Assumptions Series

April 02, 2022

We are beginning a new series today on Discipleship entitled: Following in the Footsteps of Jesus.

A Disciple is a person who becomes the student of a specific teacher – in our case Jesus:

• Matthew 4:18-20 - As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

• Matthew 9:9 - As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

• John 8:30-32 - Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him. 31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Who, in turn, spreads the teachings / doctrines of his teacher to other people:

• John 1:43-45 - The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote-- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

• Luke 10:1-2 - After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

• 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."

Discipleship, then, is the activity / the process of following Jesus.

• Counting the Cost - Matthew 16:24 - Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

• Loving People - John 13:34-35 - "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

• Fruit Happens -

o John 15:7-8 - If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

o Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Are you frustrated with your “discipleship” experience?

• Is your faith microscopic? Perhaps more of a pew potato sort of faith and less of a walking sort of faith?

• Is your growth stagnant?

• Is the road harder than you thought it’d be? Do you wonder if you’re actually on the road?

• Is it more drudgery and less victory?

And what about church?

• Is it boring and uninspired?

• Is it more about following rules than following Jesus? Are you more of an institutional disciple and less of a Jesus disciple?

• Is it more like a nursing home where old Christians go to die and less about a hospital where people go to find healing and restoration and transformation?

Are you content or do you long for something more? Something different? Something better?

It is my hope that you ARE NOT content with your personal discipleship experience and that you DO long for something better.

But, how do we move beyond a mere church attendance and gold star collecting type of “discipleship” to a vital, exciting, life changing, moving down the road sort of relationship with Jesus?

Let’s start with assumptions.

We make assumptions every day and what we assume about any given situation can either help or hurt us.

Some people have become so derailed by their assumptions about the world outside their front doors that they literally never leave the house {agoraphobia}.

In our Christian walk, we also make incorrect assumptions: