Transforming Lives Through Intentional Discipleship

Sermon Summary

Reflecting on the journey that has brought us to this pivotal Sunday, I am reminded of the vision God placed on my heart nine years ago. This vision is not just about leading a church but transforming it into a beacon of discipleship. As I embarked on this path, I realized a significant issue within the universal church: the lack of true discipleship. This conviction has driven me to emphasize the importance of making disciples, not just in words but in action. Over the past few weeks, we've explored the pitfalls that hinder our mission, such as apathy and a lack of deep relationships with God. Today, we stand at the threshold of a new vision for Southlake, a vision that will guide us for the next decade.

Our 10-year goal is to establish a robust discipleship process that develops mature Christians who intimately know Jesus and are eager to share His love with others. This vision is rooted in the Great Commission from Matthew 28, which calls us to make disciples of all nations. To achieve this, we have outlined a strategic plan that includes a three-year strategy and a one-year emphasis. In the next three years, we will focus on clear communication of our vision, organized obedience to God, an engagement pathway for the lost, and a discipleship framework that fosters a deep love for God and His creation.

This year, our emphasis is on having 20,280 gospel conversations. These conversations are categorized into four types: connect, deepen, discern, and invite. Each type plays a crucial role in leading others to explore a life-transforming relationship with Jesus. We are committed to tracking these conversations and encouraging one another through various means, including a church app and a visual representation of our progress.

As we embark on this journey, I urge you to engage in prayer, seeking opportunities to share the gospel and demonstrate Christ's love. This mission is not about growing our church in numbers but building an army of mature Christians who live out their faith daily. Together, we will walk this path, learning and growing as we go, with the ultimate goal of transforming lives and impacting the world for Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. The journey of discipleship is a long-term commitment that requires intentionality and a clear vision. Our 10-year goal is to develop a robust discipleship process that produces mature Christians who intimately know Jesus and share His love with others. This vision is rooted in the Great Commission and calls us to be proactive in our faith. [06:32]
2. Building a strong church community involves recognizing and appreciating the leadership and efforts of those who have dedicated their time and energy to the mission. It is essential to work together, support one another, and remain focused on the vision God has placed on our hearts. [03:51]
3. Gospel conversations are intentional interactions that lead others to explore a relationship with Jesus. These conversations are categorized into connect, deepen, discern, and invite, each playing a vital role in fostering relationships and sharing the gospel. [20:20]
4. Our mission is not about increasing church attendance but about building an army of mature Christians who understand their faith and live it out in the world. This requires investing in spiritual growth and equipping believers to share the gospel effectively. [15:27]
5. Prayer is a powerful tool in our mission to share the gospel. We must pray for opportunities to have gospel conversations, for the lost to come to know Jesus, and for the strength to demonstrate Christ's love in a world that desperately needs it. [42:32]
** [42:32]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:16] - The Journey to Southlake
[02:18] - The Problem of Discipleship
[03:04] - Vision Sunday Introduction
[03:51] - Recognizing Church Leadership
[05:20] - Presumptions and Purpose
[06:32] - The Great Commission
[09:02] - Three-Year Strategy
[10:59] - One-Year Emphasis
[12:29] - The Journey Ahead
[15:27] - Building an Army of Mature Christians
[17:14] - The Power of Gospel Conversations
[18:11] - Types of Gospel Conversations
[20:20] - Intentional Conversations
[22:17] - Tracking Our Progress
[25:45] - Encouragement and Tracking
[29:33] - Our New Verse for the Year
[31:03] - The Most Important Mission
[34:04] - Introducing Scott Buhman
[35:21] - Gospel Conversation Labs
[37:14] - The Art of Neighboring
[38:42] - Tools for the Journey
[42:32] - The Power of Prayer
[45:00] - Closing and Blessing

Sermon Clips

"One of the things that became very, very clear to me is that there is a problem in the universal church, meaning the American church, that we're not making disciples. We are failing at that, and it became a burden on me. I was convicted to the point of saying, we have to make disciples." [00:01:25] (23 seconds)

"If we have a casual relationship or we never develop a deep relationship with God, the church fails. If we are apathetic, if we don't have the heart of a Christian, we fail. And if we never share the gospel, if we never tell the world of the precious hope and joy that we hold in our hearts, we fail." [00:02:31] (33 seconds)

"And from these conversations, we lead into what we call discern conversations, which are spiritual conversations that follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit. As we get to know Bill and our relationship goes deeper and deeper, we say something like, boy, Bill, you say you're having problems. Well, tell me what you believe in so I know how to approach that." [00:19:34] (33 seconds)

"Paul writes to the church, For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him to save them? Unless they believe in him. And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?" [00:30:01] (19 seconds)

"South Lake, you are being sent. On the most important mission for mankind. I'm not overstating anything. When we're talking about the eternal destination of every single human being on the face of this planet. And I'm saying God has spoken to the leadership of this church and is now giving you an opportunity to join in that mission." [00:30:43] (31 seconds)

"We need to be praying for the opportunities. We need to pray to share the love of God with the people around us. We need to pray that people would be saved, that the lost would come to know Jesus Christ. We need to pray that we could stop all the craziness in the world and demonstrate the love of Christ to the world around us." [00:43:14] (22 seconds)

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