Living Out Our Faith: Daily Discipleship and Transformation

Devotional

Day 1: Living as Image Bearers Daily

Our faith is not confined to the walls of a church or the hours of a Sunday service. It is a daily commitment to live as image bearers of God, bringing light to the darkness in our everyday lives. This means being intentional about how we reflect God's love and truth in our workplaces, homes, and communities. It requires a constant awareness of our role as followers of Christ, ensuring that our actions and words align with His teachings. As we navigate the complexities of life, we must remember that our discipleship is a daily journey, not a one-time event. [01:03]

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:8-10, ESV)

Reflection: In what specific ways can you bring light to a situation or relationship in your life today?

Day 2: Embracing Change as Opportunity

As our city and community grow, we are presented with new opportunities to extend our influence for God's kingdom. Change can be daunting, but it is also a chance to deepen our spiritual impact and welcome new people into our midst. We must adopt a mindset of readiness and openness, seeing these changes as part of God's plan to expand His kingdom. This involves preparing not just for numerical growth but for spiritual depth, ensuring that we are equipped to meet the challenges and opportunities that come our way. [02:00]

"Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes." (Isaiah 54:2, ESV)

Reflection: How can you prepare yourself spiritually to embrace the changes and growth happening in your community?

Day 3: Prioritizing Allegiance to Christ

In a world filled with distractions and competing loyalties, we must prioritize our allegiance to Christ above all else. Following Jesus is more than just agreeing with His teachings; it involves living them out in our daily lives. This requires a conscious decision to align our lives with His example, ensuring that our actions reflect our commitment to Him. As we navigate the many things we follow, from social media to financial trends, we must ask ourselves who or what we are truly following. [09:34]

"And he said to them all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'" (Luke 9:23, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to realign your priorities to follow Jesus more closely?

Day 4: Transformation Through Apprenticeship

The call to follow Jesus is a call to transformation. It is about becoming apprentices of Jesus, learning His ways, and allowing His teachings to shape our purpose, relationships, and destiny. This journey is not just for personal growth but for the transformation of our city and the world. We are called to be active participants in God's work, not just passive observers. As we engage in this transformative journey, we must be willing to let go of old patterns and embrace the new life that Jesus offers. [11:02]

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2, ESV)

Reflection: What is one old pattern or habit you need to let go of to allow Jesus to transform your life?

Day 5: Cultivating Rhythms of Discipleship

To truly follow Jesus, we must examine our daily rhythms and practices. This involves cultivating a lifestyle of intentional discipleship, where we are constantly growing and being transformed by His presence. It requires discipline and a willingness to prioritize our relationship with Him above all else. As we embark on this lifelong journey of apprenticeship, we must be open to learning and growing in our faith, ensuring that our daily practices reflect our commitment to Jesus. [19:19]

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." (John 15:4, ESV)

Reflection: What daily practice can you incorporate into your routine to deepen your relationship with Jesus and grow in your discipleship?

Sermon Summary

It's a joy to gather together and celebrate our faith, but it's crucial to remember that our worship and discipleship extend beyond Sunday mornings. We are called to be image bearers of God in every aspect of our lives, bringing light to the darkness around us. As our city grows and changes, we must embrace these changes as opportunities to extend our influence for God's kingdom. We are preparing for growth, not just in our church but in our community, and we must be ready to welcome and transform those who come into our midst.

Our journey of faith is not a one-time event but a daily commitment to follow Jesus. This involves more than just liking or agreeing with His teachings; it requires us to live them out intentionally. In a world where we follow many things, from social media to financial trends, the question is, who or what are we truly following? Jesus calls us to follow Him, not just in name but in practice, aligning our lives with His teachings and example.

This call to follow Jesus is a call to transformation. It's about becoming apprentices of Jesus, learning His ways, and allowing His teachings to shape our purpose, relationships, and destiny. This journey is not just for personal growth but for the transformation of our city and the world. We are called to be active participants in God's work, not just passive observers.

As we embark on this journey, we must examine our daily rhythms and practices. Are we truly following Jesus, or are we just going through the motions? Jesus invites us into a lifestyle of intentional discipleship, where we are constantly growing and being transformed by His presence. This requires discipline and a willingness to prioritize our relationship with Him above all else.

In the coming weeks, we will explore what it means to be with Jesus, become like Him, and do as He did. This is a lifelong journey of apprenticeship, where we are continually learning and growing in our faith. As we prepare for the growth and change in our community, let us commit to deepening our relationship with Jesus and living out His call to follow Him daily.

Key Takeaways

1. Daily Discipleship: Our worship and discipleship are not confined to Sundays but are a daily commitment to live as image bearers of God. We are called to bring light to the darkness in our everyday lives, whether at work, home, or in our communities. This requires intentionality and a constant awareness of our role as followers of Christ. [01:03]
2. Embracing Change: As our city and community grow, we must see these changes as opportunities to extend our influence for God's kingdom. We are preparing for growth, not just in numbers but in spiritual depth and impact. This requires a mindset of readiness and openness to the new people and challenges God brings our way. [02:00]
3. Intentional Following: Following Jesus is more than just agreeing with His teachings; it involves living them out in our daily lives. In a world where we follow many things, we must prioritize our allegiance to Christ and align our lives with His example. This requires a conscious decision to follow Him above all else. [09:34]
4. Transformative Journey: The call to follow Jesus is a call to transformation. It's about becoming apprentices of Jesus, learning His ways, and allowing His teachings to shape our purpose, relationships, and destiny. This journey is not just for personal growth but for the transformation of our city and the world. [11:02]
5. Rhythms of Discipleship: We must examine our daily rhythms and practices to ensure we are truly following Jesus. This involves a lifestyle of intentional discipleship, where we are constantly growing and being transformed by His presence. It requires discipline and a willingness to prioritize our relationship with Him above all else. [19:19]
** [19:19]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:03] - Daily Discipleship
[02:00] - Embracing Change
[04:00] - Baptism and Family Focus
[08:31] - Intentional Following
[09:34] - Transformative Journey
[11:02] - City Transformation
[14:38] - Daily Call to Follow
[15:34] - Misunderstanding Salvation
[18:01] - Invitation to Transformation
[19:19] - Rhythms of Discipleship
[20:36] - Personal Practices
[24:49] - Deep Meaning of Following
[27:03] - Distractions and Priorities
[29:54] - Using Jesus' Name
[30:37] - Lifelong Apprenticeship
[34:34] - Call to Follow
[35:52] - Divine Revelation
[38:31] - Prioritizing Jesus
[41:06] - Becoming a Disciple
[43:20] - Journey with the Rabbi
[48:36] - Three Elements of Discipleship
[50:40] - Fishing for People
[52:12] - Lost and Found
[53:58] - Daily Surrender

Sermon Clips

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Thank you for making sure that, hey, I'm good to be at church today, but I want to say thank you for doing what you should be doing and what we ought to be doing every single day of our lives. We worship God with our intent all the time, whether we're walking in the way, whether we're sitting down, whether we're lying down, whether we're at church, whether we're at work. We are image bearers of the Most High God, and we don't need the light where all the light bearers are. We need the light. We need the light where all the dark bearers are. Does that make sense? [00:00:31] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

And what does it look like to align our lives with Jesus' teachings and example and get sold out to following Him and Him alone? And as we embark on this next eight weeks' faith journey, we'll explore what it truly means to follow Jesus. We're hopefully going to move along and understand practices and disciplines that will help us not just discover the information about Jesus, but discover the transformative power of being diligent, intelligent, intentional apprentices of Jesus. [00:09:34] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

And so Jesus uses the few people that he has in front of him to issue this invitation of transformation that he intended everybody to hear. He models by example, baptism. He models by example what it's like to respond to his call so that thousands of years later, his prayer of John chapter 17, when he starts praying for the disciples that are yet still to come to him, you and me, that they would get it too. [00:18:01] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

And so what I want to say to you today is that your salvation is real, but it can have little substance in your circumstance if we're not living the rhythmic style of following Jesus daily. The way of thinking and behaving that we need to use rhythmically every day. Because how many of you know that Satan throws the same arrows at you tomorrow that he threw at you today? [00:20:03] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

And Jesus knew that he wasn't asking us to join a group or come into membership. No, it was an invitation to have intentional individual transformation that if the group, called the church, would be focused on their individual following rhythms of Jesus, then the world would change and we could have a world that we were transforming. [00:20:36] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

To follow Jesus is to rearrange your life of the three elements of being an intentional apprentice with Jesus. and over the next three, four, five weeks, we're going to have a look at be, like, and do. To be with Jesus. [00:51:08] (16 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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