Who We Are (Matthew 4:19; John 13:34–35)

Our Identity as Disciple-Makers

Vision Series — Week 1 September 6, 2026 Primary texts: Matthew 4:19; John 13:34–35 Big idea: A disciple follows Jesus, is transformed by Jesus, and joins the mission of Jesus.

Introduction: The Question Beneath Every Other Question

Over the next several weeks, we are going to talk about the vision God has given us as a church.

We will consider four foundational questions:

Who are we? We are disciple-makers.

What do we do? We pursue gospel saturation.

How do we live? We live as missional communities in everyday life.

Where do we go? From Brampton to the world.

But before we discuss programs, strategies, or destinations, we have to begin with identity.

Who are we?

That question matters because identity always shapes activity. What we believe about ourselves determines how we live.

If a church primarily sees itself as an audience, its people will come to watch.

If a church sees itself as a religious service provider, its people will come to consume.

If a church sees itself as a building, its focus will be maintaining a place.

But if a church understands itself to be a community of disciples who make disciples, then every member becomes a participant in the mission of Jesus.

The church is not an event we attend. The church is a people we belong to and a mission we share.

Today, Jesus answers the question, “Who are we?” with a simple invitation:

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” —Matthew 4:19

In this one sentence, Jesus gives us a complete picture of discipleship.

A disciple is someone who:

follows Jesus,

is transformed by Jesus,

and joins the mission of Jesus.

And in John 13, Jesus tells us what this community of disciples should look like:

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” —John 13:35

Our identity is not merely something we claim. It is something the world should be able to see.

1. A Disciple Follows Jesus

Jesus begins with two words:

“Follow me.”

Christianity begins with the call of a person.

Jesus does not first say, “Follow a system.”

He does not say, “Adopt these political opinions.”

He does not say, “Improve yourself until you become acceptable.”

He does not even begin by saying, “Understand everything.”

He says, “Follow me.”

To be a Christian is not merely to agree with certain facts about Jesus. It is to entrust yourself to Jesus and rearrange your life around him.

The first disciples would have understood the weight of this invitation. Simon Peter and Andrew were fishermen. Their lives had a familiar rhythm: boats, nets, water, work, family, and survival.

Then Jesus entered their ordinary world and called them to follow him.

Matthew tells us:

“Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” —Matthew 4:20

The nets were more than equipment. They represented security, routine, identity, and control. Following Jesus meant that he now had the right to redefine every part of their lives.

That is still what it means to follow Jesus.

Jesus does not ask to become one item on an already crowded schedule. He does not offer to become a spiritual accessory that helps us manage our preferred life. He calls us to surrender our preferred life and receive a new one from him.

Following Jesus means that his voice becomes our highest authority.

When Jesus speaks about our relationships, we follow him.

When he speaks about our money, we follow him.

When he speaks about forgiveness, sexuality, ambition, justice, generosity, and our treatment of enemies, we follow him.

When his way conflicts with our comfort, our culture, or our preferences, we follow him.

This does not mean that disciples never struggle, doubt, or fail. Peter certainly did all three. A disciple is not someone who follows Jesus perfectly. A disciple is someone whose life is pointed toward Jesus—someone who keeps returning to him in repentance, trust, and obedience.

The question is not, “Do I attend church?”

The deeper question is, “Am I following Jesus?”

Is there evidence that I am listening to him, trusting him, obeying him, and becoming more like him?

Church attendance can support discipleship, but attendance is not the same thing as discipleship. We can sit in a church building and remain in charge of our own lives.

Jesus does not say, “Come and observe me.”

He says, “Follow me.”

The gospel makes following possible

We must be careful here. We do not follow Jesus to earn his love. We follow because he loved us first.

The same Jesus who called the disciples eventually went to the cross for them. He died for their pride, fear, selfishness, betrayal, and sin. He rose again to defeat death and give them new life.

Jesus does not stand at a distance shouting instructions to people who are drowning. He comes to rescue us. He forgives us, gives us his Spirit, and then leads us into a new way of life.

Discipleship is not our attempt to prove that we are worthy of Jesus. It is our response to the grace of Jesus.

