The Discipleship Pathway with Pastor Doug

Welcome to the Celebration Baptist Church podcast, where we help people connect with God and others.

Each week you'll find biblical teaching, practical encouragement, and conversations designed to help you follow Jesus in everyday life.

To learn more about Celebration Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Florida, visit iCelebration.org and let's get started.

Hello, this is Pastor Doug Bedgood, and I am here today to talk to you about the Great Omission.

One of the things that we discovered in the life of the church is that the church is a place where a lot of activity goes on, a lot of things we're doing, a lot of things we're involved in.

And those most of the time are very good things that we get engaged in and give life to the church.

But today we want to talk about the one main thing the church does.

And so to talk about that, we want to look at the words of Jesus Christ when he was talking to his disciples before he ascended back into heaven, gave them some very specific command in what we call the Great Commission.

He told them, therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.

Find this in Matthew 28, 19 through 20.

In this command, Jesus Christ has given us our final command, our marching orders as disciples, not only disciples that were around him at that time, but also our marching orders today.

And so this is the mission of the church.

This is why we exist.

We exist to make disciples of all the nations.

We exist to help them identify with Jesus Christ through baptism.

And we exist to teach these new disciples how to obey what Christ has commanded them.

And so our church is very much focused on making disciples who make disciples.

The title, The Great Omission, comes from a book by Dallas Willard.

In this book, Dallas Willard talks about how the churches have so many things that they get involved in, so many things that they do.

And like I said, most of those things are very good things or very life-giving things.

But they often omit the very thing that Christ left us here to do.

And so instead of the great co-mission, it becomes the great omission.

They have wonderful worship services, they have wonderful programs, wonderful things they do in the community and serving it.

But they forget that their main purpose, the bottom line, uh, the main business of the church is to make disciples who make disciples.

And so here at Celebration, we want to always keep that in mind and understand that uh we really can't measure how successful we are by the number of people that are attending, uh, by how much money uh that is given, uh, by how many uh programs that we have.

The bottom line for us is how many disciples are coming to become followers, apprentices of Jesus Christ, and then growing and helping others uh become followers of Jesus Christ.

And so that disciple making disciple is really the measure of the health of the church.

And so that's why I do what I do in the life of the church is to help us to stay on track, stay on task, to stay on that purpose of the church in making disciples who make disciples.

And because of that, we as a church family have uh set aside a discipleship pathway.

In other words, this is what we would like to see happen to everyone uh that God brings into our world, comes across their path, whether that be here in uh the local area, whether that be in on a mission trip uh nationally or internationally, our goal is to help people uh go from one point to the point of being a disciple maker.

And so the disciples pathway um has three actors in it.

Number one is God.

God is the one who calls us to himself.

God is the one who helps us uh to have the power of the spirit to be able to carry out the task.

He is the one that uh also brings about conviction in people's lives.

Uh he's the one who enlightens people with the power of the gospel.

He's the one that helps that disciple uh grow as he teaches them through his word and through his spirit and through interaction with other believers.

And he's the one that puts the call on their life uh to be a disciple maker and to see the lives of others changed.

And so this disciple's pathway, God is the main actor.

But also on the disciples' pathway, we are involved as a church family.

Um, it is through our prayers uh to God.

Uh prayer is where we always begin because we want to be totally dependent upon God.

And so, as we as a church family uh go to the Father in prayer, uh we're seeking for his will to be done.

And so we want to make sure that we spend uh time in prayer uh seeking what he would have us uh to do.

And then also, we as a church family have created uh what I call relational environments.

These are just uh groupings of people where we interact with each other uh for the purpose of helping a person grow on the discipleship pathway.

And so these relational environments are really what uh many would look at as programs, but they're much more than that.

They are understanding the power of God's word, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the power of relationships uh between uh people and especially between uh believers.

The third part in this whole thing, the third actor, is the individual.

We want the individual uh to understand that uh that they need to be engaged, they need to be involved.

Uh being a follower of Jesus Christ is not passive.

It means that you are seeking to grow, uh you're seeking to participate, you're seeking to uh become an influence, a leader of others around you, uh, and that you're seeking God's call in your life.

And so as we understand these three actors, God, ourselves as a church family, and the individual, how that all of us are working to grow along this discipleship pathway.

So, what is that discipleship pathway?

Well, we look at it as the first stage uh that we have is that a person is uninterested.

In other words, they might not have any understanding of, you know, that they need God.

They might not even think about God that much.

Uh, they really have, you know, maybe know there's a church down the street, but really not interested, probably don't even know the name of it.

And so this person is what we would call uninterested.

And so what we want to do as a church family is work with God because God uh draws those kinds of people uh to himself.

And as God is working in their life, we want to provide those relational environments where we can connect with them and start a relationship with them.

That's why we do the car show.

Uh, the car show is a great event in that we have people from all over the community uh who come here because of their love for cars and love just to be out in a community event.

