WEBVTT 0 00:00:04.890 --> 00:00:07.354 Welcome to the Willow Ridge Sermons podcast. 1 00:00:07.482 --> 00:00:11.150 This is where you can find audio from Sunday morning messages and more. 2 00:00:11.300 --> 00:00:14.442 Make sure you're subscribed so that you don't miss future episodes. 3 00:00:14.506 --> 00:00:16.030 And thanks for listening. 4 00:00:20.530 --> 00:00:21.310 Well, good morning. 5 00:00:21.380 --> 00:00:25.622 If we've got any of our kids here who want to be dismissed to go back to kids church from Mr. 6 00:00:25.676 --> 00:00:26.258 Mike and Ms. 7 00:00:26.274 --> 00:00:30.022 Donner back in the back and they'd be happy to take you over there. 8 00:00:30.156 --> 00:00:32.150 If not, I want to say good morning to everyone. 9 00:00:32.220 --> 00:00:37.880 If you have your Bibles, and I hope you do, please join me in Acts chapter two. 10 00:00:38.330 --> 00:00:39.062 You're like bo. 11 00:00:39.116 --> 00:00:40.582 Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. 12 00:00:40.716 --> 00:00:42.554 We've been in Genesis for a long time. 13 00:00:42.592 --> 00:00:44.422 Well, we have, and we're not done with Genesis. 14 00:00:44.486 --> 00:00:45.894 We've actually been in Genesis. 15 00:00:45.942 --> 00:00:51.430 We've done 15 different studies since, I believe, March in the book of Genesis. 16 00:00:51.510 --> 00:00:52.602 But we're taking a break. 17 00:00:52.656 --> 00:00:55.186 We will take breaks as we go through Genesis. 18 00:00:55.238 --> 00:00:57.918 We're going to be in it for an extended period of time. 19 00:00:58.004 --> 00:00:59.610 And this is one of those breaks. 20 00:00:59.690 --> 00:01:04.394 For the next four weeks, we're going to talk about discipleship at our church. 21 00:01:04.442 --> 00:01:04.894 Okay? 22 00:01:05.012 --> 00:01:06.974 And so it's kind of twofold. 23 00:01:07.022 --> 00:01:11.234 And it's really a different message series than I typically do. 24 00:01:11.352 --> 00:01:21.906 But this is a message series where we are going to look at God's Word and draw from that the right understanding of what God's Word teaches. 25 00:01:22.018 --> 00:01:26.758 But then also, very specifically, maybe in a deeper way than we typically do. 26 00:01:26.844 --> 00:01:34.438 We're going to take that and then reflect that back, not only for you as individuals of the church, but as our church. 27 00:01:34.534 --> 00:01:36.586 And how does our church reflect this? 28 00:01:36.608 --> 00:01:59.874 And so what you're going to see at the end of this week's message and going forward for the next three weeks, we're going to look at vision pieces for our church of things that we're going to begin to do to adjust, to shift some areas of discipleship so that we can strengthen them and grow them so that you and I can grow in the discipleship process for what God has for us. 29 00:01:59.912 --> 00:02:00.274 All right? 30 00:02:00.312 --> 00:02:04.210 So I want to encourage you as if you've got kids in school. 31 00:02:04.360 --> 00:02:05.854 We're getting back into the grind. 32 00:02:05.902 --> 00:02:07.374 We're getting them places. 33 00:02:07.502 --> 00:02:09.630 We're running around doing different activities. 34 00:02:09.790 --> 00:02:11.862 We're headed back into that process. 35 00:02:11.996 --> 00:02:12.374 All right? 36 00:02:12.412 --> 00:02:15.510 So I want to encourage you to be here on Sundays with us. 37 00:02:15.580 --> 00:02:20.182 Or if you're not kids in that process and you're just around, well, hey, you got no reason not to be here anyways, right? 38 00:02:20.236 --> 00:02:25.202 So we'd love for you to be here as we talk through all this and see what this looks like for our church. 39 00:02:25.266 --> 00:02:30.010 And then what I want to encourage you each and every week is under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 40 00:02:30.050 --> 00:02:36.094 It to determine for what does God have for me and being willing to take that next step of obedience for. 41 00:02:36.132 --> 00:02:38.814 What God has for you and for myself. 42 00:02:39.012 --> 00:02:39.886 As well. 43 00:02:39.988 --> 00:02:46.386 Well, I want to start off with probably an obvious statement, but I hope this makes sense as we go through this. 44 00:02:46.488 --> 00:02:50.180 And the statement is this salvation amazes me. 45 00:02:50.710 --> 00:02:52.260 It amazes me. 46 00:02:53.190 --> 00:02:59.622 Salvation completely blew my mind and still today does. 47 00:02:59.676 --> 00:03:00.840 And here's what I mean. 48 00:03:01.210 --> 00:03:17.162 When I got saved, I had grown up in church, battled 22 years of my life in full blown rebellion from God, overly religiously, understood what needed to happen and take place, but zero application of any of that in my life. 49 00:03:17.216 --> 00:03:33.314 And then when God saved me when I was 22 years old and opened my eyes, it moved beyond my behaviors, which is what I always thought, that this boiled down to be good enough and pointed back to the one and. 50 00:03:33.352 --> 00:03:37.326 Only who was good enough and who was perfect is Jesus. 51 00:03:37.518 --> 00:03:40.594 And so here's what salvation amazes me for. 52 00:03:40.712 --> 00:03:47.530 Salvation amazes me because you and I are saved for eternity. 53 00:03:47.710 --> 00:03:50.274 It is set, it is sealed. 54 00:03:50.402 --> 00:03:53.718 You and I know who we belong to. 55 00:03:53.804 --> 00:03:55.878 We are brought into the family. 56 00:03:55.964 --> 00:04:04.858 It's why I say to these girls and I say to everyone who gets baptized, I baptize you, my sister, or I baptize you my brother, because that's who we are. 57 00:04:04.944 --> 00:04:06.140 We're family. 58 00:04:08.190 --> 00:04:09.146 And it's that way. 59 00:04:09.168 --> 00:04:12.430 It's going to be set for all of eternity. 60 00:04:13.250 --> 00:04:24.658 And it amazes me of the work of God in that that God not only sets that for me, but he seals that for me and he holds that for me. 61 00:04:24.824 --> 00:04:26.420 It amazes me. 62 00:04:27.270 --> 00:04:31.060 But my concern after now 22 years. 63 00:04:31.590 --> 00:04:34.626 Of being in the church, being a. 64 00:04:34.648 --> 00:04:37.862 Part of the church, is that all. 65 00:04:37.916 --> 00:04:47.080 Too often, men and women and teenagers and children, they make a profession of faith for Jesus Christ. 66 00:04:47.690 --> 00:04:50.714 And we celebrate that and we love that. 67 00:04:50.912 --> 00:04:53.642 And we talk about their eternity is set. 68 00:04:53.696 --> 00:04:54.700 And it is. 69 00:04:55.070 --> 00:05:07.710 And then it feels like for so many of us, this waiting game, wait till God calls me home or wait till Jesus returns. 70 00:05:08.290 --> 00:05:09.246 And it's like that. 71 00:05:09.268 --> 00:05:20.180 I can hit the proverbial cruise control of my spiritual walk because on that day, Jesus saved me. 72 00:05:20.790 --> 00:05:37.810 And so what amazes me about salvation is we are saved for eternity, but we are also saved for right now, for this moment, for where we are, for where we are placed, for where we are positioned. 73 00:05:37.970 --> 00:05:43.418 We are saved for eternity, but we are also saved for right now. 74 00:05:43.504 --> 00:05:52.240 And what I mean by that is this that God loves you and I too much to save us and then leave us right where we're at. 75 00:05:53.650 --> 00:06:10.818 The beauty about a relationship with God is he saves us and then we get to walk on this wonderful journey with Him for every day that he gives us breath and life to be transformed more and more into who he wants us to be. 76 00:06:10.904 --> 00:06:17.730 It's why that we celebrate those people at the end of their life that make the decision to follow christ. 77 00:06:17.880 --> 00:06:18.774 That's something good. 78 00:06:18.812 --> 00:06:19.974 That's the work of God. 79 00:06:20.092 --> 00:06:21.510 But it's so for me. 80 00:06:21.580 --> 00:06:41.674 I look back at my son and my daughter who profess Christ at a very young and early age, and what I've watched for them is this progression through elementary school, through middle school, through high school, and God pray through college, and after that on this journey of walking in obedience with Him. 81 00:06:41.792 --> 00:06:43.786 It's my prayer for these three ladies. 82 00:06:43.898 --> 00:06:52.350 And we've already seen that in their life, that they just didn't profess Christ as their savior and go, cool, I can roll like this till I die. 83 00:06:53.490 --> 00:07:05.490 It's no, there's more and more and more of what God has for me, and I get to experience that on a daily basis. 84 00:07:06.710 --> 00:07:10.262 So as we talk about discipleship over. 85 00:07:10.316 --> 00:07:12.278 These next four weeks, it's what I. 86 00:07:12.284 --> 00:07:23.034 Want to begin to set in our minds, in our hearts, is just asking this question like, am I good enough with settlement within my being to go, nah, I've checked that box. 87 00:07:23.152 --> 00:07:26.860 Gonna live my life until Jesus comes and then I'm good. 88 00:07:27.550 --> 00:07:29.354 Or maybe a little bit more. 89 00:07:29.392 --> 00:07:31.962 Biblical approach to salvation is man. 90 00:07:32.016 --> 00:07:32.246 Yeah. 91 00:07:32.288 --> 00:07:42.522 Like Jesus is my Lord and savior, and every day of my life is a part of the wonderful journey that he allows me to be on where I die. 92 00:07:42.586 --> 00:07:54.434 To parts of me that are there, I repent and ambroken of my sin, so I can become more like him, so I can be greater used in what he has for me in this. 93 00:07:54.472 --> 00:08:00.870 Life as I wait for the glory of eternity. 94 00:08:01.770 --> 00:08:02.520 Right. 95 00:08:03.370 --> 00:08:04.914 And so as we get to Acts. 96 00:08:04.962 --> 00:08:14.954 Two here in a moment, jesus has been preparing his followers for this of what will happen in Acts Two in. 97 00:08:14.992 --> 00:08:18.726 Matthew 20 818 through 20, a passage. 98 00:08:18.758 --> 00:08:21.774 You'Ve heard hundreds, if not thousands of times. 99 00:08:21.972 --> 00:08:23.774 And Jesus came and said to them. 100 00:08:23.812 --> 00:08:26.026 All authority in heaven and on earth. 101 00:08:26.058 --> 00:08:27.360 Has been given to me. 102 00:08:28.290 --> 00:08:30.990 Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations. 103 00:08:31.490 --> 00:08:38.990 Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you. 104 00:08:39.140 --> 00:08:43.918 And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. 105 00:08:44.004 --> 00:08:47.240 There's so much that we can get from this. 106 00:08:47.770 --> 00:08:56.902 We could spend weeks looking at these three powerful verses, but I want to look at just a couple of things. 107 00:08:56.956 --> 00:08:59.814 To kind of set this foundation of. 108 00:08:59.852 --> 00:09:04.858 What we're going to be about and what we're going to call to and what we're going to see in our lives. 109 00:09:04.944 --> 00:09:07.340 Jesus gives some commands here. 110 00:09:08.270 --> 00:09:16.320 The first command that we see that we want to talk about is Jesus says, Go, go. 111 00:09:17.570 --> 00:09:25.730 So we have to acknowledge that within the Christian walk that there is this call to mobilization. 112 00:09:27.030 --> 00:09:35.010 Jesus says that to go and to baptize and that there are going to be disciples that are going to be made amongst all of the nations. 113 00:09:36.330 --> 00:09:55.430 There's a mobilization factor that's there that you and I, as followers of Jesus Christ are not called to simply come and sit, but we are called to go, to leave, to scatter. 114 00:09:55.590 --> 00:09:58.170 Yes, we are called to gather. 115 00:09:58.670 --> 00:10:08.000 We are called to come together, but it is with a unique purpose so that when we're done, we do what we go. 116 00:10:08.610 --> 00:10:09.680 We go. 117 00:10:10.210 --> 00:10:14.446 There's an action and an activity to our faith. 118 00:10:14.558 --> 00:10:19.380 And then within our going, we're called to do something. 119 00:10:19.990 --> 00:10:23.330 It's not that we're just out there living our life. 120 00:10:23.480 --> 00:10:27.940 It's not come here and then go and do what you want to do. 121 00:10:28.650 --> 00:10:40.494 I love the fact that God calls some to be pastors and some to be teachers and some to be stay at home parents and some to be plumbers and some to be doctors and some to work in retail. 122 00:10:40.562 --> 00:10:45.818 I love the fact that God does all of that because we come here and then we go. 123 00:10:45.984 --> 00:10:50.170 And then when we go, what we do is we make disciples. 124 00:10:51.250 --> 00:10:52.720 And this is the process. 125 00:10:53.810 --> 00:10:55.470 We make disciples. 126 00:10:56.370 --> 00:11:07.860 And he says that in our process of making disciples of what we want to see, what we want to experience is just what we saw and what we witnessed today we see baptize them. 127 00:11:08.390 --> 00:11:09.780 Baptize them. 128 00:11:10.470 --> 00:11:19.560 Go and share so that men, women and children come to faith in Christ, right? 129 00:11:20.010 --> 00:11:27.240 We don't baptize you in the hopes that one day you will put your faith in Christ. 130 00:11:28.250 --> 00:11:35.420 We baptize you because you profess that you have placed your faith in Christ. 131 00:11:35.950 --> 00:11:44.910 And so in this part of Discipleship, there's this journey where we recognize that discipleship actually doesn't begin in the church. 132 00:11:47.090 --> 00:12:10.950 Discipleship actually doesn't begin with a bunch of believers just hanging out, but that discipleship actually begins in the marketplace, in the harvest, in the fields where we go, we share, we talk, we invite men and women and children come to faith and we baptize them. 133 00:12:11.020 --> 00:12:12.440 But then we do something. 134 00:12:13.770 --> 00:12:16.200 We don't just high five them on their way out. 135 00:12:17.550 --> 00:12:19.340 We teach them. 136 00:12:21.070 --> 00:12:23.260 We teach them obedience to Christ. 137 00:12:24.510 --> 00:12:28.090 Jesus says, if you love me, you'll obey my commandments. 138 00:12:29.230 --> 00:12:34.400 We teach them to obey Christ. 139 00:12:35.410 --> 00:12:36.160 Now. 140 00:12:37.890 --> 00:12:39.694 This kind of goes a little. 141 00:12:39.732 --> 00:12:45.150 Bit culturally against the church where the church has swayed off mission. 142 00:12:47.170 --> 00:12:47.794 Years ago. 143 00:12:47.832 --> 00:12:50.786 If you look at the history of the church years ago, somewhere around the. 144 00:12:50.808 --> 00:12:53.906 1950S, primarily because I can speak to. 145 00:12:53.928 --> 00:12:56.854 Where we live in the south, but other places too. 146 00:12:57.052 --> 00:13:03.746 What we saw, this was what I like to refer to as like, the Field of Dreams mentality. 147 00:13:03.938 --> 00:13:06.950 Y'all ever seen that movie Field of Dreams? 148 00:13:07.450 --> 00:13:08.674 I love sports movies. 149 00:13:08.722 --> 00:13:12.214 I will confess that movie bores me out of my mind and I just. 150 00:13:12.252 --> 00:13:14.166 Tuned out half of you who love that movie. 151 00:13:14.198 --> 00:13:14.794 All right? 152 00:13:14.912 --> 00:13:16.358 But there's a premise in the movie. 153 00:13:16.374 --> 00:13:17.146 There's a line. 154 00:13:17.248 --> 00:13:18.170 You all know the line. 155 00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:19.290 Everybody knows the line. 156 00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:21.034 Even if you haven't seen the movie, you know the line. 157 00:13:21.072 --> 00:13:22.570 You should know that it came from that movie. 158 00:13:22.650 --> 00:13:26.000 If you build it they will come. 159 00:13:26.610 --> 00:13:29.150 And we took on that mindset with churches. 160 00:13:30.370 --> 00:13:33.540 If we build it they'll come. 161 00:13:34.950 --> 00:13:44.210 If we build bigger buildings, if we provide more programs, if we do more things, then they will come. 162 00:13:44.280 --> 00:13:45.640 And here's what happened. 163 00:13:46.170 --> 00:13:47.240 It worked. 164 00:13:49.450 --> 00:13:50.520 It worked. 165 00:13:52.570 --> 00:14:09.210 We saw peaks of church growth during a handful of decades where churches got bigger, programs got bigger, budgets got bigger. 166 00:14:09.710 --> 00:14:10.862 But you know what? 167 00:14:10.916 --> 00:14:13.950 Shrunk salvations. 168 00:14:15.490 --> 00:14:18.190 Do you know what almost completely died? 169 00:14:19.330 --> 00:14:20.670 Evangelism. 170 00:14:21.970 --> 00:14:29.890 And so the incorrect thought process is this if we build a church we will make disciples. 171 00:14:32.150 --> 00:14:34.180 We make and gather people. 172 00:14:35.450 --> 00:14:39.990 But that doesn't mean that we're making disciples. 173 00:14:41.210 --> 00:14:52.250 The correct thought process is this if we make disciples then we will build the church. 174 00:14:53.150 --> 00:14:56.410 Not a church, the church. 175 00:14:57.310 --> 00:15:03.920 If our focus is not on how can we obtain and get more? 176 00:15:04.530 --> 00:15:17.278 But if our focus is how do we grow and make more disciples, what builds and what grows is the church. 177 00:15:17.374 --> 00:15:21.060 What builds and what grows is the kingdom of God. 178 00:15:24.470 --> 00:15:31.030 If our commitment of what we do is to make disciples. 179 00:15:32.090 --> 00:15:33.714 So now we look at in Acts. 180 00:15:33.762 --> 00:15:34.614 But not quite yet. 181 00:15:34.652 --> 00:15:35.750 In acts two. 182 00:15:35.820 --> 00:15:37.720 We look at acts one. 183 00:15:39.630 --> 00:15:54.190 Jesus is there and he says but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all of Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. 184 00:15:55.490 --> 00:15:59.230 So this is Jesus is about to ascend. 185 00:16:00.370 --> 00:16:01.950 He's given the mission. 186 00:16:03.350 --> 00:16:04.930 He's died on the cross. 187 00:16:06.310 --> 00:16:07.970 He's laid in the tomb. 188 00:16:08.870 --> 00:16:10.450 He's resurrected. 189 00:16:11.270 --> 00:16:14.820 He's appeared to the disciples, he's appeared to others. 190 00:16:15.430 --> 00:16:22.680 And now all that's been happening and taking place for this great movement of God to happen is going to happen. 191 00:16:23.690 --> 00:16:31.980 But it's not going to happen in the way that so many of the followers of Jesus at the time thought it would happen. 192 00:16:33.150 --> 00:16:37.578 In spite of Jesus telling them over and over and over again what would happen. 193 00:16:37.744 --> 00:16:39.500 Jesus says, well wait a second. 194 00:16:41.010 --> 00:16:54.180 This isn't going to happen with me in my physical body walking around doing all the messages, doing all the healings, doing all the teaching, doing all these things. 195 00:16:55.270 --> 00:16:56.500 It's going to be different. 196 00:16:58.390 --> 00:17:09.160 And Jesus says, you plain, everyday person. 197 00:17:11.450 --> 00:17:18.540 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. 198 00:17:19.470 --> 00:18:00.310 And then you will be my witnesses here in Jerusalem, there in Judea, cross culturally in Samaria, in those places that you've heard of, in the places that you can't possibly fathom to the ends of the earth you will go and he mobilizes a few and grows the church in the power of the Holy Spirit. 199 00:18:01.530 --> 00:18:09.738 As we get to Acts two in just a moment what we're going to see in Acts chapter two is this miraculous work. 200 00:18:09.824 --> 00:18:11.834 But let's understand as we get into. 201 00:18:11.872 --> 00:18:15.500 This that discipleship is a spiritual work. 202 00:18:16.910 --> 00:18:19.100 Discipleship is a spiritual work. 203 00:18:19.970 --> 00:18:22.000 Discipleship is not just a program. 204 00:18:23.570 --> 00:18:27.470 Discipleship is not just a system of groups. 205 00:18:28.370 --> 00:18:31.086 Discipleship isn't just simply a cup of. 206 00:18:31.108 --> 00:18:35.250 Coffee that you routinely have between you and a peer. 207 00:18:35.990 --> 00:18:39.006 Discipleship isn't just simply a pastor sitting. 208 00:18:39.038 --> 00:18:42.260 Down with someone and explaining the gospel to them. 209 00:18:43.430 --> 00:18:47.110 Discipleship isn't just simply you walking across the street. 210 00:18:47.450 --> 00:18:50.440 You see, Discipleship is all of those things. 211 00:18:50.810 --> 00:19:01.386 But Discipleship is also with that a spiritual work dependent on the work of the Holy Spirit, working and moving. 212 00:19:01.488 --> 00:19:07.980 Because see, here's the truth I can't save anyone and neither can you. 213 00:19:09.390 --> 00:19:14.494 You can't talk someone into salvation and neither can I. 214 00:19:14.612 --> 00:19:19.760 We in our own abilities are not capable of saving anyone. 215 00:19:22.210 --> 00:19:24.580 I can't transform anyone. 216 00:19:26.230 --> 00:19:28.210 I can change a behavior. 217 00:19:30.710 --> 00:19:32.580 I can't transform anyone. 218 00:19:33.910 --> 00:19:35.720 I can't transform a heart. 219 00:19:38.890 --> 00:19:40.520 Here's what I can be. 220 00:19:42.570 --> 00:19:44.150 I can be faithful. 221 00:19:46.090 --> 00:19:53.260 To what God has called me to do and I can be obedient to who God has called me to be. 222 00:19:53.630 --> 00:20:01.882 And what we will find in the process of Discipleship that we're going to look at it is the realization that I can't save anyone. 223 00:20:02.016 --> 00:20:04.122 I can't transform anyone. 224 00:20:04.256 --> 00:20:06.926 That is the work of the Holy Spirit, but even more of the work. 225 00:20:06.948 --> 00:20:08.814 Of the Holy Spirit inside of me. 226 00:20:08.852 --> 00:20:10.714 Is that what the Holy Spirit enables. 227 00:20:10.762 --> 00:20:25.538 Me to do and what the Holy Spirit took this old hard crusty, mean, bitter, rebellious heart and began to mold and shape and knock off the edges and the corners of it and begin to make it moldable into who Christ would want me to be. 228 00:20:25.624 --> 00:20:26.594 Is that in that? 229 00:20:26.632 --> 00:20:29.686 And under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, what I can do is in. 230 00:20:29.708 --> 00:20:35.190 Response to Him I can be faithful and in response to Him I can be obedient. 231 00:20:36.330 --> 00:20:38.230 So Jesus ascends. 232 00:20:39.790 --> 00:20:41.514 And then at the very beginning of. 233 00:20:41.552 --> 00:20:58.906 Acts chapter two, the Holy Spirit comes and falls on all of the believers who were there in Jerusalem and each one, it says in verse six, each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 234 00:20:58.938 --> 00:21:13.810 And so as the Holy Spirit fell on them and filled the believers who were there, they began to speak in languages that they did not know and men and women who were there began to hear the gospel in their own language. 235 00:21:14.710 --> 00:21:18.600 And we see this work and move of God. 236 00:21:19.530 --> 00:21:23.526 And so now jump over and this is where we will be for the next several weeks. 237 00:21:23.628 --> 00:21:26.840 Acts two, verse 42 through 47. 238 00:21:28.190 --> 00:21:45.600 So at the beginning we see people get saved and now we have been introduced to the first church, the fellowship of believers and they've got some things that they do and that's what I want us to look at. 239 00:21:46.370 --> 00:21:48.400 It says starting in verse 42. 240 00:21:48.770 --> 00:21:51.482 And they devoted themselves to the apostles. 241 00:21:51.546 --> 00:22:02.610 Teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers and awe came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 242 00:22:03.190 --> 00:22:06.840 All who believe were together and had all things in common. 243 00:22:07.370 --> 00:22:19.030 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need and day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes. 244 00:22:19.110 --> 00:22:25.420 They received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. 245 00:22:25.790 --> 00:22:33.338 And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. 246 00:22:33.434 --> 00:22:43.390 So here's what I love about this passage of scripture, okay, this isn't what we don't see here. 247 00:22:43.460 --> 00:22:46.194 We see more than what we've limited this to. 248 00:22:46.392 --> 00:22:50.946 We don't see an individual gathering of people. 249 00:22:51.048 --> 00:22:52.386 There is gathering in here. 250 00:22:52.408 --> 00:22:53.090 We see this. 251 00:22:53.160 --> 00:23:01.560 But this isn't like we're going to take a snapshot and describe what happens from eleven to twelve in Jerusalem on a Sunday morning. 252 00:23:02.170 --> 00:23:03.720 It's not what we see. 253 00:23:05.130 --> 00:23:10.620 We see pieces in here of their gathering together as a whole. 