Leading as a Disciple

Matthew 10:37–42 TPT

“Whoever loves father or mother or son or daughter more than me is not fit to be my disciple. And whoever comes to me must follow in my steps and be willing to share my cross and experience it as his own, or he cannot be considered to be my disciple. All who seek to live apart from me will lose it all. But those who let go of their lives for my sake and surrender it all to me will discover true life! “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the One who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is God’s messenger will share a prophet’s reward. And whoever welcomes a good and godly man because he follows me will also share in his reward. And whoever gives a cup of cold water to one of my humble disciples, I promise you, he will not go unrewarded.”

I want to start by giving some background into where this message came from. I grew up in this church when I was younger. I went to this youth group when our previous pastor start it. Because my parents were separated at the time, my brothers and I went to two different churches (this church being one of them). I started learning how to minister in both churches, but it was not until I moved out of NJ and got married when I really began to get a calling to develop.

I ran from that calling for a while. Ask my wife, I was not the best person to be around. I was not joyful, I was confused, and I was stuck in the motions of church. I finally made a deal with God that if He would make a way for me get educated to minister, I would. About a month later, I was accepted into a school that taught me two things: Leadership and Ministry.

I used these tools in the church we were attending while being mentored by our pastor. After a few years of serving, I became the youth leader (later to be hired as the youth pastor) of our church. My studies of the gospel showed me, what I consider to be, the best ways to disciple people using the process Jesus developed.

Taste and See (Watch and Learn)

Try with Me (Help me Out)

Go and Be (Do it Yourself)

I put these theories to the test in our students. We did a year of learning who Jesus was as a person. I found 3 people that I thought were ready to step up into a leadership role within the ministry and had them try somethings out with my help. By the beginning of the next year, I had the leaders I chose come to me and ask if we could start a student church ministry. We did, and they led it. My job was to manage them and preach. That was it. When God called us to move back to NJ, that student ministry continued for 3 months alone before the church found a youth pastor to replace me and they continued to thrive. Many of the students there were baptised and stepped into ministry roles themselves just weeks after we moved.

I wanted to start off with that story for two reasons. First reason is to tell you why we chose to come to this church after the history I have had with it. It was not a great history. It was hard and sad. But I have a heart for this church. I believe God called us to this church. It does not make sense to leave a church that called you to lead them and come to another church on the other side of the country where you have 0 influence unless God called you to it.

The second reason is because I have a love for my kids in CA. I am proud of them. More importantly, I wanted you to see that God works when we are faithful to what he tells us to do.

Today’s message comes from the three steps I mentioned above. It mainly focuses on the third step. The first two steps, as a church, I believe we have down. We would not have survived our search for a pastor period if we did not. But now it is time to work on the third step. These are the steps for every Christian, not just the pastor or ministry leaders within the church. I will say that this is the most important stage because it is the stage that should take up most of our Christian lives. I will also say that is the stage that many Christians fail at because they do not really believe that it applies to them.

This message serves two purposes. The first purpose is to grow as Christians while we begin to complete our discipleship process. The second purpose is to teach us how to become leaders not only in our church, but in our communities. For these two purpose to connect, you need to understand this first point very clearly.

Discipleship and Leadership are the same thing for Christians

When Jesus calls us to be be disciples, he begins to train us to be leaders. Why is that? Because we need to lead other people to know Christ and disciple them to live on mission for him. I want to define a few terms for you as we go through this message so we are on the same page.

Leadership is influencing people to move

“Leadership is influence; nothing more, nothing less”

- John C. Maxwell

Discipleship is living the influence of your mentor

“The passion of the Holy Spirit is to transform us into the likeness of Christ...”

- J. Oswald Sanders

A proper disciple disciples (or leads) other people

“Following Jesus means that you will be teaching other people to follow Jesus”

- Francis Chan

Leadership Demands Sacrifice

Sacrifice shows your priority

Jesus does not want you to hate people; he wants you to place them in the proper place of priority

Your sacrifice is an act of worship

Romans 12:1 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Sacrifice promotes growth

“Living the Law of Sacrifice usually means being willing to trade something of value that you posses to gain something more valuable that you don’t”

- John C. Maxwell

Philippians 1:15–23 ESV

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

Leaders Develop Other People

Reproduction is fundamental

Genesis 1:28 ESV

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Matthew 28:19 ESV

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,

Reproduction includes teaching values

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 ESV

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Matthew 28:20 ESV

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

Reproduction shows your heart for others

Philippians 1:23–26 ESV

I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

Leading People for Christ is the Reward

Matthew 10:42 ESV

And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

Caring for God’s people is the ultimate insight of your relationship with God

Loving people is distributing God’s love toward you

“Believe in People.

Value People.

Love People Unconditionally.”

- Melvin Maxwell

Investing in people gives the greatest return

“The is nothing in the world that gives a great ROI [Return on Investment] to the leader than attracting, developing, and multiplying leaders”

-John C. Maxwell

Your investment glorifies God

1 Peter 4:8–11 ESV

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

To Obediently Follow Jesus, I Must Lead People to Him

The Great Commission commands it

In order to live on mission for Christ, we need to lead others to him

Discipleship is our main goal

The mission does not end with Salvation, it begins with it

“Sacrifice is an ongoing process, not a one-time payment”

-John C. Maxwell

Ministry is the mission

Using your gifts develops you as a disciple and a leader

Matthew 25:14–30 ESV

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

God designed you for a purpose that only you can do in order to glorify Him

“Your life mission is both shared and specific. One part of it is a responsibility you share with every other Christian, and the other part is an assignment that is unique to you”

-Rick Warren

Acts 20:24 ESV

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Am I Willing to Sacrifice My Comforts in Order to Lead Others to Jesus?