Why: Discipleship - 17th May 2026

want to say to you what a joy it is to

serve you in this capacity. You are a

joy to serve Passage Baptist Church. Uh

it is uh exciting to be able to bring

God's word anytime. Uh but it is

particularly exciting to bring it to

you.

Matthew 28. Let me pray one more time.

Father, we trust you to do your work

through your word by your spirit right

now. Would you give us an eager

expectation that you work in our hearts?

Will we see truth in your word and would

we apply it to our lives? We pray in

Jesus name. Amen.

So, a little bit of definitions for us

as we get started.

People who speak three languages

are called triilingual, right? People

who speak two languages are called

bilingual and people who speak one

language are called American.

America is so big that most Americans

don't think about learning another

language. That is unless you go to Miami

and then English might be in the

minority uh compared to Spanish.

How do you know?

I I don't know. So, you know, it's a

rhetorical question, but h how do you

know when you've learned a language? How

do you know when someone has actually

fully learned a language? Is it how much

vocabulary that they know? Is it maybe

their knowledge of grammar?

Is it when they have lost the accent of

their first language as they speak their

second or third or fourth language?

I've heard some people say that when you

start thinking in a language, you kind

of really know the language. You might

pass a language test, right? But that

doesn't mean you truly speak it

naturally just because you pass the

test. It's a little hard to define when

you know a language. Some people use

apps to learn a language. That happens

in our house. Every day I hear German

coming from some redhead in my family.

But the best way

I think that I've been told to learn a

language is to be immersed in it. to be

completely surrounded by the speakers of

that language who use the language, who

know the language, who can help you on

your journey and learning the language.

The best way to learn a new language is

to be surrounded by others who are

speaking that language. And that is true

if we apply that to the Christian faith.

When we come to faith, we know very

little about how to live the Christian

life. When we first come to know the

Lord Jesus, I have to learn how to live

the Christian life. To be a faithful

disciple of the Lord Jesus, I need to be

discipled. Disciple just means a

follower. We need to be immersed

in the Christian life. We ourselves need

to be around people that speak the same

language.

We're continuing the Y series. Now, last

week we looked at evangelism. We looked

at teaching the gospel with the aim of

persuading someone to believe it. This

week we're going to look at disciplehip.

Why disciplehip?

Why should disciplehip be a part of the

local church? Why should every Christian

be discipled? And why should every

Christian be discipling?

So, we're going to build a little bit of

a biblical theology. So, I'm going to

ask you to go all over the place, but

you are well aable. You are well aable.

I will give you time to turn, but we're

going to look at four or five different

passages together, and we're going to

see what the New Testament has to say to

us about disciplehip. Because brothers

and sisters, we do not drift towards

holiness. We don't drift towards

faithfulness. We do not drift towards

godliness. That's not going to be the

natural place where we just if we let

go, we're going to kind of just move in

that direction.

If we are to be a healthy, faithful,

Christex exalting church, we must have a

firm understanding of disciplehip. And

we can't see it as optional because if

we see it as optional,

this church will die.

This church will die. So the definition

of disciplehip that I stole is

disciplehip means growing as followers

of Jesus and helping others do the same.

Growing as followers of Jesus and

helping others do the same. So why

disciplehip? Well, the first reason is

that we are commanded to disciple.

You're in Matthew chapter 28. Matthew

Matthew 28 · chapter mention Matthew 28:18

chapter 28

verse 18. And Jesus came and said to

them, "All authority in heaven on earth

has been given to me. Go therefore and

make disciples of all nations, baptizing

them in the name of the Father and of

the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching

them to observe all that I have

commanded you. And behold, I am with you

always to the end of the age.

You might be asking yourself, didn't we

look at this text last week when we were

talking about evangelism?

Yes, we did. You might be thinking to

yourself, well, isn't this text mainly

about evangelism?

No, it's not. It is not mainly about

evangelism. It is mainly about making

disciples, followers, believers,

worshippers of the Lord Jesus. We are

not called to make converts.

We are called to make disciples.

