Next Step Christian Church
Worship 3/7/26
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  • Stir In Me
  • In The Secret
  • Reign In Us
  • Sit Enthroned
  • What is a disciple of Jesus? How do we know when we are being one and making one? Jesus’ first command to his disciples is to “Follow.” First and foremost, a disciple is one who has been called to “follow” by Jesus and has said “yes.” There are more marks of a disciple we will explore, but this is the most literal, most obvious, and most critical. Do you follow Jesus? Going where he goes, doing as he does? Yes.

    Ghost in the Graveyard

    Every Wednesday a big part of youth group is having fun playing some ridiculous games. This week the winner of the last game got to pick the next game and we would play that for a few rounds, speed mode.
    So someone picks “Ghost in the Graveyard.”
    “Okay, everyone to the wall. Start counting.” and they all start counting “one o’clock, two o’clock…” all the way to “Midnight!” and they go running to find who is hiding in the creepy darkness.
    Two rounds in, a new friend to youth group, goes “Wait, what are we doing?”
    No idea how to play, just wandering around trying to do the right thing, counting when other folks count, running when other folks run.
    I love it. Kind of a metaphor for life there.
    … but if you want to really play, you have to know how. What are the rules, what is the point?

    Is This Making Disciples?

    It is critically important that IF we are to be and make disciples… that we KNOW when we are disciples, and when we are making disciples… and that we can recognize a disciple when we see one.
    For example: one easy misconception?
    When I love people, is that making disciples?
    When I share the good news of Jesus, is that making disciples?

    Loving people > Proclaiming the Gospel > Disciple Making

    Disciple Making is always Proclaiming the Gospel and is always Loving to People.
    However, Loving People is not always Proclaiming the Gospel and Proclaiming is not always Disciple Making.
    Loving people is good, we are commanded to love all, always, enemies and neighbors, love as he first loved us. Loving folks will lead to disciple making (because we love them), disciple making requires that we love the folks we are discipling… but just loving on people is not always disciple making.
    Proclaiming the Gospel, the good news of Jesus, is something we are called and commanded to do. Whether folks hear or not, respond or not, we are faithful to bring Jesus into the conversation, to point to him, to announce his love and his Kingdom. You cannot make disciples of Jesus without Proclaiming the Gospel… and you will continually Proclaim the Gospel as you are engaged in discipleship making, for every command of Jesus is Good News… but just proclaiming the gospel is not always disciple making.
    You can love on someone whether they see it or not, receive it or not, like it or not. It is still faithfulness, it is a victory.
    You can proclaim the gospel whether someone sees it or not, receives it or not… it is still faithfulness, it is a victory.
    Disciple making… it actually matters what and how the other person responds and what they do.
    Let’s say I am throwing a party. I want to invite ALL the people, everybody’s welcome, I am so inclusive and welcoming, I love everyone. On the invitation, on the posters we put up everywhere, “Everyone Welcome, We Love All Y’all!”
    Then I ask you to help, can you put up these posters all over town, share on socials, spread the word.
    Then the day of the party comes.
    Regardless of how many folks are in the room: was I “loving”? Was I inclusive and welcoming? Yes.
    Regardless of how many folks are in the room: were you faithful in inviting folks in? The proof there is in all the posters and social posts, right?
    But how many people are in the room? Actually in the room? That’s a different question, it’s a pretty clear count, though.
    Disciples are those in the room.
    In particular: disciples of Jesus follow Jesus. Disciples of you follow you as you follow Jesus.
    NOT about keeping score, or feeling bad, or “it only counts” if people make it “to the party.” We count victory in Loving on Others, Victory in Going, in Proclaiming, we count victory in Faithfulness… because that’s how Jesus taught us to do it.
    AND we count victory in making disciples, and we want to recognize that fruit when we see it too.
    So, the first and primary Mark of a Disciple:
    (It’s also the first lesson in the “A Journey with Jesus” series, Lesson One of “Fishers of Men”)

    Disciples of Jesus Follow

    We read this one a few weeks ago, but it’s good, and it captures the vision of Jesus calling all his disciples.
    Matthew 4:18–22 ESV
    18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
    And another I have to add because it’s my favorite one:
    Matthew 9:9 ESV
    9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
    … and then he threw a Matthew party, a party at his house with all his other sinner/outcast friends who needed Jesus.
    This is the first and primary definition of a disciple of Jesus.

    Jesus calls, disciples Follow.

