Latest / Citipointe Church Caboolture / From Believers To Followers | Ps Melanie Politanski

Transcript

From Believers To Followers | Ps Melanie Politanski · Citipointe Church Caboolture

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Hey, welcome to the City Point Church podcast.
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Thanks for joining us. Every day is an opportunity to
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take hold of. So we hope this message inspires
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you and build your faith that it helps you have more of a God
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perspective for your day. Enjoy.
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Graham and I are. Very, very excited.
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And at the same time, to be perfectly honest, for the first
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time in a long time, I'm being really vulnerable with you.
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I am. I'm nervous about bringing this
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word. This word carries weight.
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I know it carries weight for you and I and it's going to carry
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weight for future generations. And so it.
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Can't remain limited. To 1 Preach.
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It's going to be something that we unpack over the next month
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and it will culminate when Pastor Sharon comes on August
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1st and August. It's not the first that's the we
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get. I get her.
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She flies in on the 1st I get her.
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On the first you. Get her on the 3rd.
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All right on the. 3rd. To.
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Bring us as a church or. Begin to lead us in a specific.
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Way that we. As the church are going to step
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into for the first time in many years and so the the.
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Title of this theme that. We're going to unpack over the
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next couple of weeks. Is called from.
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Believers to followers from believers to followers.
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And so I would like to. Open.
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This theme with something a little bit.
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Unusual. I'd like to.
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Open this theme with an apology that might sound really unusual.
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Who in the room? Has followed Jesus.
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For more than 45 years, yeah. So could just a little higher.
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So we can see 123-4567 8 about let's say 10 to 15 people,
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right? I can tell you.
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That what? We're going to lead in this next
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month. Us as a church.
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Into and. See it in your spirits.
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Is something. That we.
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As the church. Have not done very well since
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that time. There is a specific generation
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of people who, when they came to know Jesus, had the gift.
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And the blessing? To have their lives transformed
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or their lives undone by all that God had done.
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For them and. And then move.
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From that moment. To have their lives walked with
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somebody through the transformation that
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discipleship. Brings, I know.
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Because I am a child of. Somebody who got discipled.
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When my. Mum and Dad radically came to.
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Jesus in the 80s. The church in that era was
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heavily led by discipleship. In that time, the heartbeat of
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the church was to go into all the world.
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So it was not an unusual thing that churches had giant.
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Maps of the world. In their foyers with little
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pins. In them I remember the pins.
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And I I was because I was a church.
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Kid John was there with me. We.
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Were doing it together. Misbehaving up there.
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Moving the pins. Tell me you didn't see.
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Who else did a? Moving of the pins.
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Like placing Bolivia in, you know, England.
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So fun. Because they also had.
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String attached to them. Everywhere that we were going to
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reach with the gospel of Jesus Christ had pins with string.
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And I love to make shapes with the string.
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You knew a lot of. Kids were doing it in the church
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because there were so many extra pin holes in the map.
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But the heartbeat of the church in that era was to go into all
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the world and not live in the vicinity of other people in that
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nation, but to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and see people
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come into a knowledge of who he was.
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But that was part of what that. Era was about the.
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Other part of it was which was the pretty much the the
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culmination of everything the church did was about taking that
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person who had accepted Jesus with their with their life and
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say, let me walk with you, Rachel, the journey of
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Christian. Faith.
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So because of it, my parents 2 drug addicts who had had
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devastating childhoods, walked from brokenness and didn't just
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experience wonderful worship services and hear the word of
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God for 25 minutes on a. Sunday, they got walked.
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Hand in hand with specific people into.
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Come on, I believe that the holy.
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Spirit wants to heal this specific thing.
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Not finished, not done. Just begun.
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Come on, I believe that that specific behaviour that you
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carried and operated in before you knew Jesus, God wants to
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transform. He wants to align according to
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his word. Let's do it.