We follow because he saved us.

2. A Disciple Is Transformed by Jesus

Jesus continues:

“Follow me, and I will make you…”

That phrase is filled with hope.

Jesus does not say, “Follow me because you have already made yourself worthy.”

He says, “I will make you.”

The first disciples did not begin as finished products. They misunderstood Jesus. They argued about status. They acted impulsively. They fell asleep when Jesus asked them to pray. One denied him, and another doubted his resurrection.

Yet Jesus called them.

He called them as they were, but he did not leave them as they were.

That is the grace of discipleship: Jesus welcomes us as we are and loves us too much to leave us unchanged.

Some of us may believe that we are too broken to be used by God. We know our past. We see our weaknesses. We are aware of the distance between who we are and who we should be.

But Jesus says, “I will make you.”

Others may resist transformation for a different reason. We want Jesus to forgive us, but we do not want him to change us. We want relief from guilt without surrendering control. We want Jesus as Saviour while resisting him as Lord.

But the invitation to follow Jesus is always an invitation to be transformed by Jesus.

The New Testament describes this transformation in many ways:

from death to life,

from darkness to light,

from slaves of sin to servants of righteousness,

from strangers to members of God’s family,

from being conformed to this world to being renewed in our minds,

from reflecting our old nature to reflecting the character of Christ.

Transformation is not merely behaviour modification. Jesus works from the inside out. He changes our desires, loyalties, relationships, habits, priorities, and purpose.

This transformation happens through the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, prayer, obedience, suffering, and the community of believers. It is often gradual. It can be uncomfortable. But it is the faithful work of Jesus in everyone who follows him.

Transformation happens in community

This is one reason we need the church.

We cannot become mature disciples in isolation.

In John 13, Jesus speaks to his disciples on the night before the cross:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

Notice the standard: “As I have loved you.”

How did Jesus love them?

He served them.

He washed their feet.

He was patient with their weakness.

He told them the truth.

He forgave their failures.

He laid down his life for them.

Then Jesus said:

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The distinguishing mark of Jesus’ disciples is not impressive branding, a polished service, a packed calendar, or a beautiful building.

It is Christlike love.

The world should be able to look at our life together and see something that cannot be explained merely by common interests or natural friendships.

People of different ages, cultures, personalities, backgrounds, and experiences become one family in Christ.

We carry one another’s burdens.

We forgive one another.

We speak truth to one another.

We show hospitality.

We remain committed when relationships become inconvenient.

We care for those who cannot repay us.

We rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

We do not simply sit near one another on Sunday. We share life with one another because Jesus has made us his people.

This love does not create the gospel, but it makes the gospel visible.

Our city has heard many Christian claims. It needs to see a Christian community.

Jesus says that when we love one another as he loved us, people will recognize that we belong to him.

3. A Disciple Joins the Mission of Jesus

Jesus completes the invitation:

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Jesus calls the disciples not only away from an old life but also into a new purpose.

They had been catching fish. Now their lives would be devoted to reaching people.

This image is not about manipulation, pressure, or treating people as projects. It is about participating in Jesus’ work of seeking and saving the lost. It means helping people meet Jesus, trust Jesus, follow Jesus, and learn to help others do the same.

A disciple is someone who makes disciples.

Disciple-making is not an advanced course for unusually gifted Christians. It is part of the identity Jesus gives every follower.

Not everyone will preach from a platform.

Not everyone will lead a formal ministry.

Not everyone will travel to another country.

But every disciple can pray for someone, love someone, share the gospel with someone, open Scripture with someone, invite someone into Christian community, and help someone take a step toward Jesus.

Our church does not merely have a discipleship ministry. Our church is a disciple-making people.

This changes how we view our everyday lives.

Your home can become a place of discipleship.

Your workplace can become a mission field.

Your school can become a place where the love and truth of Jesus are displayed.

Your dinner table can become a place where questions are welcomed and faith is nurtured.

Your friendship can become the bridge by which someone encounters the grace of Christ.

Your ordinary routines can become holy opportunities.

We often imagine mission as something that happens somewhere else, led by someone else. But Jesus first called fishermen while they were working beside the sea.

