WEBVTT - Making Disciples Pt. 5

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning. We're coming to the end of the week,

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<v Speaker 1>and all this week we've been talking about what Jesus

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<v Speaker 1>meant when he told his followers to make disciples of

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<v Speaker 1>other people and to spread that across all nations. Well, obviously.

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<v Speaker 1>This is something for us to understand, right. It was

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<v Speaker 1>the big thing Jesus said at the end of his

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<v Speaker 1>time with his followers. It was his guiding principle for them,

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<v Speaker 1>make disciples. Of course, that wasn't a new idea to them.

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<v Speaker 1>It's exactly what Jesus had been doing with them.

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<v Speaker 1>And so we have to ask ourselves, what does it mean?

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<v Speaker 1>What would it look like in my life as a

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<v Speaker 1>normal person today to make disciples? I mean that terminology

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<v Speaker 1>sounds so foreign to us. What does it mean, make disciples?

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<v Speaker 1>We picture maybe some guru in India.

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<v Speaker 1>Uh, training a group of people, or we think of

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<v Speaker 1>Jesus with his circle of disciples, and often we don't

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<v Speaker 1>realise Jesus started off by just inviting people in his

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<v Speaker 1>normal course of life to follow Him. And as they did,

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<v Speaker 1>he started building into them the spiritual practises that would

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<v Speaker 1>strengthen their relationship with God and be a foundation for

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<v Speaker 1>everything he wanted to do through them.

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<v Speaker 1>And then he started training them to lead other people

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<v Speaker 1>to faith in him, helping the people in their lives

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<v Speaker 1>find Jesus.

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<v Speaker 1>And then he said, I want to train you now

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<v Speaker 1>to train them to do the same thing. When you

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<v Speaker 1>lead people to faith in me, develop in them the

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<v Speaker 1>practises of a disciple, help them learn to lead other

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<v Speaker 1>people in their lives to me as well. So there's

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<v Speaker 1>this thing, it was just a way of life for Jesus,

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<v Speaker 1>and he taught it to the disciples, and it became

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<v Speaker 1>a way of life for them.

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<v Speaker 1>And this is what God wants for you and me

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<v Speaker 1>as well. You start by becoming a disciple, a follower

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<v Speaker 1>of Jesus. You need God. Do you sense a need

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<v Speaker 1>for outside help in your life? I know I do.

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<v Speaker 1>Then come to God and say, I want to follow Jesus.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you for making a way for me to be

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<v Speaker 1>forgiven and start a meaningful relationship with you.

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<v Speaker 1>OK, you're going to follow Jesus. What do you do?

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<v Speaker 1>Develop the practise of praying to Him a lot, talking

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<v Speaker 1>to Him about your life. Learn to listen to Him

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<v Speaker 1>by reading the Bible, and as he speaks to you

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<v Speaker 1>about your life, respond to Him with prayer.

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<v Speaker 1>Learn how to help other people find Jesus. Talk to

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<v Speaker 1>Christians in your life who know how to help other

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<v Speaker 1>people find Jesus and get them to help you learn

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<v Speaker 1>how to do that too.

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<v Speaker 1>Then help the people you lead to faith in Jesus

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<v Speaker 1>to do those same things. So what's our next step? Well,

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<v Speaker 1>what I want you to understand today from what Jesus

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<v Speaker 1>said to us as His followers is this.

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<v Speaker 1>When you adopt the disciple making way of life.

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<v Speaker 1>It's all in.

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<v Speaker 1>Right?

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<v Speaker 1>The way of life Jesus described and called his followers

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<v Speaker 1>to wasn't a way of life that says, great, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>going to live my life for myself, I'm going to

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<v Speaker 1>Plan my life exactly as I want it, and whatever

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<v Speaker 1>I want to do, I'm going to do, and I'm

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<v Speaker 1>also going to tack God on to the end of

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<v Speaker 1>my life, to kind of soothe my conscience and make

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<v Speaker 1>me feel good about life, and of course I want

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<v Speaker 1>God's help in a lot of ways in my life,

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<v Speaker 1>but I live for myself. It just doesn't work. The

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<v Speaker 1>whole Christian life doesn't work like that.

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<v Speaker 1>Here's what Jesus said in Luke chapter 9 verse 23

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<v Speaker 1>in the Bible. He said, If anyone wishes to come

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<v Speaker 1>after me.

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<v Speaker 1>Let him deny himself.

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<v Speaker 1>Take up his cross daily and follow me.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, that doesn't sound like something you're just going to

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<v Speaker 1>tack on to your life, does it?

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<v Speaker 1>It's a whole new way of life. And when you

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<v Speaker 1>choose to truly follow Jesus and become a disciple maker,

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<v Speaker 1>you need to go all in. You need to put

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<v Speaker 1>God right at the centre of your life. You need

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<v Speaker 1>to build your relationship around Him and then lead others

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<v Speaker 1>to Him. Don't.

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<v Speaker 1>Build your life around yourself. Don't organise your life around entertainment.

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<v Speaker 1>organise your life around what God wants to do through

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<v Speaker 1>you in the lives of the people around you.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm John North.

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<v Speaker 2>To go deeper in your faith, visit AFCI.com.au.