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Because of this, I got to witness as a child and a
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teenager, than a young adult and now as a woman, the continuing
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process in my parents of people's lives being
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transformed. Not.
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Was transformed in a season in the 1st 18 months of them
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becoming believers but over their life being continually
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transformed. And so my parents in their 60s
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are doing more powerful things in the spirit, in the spirit
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realm and for the Kingdom of God then they did in their 20s and
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in their 30s, even though God used.
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Them in that time. This is not supposed to be the
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story that is unique. To my parents, to Colleen and
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Henry for. Graham witnessed.
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The exact same thing. When his parents walked into a
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Holy Spirit revival, intoxicated when he was one, came out sober
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and filled with the Holy Spirit. Who you know today in Pastor?
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Colleen and Henry. Is not who they were 40-5 years
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ago and it's not who they were. It's not who they are or were 20
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years ago. Just yesterday, Graham and I
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watched our wedding video for the first time in 20.
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Five years. And I got to see and witness the
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transformation that has taken place since that moment in my
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parents, in law, in my parents, I was.
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I was marked. By it to go.
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Wow, who they? Are today.
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I knew I had. Good ones.
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We knew we had good parents. We knew we'd been raised with a
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heritage of faith. But God has been allowed to
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continue to disciple their life. Nick so beautifully articulated
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the testimony of what God has done in her life to intervene.
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Because my mum, a beautifully broken woman at 19, walked into
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the Kingdom of God and said here I am.
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You love me as you receive me and I accept your love, but
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would you transform my life? Would you rewrite who I am?
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And has continued to do that for the last.
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I don't know how many years, a lot of years.
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Because of this, I can attest today that discipleship is a.
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Key part. It is not a program in a church.
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It is not, even though it is one of the best things you could do.
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Because. My father-in-law, amazing man
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and God teaches it. It is not a Foundations course
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that is finished ten weeks from now.
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Discipleship is a lifelong. Journey you do with somebody who
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is more mature than you in the faith so that your life is
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growing in likeness with God continually and so I this
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morning want to right from the get go apologize to the
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generations who've come after and.
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Even to those. In this generation who may have
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missed this because of the church.
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And I love the church. I love the church, but we're not
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always right. The Word of God says do not be
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conformed to the ways of the world because it's reminding us
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as believers to not conform to the ways of the world.
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But sometimes we like to go or conform or move to what culture
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is doing. And Gray and I can see that
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there are some things. That as a church.
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As a generation, even our generation.
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That we have missed. Out on because we.
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Moved. From 1:00.
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On one relationship. To corporatizing.
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As much as we could, we do this because it is being really
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frank. A lazier model.
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It is easy to do a corporate e-mail than it is to do an
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individual. Coffee, am I right?
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Come on. I need to.
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Hear an Amen. Somebody's like.
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Amen. I'm booking you in this week,
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right? Come on.
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I know. That this is confronting.
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But I also know that there are. People sitting here today.
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Going yeah, I know, I know. I know there are.
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Things I've. Missed out on?
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Because discipleship took. A back step.
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In the. Church because of it.
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We've been left. By its effect in the House of
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God globally. But as there isn't a.
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Great awakening that has. Begun.
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It's not that we're waiting for it.
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It has begun across the earth. You and I actually need to step
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into this again, exactly what Jesus asked us to do when he
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left, to be discipled and to make disciples because.
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With a great. Awakening of people with.
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The Spirit of God. Moving across our nation.
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And people being drawn. By the spirit of.
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God. Into.
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The House of God saying I know that there is more and I've got
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to seek this. This is already happening all
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across the planet. There isn't a country attesting
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to this. Did.
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You know that Amazon? Prime has identified this.
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It is the entire model. Of where they've done the
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direction. It's why for those of you who.
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Follows Amazon Prime. It's why they actually are
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flooding this particular forum. With Christian content because.
