Delvin Atchison "Make Disciples: Obedience is Love" | 2025 Texas Baptists Annual Meeting

Devotional

Day 1: Towel and Basin Leadership

Jesus rose from supper while the disciples argued about greatness. He stripped off his outer robe, tied a servant’s towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. One by one, he knelt to wash road filth from calloused feet—Judas’ betrayal-stained feet, Peter’s stubborn feet, John’s youthful feet. The Creator scrubbed toe jam from fishermen. [06:15]

True leadership bends low. Jesus didn’t lecture about hierarchy but demonstrated inverted authority: the highest serves the lowest. His actions rebuked the disciples’ power struggles, proving God’s kingdom advances through knees calloused by service, not titles polished by ambition.

You lead best when serving hardest. Today, seek someone others overlook—the quiet coworker, the weary cashier, the “difficult” relative. Wash their feet through practical kindness: a meal, a listening ear, a handwritten note. What prideful reluctance keeps your hands clutching status when they should hold basins?

“He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”
(John 13:5, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal one act of hidden service He’s calling you to perform today.
Challenge: Text three people thanking them for humble acts of service they’ve done for you.

Day 2: Wounds That Validate Words

Jesus washed Judas’ feet knowing those same feet would soon hurry to betray Him. He scrubbed dirt from the one who’d sell Him for silver. The towel around Christ’s waist foreshadowed the grave clothes He’d wear three days later—both symbols of love that risks rejection. [12:12]

God’s love isn’t safe. Serving like Jesus means opening your heart to those who may wound it. Vulnerability isn’t weakness but the courage to love through potential pain. Just as Christ’s scars proved His resurrection, our healed wounds become testimonies of grace.

Who have you walled off because they hurt you? Pray for them today—not for changed behavior, but for Christ’s love to flow through you despite the risk. How might avoiding vulnerability be stifling your growth as Christ’s servant?

“He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace.”
(Isaiah 53:5, ESV)

Prayer: Confess your fear of being hurt to Jesus, asking for courage to love recklessly.
Challenge: Write the name of someone who wounded you on paper, then burn it as a surrender ritual.

Day 3: Blood Required for Healing

Peter recoiled when Jesus approached with the basin. “You’ll never wash my feet!” Yet Christ insisted: cleansing requires surrender. Later, Peter’s denial would cut deeper than any knife—but Jesus’ post-resurrection forgiveness would heal through bloody wounds. [15:22]

God often heals through scars, not shortcuts. Just as a dentist reopened dry sockets to restart healing, Christ’s resurrection life flows through our surrendered brokenness. Resisting pain stunts growth; embracing redemptive suffering deepens discipleship.

Where are you numbing pain instead of letting Christ cleanse it? Invite Him into one area you’ve shielded from His touch. What false “protection” is actually preventing your restoration?

“If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”
(John 13:8, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for a past wound He transformed into a testimony.
Challenge: Share a story of God’s healing through pain with someone under 25 today.

Day 4: Navigating by the Steeple Cross

Devlin guided Mia home by fixing her eyes on First Methodist’s steeple cross. Jesus told Peter, “Where I am going you cannot follow now, but you will follow afterward.” True leadership stands firm on eternal landmarks when cultural storms blur the way. [19:01]

Conviction outlasts confusion. Like Peter, we often resist Christ’s methods until crisis clarifies our need. Standing tenaciously on Scripture—not trends—keeps ministries anchored. The cross remains the fixed point for navigating shifting terrain.

What cultural “dust storms” are obscuring your vision? Recalibrate by memorizing one scripture about Christ’s lordship. When did compromising truth for comfort dilute your witness?

“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.”
(Hebrews 12:1-2, ESV)

Prayer: Pray for boldness to uphold biblical truth in a conversation today.
Challenge: Write “Galatians 1:10” on your palm as a reminder to please God, not people.

Day 5: Service Elevator Victory

The hotel worker bypassed crowded main elevators, guiding the pastor to a rusty service lift. Jesus “emptied himself” (Philippians 2:7), taking the servant’s path to glory. Resurrection morning proved humiliation precedes exaltation. [11:01]

Christ’s victory was secured before the foot washing began. Serving isn’t striving but joining a story where the ending’s already written. Like watching a rerun knowing the hero wins, we labor with Easter certainty.

Where are you striving instead of trusting? Do one task today with joyful confidence in God’s guaranteed outcome. What “main elevator” ambition have you prioritized over Christ’s servant path?

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.”
(Philippians 2:9, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for three specific ways He’s elevated you through past seasons of serving.
Challenge: Perform a chore you dislike today while reciting “Philippians 2:9-11” aloud.

Sermon Summary

Jesus models leadership in John 13 by rising from the table, removing his outer garments, taking a towel, and washing the feet of those he came to lead. The scene reframes power as service, showing that true greatness bends low to meet human need. The cultural detail of first century foot washing makes the action raw and humbling. Jesus refuses a pedestal and demonstrates that authority issues from willing abasement, not from status or ceremony. Humility proves practical as well as moral, because Jesus performs a necessary, messy task rather than a symbolic gesture.

The scene also exposes the cost of love. Jesus washes even the feet of the one who will betray him, signaling that genuine service risks injury and heartbreak. Vulnerability becomes a required posture for anyone who follows this model, since love must open itself to the possibility of being wounded. Pain and grief will mark faithful service, and those trials often mature character and deepen credibility.

The text then demands courage. When Peter misunderstands cleansing and reacts impulsively, Jesus presses the necessity of standing firm in truth. Leadership requires tenacity to remain committed to principles even when pressure mounts or allies misunderstand. Conviction will sometimes provoke conflict, but the call to stand involves choosing biblical fidelity over popularity or comfort.

Finally, the narrative anchors service in assured victory. Jesus acts from the knowledge that all things belong to him and that ultimate triumph already belongs to the righteous side. That certainty converts present struggle into purposeful witness. Service therefore proceeds with calm confidence, because the fight issues from a position of victory rather than frantic attempt to secure a future outcome.

Key Takeaways

1. Greatness chooses lowly service Jesus demonstrates that authority shows up as humble labor rather than public acclaim. Embracing the shame and dirt of ordinary ministry aligns leaders with Christ’s method and trains influence through sacrifice. Choosing small, necessary tasks cultivates credibility and keeps Jesus at the center rather than self. [06:15]
2. Love opens to be wounded True love permits the possibility of betrayal and pain because it values restoration over self-protection. Vulnerability allows relationships to run deep, and suffering often refines faith and effectiveness. Avoiding hurt produces superficial service, while bearing wounds equips one to minister from authentic experience. [11:54]
3. Stand with tenacity and truth Conviction will demand public courage when cultural or institutional pressures push for compromise. Remaining rooted in Scripture and conscience requires a willingness to endure criticism and loss. Tenacious leaders guide others toward the cross even when the path provokes opposition. [15:46]
4. Serve from a place of victory Ministry flows best when it proceeds from assurance rather than anxiety. Knowing the outcome transforms present hardship into faithful witness and calms fear in the face of conflict. This perspective sustains endurance and keeps hope active through trials. [20:00]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:28] - Reading from John 13
[04:38] - Foot washing explained
[06:15] - Humility to serve
[11:54] - Vulnerability and suffering
[15:46] - Tenacity to stand
[20:00] - Certainty of victory
[23:38] - Prayer and benediction

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 13:1-5 (ESV)
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Philippians 2:5-8 (ESV)
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Isaiah 53:5 (ESV)
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Observation Questions

In John 13, what specific actions did Jesus take to demonstrate humility, and why were these actions culturally significant in the first century? [04:38]
Why does the text emphasize that Jesus washed the feet of Judas, even though he knew Judas would betray him? [11:54]
How does Philippians 2:5-8 connect Jesus’ act of foot-washing to His broader mission?
What does Jesus’ statement, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand” (John 13:7), reveal about His perspective on leadership and service?

Interpretation Questions

Jesus’ act of washing feet included Judas, who would betray Him. What does this suggest about the relationship between genuine love and vulnerability to pain? [11:54]
How does Jesus’ knowledge of His ultimate victory (“the Father had given all things into his hands”) shape His willingness to serve in a humiliating way? [20:00]
In Philippians 2:5-8, Paul describes Jesus “emptying himself.” How does this “emptying” challenge modern ideas of power and success in leadership?
The sermon mentions that “grief is the final installment we pay on the love contract” (referencing CS Lewis). How does Isaiah 53:5 deepen our understanding of suffering as part of redemptive service?

Application Questions

What is one practical, “lowly” task in your daily life (at home, work, or church) that you could embrace as an act of service, even if it feels beneath your status or comfort? [06:15]
When have you avoided serving someone because you feared being hurt or taken advantage of? How could Jesus’ example with Judas shift your response in similar situations? [12:12]
The sermon states, “God does not use any of us significantly until He allows us to be hurt deeply.” How has a past wound shaped your ability to love or lead others? [13:31]
What is a biblical conviction you’ve struggled to stand for due to fear of criticism? What step could you take this week to courageously uphold that truth? [18:10]
How might your approach to serving others change if you fully believed, like Jesus, that “the fight issues from a position of victory” rather than striving for success? [20:00]
Are there relationships or responsibilities where you’ve prioritized self-protection over sacrificial love? What would it look like to risk vulnerability there? [11:54]

Sermon Clips

43s

#ServeWithoutFavor

“Jesus took the service elevator to the Top Floor. You've got to have the humility to serve, but then you've got to have the vulnerability to suffer. The whole time that I had read this text, it never dawned on me that Jesus washed the feet of Judas, that the savior would wash the feet of the sinner who would wound his feet. And if we're going to serve, God does not give us the option of only serving the people we like.”

49s

#BleedingBringsHealing

“Some years ago, I was having oral surgery and be because I'm a preacher and, you know, we know everything, I did not listen to my doctor's instructions. I went home, and because I'd had surgery on the right side, I took a straw on the left side to stop water from going on the right side only to get what was called a dry socket. Yeah. So so I go and and and my dentist says, you didn't read the instructions I told you not to use a straw. And so what she did, she said, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to cut you because the only way the dry socket can be healed is you've got to bleed.”

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