4:34 Discipling Challenge

Introduction:

Good morning Venture, I hope everyone had a joy filled Christmas with family and friends, as we continue to walk in the holiday spirit, looking forward to the new year, I wanted to introduce a discipling challenge for 2020.....before we get into it, lets pray.

PRAYER: “Father, thank you for today, and the opportunity to proclaim your instructively, and ask, Holy Spirit, that you would open our minds to the truth of your Word, and that our hearts would be incited to act on what your Word calls us to this morning. I pray that you’d help us be disciple-making disciples, that we would apply your Word personally, relationally, and missionally with those whom you’ve put before us in our areas of influence. I ask all this in Jesus name, amen.

This morning, we’re going to launch a disciple-making challenge for 2020, and before we do that, we’re going to ask some questions, and define some terms, so here are the two questions that launch our challenge and the terms we’ll be defining.

SLIDES: As a church we’re asking, do we have a plan for discipleship, and secondly, is it working?

SLIDES: As disciples we should be asking, who am I discipling, and who’s discipling me?

So, in order to answer these questions, we need to define some terms in order to rightly execute discipleship. And so this morning, we’re going define these things in order to understand and apply disciple-making.

TRANSITION: So, here is the Challenge, which comes from : And if you want to turn to , thats where we’ll be landing and launching our challenge,

SLIDE: ”Who’s Your 4:34” - 2020 Challenge

In order to understand and apply the challenge we need to establish a few things first;

SLIDE: UNDERSTANDING & APPLYING THE CHALLENGE

(1) what is the nature of a disciple,

(2) process of disciple-making

(2) what is the process of discipleship,

(3) And the pathway of discipleship in our church.

(3) how do we implement this process of discipleshipdisciple-making, and then our 4:34 challenge for 2020.

TRANSITION - SO WHAT IS A DISCIPLE

What is a Disciple

SLIDE: A disciple (μαθητής/manthetes)Is one who engages in learning through instruction from another, or an apprentice.

READ: And this is always happening whether actively or passively. INTRODUCE ILLUSTRATION: In other words - let me use a parable to demonstrate this meaning or using a more modern term for parable, an illustration

Exhorting & Admonishing Examples of passive discipleship:

INTRODUCE ILLUSTRATION: In other words - let me use a parable to demonstrate this meaning or using a more modern term for parable, an illustration

READ: This is always happening either actively or passively. Being a disciple goes beyond just learning instructively, it begins to develop into something more robust. As we’ll here in the - click to slide -

You verbally teach them how to drive, they learns everything about driving; knowing the car, the rules on the road, having awareness for others on the road, etc. You actively taught them, and they passively received your instruction. Now they’re applying your instruction by driving, and now you’re watching them do what you taught them to do.

TRANSITION: lets take a commercial break to consider what else is developing in this discipling; our discipling has moved beyond simply instructing them to now attitudinal change: lets consider the nature of a disciple -

SLIDE: The nature of a disciple involves all of one’s being, its a whole person engagement. It’s growing in knowledge through instructional training that leads to attitudinal changes and actions.

ILLUSTRATION: With that in mind, lets talk about your teens driving again.

Riff on Intellect>Action>Attitude

they have their license now, and they’ve been driving for some time now. You travel with them while they’re driving, and you begin to see their mannerisms and attitude towards other drivers, they’re aggressive, impatient, and angry when they drive. While observing them, you quickly realize that, they drive exactly like you. They learned to drive before they ever got behind the wheel. You discipled them passively long before they sat underneath your instruction actively. Unfortunately, this affirms the adage of, “more is caught than taught.”

Now -

This is a familial example of passive and active discipling, but even at the church level this is happening.

Transition into illustration:

Illustration:

Sunday morning service, you come eager to hear God’s Word being preached to hopefully get something from it, and if we’re honest, sometimes we do and sometimes we don’t. But if Sunday morning service is the extent of being a disciple of Jesus Christ, it’s incomplete. It’s incomplete because we’re not applying what we learn through relationships. We have to have accountable relationships to apply what we’ve learned instructively in order to rightly apply it, do it, etc.

In other words, being a disciple is

first personal, then relational and always missional.

then relational and always missional.

It’s others-centered, not self-centered.

