Embracing True Discipleship: A Transformative Journey

1) "You can change what a donkey looks like on the outside. It's still a donkey, right? And there's a similar thing that happens in our lives as well. The lives of human beings generally, we can pretend to be something outwardly, but it doesn't actually change who we are inside, okay? How many of you know that God is far more concerned with dealing with what's inside of us, with our hearts, with our souls, first and foremost, before he's bothered about what happens on the outside? Because this is how it works. If God can transform us inwardly by the renewing of our minds and our hearts and our souls, eventually, it's going to change the way that we live our lives. Amen. That's the way these things actually work." [07:30] (48 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2) "How many of you know that God never intended for you to be a Christian? Some of you are looking at me a little bit worried now, like, let's pray for the preacher. Yeah, yeah. God never intended for you to be a Christian. In fact, in the New Testament, the word Christian. Well, I'll tell you what. Let's have a vote. Let's see how well taught you are. All right. So, the word Christian in the New Testament. We'll have a vote. How many times do you think it's mentioned? Is it three? Is it nine? Or is it 97? Okay, the word Christian in the New Testament. How often is that word mentioned? And we'll have a vote. Are you ready? How many people would vote three?" [08:36] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3) "The word disciple or disciples, I wonder how many times that's mentioned in the New Testament. Let's have a vote, okay? Is it three? Is it nine? Or is it 97? Okay, the word disciple, disciples. Are you ready? Hands up for three. Hands up for nine. Hands up for 97. Wow. It's actually mentioned over 290 times. 290 times in the New Testament, okay? Because that is what the intention of Jesus is for our lives. You remember, don't you? The resurrected Jesus gathers his followers together and he says to them, Matthew 28, 18, all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore, go. And how many of you know that go? He's two-thirds of the name of God. So he's odd. He doesn't prove anything. But nevertheless, there we go. He says, go and make Christians, make disciples." [10:08] (64 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4) "So what Jesus seems to be saying here is this. He's saying, listen, if you don't love me more than you love anybody else or anything else, actually, it's not going to work out. And by the way, let me just define love because sometimes we misunderstand what we mean by love, don't we? Because I can tell you that I love fish and chips. That's true. I can also tell you that I love my wife. That's true. I don't mean the same thing. I don't. I don't mean that I've got a romantic attachment to some battered haddock. Yeah. And that I like biting my wife. I mean, that would be really weird, wouldn't it? Yeah. So when Jesus says, you know, putting me first, loving me, he's talking about being committed. If you're not committed first and foremost to Jesus Christ, you know, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, sickness and health until we meet him face to face. If we're not committed to him before anybody, anybody else or anything else, it's never going to work out." [18:55] (64 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5) "So, hey, listen, here's the simple invitation of Jesus to you and me this morning. You ready for this? The invitation of Jesus is this. Come and die. Come and die, yeah? is a happy, clappy message, isn't it? It's, you know, I mean, it's the way, this thing is supposed to work. Jesus is saying, listen, you need to die, meaning say no to your own small ambitions, to your own plans for your life, to what you intend to do with the years that lie ahead. Say, and the person that you are and the person that you're going to become, say no to that and say yes to the resurrection life of Jesus pulsating through you and out into the world, which is, far more exciting. You see, how many of you know, Jesus did not come to make your life boring? Huh? That's not the reason he came." [24:57] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6) "Jesus promised me life to the max, life in all of its fullness and I'll tell you, that's exactly what it's been and continues to be. That's what Jesus has for every one of you this morning, for every one of us and for every human being on the planet. His plans for our lives are so much better than our plans. You know? His purposes for us are so much more exciting than any purposes that you might have had in your life. You might have, but you've got to die. You've got to die. You've got to say no to your own way of doing things so that you can say yes to the ways of Jesus." [26:16] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7) "Following Jesus and starting on that adventure, it's free, isn't it? God has done all that's necessary for us to be rescued by him. That's what the cross of Jesus is all about. He's alive now and by his spirit, he can come and enter our lives and change us on the inside if we welcome him. It's free, but it will cost you everything. There's a paradox. It's free, but it's free, but it'll cost you everything." [34:02] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8) "Being a disciple of Jesus is not difficult. It's impossible. It's impossible, isn't it? Really? Unless, unless God gives us everything that we need for life and for Godliness. And folks, here is the good news. Here is the brilliant news that when we give our lives to God, He gives His life to us and we discover His power, and His anointing, and His ability to live differently." [38:08] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)