Embracing the Mandate of Authentic Discipleship
Summary
### Summary
Good morning, everyone. Today, we explored the profound truth that discipleship is our mandate. We began with a story about finding precious stones in a muddy estuary, symbolizing how God places valuable lessons and promises in our messy lives. This led us into our series on kingdom culture values, focusing on the power of prayer and the importance of responsibility, discipline, and obedience in partnering with God.
We then delved into the essence of discipleship, which is about growing in our identity and maturing into our calling to become Christ-like. Discipleship is not just about personal growth but also about replicating Jesus in others. At Harmony, we believe God is stirring a new discipleship movement, calling us to authentic and genuine discipleship.
We discussed the critical role of love in discipleship. Jesus summarized the entire Torah with two commandments: love God and love your neighbor. These two are inseparable, and our love for others is a direct reflection of our love for God. Discipleship is essentially the process of learning to love well, and our lack of love can tarnish the image of God.
A poignant story was shared about a prophet who, after experiencing death, was asked by Jesus, "Did you learn to love?" This question underscores the ultimate measure of our lives and discipleship. We also touched on the failures of prominent Christian leaders due to a lack of discipleship and accountability, emphasizing the need for transparency and community.
Discipleship involves being known and knowing others deeply. It’s about breaking down the compartmentalized lives we often lead and allowing our true selves to be seen and transformed. True discipleship is not pretty or comfortable; it’s a process that involves conflict, vulnerability, and the refining fire of God’s love.
Finally, we were called to respond to this mandate by committing to being disciples and disciple-makers. This involves stepping forward, both literally and figuratively, into the journey of discipleship and inviting others to join us.
### Key Takeaways
1. God's Precious Promises in Our Messy Lives: Just as precious stones can be found in a muddy estuary, God places valuable lessons and promises in our messy lives. These treasures remind us of our eternal destiny and His faithfulness, encouraging us to hold onto His promises even in difficult times. [01:04:27]
2. Discipleship as a Mandate: Discipleship is about growing in our identity and maturing into our calling to become Christ-like. It involves intentional action and direction, not passive waiting. By partnering with God through responsibility, discipline, and obedience, we align ourselves with His purposes. [01:06:15]
3. The Inseparability of Loving God and Loving People: Jesus taught that loving God and loving our neighbor are interconnected and inseparable. Our love for others is a direct reflection of our love for God. True discipleship involves learning to love well, as love is the defining feature of a disciple. [01:11:55]
4. The Ultimate Question: Did You Learn to Love?: A prophet's vision of standing before Jesus and being asked, "Did you learn to love?" highlights the ultimate measure of our lives. All our deeds and accomplishments pale in comparison to the importance of love. This question challenges us to reflect on whether we have truly manifested God's love to others. [01:13:58]
5. The Necessity of Accountability and Community: The failures of prominent Christian leaders due to a lack of discipleship and accountability underscore the need for transparency and community. We must allow our hearts to be known and be willing to be discipled by others. True discipleship involves being vulnerable and embracing the refining process of God's love. [01:19:34]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[01:04:27] - Finding Precious Stones in Messy Lives
[01:05:41] - Kingdom Culture Values: Prayer and Prophecy
[01:06:45] - Discipleship as Our Mandate
[01:07:47] - Growing Sons and Daughters to Release the Kingdom
[01:08:48] - The Role of Prophecy in Discipleship
[01:09:51] - The Process of Being Loved and Learning to Love
[01:10:58] - Compartmentalizing Loving God and Loving People
[01:11:55] - The Inseparability of Loving God and Loving People
[01:13:01] - Love as the Defining Feature of a Disciple
[01:13:58] - The Ultimate Question: Did You Learn to Love?
