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More Like Jesus (Go Make Disciples) · Heart Check Podcast

0:13
What's up, everybody? Welcome back to Heart Check
0:15
podcast. I'm your host, Pastor Lopes.
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Yeah, let's go. And I'm so excited to be back
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with you guys. We are entering into our third
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week of our More Like Jesus podcast series here at Heart
0:29
Check, and I hope you've been enjoying this.
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We've been diving into the command, the Great Commission
0:37
that Jesus has left us with. The last thing he said to the
0:41
disciples before he ascended to heaven was therefore go and make
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disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
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the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
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And so now if we put our faith in Jesus, we are called to be a
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disciple of Christ, but also be a disciple maker.
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We're called to go reach those who don't know Jesus yet and
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then disciple them to help them grow in their faith, to put
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their faith in Jesus, but then grow in their faith and in there
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walk with him as well. And so we've been kind of diving
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into that these last few weeks. We talked about first week to
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invite someone into your life and then to fully welcome them
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into your life. So you haven't listened to
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episode 1 and 2. Go check those out.
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Today though, we are discussing that next step.
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We've invited somebody into our life.
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We have welcomed them fully in our life.
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We are we are going a little deeper.
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We're peeling back the the layers of the onion in a
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relationship with someone now that we are reaching for Christ
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or that they've put their faith in Jesus and now you're disciple
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in them. You're helping them learn more
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about what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus, while you are
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also having mentors and spiritual mentors in your life.
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Disciple in you as well as we discussed.
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But this last part of the journey of discipleship is
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spiritual growth. So we got invite, we got
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welcome, and this week we got grow.
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After inviting and welcoming people into our life, into a
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relationship with us, we now began to spiritually grow
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together. And I want to kind of give this
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disclaimer before we go any further.
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If the person you have invited and welcomed into your life
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still hasn't put their faith in Jesus, then this is a time to
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keep being patient, persevering, and be persistent.
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As we talked about last week, pray fervently for them and keep
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being a faithful friend and witness for Christ.
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Don't give up. Anything is possible with God.
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I want to encourage you with these verses that Paul says in
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first Timothy chapter 2, what he writes to Timothy, he says this.
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I urge you first of all, to pray for all people.
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Ask God to help them, intercede on their behalf and give thanks
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to them. And verse 2, pray this way for
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kings and all who are in authority so that we can live
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peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.
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Verse 3, this is good and pleases God our Savior.
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And verse four, who wants everyone to be saved and to
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understand the truth. This is the heart of God.
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This should be the heart of a child of God to pray for all
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people to intercede on their behalf, to have access to God
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through Christ, our high priest, that now we go and we intercede
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on behalf of others and we pray for them.
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We pray for their souls, we pray for their salvation.
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We urge, we urge each other to do that.
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Paul is urging the fellow brother and sister in Christ to
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pray and intercede for all people, even people who maybe
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don't like you, even people who maybe you don't like, that you
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pray for all people that they come to put their faith in
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Jesus. Because the heart of God is that
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he wants everyone to be saved and understand the truth.
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So his children should be people who pray without ceasing for all
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people to come to know Christ and to put their faith in him.
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And so I just want to give that disclaimer before we go any
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further. And I just want to encourage
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you, don't give up, don't check out, keep praying for that
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friend, that Co worker, that cousin, whoever it may be.
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Pray that God can do the impossible because he can.
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And we believe that God can reach them, that he can't soften
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their heart, that he can lift the veil off their eyes so they
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can encounter the living God who created them and loves them and
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and wants a relationship with them.
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And so spiritual growth is what theological term we use or throw
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around in the church, which is sanctification.
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So now we're talking about someone who's put their faith in
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Jesus and all of us who have put our faith in Jesus are being
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sanctified and sanctification. It simply just means the process
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of Christ working in US and through us to become more like
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him while we're here on this earth.
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One of my favorite verses, the Philippian 1/6.
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He, Jesus who began a good work in you, will bring it to
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completion on the day of the Lord Christ Jesus, that Jesus
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will begin the work in US, and He will be the one working
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within us to bring us to a place of completion when he returns
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and we enter into our glory with Him.