This first happens by reaching people

through evangelism. Yeah. So, that's

part of making disciples. We talked

about it last week. We have to

evangelize. If God saves that person

though, well, then what? Well, we don't

have to wonder. We don't have to wonder,

okay, well, what do I do if someone

comes to Christ? I don't need to wonder

what's going to happen because the

scripture tells me what's going to

happen. We go, we share, we baptize.

Then verse 20, look at it.

We teach, teaching them to observe all

that I have commanded.

First evangelism, then disciplehip.

Everyone, you, me, everyone must be

reached

and then taught.

That's what the great commission is. So

there is a teaching aspect to the great

commission. That is part of making

disciples is that we are teaching

everything that Jesus commanded.

Disciplehip means growing as followers

of Jesus and helping others do the same.

I learned this week what a bonsai tree

is. I thought I knew what a bonsai tree

is. I thought it was like a special

tree, but apparently it's just a normal

tree that's kept really tiny with very

attentive care. So, I didn't know that.

So apparently it can be different types

of trees, but you just keep it really

tiny with how you care for it. Regular

attention, pruning, long-term

cultivation, lots of patience, and they

must it must be protected from from the

elements of the world. You don't stick

it out in your garden. Usually you stick

it, you know, in your house. You have

those little things that you clip it

with over and over and over again. This

is you, brother and sister. When you

believed, the gospel took root in your

heart and your new life began.

And the tree of your faith that is

growing

requires attentive care. It must be

pruned. It needs longterm cultivation

for your health.

And I'm not saying you want to have a

little tiny bit of faith. You want to be

an oak of righteousness,

but you need long-term cultivation.

The Lord Jesus knows this. He knows

this. And so, he commanded that his

people teach one another.

So, disciplehip is not optional. It's

commanded. It's right there in the great

commission. Make disciples. And a part

of that is of course sharing, baptizing,

but then teaching them to obey

everything that Jesus commanded. We

disciple and are discipled

to obey King Jesus.

So that's one of the reasons we

disciple.

But another reasons we disc another

reason we disciple is that disciplehip

just is life in the local church. So we

disciple because that is life in the

local church. You can't divorce those

things. You can't divorce life in the

local church and disciplehip. They are

one in the same if we are living life

together. Turn to Ephesians chapter 4.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

Ephesians chapter 4.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

Just like bonsai trees have specific

environments they thrive in, so does the

Christian. The bonsai tree needs the

right care, soil, light, water.

We need the right care. If you are

alone, it is difficult for you to grow.

If you are surrounded by bad teaching

and sinful influences, you're not going

to grow. If your closest relationships

distract you rather than focus you, you

are not going to grow.

So what is the environment where

Christians receive the disciplehip

necessary to grow? Where do you get the

best soil, the best water, and the best

care? Where

can you cultivate holiness,

godliness, and faithfulness?

The primary place that you grow in your

faith and you help others grow in their

faith is the local church.

Throughout the New Testament, the local

church is called to be a watering hole

for disciplehip. It is a greenhouse of

disciplehip. You've already heard Allan

reading this morning. It was written to

the church of Rome. Love one another.

Outdo one another in showing honor. Do

not be slothful in your zeal. Be

constant in prayer. These commands that

are written to a local church, they're

commands of disciplehip.

Those are commands of disciplehip. It's

the greenhouse of the local church. It's

the place where God designed for you to

grow.

Green houses help plants grow. Just like

practice helps an athlete grow. Athletes

are not going to get better at their

sport if they're idle. If they just sit

there, they are not going to get better.

They won't increase their skills without

practice. They will be rubbish if they

never get out on the pitch and get

sweaty. Like that's just obvious to us.

They have to do the same thing over and

over and over and over again. And the

same thing is true with the Christian

life. Disciplehip is lifong growth. It

is a lifong

endeavor. Paul emphasizes the Christians

need to grow throughout. And we'll see

it here in Ephesians 4. Look at verse

11.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets,

the evangelists, the shepherds and

teachers to equip the saints for the

work of ministry, for building up the

body of Christ until we all attain to

the unity of the faith and of the

knowledge of the son of God, to mature

manhood, to the measure of the stature

of the fullness of Christ, so that we

may no longer be children tossed to and

fro by the waves and carried about by

every wind of doctrine, by human cunning

by craftiness and deceitful schemes.