    The early church called their developing movement “The Way” which is even more concise. Those following the Way, “Follow” is right in their. And Jesus called himself “the Way,” it isn’t just chasing after where Jesus is on the road, he IS the road, the Way, the Truth and the Light.
    But disciples follow. If Jesus had not called, or they didn’t heart, or they didn’t follow, they would not be disciples.
    If Jesus hadn’t called, and they followed, they would be a stalker. ;). But Jesus says it isn’t possible to follow Him unless He first knew us and called us.
    But Jesus called, and they did follow, and they kept following, and they’re still following Jesus. That’s a disciple.
    Disciple literally means “learner”, but it is a special kind of learner. A student following the rabbi, apprenticed to the rabbi, learning to be as he is, learn what he knows, do as he does.

    Can someone choose to NOT follow?

    Some people get so locked up in their thinking around the power of God and “his call” and “election” and “predestination”… can someone even choose NOT to follow if Jesus calls?
    Classic example comes to mind in the rich young ruler.
    Matthew 19:21–22 ESV
    21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
    And we assume, because of the “sorrow” that the young man did NOT follow Jesus, did NOT obey, and thus did NOT become a disciple. In fact, I think that would be an AWESOME story to tell later if he did, I’d love to hear it, but this is one of many who refuse to follow.
    We will hear more even clearer examples in a bit.
    This can be a great mystery when we start thinking in terms of God’s foreknowledge, predestination, “those whom he foreknew he also predestined… and those he called, and those he justified.”
    But Scripture appears to have NO problem representing the what in every way appears to be free choice of humans to answer Jesus, to follow or not follow AND put that together with predestination.

    Can a “disciple” stop following?

    John 6:65–66 ESV
    65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” 66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.
    Note the words. Many of his… what? Disciples. They were disciples, then they no longer walked with him, and so then they were not disciples.
    (Then, “will you leave too?” “Where else can we go? You have the Words of life!”)

    Disciple vs. Christian vs. “Saved”

    We get confused on these terms and there have been fights in Church History over the precise definitions and timing of these things.
    That’s dumb.
    Two of these words are barely Biblical.
    The first “Christians” is used by enemies of the church who don’t know what to call this group of Gentiles and Jews in Antioch who love this “Christ” guy so they call them “little Christs.” And the name catches on. It isn’t a bad name, what a privilege to be called by the name of Christ, a reflection of him… everyone needs a little Jesus.
    If that’s what people meant by “Christian” it would be great, and I have no hesitation to call myself a Christian, but there is a WHOLE lot of noise about who “is” and who “isn’t” a Christian and some it is theological, some of it is cultural, historical… but none of it is Biblical.
    Here is a Biblical word, kind of, and it is often what “Christian” or “non-Christian” is code for. Are they “saved?”
    And we usually talked about it as a transactional one-time event… but that isn’t the way Scripture talks about it.
    Scripture freely uses past, present and future. We were saved by the blood of Jesus on the cross. We were saved by faith when we said “yes” to Jesus. You “have been” saved. (Rom 8:24, Eph 2:8-9)
    Scripture freely uses present, we are being saved, (1 Cor 1:18, Phil 2:12)
    and Scripture freely uses future, we will be saved (1 Peter 1:5, Rom 5:9-10, Matt 10;22, 1 Tim 4:16), those who endure to the end.
    Salvation is past, present, and future, an ongoing work of God through history, present and eternity… and our attempts to collapse it to a moment and put it in a box are pretty silly.
    Especially in light of this: what is our action, our response, our responsibility?
    Turn (repent) and follow Jesus. Be a disciple.
    A disciple follows Jesus. And if they are truly following Jesus (it really is Jesus), and they are following (submitting to Him as Lord, Master, Boss, etc…) all these other “marks” we look for will inevitably come.
    Are all disciples “Saved”? Yes, in every possible meaning of that word, past, present and future.
    If someone was “Saved” or was “Christian” but is not an “active disciple”… are they “Saved?” (By which we really mean “are they going to heaven?”)
    The real answer to “are you in” is does Jesus say you’re in. If the King says you are in, you’re in.
    Now we guess as to what Jesus is going to say. I don’t believe Jesus is going to drag anyone into heaven who does not want to be there. He says “follow me” and you say “no” he says “ok.”
    How many chances do you get, when do those chances stop, when is your last chance, I don’t know, I have ideas, and there are some clues, but ultimately Jesus is the Master and the Boss.
    I’ll say this: there is no distinction given to us in Scripture of “inactive disciples”. We have two categories in our heads: Christians who aren’t like actively disciples right now, so they still have heavenly insurance, but you wouldn’t know it to look at them.
    There are those who follow, are following, and those who don’t.
    Choosing who gets in and who doesn’t isn’t your job. Jesus does that. He knows the heart, sees the heart, has all the tools and all the wisdom to make that decision perfectly… and He wants everyone who can POSSIBLY stand heaven to be there.
    Choosing who gets in is His job.
    Your job, our Co-Mission with one another, with Jesus, is to make disciples, baptizing them, teaching them everything Jesus commands.
    Mark of the disciple - literally and obviously following Jesus, going where He goes, doing as He does.
    Spoiler alert, you are looking at the outline of our next weeks of sermons.
    Discipleship Marks:
    Disciples Follow
    Disciples Love
    Disciples Abide and Obey
    Disciples Carry Crosses
    Disciples Believe
    Disciples are Filled with the Spirit
    These will help us understand what a disciple is. To recognize when we are being disciples and making disciples.
    It all follows from the first: Disciples Follow. Who do they follow? They follow Jesus… and they follow other disciples who are following Jesus.

    Baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

    So that finally brings us to the “other” part of the Great Commission.
    Matthew 28:19–20 ESV
    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.”
    What is the “first thing” we are to after “making a disciple?” Baptize them.
    When someone hears the call of Jesus on their life, when they say “Yes” to Jesus, we start looking for a body of water.
    It is a standing stone, a life landmark, a declaration to friends and family: “I follow Jesus! Jesus is my Lord and Savior.”
    “I repent of my old life, I turn from it, I am united with Jesus in his death and so united with him in resurrected life!”
    It is a POWERFUL symbol, a declaration to ourselves, our community, and to heaven, that we are His, disciples indeed!
    The “name” in which we are baptized is important, because it signifies who we are following:
    Acts 19:3–6 ESV
    3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.

    Be a disciple: Follow Jesus?

    At the risk of belaboring something you already know, but in order to make this absolutely crystal clear in our heads and hearts. I want to walk through this.
    Be a disciple of Jesus
    All that we do here is bent towards this purpose. Listening to Jesus, learning to recognize His voice. Learning his actions so we can do as He does.
    Spotting Jesus as He leads, calling each other to it, discipling one another as he leads us.
    In Worship, In Service, In Prayer, In Preaching and Teaching, In Listening, and all of it in the Spirit, we follow Jesus.
    And when we leave this room, we don’t stop following Jesus. That’s where it gets real. And beautiful.

    Make disciples who Follow Jesus?

    We love and that invites folks to follow Jesus.
    We proclaim the gospel, the good news of how life is in Jesus’ Kingdom. The invitation of the cross to freedom from sin and guilt. The invitation of the tomb to freedom from death.
    We proclaim the gospel: the invitation to follow Jesus.
    And some will say yes. How amazing is that. What a crazy privilege to be even a small part of a soul being transferred from death to life.
    We don’t and we can’t make anyone do that. We don’t. We can’t.
    In fact, to all appearances, even God doesn’t make any, force anyone to follow. It is an invitation to the free will, an invitation of love to love: to follow Jesus.
    We give the invitation, just as Jesus did, and we see who hears and who follows.
    And then, to those who follow, we help show the Way. The Way of Jesus.
    Our method? We teach the commands of Jesus. What they are, how to live them, not as an act of legalism, to live out of the radical and beautiful freedom Jesus has purchased for them, created in them. The righteousness of Jesus lived out loud.
    Even as we are learning it ourselves, we teach others how to follow Jesus.
    A friend told me this week, that I was a part of his Jesus story, a part of him getting to know Jesus, love Jesus, trust Jesus, follow Jesus.
    You ever get punched in the face by beauty? What a crazy and beautiful privilege to get to do that for one another. To follow our Lord, and beckon those we love, “come on, I see him, it’s SO good, let’s follow!”

    Follow to the Cross… and on to Easter

    I’ll tell you all, Easter is coming. While we walk the road of the Cross today, Resurrection and Life to the Fullest and Life Forever is coming.
    Follow Jesus to the Spirit, to Life, to the Cross, to Resurrection.

      • Matthew 4:18–22NIV

      • Matthew 9:9NIV

      • Matthew 19:21–22NIV

      • John 6:65–66NIV

      • Matthew 28:19–20NIV

      • Acts 19:3–6NIV

  • I Have Decided To Follow Jesus
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Next Step Christian Church
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