Sunday School - Discipleship

It's gonna be the first time he's gonna hear the word of God preached outside the womb Praise God, that's right.

That's all right. I won't take offense All right, let's go to mark chapter four

Uh this morning again, I told you i'm taking over for john john has coveted in his family's quarantine

So i'm gonna take over the preaching, uh in the teaching, uh this morning for sunday school

And I want to talk to you guys about discipleship and leadership Okay And discipleship is something that we've talked a lot about over the last several weeks and months, especially since i've gotten here

It's one of been it's one of been it's been one of the focuses of my ministry here Is to develop a strong sense of discipleship

Now someone please define that word for me again discipleship. What does that word mean? A student that's right.

It literally means a student or a pupil um You know if if anyone works in a trades,

I know miguel does um, you know, what what's a journeyman? That's right

So they went through a process they were taught And sometimes being a journeyman like if you go into one of trades plumbing electrician

Uh carpentry you have to become uh, you have to go through this journeyman process where you're learning under A teacher

Where you've got someone who's equipping you not just for a couple of days It's not like a job at mcdonald's where they'll train you for a couple days and then you're good on your own

Uh, this is a job where you're going to be trained for months and years

And until you get your certification Then that's when you can become certified to do your job

Discipleship is very similar to being a journeyman Understand what a sweet sound

I love it Was it something

I said That's right. Just like babies are a process goodness

Wow, get I And they're a blessing And that's and but it's a process life is a process but I want to tell you this spiritual life is also a process

Okay And spiritual life Where does it begin? Where does spiritual life begin

What what does the doctrines of grace teach us about when spiritual life begins It's it's a trick question, but not really

That's right Regeneration, that's when that's when your spiritual life begins, but you know, it begins even before that It begins in the heart and mind of god in eternity past When god elected you when he chose you before the foundation of the world that you should be holy and blameless before him in love

And so god God destined you predestined us to adoption through faith in jesus christ is what we've been learning in the book of ephesians

Spiritual life begins in the heart and the mind of god towards his people Now its application towards us is when we are justified

Justification is when the lord applies that redemptive work that he had planned long Before we were even born he applies it he imputes righteousness to the believer and you have spiritual life in that that moment

You are what? Starts with a b Born again

You're born again You've got a new life God has breathed into you spiritual life and just like god formed adam and eve from the dust of the earth

And formed in and breathed into them, uh the breath of life. So he breathed into us the breath of spiritual life through justification where god

The word justification meaning declared righteous God declared you righteous He made you holy he's making you holy sanctifying you in jesus christ, that's when spiritual life begins

But I want to tell you something and this might sound Heretical to some of you.

Okay, so brace yourself but most evangelicals

View almost everything in the bible through the lens of salvation

Okay There's nothing particularly wrong with that unless We're looking at scriptures that really don't pertain

To salvation i'm going to demonstrate a couple of those things in a moment and the reason I bring this up is because Uh, sometimes we as even as good evangelicals.

We we always say, okay Well, it's it's saved and unsaved and of course Those are the only two categories for the human being is either either in christ or you're an adam

You're either lost or you're in jesus and you have eternal life Uh, but I want to demonstrate to you that evangelism

Uh The purview of evangelism is a little bit different. It's more complicated more nuanced than that.

I want you to turn to mark four So spiritual life begins at the heart of god when god elected you for salvation

He applies that redemptive work at the moment that you're justified He imputes righteousness to you

But salvation Along with discipleship is a process Okay And so when

I say that salvation is not always Black and white. I mean that there's a process involved.

It's not as simple as a switch is on And it switches off There is a process of lighting and dimming in the process of a believer and so in mark chapter 4

Starting in verse 26. Jesus said the kingdom of god is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground

He sleeps and rises night and day And the seed sprouts and grows

He knows not how The earth produces by itself first the blade

Then the ear then the full grain in the ear But when the grain is right at once he puts the sickle

Because the harvest has come Now this is one of these fantastic Teachings of jesus where he sounds almost like he's speaking in parables but In reality, he's using an imagery that would be very appropriate for his day and time

Jesus is using this imagery of farming Now back then they didn't have walmart's they didn't have neighborhood markets

They didn't have kroger's or anything like that in order to get food You had to grow it or you need to know someone who grows it and so farming in agriculture was a huge and that's why at least half or not more of the

Analogies and teachings that jesus uses he incorporates farming in it And it's because this is this is the dominant

Way of life for most people in the time of jesus And notice what he says the kingdom of god

God's kingdom heavenly kingdom is as if a man should scatter seed in the ground.

What's jesus trying to teach us here? What why does he bring up the kingdom of god and the scattering of seed

As an imagery for the kingdom What's he what's he trying to demonstrate? What's he trying to? Bring out

And if you're familiar with the companion verse from either of the other gospels matthew or luke feel free to Draw from that Don't be shy what's jesus trying to get at here?

That's a great interpretation but Probably not The one that jesus had in mind per se but it's a good try.

I like that Anyone else This anyone else in the scriptures use this idea of a seed

Let's go to first corinthians 3 Okay, let's look at first corinthians chapter 3

And someone read verse five Through Seven Who'd like to read that you got him ago, okay

Amen and so what what do you do plant? What what does a farmer plant in the ground?

a seed You see now i'm not I don't I don't know a lot about farming. I'll be honest with you I lived on the farm for two years in wisconsin.

We had a huge multi -acre House that we lived on five bedrooms six bathrooms huge house

Huge backyard huge front yard huge barn and yard on the side and uh

And for and there was actual farm on it, but the farm was rented out to other farmers to use it to be productive and um

And I can't tell you a lot about farm, but I knew I know that they put something in the ground It's called a seed right

You put a seed in the ground and a seed properly taken care of watered under sunlight

It grows Jesus and paul use the imagery of a seed of farming a planting to illustrate

Something marvelous Okay. Now the seed Is the seed of faith that leads to salvation?

Okay We see that back in mark 4 Look what jesus is saying in mark 4

Verse 26 the kingdom of god is if a man should scatter seed on the ground

Okay What's that imagery hearkening to? Okay seed being thrown in the ground what's what's that showing who throws seed on the ground

Okay, yeah, so where's our search of an f Farmers Okay I know i'm sleeping too.

I only got like three hours of sleep last night. So i'm operating on low So Right, that's right.

That's right. That's right That's right Absolutely, and this is why

I mentioned earlier. Some things are not as cut and dry As saying saved and unsaved because Though we learned as we opened up this lesson

That salvation begins at election Right god in eternity past elects his people

Now it's applied to us At the moment that we're justified justification by faith

Faith in jesus christ that work that work of of of god's salvation that he predestined eternity past is applied to you at justification he then

Works it out through sanctification for us your life and then eventually to our glorification But let's look at chapter 4 of mark in the first couple verses

Let's go to verse 1 i'll read that very quick and he began to teach beside the sea And a very large large crowd gathered about him so that he got into a boat and sat in it

Set it sat in it on the sea and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land and he was teaching them

Many things in parables and his teachings. He said to them listen behold a sower went out to sow

And he sowed some seed Fell along the path and the birds came and devoured it

So so the one who who who throws seeds is the preacher And this analogy this is jesus christ the one who is sowing the seeds of the kingdom

As he's preaching the good news throughout israel But this but the one who who who sows like paul and apollos right

Paul planted paul's watered god gave the increase These are preachers and these are not just preachers as in the one who fills the pulpit, but it's christians

Because the the preacher is not just The one who fills the pulpit the preacher is everyone in christ.

Jesus. The great commission isn't only for pastors Isn't only for deacons the great commission is for every christian, right?

And so all of us have a responsibility to so But in this in this picture, look what jesus goes on to say

He says in verse three again. He says listen, uh Behold a sower went out to sow and he sowed some seed fell along the path the seed being the seed of the word of god the word of god being preached

It's like a seed It has the potential to bring forth life And life that will bear fruit and that's the big gist of what

I want to talk to you again today this morning It's about discipleship evangelism and obedience

And so, uh the bible goes on to say in verse five Other seed fell on rocky ground where it did not have much soil and immediately it sprang up Since it had no depth of soil and when the sun rose it was scorched and since it had no root it withered away

Some other seed fell among the thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it and the it yielded no grain

And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain Growing up and increasing and yielding 30 fold 60 fold in a hundred fold

And he said he who has ears to hear Let him hear Now the question that this always brings up Is okay.

