Discipleship: Introduction

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Pastor arbitrage series. It's all discipleship.

As you noticed in the past few weeks been focused on discipleship in this series will help you understand where we are going as a church with regards to becoming disciples of Jesus Christ.

Now before I do that, here's a question. How many of you remember playing Simon says Simon says clap your hands and you have to clap your hands. Simon says hop on one leg to do it. Whatever the leader tells you to do you have to do it, so also in the Christian life. Jesus is our leader and he has told us what to do in his Word the Bible, we are to do what he's told us to do. Unfortunately when it comes to the commands of Jesus Christians have a very different response.

Instead of doing what he says we come up with excuses or we substitute something else for example, Jesus said, do unto others what you would have others do unto you, and reset all women. I heard that before.

That's called the Golden rule. We don't put it into practice.

We memorize it.

Jesus said deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me, was all I heard a great song on the radio.

This series will help us learn what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ and is much more than coming to church once a week and memorizing a few scriptures and praying over your meal. Most Christians are just that they are Christians. They are not disciples, and there is a world of difference. That word Christian is found, maybe a couple of times in the Bible with the word disciple is full and the gospel in the New Testament, but Matthew chapter 28 verses 18 to 20 very familiar passage and Jesus came and spoke to them saying all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples in and say go make Christians didn't say go make Baptists Methodist Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Pentecostals, these and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.

And low I am with you always, even to the end of the age. A man disciple by definition is a follower in learner and a door of everything. The master says and does.

If you claim to be a follower in learner and a doer of Jesus Christ. Are you really doing what he has commanded us. Are you just a Christian or are you a disciple and here's a deeper question before you can be a disciple you have to receive him as your master as your Savior has that point happened in your life.

The passage we just read is known as the great commission that he grew up in charge know exactly what the great commission means it is important for three reasons.

Let me give you those three reasons to help you understand why were focusing on this passage. Number one the great commission is important is because those were Jesus's last words before he ascended to the father. Someone's last words are very critical been a pastor for almost 19 years I been a chaplain at the hospital there been times that I have been with the family as their loved one is leaving this life and sometimes if they're able to. There they would mumble something and advise arch listen because the final words are critical. What what are they trying to say that Jesus was not dying. He was ascending he was risen, but those were his final words, which means there important. The second reason why the great commission is important is because they are Jesus's instructions for us until he comes again the third reason why the great commission is important is because it applies to all questions in every place and every time in all situations. It is nonnegotiable.

Now the great commission, we see in a few moments begins with a claim ends with a promise and in between the claim and the promise are the instructions. What is the claim.

Listen again to verse 18, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth what he was saying when he said all authority has been given to me when he was saying is the prophecy has been fulfilled, which Daniel had received 400 years prior. The sum of the prophecy in Daniel seven verse 13, I was watching the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man, means one who looked like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to the ancient of days ancient of days means someone who was there before days began in this context, the ancient of days is God the father. So picture this Daniel has a vision was someone who looks like a human being is being ushered in the presence of God the father and they brought him near before him and to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away in his kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.

Now when did it get fulfilled when Jesus rejected the offer of Satan to bow before him. Remember that and he chose to obey his heavenly father, even to the point of dying on the cross. The father said guess what son you are equal with me as God. You are part of the Trinity, but now I'm going to turn over universal sovereignty to you because you have earned the right to be King of Kings and Lord of lords. Paul says the same in Philippians chapter 2.

Listen. Therefore, God has also highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name that's what John was thinking about a few moments ago that the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven on of those on earth and those under the earth is on the name of Jesus every creature in the entire universe has two bow. So when Jesus at all authority has been given to me he was saying on the universal solvent on the big boss I were in the right. That's the claim, but now the promise at the bottom end is like an Oreo cookie. The claim the promise. The instructions are all the sweet stuff in the middle was a promise.

The promise is this low by the way low is an old and middle English term which is a shortened form of look mock. I am with you always, even to the end of the age. It was the assurance that his spiritual presence would be with his disciples as they go out and do what he is telling them to do. It begins with a claim ends with the promise in between are the instructions you need all three a promise without a claim is weak is powerless. If I were to walk up to you and say give me your keys that you know me as a uvula program you must been locked in arenas.

The run home or something.

Go past but if you if you know me you say who are you a promise without a claim is powerless. But here's the flip side it claim without a promise is intimidation. If I were to walk up to you and your your your my employee and out, I say to you, I'm your boss go out there and do this and I send you in some dark alley to do something that is very dangerous. What you say is are you gonna go with me know. I'm just telling you to go do this. What what would happen if I don't listen to you while you lose your job, but as intimidation. You see how Jesus met the claim but he also gave the promise that he will be with them.

By the way, he is not the only one who is with us because earlier in John he has said that the Holy Spirit will be with us.

Mr. John chapter 14, I will pray the father and he will give you another helper, the Holy Spirit, that he may abide with you forever. The spirit of truth, so already we have the spirit of truth. But Jesus said not only that, but I will be with you spiritually, you will not be alone. But now the instructions in the middle is what we want to focus on what are the instructions.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you in that entire statement.

