David Gomez - Discipleship

Devotional

Day 1: Lacking Nothing in Christ’s Full Provision

The Christian life begins with recognizing our complete sufficiency in Jesus. God’s promise to provide isn’t about temporary needs but the eternal reality that Christ’s sacrifice guarantees every spiritual resource. When believers fixate on perceived shortages—whether time, ability, or opportunity—they forget the Son’s infinite worth. True freedom comes not from scrambling to fill gaps but resting in the One who declared “It is finished.” This foundation fuels mission. [00:51]

“Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:32, NLT)

Reflection: Where do you feel most inadequate for God’s mission? How might embracing Christ’s sufficiency reshape your approach to relationships or responsibilities?

Day 2: Freedom to Walk Where He Leads

Discipleship thrives not in rigid programs but in the Spirit’s unpredictable guidance. Like a hiker trusting a trail’s winding path, believers walk freely when anchored to Christ’s presence. This liberty releases anxiety over outcomes, inviting ordinary moments—coffee chats, commutes, chores—to become sacred ground. The God who turned fishermen into apostles still writes purpose into mundane rhythms. [01:32]

“So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.” (Galatians 5:1, NLT)

Reflection: What fear or obligation keeps you from embracing Christ’s freedom? How could viewing your daily routines as mission fields change your interactions this week?

Day 3: No Greater Joy Than Walking Truth

Disciple-making’s deepest reward comes not in numbers but witnessing transformed lives. Like John rejoicing over spiritual children, believers find fulfillment when others embrace Christ’s truth. This joy sustains through seasons of slow growth, reminding us that eternal investments outlast earthly achievements. Every conversation, prayer, or shared struggle plants seeds for harvests we may never see. [07:46]

“I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.” (3 John 1:4, NLT)

Reflection: Who in your life reflects spiritual growth that brings you joy? How might celebrating their progress deepen your commitment to patient investment?

Day 4: Authority to Walk Three Miles an Hour

Christ’s commission flows from His absolute reign, not human competence. The disciples’ inadequacy—uneducated, ethnocentric, fearful—mirrors our own. Yet the same power that mobilized them equips us to build relationships at life’s pace. Like Jesus walking dusty roads with His followers, disciple-making thrives in shared moments, not rushed programs. Slow obedience remains true obedience. [16:20]

“Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations…Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.’” (Matthew 28:18-20, NLT)

Reflection: Where do you feel unqualified to represent Christ? How might His authority, not your ability, transform your willingness to engage others?

Day 5: Developing Trailblazers for the Next Ridge

True discipleship multiplies as believers equip others to climb higher. Like hikers pointing companions to new vistas, mature Christians help others see beyond immediate challenges to eternal horizons. This requires releasing control, trusting the Spirit to work through imperfect efforts. The trail doesn’t end with us—it extends as we empower others to lead. [46:31]

“You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.” (2 Timothy 2:2, NLT)

Reflection: Who in your sphere needs encouragement to disciple others? What step could you take this month to help them see their potential in God’s mission?

Sermon Summary

The call to make disciples begins with the confidence that followers of Jesus lack nothing. God has given everything needed for the mission in Russell, not because believers are naturally enough, but because Christ has given his authority, his Spirit, and his presence. Freedom in Jesus is not freedom to drift through life without purpose. Freedom is the room to live on mission with joy wherever God has placed a person.

Disciple making is often simpler than people make it. Ordinary conversations with a son facing marriage decisions, or with a friend who feels disconnected from church, can become intentional moments of helping somebody see oneness, identity, grace, and obedience to Christ. Relationships already fill daily life. The question is whether those relationships are being built with love and intention toward Jesus.

The church in America has learned how to gather, but gathering is not the whole mission. The Great Commission sends disciples out to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey everything Christ commanded. A good biblical word matters, but a Sunday gathering alone cannot carry the full weight of disciple making when most people forget nearly all of it within a few days. A reproducing culture grows when disciple making becomes part of normal life, not merely something discussed from the front.

Jesus frames the commission with his own authority and presence. The eleven disciples were ethnocentric, mostly uneducated men being sent to every nation, including people they had been trained to avoid. Christ did not ask them to figure out an impossible mission in their own strength. Christ told them that all authority belonged to him, and he promised to be with them to the end of the age.

Disciple making, then, is a response of faith. God brings people across a person’s path, opens doors, exposes hurts, and gives moments for the gospel to be spoken. The trail up the mountain starts with dependence: praying, preparing through personal obedience, and pursuing relationships as the Spirit leads. The goal is clear: lead people to faith in Jesus and then walk with them toward obedience.

