Commitment to Discipleship
Savor God’s Grace
Build God’s Community
Join God’s Mission
The Gospel Changes Everything Joyful Worship
Loving Community Commitment to Disciple
Missional Living Partnership/Unity Love for Place
Value #4 – Commitment to Discipleship “Be killing sin lest it be killing you.” – John Owen “To be a disciple of Jesus is to fight sin with sober belief in God’s warnings and abounding delight in his promises.” – Jonathan Dodson “The entire life of believers is to be one of repentance.” – Martin Luther “How do we repent? We repent through faith…turning to God in faith and from sin in repentance are the same movement. Try it now. Stand facing the window. Then turn to face the opposite wall. The act of turning from the window and turning towards the wall is one movement. You can’t turn towards the wall without turning away from the window. And you can’t turn to God in faith without turning away from sin in repentance.” – Tim Chester
Defining Discipleship 1. The word “disciple” is used more frequently than Christian to refer to believers in the Bible. “Disciple” is our identity. Everything else is a role.
2.
Discipleship is the goal of the Christian life – it is the goal of evangelism and it is the goal of “discipleship.” a. Matthew 28:18-20 3. Discipleship (and evangelism) happen by the gospel. a. “The gospel is for not-yet disciples and already disciples. The gospel people believe to be baptized is the same gospel people believe to be sanctified. Followers of Jesus make and mature disciples by going with the gospel, baptizing disciples into gospel community and teaching the gospel.” – Jonathan Dodson b. Really, discipleship is just another way of speaking about internal heart-change. It is another way of speaking about what we have already talked about: the gospel changes everything. Discipleship is a practical, person-to-person living out of the gospel changing everything. c. The gospel is what makes us disciples; it is what disciples us. This is because the gospel changes the heart, not just behavior. And the heart is the fountain of obedience and
longing for God. The heart is delighting in something. Discipleship is the Spirit forming our hearts to delight in Jesus. i. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” – John 14:15 ii. “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart” – Ps. 37:4 iii. “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart…therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you” – Deut. 28:47-48 iv. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, ‘Rejoice’” – Phil. 4:4 v. “Rejoice always” – 1 Thess. 5:16 4. When discipleship is not gospel-centered, it quickly and easily becomes self-righteous and legalistic. a. “Pious” discipleship: Read your Bible, pray, fast, and God will be pleased and you can feel good. b. “Missional” discipleship: Evangelize, feed the poor, engage culture and God will be pleased and you can feel good. c. Gospel-centered discipleship: Jesus has pleased God for you; so fight to be what you are.
Fighting Our discipleship is about fighting. It is about fighting to repent and believe the gospel every day. It is not just about daily quiet times. It is not just about mission. It is not about primarily about what we do; but about living in line with who we are (recall Rom. 6). This takes fighting together. “This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience.” – 1 Tim. 1;18 “Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” – 1 Tim. 6:12 “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” – 2 Cor. 10:3-4 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” – 2 Tim. 4:7 “So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” – 1 Cor. 9:26-27 J.P. Moreland – “Grace is opposed to earning, not to effort.” Real faith is fighting faith. Gospel transformation comes through pain, struggle, suffering, and staring your ugly sin right in the face. Dodson: “Disciples of Jesus are called to fight, no in physical or virtual combat, but for the noble cause of everyday faith in Jesus. We are called to beauty, not through performance, but by beholding Jesus. We fight to behold the image of the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ. This faith fights not for
perfection, but for belief. We fight to believe that Jesus is more precious, satisfying, and thrilling than anything else this world has to offer. This is faith in the gospel – the grand announcement that Jesus has defeated sin, death and evil through his own death and resurrection is making all things new, even us.”