Believe it or not. There's only one verb, only one. It was a work verb verb is a doing word right is like a imperative is a command and that verb is make disciples is not go is not baptizes not teach the verb is made disciples. What is goal baptizes teach those are participles. I doubt you heard that unless you study the mother advance language participles or something like this. As you are going make disciples means is assumed that you will go either you go across the street you will go across the cubicle you go across the aisle at the grocery store you will go across the playground to the other person who does not know Christ. You are going is assumed that you're going. Sometimes you go across the seas to Africa to Guatemala to somewhere in the world to make disciples is assumed that you are moving, but the verb is made disciples, the word baptizing in teach. I didn't get participles to help us understand how to make disciples that this is the place where Christians get all over the map.

They get all confused as to what were supposed to do and they bring in their ideas and their opinions and their traditions and their denominational baggage and to bring all that arounds, I don't know if I can go that far.

What I tell them is this ad Clearview. Our goal is to let the Bible speak for itself and let the chips fall where they may. What is the Bible saying the Bible is saying made disciples and the place you begin is with baptism. What many people have done is that they have made baptism into graduation rather than enrollment. They have a list of things that you're supposed to know and do and get to a place where body feels like it's time for you to graduate.

So now it's time for you to be baptized. That's that. Maybe the way you grew up that maybe the church you came from.

That may even be what convinces you but that is not what Jesus said that some of the Bible say grammatically it doesn't fit. Baptism is not graduation. Baptism is the initiation. It is the enrollment into God's Academy. Sometimes when people say is graduation. There are two problems with that number one already told you it's not what the text says number two you never graduate from the Christian live anyways. Where do you draw the line is it is time now for you to be baptized. If that's the case was none of us would be baptized along the person to get the false impression that they are saved because they God baptized that's that that's what I hear, you know, getting into the baptistery doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car, I've heard that sounds like a great analogy is just misapplied when talking about cars and garages folks we talk about human beings. Here's a better analogy. It's like this you can self educate yourself all you want to read about 30 books watch every YouTube video in a field. But if you take that information and go to the office of your favorite diversity with his bugle Chapel Hill and seized it. I don't know what you want to do and say listen, I read all these books watch so many videos give me a diploma. What he think they will ask you to me your name again. I'm checking the record see where you are. Oh, I'm not. I'm not enrolled. I just want to give the diploma know you got enroll. You gotta apply for admission.

Baptism is application into God's Academy from which you never graduate.

You get what I'm saying. So here's a question for you no matter what denomination background came from. If the word is our guide had he been baptized as a believer. What if I was sprinkled as a baby it originally began with the hope that one day you will make the decision for yourself and have believer's baptism. No, we don't sprinkle that we have baby dedications with the hopes that parents will raise the child in the way and the truth and when the ready to receive Christ if something happens to the baby, God forbid that baby is going to heaven is covered by the grace of God. Anyways, over hoping of the live long in the age of accountability hits which we don't know what it is, but whatever point God deems that they are ready to respond.

They have to make a decision and then they have to be baptized. I know a lot of people who got baptized only got wet on know them because their stock on the church you think I don't know them I think they were for the CIA and drop them somewhere in muscle because you can find him. I baptizing I can find them anymore. Where are they the problem with those people is to number one. It's not that they are you know this is all wrong. Baptism is a problem. The problem is maybe the never truly understood the gospel. What is the gospel. The gospel is Jesus.according to Scripture, he rose again. According to Scripture, and when you receive him as your Savior.

Not only is God's wrath lifted from you but your sins are forgiven you have eternal life, and you become a child of God. That is the gospel read what Paul is saying, read what Jesus said, that enables you to enroll, which is baptism. Sometimes people don't get the gospel but that's a deeper problem but I believe in the context of what I'm referring to today. There's a second problem and again it's not a problem with baptism but it's with what comes after baptism this the reason why the get wet.

But we don't see them again is what Jesus said in verse 20 he said begin with baptism, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. This is the place where many churches including Clearview dropped the ball, teaching them to observe all things when it comes to adults.

I'm not as confident that we've done a good job. In fact, I'm pretty sure we haven't done that great of a job. We have the same problems that many churches have which is a revolving door.

People come and people go the never get to the place of learning what it means to be a disciple. The goal of this series is to help close the back door. The problem is not baptism. The problem is teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. After much prayer and talking to experts. I believe in talking to experts. I believe you talk to people if I had a medical ratio talk to a doctor. I would talk to someone he help me out. You start so we talked experts. We went and talk to professors we went to talk to people who are experts in the field of church leadership help us understand what we need to do next and based on the conversation based on prayer and based on the word of God we came up with an acronym. This is our acronym. We came up with our team came up with. It is water of pours water in a way baptism but now teaching them to observe all things falls under the acronym water where each letter means something.

What is W stand for witnesses. A disciple is a witness.

What is he a witness to something you were before you got saved.