The picture is not a program or a project. People are not projects. Disciple making means walking with people three miles an hour, building deep friendship, displaying the gospel through love and service, discussing the gospel in real conversations, and developing believers to help others follow Christ. Jesus preached to thousands, but he walked closely with a few. The same kind of patient investment becomes one of the greatest joys God gives his people.

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Key Takeaways

1. Christ’s presence changes impossible missions Christ does not send his people out with a vague command and no help. His authority stands above cultural distance, fear, broken families, hard neighbors, and unfamiliar people. His presence means that the believer is never carrying the mission alone. Faith begins by taking seriously what Christ has already promised. [17:12]
2. Disciple making happens in real life Intentional conversations do not need to happen only in a formal Bible study. Marriage decisions, work struggles, parenting questions, golf outings, and painful family situations can all become places where Jesus is made practical. The gospel enters ordinary life because ordinary life is where people carry their deepest questions. Love pays attention to those moments rather than rushing past them. [25:43]
3. People are not ministry projects A disciple is not a number, an outcome, or somebody to finish quickly. Jesus calls his followers friends, and deep friendship takes time, presence, patience, and truth. Walking with someone three miles an hour means caring about the person God has put in front of you. That kind of relationship makes obedience to Christ visible and believable. [39:58]
4. Dependence comes before discipleship effort Prayer is not the small introduction before the real work begins. Dependence on God is the foundation because only God can open hearts, create connections, and bring growth. Personal obedience also matters because disciples can only lead others along paths they are learning to walk themselves. God uses willing vessels, not self-sufficient experts. [34:11]
5. Faithful investment produces lasting joy The deepest joy is not merely seeing a crowd gather or a building grow. The greater joy is seeing spiritual children keep walking in the truth. Patient investment can shape elders, leaders, faithful parents, servants, and disciple makers who keep multiplying Christ’s life into others. God gives that joy through the long work of loving people well.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:22] - Lacking Nothing and Living Free
[01:56] - Disciple Making in Everyday Conversations
[06:44] - No Greater Joy Than Spiritual Children
[09:27] - Gathering Versus Making Disciples
[11:52] - The Conviction Hurdle
[15:51] - The Great Commission and Christ’s Authority
[18:57] - Sent Across Impossible Bridges
[21:12] - Walking With Children in Real Life
[26:43] - God Opens Doors for the Gospel
[31:51] - Building a Personal Disciple Making Culture
[33:14] - The Trail of Dependence and Pursuit
[37:54] - Defining a Disciple
[39:11] - Walking With People Three Miles an Hour
[44:41] - Displaying, Discussing, and Developing

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 28:18–20
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this

Sermon Clips

73s

#FaithFueledMission

“Here's the point. Building your personal disciple making mission, the culture, is first is first and foremost a response to faith. Do you believe that everywhere you go, where you live, in your home, with your family, your extended family, with your neighbors, at your workplace, wherever you go, that you are filled with the spirit of God, and you are filled with this power of presence. And that there's this there is this confidence that God is going to do this, not because I'm great, but because I'm a vessel of this. And he's the one who has said we do this. And so all of a sudden, those great impossibilities, how am I gonna bridge relationships with family neighbors or coworkers or whoever these people might be in your life? You say, I can't, but God can't. He can do that. He will do that as he works through us.”

40s

#ThreeMileDiscipleship

“Disciple making is about deep it's about growing deep friendships with people who want to follow Christ. They may not know how. They may not not understand certain things about their their their walk, or may maybe they don't know Jesus at all. But those those kinds of that kind of investment in making a disciple is about, leading them to obedience, and that builds a friendship. That takes time. That that takes walking with people three miles an hour.”

83s

#LoveServeDevelop

“In that process of walking with people, display the gospel. Right? You love them. You nurture them. You care for them. Right? And God gives you all kinds of opportunities. Right? Maybe it's your neighbor. and and I and I think that that we we tend to be this way too a lot of times. Maybe, you know, they profill, their grass needs to be cut. You you just say, you know what? I'm gonna go out and cut their grass for the next month or two. I think a lot of them do that kind of thing. But there's so many opportunities that God gives you to display the gospels, to just love them. You know? And then to discuss the gospel, he said, have when there's questions and conversations, you know, we we come back to, well, what does Jesus say? This is what I know Jesus said, or this is how I did that because, you know, Christ tells me this. And we come back to those gospel conversations. And then the word last word there, develop. Right? Once they come to Christ and they're they're, you know, living a life of obedience, then you begin to develop them as those who make disciples of of other. Other people.”

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