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we

are to grow up in every way into him who

is the head, into Christ, from whom the

whole body joined and held together by

every joint with which it is equipped.

When each part is working properly,

makes the body grow, so that builds up

itself in love.

Why did God give leaders? Why shepherds

and teachers, pastors, elders?

Says to equip the saints. Did you see

that? Verse 11. To equip the saints. To

equip the believers. So, so the leaders

prepare, facilitate, enable the saints

for what? To do what? Well, the the text

tells us for the work of ministry. So,

so the leaders equip the saints for

service in the kingdom.

Disciplehip is

growing as followers of Christ and

helping others do the same. So, what is

the service that every believer provides

that they are being equipped to do? Look

at verse 12.

Building up the body of Christ.

When do you stop doing that? Verse 13.

until everyone reaches maturity. Until

everyone looks like Jesus. Disciplehip

is helping people look like Jesus.

This will take your entire life.

This will take your entire life. And it

will only be complete in you when your

dead body raises from the dead.

And with your new eyes, you look on

Jesus. your disciplehip will be

complete. But until then,

there's a lot of work to be done.

There's a lot of work to be done. It's a

lifelong churchwide endeavor. And it is

to the glory of God. When we are

conformed to the image of Christ, it is

to the glory of God.

You are being transformed.

I know it doesn't always feel that way.

It is a long process. Transformation is

a long process. Our hearts are

regenerated like that. We are made new,

new birth like that. But our

sanctification takes a lot of time.

God gets glory when you look more like

Jesus.

The church makes that vision become a

reality.

So the spirit does the work. But as I've

told you many times, God uses means. He

uses means to accomplish his purposes.

The church is the means by which you are

discipled,

by which you are brought to the measure

of the fullness of the stature of

Christ. It is through the church. So you

must ask yourself the question,

who are you intentionally

trying to help look more like Jesus?

Whose Christian faith are you

cultivating?

If you are drawing a blank, you might

not be discipling.

But another question you need to ask

yourself is who is intentionally helping

you to look more like Jesus? Who is

cultivating the growth of your Christian

faith?

Again, if you can't think of someone,

you might need discipling.

We are commanded to teach one another to

obey everything that Jesus commanded.

How are you obeying that command is a

question that you should ask yourself

every day. How are you obeying that

command? All the members of this body

are joined and we help each other grow

together in Christ. That's verse 16

here. We're a body. We're a body. As you

grow, you strengthen me to grow. As I

grow, I strengthen you to grow. This is

disciplehip. It's beautiful. This is the

Christian life. This is every member of

the body working together to love God

and love others. And Paul did say

he did say

that you are being equipped to do this.

You are being equipped to do this. And

he didn't only speak about this to the

Ephesians. Turn to Colossians chapter 3.

Colossians 3 · chapter mention

Just over to your right a few pages.

Colossians chapter 3. The writers of the

Colossians 3 · chapter mention

New Testament focused on teaching the

churches to disciple. We see Paul doing

it. If you look at the epistles of

Peter, Peter said it to the church. If

you look at the epistles that James

wrote, James says it to the church. If

you look at the epistles that John

wrote, John said it to the church. And

guess what? The author of Hebrews said

it to the church. to whoever that might

be.

It is all over the New Testament

of what the Christian life is to look

like with each other. Colossians 3:16.

Colossians 3:16

And let the word of Christ dwell in you

richly,

teaching and admonishing one another in

all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and

spiritual songs with thankfulness in

your heart to the to to God. And

whatever you do in word or deed, do

everything in the name of the Lord

Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father

through him.

Paul is writing to the whole church here

in Colossians. He's not just writing to

the leaders. Everyone in the church

should be teaching both in word and

action. Did you see that? Verse 16. Let

the word of Christ dwell in you reach

richly teaching and admonishing one

another.

Everyone in the church should be

teaching both in word and action.

You teach something in everything you

do.

You teach something in everything you

do. So when you are passionately singing

on a Sunday morning, you are teaching

your kids affection for Jesus.