What what does this mean? Is jesus saying that uh Uh, well, first of all, we have to define the categories here

Seeds are the word of god being preached. So where is the preacher? now We have four different Examples of what happens when the word is preached.

Okay again, not so cut and dry as saved and unsaved It's a little more complicated than that.

Now. Ultimately. Those are still the only two categories Obviously it's saved and unsaved in christ or in adam, but it's a little more nuanced than that Notice again the the scenarios one seed

Is put along the path and the birds came and devoured it Jesus later on goes to clarify what these things mean he says the one who who um

Where the birds came and and devoured it? That's that's essentially the you know, the enemy coming in and quickly taking away the the the preached word and it doesn't yield any

Potential whatsoever Okay, so it's most people in the world actually if you think about it

When you when when we go to our door door activity or we do preaching We're doing preaching on saturday mornings now on a microphone here when we distribute the food and most people

The word kind of just goes right over their head right now. We don't know what god's doing on their heart So we can't be the judge of that But most people don't respond favorably to the word of god then it says

Other seed fell on rocky ground where it did not have much soil And immediately it sprang up so there seems to be potential there

Something hap something's happening now But then the outcome Is that uh, but since it had no depth of soil

Um, it was scorched up and it had no roots and it withered away. Okay Now that's what

I would call a false convert okay, someone who Comes to jesus

Maybe they live they they had the uh come to jesus moment They came up to the altar and they're excited for a time

It's like uh, it's like they shoot up real quick and it's like amazing It's like oh they want to do all these incredible things for god and then six months later they crash

And i've seen that many a times unfortunately and sometimes

It takes a little longer to manifest than just several weeks or months But the outcome is still the same they wither away which is to say that they had no root

So they heard the word But the word wasn't implanted in their hearts.

It had no roots The next scenario you see it says in uh verse six and when this

Action for seven some other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked and it yielded no grain

That's to say this that there are those who hear the word maybe they grew up in a christian home Maybe they go to church regularly and yet when it comes to a personal vibrant saving faith and Doing not just hearing but doing the word of god.

There's no there's no seed. There's no fruit Something seems to be active something seems to be operating in them

But ultimately they yield no fruit now. This one is a bit of a mystery Uh this one you can categorize either one of two ways.

You can say that this person Is again another false convert And a person who professes jesus, but is not a christian

Or you can put this as an under the category someone who is a christian The word of the the seed is implanted in them and but they're not bearing fruit

That's to say that they're disobedient They're a christian But they're not a faithful slave

They're a christian, but their reward is not going to be great. They're a christian But they're only going to get to heaven by the skin of their teeth

Okay I don't know which one this is i'm going to Many good scholars even good puritans have been on both sides of this issue and so I don't know, uh

Where to categorize that I kind of lean towards possibly being that this could be a christian who bears no fruit and we see from 1 corinthians chapter 2 that there are those who are christians who have

Basically, they they build their christian lives on the foundation of jesus, but with wood hay and stubble

And all their works will be burned up and they'll have no crown, but they'll be in heaven uh, but as through fire the scripture says and so Um, so that's the nominal christian maybe someone who's who's converted and never truly

Uh took hold, uh to the gospel life and obedience And so that that's a possibility

And then of course, there's the one that fell on good soil in verse 8 other seeds fell into good soil Produce grain growing up and increasing yielding 30 fold and 60 fold and 100 fold

And he said he who has ears to hear let him hear So obviously this is the christian who bears good fruit

Who the word of god has preached to him. He believes he's regenerated Sanctified set apart is going to glory and when he goes to glory his yield will be 30 fold 60 fold and 100 fold

So glory That's that's where I want to be. Where do you want to be? I don't want to be

I want to be on good soil You know And if I only get 30 fold fine But i'm aiming for 60 fold and 100 fold

Uh, and so he who has ears let him hear so this is what jesus is now referring to so when we go back to Uh later, uh, just a couple verses after that in verses, uh, 26 again

Of mark four. He says the kingdom of god is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground

He sleeps and rises night and day and the seed sprouts and grows. He knows not how

He knows not how That's to say the preacher will preach and the job of the preacher the job of the christian is just to faithfully preach

And somehow some way god providentially will work through that Okay And so that's that's obedience

Okay, so do you have any part in? Making the seed grow

Yes and no Yes, and no, I mean you water it you planted it but who ultimately gives the increase who ultimately makes it grow

It's the lord. It's god Evangelism and salvation

Is the seed of the word of god that is implanted when someone hears the word of god preach

Romans 10 says how will they hear? Unless there's a preacher.