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And so every day of following Christ is our sanctification
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process, the process of becoming more like Him, thinking more
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like Him, talking more like Him, acting more like Him.
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If we have put our faith in Christ and we are filled with
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the Holy Spirit, we should daily be looking more like Jesus,
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reflecting Him, representing Him, being in His word, being
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transformed by the Holy Spirit in us to live out the fruit of
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the Spirit in our lives. And so we know that on this side
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of eternity we will not be perfect.
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Nobody is perfect, but we strive to be like Jesus and all that we
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are. I love Romans 12/1 through two.
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It says this. And so, dear brothers and
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sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because
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of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy
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sacrifice. Listen to those words that we
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are supposed to give ourselves as a living and holy sacrifice,
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the kind that He will find acceptable.
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This is truly the way to worship God.
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Verse 2. Don't copy the behaviors in the
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customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new
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person by changing the way you think.
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Then you will learn to know God's will, which is good and
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pleasing and perfect. That is what it looks like for
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us to strive to be more like Jesus on this earth, that all of
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us, our whole being, our whole essence, our whole body, we are
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giving to Him as a living and holy sacrifice.
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Are you giving yourself over to God as a living and holy
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sacrifice? Are you taking off your old
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nature and putting on your new nature to be who God calls you
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to be? To not copy the customs and
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behaviors of the world? To stop living as the Gentiles
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do? To stop choosing sin that the
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old you used to choose, but now that you put your faith in
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Jesus, you are striving to change the way you think so that
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you will know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing
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and perfect. I pray and I urge and I plead
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with you, my brothers and sisters, to live out who God
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calls you to be. And now that you've put your
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faith in him, be sanctified daily and, and, and striving to
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be a living and holy sacrifice. But we also get to do this with
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people. We get to do life with people.
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We get to walk alongside each other.
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Spiritual growth can only happen through the pursuit of God by
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the means of His Word, prayer and fellowship.
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Those three things are vital to our walks with Christ, but also
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in discipleship with others. It is His Word, it's prayer and
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it's fellowship. We get to do this individually
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with Christ. We get to pray.
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We get to be in His Word. We get to have fellowship with
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the living God daily. But that would only be
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experiencing half of the fullness of walking with Christ.
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We are also called to grow together within our Christian
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community, the body of Christ. We have the body of Christ, our
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heavenly family here on earth, that we get to be the Kingdom on
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earth here and now that we get to do life together, that we get
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to walk with one another. So we are, we are crawled, we
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are called to grow together. We are commanded to not neglect
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meeting together. In Hebrews 10/24 through 25,
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we're reminded of this, to not neglect gathering and meeting
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and encouraging one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.
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We have this amazing opportunity to walk together with others as
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we walk with Christ. So this is something that goes
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hand in hand when it comes to spiritual growth and something
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and that also will enter into this stage of discipleship.
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And I always want to bring this up because this is that going
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beneath the surface. We've invited somebody to get
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coffee with us to to maybe build a relationship to reach for
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Christ. And then we welcome them into
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our lives. Now we start letting them be at
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our home, get to know our family, get to get to know parts
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of us. We get to be more vulnerable
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with them. But then when that relationship
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deepens, when we are now in a discipleship relationship with
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someone that we're helping spiritually mentor someone, that
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we have that incredible gift that God gives to us to be able
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to pour into others what He's poured into us and what other
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spiritual mentors have poured into us.
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Something that will come with spiritual growth is
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accountability. Biblical accountability is US
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noticing and then helping a brother or sister who are
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wandering from who they are called to be in Christ and
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overcome by sin, gently and humbly pointing that person back
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to Jesus and back onto God's path.
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We have this. We have this amazing verse, if
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you have not read it in Galatians 61, where Paul talks
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about this to gently and humbly bring people back to where God
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is to bring them back onto God's path.
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And we can do this with people. We have a we have a we have a
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built, we have a hopefully built a relationship with them in
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order to do this. There's proximity to
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accountability, there's relationship, there's trust
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built to be able to now have accountability.