When you forgive someone who sinned

against you, you are teaching a

beautiful aspect of the gospel

just in your forgiveness.

But when we sideline the church and we

make the meetings of the church

optional, we're teaching a lack of

commitment.

We are teaching discontentment.

We are teaching possibly laziness.

Everyone teaches something. You are

teaching something in everything that

you do. So the question you must ask

yourself is what are you teaching?

What are you teaching?

Also Paul says to the Colossians that

everyone in the church should be

admonishing. We don't use that word very

often. Admonishing, advise, recommend,

urge, caution, warn, exhort, implore.

Another phrase you could put in there is

rebuke.

This is thoughtful, intentional care for

the spiritual well-being of your brother

and sister. We are to admonish one

another. Disciplehip means that you're

teaching and admonishing with all

wisdom, it says. So, it's not your ideas

because as wise as you think you might

be, God is wiser.

And so we use God's truth as we teach

and admonish. It also means though, and

this is pretty key, that you are willing

to be taught and admonished.

So I am teaching and admonishing, but

then I'm also willing to receive that

teaching and admonishment. These are

really difficult, both of them, because

we need the the boldness and the love to

speak into one another's lives, but we

also need the humility and the faith to

receive that from someone.

This church is one big glorious pressure

cooker. You ever use a pressure cooker

at home? Pressure cookers help infuse

and intensify flavor and makes tough

things tender. The local church matures

you

and makes you more flavorful

and intense.

It's a it's it gives you a a tenderness

that nothing else can give you. The

local church is the means to make your

walk with Jesus taste good and smell

good to the glory of God.

So if the gathering of God's people, the

local church is the primary means of

disciplehip in your life, be present

like your life depends on it.

Be present like your life depends on it.

Because here,

here

is a place where tough things become

tender.

You might be tough and gritty and need

to be tenderized in this glorious

pressure cooker. I know I need to be.

I've got tough, gritty places in my

heart that just need a little

tenderizing.

This pressure cooker does that.

It is with God's people that the grace

of God will wash over you again and

again and again.

Like the athlete doing drills on the

pitch or the gardener pruning her bonsai

tree.

Song and prayer, the reading of the word

on the Sunday, the preaching of the

word.

But equally as important are

conversations after

this conversation and this conversation,

this bit of encouragement, this prayer,

this challenge,

this rebuke when necessary.

It's happening not just on a Sunday, but

within the body of Christ.

It's not just something that we

need to give. It is something we ne must

receive as well. We are meant to live

life together.

But finally, how do we accomplish this?

So, we are to disciple because it's

commanded.

We are to disciple because it is part of

life in the body. I know it's supposed

to be the why series, but I can't escape

saying how. So, we're going to switch to

how. You'll forgive me. So, how do we do

this? How do we disciple? We teach. Yes.

We admonish. Yes. But practically, what

does that look like?

What does it look like to obey all of

those commands or to teach others to

obey all the commands of Jesus?

Well, turn to 1 Corinthians 10. So, back

to the left a bit. 1 Corinthians chapter

1 Corinthians 10 · chapter mention

10.

First, I want to acknowledge that every

believer in this church is different.

All of you who are trust in Christ are

different to the glory of God.

We are not cookie cutters. We do not

look all the same. We are not made from

the same mold. We are made unique. We

are in different seasons of life. We

have varying capacities. We have

assorted giftings. We have very distinct

personalities.

So how you disciple may look different

from someone how someone else disciples.

And that's okay.

But I won't say I won't say that we

should never compare ourselves. You kind

of hear that a lot in life. Never

compare yourself to somebody else. I I

don't That's not fully biblical.

That's not fully biblical. There are

unhealthy ways to compare ourselves, but

then there are biblical ways to compare

ourselves.

1 Corinthians 10, starting there at

verse 31, Paul's writing to the

Corinthians. He says, "So whether

you eat or drink or whatever you do, do

all to the glory of God. Give no offense

to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of

God just as I try to please everyone in

everything I do, not seeking my own

advantage but that of many that they may

be saved. Then he says this sentence or

writes the sentence, be imitators of me

as I am of Christ.