Okay, and faith comes by what? Hearing and hearing by the word of christ

It's the word of god The word of god is the seed But we need to preach it. Okay Now this is evangelism

This is evangelism evangelism is by nature salvific In that we are declaring a message of salvation

That's the seed the seed has the potential for life the seed if it's put in the good soil on good ground

It will grow but It's god who gives the increase. It's not us.

We're not the ones saving We're not the ones producing salvation even in our own selves justifications by faith in jesus christ alone

But there is an aspect of this that's very important again salvation or evangelism.

This is about salvation it's about faith bringing people to or or at least uh, Demonstrating faith in jesus christ sowing seed being born again.

These are all synonymous with evangelism But where evangelicals get confused is that evangelicals often conflate

Evangelism with discipleship Okay And these are two very different things the seed

That is choked up Is not a disciple The seed

That grows But has no fruit Is not a true disciple

Only the one who bears fruit Is a disciple so discipleship again, we we we

We discussed that uh discipleship is like a journeyman A journeyman is if you're in a trade you have to acquire these skills.

It takes time. It takes years now. Jesus is the one who actually Models discipleship for us when he calls the 12th

And for how long did the disciples? Learn under the feet of jesus two weeks

Three months three years It was for three years that jesus was

Pouring into his disciples so they could learn they could acquire knowledge again the word disciple comes

To give you the idea of a pupil, uh a learner and so discipleship has to deal with knowledge deals of doctrine

Deals of growing And so it's the seed taking root

Okay It sprouts it and it grows Discipleship is the process

In which the seed is germinating in the ground Taking root in the good soil the rich soil of faith in jesus christ

And it's beginning to sprout Okay But another thing that christians and evangelicals especially conflate is it conflate?

Discipleship With obedience

Now discipleship is of course an aspect of obedience because you have to Do the job, but it's like when you're a journeyman in a uh, electrician or a

Carpenter, uh, you're not licensed yet You know, you're not really you're not you're doing it.

You're learning it But you're not there yet Not to say that you're not a christian in the process of discipleship.

Of course you are But sanctification is a process And so discipleship god is desiring for his people to receive knowledge

Receive doctrine to grow to have roots, but it's to become and grow on to something a disciple

Must become a disciple maker And the disciple making is where you have the application

The obedience aspect, okay so for instance If you look at the stories of jesus in the new testament in the gospels jesus first models

Preaching and teaching You have in matthew chapter Three the baptism of christ.

He models for us christian baptism You have him enduring suffering and temptation in the wilderness

You have jesus then Calling his disciples He then calls them and he brings them

Around him as he preaches the gospel, of course the famous sermon of the mount He shows he's demonstrating and the disciples are not just they're watching they're helping

Right. Jesus says go do this feed them Gather these people here and he's maneuvering them so they can learn what it looks like to be a disciple maker

So then christ models that for them and it's not until uh, matthew chapter 10 luke chapter

Seven eight and nine where you have the disciples first being commissioned to go out and preach by themselves

So if you ever had a good supervisor, I had a really good boss once and uh, and he he modeled what uh,

What the job looked like and the way that he did he did it is that? um This is what he said.

He says first I do you watch Okay Then I do you help then you do

I help and then you do I watch Okay, and it was a really great

Uh encouraging because I knew I wasn't going to be alone in that process and I knew that if I messed up I mean I could ask questions and but it was it was a great way of learning how to do the job

And that's exactly what jesus is modeling to his disciples Jesus is doing

He's helping and he's empowering them to go and help and do as well And that's obedience.