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They've said the next generation is crying out for content to be
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disciples and to be able to know how to follow Christ, that this
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particular medium that actually just a couple of years ago was
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trying to win people with thriller and witchcraft content
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identified. It dipped in what this next
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generation is crying out for and it started to do away with this
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business. They became irrelevant and other
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forums were grabbing. People's attention.
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And so one smart man just decided, why don't we find out
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what the next generation is actually?
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Asking for. What are they?
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What are they asking for? They're asking for the ways to.
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Follow God so. Amazon Prime is flooding their
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total forum with shows and content so that people can
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actually. Begin to seek.
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Out faith and follow and. Find out who Jesus.
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Is. This has already begun, but for
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us to be able to do what God. Wants us to.
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Do with the people. Who walk in here?
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We. Ourselves.
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Have to be discipled. Because otherwise what we will
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do? Is be friendly.
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I don't want to be a friendly church.
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I know that sounds really weird. Anybody.
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Can put on a. Smile.
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Hold a wobble board. Right and say.
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We're glad you're here. But I want to know who Victoria
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is, and I want to know that Victoria is living his best life
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for Jesus. Christ and that.
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Everything that called that. God called.
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Victoria to is. Being done.
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And cultivated and transformed and moved by his.
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Spirit and that. Victoria.
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Leaves a legacy beyond his family, beyond a bloodline for
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the Kingdom of God that happens not in a Sunday service.
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This is this this. Here is for encouragement,
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edification, to stir us, to come alongside others who are going.
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You doing all that God's asked you to do.
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Awesome. You're not all right.
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Come on, let's walk together. Come on, come on.
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There's more. There's more, there's more, so I
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want to unpack this morning. Just a couple of things about
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discipleship because when I say the word discipleship, I know
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that there are going to be 100 different definitions in this
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house. Can we begin to see this in your
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spirit this morning, church? Thank you, Shane.
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Shane is ready to be discipled. Can we see just spirit this
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morning for something that hasn't taken place in a long
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time? Is that all right?
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I know you feel afraid. I can hear it.
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That's OK. Belief in Jesus is the key.
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It is a key. Like I spoke to Joan, like I
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spoke over you when she was being ministered to.
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But a discipled life opens the door to the house and allows God
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to walk into each room. Clean house and use the rooms
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for their proper function. This is discipleship.
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Can I give you a biblical definition of discipleship?
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Ready discipleship is the intentional.
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Spirit. LED process of being.
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Formed into the image of Christ. Through obedience.
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To His word say obedience, to his word intimacy with Him.
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And in a. One-on-one investment from
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someone. More spiritually.
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Mature so that we. Can learn to follow.
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Jesus. And lead others.
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To do the same. You cannot be discipled alone.
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True discipleship happens in. Relationship, not just with
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Jesus. But with someone who walks ahead
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of you in faith and Jesus modelled this by closely.
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Doing this with his disciples, not merely teaching from a
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distance, but. Calling them to individually
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walk. With him intimately for 3 1/2
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years. Some of my notes are also on my
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phone so I'm opening. This quickly can I?
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Tell you the results of what we see in the church that sound a
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lot like there are areas we have conformed to the ways of the
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world that have happened and crept into the church into.
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You and I into our everyday. Because of an absence.
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Of this in our. Life let me.
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Explain some of them. We have become consumer
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believers who are fat on content.
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And poor in character. Just take a breath.
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I'm going to come to hope in a minute.
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I'm going to explain what we're going to do in this.
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We are concerned about the state of the world, and either we feel
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hopeless or we've become conspiracy theorists, or we have
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an expectation that the church and leaders do something about
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it. Another symptom that is cript in
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because we lack discipleship is that opinions flow freely.
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They flow freely out of our lips.
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These thoughts are allowed to play out like movies and cinema.
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In our minds, we. Open our mouths about things
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that are destructive, divisive, and not according to the Word of
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God. Do you know, even in the last
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two years, I have heard people in conversations, I've been
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involved. In or in?