Paul is calling the Corinthians to

imitate him, not in in everything that

he does. We can't do that and we

shouldn't do that. But in the ways that

Paul is imitating Christ,

he says, "Imitate me. Follow me is what

he says. Christ is the word of God

incarnate."

You are to imitate others as they

imitate Christ. Imitating Christ

therefore is word centered

because Christ is word incarnate. So our

imitation of people should be saturated

in scripture

like a sponge that soaks up water. We

should soak in God's word so that when

we when we walk around, we're just

splashing people. They're just getting

wet with God's word because we just

soaked it in so much. The people around

you shape you. I hope we realize that

this is true in all stages of life. So

we like to say this to our teenagers a

lot because it it is true and maybe very

particular pertinent to them but that is

true for everybody that people around

you shape you.

So do you compare yourselves to others?

Well well yes. If you are to imitate

others as they imitate Christ, you kind

of have to compare yourself to others.

And that is one means of disciplehip in

your life. Imitate those who follow

Jesus. Pattern your life after others.

Compare yourself to others. And if the

other is close to Jesus and his word, be

like them. Unashamedly be like them.

If they are like Jesus, unashamedly be

like them. Spend time with them.

So that is part of your responsibility

to be discipled, to imitate others. But

then also be someone

worth emulating.

Be someone that other Christians can

copy.

Not to your praise, not to your glory,

but to the praise of Christ. Because of

the work that he's done in your life. We

must make ourselves available. You you

might need to pursue someone that you

want to imitate.

You might need to pursue them so that

you can spend time with them, so that

you can talk to them, so that you can

ask them good questions.

Just last week, I had a young man in the

house. He hung out for a couple hours.

We assembled a shelf that I had bought.

We talked. He asked good questions. I

asked him questions. It wasn't weird. It

was normal. We were discipling one

another.

I don't know if you realize that. The

cat's out of the bag now. But that was

what was going on. Simple.

Simple.

There's an invitation that we must do

with one another.

But there's more. Turn to Titus chapter

Titus 2 · chapter mention

2.

I told you we're well aable. You're

keeping up with me. It's okay. Titus

Titus 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2. Both the men and the women

have been studying Titus on Wednesday

nights.

Paul writes to Titus who is pastoring on

the island of Cree.

He's encouraging Titus to be mindful to

think about both his life and his

doctrine, how he lives and what he

teaches. He says, "Be careful how you

live and what you teach."

That's that's what Paul's main message,

one of his main messages to Titus and

therefore to us. But look at chapter 2

verse one.

But as for you, teach what accords with

sound doctrine. Older men are to be

sober minded, dignified,

self-controlled, sound in faith, in

love, and in steadfastness. Older women

likewise are to be reverent in behavior,

not slanderers or slaves to much wine.

They are to teach what is good. And so

train the young women to love their

husbands and children to be

self-controlled,

pure, working at home, kind and

submissive to their own husbands, that

the word of God may not be reviled.

Likewise, urge the younger men to be

selfcontrolled.

Paul is teaching Titus to teach the

church to invest in one another

through their lives and through their

teaching. Titus is the leader. It's

starting with him. He's equipping

others. And then you see that older men

are to live a certain way that they can

be imitated.

They can glorify God,

but that they can help people to see

what that looks like. Older women

should also want to watch the way they

live and they should be teaching the

younger women. And then the younger men

are urged to practice self-control.

What I love about this passage,

if you didn't notice it, is that

disciplehip

is crossgenerational.

Disciplehip is cross generational.

It should not be weird in this church

for the 20-year-old woman to be having

coffee with the 70-year-old woman.

That's beautiful and that's necessary.

And it's not just necessary for the

20-year-old. We might be think, "Oh,

yeah, that'd be so great wisdom

imparted." It's actually really great

for the 70-year-old.

And then fill in all the gaps with the

ages. Men, we should be getting down on

our knees and welcoming the children.

Teens, you should not be intimidated to

talk to adults.

Ask them good questions.

Adults, you should not be intimidated to

talk to the teens,

as I know some of you might be. The

older men should be actively encouraging

the younger men towards Christian

maturity.

