Are You His Disciple?: The Constantly Growing Christian

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Just going forward, we need to go forward as followers of Jesus Christ with the Christian life is a lifetime of learning is a lifetime of transformation today. Pastor Greg Laurie watches a series on discipleship disciples are those who make a concerted effort to follow the Lord and personal life is one of constant growth is stalling, you fall in another to begin the action is one thing to watch from the bench, another to get in the game, spiritually speaking. Our salvation is a free gift from God.

Jesus. Discipleship is a because it's a higher level of devotion at a higher level of reward today on a new beginning for Greg Laurie help us chart a course for discipleship and he begins by commenting on an evangelistic coverage still rejoicing over 10,000 people made a profession of faith in Angel Stadium. Notice I use the phrase profession of faith. I don't think 10,000 people were saved or 10,000 people became Christians because I don't know if they became Christians. I hope they did. I pray they did, but only time will tell. Right because the Bible says by their fruits you shall know that the Bible says faith without works is dead.

So were praying will see the fruit spiritually on their life. The results the words that follow a true conversion because it's not enough to just come forward.

We need to go forward spiritually and then we continue to grow as followers of Jesus Christ sexually with the Christian life is that the lifetime of discovery. That's a lifetime of growth that's a lifetime of learning. That's a lifetime of transformation alive.

Sunday I was at our church harvest, Lonnie, and they'll say a little hot to you and so we have a great time there just it's just exploding so much excitement and every week we're seeing people come to Christ. It's an amazing thing. So I attended a number of board meetings while I was there by board meetings. I mean on surfboards and I'm a really bad server.

By the way, I never surf in California but when I'm over there a lot of people from our church get up very early in the morning to go up for what is called a dawn control right very early and so it's so cool because you're out with like 15 people from our church and everyone's giving waves away in cheering each other on God bless you. You know that fighting for always or anything like that. So I'm trying to learn how to do standup paddle known of talking about is a puzzling down to the board and probably with your arms stand up have this really big board in the paddle and you paddle in the waves and it's been challenging. I have to admit because I'm not very stable. I fall a lot and so what I caught a few waves and I got a little watches as little digital watch and it will tell you how many waves you caught driver friend named Jim who always tells me how many waves he cut he says look I cut 27 waves, so I got my wave watch on that after I was done I looked out at the screen said seriously?

What is that I pressed the button that said such a loser.

I couldn't believe that so I disabled the mockery, though I God this is Dr. I think I caught seven waves that really being generous but here's what I discovered. You catch the wave you're in the way of your writing. The way then and then when the momentum of the wave stops you slow down and that's right always fall and so you gotta keep family got a really big and once the wave a stop to turn around and go catch another way and so I discovered stalling, you fall a lesson.

What is true. Instead, the paddle is also true of the Christian life stalling. You fall the Christian life was one of constant grow constant learning. As I said constant transformation.

But here's the problem. Some will make what I would call a profession of faith to pray a prayer because maybe they want to get well fire insurance they don't want to go to hell when they die.

So they want to cover that base. I mean, they're willing to take Jesus as their Savior, but not necessarily is the Lord they're willing to take on Christ as their friend, but not necessarily as their God and they stay inserted this baby like state babies are cute.

I love babies don't you every now and then I get the dedicate babies and you never know what a baby will do. That's the fun part of them throw up on me before.

Of course, while I'm praying for them and now as I been doing this for a while I meeting more people that are young adults and sometimes not even that young that was a you dedicated me when I was a baby and I'm looking up at about so you know babies are cute when their baby, but babies have to be cared for. Initially you up to nurse the baby then the baby learns how to eat soft foods and then you cut the food up in the little bite-size pieces for them and one day the baby picks up a spoon or a fork and they start learning how to feed themselves and they get more food on them. Then in the I feel sorry sometimes for servers and restaurants. After a toddlers been in there. You look under the highchair. They just mounds of food everywhere splattered up against the wall on the ceiling. You know that's a little baby. Learning how to eat. It's okay.

It's cute as a babies do. That's how babies role actually but it would be sad if someone was still behaving that way when they're in their 20 but you still have to feed them and he still up to make airplane noises when you're coming in with the body to keep their attention, are what is true of babies can also be true of us as we grow spiritually will start out as babies we all start out with a hunger for the word affect. The Bible says in first Peter 22 as newborn babies desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby.

By the way there's no shame in that.