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After church hangs on significant services where we
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have appointed pastors and leaders.
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I have heard in cafe conversations where people have
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gone. Oh, that's an unusual move to
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do. There or what are they doing
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with? That person opinions are
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flowing. Freely we've had leaders,
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spirits. Discouraged on the day of
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commissioning because they've gone.
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They mustn't have anything else for you to do.
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Church. When our words flow freely and
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they aren't according to what God has asked us to come into
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alignment with His word about our words, it is evidence that
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we lack discipleship in our life.
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That means there's nobody to go, Oi, that's foul.
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I have a question for you this morning.
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Who's allowed to tell you that you're off?
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Couple know, but I. Want you to?
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Think for a second. Who?
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Who is actually allowed? Who is actually?
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Do you have? One or two trusteds who are
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actually allowed to say God didn't say that your feelings
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are same. That oh.
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Because I can. Tell you I'm going to get there.
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When? You are not discipled.
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God says everything God says. What to eat for?
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Breakfast because you want to. Eat the waffle and not something
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healthy. He's like you deserve it because
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I love you. You are beautifully and
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wonderfully made. So are waffles.
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Go for it and. Not.
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Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and you are to
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cultivate it. And you are to look after it.
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And you are to nurture it. With all the.
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Due diligence of that a holy Creator created it and is
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entrusting it to. You to steward because he's got
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things to do in and. Through it is somebody allowed
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to say that poignant thought, but our opinions flow freely.
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We claim God told. Us when in.
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Fact, our feelings or. Preferences told us, we claim
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God told us. In actual fact, in the last
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three years, I have been told multiple times that God told me
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by people who had heard it in gossip, and I knew they'd heard
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it in gossip. They'd heard information and
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they said I'm silly, I'm silly. Pastamel, I've been around for a
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long time, followed Jesus my whole life.
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I just knew. See that I just knew.
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Undisciple. It's called gossip.
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You had a conversation on Thursday.
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Where you found out? And now you're fishing for
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information. Come on, let it stir our spirit.
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Let it challenge us. This particular message right
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now is discipling a couple of us.
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All right. We are forming.
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Another symptom is is we form our own doctrines.
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The. Hymns are the only holy songs.
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Oh, you laugh. I know you're laughing, but in
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truth. We.
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Form our own doctrines when we're undisciple.
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And these new songs, they're too wordy and I've got to follow the
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overhead projector, which is only half up there half the
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time. And so I can't do it.
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They should. Just do the hymns because they
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were the only. Holy songs.
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Oh. Sorry to David and all of the
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beautiful poets in the Bible who wrote the songs way before the
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hymns. Ever.
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Were written. Come on, if we're going to get
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bigger on the doctrine, let's go back and.
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Only sing the psalms. Come on.
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And then Miriam's out a step because she wasn't in the
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Psalms. When she sang a song.
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Awkward in awkward. But here's the thing.
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You might go. I've never.
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Articulated that however you're. Standing in worship and going
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hmm Yep. And the drums are really loud
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again. Oh, it's in my eyes, right in.
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My eyes. It's in my eyes and oh.
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Right, we've just been taken to heavenly places.
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I'm so glad. Thank you, Gray and Mel, for
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allowing the Holy Spirit to lead this morning.
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We form our own doctrines because of undiscipleship.
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Being undiscipled, all right, We can't be instructed how to live,
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so therefore we never come under authority, which means we are
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not practiced at coming under God's authority.
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We can't come. Under God's authority and yet
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not come under man's because it is in the relationship of
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humans. That we learn.
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Humility we learn Vulnerability. We learn transparency when I
24:18
engage in a. Conversation with Rachel.
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We talk. About the things that.
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Hurt. And how to forgive?
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And we talk. About the.
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Things that are fractured and how to heal.
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There is vulnerability and. Humility.