Making it Concrete 1. We must fight in community. Two realms for that at Christ Church: a. Missional Community Groups – groups of 10-12 that fellowship, pray and serve. Meet twice a month ideally. Clearly defined leader. Follow a set pattern for entire church. b. Discipleship Groups – groups of 2-3 (men on men, women on women) that fight sin – read Scripture, confess sin, repent, challenge, believe the gospel together. Meet twice a month ideally. Organic structure; everyone on same plane. c. Aside – What does it mean for you to be involved at Christ Church? i. Worship ii. MC Group iii. Discipleship Group iv. Use of your gifts and treasure 1. You serve somewhere 2. You give 2. How Discipleship Groups Work a. Weekly or Bi-Monthly meetings between 2-3 men or women b. They are simple, reproducible and biblical c. Step 1: Read Scripture i. What does this text say about my need? ii. What does this text say about God’s provision? iii. What does this text call me to believe and do? d. Step 2: Repent and Believe i. Know Your Sin 1. What? 2. When? 3. Why? ii. Fight Your Sin 1. “We don’t fight for acceptance; we fight from our acceptance. We don’t contend against sin to forge an identity but because we have received a new identity in Christ. Perfection is not the goal; persevering in faith is.” – Dodson 2. Challenge one another out of identity, not to gain identity 3. Not mutual understanding. Fighting. 4. Not “fixing” but fighting. iii. Trust Your Savior 1. By the Word and Spirit a. “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.” – 1 Cor. 2:12 2. Pray for:
a. Insight into his promises b. Experience of our need c. Creation of desire 3. Compare Promises a. Lust says: “Long for what you cannot have and you will be happy.” But the Gospel says: “Rejoice in what you do have, in Jesus, and you will be truly happy.” b. Vanity says: “Perform beautifully and you will have worth.” But the Gospel says: “Jesus performed beautifully for you; therefore, you have never-ending worth.” c. Pride says: “Find and cherish compliments and you will be confident.” The Gospel says: “Your confidence comes, not from your sufficiency, but form God who has made you sufficient in Jesus.” d. Anger says: “If I control my circumstances then I will get the best outcome. If I can’t control my circumstances, then I have a right to get mad.” The Gospel says: “Because Jesus is Lord, he has the right to control my circumstances. Therefore, I will get the best outcome by trusting him. Put your trust in the Lord, not in controlling your circumstances.”
Build God’s Community
Join God’s Mission
The Gospel Changes Everything Joyful Worship
Loving Community Commitment to Disciple
Missional Living Partnership/Unity Love for Place
Value #4 – Commitment to Discipleship “Be killing sin lest it be killing you.” – John Owen “To be a disciple of Jesus is to fight sin with sober belief in God’s warnings and abounding delight in his promises.” – Jonathan Dodson “The entire life of believers is to be one of repentance.” – Martin Luther “How do we repent? We repent through faith…turning to God in faith and from sin in repentance are the same movement. Try it now. Stand facing the window. Then turn to face the opposite wall. The act of turning from the window and turning towards the wall is one movement. You can’t turn towards the wall without turning away from the window. And you can’t turn to God in faith without turning away from sin in repentance.” – Tim Chester
Defining Discipleship 1. The word “disciple” is used more frequently than Christian to refer to believers in the Bible. “Disciple” is our identity. Everything else is a role.
2.
Discipleship is the goal of the Christian life – it is the goal of evangelism and it is the goal of “discipleship.” a. Matthew 28:18-20 3. Discipleship (and evangelism) happen by the gospel. a. “The gospel is for not-yet disciples and already disciples. The gospel people believe to be baptized is the same gospel people believe to be sanctified. Followers of Jesus make and mature disciples by going with the gospel, baptizing disciples into gospel community and teaching the gospel.” – Jonathan Dodson b. Really, discipleship is just another way of speaking about internal heart-change. It is another way of speaking about what we have already talked about: the gospel changes everything. Discipleship is a practical, person-to-person living out of the gospel changing everything. c. The gospel is what makes us disciples; it is what disciples us. This is because the gospel changes the heart, not just behavior. And the heart is the fountain of obedience and
longing for God. The heart is delighting in something. Discipleship is the Spirit forming our hearts to delight in Jesus. i. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” – John 14:15 ii. “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart” – Ps. 37:4 iii. “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart…therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you” – Deut. 28:47-48 iv. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, ‘Rejoice’” – Phil. 4:4 v. “Rejoice always” – 1 Thess. 5:16 4. When discipleship is not gospel-centered, it quickly and easily becomes self-righteous and legalistic. a. “Pious” discipleship: Read your Bible, pray, fast, and God will be pleased and you can feel good. b. “Missional” discipleship: Evangelize, feed the poor, engage culture and God will be pleased and you can feel good. c. Gospel-centered discipleship: Jesus has pleased God for you; so fight to be what you are.