Jesus, in summing up the law, said the heart of God’s law is based on two realities; Love God & Your Neighbor. You can’t accomplish both if you’re not in relationship with others, and when we’re applying both, that’s disciple-making.

Transition:

So back to passive and active discipleship -

SLIDE: Passive discipleship is stalling out in learning mode, and the fruit of this discipling is consumerism.

SLIDE: Active discipleship is applying what we’re learning by doing it, and teaching it.

So back to being a disciple, being a disciple isn’t exclusive to Christianity, remember our definition, it’s anyone one who follows a leader, teacher, etc. Right!

So -

Definitionally, if a disciple is simply a learner or follower of a teacher or leader, then consequently, we know that the world is making disciples too. I would argue that the world is making more disciples than modern evangelicalism right now.

Social media for example, its literally built around people following others with influence. The World is discipling, it just doesn’t use the same term. It uses “followers”, which is what a disciple is, remember.

The top ten Youtube’ers combined have over 300 million followers, that’s over 90% of the U.S. population. And most of them are under 30 years old.

You combine that with Twitter and Instagram, you have hundreds of millions of people following others of influence, actors, athletes, musicians, politicians, and you know what there starting to take on? The attitude of the leader they’re following…their diets, fashion, ideologies, and ultimately, their worldview.

But Jesus Christ said in the context of disciple-making, to Peter, in , that the gates of hell will not prevail against it....what’s the “it”, it’s the church. What’s the church, disciples of Jesus Christ who proclaim that He is the Son of the Most High, the King of Kings, LORD of Lord’s with who’s kingdom there will be no end, and that His kingdom is now, and Salvation has come, therefore repent and believe in the gospel that’s what we’re heralding as disciples!

So, biblically, in the New Testament, disciples were written about in a number of different contexts.

Historically, in the jewish culture, children were educated through the scriptures; they studied the torah(written law), and some other rabbinical studies and interpretation(oral law) until around fifteen. However, those who were clearly gifted pursued their studies full time for another fifteen years or so, and then sought out a rabbi who’d disciple them. For most, however, after their education, would return full time to whatever family enterprise they had.

Jesus called James and John to be his disciples, and they left their father, Zebedee and his hired hands to follow him().

SLIDE: Jesus sought out his disciples. Jesus called James and John to be his disciples, and they left their father, Zebedee and his hired hands to follow him().

He didn’t wait for disciples to come to him, after they were schooled.

Also, John the baptist had disciples until Jesus came on the scene ().

SLIDE: The pharisees question Jesus about his disciples; why don’t they fast, but the disciples of the pharisees and John the baptist do ().

READ: This demonstrates that disciples eventually take on the attitudes and actions of who they’re following.

Jesus appointed seventy two men to proclaim the the Kingdom of God ().

It wasn’t just the 12 disciples that Jesus had following him, there were multitudes.

Transition: So after Jesus walked with his disciples for a good three years, He dies, He raises from the dead, he visits them post resurrection, and then commissions them to go make disciples, indwells them with the Holy Spirit, empowers by the Holy Spirit to build his church by making disciples. And as the church began to grown in the known world, Paul steps on the scene

And they too took on his ways.

SLIDE: Paul, before becoming a Christ follower, was a disciple of Gamaliel ().

RIFF SLIDE:

So Paul grew up under the written and oral law, he had a Ph.D and was at the feet of Gamaliel. What was the fruit of this discipleship though - persecuting Christians to the death.

What was the fruit of this discipleship though - persecuting Christians to the death.

In we see Paul breathing murderous threats against the disciples of Christ, but It took Christ himself to re-disciple Paul. What was the fruit of this discipleship - 2/3 of our New Testament.

As Paul continued in his missionary journey’s, we see in him encountering other disciples of greek philosophy -

SLIDE: Paul reasoned with these disciples in Athens at the Areopagus ().

RIFF SLIDE:

In the first century, in the known world, there were disciples of many greek philosophers; namely Epicureanism, fathered by Epicurus, and Stoicism, fathered by Zeno.

An Epicureanistic worldview held that pleasure was the greatest good and goal of man’s existence. Where Stoics worldview was completely antithetical, believing that morality, reason, logic, and the force of nature was the purpose of man. Paul introduced a Christian worldview that engaged theirs, and the result was that some believed.

SLIDE: Paul, before becoming a Christ follower, was a disciple of Gamaliel ().

