Embracing the Cost and Joy of Disciple-Making

Devotional

Day 1: The Call to Invest Deeply in Others

In our journey of faith, we are called to not only be disciples of Jesus but to actively engage in the work of disciple-making. This involves a deep commitment to following Jesus, denying ourselves, and taking up our cross. Jesus' life exemplified this as he invested significantly in a few individuals who would later lead the church. His ministry was not just about personal holiness but about preparing others to carry on his mission. This is the essence of disciple-making: investing in others so they can, in turn, invest in others. [02:48]

Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV): "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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Reflection: Who are the individuals in your life that you can intentionally invest in spiritually? How can you begin to share your life and the gospel with them this week?

Day 2: Embracing the Costs of Disciple-Making

Disciple-making requires us to embrace significant costs, including time, energy, and attention. In today's world, we face numerous distractions and pressures that can divert us from this essential task. The culture of mass production and the allure of quick fixes often lead us away from the slow, intentional work of life-on-life disciple-making. Yet, this is the work that truly advances the gospel. It demands that we be honest about these costs and willing to pay them for the sake of the gospel. This work is not glamorous but is deeply rewarding. [06:20]

Luke 14:28-30 (ESV): "For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’"

Reflection: What are the specific costs you need to embrace in your life to engage in disciple-making? How can you prepare yourself to willingly pay these costs for the sake of the gospel?

Day 3: Experiencing the Joy of Disciple-Making

The joy that comes from seeing others grow in their faith is unparalleled. This joy is not in competition with our joy in Jesus but is an expression and completion of it. It is a joy that we would not taste without engaging in the hard work of disciple-making. As we invest in others, we experience a unique joy that is commensurate with the depth of our investment. This joy is deeply rewarding and is a testament to the transformative power of the gospel in the lives of others. [41:13]

3 John 1:4 (ESV): "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you experienced joy from seeing someone grow in their faith. How can you cultivate more opportunities for this joy by investing in others?

Day 4: Intentional and Relational Investment

Disciple-making is about personal, intentional, and relational investment in the spiritual growth of a few. This process is akin to spiritual parenting, where we guide and nurture others in their faith journey. It involves sharing not just the gospel but our very lives with others, as Paul did with the Thessalonians. This work is costly, requiring us to give of ourselves continually, but it is also deeply rewarding. The slow, intentional work of life-on-life disciple-making is essential for gospel advancement. [14:28]

1 Thessalonians 2:8 (ESV): "So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us."

Reflection: Who in your life can you begin to invest in relationally and intentionally? What steps can you take to share not just the gospel but your life with them?

Day 5: Overcoming Barriers to Disciple-Making

Many of us know what we should do in disciple-making but are held back by the costs. By God's Spirit and through His Word, we can overcome these barriers and embrace the peculiar glory of disciple-making, trusting that God will supply the strength we need. The work of disciple-making is not about mass production; it's about personal, intentional, and relational investment in the spiritual growth of a few. This process is time-consuming but essential for gospel advancement. [05:12]

2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV): "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."

Reflection: What barriers are currently holding you back from engaging in disciple-making? How can you rely on God's Spirit to overcome these barriers and embrace the work of disciple-making?

Sermon Summary

In our journey of faith, we are called not only to be disciples of Jesus but also to engage in the profound and challenging work of disciple-making. This involves a deep commitment to following Jesus, denying ourselves, and taking up our cross. Jesus' life exemplified this as he invested significantly in a few individuals who would later lead the church. His ministry was not just about personal holiness but about preparing others to carry on his mission. This is the essence of disciple-making: investing in others so they can, in turn, invest in others.

In today's world, we face numerous distractions and pressures that can divert us from this essential task. The culture of mass production and the allure of quick fixes often lead us away from the slow, intentional work of life-on-life disciple-making. Yet, this is the work that truly advances the gospel. It requires us to embrace the costs, which include sacrificing time, energy, and attention. It demands that we be honest about these costs and willing to pay them for the sake of the gospel.

Disciple-making is not about mass production; it's about personal, intentional, and relational investment in the spiritual growth of a few. This process is akin to spiritual parenting, where we guide and nurture others in their faith journey. It involves sharing not just the gospel but our very lives with others, as Paul did with the Thessalonians. This work is costly, requiring us to give of ourselves continually, but it is also deeply rewarding. The joy that comes from seeing others grow in their faith and walk in the truth is unparalleled.

The costs of disciple-making are significant, but the rewards are even greater. As we invest in others, we experience a unique joy that is commensurate with the depth of our investment. This joy is not in competition with our joy in Jesus but is an expression and completion of it. It is a joy that we would not taste without engaging in the hard work of disciple-making. Therefore, let us embrace this calling with renewed vision and resolve, trusting that God will supply the strength we need to carry it out.

Key Takeaways

1. Making:** Jesus calls us not only to be disciples but to make disciples, investing deeply in a few as he did. This involves sharing our lives and the gospel with others, guiding them in their spiritual growth. This is a costly but essential aspect of following Jesus. [02:48]
2. Embracing the Costs: Disciple-making requires us to embrace significant costs, including time, energy, and attention. It demands that we be honest about these costs and willing to pay them for the sake of the gospel. This work is not glamorous but is deeply rewarding.

3. The Joy of Disciple-Making: The joy that comes from seeing others grow in their faith is unparalleled. This joy is not in competition with our joy in Jesus but is an expression and completion of it. It is a joy that we would not taste without engaging in the hard work of disciple-making.

4. Intentional and Relational Investment: Disciple-making is about personal, intentional, and relational investment in the spiritual growth of a few. It is akin to spiritual parenting, where we guide and nurture others in their faith journey. This process is time-consuming but essential for gospel advancement.

5. Overcoming Barriers: Many of us know what we should do in disciple-making but are held back by the costs. By God's Spirit and through His Word, we can overcome these barriers and embrace the peculiar glory of disciple-making, trusting that God will supply the strength we need.

** [02:48]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:10] - Embracing the Cost of Discipleship
[00:49] - The Call to Disciple-Making
[01:21] - Jesus' Model of Ministry
[02:00] - Investing in the Few
[02:48] - The Overlap of Life
[03:24] - Beyond Personal Holiness
[04:11] - Pressures and Distractions
[05:12] - Overcoming Barriers
[06:20] - The Sacrifices of Disciple-Making
[07:29] - Bearing Fruit Through Sacrifice
[08:14] - What is Disciple-Making?
[09:26] - The Process of Teaching
[10:18] - The Great Commission
[11:06] - The Role of Pastors and Leaders
[12:21] - The Importance of Teaching
[13:39] - Creating a Disciple-Making Culture
[14:28] - Spiritual Parenting
[16:20] - Content, Intent, and Context
[19:35] - Sharing Our Lives
[20:38] - The Costs of Disciple-Making
[23:36] - Sharing in Suffering
[25:42] - Opposition and Persecution
[26:15] - The Cost of Attention
[28:14] - Pleasing Others
[30:21] - Perseverance and Obedience
[32:06] - The Energy Investment
[34:18] - The Hardworking Farmer
[35:28] - Taking Initiative
[37:58] - The Cost of Time
[39:33] - The Joy of Giving
[41:13] - The Joy of Disciple-Making
[44:41] - Christian Hedonics
[46:05] - No Greater Joy

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

Matthew 28:18-20
2 Timothy 2:1-7
1 Thessalonians 2:8

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Observation Questions:

According to Matthew 28:18-20, what are the two main components of the Great Commission that Jesus gives to His disciples?
In 2 Timothy 2:1-7, what are the three metaphors Paul uses to describe the nature of disciple-making, and what do they imply about the process?
How does 1 Thessalonians 2:8 illustrate the relational aspect of disciple-making as described in the sermon? [19:51]
What specific actions did Jesus take to invest in His disciples, as mentioned in the sermon? [02:14]

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Interpretation Questions:

How does the call to make disciples in Matthew 28:18-20 extend beyond mere evangelism, according to the sermon? [09:26]
What does the metaphor of a soldier in 2 Timothy 2:3-4 suggest about the challenges and focus required in disciple-making?
In what ways does the sermon suggest that the joy of disciple-making complements rather than competes with our joy in Jesus? [41:13]
How does the concept of "spiritual parenting" in 1 Thessalonians 2:8 challenge our understanding of disciple-making? [14:44]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on your current commitments. Are there any distractions or pressures that are preventing you from engaging in disciple-making? How can you address these distractions this week? [04:11]
Consider the costs of disciple-making mentioned in the sermon, such as time, energy, and attention. Which of these costs do you find most challenging, and how can you begin to embrace them for the sake of the gospel? [06:20]
Identify one person in your life whom you can invest in spiritually. What steps can you take this week to begin or deepen that relationship? [14:28]
The sermon mentions the importance of sharing not just the gospel but our lives with others. What is one practical way you can share your life with someone you are discipling? [19:51]
How can you cultivate the joy of disciple-making in your life, even when the process is difficult or slow? What specific actions can you take to remind yourself of the joy that comes from seeing others grow in their faith? [41:13]
Reflect on the barriers you face in disciple-making. How can you rely on God's Spirit and His Word to overcome these barriers? [05:12]
Think about a time when you experienced joy from investing in someone else's spiritual growth. How can that experience motivate you to continue in the work of disciple-making? [41:13]

Sermon Clips

In our journey of faith, we are called not only to be disciples of Jesus but also to engage in the profound and challenging work of disciple-making. This involves a deep commitment to following Jesus, denying ourselves, and taking up our cross. Jesus' life exemplified this as he invested significantly in a few individuals who would later lead the church. [00:00:49]

Jesus was willing to bless the masses but what drove his Ministry was investing in the few who would lead the church after his inimitable death and resurrection and return to his father. Jesus own life was not one merely focused on personal Holiness and uninterrupted focus with his father. [00:02:48]

We live in a day of ceaseless distraction. We're programmed now to think mass production and to look for the next life hack. It may be obvious what we really should be doing in Ministry and what's wisest in terms of where to put what basket to put our eggs in, but we're being carried in another Direction. [00:03:54]

By God's spirit and through God's word that we would be helped to get over our hurdles not by hiding the costs of disciple-making but by being utterly honest and explicit about the cost and holding them out in the light for all of us to see them and look at them. [00:05:09]

Disciple-making is costly. It's not rocket science. Our main barrier isn't that we don't know enough but that we're not willing to absorb the cost of what it takes. And father your son said that unless the kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains alone, but if it dies it Bears much fruit. [00:07:11]

Disciple-making is about personal attention and guidance from one spiritual generation to the next, or you could call it spiritual parenting. The longer I have been a parent, the more fitting it is, I think, to talk about disciple-making as spiritual parenting. You don't mass-produce parenting, right? [00:14:28]

Disciple-making often feels like a long lap around a big stadium, and it would be so much easier to cut a shortcut across the infield. There's a great temptation to cut Corners by constructing mechanism after mechanism and program after program from mass-producing disciples, but disciples who make disciples aren't mass-produced. [00:30:21]

Disciple-making is costly because it requires giving, giving, giving, giving time, giving energy, giving attention, taking initiative, making sacrifices, being in convenience, losing privacy, shedding tears. Disciple-making means sharing our own self, spending and being spent, giving, giving, giving. [00:39:33]

The heart of the disciple says it makes me happier for you to have my time, for you to have my energy, for you to have my attention, for you to have my initiative. It makes me happy, happier for you to have it than for me to keep it for myself. [00:39:33]

There is a kind of joy that is commensurate with the investment of your life at depth in a few that you will not taste without disciple-making. So let me give you three little tastes of it here as we close. First one is second is uh 1 Thessalonians chapter 2: 19 to 20. [00:41:13]

Paul has been so deeply connected with them that he experiences a kind of Joy he otherwise would not experience by investing in them and seeing them do well in the Lord. So that's what he says in verse 10 verse 9 he talks about all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God. [00:44:41]

I have no Greater Joy the apostle John says than to hear that my children are walking in the Faith No Greater Joy if I would have been standing there with the a with the Apostle John it's a good thing I wasn't right and he said I have no Greater Joy and he paused. [00:46:05]

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Embracing the Cost and Joy of Disciple-Making

Devotional

Day 1: The Call to Invest Deeply in Others

Day 2: Embracing the Costs of Disciple-Making

Day 3: Experiencing the Joy of Disciple-Making

Day 4: Intentional and Relational Investment

Day 5: Overcoming Barriers to Disciple-Making

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Embracing the Cost and Joy of Disciple-Making

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