How are you doing this?

It's a question we all need to ask

ourselves.

With whom are you doing this? Don't

believe the lie that it is not your

place to speak into the life and

decisions and actions and behaviors of

others in this church. Don't believe

that lie that it's not your place. The

enemy would love for you. He would love

for you to keep to yourself.

He delights in you keeping to yourself.

But that is not obedient.

If you are keeping to yourself, you are

disobeying.

We must be intentional with our

disciplehip. If you are not discipling

or being discipled,

what we need to do in those moments like

anything when we are disobeying, we

swallow our pride. We confess our

inaction

and then we just start helping others

follow Jesus. We we just move forward in

faith.

That can start today. That can start

today.

Don't be that one. And you know when you

watch, you know, you always see like you

can see these clips where it's this

beautiful, you know, when people are

running a race together and they get

into the end and then like like someone

falls and like the person comes behind

them and they pick them up and like like

they help them finish. That's beautiful.

Don't be that person that doesn't do

that. You know, you're running the race

and you see the person fall, they're

just ahead of you and you're just like,

"Oh, sorry." And you just kind of keep

going.

That's not what we want to be in the

church. We want to finish this race

together.

When we keep to ourselves, it's like

that. If we're keeping to ourselves,

it's like we're just leaving that person

behind and we're just kind of trying to

we're just running our own race. The

Christian life is not running about

running your own race.

It's about finishing together. Finally,

last place to turn, Hebrews chapter 10.

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

Hebrews chapter 10.

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

All cultures are different. All people

are different.

Everybody has different personalities,

like I said, different capacities.

This shows itself to be true in how we

choose to disciple. So, we're still

thinking on how we disciple, and we're

thinking about being intentional.

Some cultures are more direct. I'm from

one of those. Some cultures might be

more indirect.

Some things might feel more formal.

Sometimes things feel more organic.

Cultures, personalities, experiences,

desires will drive how we disciple.

But however

you disciple, you must be intentional.

However you disciple, you must be

intentional. Hebrews chapter 10, look at

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

verse 24.

Let us hold fast the confession of our

hope without wavering. For he who

promised is faithful. And let us

consider how to stir up one another to

love and good works, not neglecting to

meet together as is the habit of some,

but encouraging one another. And all the

more as you see the day drawing near.

That sounds like disciplehip to me.

Considering how to do something

is not organic. We are to consider how

to stir up one another for love and good

works. Consider is the idea of putting

careful thought into something. The root

of that word, that Greek word there,

consider, is mind. I'm to contemplate

how to do this. It's translated in other

uh translations provoke.

I'm to be provoked

to love and good deeds. I'm to provoke

others to love and good deeds. It's

deliberate. It's calculated.

That's what the scripture is saying. I'm

to consider how to stir up one another

to love and good works.

Can we then just expect our disciplehip

to be organic? Organic. the idea and you

got to define like the idea that it's

just going to naturally develop on its

own. Well, it might feel organic what we

do based on our personality, our

culture, you know, our experiences, the

kind of thing, which is fine, but the

scriptures are very clear that what must

be happening needs to happen. And so, we

are not going to drift into obedience.

And so

what your disciplehip looks like, how

you are loving people, how are you

stirring them up to love and good works

is going to look different and it might

have a flavor of being organic,

but it can't truly be organic. It can't

truly just kind of come out of nothing

and it kind of develop on its own

because that's not what the scripture

says.

Scripture says for you to consider it to

consider how to do these things.

But what is often true in the Bible and

it's actually wonderful the Lord is very

kind to us

is that it does not prescribe exactly

how we are to do what we are told to do.

So we are told to do something consider

how to stir someone up to love and good

works. But it doesn't always say how to

do that. And that's actually a good

thing. It can be frustrating at times,

but it's actually really good because

then it gives freedom to all the

personalities and the cultures and the

capacities that people have.

