07/21/19 – “Road Map to Freedom – Making Disciples… Part 2 – Be a Disciple.” – JD Tew

07/21/19 - "Road Map to Freedom – Making Disciples… Part 2 – Be a Disciple.” Last week: Part 1 of Making Disciples… In order to Make Disciples we need to Be a Disciple/Follower and FOLLOWING... The Church is the Body of Christ… HIS “called out” ones… and we have a purpose, a mission… • We Gather to Grow, • We Grow to Go and • We Go to… to Make Disciples! (We Make Disciples of Jesus Christ!) What is a Disciple? A learner, a follower. That’s NOTHING new… we’re all learning, following something, someone… and someone is learning from and following us! The question is are we Disciples/Following Jesus? Are we making Disciples who Follow Jesus! Matt. 4:19 In the Body of Christ… we’re not all called to do the same thing, go the same place or reach the same people… But, as His Disciples/Followers we all have the same purpose/mission which is to MAKE DISCIPLES of Jesus! If we say we’re following Jesus but we aren’t helping others come to know Him and follow Him then what do we mean when we say, “I follow Jesus?!” Jesus said we are His Disciples if we: • Abide in Him • Obey Him • Sacrifice for Him • Are NOT ashamed of Him or His teachings • Have a love for Him that’s beyond anything the world can comprehend • We love the Body of Christ, the Church. • Share our Faith in Him • We consider the cost of Discipleship and Finish Strong! • Make Disciples We don’t wait until we’re fully accomplished in all those areas before we begin to make Disciples… We don’t have to have a PHD in Theology, the Bible, or be a “Billy Graham.” Making Disciples is simply one beggar telling another beggar where the Bread is! Part 2: Making Disciples… “How to” Make Disciples. First of all an there are 4 Types of people that are impossible to Disciple unless the Holy Spirit of God intervenes. • Unbelievers. (Obvious) If someone isn’t willing to surrender, submit their life to Christ, and make a commitment to Christ… they aren’t going to FOLLOW Christ. Disciple = “FOLLOWER!” • Unavailable. People who never make time to be Discipled. There’s always an excuse or they’re always too busy. Something, or someone is always more important. • Unfaithful. People say they want to grow, develop, mature in Christ but they won’t stick with it. They may start strong, but they fall away, give in, give up… It’s not how we start… it’s how we finish! • Unteachable. They’re interested, want to learn, very knowledgeable, but they do not want to obey. Not interested in following the truth, being obedient to the Truth and allowing the Truth to transform them and their life. 4 things we can do to Make Disciples: 1. Love them. The most important thing we can do is to love people. Love them where they are… Show the same grace and mercy God showed you! 1 John 4:7-8 - Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:20 - If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 1 Corinthians 13 shows how we are to love with the love of Christ. • Love cultivates and breaks up those hard places of the heart, mind and soul so the word of Christ can Grow! • Love allows us to sustain and maintain the relationships for Discipleship. Someone once said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!” • Love develops TRUST! Love breaks down the barriers that create a lack of trust, doubt, fear. It’s easy to Trust someone who loves you and lays down their life for you!