Being a disciple of Christ
Mt 28:16-20
Leviticus 19:1-2
Introduction-
This morning I would like to talk to you about being a disciple of Jesus.
I came from a Momentum conference last week and they had a class on discipleship and that class centered on going and doing. That is most definitely a part of discipleship and we will touch on it this morning. But I want to look at if you are who you claim you are as a disciple of Christ, what is happening and what is the Lord doing in you so that you can “follow me” as He commands.
Definition of being a disciple right out of God’s Word;
You would be a follower of Jesus/ nothing shorter
You would be a learner of Jesus/ desiring with purpose to know about the Lord you serve.
You would be a person who takes the “good news” and knows what the good news of the gospel is and willingly spreads it to those that you come in contact with.
Everywhere you go becomes your opportunity to share what Christ has done in your life. (Testimony) (Witness)
Don’t raise your hands
How many did I lose this morning?
How many had that convicting thought that I have fallen short of that definition in at least one area.
Follower of Christ-
Learner of Christ-
Speaker for Christ- Being a Disciple of Christ
Matthew 28 Read from Bible
(Right after Jesus proclaims his authority on not only in heaven but also on earth) He (Jesus) instructs his disciples (followers and learners) Red lettering
“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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Various times leaders were told to man-up and be leaders by example-
Leviticus 19:1-2 (Conversation God to leader Moses)
“The Lord said to Moses, speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them; Be Holy, because I, the Lord your God is holy.”
Go! (Action)
Follow me! (Obedience)
Learn from me! (Model Christ)
All 3 are the DNA of discipleship
There are two challenges here-
Love the Lord God with all your heart, mind, soul, and body, and love your neighbor as yourself.
Because that is the only way that you could be a follower of Christ with that intensity.
Be holy, because I, the Lord your God is holy.”
He has to be your God. Not just your buddy. Not just your religion. Not just a person you call on in time of need. He has to be your God.
He says that “you shall do these things.”
I have to be honest…
I have asked God how can I do that?
How can I love you with all my heart?
How can I be holy and live a righteous and pleasing life for you?
How can I love my neighbor…Lord, have you met some of my neighbor?
I was not raised in the church- I am not a pastor’s kid, I did not grow up with a desire to save the world and be a missionary for God. My story is unique and most have heard a portion of that and that is for another day. I got saved at 14 but did not serve God until in my twenties and that is when I began going to church without being forced to go..
When I did get involved with church, it was of the Pentecostal nature and emphasis was put on getting saved, getting others saved, and confession time at the altar was for “getting right with God”-
you went to the altar, you went to get right with God, you went to be filled with His Spirit, and you went to say sorry for messing up so many times.
I saw people many times coming to the same altar to get saved several times,
I came to be filled many times only to have someone burst my bubble and tell me that I did not do it right.
The altar became a place of confession and a place that was only for saying your sorry and getting right with God.
I never knew what holiness meant until I came to a Nazarene church.
When my other church use to talk holiness, all I could see was a kid that was messed up and knew in me was nothing holy. It was at a Nazarene church in Corpus Christi Texas that I first heard that holiness was what Christ did in us and us letting Him and allowing Him to do the things needed and that nothing in us including any of our goodness was holy. Only Christ in us would make us holy.
That was life changing for me!
Maybe today that would be life changing for you!
That you would stop trying to be holy and would allow God to make you holy.
Allow him with all your pimples and blemishes to make you who He wants you to be.
Would you be okay with that?
Discipleship is the willingness to learn from Christ and Christ teachings. (Jot this down)
I think in the American church is so much concerned on seeing people saved that we have created a society of believers that struggle to go farther and deeper in God’s word because we do not know how.
We get them saved but not so good at discipling them.
American churches struggles making time for God to teach them. That is for those that are not saved.
We struggle with the mandate “to go” and we struggle with “following” as if it is an option to being a follower of Christ.
Discipleship is taking what God has taught you and having conversation with others about it. (write down)
One of the great points at Momentum was that we need to be having conversations with other people about our faith. People are open to it and we will grow from it as well as opening opportunities for other to hear the gospel.
We have to unpack and understand the gospel as well as being able to share it with others.
You cannot share what you yourself do not understand. (repeat)
You cannot follow your God until He is your God.
People are open to talking about experiences with God. They are willing to hear what God is doing in your life and in your church.
They do not want religion, they want relationship even if they do not know what they call it.