254 00:23:11.630 --> 00:23:18.460 We also see in here them gathering together in homes, in smaller groups together. 255 00:23:19.230 --> 00:23:21.600 But we see more than that. 256 00:23:22.290 --> 00:23:44.286 And what we see in these verses from 42 to 47 is the entire discipleship process of the first church, which is amazing when we think about it, everything that we need to see and understand that they did under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to grow and to multiply disciples. 257 00:23:44.398 --> 00:23:46.270 We see right here. 258 00:23:46.440 --> 00:23:54.690 You can go to seminars, you can follow podcasts, you can read books that try to tell you how to do church. 259 00:23:54.770 --> 00:23:57.346 And every time God's like, hey, pause. 260 00:23:57.378 --> 00:24:01.260 For just a moment, it's right here. 261 00:24:02.350 --> 00:24:03.820 This is what we've got. 262 00:24:05.710 --> 00:24:07.820 And we see this discipleship process. 263 00:24:08.510 --> 00:24:11.306 We see verse 42 and they devoted. 264 00:24:11.338 --> 00:24:17.722 Themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 265 00:24:17.866 --> 00:24:23.742 So verse 42, the use of the word, they were devoted, they devoted themselves. 266 00:24:23.876 --> 00:24:35.090 Here's really what I love about these words, what God establishes for us very quickly here in verse 42 is this word devoted means this, that they were unified and persistent. 267 00:24:36.090 --> 00:24:38.840 They were unified altogether in this. 268 00:24:39.530 --> 00:24:41.270 And they were persistent. 269 00:24:41.690 --> 00:24:45.270 Can I tell you what, the early church probably was busy. 270 00:24:48.450 --> 00:24:50.130 They were probably stressed. 271 00:24:52.630 --> 00:24:55.250 There was probably times where this was inconvenient. 272 00:24:56.870 --> 00:25:02.630 But they were unified and they were persistent. 273 00:25:03.530 --> 00:25:07.698 It says that they were devoted to the apostles teaching. 274 00:25:07.874 --> 00:25:09.094 What were they devoted to? 275 00:25:09.132 --> 00:25:11.110 They were devoted to the instruction. 276 00:25:12.010 --> 00:25:16.630 They didn't get to go down to the Christian bookstore and get a copy of their Bible. 277 00:25:17.050 --> 00:25:21.578 They didn't get to jump online and read a new website. 278 00:25:21.664 --> 00:25:25.354 They didn't get to get on their phone and pull out a new app to walk them through this. 279 00:25:25.392 --> 00:25:26.714 I love all of those things. 280 00:25:26.832 --> 00:25:34.426 I love that every morning while my wife is getting ready to go to school, what I hear her listening to is her Bible. 281 00:25:34.538 --> 00:25:37.134 I love that they didn't have that opportunity. 282 00:25:37.332 --> 00:25:40.522 So what they were, is they were devoted to the apostles teaching. 283 00:25:40.586 --> 00:25:47.730 They were devoted to instruction, teaching them to observe all that I had commanded you what Jesus said. 284 00:25:47.800 --> 00:25:53.398 So the very first thing that we see in this is they learned they. 285 00:25:53.484 --> 00:25:54.390 Learned. 286 00:25:56.090 --> 00:26:02.982 All too often an excuse that we use in church that is just that is an excuse is this. 287 00:26:03.036 --> 00:26:05.820 But I don't know what the Bible says. 288 00:26:06.910 --> 00:26:12.780 Well, we want to teach you, and if we can't, let me rephrase that. 289 00:26:13.150 --> 00:26:16.380 If we aren't, that's on us. 290 00:26:17.650 --> 00:26:20.602 They learned they were devoted to the apostles teaching. 291 00:26:20.666 --> 00:26:28.666 Secondly, they were devoted to the fellowship, sharing in common or shared activity. 292 00:26:28.778 --> 00:26:32.426 What we're going to see from this is a sharing of generosity. 293 00:26:32.538 --> 00:26:36.466 They were a large group of people who would gather together. 294 00:26:36.568 --> 00:26:39.170 We got a long way to go, so we're going to keep rolling through these. 295 00:26:39.240 --> 00:26:43.454 The next thing we see in verse 42 was they were devoted to the breaking of bread. 296 00:26:43.502 --> 00:26:43.778 All right? 297 00:26:43.784 --> 00:26:46.866 So twice in this passage of Scripture, we're going to see breaking of bread. 298 00:26:46.898 --> 00:26:50.198 There's lots of disagreements, so we're going to cover them together. 299 00:26:50.284 --> 00:26:54.230 And I think or separately I think this is the Lord's Supper. 300 00:26:54.650 --> 00:27:01.002 I think that when we see this in verse 42, that they were devoted to this, this was something special for them. 301 00:27:01.056 --> 00:27:02.762 This is something that mattered to them. 302 00:27:02.816 --> 00:27:18.030 And I'm so glad that we do this and we observe this and we don't apologize for it, and sometimes we go long for it, and that's okay, because we're devoted to it, of pausing and acknowledging the work that Christ did through his body and his blood. 303 00:27:18.870 --> 00:27:21.922 And they were devoted and they were. 304 00:27:21.976 --> 00:27:24.958 Devoted to the prayers. 305 00:27:25.054 --> 00:27:26.338 And I think this is interesting. 306 00:27:26.424 --> 00:27:27.570 And I'm a nerd. 307 00:27:29.110 --> 00:27:31.490 It doesn't say they were devoted to praying. 308 00:27:33.290 --> 00:27:37.190 It says that they were devoted to the prayers. 309 00:27:38.090 --> 00:27:40.470 So I think this is twofold. 310 00:27:41.370 --> 00:27:43.430 I do think they were people of. 311 00:27:43.500 --> 00:27:46.226 Prayer in that they were praying. 312 00:27:46.418 --> 00:27:48.310 We see that all through Acts. 313 00:27:48.890 --> 00:28:01.662 But I think what we gather from this and what they see from this we kind of understand is that they were also knowing that they needed to be people of prayer because they knew the war that was in front of them, that they had to battle, and they knew that they could not battle it on their own. 314 00:28:01.716 --> 00:28:05.310 And the only way that they could fight through this was to battle through prayer. 315 00:28:05.730 --> 00:28:10.370 And so they learned how to pray, and Jesus taught how to pray. 316 00:28:11.350 --> 00:28:13.890 And so they learned the prayers. 317 00:28:14.550 --> 00:28:16.530 They learned how to pray. 318 00:28:16.870 --> 00:28:18.530 They learned the scripture. 319 00:28:19.030 --> 00:28:33.586 So when their body and who they were weren't enough to mustered up the words through the power of the Holy Spirit of God and God's word set in them, they knew the prayers and they prayed. 320 00:28:33.698 --> 00:28:35.100 Give verse 43. 321 00:28:36.670 --> 00:28:43.718 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 322 00:28:43.894 --> 00:28:45.850 So soul here means all people. 323 00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:46.682 All people. 324 00:28:46.736 --> 00:29:04.258 So what we see in Acts 243 is that this work and that we just saw in verse 42, this work of ministry that is happening here's, what's taking place, it's impacting people not only inside the church, but also outside the church as well. 325 00:29:04.344 --> 00:29:11.678 People outside where they gather, people outside of this group of believers are taking notice. 326 00:29:11.774 --> 00:29:13.074 They're seeing change. 327 00:29:13.192 --> 00:29:19.990 They're seeing that real life is happening under the power of the Holy Spirit right in front of them. 328 00:29:20.060 --> 00:29:26.540 And so then we kind of dive in a little bit more and let's look at verse 44 and 45 to see what this looked like. 329 00:29:27.790 --> 00:29:34.540 It says, and all who believed were together, this unity again and had all things in common. 330 00:29:35.230 --> 00:29:43.774 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need. 331 00:29:43.972 --> 00:29:49.040 So believers were together and had all things in common. 332 00:29:50.150 --> 00:29:54.820 There's a commonality amongst them, right? 333 00:29:56.470 --> 00:29:58.034 You ever go off and spend time. 334 00:29:58.072 --> 00:30:01.380 With your family, family you hadn't seen in a while? 