Make Disciples! (Part 7)  The Conclusion of Discipleship   (Acts 1:8)

Theme: We have all the power and authority we need live the life of modeling Jesus and making disciples

Introduction: The Question is often asked: “Can I be a Christian without joining or being a part of the church?” The answer: Yes, it is possible. But the real answer is: Why would you want to be a Christian if you don’t want to have anything to do with the church – the church, that is the bride and body of Christ? Someone once said, “The most significant contribution we make in life, is the passing of our faith to the next generation.”—(Unknown) This is the work of discipleship, and discipleship is the work of the church. I want to remind us, in this sermon series, we have defined discipleship as (Let’s say it together…) “Discipleship is a lifelong relationship with Jesus that makes us like Jesus as we do what He tells us to do as we share our lives with others.” Christ’s command to every believer and the church is clear: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Mt. 28:18-20) It is in the building of disciples – helping others embrace Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, mature in Him, then lead others to do the same, that we grow the kingdom of God. [And]… When the kingdom grows, the church does too. This is what Jesus has in mind just before He ascends back up to the Father and leaves these disciples and those to come after them, to complete His mission and carry out His great commission.

Conclusion: This is the work of discipleship, and discipleship is the work of the church.

Listening Guide Make Disciples! (Part 7) The Conclusion of Discipleship

April 16, 2023 Service and Sermon The Conclusion of Discipleship

 

Make Disciples! (Part 6) The Challenge of Discipleship  (Jn. 20:19-22)

Theme: There is a challenge to our courage when making disciples and following Jesus. God gives us that in the Holy Spirit.

Introduction: Today we celebrate the highest day of the Christian calendar – the resurrection day of our Lord and Savior, Jesus! For us in hindsight, it is a wonderful day of celebration and praise. A day that commemorates Christ’s finished work of redemption. But on that first resurrection day, it didn’t start out that way.  In fact, for the people who loved Jesus, who had abandon everything to follow Him, the darkness of the that first Easter morning three days after Jesus had been arrested, brutally beaten, mocked, and crucified, it was a bleak day.  His followers’ nerves were shot. Their Lord was dead, an earthquake had shaken their world, and the disciples were frightened (thinking as followers of Christ they too might be next to be crucified). As quickly as they could they all took flight (Just as Jesus said they would), into an upper room in somebody’s house – huddled together in fear with the doors and windows shut tight.  Being a disciple of Jesus is no guarantee of an easy life!  But every professing believer claiming Christ as their Lord is called to a life of being a disciple and making disciples, and we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do it.

On this resurrection Sunday, I want us to see how our resurrected Lord and Savior Jesus, transform His disciples’ fear into courage so they could answer the challenge of both being and making disciples and how He can do the same for us today.  We have as (Let’s say it together…) “Discipleship is a lifelong relationship with Jesus that makes us like Jesus as we do what He tells us to do as we share our lives with others.” As we said, this is no guarantee of an easy life, but it is the way to the full life Jesus promised us we should have.  In our text, (try to get the scene in your mind), we have some very frightened men tucked away in an upper room.

Conclusion: All those who have by faith believed and called upon Christ as Savior and Lord, have been raised to walk in new life with Him, have been called to a life of being and making disciples of Christ. And Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit in us has given us all the ability to accept and meet that challenge.

Listening Guide Make Disciples! (Part 6) The Challenge of Discipleship

April 9, 2023 Listening Guide and Sermon The Challenge of Discipleship

 

Make Disciples! (Part 5)  The Comorbidity of Discipleship   (Jn. 17:20-22)

Theme: Jesus prayed for our unity as disciples that we come together and work together as one making disciples/

Introduction: Tanglewood Community Church is a great church. What makes this church a great church is that we have a great love for one another and for the Lord. But what especially makes this church great is, we serve a great Lord, and together, we seek to obey His commands and His great commission to be and make disciples.