[01:15:19] - The Vision of the Prophet and the Billion Soul Harvest
[01:16:35] - Loving the Least of These
[01:17:24] - The Need for Accountability and Community
[01:19:34] - The Consequences of Lack of Discipleship
[01:21:27] - The Importance of Being Known
[01:23:23] - Iron Sharpens Iron: The Brutal Process of Discipleship
[01:25:49] - Embracing Conflict and Vulnerability
[01:27:18] - The Call to Be Known and to Know Others
[01:29:49] - The Mandate to Make Disciples
[01:31:16] - The Great Commission
[01:32:24] - Responding to the Call of Discipleship
[01:34:51] - Stepping Forward into Discipleship
[01:41:03] - Prayer for New Believers and Disciples
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)
> Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
2. John 13:34-35 (NIV)
> “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
3. Matthew 25:34-36 (NIV)
> “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”
#### Observation Questions
1. What are the two greatest commandments according to Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40?
2. How does Jesus say people will recognize His disciples in John 13:34-35?
3. In Matthew 25:34-36, what actions does Jesus highlight as evidence of loving "the least of these"?
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why does Jesus link loving God with loving your neighbor in Matthew 22:37-40? How are these two commandments interconnected? [01:11:55]
2. How does the story of the prophet who experienced death and was asked, "Did you learn to love?" challenge our understanding of discipleship? [01:13:58]
3. What does the necessity of accountability and community in discipleship reveal about the nature of true Christian fellowship? [01:19:34]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you found a "precious stone" in a messy situation in your life. How did this experience help you hold onto God's promises? [01:04:27]
2. Discipleship involves intentional action and direction. What steps can you take this week to actively partner with God through responsibility, discipline, and obedience? [01:06:15]
3. Jesus taught that loving God and loving people are inseparable. Identify one person in your life whom you find difficult to love. How can you show them God's love this week? [01:11:55]
4. The prophet's vision emphasized the importance of learning to love. How can you measure your growth in love over the past year? What changes can you make to better reflect God's love? [01:13:58]
5. Accountability and community are crucial in discipleship. Who in your life can you be more transparent with to foster deeper discipleship? How can you initiate this conversation? [01:19:34]
6. True discipleship involves vulnerability and conflict. Think of a recent conflict you experienced. How can you approach it with a heart of discipleship and love? [01:25:49]
7. The call to be a disciple and a disciple-maker is clear. Identify one person you can disciple or mentor. What practical steps will you take to start this journey with them? [01:32:24]
Devotional
Day 1: Finding God's Promises in Our Messy Lives
In our daily lives, we often find ourselves in situations that feel chaotic and overwhelming, much like a muddy estuary. However, just as precious stones can be discovered in such a place, God places valuable lessons and promises within our messes. These treasures are reminders of our eternal destiny and His unwavering faithfulness. They encourage us to hold onto His promises, even when circumstances seem dire. By recognizing and embracing these divine lessons, we can navigate through life's challenges with hope and assurance. [01:04:27]
Isaiah 45:3 (ESV): "I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name."
Reflection: Think of a recent challenging situation in your life. Can you identify a lesson or promise from God that emerged from it? How can you hold onto this promise in your current circumstances?
Day 2: Discipleship as a Mandate
Discipleship is not a passive endeavor but an active mandate that calls us to grow in our identity and mature into our calling to become Christ-like. It requires intentional action, responsibility, discipline, and obedience as we partner with God. By aligning ourselves with His purposes, we can fulfill our role in His kingdom. Discipleship is about more than personal growth; it involves replicating Jesus in others and fostering a community of believers who are committed to living out their faith authentically. [01:06:15]
2 Timothy 2:2 (ESV): "And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also."
Reflection: In what ways can you take intentional steps towards growing in your discipleship journey this week? How can you encourage and support someone else in their walk with Christ?
Day 3: The Inseparability of Loving God and Loving People
Jesus taught that loving God and loving our neighbor are interconnected and inseparable. Our love for others is a direct reflection of our love for God. True discipleship involves learning to love well, as love is the defining feature of a disciple. When we compartmentalize our love for God and our love for people, we fail to fully embody the essence of discipleship. By embracing this inseparability, we can better reflect God's love to the world around us. [01:11:55]
1 John 4:20-21 (ESV): "If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother."
Reflection: Reflect on your relationships with others. Are there areas where you struggle to show love? How can you ask God to help you love others as a reflection of your love for Him?
Day 4: The Ultimate Question: Did You Learn to Love?
A prophet's vision of standing before Jesus and being asked, "Did you learn to love?" highlights the ultimate measure of our lives. All our deeds and accomplishments pale in comparison to the importance of love. This question challenges us to reflect on whether we have truly manifested God's love to others. It serves as a reminder that our primary calling as disciples is to learn to love well, embodying the love of Christ in all that we do. [01:13:58]
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (ESV): "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."
Reflection: Consider your daily interactions and actions. Are they motivated by love? How can you make love the central focus of your life and discipleship journey?
Day 5: The Necessity of Accountability and Community
The failures of prominent Christian leaders due to a lack of discipleship and accountability underscore the need for transparency and community. True discipleship involves being known and knowing others deeply. It requires breaking down the compartmentalized lives we often lead and allowing our true selves to be seen and transformed. By embracing vulnerability and the refining process of God's love, we can foster a community that supports and holds each other accountable in our walk with Christ. [01:19:34]
James 5:16 (ESV): "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
Reflection: Are there areas of your life that you have kept hidden from your community? How can you take a step towards greater transparency and accountability with trusted fellow believers?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "In our messy, muddy, dirty, smelly lives, that He plants these precious things that remind us of our eternal destiny, remind us of the promises that He has, that there's something precious to hold onto here, that He's depositing things." [01:04:27] (16 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Love God, love people. So you can't do one without the other. But you need to realize that you'll fall short at the latter, at loving people without God's love. You know, it's from the overflow of a heart full of the love of God that spills out over into loving others well." [01:13:01] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Did you learn to love? And as they stood in the line, and as they confessed their love, he would kiss them and they would enter in through Jesus as if he was some sort of pearly gate. Enter into eternity. All of their good deeds, all of their awards, all of their accomplishments, their financial worth, all of that stuff just accounted for nothing. And at the end of the day, the one thing that mattered to the Lord was love." [01:14:37] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "See, discipleship is actually what Jesus told us to do. Period. That's it. Not go and build sandcastles. Not even make converts. Don't be successful in the blind eyes of the capitalist dream. It was simply gospel truth. Go and make disciples. That was it. That was his plan. And that's the only mandate that he left us with." [01:29:49] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "To love one another is to be known. Right? The more you know God, the more you'll love Him. It's just a natural byproduct. He knows you fully. And He loves you completely. The more that you love yourself. Sorry, the more that you know yourself, in fact. The more that you know yourself, the more you'll love yourself. Why? Because you'll see what He sees." [01:22:22] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
### Quotes for Members
1. "We should never prophesy what should be discipled. We have a tendency to want to prophesy our way out of woundedness and prophesy our way out of character issues and prophesy our way into healing and wholeness and freedom and while prophecy can partner and does partner in that purpose you can't just circumnavigate around the process of walking through something." [01:08:17] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Discipleship is really the process. It is the process of being loved. It's the process. It's the process of learning to love, and it's the process of becoming love." [01:09:51] (14 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "I think for lack of discipleship, they're allowed to operate out of a part of themselves for so long. That in some cases, they divorced themselves. From the reality of who they were. Do you know what I mean? They lost sight of an integrated knowing of themselves. They were blinded to their compartmentalized lives." [01:21:27] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "See, our woundedness festers away unattended. Our sin thrives in isolation. The isolation of darkness. You must allow your heart to be known, to be seen, to be discipled." [01:18:32] (18 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "I think our social setting in 2024 just super isolates us. It's just constructed in such a way where it draws out all the fraudulent parts of us. And puts them on display. While it allows our true selves to be hidden away. It's literally the plague of the generations alive today. But I don't think we need to be afraid of the Holy Spirit's guided journey inwards." [01:27:57] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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