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And it's in that space that the Holy Spirit can transform our
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lives. Another thing that I can.
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Say is the result. Of not discipleship is our
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altars are empty. Our altars are empty.
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Which means we've got a problem with pride.
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I'm really grateful as the pastor of the church that my
25:05
name is on the seat right there, so I can stand here really
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easily. Just because you might be in the
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3rd or the 15th or the 20th row does not mean you can't come and
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stand on this whole tattoo regularly.
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Do you know our young people, being younger, in faith, and
25:31
still in a stage of such passion and vigor for the Lord, know in
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their heart that this is a place of humility and vulnerability
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when God is doing something in them.
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You can all see it and you're watching like this.
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Come on with the one eye, everybody knows it.
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Who's a seasoned one Eye worshipper?
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You know what I'm talking about. This place is exposed for a
26:01
reason. Because when you come and you
26:05
bring your. Stuff into the beautiful.
26:08
Exposure before God, he. Does.
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Things in this place. That are more restorative.
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Than in a place of pride going. That's just for somebody else.
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So our altars are empty, we don't share our faith, we don't
26:28
serve. And the absence of discipleship
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has bred super spiritualism in the immature and pride and
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religious spirits in long term believers.
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This is the result of the church without discipleship.
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But God had an antidote. He's always had an antidote.
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In actual fact, it wasn't the antidote.
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It's the plan. He always had a plan.
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He has a plan and he says his. Ways lead to life, say his ways.
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Lead to life. Now, because of the time, I can
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say I'm going to get. Through 2.
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Of my five points, and I'm just going to give you those today,
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2. This morning I want to unpack
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very quickly. In this message saying from
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believers to followers. Just two.
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Things about discipleship. That we miss when we aren't.
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Disciple over the next. Month I'm going to.
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Unpack all 5 so that we get a full picture of what we're
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missing out on, and I pray that it stirs your spirit to go.
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I've got to jump. In on this I need this for my
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life. Church.
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I need. This for my life.
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I would be a lousy pastor. I can tell you that with
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confidence. If my life is not led by
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somebody more mature, if there isn't wise counsel going, Nope,
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that's. You.
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Nope, that's. Feelings.
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Nope, that's. Being real with me and teaching
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me the. Ways of the Lord, places they've
28:07
gone that I've never gone. We all need this.
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My iPad's going into low power mode, so pray read in the
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spirit. We're going to Luke 923 quickly
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and it says this. Whoever wants to be my disciple
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must deny themselves and take up their cross daily, say daily.
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That means not finished. That means not graduated.
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That means you're not. Done yet?
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That means you're also ready. Whoa.
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And follow me. There is a difference between
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believing in. Jesus and following Him.
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Believing is the. Beginning of the journey
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following is the. Transformation of the journey.
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Many Christians today stop at belief.
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And never step. Into the rich.
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But costly, beautiful life of discipleship.
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Today I want to unpack just two of five.
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Points, and then we're going to see this out over this month of
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what we miss out on when we are not discipled #1 if you're
29:15
taking notes. If you're not taking notes, this
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is discipleship 101. Pull out a notepad.
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Pull out your. Phone this is something you're.
29:22
Going to go back. And you're going to.
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Stew on and meditate. On.
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Come on and go. To the word of God and verify
29:28
it. Not chat, not chat your BT Go
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and verify. It in the word of God we miss
29:35
out number one, we. Miss out on the power of.
29:38
Transformation. Romans 12/2 says do not conform
29:43
to the pattern. Of this world.
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But be be by the renewing. Of your mind.
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Undisciplined believers say. But this is the way I am.
29:57
This is just the way I talk. This is just the.
30:00
Way my whole family does this is.
30:02
The way I've lived, this is the way.
30:04
This is the way. This is the way I.
30:06
AM and God loves. Me anyway.
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Undisciplined believers also say only God.
30:15
Can disciple me, just me and the.