335 00:30:02.550 --> 00:30:09.046 And notice maybe you've moved off from a different part of the country where they are, and you go and you. 336 00:30:09.068 --> 00:30:10.360 Spend time with them. 337 00:30:10.890 --> 00:30:17.718 And when you come back home to your family, your wife says, oh, you've. 338 00:30:17.734 --> 00:30:18.534 Been with your dad. 339 00:30:18.582 --> 00:30:19.820 I can tell, right? 340 00:30:20.910 --> 00:30:24.540 Maybe that just happens to me, right? 341 00:30:25.150 --> 00:30:25.562 Why? 342 00:30:25.616 --> 00:30:26.874 Because you've been around the family. 343 00:30:26.912 --> 00:30:28.170 You begin to act like the family. 344 00:30:28.240 --> 00:30:30.654 You begin to look like the family, you begin to talk like the family. 345 00:30:30.692 --> 00:30:31.630 Because who are you? 346 00:30:31.700 --> 00:30:33.120 You're part of the family. 347 00:30:34.610 --> 00:30:37.470 This is the cool thing that's that's here that we see in Scripture. 348 00:30:38.210 --> 00:30:51.186 We see that there is this individuality amongst believers, but we see there's this commonality amongst them as well, and that what exists between them is that they were together and had all things in common. 349 00:30:51.288 --> 00:30:58.374 And then something crazy radical happens because of that family mindset, because of who. 350 00:30:58.412 --> 00:30:59.478 They are, because of the work of. 351 00:30:59.484 --> 00:31:00.630 God and what God was doing. 352 00:31:00.700 --> 00:31:06.906 It says that believers sold possessions and gave proceeds to all who had need. 353 00:31:07.088 --> 00:31:07.850 Whoa. 354 00:31:10.110 --> 00:31:19.086 This idea of voluntary, communal benevolence, you. 355 00:31:19.108 --> 00:31:22.506 See, because in this first century church. 356 00:31:22.698 --> 00:31:30.740 Not only were there were those who had need who got saved, but there were those who got saved and then lost all that they had. 357 00:31:32.230 --> 00:31:33.940 Jesus says, count the cost. 358 00:31:34.790 --> 00:31:36.690 Jesus says, Take up your cross. 359 00:31:38.070 --> 00:31:41.754 And they didn't go, well, that's unfortunate. 360 00:31:41.822 --> 00:31:43.080 Let's pray for him. 361 00:31:45.210 --> 00:31:47.110 They went, that's unfortunate. 362 00:31:47.610 --> 00:31:49.080 Let's pray for him. 363 00:31:50.010 --> 00:31:51.400 Let's sell this. 364 00:31:52.890 --> 00:31:57.690 Let's give to him, because what would you do for your brother? 365 00:31:58.350 --> 00:32:00.170 What would you do for your sister? 366 00:32:00.750 --> 00:32:02.700 That's what they did for one another. 367 00:32:03.790 --> 00:32:07.274 And then verse 46 and day by. 368 00:32:07.312 --> 00:32:14.858 Day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received food with glad and generous hearts. 369 00:32:14.954 --> 00:32:18.926 So two things they attended the temple together, they worshiped together. 370 00:32:19.108 --> 00:32:19.742 Right? 371 00:32:19.876 --> 00:32:20.926 I know a lot of you like. 372 00:32:20.948 --> 00:32:23.326 To sit in the back, and very few of you like to sit on the front row. 373 00:32:23.358 --> 00:32:25.170 We can scan around and tell that, right. 374 00:32:25.320 --> 00:32:27.860 Appreciate Tracy and Amanda sitting beside us today. 375 00:32:28.950 --> 00:32:30.018 Let me tell you the beauty of. 376 00:32:30.024 --> 00:32:31.170 Sitting in the front row. 377 00:32:31.670 --> 00:32:33.350 You mean let you on a little secret. 378 00:32:34.170 --> 00:32:36.326 Y'all know this because y'all sit here, right? 379 00:32:36.428 --> 00:32:38.840 Burris is a pretty consistent with us up here. 380 00:32:40.010 --> 00:32:41.640 We get to hear you. 381 00:32:42.810 --> 00:32:47.026 We hear you sing every Sunday. 382 00:32:47.058 --> 00:32:54.826 When I stand up right there, I like to come up a little bit early before the song's over with because when I stand right there, I get to experience what the band gets to experience. 383 00:32:55.008 --> 00:32:56.826 Except for our drummers that we put in a cage. 384 00:32:56.858 --> 00:33:04.734 Evidently, we get to hear you every week. 385 00:33:04.772 --> 00:33:11.700 It's goosebumps to hear the song of the Lord come from you. 386 00:33:13.110 --> 00:33:16.450 Bible tells us not to forsake the gathering of believers. 387 00:33:17.670 --> 00:33:26.040 Not just when it's convenient, not just when the calendar is clear, not just when we didn't get invited to go to the lake or the beach that day. 388 00:33:26.970 --> 00:33:36.650 They worshipped together and they set this and then they broke bread in homes. 389 00:33:37.230 --> 00:33:38.860 They fellowship together. 390 00:33:39.390 --> 00:33:40.540 It's crazy. 391 00:33:41.150 --> 00:33:42.300 They're friends. 392 00:33:44.910 --> 00:33:47.340 Let me throw you a little challenge real quick. 393 00:33:48.830 --> 00:33:50.718 How many of you don't you don't have to raise your hand. 394 00:33:50.724 --> 00:33:52.000 I just want you to think about this. 395 00:33:52.770 --> 00:34:02.740 How many of you see a face here every week that you've seen for months and you don't know their name? 396 00:34:05.190 --> 00:34:09.220 Here's a challenge I want you to do next week. 397 00:34:11.210 --> 00:34:11.960 Go. 398 00:34:13.210 --> 00:34:13.574 Hey. 399 00:34:13.612 --> 00:34:14.358 My name's Bo. 400 00:34:14.444 --> 00:34:16.038 Don't say it if your name's not Bo. 401 00:34:16.124 --> 00:34:17.720 Pretty sure I'm the only bo here. 402 00:34:20.090 --> 00:34:21.670 Eliminate the awkward. 403 00:34:22.010 --> 00:34:28.060 I've seen you for months and never taken the opportunity to introduce myself to you. 404 00:34:28.590 --> 00:34:29.820 What's your name? 405 00:34:30.910 --> 00:34:33.770 And we begin the fellowship. 406 00:34:34.270 --> 00:34:37.180 You see, it's hard to be family with people that you don't know. 407 00:34:37.950 --> 00:34:43.066 And so what we want to have in this and what we see in this is they broke bread in homes. 408 00:34:43.098 --> 00:34:44.800 They fellowship together. 409 00:34:45.890 --> 00:34:49.978 And so what happens in here is this fellowship starts. 410 00:34:50.074 --> 00:34:51.246 And I want to be honest with you. 411 00:34:51.268 --> 00:34:58.034 I love the crazy of our fellowship together with coffee and cakes and goldfish and things that I don't ever get to eat, right? 412 00:34:58.232 --> 00:34:59.218 I love it. 413 00:34:59.304 --> 00:35:00.340 I love it. 414 00:35:01.110 --> 00:35:11.750 But what I really love more is when I see those families who fellowshiped here land at San Jose's later, right? 415 00:35:11.900 --> 00:35:14.680 And really love it when we get invited to join them. 416 00:35:16.090 --> 00:35:22.730 And love when I hear the stories that it spills over into Friday night or Tuesday afternoon. 417 00:35:23.870 --> 00:35:27.630 The fellowship of breaking bread, verse 47. 418 00:35:27.700 --> 00:35:30.254 Praising God and having favor with all the people. 419 00:35:30.372 --> 00:35:36.042 And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. 420 00:35:36.106 --> 00:35:36.826 Believers. 421 00:35:36.938 --> 00:35:38.000 Praise God. 422 00:35:38.450 --> 00:35:39.306 The believers. 423 00:35:39.338 --> 00:35:39.902 Praise God. 424 00:35:39.956 --> 00:35:48.930 They did what they did together in the totality of worship that all of it was a moment not to go, let me tell you about my church. 425 00:35:49.590 --> 00:35:53.266 None of it was a moment to say, let me tell you about my pastor. 426 00:35:53.458 --> 00:35:57.400 But all of it was a moment to praise God for all that God was doing. 427 00:35:57.770 --> 00:36:01.894 And it says that believers had favor amongst all the people. 428 00:36:02.092 --> 00:36:08.490 Again, reemphasizing the impact, the external impact of what we see. 429 00:36:08.560 --> 00:36:12.790 So we see this internal impact, we see this external impact. 430 00:36:12.870 --> 00:36:15.866 But then this is the part that I'm really excited about. 431 00:36:15.968 --> 00:36:21.150 It says the Lord added those who were being saved. 432 00:36:22.290 --> 00:36:31.950 The eternal impact that this had in the community, it didn't say Peter added to those who were getting saved. 433 00:36:32.030 --> 00:36:35.742 It didn't say John added to those who were getting saved. 434 00:36:35.806 --> 00:36:39.262 It didn't say Mary added to those who were getting saved. 