Maybe you're the kind of person that

does choose very specific people you

want to meet up. Maybe you want to use

like a Bible study. Great. Maybe that

feels too formal to you. So maybe you're

the kind of person where I'm just going

to every week I'm going to choose to

text or call someone. I'm going to see

like, can you grab some coffee? and then

you grab the coffee and then you're

going to talk about the sermon or you're

going to talk about life or you're going

to just see how someone's doing and you

might pray together and it might be a

different person every week.

Those are both intentional. It's just

one is intentional. I'm going to choose

people. One's intentional as I'm going

to choose to reach out to people. That

could be anybody.

Maybe you're that tired,

busy

mom at home with your toddlers and

you're like, "I don't have any time to

do anything."

Maybe you just invite people over to the

house and just talk while you're doing

the things that you normally are doing

that you have to get done in a day.

Maybe, you know, you use your lunch

hour. Well, there's people in the church

that do that where they're at work and

they choose to I'm going to meet up with

someone for lunch and we're going to

just talk. It might be someone

different. It might not always work, but

I'm just trying to move in a place where

I'm with the body of Christ so that I

can stir them up to love and good works.

So that I can teach and admonish. So

that I can be taught and admonished.

Maybe you you choose to to have people

over for lunch. Maybe your capacity only

allows you to do that once a month or or

twice a month. Maybe you have a coffee

morning. Maybe you host a barbecue.

Maybe you just invite people. This has

happened in our text groups where you

just you're going as a family somewhere.

You say, "Hey, anyone want to come

along?" That's great.

That's great. Those are opportunities to

be together. And then when you're

together, be intentional. Be intentional

to use that time. Maybe you have more

more formality. Maybe you have a prayer

partner or you have an accountability

partner. Whatever it looks like, the how

IS GOING TO LOOK DIFFERENT, RIGHT?

But you must consider how to do it.

That's the key of the how. Consider how

to do it.

You are being equipped to do it.

You're being equipped to do it. You are

able. You are able, brother and sister,

to do this. And you are needed because

the disciplehip needs of Passage Baptist

Church will not be met. If you are not

discipling one another, if you are not

teaching and admonishing, if you are not

stirring up one another to love and good

works, then those those needs for that

to be done will not be met.

They just won't be. That is not the

place of leaders solely to be doing.

Why disciplehip? You're commanded. We

are commanded to do that. It's an

essential part of church life. But you

know the sweetest reason, the sweetest

reason, the most precious reality of

disciplehip

is that you get to know the Lord Jesus

more fully,

more intimately,

more sweetly.

You understand more of his love and his

care for you. And you just want to share

that with others. You want to share that

with others. You want Jesus more than

that sweet, juicy steak that's cooked

perfectly. You want to share him more

than that amazing reel that made you

laugh till you cried.

You want to point people to Jesus more

than, hey, come look at this amazing

sunset or hey, come take this hike and

let's look at the the very top peak and

see this view. You want to so show

people Jesus more than any of those

things. You disciple because you know

that following Jesus is the most

exciting,

exhilarating, thrilling, challenging,

rewarding thing that you could ever be a

part of.

We need to create and maintain a culture

of disciplehip in this church. But it

takes work.

It takes us considering how to do that.

But the glory of Christ as the body is

transformed.

It's so worth it.

It's so worth it when we see one another

grow past our sins. When we see one

another be more excited to worship

Jesus. When we see one another be more

thrilled to evangelize.

When we see one another just amazed at

God's glory.

It's so worth the effort.

It's so worth swallowing our pride

because ultimately

ultimately disciplehip is about

following.

Jesus is worth following.

He's just worth following. like no one

else that you have ever met, that no one

else that you've ever wanted to be like,

he is worth following.

Let's be a church that disciples one

another. Let me pray. Father, we thank

you for your word. We thank you for

these challenges. Help us to consider,

help us to see the gaps and and not and

not wallow in guilt or self-pity, but

just choose to repent and start doing it

to start being more intentional with

people to start using our time better.

Father, we want to think the of the fact

like Hebrews says here, Lord, like the

day is approaching. Jesus is coming.

We want to be found faithful when he

comes.

Thank you that we can know you and thank

you that we can help others to know you

more. What a gift. What a privilege.

Help us to take that seriously. We pray

in Jesus name. Amen.

Let's stand and sing together.