Summer Series 2026: My Life - What Do I Model? (10:45am)

Worship is how a person responds to what is loved most. That definition pushes worship out beyond the music part of a Sunday gathering and into the whole life, where hands lift, mouths shout, bodies move, and hearts show what they treasure. Worship is not just instruments and songs. Worship is what comes out when love gets stirred up.

The phrase “do as I do” carries the weight of the whole call. The question is not only what a person says or believes, but what another person would learn by following that life around for a week. The baseball-game picture makes that plain. A son sitting beside a chirpy dad starts getting chirpy too, because imitation happens faster than anyone thinks. Parenting exposes the same thing, because children can hear “do as I say,” but they trust what is actually lived.

Jesus does not begin discipleship with “repeat after me” or “answer this correctly.” Jesus says, again and again, “follow me.” His call reaches fishermen, tax collectors, hesitant disciples, and Peter after failure. His invitation is not less than belief, but it is more than words. It is a life that comes after him.

Paul takes that same shape and says, “be imitators of me as I am of Christ.” First Corinthians 4 shows Paul as more than a guide. The Corinthians had countless guides, but not many fathers. A guide points and leaves. A father stays committed to the end. Paul’s spiritual fatherhood means that his life becomes a pattern, not because Paul is impressive, but because Christ is being formed in him.

First Corinthians 10 gives the framework for that kind of life. “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful, and not all things build up. Christian freedom is not mainly about getting to do whatever is allowed. Christian freedom asks whether a choice helps another person move toward Jesus. The meat-market example shows that food is just food, because “the earth is the Lord’s,” but a neighbor’s conscience matters more than a preference.

“Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” turns everything into worship. The spreadsheet, the trash cans, the driving, the dinner table, the apology, and the sweet treat can all point somewhere. God picks imperfect people and lets their lives become invitational. The call is not “look how awesome this person is.” The call is, “follow as Christ is followed, and see what Jesus can do.”

Key Takeaways

• 1. Worship reveals the deepest love Worship is not trapped in a song set or a church service. Worship comes out when the heart responds to what it treasures most, whether that is celebration, excitement, achievement, comfort, or Christ. The honest question is not whether a person worships, but what that person’s life keeps answering with affection, attention, and energy. [10:39]
• 2. Discipleship sounds like follow me Jesus does not treat discipleship as a bare statement of agreement. His repeated invitation is embodied, costly, and relational: “follow me.” The life of faith becomes a path, not just a position, and the disciple learns by staying near enough to be reshaped. [23:00]
• 3. Imitation forms people faster than words A person’s habits can reproduce in another life before anyone notices. Children, friends, neighbors, and younger believers often catch what is practiced more deeply than what is announced. The question “who would someone become by living like this?” presses faith into the ordinary patterns that actually train the heart. [18:07]
• 4. Freedom serves another person’s conscience Paul’s freedom is real, but it is not self-protective. A preference can be gladly laid down when another person’s heart is at stake. Mature liberty does not ask only, “Is this allowed?” but also, “Will this help, build up, and point someone toward Jesus?” [38:40]
• 5. Everything can glorify Jesus Paul’s “whatever you do” refuses to leave ordinary life outside worship. Work, home, play, meals, apologies, and small daily choices all become places where Christ can be reflected. Imperfect obedience still becomes invitational when repentance stays quick and the direction remains clear. [42:58]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [09:49] - Worship Matters and Summer Rhythm
• [10:39] - Worship as Love’s Response
• [12:28] - “Do As I Do”
• [17:08] - What a Week Would Reveal
• [20:32] - Beyond “Do As I Say”
• [22:05] - Jesus Keeps Saying Follow Me
• [25:17] - Paul Calls for Imitation
• [28:19] - Guides, Fathers, and Spiritual Family
• [34:25] - Freedom That Builds Up
• [36:46] - Meat, Conscience, and Neighbor Love
• [40:05] - Whatever You Do, Glorify God
• [44:15] - Invitation to Follow Jesus
• [48:36] - Prayer for Lives That Reflect Christ
• [65:07] - Closing Worship: So Will I

1. In 1 Corinthians 10:23-24, what two tests does Paul give for using Christian freedom, and whose good does he tell believers to seek? [34:53]
2. What are some ordinary examples of everyday life that can still glorify Jesus? [42:58]
3. In 1 Corinthians 4, what contrast does Paul make between “countless guides” and “not many fathers”? [28:19]
4. What repeated phrase from Jesus shows up again and again in the Gospels, and what kind of response does that call for from a person? [22:43]

1. If worship is how a person responds to what is loved most, what does that reveal about why worship cannot be limited to music or a church service? [10:39]
2. Jesus says, “Follow me,” not merely, “Agree with me.” How does that shape the way a person should understand discipleship? [24:38]
3. Paul says not everything lawful is helpful or builds up. How does that challenge the habit of asking only, “Am I allowed to do this?” [35:22]
4. Paul is willing to lay down a preference for the sake of another person’s conscience. What does that show about the relationship between love, freedom, and spiritual maturity? [39:12]

1. If someone followed life around for one week, what would they say is loved most? What patterns, habits, or reactions would make that obvious? [17:08]
2. Imitation happens quickly. Who is likely picking up patterns from life right now—children, friends, coworkers, younger believers, neighbors? What might they be learning without a single word being said? [18:07]
3. “Do as I do” is a weighty way to live. In what part of life does there need to be more consistency between belief and behavior this week? [20:56]
4. Christian freedom asks whether something is helpful and whether it builds up. Is there a preference, habit, or right that may need to be laid down for the good of someone else? [38:46]
5. “Whatever you do” includes work, chores, driving, meals, and conversations. Which part of ordinary life feels hardest to offer to the glory of God right now, and why? [42:58]
6. Imperfect people can still live invitational lives when repentance stays quick. Where is there a need to apologize, ask forgiveness, or change direction so that life points more clearly to Jesus? [43:33]
7. Someone in life may need to see what following Jesus looks like up close. Who comes to mind, and what would it look like to live openly and graciously enough that person could really follow the example being set? [47:55]