make weekly worship a priority in your family this year. However, you already know what your next step is after that. You just continue working through these and focusing on these rhythms and see how God will continue to grow you and your family.

This is not linear folks. These are rhythms we return to again and again. You don’t graduate from these rhythms until you are promoted to be with the Lord in Eternity. You should always be focusing on one of these rhythms and continue seeking to grow and be closer to God. This is a tool for your progressive sanctification, which means growing into the image of Christ.

Now, as we close this morning I want to encourage everyone to take their next step of faith. For some of you that will be baptism. Some of you have mentioned recently that you would like to follow Jesus in baptism, and so I want to ask you to just go back to the welcome desk as we exit and place your name along with the others that are on the baptism sign up sheet. That’s such an important and personal decision, and we want to help make sure you are ready for that.

For others, listen, if you’re not involved in Sunday School or Small Group, well, it’s time to look into that more seriously. If you’ve never participated in an outreach effort here at LRBC, then that is a commitment you need to make, especially if you are in leadership around here, ok. Whatever your next step of faith and growth looks like, I want to encourage you to take that step and follow the rhythms of discipleship.

Let’s pray

VISUAL DIAGRAM SUGGESTION

Circular rhythm (not a ladder):

Circle or compass-style graphic

Christ at the center

Four movements around Him