And they come here and we connect with them.

We get to know them, we uh have plan-year visits, we work with them to get them uh connected in the life of the church.

And so this is a great doorway into uh having a relationship with God.

We also have things throughout the year, uh like upwards basketball is a tremendous way that we are able to see thousands of people come in to the campus here.

Uh, Adventure Week is another great uh way that people get connected in the life of the church.

And then also we have, you know, during uh after school and kinder school, um, all these different ways.

We have women's events, we have men's events.

Um, we have many different ways that we try to create relational environments for people to get connected into the life of the church and take that person that may not have any interest in the church uh and help them uh to take the next step.

We also have with all of our members that are lights in their neighborhood through our bless program, uh they become a way to connect with people uh that are uninterested.

And so these are all very um, very important ways that we reach out into our community.

And so what does that mean for the individual?

Well, the individual who is uninterested, we want them to attend, to come.

Um if they're watching online to uh watch uh the streaming of the services.

Uh someone who participates, he registers, they enroll in whatever uh program we have going on, but it's just ways that they can take that next step.

Now, if uninterested is the first step, the next step in this pathway is the curious.

The curious are those who are seeking to know the truth, or seeking to know more about God, they're seeking to know more about what the Bible says.

And so for us, we see that uh God works to convict that curious person.

He works in their life to help them see the truth and know that they need to respond.

And so we through prayer, we're praying uh that God would work in their lives.

And we have uh opportunities uh throughout the year where we have prayer.

We not only pray within our groups, but also the bless uh begins with prayer.

We have times during the year when we pray uh united together for the mission God has called this church to.

We also have a time uh in the first of the of the calendar year where we have prayers united for the victory.

And so these are very important times of prayer because we're praying for those people that are uninterested or curious uh that God would work in their life.

We also have 21 days of prayer and fasting in January to focus ourselves and to listen carefully to what God is doing.

Now, how do we respond with relational environments for the curious?

Well, we have many different ways that we engage people.

One of them is our worship services, or a way that they can come, and that's usually the front door that most people come in to the life of the church, so that becomes an important step for them, and that way they can hear the truth of God's word, they can see God praised and glorified, and see the people there and can get engaged.

Also, our communities are a wonderful place for the curious to come because they can come enjoy a meal after church with others in the same demographic stage of life.

And so that becomes a wonderful uh time of uh fellowship for them and the community there, and they can get to know other people.

Also, our Fresh Start uh program, our Connect, is a place where they can come and understand uh, you know, as God is working in their life, uh the next steps they need to take, and they'll have somebody help guide them through it.

We also do evangelism where we reach out uh to those in the community, even through our blessed program.

Uh, we have uh the step of eating and serving uh with others, listening to others.

This is all part of helping that curious person take that next step.

And then how does that curious person respond?

Well, their responsibility is when they hear that truth, when they hear the word of God, when they understand the Holy Spirit is at work in their life, is to repent.

Um, the Bible is very clear that God is calling people to come because of his grace, because of his love, because of what Jesus has done for them, to come and turn their lives over to him to repent and give their lives to him.

And so that's the step that we're praying that the curious will take.

And then once they do accept Christ, they go to the next step.

So we have uninterested, we have curious, but also we have believer.

And so the believer is the one who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

And now they're like a new babe in Christ.

And so what we do for them is we not only pray for them, join God as He enlightens them, as He helps them to grow in their faith, uh, we're here for them to pray for them, to help nurture them.

And so we have many different things that we involve them in to uh in relational environments to grow as a believer.

Uh, worship service is very much a part of helping a believer grow.

And that's why our worship services are focused on God, focused on his word, and the preaching is done in such a way that it becomes a launching pad for further study.

Um, also, our communities, as you get connected with other believers, that encourages you, help you to grow in your faith.

And our membership class is a great place where those who have just come to Christ can come and understand how they can grow in Christ, how can they be a part of the church family?

And so this is for the believer, uh, this becomes uh just a great place through the environments of our groups, through the environments of uh our mentoring and through uh, you know, the smaller groups like T Groups, come a great way for that new believer uh to grow in Christ and become that growing disciple of Jesus Christ and apprentice of Jesus Christ.

And so that's why uh we have on Wednesday night Celebration U.

It's our training groups for the believer uh and as we'll see later for disciple and disciple maker, that covers uh those three groups.

Uh it helps them to grow in Christ and to be all that God uh would have them to be.

And so, how do we want that believer to respond?

Well, we want him to obey the word.

We want him to learn how to carry out the great commission and the part about to obey all the commands I've given you.

We want them to understand spiritual disciplines and how they're a part of every believer's life as they grow and continue to grow in Christ.

Now, the fourth step we want them to take is to be a disciple on this discipleship pathway.

And that is understanding that being a disciple is to be an apprentice of Jesus Christ.