30:18
Holy Spirit, he's. Talking to me about it all the
30:21
time. That's an attitude, even if it's
30:26
subconscious that we have arrived or we've graduated.
30:31
At this discipleship journey. I can.
30:36
Tell you with confidence. Church, you never arrive until
30:38
you've gone to heaven. In the discipleship journey,
30:42
you're never finished. These are often used to be.
30:46
Really, Frank as an excuse for spiritual stagnation?
30:52
True disciples. Say search me Lord and change
30:57
me. Search me, Lord put me.
31:00
On the Potter's. Wheel again.
31:03
Put me on the Potters wheel. Jesus didn't just come to
31:05
forgive your sin, He came. To transform your life.
31:09
Dallas. Willard says this.
31:11
The greatest issue facing the world today is whether.
31:14
Those who identify. As Christians will become.
31:17
Disciples, students, apprentices, practitioners.
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Of Jesus Christ. What a statement.
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It's huge. Belief is the beginning.
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Transformation is the journey. Without discipleship we we
31:35
settle for spiritual survival instead of spiritual renewal.
31:42
Believing in Jesus saves our soul, but following.
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Jesus transforms our life. Without discipleship, we risk.
31:51
Staying the same saved but struggling.
31:57
I don't know about you but I want to go beyond Saved but
32:01
struggling. Who else here today is?
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Saying you know what, that's me. I want to go beyond saved but
32:08
struggling. There is more for us and it
32:12
comes through. Transformation.
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Come on, Jesus didn't just die to.
32:17
Give us a new. Destination, yes.
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Your salvation equals eternity, and that is worth rejoicing
32:26
over. But he died to give you and IA
32:28
new identity. Come on.
32:33
Discipleship. Reshapes our thinking, our.
32:36
Relationships. Our priorities.
32:38
Our purpose? And our written story, finally,
32:45
as the ban comes this morning #2.
32:51
We miss the joy. Of intimacy with Jesus.
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We miss. The Joy of intimacy.
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John 1515 says this I no. Longer call you.
33:03
Servants, somebody needs to hear this today.
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You've come to know Jesus. You are rejoicing in the.
33:16
Salvation of your sins. But he's saying to.
33:19
You and I today. I no longer call you servants.
33:24
Instead I've called you friends. Friends.
33:29
Undisciple believers say I just. Need the church?
33:33
Service to feed me all that. Great podcast to feed me.
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Actually I have a whole Sunday set up.
33:41
I love this. Preacher, then this preacher,
33:42
then this preacher on. You know, Christian TV or
33:45
Instagram or whatever, and then I'll come to the service, love
33:49
it. The life experience that can
33:51
feed me. I am.
33:53
Feeling encouraged and a. Boost of faith.
33:56
To launch me into my Wii? Undesirable.
34:00
Believers say, which is. Common and.
34:03
Very, very sad. I.
34:05
Believe in God. But I don't feel close to God.
34:12
I don't feel his nearness. I don't.
34:15
Feel His presence that is with me always.
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As his words. Says it is.
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He doesn't. Leave you.
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He doesn't forsake you, he says. I will.
34:24
Never leave you. And I will never.
34:26
Forsake you. But when we miss the joy of.
34:32
Intimacy we can often. Be very aware.
34:37
That he does not feel near or present in our everyday life and
34:42
so we often will come to a Sunday service and be consumers
34:48
of a feeling that makes me feel near to the presence of God.
34:54
Did you know you can experience? That always I wonder.
35:00
If you believe that today. Did you know you can experience
35:04
that when you brush your teeth, you.
35:07
Know I think I'm crazy, but you can.
35:09
You can experience it's. Hard to pray in the Spirit.
35:12
Brushing your teeth. I don't recommend it.
35:16
You can do it here. You can feel His presence and
35:19
His nearness in every moment, waking and sleeping.
35:26
For some of you, you are plagued in your dreams.
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With things. That God never designed.