435 00:36:39.326 --> 00:36:46.322 The Bible comes and says the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. 436 00:36:46.386 --> 00:36:53.282 And so what we see is this Holy Spirit work happening and taking place in the lives of the believers. 437 00:36:53.346 --> 00:36:58.042 And what we see God doing is transforming and saving lives. 438 00:36:58.176 --> 00:37:06.090 Coworkers, neighbors, husbands, daughters, sons, lives changed for eternity. 439 00:37:11.950 --> 00:37:27.680 We see this radical, miraculous movement of God and we see God's people engaged in the discipleship process that was there. 440 00:37:30.770 --> 00:37:32.030 Side note. 441 00:37:33.730 --> 00:37:35.470 I'd like to lose some weight. 442 00:37:36.710 --> 00:37:38.180 You might want to join me. 443 00:37:39.750 --> 00:37:40.740 Thank you. 444 00:37:42.310 --> 00:37:43.026 Appreciate that. 445 00:37:43.048 --> 00:37:43.486 Mike. 446 00:37:43.598 --> 00:37:44.802 Here's what I want to do. 447 00:37:44.936 --> 00:37:46.580 I was thinking about this this week. 448 00:37:48.010 --> 00:37:53.110 I want to lose like 50 pounds of fat. 449 00:37:54.970 --> 00:37:59.186 I was hoping someone would say, wow, because you're saying there's no way you have that bow. 450 00:37:59.378 --> 00:38:01.820 And you all failed and encouraged me. 451 00:38:04.830 --> 00:38:09.274 I want to lose about 50 pounds of fat and I would like to. 452 00:38:09.312 --> 00:38:14.220 Gain about 30 pounds of muscle, right? 453 00:38:15.070 --> 00:38:20.894 I want this jacket not to be too tight right here, but to be too tight right here. 454 00:38:20.932 --> 00:38:21.920 You know what I mean? 455 00:38:23.490 --> 00:38:25.746 I want you to think, man, he's getting fired up. 456 00:38:25.768 --> 00:38:27.762 Those arms are going to pop through there. 457 00:38:27.896 --> 00:38:30.980 Not like we hope that button doesn't shoot out, you know what I mean? 458 00:38:32.870 --> 00:38:34.260 But here's the deal. 459 00:38:36.870 --> 00:38:38.870 I'm not going to go to the gym. 460 00:38:43.370 --> 00:38:46.280 I'm not going to stop eating the food that I want to eat. 461 00:38:48.170 --> 00:38:50.230 I don't even really want to take vitamins. 462 00:38:52.090 --> 00:38:58.010 You see, I'd like to lose 50 pounds of fat and gain 30 pounds of muscle. 463 00:38:58.590 --> 00:39:02.506 But the problem is I'm not really willing to do any of the work. 464 00:39:02.528 --> 00:39:03.920 That it takes to make that happen. 465 00:39:05.970 --> 00:39:07.200 Here's the point. 466 00:39:09.570 --> 00:39:11.280 If I were to ask you. 467 00:39:13.010 --> 00:39:13.374 How. 468 00:39:13.412 --> 00:39:17.394 Would you like to see acts 242. 469 00:39:17.432 --> 00:39:21.700 Through 47 level of faith in your church and in your life? 470 00:39:22.310 --> 00:39:23.726 You would say oboe? 471 00:39:23.758 --> 00:39:24.194 Absolutely. 472 00:39:24.312 --> 00:39:25.620 I want to see that. 473 00:39:27.610 --> 00:39:29.000 Then here's the question. 474 00:39:31.450 --> 00:39:32.966 Are you willing to do what it. 475 00:39:32.988 --> 00:39:34.360 Takes to see that happen? 476 00:39:36.010 --> 00:39:48.700 Because all too often, spiritually speaking, we're just like me, I want to lose 50 pounds of fat and gain 30 pounds of muscle and do none of the work that it takes to see it happen. 477 00:39:51.880 --> 00:40:04.490 And I found that's where the church in America is headed, declining at a faster rate than ever before. 478 00:40:06.220 --> 00:40:44.420 Churches being closed down every moment and not just in places like Los Angeles and New York and Chicago and Seattle and Portland but in places that we thought Christianity in places that we arrogantly thought Christianity would never decline to the point to where five years ago and I wish I knew the latest statistic but I don't. 479 00:40:46.060 --> 00:40:53.000 That right here in good old Lexington, South Carolina, the heart of the Bible belt. 480 00:40:54.620 --> 00:41:02.060 33% of people, 33% would say that they're a follower of Jesus. 481 00:41:03.040 --> 00:41:05.230 And let me ask you this question. 482 00:41:06.000 --> 00:41:10.130 How many driveways in your neighborhood were filled as you left to come here this morning? 483 00:41:15.030 --> 00:41:16.580 Are you willing to do the work? 484 00:41:17.350 --> 00:41:20.180 I'm going long, I'm sorry. 485 00:41:20.790 --> 00:41:26.754 What we see here are three discipleship strategies that form this process and these. 486 00:41:26.792 --> 00:41:27.698 Are going to be what we're going. 487 00:41:27.704 --> 00:41:29.062 To talk about for the next three weeks. 488 00:41:29.116 --> 00:41:30.726 Okay, so this is kind of my end. 489 00:41:30.748 --> 00:41:34.450 We'll give my vision piece and we'll head in taking the Lord's supper. 490 00:41:34.530 --> 00:41:37.450 The first one that we see is we see relational discipleship. 491 00:41:38.110 --> 00:41:40.250 We see relational discipleship. 492 00:41:40.750 --> 00:41:44.058 Three strategies in this overall process. 493 00:41:44.144 --> 00:41:48.686 The first strategy relational discipleship and quick definition of this. 494 00:41:48.788 --> 00:41:55.630 Believers come together to grow in personal relationship with one another as they grow. 495 00:41:55.700 --> 00:41:58.240 In their personal relationship with God. 496 00:41:59.010 --> 00:42:07.620 What brought them together in their relationship with Christ, what they shared oftentimes through the truth of God's word, was shared life experience. 497 00:42:08.550 --> 00:42:15.798 And what we see in relational discipleship is this peer to peer discipleship is. 498 00:42:15.804 --> 00:42:17.960 What we'll talk about next week. 499 00:42:18.410 --> 00:42:25.910 The second discipleship strategy that we see in this overall process is theological discipleship. 500 00:42:26.430 --> 00:42:35.180 Theological discipleship where believers come together to grow in their right understanding of the word of God. 501 00:42:35.950 --> 00:42:44.618 They know more about who God is so that their faith is more grounded and proper biblical doctrine. 502 00:42:44.714 --> 00:42:51.726 They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and in two weeks we're going to talk about theological discipleship. 503 00:42:51.918 --> 00:42:59.570 And in the setting of theological discipleship this is more of a teacher to student type of discipleship. 504 00:43:00.630 --> 00:43:09.190 And then lastly what we see of the three strategies which will be week four for us is missional discipleship. 505 00:43:10.170 --> 00:43:19.674 Believers come together in their community and share the truth of Jesus Christ with those who are not yet followers of Christ. 506 00:43:19.792 --> 00:43:26.010 And so what we see in this is believer to unbeliever discipleship. 507 00:43:26.430 --> 00:43:40.526 So we see peer to peer, we see teacher to student, we see believer to unbeliever three different strategies that we draw from and that we see to form the overall process. 508 00:43:40.628 --> 00:43:48.018 And this amazes me that we see this thousands of years later, we're still trying to figure this out. 509 00:43:48.104 --> 00:43:59.560 And we see it amongst a group of people who hadn't been to seminary, who hadn't taken a Bible class, who had never been to VBS, who didn't go to youth camp. 510 00:44:00.570 --> 00:44:08.022 But they were transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit and they committed themselves every single day to growing in their faith. 511 00:44:08.086 --> 00:44:25.120 And what we see is this radical process that happens in their life and their community as they're relationally experiencing discipleship, they're theologically experiencing discipleship and they're missionally going and experiencing that of what we find and what we see. 512 00:44:25.970 --> 00:44:42.722 And so over the next three weeks, we're going to talk about this and we're going to look at our three objectives of what we're working toward and we're going to look at these three strategies individually and share with you what I'm going to do, share with you how we feel. 513 00:44:42.776 --> 00:44:57.080 God is leading us to strengthen and grow our discipleship process here at Willow Ridge Church to model this and that what we see in Acts chapter two. 514 00:44:58.270 --> 00:45:05.420 The second thing objective that we're going to have is we're going to share with you how you can engage in that. 515 00:45:06.110 --> 00:45:22.890 It's great for us to talk about how we're going to do it as your staff and as your leadership, but we're going to invite you to join us in this process at our church. 