That's where we get application That's where we get fruit Okay. Now here's another big one that evangelicals kind of mess up I think in my opinion

Is that we conflate? fruit with salvation So for instance if you ever go to these big evangelical churches and they say oh our church is bearing so much fruit we had 15 salvations last week

Right. You ever heard something to that degree, right? Hate to burst your bubble, but that's that's great, but that's not fruit

That's the seed the seed is Faith in jesus christ through the preaching of the word but the seed hasn't

Grown hasn't burned born fruit And this is where christians in america really mess things up we

Totally ignore discipleship We totally ignore it. We say. Oh, well, we've done the job. They're in the kingdom right

And then that's why we get so many people in our church pews who Have the appearance of being a christian.

They're filling the seat They may even get up get down during service and and pray and do all these things

And yet when life comes and the anxieties of life come and it chokes them They wither away

They wither away And what was missing in that? was discipleship discipleship to demonstrate

What the life of christ should look like? in application Not just in doctrine not just in theory, but what it looks like practically day to day

And that's where we miss A huge opportunity and a huge aspect of the christian life and we we anticipate people just to go from salvation to obedience

Okay But the bible says that when someone who comes to faith in christ, they're a babe They're a baby

They can't they can't they can't learn how to do these things unless you teach them they can't learn to have a sanctified life until It's modeled until it's preached until it's taught and of course the spirit

Independent of us can do that work and does do that work But the great news that you need to realize is god that god doesn't necessarily do that work independently of his church

God is doing the work of sanctification Through the church through you through your obedience

Through the obedience of preachers and pastors to preach the word of god And so you have to remember that evangelism

Is the seed it's a throwing of the seed Discipleship is the tending to that seed watering it

Feeding it making sure it's getting sunlight photosynthesis and then obedience

Obedience is the fruit That comes out of a changed life of a disciple.

Does that make sense? All right, any questions so far any any pushback any any controversy

Both both right So obviously the church has to play a vital role

In this process and that's where the church really gets things messed up is that we don't have a defined

Culture of discipleship and so we have to make sure that we're discipling people not just Leading people to faith and I came from a southern baptist background

So we're southern baptists are really good at getting people to make a profession of faith in jesus.

I mean, it's it's what they do but in the process what they miss out is the discipleship aspect and that's why you get so many people who

Make a profession of faith in jesus and don't truly follow through You know six months a year two years down the road

And so part of the discipleship process is that they're not just elders but mature believers in the church who are

Ideally it would look like this Let's say you're preaching the word of god and someone

Says, you know what? I want that. How do I become a christian? How do I receive jesus? You great you lead them to faith in jesus

That's the seed. Okay then you Walk alongside them.

This is what we learn in our evangelism class. We walk alongside them. We we not only befriend them we model christ to them

And so it's not just the elders the elders play a huge role in that but it's any mature believer

Can be part of that discipleship process? and ultimately as a baby

Can't even hold a bottle on its own until it's gained some strength and maturity Eventually, they're going to be able to hold the bottle on their own

Eventually going to be able to talk and walk and and do things a little bit more independently And and and so discipleship is a process

Salvation is a process obedience is a process. We have to remember these things you are saved You've been saved and are being saved

Okay, it's a process god is saving you. He's sanctifying you through the spirit. Is that going to help answer that?

Yeah, that's right, you know and part of it, you know, it's a Another word that the world uses that would be appropriate is mentorship

That's mentorship. It's like if you start a big company, you want someone to mentor you you want someone to show you the ropes um, and so Essentially discipleship is a little more advanced form of mentorship where it's more intentional

It's not just it's not just for your your career ambitions. It's not just for this is this is for for kingdom glory

Right. So this is kingdom work Yeah Anyone else anyone else have any thoughts or questions?

Uh, I think Yeah, I think that's where Yeah, that's right, that's right, you know and bible studies can be a great tool for discipleship, but it's it's um

But it's it's as far as people usually go When it comes to discipleship, they say we'll just do bible study, right?