In this sermon series, we have defined discipleship as (Let’s say it together…) “Discipleship is a lifelong relationship with Jesus that makes us like Jesus as we do what He tells us to do as we share our lives with others.”

We must and we should seek to protect our great unity. And if we do, our church will continue to be great to the degree that we continue to be unified in the Lord, around His word, and by doing His will, and loving Him and one another.

We come together on this What is known as “Palm Sunday” or “The triumphal entry.” The beginning of “holy week.” The triumphal entry takes place in John 12… Where Jesus is celebrated like a coming King and by chapter 18 (5 days later) He is arrested and headed for crucifixion like a common criminal. As Jesus enters Jerusalem, He knows He is mere days away from His crucifixion and He has need to spend some quality time with His disciples. So, in John chapter 13-16 Jesus spends time talking with and teaching His disciples about servanthood, heaven, abiding in Him, the coming of the Holy Spirit and now, on the night of His betrayal – He prays for their and our comradery as His disciples. Jesus is concerned about our comradery as His disciples and as we make disciples together.

Conclusion: Jesus came to Jerusalem to die on the cross for us and the very night He was betrayed, He was praying for us. Jesus is concerned about our comradery as His disciples and as we make disciples together. We should be too.

I trust that one day we all will want to be able to say to the Father, Like Jesus, “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.  (John 17:4).

Listening Guide Make Disciples Part 5 The Comorbidity of Discipleship

April 2, 2023 Listening Guide and Sermon The Comorbidity of Discipleship  Part 1    Part 2 

 

Make Disciples! (Part 4) The Carrying out of Discipleship    (Jn. 4:1-4)

Theme: If we are to make disciples of this world, we must go to where others are different than us.

Introduction: Discipleship is that ongoing process in our life of growing to be like Jesus as we learn to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Jesus, giving Him complete control over our lives. A disciple of Christ is one who is like his master. Once we come to know Christ, we (not some, but all of us) are called to follow Christ even as Christ followed the will of His Father (that is to be our example). In this sermon series, We have defined discipleship as (Let’s say it together…) “Discipleship is a lifelong relationship with Jesus that makes us like Jesus as we do what He tells us to do as we share our lives with others.”

If we are to make disciples in this community and world, and really have an impact for Christ, like Jesus had on His disciples, and His disciples had on us… we must go to where others are different than us. In our text. John tells of how Jesus did this… Here, Jesus would reach just one, – but that one coming to know Jesus, would then bring an entire village to Jesus! The Lord Himself established the biblical precedent of making disciples. (Mt. 28:18-20; Ac. 14:20-21; 2 Tim. 2:2) We as believers are called to be faithful followers of Christ and carry the gospel message forward to the lost and make other disciples.  But how?

Conclusion: Our mission and ministry is to help people come to saving faith in Jesus and then give themselves to practices that will help them become more like Jesus in this season of life. We want to Show people how to live differently as they come into a personal believing relationship with Jesus and then learn to obey the Lord in response to His grace. If we walk in the Spirit, and commit ourselves to be true disciples of Christ, then the world should know us by our walk. They should see Jesus in us, through us and be drawn to Jesus because of us! That is how we should be carrying out discipleship!

Listening Guide Make Disciples Part 4 The Carrying out of Discipleship

March 26, 2023 Listening Guide and Service with Sermon The Carrying out of Discipleship Part 1    Part 2

 

Make Disciples (Part 3) The Christ of Discipleship   Selected Passages

Theme: Revealing how Jesus made disciples by pouring His life into others.