Assistant to the District .Superintendent. B. W. Hambrick almost stopped our meeting Monday night when
Darlene shared how she overcame 3 cancer situations in her life. People want to hear about God interacting with us. It gives us hope and purpose.
Discipleship is investing in others like Christ did with you.
The American church has been duped into believing that getting saved is all God requires of us.
Priority to make heaven our home for eternity instead of having a relationship with the living and loving God.
You cannot earn salvation but there is so much more that He has for us here and for eternity as we serve Him and witness for Him.
"Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh what a foretaste of glory divine. Heir of salvation, purchase of love, filled with His goodness, lost in His love." (Fanny Crosby)
We live in a world that is filled with fear, doubt and uncertainty.
The blessed assurance comes when we understand our salvation and understand that there is so much more for us as followers of Christ.
Who we are in Christ
The power we have as believers in Christ
The responsibility we have to be all that we can be in Christ.
I am convinced that most Christians are not as spiritual as they think they are.
We do not spend the time needed or the commitment required of being all that Christ would like to see from our lives.
We assume as pastors that people are farther along in their walk with God to find out in conversations and situations that they are not.
Leaders at every level of Christianity that speak for God but don’t spend enough time with him to hear from Him and have Him direct the affairs of our families and our churches and our communities and our nation.
Illustration
The Eagle is our national emblem of power. Thomas Jefferson our forefather wanted the turkey to be our national emblem. I do not know about you but I would pick the eagle over the turkey.
The eagle that soars over the bird that gobbles and runs wild in the woods.
The eagle that is not afraid of storms and trials but actually invites it.
One runs from it and one that not only does not run but openly takes the challenge head on.
One equipped for it and one that would be eaten up by it.
One soars and one can barely fly.
That is what I picture of what Christ wants to do for us as believers and children of God. They are both birds but one has been given everything needed to soar and live way above most others. The eagle knows where he is going and knows how he is going to get there. The eagle holds his territory while other birds migrate and disappear when bad weather comes.
I believe God is looking for men and women of vision “who can see” with their spiritual eyes and catch the wind of God’s Spirit. These men and women like the eagle are dependable, focused and fearless when it comes to their God given assignments.
Jesus said, "All power and authority in heaven and earth has been given to me". Notice that we have the assurance of Christ’s supreme authority to accomplish everything He asks us to do. Christ reigns from the throne in heaven as our Mediator, provider and supplier of whatever influence that is necessary to complete His purposes.
Greater is He who is in you than the one who is in the world. (I John 4:4)
Illustration:
Just as an eagle stirs up her nest, flutters over her young, to excite them to fly, (Deut 32:11) so Christ stirs up His disciples to disperse them to go in to all the world. Let us risk flying instead of just crawling along like babies. Jesus said, "Go into ALL nations.
The problem with most people is that they are not utilizing the power that is made available to them in Christ and His promises. Instead of appropriating the power and authority given to them in Christ they are often fearful of what other people will think or say about their beliefs.
“God has not given us the Spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Tim. 1:7)
Illustration:
One New Year’s Day, in the Tournament of Roses parade, a beautiful float suddenly sputtered and quit. It was out of gas. The whole parade was held up until someone could get a can of gas. The amusing thing was this float represented the Standard Oil Company. With its vast oil resources, its truck was out of gas. Often, Christians neglect their spiritual maintenance, and though they are "clothed with power" (Luke 24:49)
Illustration-
A little girl had been trying for months to learn the art of tying her shoes. She finally grasped the knack and was able to do it by herself. Her parents expected the child to be delighted, but were surprised by her disappointment. Her father asked why she was crying. She sobbed, "I just learned how to tie my shoes." He said, "That’s wonderful, Honey, but why are you crying?" She replied, "Because now I’ll have to do it all by myself for the rest of my life." *
"Maybe not," as he threw it back into the surf, "but it sure made a difference for that one." The difference one person can make often seems minuscule in comparison with the need at hand, but what you’re doing may make a big difference in the life and eternity of one person.
Closing,
Do you want change?
Change simply means doing, acting, thinking, feeling or looking different.
Change is a big thing, don’t let anyone fool you.
Before you are a Christian you live your life in chaos. Spiritually speaking. Life will never be perfect, but spiritually you can have the peace of God to know who you are in Christ and that this life is temporary and that the best is yet to come. After you become a Christian, your life still has bumps, but the good Lord gives you better shocks.
You decide to be teachable.
Amen.