516 00:45:23.050 --> 00:45:24.894 We got a graphic that we've worked on. 517 00:45:25.012 --> 00:45:25.946 It's really simple mass. 518 00:45:25.988 --> 00:45:27.460 We go and throw that up on the screen. 519 00:45:28.390 --> 00:45:31.138 And this is what we're going to talk about over the next three weeks. 520 00:45:31.224 --> 00:45:35.778 That what we would like to see from you in your life and in my life. 521 00:45:35.864 --> 00:45:37.014 This is for me too. 522 00:45:37.132 --> 00:45:53.610 This is how God wants to grow me, change me, make me more usable for the kingdom, is to find how we can be that fully engaged discipleship where we're experiencing relational discipleship in our lives, where we're experiencing theological discipleship in our lives. 523 00:45:53.680 --> 00:45:56.778 And we're experiencing missional discipleship in our lives. 524 00:45:56.944 --> 00:46:00.142 And we want to invite you to. 525 00:46:00.196 --> 00:46:10.240 Join us with this in the hopes that we'll be fully engaged in what God wants us to do. 526 00:46:11.250 --> 00:46:14.990 But then I want to share with you also in order to make this happen. 527 00:46:15.140 --> 00:46:18.626 And you see this that's right here, and I think there's one on each. 528 00:46:18.648 --> 00:46:19.874 Aisle and we've got more in the back. 529 00:46:19.912 --> 00:46:20.834 And we're going to get more into. 530 00:46:20.872 --> 00:46:38.326 These details later, but it is definitely there on Sunday, September the 10th, we're going to make a schedule change in our church in order so that we can put this process into effect for us. 531 00:46:38.508 --> 00:46:41.446 And so this morning as we close, before we go in the Lord's supper. 532 00:46:41.478 --> 00:46:48.202 I do want to take some time and go through this schedule change and explain what will be happening. 533 00:46:48.336 --> 00:46:52.262 So this starts on Sunday, September the 10th. 534 00:46:52.406 --> 00:46:54.654 All right, say that back to me because I mess up dates all the time. 535 00:46:54.692 --> 00:46:57.066 When September the 10th. 536 00:46:57.098 --> 00:46:58.506 All right, we're going to put it all over Facebook. 537 00:46:58.538 --> 00:46:59.550 It's going to be all over email. 538 00:46:59.620 --> 00:47:02.078 It's going to be all over everything that you could have. 539 00:47:02.164 --> 00:47:05.234 Or maybe if you don't want to, we'll give you like text messages at 04:00 A.m. 540 00:47:05.272 --> 00:47:06.066 Reminding you about this. 541 00:47:06.088 --> 00:47:08.094 All right, so Sunday, September the 10th. 542 00:47:08.142 --> 00:47:09.410 Here's what we're going to have starting. 543 00:47:09.480 --> 00:47:12.786 At 09:00 A.m., from nine to 950. 544 00:47:12.888 --> 00:47:16.086 And we're going to get into the details each week of what this looks like. 545 00:47:16.108 --> 00:47:25.794 But from nine to 950, every Sunday morning we're going to provide discipleship, discipleship for kids, discipleship for students, discipleship for adults. 546 00:47:25.922 --> 00:47:29.480 Every single Sunday morning, all right? 547 00:47:29.850 --> 00:47:40.570 Our kids are going to be, and when I say our kids, I mean fifth grade and under are going to be in their large group discipleship during that 50 minutes time period that they're going to be together. 548 00:47:40.720 --> 00:47:43.674 Our youth are going to continue doing what they've already been doing. 549 00:47:43.712 --> 00:47:46.046 Upstairs in the attic is what we've given them, right? 550 00:47:46.148 --> 00:47:47.118 That's where they're at. 551 00:47:47.204 --> 00:47:48.958 They're up there loving every minute of it. 552 00:47:48.964 --> 00:47:50.046 They've done a lot of work up there. 553 00:47:50.068 --> 00:47:51.390 It's really cool, it's really fun. 554 00:47:51.460 --> 00:47:52.750 It's a nice place to be, right? 555 00:47:52.820 --> 00:47:54.730 So they're up there having their discipleship. 556 00:47:54.810 --> 00:48:02.802 And then what we're going to have for all of us, let's say you're not serving in kids ministry, you're not serving in student ministry, you're not a kid, you're not a student. 557 00:48:02.936 --> 00:48:04.006 What happens for you? 558 00:48:04.028 --> 00:48:14.130 All right, so what we're going to be providing for you during that time is relational discipleship classes and theological discipleship classes. 559 00:48:14.210 --> 00:48:15.862 And that's what these are about. 560 00:48:15.916 --> 00:48:24.566 And that's where you can see these in read descriptions and in the weeks leading up, we'll help you where you can connect with these, where we can grow and be disciples. 561 00:48:24.678 --> 00:48:31.246 Now you're probably asking yourself this question, especially if you grew up going to a Southern Baptist church like I did. 562 00:48:31.428 --> 00:48:33.022 Oh, we've got Sunday school. 563 00:48:33.076 --> 00:48:36.080 Now how many of you thought that. 564 00:48:36.690 --> 00:48:37.950 You don't want to raise your hand? 565 00:48:38.020 --> 00:48:39.120 Yeah, you did. 566 00:48:41.750 --> 00:48:45.266 No, here's how this is different, all right? 567 00:48:45.448 --> 00:48:50.100 Yes, it is observing a traditional Sunday school hour. 568 00:48:50.470 --> 00:48:51.966 But if you grew up in Sunday. 569 00:48:51.998 --> 00:48:55.878 School, here's how this is different of what we are doing. 570 00:48:56.044 --> 00:48:59.720 Sunday school, you were typically placed, right? 571 00:49:00.090 --> 00:49:01.814 You were placed in this class because. 572 00:49:01.852 --> 00:49:03.720 You were a young married couple. 573 00:49:04.410 --> 00:49:06.214 You were placed in this class because. 574 00:49:06.252 --> 00:49:08.220 You were an older couple. 575 00:49:08.750 --> 00:49:10.634 You were placed in this class because. 576 00:49:10.672 --> 00:49:12.410 You were a widow or a widower. 577 00:49:12.830 --> 00:49:14.714 You were placed in this class because. 578 00:49:14.752 --> 00:49:19.610 You were college and career, whatever career means in this world, right? 579 00:49:19.760 --> 00:49:21.646 You were placed in these things and. 580 00:49:21.668 --> 00:49:23.406 You were told this is where you. 581 00:49:23.428 --> 00:49:24.880 Go and this is what you do. 582 00:49:25.330 --> 00:49:28.174 What we're going to provide every often. 583 00:49:28.292 --> 00:49:33.214 And make these things available is opportunities for you to make the decision of. 584 00:49:33.252 --> 00:49:35.062 Where you are in your walk with the Lord. 585 00:49:35.146 --> 00:49:37.714 Where do you feel like God wants you to be? 586 00:49:37.912 --> 00:49:40.274 And then you can go and you. 587 00:49:40.312 --> 00:49:41.586 Can go and you can be a. 588 00:49:41.608 --> 00:49:42.722 Part of a class. 589 00:49:42.856 --> 00:49:44.482 You can be a part of a relational class. 590 00:49:44.536 --> 00:49:48.120 You can be a part of a theological class for six, seven, eight weeks. 591 00:49:49.290 --> 00:49:58.520 You can learn more about the Lord and grow in your relationship with him, and then you can move to the next one that you would desire to do. 592 00:49:59.210 --> 00:50:01.898 So that's what we're going to provide from nine to 950. 593 00:50:01.984 --> 00:50:03.274 Here's what this doesn't mean. 594 00:50:03.312 --> 00:50:05.260 I want you to hear me with this. 595 00:50:05.950 --> 00:50:10.014 We are not doing away with any. 596 00:50:10.052 --> 00:50:11.470 Of our small groups. 597 00:50:12.050 --> 00:50:15.550 We love our small groups. 598 00:50:15.890 --> 00:50:19.774 I love every Thursday at 1145, me. 599 00:50:19.812 --> 00:50:23.950 And a group of men get together and dive through God's Word together as a small group. 600 00:50:24.020 --> 00:50:24.574 I love that. 601 00:50:24.612 --> 00:50:26.160 I don't want to give that up for anything. 