Jesus & the Twelve
Relational • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
Hey guys, so glad you’re back for week three of our series, Relational. If you’re new with us, we’ve been talking about the fact that God designed you for connection. Our Vision & Mission of our church is: Be Found, Be Changed, Be Known, Now Go.
Now, you can Know God in a weekend service seating in rows. But you can only Be Changed and Be Known in a small group in a circle. Why? Because you can’t have a breakthrough without a brother or a sister walking beside you.
Today, we’re looking at the greatest model of leadership and spiritual growth the world has ever seen: Jesus and the Twelve. If the Son of God, the one person who actually could have done it all by Himself, chose to do life in a small group, what does that say about us?
Jesus shows us that discipleship happens through shared life.
It starts with an invitation, not a syllabus.
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
The call to join and the obedience to answer and follow.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Insight: Notice what Jesus didn’t do. He didn't say, Hey guys, here is a 12-week curriculum and a binder. If you pass the test, you’re in. He said, follow me.
2. Information does not equal transformation.
You can have all the Bible knowledge in the world and still have a broken heart or a broken marriage. Jesus didn’t simply teach information; He invited people into a relationship.
In our culture, we think discipleship means more Bible study. But in the Bible, disciple meant to be with. You don’t learn to be like Jesus by just reading about Him; you learn by walking with Him and walking with people who are following Him.
Ill: The Apprentice. A master carpenter doesn't just give a book to an apprentice; they stand at the same bench. They get sawdust on the same clothes.
3. Discipleship is caught more than it is taught.
The secret sauce of withness.
13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
I love Vs. 14. It says He appointed twelve that they might be with Him. Don't miss that. Before He sent them out to preach or heal, the primary goal was withness.
Discipleship happened while they were with Jesus: walking dusty roads, eating fish on the beach, traveling in boats, and even in the moments they were failing.
4. If you want to grow spiritually, you have to get your withness right.
You need people who are with you when the diagnosis comes back, with you when the kids are acting up, and with you when you're celebrating a win. Truth grows best in the soil of community.
Small groups aren't just another meeting on your calendar; they are the "Withness" of the church. They are the place where the "one another's" of Scripture actually happen.
Ill:
Jesus modeled serving.
1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.
3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.
Jesus takes the shared life to the deepest level in the upper room. He moves from eating together to serving and teaching a valuable life lesson.
He washes their feet.
5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
Lord, what are you doing? Although the disciples most likely would have been happy to wash Jesus’ feet, they could not conceive of washing each other’s feet. This was because in the society of the time foot-washing was reserved for the lowliest of menial servants.
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
It takes humility and grace to serve others, but it also takes humility and grace to allow others to serve us.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.
Jesus asked the disciples if they understood what He had done, and it is not likely that they did.
Okay, I just didn’t tell you to do it, I showed you.
Teacher vs. Tutor: The primary difference is that teachers instruct large groups of students using a fixed, standardized curriculum within formal school systems, while tutors provide personalized, one-on-one or small-group support to reinforce existing knowledge or address specific learning gaps.
13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
Jesus was their Master, so He had every right to command their service. Instead, He served them!
15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
Vs. 15, I have set you an example.
You must keep in mind that the Romans had no use for humility, and the Greeks despised manual labor. Jesus combined these two when He washed the disciples’ feet.
True spiritual growth happens when we move from being “consumers” of a service to “servants” of one another.
This is why we want our small groups to do serve projects together. There is something that happens to your soul when you serve alongside other believers that can’t happen while you’re just sitting in a chair watching a stage. When you serve together, you see the heart of Christ in each other.
5. We don't just join a group to get; we join a group to give.
You grow when you help someone else grow.
17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
The diff. between knowing and doing.
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.
Look at the result in the early church. They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching (the rows).
46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
But then they met in homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts (the circles).
Then the outcome:
47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Vs. 47: And the Lord added to their number daily.
When we live out shared life, the world takes notice. A healthy, relational church is an attractive church.
6. We grow spiritually when we intentionally share life with other believers.
It’s not accidental; it’s a choice. Acts 2 didn't just happen; they devoted themselves to it.
Closing Thought: Jesus had the Twelve. Who are your twelve?
You were never meant to carry your burdens alone. You were never meant to figure out the Bible alone. You grow when you share. You find freedom when you're known.
Maybe you’ve been coming to this church for a while and you feel like a face in the crowd.
Your next step is simple:
7. Don't just follow Jesus, follow Him with us.
Pray: Ask God for the courage to be vulnerable.
Action: Join a group.
Vision: Imagine what your life looks like six months from now when you have brothers and sisters who truly know you.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for the model of Jesus. Thank You that You didn't leave us to do life alone. I pray for every person here today—that they would find the courage to get in a circle, to share their life, and to experience the growth that only happens in community. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