And and bible studies are great And when they're needed But I go a step further and say

You go from studying to fill your mind So that you can go and do So a form of discipleship that we're doing already actually here

Is we're modeling the preaching of the word by going house to house. We're doing the preaching work on saturday mornings here

We're modeling what it looks like to preach open air what it looks like preaching door to door Um, and and we're demonstrating what it looks like to be obedient because that's where the fruit comes in is obedience

Okay, oh fruit is obedience Okay, it's not salvation Salvation is a seed

Fruit is obedience. Does that make sense? Any thoughts or questions i've got just a few more things but Love to take any questions

So one of the things that the bible tells us to do in romans 5 you turn there real quick Again talking about the doctrine of justification it says in verse 1

Therefore since we've been justified by faith we have peace with god through our lord

Jesus christ through him we have also obtained access by faith

Into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of god One thing that I don't want people to get confused about Is that this when we talk about obedience it can real quickly um

Almost sound legalistic and sound uh workspace And I want to assure you that this is this is not what's coming out of my mouth

Uh, what what's coming out of my mouth is what you're going to see in the next couple verses here But first let me affirm the doctrine justification by faith and that it's through only faith in jesus christ

You can't merit it. You can't earn it You can't obey your way to heaven You can only

Receive the perfect obedience of christ merit it to you And therefore receive peace with god

And it says that we stand We've obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of god verse 3 says not only that but we rejoice in our sufferings

Knowing that suffering produces endurance. So there's something that's being produced Okay The the hyper grace folks

Who'd say that well? All you have to do is make that simple profession of faith and it doesn't matter what you do the rest of your life

It doesn't matter if you continue in adultery if you continue in fornication if you continue In in the lifestyle that displeases god you're you're in the club because you made that profession of faith.

That's hyper grace That's not taught in scripture either romans 6 1 right? Should we continue to sin so that grace may abound by no means?

Right. So so grace produces something justification produces something in the believer

And for suffering and produces endurance. What is endurance needed for why would one need endurance?

You'd need endurance to do whether it's Your job, whether it's in this site in this picture

It's most likely an idea or an imagery of a marathon you need endurance in order to run the race

Right and so that's that's an action. That's a doing So you need endurance endurance produces character

You need a character in order to Demonstrate the changed life and heart that god has given you through faith in jesus christ by means of your justification

Produces character character produces hope and hope does not put us to shame Because god's love has been poured into our hearts through the holy spirit who has been given to us character is consistent action

Okay, so if you want to be a person of character if you want to have a good godly moral biblical character it means to be consistent

In your actions of faithfulness towards christ And so we want to be people of character being consistent you see what what makes some of the great heroes of the christian faith and I and I use that term loosely because Truly there are no heroes except jesus christ

But those whom we have deemed uh as fellow brothers and sisters in the faith of great regard

Uh, one of the things that have marked their lives in ministry think of john den edwards think of of uh

Charles spurgeon think of just some of the great heroes of the faith And one of the things that marked their life was character

Consistency throughout their life. They weren't marked or mired in and I know you know I guess at least we have one person who's not a great fan of billy graham, but What was really neat about billy graham?

Was the consistency of his life in a time in which most preachers fell into the trap of moral failing

Okay, especially think of the 80s. I mean you had you know, uh, jim baker you had uh, just a myriad of Scandals that were rocking the evangelical church and yet billy graham was consistent in his character

Towards not being embroiled in any type of controversy or scandal.

I mean, that's that's that's that's phenomenal And so as christians we ought to really be careful of that and and when we fall short, there's grace

There's grace If we sin, we have an advocate with the father the lord. Jesus christ

But ultimately what is god producing in us is character He's producing long -suffering.

He's producing endurance So that we would not be put to shame So that god's love can be poured into our hearts through the holy spirit who's been given to us

And so the point of the christian is to learn and become like the character of christ and bear fruit

Okay So hopefully i'm communicating this in a way that's accurate because this shouldn't be controversial

Right if you're christian christian word meaning little christ or like christ christ -like

Is the point of being a christian not to be like christ? Is the point of the christian not to go and bear fruit?

