As I was writing this week’s sermon, I started into the application part of the message, and suddenly people began popping into my head. There were conversations I have been involved in that flooded my mind. There are people I know who struggle with the issues I am addressing. One by one, I went around the Church and thought of all the people I could apply this sermon to their current situation. 

Two lessons came to me for the average person sitting in the congregation on Sunday.

First, some parts are not meant for you specifically. They may or may not apply to your situation. But know that they are meant for someone – maybe someone like you. 

Second, I was thinking of you when I wrote this message. And there will be parts that were meant for you. 

If you attend on Sunday and open your mind to what is being said, I am sure there is something to be learned and applied to your life, whether it was meant for you or not. 

I find that most Christians have little concern over those who are bound for a Godless eternity. That is, until it is someone in their family, then everything changes.

When the prodigal is your son or daughter, it hurts beyond words. When it is your sister or brother plunging themselves into destruction, it tears you apart inside. When your mom or dad is sitting in the hospital bed, and you have no clue if they will be in heaven, it rips your heart out. 

What if the people in the Church cared about everyone like they were a part of their family?

Maybe then we could reach more people for Jesus, including those you genuinely love.    

My theme for my life and the Church I lead this year has been discipleship. In some ways, it has been my priority for the past four years, but this year it is at the top of my list. I am trying to learn as much as possible about discipleship while doing it and attempting to lead others to do it too.

While I am only seven months into this venture, I am learning a great deal and wanted to share a few lessons from my journey.

1. Discipleship needs a definition. When we say someone is a disciple, what do we mean? I love Real Life Ministries’ description from Matthew 4:19, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Disciples are people who follow Jesus. He is transforming them (“I will make you”). And they are now on a kingdom mission (“fishers of men”). A simple, clear definition that everyone can remember.
2. Developing daily habits is a must. To grow as a believer, we need to cultivate the routines of daily Bible reading, reflection, and prayer.
3. You have to move past Sunday School answers. The first weeks of developing someone will result in them saying, “Jesus, read the Bible and pray” repeatedly. Moving into a more profound understanding of faith in our lives is a big transition.
4. It takes time. We live in a microwave culture. We want everything, and we want it now. The shortest discipleship material I found is 12 weeks. Still, many are 26 weeks. And one Church is doing a three-year program with great success. It takes time to develop spiritual maturity.
5. There are many facets to discipleship. One-on-one meetings are powerful. But we also need large group worship and preaching. Small groups with up to 20 people also assist in growth. Serving is vital to increasing your faith. It takes more than one thing to grow in the Lord.
6. Poor disciples produce poor disciples. You reproduce what you are. Someone who is an infrequent Church attendee, barely reads their Bible or prays, or is not actively serving in the local Church will produce disciples who behave the same way. You reproduce your strengths and, unfortunately, your weaknesses too.
7. A willing spirit is the key. If someone wants to grow as a believer, they are easy to disciple. Someone willing to listen and learn is a great candidate to become a disciple. A right heart proceeds growth.

There are other things I am learning, but these are the most significant ones I have seen in the past few months. I am definitely growing as a leader through this process. Personally, I did not receive much formal discipleship over my lifetime, and I managed to thrive despite that fact. I hope to make the journey easier for others as they mature spiritually.

One aspect of becoming a Christian is learning the language. They speak frequently regarding prayer, Bible reading, fellowship, and faith. Once someone knows several words and phrases, they are able to converse with other believers and feel like part of the group.

If a person is not careful, they can start talking ABOUT things more than they actually do them.

Some believers I know can spend a long time talking about the power of prayer and all the things that they need to pray for. And never pray.

Some believers can spend hours talking about the truth of the Bible and why it is such an essential book to a believer. And never read more than a verse or two.

Some believers will have long conversations about the importance of fellowship in the Church. And yet they do not place a high value on its gathering.

Some believers are able to expound about the need for discipleship. And never disciple anyone.

There is this trap of being skilled at talking ABOUT the things of faith while never actually doing them. The challenge for every Christian is to spend more time doing the things of God than talking about them.

One mistake I see new believers make is to run out and buy an expensive Bible. We are excited about Jesus and want a Bible reflecting our excitement. The result is that we buy an heirloom quality book that looks impressive.

Then we become cautious with it. The pages are delicate. The binding is expensive. It looks spectacular, and we want it to stay that way. It eventually gets displayed in a prominent place in the house where everyone knows we are Christians.

The problem is that it is not what a new believer (or an old believer either) needs. We need to dive into the Bible, reading, highlighting, making notes, and writing questions.

Some of the best advice I received 20 years ago was to buy a cheap Bible. The person that told me this actually bought them by the box full. Then he would read every page with pen and highlighter in hand. He often focused on a topic like the resurrection or light and highlighted all the passages that said anything about it. When he finished, he threw it in a box and grabbed another. The cheap Bible removed the stigma of messing it up, and he became free to read and use it. 

We want to celebrate our faith in a beautiful way, but a well-worn Bible is worth far more as a family inheritance.   

Church growth in the United States is a delicate balance of numerous facets of ministry. Multiple factors at play impact the local Church that most people never consider.

The size of a building can limit growth, along with the number of seats available. The number of parking spaces and the quality of the parking lot are another factor. The location and distance of the drive that people will have to make for each program. Local community traditions and activities will impact the various ministries a Church tries to offer. There are a myriad of things that affect the way a Church brings the message of Jesus to people today.

I know that God can overcome any of those factors at any time. But, in my experience, it is best to try to sail with the wind of the Spirit than against it. Therefore I am constantly adjusting things in the Church to follow best where God is leading.

There is so much involved in a Church reaching people for Jesus. I wish it were as easy as standing up and saying, “Thus saith the Lord,” but that is rarely the case.  

One simple rule for the Church: Don’t criticize or complain about things you did not participate in.

For example, when someone comes out and says, “The worship music was lousy today,” they usually have no idea what truly happened. Someone had to pick out the songs, and another person found the music in the correct key for the singers. People had to practice, and who knows what their minds and heart are processing. Sound people are trying to get a good mix and relying on their ears and instincts. This is not to mention the pressure of a live performance in front of your peers. Quite literally, a thousand things could go wrong on any Sunday morning. It is much more complicated than it looks.

Your criticism might be valid, but there are numerous reasons for this result. Everyone did their best, and it didn’t go as planned.

Please don’t tell people how poorly they did their ministry when you do not even know what their job entails.

Prayer is talking to God and presenting him with our requests. One of the privileges of following Jesus is our open access to the throne of grace. It is easy for a Christian to stop anywhere and pray anytime.

The problem is that I do not think most believers take it seriously enough. We throw up prayers without thinking about how God might respond.

We might pray to spend more time with our family, never thinking that it might mean my job might change and force me to stay home.

We might pray for God to give us patience and not consider that he might force us to wait in some area of our life that we find unbearable.

We might pray for greater faith, and He might respond by testing the limits of our trust in him through an illness.

We might pray for more robust relationships, and the answer might be forcing ourselves to work through issues with some difficult people.

One prayer might very well set in motion a series of events you never expected.

Be very careful what you pray for … because you just might get it.

I love learning new things. I equally find joy in discovering a unique insight into an old truth.

This desire to grow in knowledge pushes me to read numerous books each year, listen to podcasts weekly, and read blogs daily. People are writing and recording innumerable things that I want to learn.

Jesus pushes us one step further. He says his followers will “hear these words of his and put them into practice” (Matthew 7:24).

The goal of learning is not information but transformation. We are to do more of the things of God and not simply learn about them. A full mind is noble, but a new life is Jesus’ goal.

Two words change the dynamics of any endeavor: “With You.”

Whenever I go fishing, and I say that I want to go “with someone,” then everything changes. I have to make sure they have the appropriate gear, needed supplies and work around their schedule. The experience changes whenever I add another person.

There are thousands of examples. I want to go for a walk versus I want to go for a walk with you. I want to play a game compared to I want to play a game with you. I want to read the Bible is a different job than I want to read the Bible with you. I want to serve the Lord is good, but I want to serve the Lord with you is an entirely different experience.

The Bible is full of passages that teach about our connection to “one another.” There are commands, instructions, encouragements, and challenges to live out our spiritual lives in community.

I am glad you are reading, learning, growing, serving, giving, and leading, but you need to add two words to each project for the whole experience God intended.