That very hunger for spiritual truth is an indicator of spiritual health. Because a healthy person is a hungry person. If you're not feeling well and you go to see her doctor. One of the first things I'll ask you is are you hungry, how's your appetite.

I'm always hungry so I know I'm in good health right now. I'm perpetually hungry. I don't know if I'm alone in this, but that's true spiritually to if you're hungry for God's word.

If you want to hear God's work. That is a good thing. It's something you should be desiring and if you're a young Christian if you're brand-new in the faith. I'm so glad you're here because we're here to help you grow up spiritually. Here is the object we want to take you from getting your prudent bite-size pieces and effectively what a sermon this I sure to prepare it in caught it up and give it to you but we want to teach you how to read the word of God processed its truth. Learn how to think and then live biblically on my granddaughter Allie. She is lost a couple of her front teeth and so she has a really hard time eating like a nectarine. She loves nectarines social always say to my wife, that's what she calls Kathy would you cut the nectarine about so she can me that she doesn't ask me because when I cut a nectarine up. It's a scary sight. I don't know why it mystifies me These slices are so perfect a minor.

All spring shapes and that are not crazy, but she needs and cut up and bite-size pieces. That's what we all need initially but then we need to grow up. You know when I was a young person in school.

I had many teachers say to me Greg Laurie, will you just grow up because I was always acting like a little kid and sadly I just heard this yesterday from my wife and the grandchild because what happened was we were we dinner and there was a store that it just close their doors and there were still some sales people and their I shouldn't admit that centered on what I'm saying it so I get other people in there my wife standing there looking at him. My grandkids are looking at so I I'm knocked on the window and then ran off and so everybody turned there's my wife standing there. She says Craig you just grow up.

Stop acting like a sixth-grader.

Then my granddaughter Riley said popular you're a pastor you shouldn't be acting like a sixth-grader and she was right of cars it's time to grow up. We all need to grow up spiritually in our walk with the Lord is the term disciples synonymous with lever is every believer. A disciple pastor, Greg answers that important question. Just a moment. It's so encouraging when we hear the listeners are growing by hearing the studies peer pressure.

Greg and Eiko cried midnight very light. I first heard your preacher learned about evangelism at your first party and I were my friend Bill over my life and you protected me time and time again including viewing the I lived on the coast now for over 25 years and recently read it with you for your podcast where I found podcast is a real Bible study for me and I'm learning so much that is causing me to know God's word more intently nearly 70 years old. I'm enthused and excited about my faith like I was. Those many years ago.

Thank you for helping me rekindle my fire of love for Jesus and my old year lies is wonderful reached pastor Craig's teachings from God's word had made an impact on this man's life, and if you'd like to listen to pastor Greeks podcasts. You can do that through Google Apple course modifying or just go to harvest.org that's harvest.org pastor Greg continues now with his kickoff message from the new series discipleship the road less taken.

Discipleship is all about growing up. It's about going to the next level if you will. It's about really living the Christian life to its fullest. Living the Christian life as it was meant to be led.

It's called being a disciple. Then, in turn, going out and making disciples of others that brings us to our first passage, Matthew 28. These are the words of Jesus. Now these are familiar words. Words that many of us have even committed to memory, but I want you to consider the fact that these were the last words of Christ before he left her. This is after the crucifixion is risen again from the dead, and he's going to ascended to heaven that so this is the final charge from the Lord, you know, last words matter summons on their deathbed and they have one less statement.

We always want to know what was. There's an emphasis on last words and so these are the last words of Christ to us in the registrar. There a command there a commission. That's why we call this the great commission.

Matthew 28 verse 16 then the 11 disciples left for Galilee going to the mount where Jesus told them to go when they saw him they worshiped him, but some of them doubted Jesus said to his disciples, I've been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this, I am with you always, even to the end of the age narrative were all commanded to go and make disciples. But listen to this.

It takes one to make one so we say we to go make disciples right.

Let me ask you this question. Are you doing that. Are you fulfilling the great commission are you making disciples of others is a will.

I'm not really sure what that means good that's going to talk about because before you can make a disciple you have to be a disciple so like when you fly and your seated there in the going to the Regina what to do in case you lose altitudes and you need to use your oxygen masks until the sake of the oxygen mask should come down, put it if you're traveling with the child put it on yourself first and then on the child that seems counterintuitive to medical metaphor losing altitude I should take the mosque and put it on the child first and then meet with the needs of the child. No first, no put it on yourself first because I can help the child if I'm blacking out right. The same is true in discipleship.