It's not workspace but this is a a a Overflow of the christian character an overflow of justification

So you're justified? and sanctified Sanctification is the process in which god is molding you to become more like jesus and that includes acts of obedience

Not because you want to get saved but because you are saved Because you are becoming closer to that perfect image of christ because he who predestined us predestined us

To be conformed into the image of who? christ the son of god

So we are being conformed into his image Therefore our aim should be to produce fruit fruit being obedience not salvation

Salvation is the seed Fruit is the obedience the harvest that comes from a faithful christian life with character

So again faith or multiplication multiplication is when your fruit bears fruit

Okay, so we as christians not only want to bear fruit. We want to see our fruit multiplied That's why jesus said some will have a harvest of 30 times 60 times and 100 times because fruit is meant to multiply and so when you're a faithful christian and you are doing

Evangelism discipleship and obedience on the kingdom works Your life is going to produce fruit fruit of obedience

Fruit of a good character fruit of endurance but also fruit and bringing others into This kingdom ministry and work and uh,

I like how john, uh, not john piper, but what's his name paul washer puts it He says that there's two postures in missions

He says you either go down into the well and you rescue Or you hold the rope for those who go down But either way there should be scars on your hand, right?

And so with that spirit and that mindset We don't have to be the ones necessarily out there on the street corner making converts

But when people come in through the doors of these church Are we welcoming them? Are we encouraging them?

Are we saying you know what? I want to I want to walk one. I want to walk walk alongside you. I want to I want to help you

I want to help I want to see you grow. I want to take a personal interest in your spiritual your spiritual walk with christ

Man, imagine if you had that when you got saved, maybe some of you did But if someone came to you when you got saved and say you know what

I want to take a personal interest in your walk That would have made a huge difference

And what a joy that would have been so now Whether you had it or not You know how you now have the opportunity to extend that same joy to others who are coming in Uh to this church and into the kingdom so any uh thoughts or questions one last thing too is uh is

Is we've we've touched a little bit on the aspect of faith again faith is the part of evangelism the seed

But faith is also believing in what god has said Right. So do we have faith?

That god is going to be able to produce these things in us Who are in christ? I do

I'm, i'm an optimist when it comes to the kingdom work. I'm not post -millennialist. I'm an all -millennialist and comes to my eschatology

But i'm very optimistic about the kingdom work Because jesus has promised us he'd be with us until the end of the age

He's promised us that he would grant us great success even until uh, uh unto all the nations

And so we have this incredible treasure in in jars of clay

And it will succeed and it will have success and so um, one of the last things i'll share is from what jesus says in Mark 4 at the end of that parable.

He says let he who has ears let him hear a quick warning Jesus says this about the eyes.

He talks about the eyes and the ears often. He says the eyes Are what what are the eyes?

they're the Gates but the the lamp of the body the lamp

That's right. So it's by you receive and you see and receive light There's that old, uh kids kids song nursery song.

Be careful little eyes what you see Be careful little ears what you hear the portal of the eyes are the gateway into which satan

Reaches our heart because both the eyes and the ear go to the heart go to the inner man

God's portal is the ears Okay, he says he says it's faith is not by seeing

Okay, it's not by sight Faith is not by sight. We walk by faith not by sight paul says in second corinthians chapter um

I think it's chapter four or six and so So we remember that faith

Is for the ears that's god's portal. That's why it says faith comes by hearing hearing by the word of christ

Okay, and so the christian has this this struggle We see there are things that we see in this world

That can discourage us that can weigh us down there are sinful things that we can entertain our eyes with as well, whether it be

Uh television program movies or pornography Or you know just inappropriate things in general

Uh, but that's why it's so important that we guard our eyes And also heed what the lord jesus said he who has ears

Let him hear What the spirit says to the churches? And so may you receive ears today to hear?

The preaching of the word of god. Let me pray God thank you so much lord for today that you've given us ears to hear

Hearts to receive that which you've given us through the implanted word Which is able to make us strong even unto salvation

Lord, I pray that you would help us To be not merely hearers of the word but doers so that we do not deceive ourselves

God, we thank you for your goodness. We know lord that you are at work in us We're so thankful that the work of salvation is finished

There's nothing that we can do nor add to merit this incredible amazing gift

But it is only through faith in jesus christ justification By faith and we thank you lord for this gift and we pray god that we would not

Take this gift lightly But instead lord that we would be all the more encouraged and all the more empowered by the working of your spirit

To be sanctified and conformed to the image of your son Jesus christ to whom belongs all the glory both now and forever in his name.