602 00:50:26.610 --> 00:50:27.986 And we're not giving that up. 603 00:50:28.008 --> 00:50:28.962 And we're going to look to continue. 604 00:50:29.016 --> 00:50:30.862 To add more people to small groups. 605 00:50:30.926 --> 00:50:33.182 We're going to look to continue to add more small groups. 606 00:50:33.246 --> 00:50:38.530 What we want to do during this is build on the wonderful relational discipleship. 607 00:50:38.610 --> 00:50:49.370 Foundation that small groups have provided for us and give other people opportunities to do this on a day and a time and a space where we're already coming here anyways. 608 00:50:49.950 --> 00:50:52.906 We will meet with these classes from nine to 950. 609 00:50:53.008 --> 00:50:55.018 Parents, I need you to hear this, okay? 610 00:50:55.104 --> 00:50:57.866 This is why we're ending at 950. 611 00:50:57.968 --> 00:50:59.706 At 950, we need our parents to. 612 00:50:59.728 --> 00:51:03.182 Come and get our kids and bring them over for what we're about to talk about next. 613 00:51:03.236 --> 00:51:05.658 And here's the reason why it's strategic. 614 00:51:05.834 --> 00:51:07.886 We need this time period that we. 615 00:51:07.908 --> 00:51:12.154 Have in between discipleship and worship to transition our rooms. 616 00:51:12.202 --> 00:51:17.154 I wish we were a church that had 150 rooms where we could give everybody their own space and do that. 617 00:51:17.192 --> 00:51:18.818 But you all know that's not how we are. 618 00:51:18.904 --> 00:51:20.574 Everything here is multipurpose. 619 00:51:20.622 --> 00:51:21.534 Everything is shared. 620 00:51:21.582 --> 00:51:22.690 Everything is moved around. 621 00:51:22.760 --> 00:51:27.314 So we need time to transition this room from where these adults met to now. 622 00:51:27.352 --> 00:51:28.534 A room where a bunch of second. 623 00:51:28.572 --> 00:51:31.314 Graders are going to get together and hang out and learn about Jesus. 624 00:51:31.362 --> 00:51:32.438 And I think that's awesome. 625 00:51:32.524 --> 00:51:36.982 So we need opportunities to reset our rooms, but we also need opportunities to. 626 00:51:37.036 --> 00:51:43.322 Transition our kids, ministry volunteers to move in the team that meets at nine to the team that's going to meet later. 627 00:51:43.376 --> 00:51:43.930 Okay? 628 00:51:44.080 --> 00:51:45.834 So that's why we're going to end at 950. 629 00:51:45.872 --> 00:51:48.506 But at 950, we're all going to gather in here. 630 00:51:48.608 --> 00:51:52.734 One big, loud, messy, rambunctious church family, right? 631 00:51:52.852 --> 00:51:54.958 Just like Thanksgiving at your grandma's house. 632 00:51:55.044 --> 00:51:56.026 Stuff gets spilled. 633 00:51:56.058 --> 00:51:57.760 People are getting yelled at, right? 634 00:51:58.690 --> 00:52:03.060 And from 950 to 1015, we'll have fellowship right here in this place. 635 00:52:03.510 --> 00:52:06.930 Kids, youth, adults. 636 00:52:07.590 --> 00:52:10.050 Wonderful place to go up and say. 637 00:52:10.200 --> 00:52:13.730 Hey, my name's Bo, but, you know, not Bo, right? 638 00:52:13.880 --> 00:52:15.234 Nice to meet you. 639 00:52:15.432 --> 00:52:17.446 And then here's the other change from. 640 00:52:17.468 --> 00:52:19.938 950 to 1015, we'll have fellowship. 641 00:52:20.034 --> 00:52:22.006 We're going to keep that time together. 642 00:52:22.188 --> 00:52:32.700 And from 1015 to starting a little bit later to 1130, we're going to have worship just as we've been doing with just that minor change of just starting it about 15 minutes later. 643 00:52:33.390 --> 00:52:34.506 So this is why we want you. 644 00:52:34.528 --> 00:52:38.346 To make sure that you're here over these next three weeks because over these. 645 00:52:38.368 --> 00:52:40.062 Next three weeks, we want to dig. 646 00:52:40.116 --> 00:52:46.350 A little bit deeper about what it means to be engaged in relational discipleship. 647 00:52:46.930 --> 00:52:49.498 Not because we've thought up this strategy. 648 00:52:49.594 --> 00:52:51.626 But because we see it from Scripture. 649 00:52:51.818 --> 00:52:53.694 And what God wants you to do. 650 00:52:53.732 --> 00:52:55.086 And how God wants you to be. 651 00:52:55.108 --> 00:52:58.580 A part of that so you can grow in your relationship to Him. 652 00:52:58.950 --> 00:53:02.366 We want you to be here so that you can be a part of our lesson. 653 00:53:02.398 --> 00:53:04.690 We're talking about theological discipleship. 654 00:53:05.050 --> 00:53:08.818 I had somebody tell me bo that word theological is scary. 655 00:53:08.914 --> 00:53:09.718 All right? 656 00:53:09.884 --> 00:53:16.902 We want to take the teeth of that word away and we want to inform and educate how wonderful it is. 657 00:53:17.036 --> 00:53:21.110 And while we live in a church. 658 00:53:21.190 --> 00:53:30.014 Society where theology has been cast out to the detriment of the gospel and. 659 00:53:30.052 --> 00:53:31.934 Why it's important to know what we. 660 00:53:31.972 --> 00:53:37.214 Believe, why we believe it, and who it's for. 661 00:53:37.412 --> 00:53:40.526 Because that's really all theology is what. 662 00:53:40.548 --> 00:53:44.580 We believe, why we believe it and who it's for. 663 00:53:45.110 --> 00:53:46.770 So come back for that. 664 00:53:46.920 --> 00:53:51.570 And then on August 27, we're going to look at missional discipleship. 665 00:53:52.950 --> 00:53:58.774 And what I love about that day is everyone in here everyone in here. 666 00:53:58.812 --> 00:54:04.950 Has a handful of people that you're close with that you know does not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 667 00:54:06.190 --> 00:54:10.380 And you want to share Jesus with them. 668 00:54:11.710 --> 00:54:19.550 And you don't know when, you don't know where, you don't know how, and you're petrified. 669 00:54:20.690 --> 00:54:32.100 And what we want to do is to take away some of that anxiety and say, we hurt for your lost friends just as you do. 670 00:54:32.550 --> 00:54:41.860 And we want to come alongside you so that we can learn about missional discipleship and all that God has for us. 671 00:54:42.390 --> 00:54:43.650 I'm excited. 672 00:54:44.310 --> 00:54:46.614 I can't wait to see what God's been part of. 673 00:54:46.652 --> 00:54:56.460 This has been a long time coming and a long journey for us and we want to invite you to be a part of that. 674 00:54:58.030 --> 00:55:06.300 I so desperately want to see the work of God that we see in Acts be the work of God. 675 00:55:06.990 --> 00:55:29.540 Not just that we see in our church that self seeking, but to be the word of the work of God that we see in your home and in your work and in your neighborhood and in our town and in our state and in our country. 676 00:55:30.630 --> 00:55:32.260 In all over this world. 677 00:55:33.770 --> 00:55:43.190 33% of people who live in Lexington County would say that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior. 678 00:55:45.050 --> 00:55:46.300 That's a problem. 679 00:55:48.350 --> 00:55:49.820 Would you pray with me? 680 00:55:56.660 --> 00:55:57.024 God? 681 00:55:57.062 --> 00:56:22.920 We come to you this morning, Lord, thanking you and praising you for who you are, Lord, and for what you've done, Lord, as we prepare our hearts to take the Lord's Supper together, lord, may you speak to us, revealing to us, Lord, who we are and where we need to repent. 682 00:56:24.540 --> 00:56:28.940 Lord, may we check our hearts for unrepentant sin. 683 00:56:31.440 --> 00:56:36.536 May we come before you confessing it, Lord. 684 00:56:36.568 --> 00:56:48.028 May we check our relationship with other believers and evaluate our preparedness and who we need to forgive. 685 00:56:48.124 --> 00:56:52.556 Lord, may we forgive them and where we need to seek forgiveness. 686 00:56:52.668 --> 00:56:59.380 Lord, may we seek it all for your name and for your glory. 687 00:56:59.960 --> 00:57:01.808 It's in Jesus name we pray. 688 00:57:01.984 --> 00:57:02.900 Amen. 689 00:57:05.960 --> 00:57:10.416 Thanks again for listening, and be sure to check back next week for another episode. 690 00:57:10.528 --> 00:57:18.200 In the meantime, you can visit us@willowridgechurch.org or by searching for Willow Ridge Church on on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.