He entered their everyday lives and gave those lives eternal purpose.

He does the same with us.

We cannot separate discipleship from mission

Sometimes Christians think discipleship means learning more, while mission means doing more. Jesus brings the two together.

As we follow him, he forms us into people who participate in his mission.

A disciple who never moves toward others is missing part of what Jesus intends discipleship to produce.

Consider the pattern in Scripture. Andrew meets Jesus, then goes to find his brother Simon. Philip follows Jesus, then finds Nathanael. The Samaritan woman encounters Jesus, then returns to tell her town. Those who truly encounter Jesus begin inviting others to encounter him too.

We do not share Jesus because we have mastered every theological question. We share him because we have experienced his grace.

We can say, “This is who I was. This is what Jesus has done. Come and see.”

That is disciple-making.

4. Disciple-Makers Are Known by Their Love

Matthew 4 gives us our calling. John 13 gives us our credibility.

We are called to make disciples, but we must make them in the way of Jesus.

Without love, mission becomes a marketing campaign.

Without love, truth becomes a weapon.

Without love, discipleship becomes information transfer.

Without love, church becomes a religious gathering rather than a spiritual family.

Jesus connects our witness to the way we treat one another:

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples…”

Our life together either clarifies or confuses our message about Jesus.

If we proclaim reconciliation while refusing to forgive each other, our witness is weakened.

If we proclaim grace while treating weakness with contempt, our witness is weakened.

If we proclaim that Jesus creates a new family while remaining disconnected from one another, our witness is weakened.

But when the church loves with the love of Jesus, the gospel becomes tangible.

Imagine a church where lonely people find family.

Imagine a church where children and young people are known, valued, and discipled.

Imagine a church where older believers share their wisdom and younger believers share their energy.

Imagine a church where cultural differences become a display of the reconciling power of Christ.

Imagine a church where people confess sin without fear of humiliation and receive both grace and loving truth.

Imagine a church where needs are noticed before they have to be announced.

Imagine a church where every believer asks, “Who am I helping to follow Jesus?”

That kind of community becomes a living testimony to the city.

Brampton does not only need more information about Christianity. Brampton needs communities in which the reality of Jesus can be seen.

This is who we are called to become.

5. Our Identity Shapes the Entire Vision

This identity lays the foundation for the rest of this series.

What do we do?

We pursue gospel saturation.

We long for every person in our city to have repeated opportunities to see, hear, understand, and respond to the gospel of Jesus. But gospel saturation will not happen through Sunday gatherings alone. It requires ordinary disciples carrying the good news into every neighbourhood and network.

How do we live?

We live in missional community.

We gather not merely to attend meetings but to encourage one another, stir one another toward love and good works, and display the goodness of God in everyday life.

Where do we go?

We go from Brampton to the world.

We begin with the people God has placed around us, but we do not stop there. The good news of repentance and forgiveness must be proclaimed among all nations.

The entire vision flows from our identity.

We are disciples of Jesus who make disciples of Jesus.

We follow him.

He transforms us.

He sends us.

And we do it together, marked by his love.

6. Three Questions for Us

As we begin this series, I want to invite each of us to consider three questions.

First: Am I following Jesus?

Not simply: Do I believe that Jesus existed?

Not simply: Do I attend church?

Not simply: Did I once pray a prayer?

Am I following him now?

What is Jesus saying to me through his Word? Where is he asking me to trust him? Is there an area of my life that I have refused to place under his authority?

Perhaps today is the day for you to respond to Jesus for the first time. He gave his life for sinners and rose from the grave. Turn from sin, trust him, and follow him.

Second: How is Jesus transforming me?

Where can you see the work of Christ in your character?

Are you becoming more loving, patient, generous, truthful, courageous, and forgiving?

Where are you resisting his work?

Do not be discouraged by the distance you still have to travel. Bring your life honestly before Jesus. The one who calls you is also the one who says, “I will make you.”

Third: Who am I helping to follow Jesus?

Can you name someone?

It might be a child in your home, a younger believer, a neighbour, a colleague, a classmate, or a friend exploring faith.

