Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] I'm going to talk about radical discipleship this morning to kind of provoke us a little bit over the summer season to really think about where we are as disciples of Jesus Christ. And if you're not a disciple of Jesus Christ this morning, then I'm going to give an opportunity for you to take that step this morning to say, I want to become a disciple of Jesus. And can we get. Let's just bow our heads and pray. This morning, Father, we thank you that this is the Lord's day. This day belongs to you and Father. Lord, as we are gathered here this morning in Newton Abbott. Father, we have one goal, and it is to feast around the Lord Jesus Christ. It is to bring our lives wholeheartedly before you today at the start of this day and at the start of this week to say, Jesus, we adore you, we love you. We long to see your name glorified and lifted high across this region and in our lives and in our families and in our communities. And so, Father, as we open your word today, we remind ourselves that you are the living word. And because the word is alive and it is active, it means, o God, that we can expect transformation and things to happen because of your word coming alive today amongst us. So, Lord, we thank you. I pray, Lord, you'd help me to preach with clarity. You'd help, Lord, me to speak the words that you would have me to say this morning, Lord, to bless and equip and change us, Lord, as a people.
[00:01:43] In Jesus name. Amen. This morning, I want to talk about a walk with the Lord. A walk with the Lord this morning. And if we are walking with the Lord, and I have been walking the Lord since I've been six, not always. Well, there's been challenges. But, you know, our walk with the Lord can be an incredible journey. I don't know what your journey has been like walking with the Lord, but my journey has been like this. For the sake of the recording, I'm going right up and right down, right up and right down. But here's the point. If we are walking with the Lord, even the valleys can be such a source of strength, comfort and joy when we're walking with the Lord.
[00:02:34] When we're walking with the Lord.
[00:02:37] I want to say this morning that our daily walk with the Lord is not a casual thing.
[00:02:45] If we're talking about radical discipleship this morning, the Lord is not calling us into a casual relationship with him. I imagine there are times in our lives where we have walked very casually with the Lord. We've dipped in and out. I'm guilty of it. But I want to provoke us this morning to be thinking over summer. Where am I at in my discipleship journey with the Lord? He's not called us to a casual walk. You see, you can't hang out every day with someone and not know them.
[00:03:20] When you hang out with someone, day in, day out, you become like them. You learn more about them. They rub off on you. And discipleship happens when we simply follow in the footsteps of Jesus. There's no greater footsteps to follow in than the footsteps of Jesus. When you wake up every day, regardless of how you are feeling, regardless of the situations you are facing that day, you say, the first thing I'm going to do is I'm going to get into the lane with Jesus and I'm going to follow in his footsteps. And not only as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus when we do it every day. I believe we're going to see the results that Jesus saw, and I'll explain that in a minute. What I mean, we're going to see the things that Jesus saw. Being a disciple, and I want to challenge this, this morning, is not about knowing things about Jesus. You do know that, right?
[00:04:21] It's not even believing that Jesus exists. That is not being a disciple. It might be a great starting point, but it is not a stay in point. We do nothing, stay there as disciples. It's not enough to know facts. It's not enough to know that he exists.
[00:04:37] Discipleship is a serious commitment, and I don't think we hear this enough.
[00:04:45] It's not a quick hands up on a Sunday morning. It is a full on commitment to say, jesus, I give my life to you. In fact, my life is no longer my own. I said to somebody recently, had a gorgeous couple come round. I love it when people just visit and turn up.
[00:05:05] And I was in and they came round and spent some time with me this week, and they said, what do we do in this season? And I said, this is what you do. You get before the lord. And you say, lord, what do you want me to do in this season?
[00:05:17] What are you entrusting me to do in this season? You see, it's not my will. It's not what I want to do.
[00:05:27] It's, lord, how can I be used for your glory in this season? What have you called me to do?
[00:05:36] That is radical discipleship, because the culture of the world will say, hey, go and do x, Y and z and go on this path. I want to say to young people who didn't quite get the grades or may not get the grades that you thought you were going to get. This. Let me tell you, God has a plan for you that has been written before the foundations of the world.
[00:06:01] And if you step in his footsteps, he will be faithful and pull you into your destiny.
[00:06:15] It's people who say there's no turning back. Our young people are going to pray for those who are going to limit us this year. And you often hear this at camps, come on, give your life to Christ. There's no turning back. And that's easy when there's 5000 people all standing up doing the same thing.
[00:06:32] But it's today.
[00:06:34] No turning back. It's today. I've seen the cross, I know the cost and I'm giving him my life. That's a radical discipleship.
[00:06:46] It is the culture of heaven that has got to be in us. You know, when Jesus called his disciples, he spent roughly about three years training them. Who would have loved to have been at that point? You know, maybe not, I don't know, but he spent about three years teaching them and demonstrating the DNA of heaven, the kingdom of heaven. And there were times when those kind of years that were going by those months, they were very rocky. They were challenging.
[00:07:21] Don't you think? Jesus had to correct the disciples?
[00:07:25] If we are going to be radical disciples, allow the right people to correct us.
[00:07:32] Be teachable. If you want to grow, then be teachable.
[00:07:37] Allow people to correct you lovingly in order for you to be the best disciple you can be for Christ. And so the disciples had to be corrected. They also asked a lot of questions.
[00:07:51] Can we please church keep asking questions if you don't understand anything? It's not a stupid question when it comes to the things of goddess. You know, I've heard people often say for leaders and those who are leading church, if you don't change your mind about certain things then you're not really growing. Of course, I'm not talking about the fundamentals, the main, you know, the doctrines of the faith. We don't want to change those, but change some things because that means we're growing. We're developing in our discipleship journey. And I want to encourage you, you know, ya young adults or life group leaders ask your questions.
[00:08:34] And life group leaders rest because you may not know the answer either.
[00:08:40] And you may say, you know, shall we go on a journey?
[00:08:44] Let's go on a journey. Let's pursue the Holy Spirit in this. Let's ask him to reveal the answer to us.
[00:08:52] That's the kingdom of heaven. I don't go to Google.
[00:09:02] Let's pursue the Holy Spirit and say, holy spirit, you know all things. You're the great revealer.
[00:09:09] Help us as a life group, as young adults, as young people, as a family, to understand more of what you're saying to us. And these disciples, they ask questions and I love it. But after a certain amount of time, you can see as you read scripture, you can see as you go through the gospels, the disciples are changing. Their language changes. The way they are ministering, the way they are witnessing, it starts to change. They're becoming more like Jesus. They're sounding more like Jesus. They're doing things that is more like Jesus. Can you imagine a radical church?
[00:09:48] And I don't mean we've heard this so much, and I don't mean like radical discipleship means I've got to be loud and all of that kind of stuff. That is not radical discipleship. In fact, radical discipleship actually grows quietly in the private place or with two people around tables, and then suddenly the effectiveness of that discipleship that's been going on. The kingdom of God comes in the workplace and wherever you are. Tell you what, Phil and I over the last two weeks have had incredible the amounts of people that have literally landed on our doorstep. And we have given the gospel, too. And I'm not telling you that because Phil and I are great. We're not. I'm telling you because I'm going to prophesy today. I believe God is shifting the hearts of people. I believe now is an opportune time for the church. I love Sundays. Trust me, I can't wait for Sundays. And we've got the big bands and Matt and I and the team, we all talk about it. It's brilliant. I love it and it's brilliant, right? But there is an opportune time that we cannot miss as the body of Christ.
[00:11:00] God is opening hearts of people. He is. He's doing it.
[00:11:06] And we've got to be ready. And it's going to take radical disciples.
[00:11:11] And radical disciples say, I need to go and spend time with God.
[00:11:16] I need to go and spend time with God. They started to look like Jesus, sound like Jesus. They were persecuted like Jesus.
[00:11:24] Anybody felt some persecution recently, right? Because as we become more radical in our pursuit, there's going to be some backlash.
[00:11:37] Some of you can experience it in your families, amongst your nearest and dearest.
[00:11:45] Some of the disciples were martyred like Jesus.
[00:11:50] That's another sermon.
[00:11:53] One John 417 says this. In fact, if you've got your bibles grab your bibles. It will come up on the screen for you.
[00:12:06] One John 417 says this.
[00:12:21] I'm trying to find it. Sorry.
[00:12:24] Oh, yeah. Love has been perfected among us in this. That we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in the world.
[00:12:37] Let me say that again. Love has been perfected among us in this. That we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. In other words, if we live like Jesus in this world, and this is the challenge, if we live like Jesus in this world, we can have confidence when we see him face to face that on the day of judgment, it's going to be okay, because we have lived like Jesus in the world. Anyone challenged a little bit that we have lived like Jesus, and everybody will face Jesus.
[00:13:32] We're all going to face him whether we like it or nothing. We are all going to see the face of Jesus and what a face it's going to be.
[00:13:46] But we can have confidence when we face him. If we have lived like Jesus in the world, that's discipleship.
[00:13:59] I want to just quickly talk, and then we're going to invite the band up, talk about our growth. Do you often think, how am I growing as a disciple? Do you often ask yourself those questions, am I growing? Can I tell? Have we got anybody speaking into our lives that say, hey, Esther. Hey, Phil. I can see the growth because of this. I can see how you're grown as a disciple as we grow.
[00:14:29] And I want to grow anybody's heart. Cry here. To grow, to be more like Jesus. Awesome.
[00:14:34] As we grow as a disciple of Jesus, Jesus will start to rub off on us. Have you heard it said in relationships that the longer people are together, they start rubbing off on each other? Does anybody finish off their husband's sentences?
[00:14:53] I've started doing that. And it's in a Yorkshire accent. No, it's not. It is. By eck. By eck. It was granddaddy.
[00:15:06] But Jesus will start to rub off on us. Do you know what it means to rub off on somebody? Go to somebody next to you. Rub your shoulder next to them. Go on, just rub your shoulder. Rub your shoulder. That's it. Rub your shoulder.
[00:15:18] It means to become part of somebody's character and behavior.
[00:15:27] To become like somebody's character and behaviour as a result of spending time with someone.
[00:15:37] We're talking about radical discipleship.
[00:15:41] How do we see the growth?
[00:15:45] It means we've got to pray often.
[00:15:48] Because Jesus prayed often.
[00:15:51] He went up the mountain away from the crowds often rubbing off on allowing Jesus to rub off on us. We will go often to be with him.
[00:16:03] We will turn the other cheek.
[00:16:09] We will love our enemies.
[00:16:17] We will bless those who curse us.
[00:16:24] We will forgive people over and over and over and over and over and over again.
[00:16:35] And that includes in the church.
[00:16:39] For those of you who have got hurt in the church, I'm sorry, but you've got to forgive.
[00:16:47] We have to forgive because of him.
[00:16:56] We've got to serve people who are undeserving.
[00:17:03] I remember once in a life group many years ago at my church, and I was leading this amazing life group and this guy did not believe in women, in ministry. And he came to our home and he sat there and we had the cakes around the table and I said, please help yourself to cakes. And I remember, and I was leading this life group, he turned around in front of about 15 people and he said, no, you serve me.
[00:17:28] And I did, and I did. And I picked up the plate and I said, of course I will. And I served him. Okay. Inside. You can imagine.
[00:17:40] But you know what? It released me.
[00:17:44] I just thought, jesus, you would have been so proud of me.
[00:17:50] I'm doing this for you.
[00:17:53] But it does hurt.
[00:17:55] It does hurt.
[00:17:58] But this is about him because we are going to see him face to face and I want him to say, you were like me.
[00:18:07] The world, the world that's going crazy.
[00:18:13] I don't have to talk. In fact, the next prayer meeting we're having, we're going to pray for the UK because it is in, we're in a dangerous, volatile place with law enforcement. We're going to pray for our nation.
[00:18:26] But it hurts church, the rubbing off just very quickly this morning, Matthew eight, there is a famous passage. Let me just tell you about Peter. I love the disciple Peter. I'm probably more like him, but I'm female.
[00:18:42] But they're in the boat, there's a storm and they're all in this boat. Theologians assume that they had probably been a disciple for about eleven months, maybe a year at this point in their journey. And they're in the boat on the sea of Galilee.
[00:19:00] Let me just read a little bit of it. So if you want to quickly turn to it. Matthew eight, I think it is.
[00:19:06] Where are you, Matthew eight?
[00:19:08] It will come up and it says this, it says, now when he had got into a boat, his disciples followed him. Everyone say, follow.
[00:19:17] Recognize that it was Jesus that got in the boat first. And the disciples followed, okay, when the storms come, let me tell you, Jesus is with you right. If we are not following Jesus and a storm comes, that is one way to worry. That's right. That's right. Yeah. But they got in the boat because jesus got in the boat. They followed Jesus, and so this storm is coming upon them. And it says, suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea so that the boat was covered with the waves. But Jesus was sleeping. He was fast asleep.
[00:19:54] The disciples were panicking.
[00:19:58] Now, at this point, they were panicking because they didn't know how to deal with the storms.
[00:20:07] But Jesus was about to teach them how to deal with the storms.
[00:20:10] He was about to teach them a vital lesson when it comes to radical discipleship and growth in your life. All right, there were storms coming in, and this is what jesus did. He rebuked what was coming against them.
[00:20:27] Everyone say rebuked, just so I know you're awake. I know today is a bit different.
[00:20:33] He rebuked what was coming against them, so he rebuked the waves and he rebuked the wind, and it said everything was completely calm. You see, the disciples, at this point in their journey, didn't know the authority they had.
[00:20:54] They didn't understand the authority of walking with Jesus.
[00:20:59] They dealt with things in a very, can I say, a worldly way. What I mean by that, a very natural way.
[00:21:07] It was not a kingdom way. It was a very natural way. They went to panic, doom. Worst case scenario scenario.
[00:21:17] How many of us do that? Yeah. Yeah. I'm getting better. Can I tell you, tell my husband I am getting better.
[00:21:28] They hadn't yet learned how to deal with life's challenges, but here's the key. They're in this storm. Jesus is sleeping. Fast forward a few years. Jesus has died. He's been buried, he's gone back to the Father in heaven. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit has happened. Peter finds himself in another storm. This time, he is not in a boat, he's in a prison. Persecution has broken out amongst the early church. Because of the rapid growth of the church and the outpouring of the spirit.
[00:22:02] Peter is now in another storm.
[00:22:05] James has just been killed by the sword for radically proclaiming the gospel. He's been killed by the sword. Peter is next. Peter has been arrested. I want you to get this in the spirit. This morning, church, Peter has been arrested. He's next on the execution list. He's arrested. The Bible tells us he's in shackles, he's between guards and he's been locked away. Now it's in the middle of the night, all right? And you can read in acts 20, I think it's verse six. It will come up. Okay. And it says that Peter was. It was between two soldiers, the guards before the door, keeping the prison. Okay. And it says that Peter was sleeping.
[00:22:54] Who does that remind you of?
[00:23:00] But Peter wasn't sleeping four or five years ago. He was panicking. He was full of doom and gloom. And worst case scenario, I can't have faith.
[00:23:10] But they followed Jesus into the boat, and here Peter is now in prison, next on the list, ready to be executed. And Peter is sleeping. I'm like, lord, how can you sleep in a storm like this? How can you be such at peace?
[00:23:30] That's radical discipleship. If you can do that knowing you're going to be executed the next day, come to me and tell me how you get there.
[00:23:43] Peter was sleeping, and we know that because the angel of the Lord had to come and wake him up.
[00:23:50] Tell you what, you do not sleep in prison knowing that you're next on the execution list unless the Holy Spirit, the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit is living inside of you. You can't do it. You can't do it in yourself unless the power of the Holy Spirit is inside of you.
[00:24:12] In autumn, I'm so excited. I've been hiding away a little bit because I'm writing a series on living the spirit filled life, a life in the spirit. And Phil's doing his about the words of Jesus. I think it's gonna be a real incredible series for autumn.
[00:24:28] But you can't sleep in the storm without being empowered by the Holy Spirit.
[00:24:37] You can't do it.
[00:24:40] Four or five years ago, Peter was panicking in that boat.
[00:24:45] This time he's asleep like Jesus.
[00:24:49] In other words, Jesus had rubbed off on him. You know that rubbing off. He had become part of the character and the behavior of Jesus. He was modeling Jesus in his everyday life. And I believe as we step out to model Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, God is going to bring those doorstep conversations to us. Honestly, we've had five doorstep conversations this week. We haven't even had to go and look for them. It's like, oh, another knock at the door, right? Okay, we're giving you the gospel. You're not leaving here. I had the window cleaner, had the car valley guy. The list goes on.
[00:25:29] It's crazy. Honestly, this Christmas, we are believing there's going to be miracles as well, with people who we know are not yet believers of Christ, and they're waiting for miracles, and they're going to receive miracles because the church had been praying, and we're going to see them, a part of us.
[00:25:51] Miracles come.
[00:25:54] And I believe Peter that day was enabled some more time upon the earth to walk like Jesus because he trusted Jesus. He wasn't the same guy that he was four or five years ago.
[00:26:14] What's happening today?
[00:26:16] We come up, Matt, what's happening today in our lives? What's really going on?
[00:26:23] Because we're going to see his face, and we have such a short time upon the face of the earth.
[00:26:31] Young people, are you following in his footsteps? I know it's incredibly hard, but take me as an example that God, whatever you give up for the Lord, he puts back into your life ten hundred fold time and time and time and time again.
[00:26:53] Let's stop pretending.
[00:26:58] Let's be radical disciples of Jesus.
[00:27:01] What's the takeaway today? Here's the takeaway. Have we got a takeaway to know God intimately and to become more like Jesus?
[00:27:12] Discipleship happens when we follow in the footsteps of Jesus number three. The culture of heaven is the will and ways of God. He desires his will to be on earth as it is in heaven. Did you know that? He desires his will in heaven to be on earth.
[00:27:41] How does he do that?
[00:27:45] He does it through you and me.
[00:27:48] Through the empowering of his spirit.
[00:27:53] God has called us to live and model our lives like Jesus in this world.
[00:28:00] Next one, some thoughts that I want us to take away. And then I'm going to lead us. In a moment, we're going to be doing something a little different. So get ready. Get ready. Today's a bit different.
[00:28:12] I want us to think of these things over summer. Summer's a good time.
[00:28:17] You know, I always love autumn because you feel like it's the sense of a new season upon us, and it is with, like, the school timetables and all that kind of stuff. But summer's a really good time to reflect.
[00:28:30] Where am I at in my discipleship journey?
[00:28:36] Who is rubbing off on us?
[00:28:39] Where were we three years ago?
[00:28:43] Cast yourself back to your life three years ago. Where were you three years ago in your discipleship journey? Where are we today?
[00:28:53] Are we dealing with the storms better today than we did a few years ago?
[00:28:59] In other words, when somebody gets at you, are you responding the same way as you did 30 years ago? Ten years ago?
[00:29:09] And this is not to bring condemnation, because Jesus absolutely loves you. He loves us.
[00:29:21] It's just Jesus saying, there is so much more radical. Discipleship brings heaven to earth.
[00:29:30] It changes regions, it changes lives, it changes communities, it changes us. It changes our families.
[00:29:38] Can we sleep in the storm? Not always, Lord, but I'm trying.
[00:29:44] I'm getting there, I think.
[00:29:47] But I want to. I desperately want to.
[00:29:51] What do our actions say about us? Which areas do we need to grow in?
[00:29:57] Good questions. Right? Good questions.
[00:30:00] Will you stand with me this morning?
[00:30:07] We love you, Jesus.
[00:30:13] You know, God is so kind and faithful.
[00:30:20] I think of my own life. What a mess I was emotionally, physically, going nowhere, pretending I had it all together, pretending I knew deep theological things because I had the jargon and learned the jargon off my parents. Anyone ever done that? And then you wake up one day and go, I'm not where I thought I was because those challenges come and I wasn't able to deal with them. Relationships broke down and I wasn't as stable and as mature as I thought I was.
[00:31:02] And then Jesus gently comes and he cradles us.
[00:31:06] And he does gently come and he cradles us in his arms.
[00:31:13] He says, I'm going to show you a better way.
[00:31:19] I'm going to show you a better way.
[00:31:22] If you will take my hand, if you will trust me, if you will walk in my footsteps. Because there is a cost. There is a cost, but it's worth it. I would rather live only 25 years on the earth, fully for the Lord Jesus Christ, than 80. That mean nothing.
[00:31:50] What we're going to do this morning, we are going to have a time in God's presence.
[00:31:56] We don't really know how this is going to go, in all honesty.
[00:32:00] We're going to sing, we're going to enjoy his presence together. Can I encourage you? This is a safe space. If you want to kneel this morning, there's some space. If you want to lie on the floor, honestly, do it.
[00:32:14] Do it if you want to dance.
[00:32:17] But what I do want you to do this morning, I want us to lay all our. All those issues, all those maybe physical things that we're going through, those situations that we need answers to. Can we lay them aside just for this moment and focus all our attention on Jesus?
[00:32:39] Some of you, this may be awkward. I'm sorry, not sorry.
[00:32:46] Let's just trust him this morning. If any of you feel you've got a word on your heart, please come and share with Phil, you know, because often in these moments, Lord doesn't want to speak to us. So just share it with Phil. And then Phil will, you know, encourage you to come and share it. So are we ready this morning? Can we just. We just lift your hands if you're able to, and you're willing. That's fine. Don't worry if you don't. It's fine.
[00:33:16] Lord, this morning, we hand over, Holy Spirit, this space to you.
[00:33:23] We're with family, Lord. This is our living room. This morning.
[00:33:29] This is where we come just as we are.
[00:33:35] This is the living room.
[00:33:38] It's a safe space. This morning, Lord. And we truly say with all our hearts and mean it, holy spirit. Will you lead us, Lord?