35:31
To be there, deposit there for you to have to process and his
35:35
presence and His nearness. Is not felt because there is a
35:39
lack. Of intimacy with him.
35:44
When you take a journey of discipleship, somebody can walk
35:49
you through how to be a spiritual overcomer, even in
35:53
your. Sleeping hours because you.
35:56
Can be an overcomer. In your sleeping hours.
36:00
I have walked with girls who used to be plagued with
36:03
nightmares. They were marked by this for
36:05
their life, who now are spiritual prophetesses.
36:10
And you know what? They often don't dream anymore
36:13
because I know that the enemy is afraid.
36:15
When he shows up. And they're wielding this, so
36:18
you go back for more. Ready.
36:21
Come on, in the name of Jesus, we have the.
36:26
Ability to do this. But many of us actually have to
36:30
be. Not many.
36:31
All of us have to be walked. Like Jesus?
36:34
Called disciples to walk with so they understood and knew how to
36:39
do this. Because of this, this reflects.
36:44
Second hand relationship discipleship leads us into
36:49
direct. Communion with God.
36:53
CS Lewis says this. Christ says give me all.
36:58
I don't want so much of your time or so.
37:01
Much of your money or so much of your work?
37:05
I want it all. It's not going to cost you
37:09
something church to follow Jesus.
37:12
It is going to cost you everything.
37:17
Jesus doesn't want your. Belief He wants your heart, He
37:21
wants your thoughts, He wants your actions, He wants your.
37:24
Walk. He wants your.
37:26
Talk. Come on, followers.
37:29
Make space daily to meet with Jesus in.
37:34
Scripture in prayer. And in obedience.
37:38
At our IMC conference this week. Oh, it was fun.
37:44
Graham and I were. Challenged in the.
37:45
Very first session for as a. In a.
37:47
Pastor's lunch. It's supposed to be the cushy
37:50
section. You know, cushy session with
37:52
lunch. And Corey Russell says to us as
37:58
pastors, who covets your prayer life?
38:02
Who wants it? Come on, I know.
38:07
Even here in this. House today.
38:09
There will be. Specific believers that you.
38:11
Covet their prayer life. Come on, am I right?
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Covered in a good way. There are spiritual gifts.
38:19
You're allowed to covet. Do you know if you want to learn
38:23
to pray? Why?
38:23
Don't you spend some? Time with Rachel Eaton.
38:26
Even in an office when I'm trying.
38:28
To get work done. There is warfare and intimacy
38:33
taking. Place at all times.
38:36
And I love it because it draws me in to say.
38:40
I covet this gift. I covet the gift of prayer on
38:45
Pastor TJ and Saraya's. Life, but it's I.
38:52
Wonder if this morning you and I can go instead of coveting?
38:55
These things. Coveting the prophetic of Pastor
38:59
Rachel, we go and said, I'm going to be walked into the
39:05
development and the fulfillment and the fullness of the gifts
39:09
God's placed in my. Life.
39:12
And instead of vicariously operating out of Rachel, I go.
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Would you teach me how? What does this require?
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How many hours a day of intimacy with God?
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Is there a number? I learnt some numbers.
39:28
This week we. Learnt some numbers.
39:30
This week that went. Something we're coveting,
39:35
Something that we're craving, Something we want to step into.
39:38
We allowed. Team members to disciple us and
39:40
went well, this is what it's cost us.
39:44
This is the cost of this discipleship gift.
39:49
OK, how do we do that? How do I step into that?
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Would you help me? Would you start to walk with me
39:56
in this? Would you?
39:57
Begin to cultivate this and not would.
39:59
You do it for me. Would you hold me accountable to
40:02
it? Would you ring me up and say
40:04
what did God speak? To you about when you.
40:06
Asked him that. What did he tell you?
40:08
Are you going to do? It how when when are?
40:12
You going to do these things, discipleship, church, You and I
40:20
cannot lack intimacy with God because when we do, we have a
40:25
whole lot of knowledge about who He is.