You do not need a title. You do not need to know everything. Begin by praying. Build a genuine relationship. Share what Jesus has done. Read a Gospel together. Invite the person into your life and into the life of the church.

Every disciple needs someone who is helping them follow Jesus, and every growing disciple should increasingly help someone else follow Jesus.

Who is that person for you?

Conclusion: Leave the Nets

When Jesus stood beside the Sea of Galilee, he was not recruiting spectators. He was calling disciples.

His invitation still comes to us:

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

“Follow me”—give me your allegiance.

“I will make you”—trust me with your transformation.

“Fishers of men”—join me in my mission.

This is who we are.

We are not consumers of religious goods and services.

We are not an audience gathered around a stage.

We are not simply individuals who happen to worship in the same room.

By the grace of God, we are a family of disciples—following Jesus, being transformed by Jesus, and joining the mission of Jesus.

And the world will know that we belong to him by the way we love one another.

So let us leave behind whatever keeps us from following.

Let us surrender ourselves again to the transforming work of Christ.

Let us take responsibility for helping others meet and follow Jesus.

And let us ask God to make this church a disciple-making people through whom the gospel becomes visible and accessible—from Brampton to the world.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you have called us to follow you.

Forgive us for the ways we have reduced discipleship to attendance, information, or religious activity. Forgive us for wanting the benefits of your grace without surrendering to your leadership.

Thank you for loving us, giving your life for us, and rising again to give us new life.

Make us into the people you have called us to be. Transform our desires, our character, our relationships, and our priorities. Teach us to love one another as you have loved us.

Open our eyes to the people you have placed around us. Give us courage to speak about you, humility to serve, patience to walk with others, and faith to believe that you are still drawing people to yourself.

Make us a church of disciples who make disciples—a community in which the gospel can be heard, seen, and experienced.

Use us in Brampton and send us wherever you desire, so that people from every neighbourhood and every nation may know and follow you.

For your glory, we pray.

Amen.

Suggested Weekly Response

This week:

Follow: Identify one area in which Jesus is calling you to renewed obedience.

Connect: Take one concrete step toward deeper Christian community.

Pray: Choose one person who does not yet follow Jesus and pray for them every day.

Invite: Ask that person to share a meal, have a spiritual conversation, or join you at church during this vision series.

Congregational statement: We are disciples of Jesus who make disciples of Jesus—following him, being transformed by him, and joining his mission together.

Discussion Questions

Jesus says, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Which part of this invitation most needs your attention right now: following Jesus more fully, allowing him to transform an area of your life, or helping someone else follow him? What practical step could you take this week?

Jesus says the world will recognize his disciples by their love for one another. What would Christlike love look like in our church, our small groups, and our everyday relationships? Where might God be calling you to forgive, serve, encourage, or pursue someone?

Transition to Communion

As we prepare to come to the Lord’s Table, we remember that our identity as disciples begins not with what we have done for Jesus, but with what Jesus has done for us.

We follow him because he first came for us.

We are being transformed because his body was broken and his blood was shed to free us from sin.

We join his mission because the risen Jesus has given us new life and invited us to participate in his work.

At this table, we also remember that Jesus has not saved us merely as isolated individuals. Through his death, he has made us one family. We share one bread and one cup because we belong to one Lord and to one another.

This is why Jesus’ command to love one another matters so deeply. The cross is both the source and the pattern of that love. Jesus did not love us when it was convenient or when we had made ourselves worthy. He loved us sacrificially, faithfully, and to the end.

So before we receive the bread and the cup, let us examine our hearts.

Are we following Jesus, or have we been holding part of our lives back from him?

Are we allowing him to transform us, or are we resisting his work?

Are we walking in love toward one another, or is there bitterness, division, or unforgiveness that we need to confess?

This table is not for people who have followed Jesus perfectly. It is for people who know they need his grace. We come not because we are worthy, but because Jesus is worthy. We come in repentance and faith, remembering his sacrifice and receiving again the good news of his love.

On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way, he took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

As we eat and drink, let us remember the one who called us, saved us, and is making us into his people.

The body of Christ, given for you.

The blood of Christ, shed for you.