READ:

So Paul grew up under the written and oral law, he had a Ph.D and was at the feet of Gamaliel. What was the fruit of this discipleship - persecuting Christians to the death.

It took Christ himself to re-disciple Paul. What was the fruit of this discipleship - 2/3 of our New Testament.

Transitional Statement; in understanding what a disciple is, now we can look at the “Process of disciple-making”, and discipleship, which is the state of being a disciple(thinking, acting, attitude) which we saw an example of that in where the Pharisees question Jesus about the actions of his disciples.

What is Discipleship *State of being a disciple:

Discipleship is the process of devoting oneself to a teacher to learn from and become more like them. For the Christian, this refers to the process of learning the teachings of Jesus and following after his example in obedience through the power of the Holy Spirit. Discipleship not only involves the process of becoming a disciple but of making other disciples through teaching and evangelism. (Lexham Theological Wordbook)

this is more of a google earth view of discipling.

You may be thinking, Mike, this is a lot of definitions to describe one thing. And my response is, you’re right, but it’s necessary because if you ask any number of Christians, what is discipleship? you’d get a lot of different definitions. So I wanted to make that clear for Venture Church.

If someone were to ask you, how is discipleship in your church, they are asking, what is it like to be a disciple in your church

Slide: Discipleship is the process of devoting oneself to a teacher to learn from and become more like them. For the Christian, this refers to the process of learning the teachings of Jesus and following after his example in obedience through the power of the Holy Spirit. Discipleship not only involves the process of becoming a disciple but of making other disciples through teaching and evangelism. (Lexham Theological Wordbook)

READ: POINT OF THE SLIDE

this is more of a google earth view of discipling.

You may be thinking, Mike, this is a lot of definitions to describe one thing. And my response is, you’re right, but it’s necessary because if you ask any number of Christians, what is discipleship? you’d get a lot of different definitions. So I wanted to make that clear for Venture Church.

If someone were to ask you, how is discipleship in your church? They are asking, what is it like to be a disciple in your church, so we want to answer that question and make those distinctions. Discipleship is the work of the pastoral staff; to equip the saints for the work of the ministry - grow in doctrine, personally, and apply it relationally, and missionally. This is maturity, maturing as believers.

Point Out: Conversion>Maturity>Multiplication....

TRANSITION TO NEXT SLIDE:

But as disciples, we can now look at disciple-making

Definition of Disciple-making:

SLIDE: Intentionally equipping believers with the Word of God through accountable relationships empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to replicate faithful followers of Christ. - Robby Gallaty

READ:

This is what we’re wanting to focus on in getting ready to bring our challenge back to the message this morning. This is the work of the saints towards one another.

SLIDE: Definition of accountability:

opening one’s life to a few carefully selected, trusted, loyal confidants who speak the truth - who have the right to examine, to question, to approve, and to give counsel.” - Chuck Swindoll

READ:

Paul itemized the reality of accountable relationships through over 90 verses littered all throughout his letters; he labeled them “one another”, which are the actions of accountable relationships - You’ve heard some of them, right!

SLIDE: One - Another*ing

SLIDE: Love one another. ; Be devoted to one another. ; Serve one another. ; Be subject to one another. ; Bear with and forgive one another. ; Don’t complain against one another. ; ; Confess sins to one another.

RIFF THE ONE ANOTHER VERSES: PASTORAL MOMENT TO ENGAGE WITH, HOW MANY OF US HAVE ACCOUNTABLE RELATIONSHIPS WHERE THESE THINGS ARE HAPPENING ON A REGULAR BASIS?

So lets take these definitions, which now help you understand being a disciple and making disciples, to now applying these principles to making more disciples through our 2020 challenge, “WHO’S YOUR 4:34”?

In your bible’s, lets turn to - READ THE TEXT

English Standard Version Chapter 4

26 And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

SLIDE: 33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything. –34Mk. 4.33-34

READ: So our challenge goes to the 2nd part of verse 34, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

The challenge is

SLIDE: “WHO’S YOUR 4.34” -

WHO IS YOUR OWN,

OWN IT: PRAY ABOUT IT, BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT IT

PURSUE THOSE GOD LAYS ON YOUR HEART TO BE YOUR OWN, OWN IT.