40:28
But we can't lead people who are searching for somebody to
40:33
absolutely turn their lives upside down if we've not allowed
40:37
God to totally turn our lives upside down.
40:39
And I'm not talking about fill up your calendar.
40:43
I'm talking about transform your life.
40:47
We can't live off second hand faith.
40:51
We can't be consumers. Podcasts, sermons, others
40:57
experiences. Today Jesus is inviting us to
41:02
walk with him, to hear his voice, to know his heart.
41:09
Because disciples are not just learning about Jesus, they are
41:12
becoming more like him. And so this morning I'm going to
41:17
ask for a response to this message.
41:22
And I know it's been challenging.
41:25
Put your seatbelts on. We're going for four weeks to
41:27
see this, but it's not going anywhere after a month.
41:33
We believe there is a power and an intimacy found when we become
41:39
mature disciples, which doesn't happen in a moment, it happens
41:45
in a journey. So I'm wondering right now in
41:50
this meeting is Keys beautifully plays and you've been reminded
41:55
that God is here, He is near, he is present if you have.
42:02
Felt during this. Time the challenge, the
42:08
reminder, the call to be disciple, if you would just
42:16
stand to your feet where you are.
42:31
God, this is such a humbling journey.
42:38
There's something you want to do in each and every one of us.
42:41
You don't want us to miss out on the fullness of what you want to
42:45
do in us. Every single one of us has been
42:49
called the Purpose. But to walk in it, we've got to
42:55
walk following you. This is not done alone.
43:02
And so this morning, with arms outstretched.
43:09
We. Humbly come before you to do
43:13
what you've asked us to do to follow.
43:16
You if you're. Choosing to do that this
43:20
morning, I'm going to just ask you to confess it.
43:21
Say I'll follow you, Jesus. Now just I believe in you.
43:26
I am choosing from this moment forward to follow you.
43:33
To walk in. Obedience to your word to be
43:37
transformed, and so to grow in intimacy with you.
43:43
To actually hear your. Voice and not profess your voice
43:48
based on my feelings. God, you have.
43:52
Permission to lead my life. Would you say your own prayer
43:55
this morning instead of me doing it?
43:58
You can borrow my words, but God, would you lead my life?
44:03
Would you? Help me to be.
44:05
Humble and allow people. Allow somebody.
44:12
To come. Alongside my life and.
44:15
Walk with. Me on this journey.
44:19
To speak in the areas where there is more that you have.
44:22
For me. In the areas that maybe I've.
44:25
Settled or become comfortable God would you do it because this
44:31
morning I. Choose to follow you.
44:34
I choose to follow you. I want to be counted.
44:39
As one of your disciples, not just believers.
44:44
I want to be counted as one of your.
44:45
Disciples I want. To know you intimately, I want
44:48
to know how you think, how you speak, how you do.
44:52
I want to know the questions to ask, like how do I pray?
44:55
Because I witness it in your. Life God teach me how?
45:02
Help me to keep my spirit sweet, teachable, humble so that I'm up
45:08
for this journey and never let me get stagnant or comfortable
45:12
or complacent in an attitude that I have made it.
45:16
And that it's done. And that it's finished and that
45:19
it's. Just for the young.
45:20
Ones. God, shake that up.
45:23
You had permission this morning to put us on.
45:26
The Potter's wheel. To put us on the.
45:29
Potter's wheel again, God. Break us and make us and mold
45:36
us. To be in the likeness of you for
45:42
you. Alone.
45:43
Holy. You alone are righteous.
45:46
You alone are good. You alone are mighty, you alone
45:50
are powerful, and for me to carry and do any of these
45:56
things. I've.
45:57
Got to be transformed. Into your likeness.
46:02
So God you have. Permission this morning to
46:05
transform my life. That is your.
46:13
Prayer this morning say Amen.