Hpffj: Helping People Follow Jesus Series

HPFFJ: HELPING PEOPLE FOLLOW JESUS

Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 8:34, Luke 6:40, John 8:31

#HPFFJ

THREAD: The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.”

For two weeks we are taking a look at the mission of Cincinnati Christian Church. Last week we talked about “finding Jesus” and we focused on evangelism and witnessing. 1 Peter 3:15 was our focus as we were challenged and encouraged to help people “find Jesus.” This week we are looking at “following Jesus.”

KEY WORD: DISCIPLE

The key word we are talking about today is “disciple.” We are talking all about following Jesus. A follower of Jesus is a disciple. Another name for this is a “believer” or “follower.” You can also use the term “Christian.”

A disciple is “one who responds in faith and obedience to the gracious call to follow Jesus Christ. Being a disciple is a lifelong process of dying to self while allowing Jesus Christ to come alive in us” (Greg Ogden, Discipleship Essentials, page 24). Or to put it another way, “A disciple is simply someone who believes in Jesus and seeks to follow him in his or her daily life” (Billy Graham, kansascity.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/billy-graham/article77272832.html).

I love what author Brennan Manning says about disciples because he challenges some of my thoughts: “What makes authentic disciples is not visions, ecstasies, biblical mastery of chapter and verse, or spectacular success in the ministry, but a capacity for faithfulness. Buffeted by the fickle winds of failure, battered by their own unruly emotions, and bruised by rejection and ridicule, authentic disciples may have stumbled and frequently fallen, endured lapses and relapses, gotten handcuffed to the fleshpots and wandered into a far county. Yet, they kept coming back to Jesus” (Ragamuffin Gospel).

A disciple is a believer in Jesus who seeks to follow Jesus each day.

THREAD: The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.”

As we dig into this idea of discipleship, I would like to bring up four attitudes about discipleship that are important that we find in the Scriptures. We are going to look at one passage from each of the Gospels. We are going to look at passages from the Gospels because we are talking about being disciples of Jesus… so let’s listen to what Jesus Christ Himself has to say on the topic. He is the source! These four attitudes that Jesus teaches will help us be better disciples of Jesus and will challenge us to come back to Him over and over again as we follow Jesus and then also help others follow Him.

In Matthew, we will see the attitude of replication.

In Mark, we will see the attitude of self-denial.

In Luke, we will see the attitude of Christ-likeness.

In John, we will see the attitude of faithfulness.

Each of these attitudes are important for a disciple of Jesus Christ.

MATTHEW: ATTITUDE OF REPLICATION

First, we have in Matthew the attitude of replication.

READ Matthew 28:18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

A disciple of Jesus Christ is one who replicates themselves. This passage from the end of Matthew is quite a deep passage. It shows us (among other things) that the Christian faith is based on the authority of Christ who not only was God in the flesh, but was our Savior because of His death and resurrection. The authority and command to share faith from one person to the next comes from God. Who gave us permission to share our faith in Christ? The God of the Universe did! Belief in Jesus is meant to move from one person to the next. One person is to teach another. One person is to baptize another. One person is to share the commands of God to another. A disciple of Jesus Christ is one who replicates themselves because the very nature of faith in Christ is contagious and is meant to be shared. It is good news for all people that leads to salvation and peace.

ILLUSTRATION… We Replicate in Many Areas (p)

This principle is true in so many parts of our lives, but when it comes to faith, we just sort of drop it:

* We begin to watch a new TV show and we are a fan… we then tell a friend and get them watching too so they would also be a fan. I really like the new MacGyver TV show and told Kelly about it. She watched one episode and was hooked and then watched them all. That’s replication.