Something happened when Jesus saved you and now you are different person you are a witness of the work of Jesus in your life. Second, accountability disciples are to be accountable to one another. I'm on twitter as many of you can see I was heartbroken yesterday as I was scrolling through and I saw a pastor of hidden mega church major ministry. Just recently, allegations of sexual misconduct. I'm blown away how why accountability T togetherness with other people. He established in the word are reproducing or replicating and how does this work I want to go into much detail right now because the next few weeks. I want to go over each of these points. You really don't want to miss because you ask yourself, and are truly a disciple do ICW ATR in my life. Is it happening because why would you want to delude yourself into thinking that I'm on the great Christian, but the whole time you're not. This should be your test.

Scriptural and we will implement this to help people grow, we will do in the way Jesus did not.

How did Jesus do ministry well. He moved people through three concentric circles outside the circle was the crowd. The crowds were the people who encounter Jesus but that did not necessarily follow Jesus for you and I the crowd our people in our neighborhoods, people, people in our sports teams. People at work people in the grocery store people at the restaurant that you will go eat. This is the crowd they're just people then unnecessarily following Jesus. They don't know him but now begins the first circle which is congregation in Jesus's ministry, the congregation where the vast multitudes of people that followed him. Listen to Matthew 1530 then great multitudes came to him, having with them the lame, the blind and mute, the maimed, and many others, and they laid down them down at Jesus's feet and he healed them. The multitude followed Jesus everywhere he went. This all the miracles they heard the teachings, the gate, the food that he provided they were always there.

Would you like to know who the multitude is a Clearview all the people to come through the doors any given weekend Saturday and Sunday blasting outside circle of congregation but inside the circle.

In Jesus's ministry was another group that was community. There were the 12 disciples that Jesus handpicked you could even add to them the 70 than Lou talks about in chapter 10 there was a difference between the multitude and the disciples. In fact, in Matthew 1336 then Jesus sent the multitude away you get that he sent the multitude away and went into the house. He was about to do a miracle. He was about to teach and his disciples came to him, saying, explain to us the parable of the tares of the field he send the multitudes away, and then he had a session with his community at Clearview the community are people who not only walked to the front doors any given weekend, but they also move on and go to Sunday school or they go to Wednesday night Bible study either both or at least one there. Going beyond the preaching of the word to actually going into his setting were there talking to one another and learning the truth of the word of God. But it doesn't stop there. Inside the community came another circle for lack of better term just called it the circle. You could say the inner circle of people asked me in order tell me that I'm so glad to see there are no inner circles at Clearview I'm like yeah you're right, but I hope we can start so we need some inner circles. Did you know that Jesus had an inner circle. Three men, Peter, James and John.

Let me read you couple passages in Mark Mark chapter 9 verse two 6:09 days Jesus took Peter, James and John and let them on a high mountain apart by themselves and he was transfigured before them. Mark 537 and he permitted no one to follow him, except Peter James and John Mark 1433 is time for Jesus to go to the cross. He goes to the garden of Gethsemane and he took Peter, James and John with him and he began to be troubled and deeply distressed. And he said to them, I sold my soul is exceedingly sorrowful even a dent stay here and watch me with me but he and take the whole community took the inner circle.

When Jesus said man disciples. This was the plan that he executed and he wants us to execute taking people from the crowd to the congregation to the community to the circle on us and we are thinking.

I can add anything else to my life. I got so much going on. If hard to come to church another day of the week. I just cannot do it just so much so much circles don't happen at church. The inner circle doesn't have, to take place at church.

Sometimes they are family settled circles sometimes you can get six guys at your workplace meet with them.

Pray with them, hold each other accountable and that's your circle you meet for indefinite period of time. Once is over every six person in that circle or aid or whatever you decide, also replicates and has their own circle folks unless we do that were not making disciples again. I was on twitter this morning I saw a post sent out by life way at the annual convention life way is holding a session and they're encouraging all the pastors, and whoever is coming there to consider attending in the session is is our denomination dying is our denomination dying by the way, doesn't have to be Baptist. The same story Methodist the same story Presbyterian is the same story and many many denominations is our denomination and they said that 30 that got about 30 to 35% of the churches are growing but the rest are dying. I would really say is only 20% are growing by the grace of God. We happen to be part of the 20% of people may look at is in same as amazing clearly. Honestly, I am grateful. But I'm not that impressed just because we have 10 baptisms.

We have more than 10 but rather just because we have… Say let's pick a number for baptisms a year were not making that big of a dent for baptisms over a 20 year period is how much anybody will do the math.

Thank you. Oh my goodness were all that we do that when 80 people for the kingdom of God. In 20 years and you think were not in trouble and that's a decent size church. Now we do way more than that. I don't know how many redo less than 2520 follower a 20 year period. How much is that 500. That's it for 20 years spent all this money to win 500 people to the Lord which we hope, Zora works out on their own. It'll come in and write out yeah it is dying not just our denomination but all across the board. Something has to radically change which means we gotta go back to the book to make disciples, which means every person today has a choice either to read that baggage of whatever you believe and truly follow Christ we can play Christian by the way in the Bible Christian is mentioned two or three times but it's full of disciples.

We are at that stage in our church where it's time to make disciples, thank you so much for joining this message, Jesus command to make disciples didn't just apply to device our lives as well. Before we can make disciples must become one is following God. For more information visit us online.org for this Simmons notice Jacob Pastor Shaw's, but on shop.com