READ WITH OWN IT:

disciple-making definition -intentionally equipping believers with the Word of God through accountable relationships empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to replicate faithful followers of Christ.

Disciple making – entering into relationships to help people trust and follow Jesus (), which includes the whole process from conversion through maturation and multiplication.

TRANSITION STATEMENT: the idea of having our own disciples can be understood and applied in three levels. The most immediate level is at the familial level.

SLIDE: FAMILIAL LEVEL

READ:

Our wives and children are our disciples.

SLIDE: Positionally, we’re the teachers in this discipling context. We’re responsible for teaching them spiritually; not just teaching them what we believe, but why and how we believe in Christ.

READ:

Just as Christ is the head of the church, we are the head of our families, and we must disciple them. Christ said we must love as he loved, by word and deed.

Our families don’t just need to know about God, they need to experience what we say we believe.

We may communicate what we believe, but if we’re not careful, our attitudes and actions will render us inconsistent because our families don’t see why and how we believe as disciples of Jesus.

Why and how we believe is expressed through applying “what” we believe.

In other words, one anothering needs to be happening on a regular basis in our homes, this is project - “sancti-family”

TRANSITION: NOW LETS LOOK AT THE CHURCH LEVEL

DO YOUR KIDS CHURCH AS A DUTY OR A DELIGHT. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF ACTION WITH THE WRONG ATTITUDE.

TRANSITION: NOW LETS LOOK AT THE CHURCH LEVEL

SLIDE: CHURCH LEVEL

Teaching is the basis of discipleship; ; ; ; ; .Discipleship is transformational; it starts with instruction, learning, then doing, and it becomes attitudinal affecting a disciples actions.

In order to observe transformation in one another we have to be around one another long enough to see attitudes towards things, as well as actions.

Truth; unfortunately, we’re not active disciples of Christ like Paul was, where he sat passively under the instruction of Jesus and actively applied it to the known world, instead, we sit passively under scripture and remain passive in applying the scripture with those whom God has placed in our context of influence.

SLIDE: CHURCH LEVEL

Teaching is the basis of discipleship; ; ; ; ; . Like we’ve established at this point, Discipleship is transformational; it starts with instruction, learning, then doing, and it becomes attitudinal affecting a disciples actions.

SLIDE: In order to observe transformation in one another we have to be around one another long enough to see attitudes towards things, as well as actions.

SLIDE: READ THE SLIDE

Teaching is the basis of discipleship; ; ; ; ; . Like we’ve established at this point, Discipleship is transformational; it starts with instruction, learning, then doing, and it becomes attitudinal affecting a disciples actions.

READ:

Like we’ve established at this point, Discipleship is transformational; it starts with instruction, learning, then doing, and it becomes attitudinal affecting a disciples actions.

You may be thinking, sure, Mike, we’re not the apostle Paul though, Agreed. However, we’ve been commanded to live missional lives by learning, doing, and teaching others, this is the essence of disciple-making. When we live relationally-missional lives, these things we’ve been called to will naturally begin to happen.

We’ve been commanded to live missional lives by learning, doing, and teaching others, this is the essence of disciple-making. When we live relationally-missional lives, these things we’ve been called to will naturally begin to happen.

TRANSITION: So when it comes to our 2020, who’s your own 4.34 challenge,

We’re considering 3 environments; family relationships, church relationships, and vocational relationships (work, school, basically, wherever you spend the majority of your time outside of family and church relationships. So how can we help at the church level, consider -

SLIDE: 4:34 Church-wise AS A LEARNER

Entering our discipleship pathway here at Venture church which is launching in February.

SLIDE: As a disciple-maker: applying what your learning as a disciple and sharing that with other disciples through accountable relationships found through community groups, and D-groups. .

Slide: closing with challenge slide

READ:

examples: as you grow in your relationship with Christ, accountable relationships of one anothering, you can take this into your workplace, starting groups at work, etc. This is how we can share the gospel, lead people to the gosple of Jesus Christ, help them mature in their faith, and help them multiply in accountable relationships, accomplishing the great commandment Christ gave us to make disciples. Let’s not stall out in just learning God’s Word, but being doers also, and growing with others, so they can multiply......So in 2020, Who’s your own 4:24, what accountable relationships are you going to seek out so you can disciple and be discipled.

Let’s Pray

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .