Discipling is the Only Way Forward
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Sermon Summary
On Vision Sunday, we looked at discipleship as the central calling of the Christian life and the church. Rather than treating discipleship as a program or an optional pathway, this message argues that discipling people is the only way forward in God’s kingdom.
Using the Lord’s Prayer as a framework for direction, the sermon connects four ideas that shape a healthy Christian life: family, clarity, identity, and calling. Growth happens in spiritual family. Confidence comes through clarity from God’s Word. Identity is shaped as we live under Christ’s authority. And calling emerges as we follow Jesus more closely.
At the center of it all is Jesus Himself. Before we talk about what we are called to do, we must look at how Jesus lived and ministered. His primary investment was not crowds, programs, or religious systems—but people.
Jesus’ Pattern: Personal Investment
A major focus of the sermon is how Jesus discipled people personally.
Although Jesus preached to crowds, performed miracles, and confronted religious leaders, the majority of His time—roughly ninety percent—was spent with a small group of ordinary people. These were not impressive leaders. They were simply people Jesus chose to walk with.
Jesus often spoke in parables to the crowds but explained their meaning privately to His disciples. This shows that discipling people was not a side activity—it was central to His mission.
That focus becomes explicit in Jesus’ final command.
The Calling of Discipleship (Matthew 28:19–20)
Jesus’ final instruction to His followers was clear:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
The primary directive is not simply to teach information, start organizations, or gather crowds. The command is to make disciples.
Teaching someone information is one thing. Teaching someone to obey is another. Discipleship requires proximity, modeling, patience, and shared life. Just as a trade like welding can’t be learned only through explanation, following Jesus can’t be learned only through information transfer. It requires walking together, practicing obedience, and learning by example.
Discipling People Means Digging Deep
Discipleship is difficult because it goes deep.
The sermon uses the image of digging a hole: at first the work is easy, but as you go deeper the ground becomes more compacted and the effort increases. Jesus spent three years with His disciples, and even then they misunderstood Him, failed Him, and eventually abandoned Him.
Investing in people is messy. It reveals weakness, immaturity, and resistance. But value is only found beneath the surface. Gold, oil, and precious resources are never found lying on the ground—they are found deep below, and they come at a cost.
Jesus dug deep into people’s lives. He calls His followers to do the same.
Discipleship Is the Only Way Forward
The sermon makes a clear claim: discipling people is the highest purpose of both the church and the Christian life.
Churches can be tempted to focus on things that feel successful—attendance, activity, nostalgia, or comfort. But the calling of the church is not to run services people enjoy. It is to be a spiritual family equipped to serve sacrificially with God’s Word and our testimony.
This calling extends to every believer, not just leaders or missionaries.
Identity and Calling (2 Timothy 2:1–2)
Paul’s words to Timothy highlight four generations of discipleship:
What you heard from me… entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
Calling often feels heavy before it feels clear. Timothy likely felt unqualified, young, and unsure—yet Paul calls him forward anyway.
That weight is not meant to discourage. It is meant to shape identity.
As the sermon explains, identity grows as we:
Discover how we are made to fulfill our calling
Discipline ourselves to grow and change
Walk into everyday spaces with intentionality toward people
Our hope is not in our competence, but in the power of God working in the lives of people, just as Jesus demonstrated.
Vision for 2026 — Your Next Step
The sermon closes with a concrete vision:
to see an average of 26 people participating in Leader Lab in 2026.
Leader Lab exists to help people:
Find clarity
Discover identity
Step into calling
Discipleship is not abstract. It moves forward through intentional next steps.
Scripture References
Matthew 28:19–20
2 Timothy 2:1–2