Fighting Our discipleship is about fighting. It is about fighting to repent and believe the gospel every day. It is not just about daily quiet times. It is not just about mission. It is not about primarily about what we do; but about living in line with who we are (recall Rom. 6). This takes fighting together. “This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience.” – 1 Tim. 1;18 “Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” – 1 Tim. 6:12 “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” – 2 Cor. 10:3-4 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” – 2 Tim. 4:7 “So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” – 1 Cor. 9:26-27 J.P. Moreland – “Grace is opposed to earning, not to effort.” Real faith is fighting faith. Gospel transformation comes through pain, struggle, suffering, and staring your ugly sin right in the face. Dodson: “Disciples of Jesus are called to fight, no in physical or virtual combat, but for the noble cause of everyday faith in Jesus. We are called to beauty, not through performance, but by beholding Jesus. We fight to behold the image of the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ. This faith fights not for
perfection, but for belief. We fight to believe that Jesus is more precious, satisfying, and thrilling than anything else this world has to offer. This is faith in the gospel – the grand announcement that Jesus has defeated sin, death and evil through his own death and resurrection is making all things new, even us.”
Making it Concrete 1. We must fight in community. Two realms for that at Christ Church: a. Missional Community Groups – groups of 10-12 that fellowship, pray and serve. Meet twice a month ideally. Clearly defined leader. Follow a set pattern for entire church. b. Discipleship Groups – groups of 2-3 (men on men, women on women) that fight sin – read Scripture, confess sin, repent, challenge, believe the gospel together. Meet twice a month ideally. Organic structure; everyone on same plane. c. Aside – What does it mean for you to be involved at Christ Church? i. Worship ii. MC Group iii. Discipleship Group iv. Use of your gifts and treasure 1. You serve somewhere 2. You give 2. How Discipleship Groups Work a. Weekly or Bi-Monthly meetings between 2-3 men or women b. They are simple, reproducible and biblical c. Step 1: Read Scripture i. What does this text say about my need? ii. What does this text say about God’s provision? iii. What does this text call me to believe and do? d. Step 2: Repent and Believe i. Know Your Sin 1. What? 2. When? 3. Why? ii. Fight Your Sin 1. “We don’t fight for acceptance; we fight from our acceptance. We don’t contend against sin to forge an identity but because we have received a new identity in Christ. Perfection is not the goal; persevering in faith is.” – Dodson 2. Challenge one another out of identity, not to gain identity 3. Not mutual understanding. Fighting. 4. Not “fixing” but fighting. iii. Trust Your Savior 1. By the Word and Spirit a. “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.” – 1 Cor. 2:12 2. Pray for:
a. Insight into his promises b. Experience of our need c. Creation of desire 3. Compare Promises a. Lust says: “Long for what you cannot have and you will be happy.” But the Gospel says: “Rejoice in what you do have, in Jesus, and you will be truly happy.” b. Vanity says: “Perform beautifully and you will have worth.” But the Gospel says: “Jesus performed beautifully for you; therefore, you have never-ending worth.” c. Pride says: “Find and cherish compliments and you will be confident.” The Gospel says: “Your confidence comes, not from your sufficiency, but form God who has made you sufficient in Jesus.” d. Anger says: “If I control my circumstances then I will get the best outcome. If I can’t control my circumstances, then I have a right to get mad.” The Gospel says: “Because Jesus is Lord, he has the right to control my circumstances. Therefore, I will get the best outcome by trusting him. Put your trust in the Lord, not in controlling your circumstances.”
