Faith Baptist Church
07/13/25 Dwell Richly Bible Study

  • What is the chief purpose in life for a believer?

    The pathway to joy, fulfillment, meaning and flourishing?
    To know, love, and serve God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
    Mark 12:29–30 ESV
    29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
    Know God, Love God, and Serve God!
    John 15:9–11 ESV
    9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
    Summarizing those ideas, I want to argue that the ultimate means to making a difference in this world is for you to make disciples.
    Matthew 28:19–20 “19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””
    This is what the life a Christian who truly wants to be on the pathway to joy, fulfillment and meaning- be a disciple who make disciples.

    What does making a disciple mean?

    Get answers!
    “Making adult disciples is extraordinarily difficult.” Agree/Disagree? Why?
    “The primary reason is that their worldview has already been established and, according to the research, changes very little, if at all, after the age of thirteen.”
    What is a worldview?
    Iceberg Illustration
    Cultural Iceberg
    Worldview = an understanding of life that influences every decision we make. A biblical worldview judges every option you face in light of scriptural truths and commands.
    “By the age of thirteen, most people’s worldview is so deeply formed that it rarely endures significant change.”
    Luke 18:27 “27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.””
    “A person’s worldview starts developing in the fifteen-month to eighteen-month age range and is largely in place by the age of thirteen.”
    How should that data influence our thinking about making disciples?
    “If a biblical worldview foundation is not in place by a person’s thirteenth birthday, they are highly unlikely to become a devoted and passionate follower of Jesus Christ before they die.”
    Fact: 2/3rds of all Americans who ever accept Jesus Christ as their Savior do so before the age of thirteen.

    The Grand Calling

    Four components:

    1. The Great Commission

    Not merely a command for evangelism- it is a command to make disciples. It involves transforming worldviews! It is the process of spiritual reproduction.

    2. The Great Commandment

    President Donald Trump is famous for saying “America first.” Jesus proclaims that believers must be “God first.”
    How do the Great Commission and the Great Commandment connect to each other?
    How do we tangibly express our love for God? By joyfully obeying His expressed will—to make disciples.

    3. The Great Commitment

    Can you be a truly disciple if you merely agree with the “rightness” of the previous two points?
    “The Great Commitment is about agreeing with the Great Commission and Great Commandment do profoundly that you rebuild your life around them—and the evidence of that commitment is irrefutable for all to see and experience.”
    This might be one of the most important ideas for being a disciple-making parent, for raising spiritual champions. Why?
    It is not enough to say you have a biblical worldview. “People’s lifestyle puts their belief systems on public display. Remember, you do what you believe, so your moment-to-moment activity is the best indicator of what you truly believe.”
    Will your kids pick up on what you truly believe?
    How will that effect the development of their worldview?

    4. The Great Consignment

    What does the word consignment mean?
    How does that relate to raising our children?
    The children we raise today will be the future leaders of the church.
    Ready or not, we will one day consign leadership to the children of our church.
    Children are our primary eternal legacy.
    Who is primarily responsible for discipling your children?
    Who is best positioned to disciple your children?
    How well you disciple them now will determine the direction, strength, and impact on the body of Christ for decades to come.
    Parents, discipling your children is your primary responsibility in life.
    What if you don’t have children?
    What is the church’s role is discipling children?
    How important is the church in discipling your children?
    What ways does the church equip and help parents in this role? How much do we utilize this?
    Our goal is to raise spiritual champions- children who are fully devoted to imitating the life of Christ—thinking like Him, acting like Him, and living for Him.

    Evidence of the Discipled Children

    The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University conducted a national sample of teenagers, ages thirteen to fourteen, regarding the elements of their worldview.
    36% believe that God exists and is the all-knowing, all-powerful Creator of the universe.
    43% don’t know if there is a God, don’t believe in His existence, or don’t care one way or the other.
    61% either believe Jesus Christ sinned while He was on Earth or hold open the possibility that He did.
    70% either reject the existence of Satan or don’t know if he exists.
    45% believe that God created the universe.
    31% accept the teaching that the universe and everything in it was designed, created, and is sustained by God.
    10% reject the idea that moral truth is always relative to the individual and their circumstances.
    90% believe that there are no absolute moral truths that are impervious to conditions and personal preferences.
    27% identify God as the basis of all truth, as revealed in the Bible.
    18% define God as their most likely source of guidance when making decisions.
    31% believe that the Bible is the true and reliable words of God.
    17% agree that people are born into sin and can only be saved from the consequences of sin by the forgiveness available through Jesus Christ.
    21% believe they will live with God in eternity (nearly twice as many believe that reincarnation is a real possibility)
    26% see the purpose of their life as knowing, loving, and serving God
    17% define success as obeying God.
    28% believe that God’s plan for humanity if based upon families, that He considers family to be the marriage of one man to one woman, and that any other configuration for marriage or sexual intimacy is sinful.
    8% believe that their wealth is from God to be managed for the advancement of His kingdom.
    49% describe themselves as Christians!
    How? They define being a Christian as being a basically good person.
    11% acknowledge their sins and seek God’s forgiveness.
    12% read or study the Bible outside of church.
    18% pray to God.
    19% seek to know and do God’s will.
    20% intentionally thank, praise, or worship God apart from church events.
    That means less that 1% of thirteen- and fourteen-year-old Americans have a biblical worldview.

    Doing What Works in Disciple-Making

    What Parents Prioritize- And How It’s Working

    Parents and Worldview

    Changing Our Approach

      • Mark 12:29–30NASB95

      • John 15:9–11NASB95

Faith Baptist Church
faith@fbcocon.org
262-567-0040
http://www.fbcocon.org
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