I can help somebody else be a disciple of Jesus. If I am not first. A disciple myself again. It takes one to make one so listen to this.

While it is true that not every person who makes a profession of faith is a Christian. It is equally true that not every Christian is a disciple. Let me put it another way, every disciple is a Christian, but not every Christian is necessarily a disciple, let me say that again, every disciple is a Christian, but not every Christian is necessarily disciple so you should not say. Will this does not apply to me. I'm happy with fire insurance and I'll leave it at that.

No, if you're a true follower of Jesus, you should want to be a disciple. I'm asking you this question how many of you are disciples of Jesus only as good as a question. How many of you would consider yourself a disciple of Jesus Christ raise of your head. You did not raise her hand.

As you know, I asked her questions, don't you think you like the a.m., but I want to see where he's going and then I'll decide if I'm a disciple of any other.

That's okay. That just shows direction very smart. That's all that shows really every one of us should be able to say I'm a disciple may not appropriate disciple.

Not someone who was totally down, but I'm a growing disciple of Jesus and everyone should be a disciple of Jesus. Because really, what is discipleship.

It's living the Christian life as it was meant to be let discipleship is living the Christian life is Jesus taught it as the early church understood it. It's real Christianity, but I think some are reluctant to want to live that way because it seems well radical. That's why call this series discipleship.

The road less taken because some don't want hardship.

They don't want to challenge. They don't want difficulty so they take the path of least resistance.

Instead of discipleship, wrote, listen to this discipleship road is challenging, but it's fulfilling. It's hard but it's more than worth it because as I said it's living the Christian life as it was meant to be lived and so here's what it comes down to every one of us should be a disciple, then as a disciple. We should either be being discipled by someone more mature than us. We should be discipling someone less mature than us. Every one of us should either be being discipled or discipling someone else are really what it comes down to is you take a new believer under your wing, your helping them to grow spiritually as you teach with them and model for them. When a Christian looks like or you should be being discipled by someone more mature than yourself. Tell you what right after accepted Christ to my high school campus. I could've fallen through the cracks so easily that some guy had never met before walked up to me I told you about them before. His name was Mark and Mark effectively discipled me. He said Greg wanted to get it sure Jenny did and then he took me home and I met his parents and we had Bible studies around the dinner table and any can they help me get to that rough spot and then I started hungering for it myself, and pretty soon I found myself doing it for others. Can you be there for someone else. If you know someone that accepted Christ.

I hope you'll seek them out and say I want you to come to church with me and I want you to go out to lunch with us after church that I want to help you grow spiritually. That's what people need and not everyone is a disciple who claims to be a Christian.

You know it's interesting when Christ walk our planet. He spent a lot of time with those 12 handpicked disciples. Matthew five we read one day of the crowds were gathering. Jesus went up to a mountainside with his disciples that he said them to teach them. This is what he taught them and after that comes a sermon on the Mount. So we envision Jesus on the sermon on the Mount speaking to the multitudes on Saturday that I'm rid thirst after righteousness, plus another make no that message was given to his disciples who were gathered around them. So the point is that he took time with these guys. He spent time with these guys and the basic definition of the word disciple means a learner euro learner your someone that's listening and your processing and these disciples listened and followed him around and there sort of like three phases. We can go through and I was reading a book on discipleship written by Dwight Pentecost. It's out of print now about the title of it is designed for discipleship, so I borrowed this from him. I wanted to give him credit.

He had three words used to describe different phases. There were people around spiritually. The three words were curious, convinced and committed, and you fit into one of these categories today. Category number one curious Jesus had a lot of curious people gather around specially when he performed a miracle by the way is most popular miracle was when he multiplied the fish and looks. I mean healing why people that's awesome restoring death to those that can hear fantastic during a leper. Amazing free lunch hour talking so when Jesus enjoyed the crowds would show up they would listen to them, but it would really impact them. For the most part they just gone back home is good.

Before so we would classify those people is serious and that maybe you you're here today your curious and I go to church today but some of you already mentally checked out.

You know your updating social media, you're looking around for pokey man still even though that's long over with your still looking for him or your distracted or your curious, but not bad, curious, and starting checking your watch in planning your exit land but then there's the next level which is interesting. It's convenient. It's convinced another. Would you believe these things are true, you would see here today and say Greg, I actually agree with everything you're saying it's all true now.