Introduction: In this sermon series we are talking about discipleship: This is the means by which we become more like Christ. We have defined discipleship as (Let’s say it together…) “Discipleship is a lifelong relationship with Jesus that makes us like Jesus as we do what He tells us to do as we share our lives with others.” A disciple is someone who has a desire ”to know Christ and to make Him known.” A Christian disciple is one who follows Christ, one who submits to His authority, one who hungers to learn His truths and follow Him through obedience. This is an opportunity every believer has, but not every believer takes. My goal today is to show you how Jesus (who is the Christ of discipleship) approached discipleship and took mere believers to a deeper level of discipleship, and then sent them out to make disciples. There are some tenets of Christianity upon which true discipleship rests. To see these, we have to turn to the founder of our faith, the resurrected Lord, Jesus Christ. Two things that must be understood here.

Conclusion: Most of us remember playing a game when we were kids called “Follow the Leader.” For the believer – who desires to become a true disciple of Christ, there can only be one leader – Jesus Christ, our Lord. Let him follow Him.

Listening Guide Make Disciples Part 3 The Christ of Discipleship

March 19, 2023 Service and Sermon The Christ of Discipleship

Please note that the sound quaility is as good as we would like so to help, turn the volumne down.  Sound to be corrected next Sunday.

 

Make Disciples (Part 2) The Commitment to Discipleship     Luke 9:1-2

Theme: The commitment to discipleship is a determined commitment to follow Jesus where He leads.

Introduction: In this sermon series, we are talking about what it means to be and to make true disciples of Christ. We have defined discipleship as…“Discipleship is a lifelong relationship with Jesus that makes us like Jesus as we do what He tells us to do as we share our lives with others.”

In His ministry, Jesus seems to make a distinction between salvation and discipleship. Salvation is open to all who will come by faith, while discipleship is only for believers willing to pay a price. As we have said (and will repeat many times in this series) Discipleship is not something we do once or twice. It is a lifestyle that must be lived out each and every day. We will spend our entire lives becoming more like Jesus, spending time with Him in prayer, the study of His Word and ministering to others and one another. Discipleship in the Christian’s life means following after Jesus, and patterning our life after His so much so, that we look, act, sound, and love, like Jesus as we share our lives with others. The commitment to discipleship is a determined commitment to follow Jesus where He leads us. When Peter and his friends agreed to become Christ’s disciples, they knew they were committing themselves to following Christ, but they didn’t know where He would take them. But they soon found out!

Conclusion: While discipleship should be at the center of the Christian life and every Christian’s life – it’s not because there is a real cost to be a committed disciple of Christ. Anyone who desires to, can commit to following Jesus, no matter how hard the path gets. (The question is will you?)

Listening Guide Make Disciples Part 2 The Commitment to Discipleship

March 12, 2023 Service and Sermon The Commitment to Discipleship  Part 1    Part 2 

 

Make Disciples! (Part 1) The Call to Discipleship (Luke 5:1-11)

Theme: We have all been called to a life of discipleship “follow Jesus”

Introduction: As followers and disciples of Christ, it’s not just a few of us, or even just some of us, but rather it is “all of us” who are called to the mission of “Making Disciples.” (Mt. 28:18-20) Jesus gave us this great commission and it is recorded in all four gospels and in Acts.  (MK. 16:15-16; Lk. 2447-48; Jn. 20:21; Acts 1:8)

So, over the next several weeks I want us to think about what it means and what it looks like to be about the business of “Making Disciples.”

Discipleship is not just a churchy word or concept; it is a lifestyle! In the Bible the word is used most often to refer to a follower of Jesus. We are called to both, be disciples (i.e.) followers of Christ and to make disciples, (i.e.) other followers of Christ.

“Discipleship is a lifelong relationship with Jesus that makes us like Jesus as we do what He tells us to do as we share our lives with others.”

The apostles are great illustrations of this. They followed Jesus as their master and teacher of the Christian faith, learning from His words and deeds and growing through practical hands-on training He gave them and then they spread this faith to others teaching them to do the same. Jesus is seeking people who are serious about coming after Him notice in our text…

Listening Guide Make Disciples Part 1 The Call to Discipleship

March 5, 2023 Service and Sermon The Call to Discipleship  Part 1     Part 2