And so God calls them to follow, uh, follow him, uh as Jesus said in Matthew 4.19, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

And so they're answering that call to follow Jesus Christ.

And so we want them to be involved in, as we pray for them, to be involved in serving, in understanding their role in the life of the church, and to understand through uh equipping mentors and others to help them along the way, uh, what roles that uh that they can play, uh, understanding their spiritual gifts, understanding uh, you know, the things that God has blessed them with and their own abilities, also really understanding how God has been at work in their life and and bringing them to this point and how he's going to use them in the future.

Also, missions becomes a great place where these disciples uh can grow and minister and to uh serve others in an environment that helps them continue to grow as a disciple.

So, what are we asking for these new disciples to do?

How should they respond?

Well, they should respond by uh engaging uh with others and to discover uh who they are in Christ and then look at being equipped, finding uh training where they need training, and uh finding places of service in the life of the church.

Um and so it is uh important as they continue to grow uh that they're in relationship with others, and that's those relationship environments that we create.

Now, we want the disciple not to stay in that stage, but we want all the disciples in the life of the church to take the next step, and that is to be a disciple maker, because that's why Jesus left us here.

That's why Jesus uh called us to do.

That's the main business, that's the bottom line, is to be a disciple maker.

We will never win the world by just adding believers.

We have to learn how to multiply believers.

And so, what does uh God do in all of this?

Well, God calls every believer to become a disciple and disciple maker.

He puts that call on their life, he sends them, uh, whether that be sending them uh across the street or across the office or across the county or the state, the nation, or the world.

God sends.

God puts his hand upon uh each believer and has designed and created him and given him uh the experiences of life and the uh things that happen uh to him.

Uh he uses that to help prepare him for the next step.

He trains them uh through the relational environments and prepares them for taking that next step.

So what we do here at Celebration is we make sure that we have relational environments, whether that be through our Celebration U that we just talked about, or whether it be through our ministry training institute that we have with Sanford University to help grow people to that next stage.

The multiplication pipeline that helps uh people grow through online courses.

We also have interns uh here in the life of the church, and uh we're uh being prepared for a residency uh program.

We also, as we see God's hand on people and they answer God's call, we have in the life of the church where we license, where we ordained, and where we commission people into ministry.

But one thing I want to emphasize is that in all of these areas, um, you know, you do not have to become a missionary to fulfill becoming a disciple maker, because a disciple maker is somebody who helps another person to come to uh not only fall in love, uh, surrender to Jesus Christ, but helps them to understand how to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and then how to make disciples of others.

And so this could be uh a housewife at home that uh is discipling her neighbor.

This could be uh somebody working in an office uh where God has provided him a wonderful job.

They're in an environment where uh where they can be a light for God and they can help others uh learn about Christ and grow in Christ.

This could be at school, uh, this could be on the ball field, uh, this could be in a lot of different environments.

Uh it doesn't necessarily have to be in a church environment.

In fact, I think it's best when we take the light and the salt uh and take it outside uh the walls of the church because that fulfills that purpose of going to all the nations.

Also, we understand that as a person is going through these different stages here, we have things that are there to help them grow.

Part of our program is the transformation groups or T groups, and those are places where people can not only grow as they go through it the first time, but then we ask them to lead another group.

And so that helps uh with the multiplication, that helps with helping them develop as a leader and with making those disciples.

Also, our groups ministry, whether that be a group that meets here at church or a group that meets in a home, uh, we have all kinds of groups that uh are happening in the life of the church, and so those become great places uh for them to grow as a believer, grow as a disciple, but also grow as a disciple maker.

And then, you know, it's very important to understand this person, the individual, needs to take the steps.

Uh, respond to the commission by training.

Uh, they engage in ministry, uh, they engage in uh missions training and uh become those that are seeking to find their place of service in the life of the church and even beyond.

And so they're taking those steps uh to go there.

So we do all of this uh in the life of our church, helping people go from uninterested to curious to believer to disciple to disciple maker.

Why?

Because we want to be able to stand in front of Jesus Christ and say that we're not guilty of the great omission, but we want to be there to praise Jesus Christ for what He'd done through us to complete the great commission.

And so I'm uh just that's my prayer.

Uh that's uh my bottom line here in the life of the church is to see those people become uh followers of Jesus Christ, who in turn help others become followers of Jesus Christ.

It's just that simple, but it is profound, and it is the way God has modeled through Jesus in his ministry and the early church, and now in the life of our church today, we want to make sure we stay on that same track.

But thank you for your time and listening today, and I hope that this will be an encouragement to you to make sure that you are fulfilling the great commission, even in your own life.

Thanks for joining us on the Celebration Baptist Church podcast.

We hope today's conversation helped you take another step in your faith journey.

For more resources, upcoming events, and to join us live, visit iCelebration.org.

Until next time, keep connecting with God, connecting with others, and living on mission.