Maybe it doesn't impact you personally but you give intellectual a sense to it. I which is an important step. So that's being convinced here's an interesting passage read that the first miracle Jesus said, turning water into wine in Cana of Galilee and John 211. It says he did that miracle and his disciples believed in him and wait. What does disciples believe that that there were already believers. All they were in a sense, see they got from curious to convince. There were so convinced they were starting to follow him, but at that point of that miracle. They went from convinced to commit it. If you have you gone from convinced to committee visit. What is it mean what it means is, it impacts you in the way that you live and you say no. I want to be a disciple and I want to make disciples of all Greg Laurie good counsel today on the importance of discipleship. It's the first message in a new series called discipleship the road less taken and there's more to come here on a new beginning. But if you want to preserve the study heard today. You can download an MP3 by going to harvest.org or stream it while you're online. The title of today study is are you his disciple and it's a real privilege to make available a new book by Fox news anchor and chief legal correspondent Shannon Brame. You may have seen her on Fox News at night in the evenings.

She's written a refreshing new book called the women of the Bible speak at pastor Greg's wife Kathy is here with Shannon Shannon dedicate this book to your grandmother's and just want to know what is the role that your grandmother's played in your life and your journey of faith and pain maybe to say a word of encouragement as to how women out there today might realize that date. They may have a very quiet role of parenting are grandparenting the impact that it can make on an individual semi-grandma now lifted hundred until she was faithful, and if she was in church every Sunday. She had her peers she wanted to say close up transition. We hear the music and the pastor shall is perhaps every Sunday. It was a family tradition that we would be with her and then we would have Sunday dinner afterwords and just sending us together as an amazing memory for me that she was faithful, and she trusted the Lord and she wise and feisty and not any she wise is somebody who are faint with her priority now. I'm still blessed to have my grandma to my other grandmother Margaret Weatherly Hughley still with that said, she is 95 years old and she is somebody who has in the last two years really struggle healthwise with other issues. I mean I can have a conversation with her where she is not talking about the Lord is giving me another day. What can I do with this day he knows what the timing is and I'm just gonna trust and he's with me. He's my companion.

Even when I'm alone when I'm struggling and so for her. She continues to be that witness and showed her the book at and I want to show her in person.

The dedication and can't wait for her to see it and just to be able to thank her for letting that consistent life and faith, especially in these days were she's really faced a lot of struggles and instead of turning or being better than she. Somebody who said hey listen, the Lord woke me up, gave me another day when Mike and Adela that he can walk with me and Landsat and holding in my hands this book. It is so beautiful I I'm a grandmother and I'm just thinking someday someone would write a book and include me in an introduction dedication like that I be so blessed.

It is beautiful. I love it.

It's just very feminine flowers on their back. The contents of this book hopefully will inspire another generation of women to go forward with strength and boldness and courage even in the most difficult times. The encouragement is here these women at the Bible really do speak to our lives.

And I'm so grateful that you wrote this book, the wisdom as 16 women and their lessons for today and that is what cell amazing is the Bible is truly alive. The words are important and date leaving and they speak life into us even today. Kathy Lori speaking with Shannon Brame, author of the new book the women of the Bible speak is such a wonderful tool of inspiration for women and really for all of us and would like to send this to you. Thank you for your investment in the important work of bringing people to the Lord and bringing people closer to the Lord that we recently heard this from a listener. I listen to your podcast for nearly 3 years. You help me accept Jesus. I'm currently receiving cancer treatment in your new believers Bible is what keeps me going. I read your devotions every morning you your investment helps us reach people like this.

It's an investment in touching and changing people's lives and with your donation right now. You can choose the amount will be glad to send you the women of the Bible speak you know with Mother's Day coming up this Sunday. This is the perfect time to give this to the special mom in your life. Just write a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300 and we can take your call anytime. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org yesterday. Give us the news about your new TV program called harvest with Greg Laurie so we really expanded on television.

I would say quite dramatically wanting to reach new people wanting to reach unexpected people in unexpected places like the lifetime channel and is a huge viewership. This is not what you would call it Christian channel it's more of a secular channel a mainstream TV outlet will be on the lifetime network also will be on the FOXBusiness network also on Newsmax. In addition to that will be in great Christian networks like DayStar and TBN if you want to find out more about airtime go to harvest out of next time Pastor Greg offers more good counsel for those of us reluctant to stand up and be counted as one of the Lord's own flesh next time you run a new beginning regularly and everybody thinks or listening beginning.

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