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That's why this is in this third step.
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We've invited we welcome to now we grow together and spiritual
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growth is going to look like accountability.
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Now this isn't going to be where we're walking with this person
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and we're clearly seeing them not live out who God calls them
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to be that they're in sin, they're choosing sin.
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They are willingly doing things that we know God does not want
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for them that that's not living to his standards.
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And so now in this relationship that we've built, the trust
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we've, we've, we've developed with one another, the body of
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Christ judges within the body. We don't judge outside the body.
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If you're not a follower of Jesus, you don't, you don't live
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according to the family rules. But if you are within the body
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that we've built a relationship, there's proximity, there's
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trust. We have biblical accountability
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with one another. This part is so important and
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something we must do for people we love and care about.
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I think this is something that gets forgotten about, not even
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necessarily forgotten about, but I think it's hard to do because
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as Jesus tells us, get the log out of your own eye before you
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get the speck out of your brother.
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So we have to also examine our own hearts.
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Who are we to bring sin to someone else when we are in sin
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ourselves, When we are struggling with something that
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we haven't even been accountable to?
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So #1 we're accountable to God with our sin and we're
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accountable to someone else, others with our sin as well.
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So then we can be accountable to one another so we can walk out
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this biblical command of accountability in our lives.
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And so we are being there to ask each other the hard and honest
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questions so we can keep sharpening each other with God's
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truth in our lives. That iron sharpens iron.
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This is what discipleship looks like.
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Never stop learning more about Jesus and having spiritual
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mentors in your life and in this walk with Christ.
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Having spiritual mentors in the faith to disciple and speak into
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your life is so vital. And in return, never stop having
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people your discipling throughout your walk with Christ
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as well. We are in this together knowing
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knowing that disciples of Christ are disciple makers as well.
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My, my prayer for you guys after this study is you feel a a fire
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light inside of you for discipleship that you stop
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standing on the sidelines, that you stop cheering on others who
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are doing it, but you step into the game because the harvest is
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plentiful, but the workers are few.
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And so I hope that you realize your identity in Christ and who
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he calls you to be an ambassador, a royal priest, a
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representative of your King of Kings, your Lord of Lords, Jesus
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Christ. And now you get to go.
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Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, all people.
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So I hope you start to have that fire light with inside you to go
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and pray fervently for those who don't know Jesus and go and
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invite and welcome and grow together with those who do not
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know Jesus yet and those who do know Jesus but need someone to
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walk alongside them to get a little bit out of your comfort
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zone. And so we're going to dive in a
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little bit more into what that looks like in Scripture.
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And so when we talk about spiritual growth, I wanted to
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1st read second Timothy chapter 4, verses 2 through verse 2.
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Preach the word of God, Be prepared whether the time is
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favorable or not. I love that whether this a good
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time or not, we preach the word of God because the word of God
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will never come back void. The word of God is what
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transforms people. He goes on to say patiently
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correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
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Paul is speaking this and teaching this to Timothy, who's
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a young preacher, a young church leader, and Paul saying, you
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preach the word of God, you be prepared whether the time is
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favorable or not, and you patiently correct, rebuke and
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encourage your people, the church you've been called the
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shepherd over. Encourage your people with good
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teaching. And Paul goes on to say in verse
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3, for a time is coming and this might listen to this time.
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Time is now as well. For a time is coming when people
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will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching.
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They will follow their own desires and will look for
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teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want
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to hear. Verse 4, they will reject the
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truth and chase after miss myths.
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They're chasing after false things, made-up things, things
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that are not true. And so Paul's giving us this
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heating warning in this text that we have to be very vigilant
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to preach the word of God, to preach the truth of God, to not
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just try to maybe water it down or to be worried about what
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people think about us. Or maybe this isn't a good time
15:23
to say this. We preach the word of God no
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matter what, whenever, however, because it's his truth that
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changes people's lives. It's the Holy Spirit inspired
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word that pierces their hearts and cuts through bone and
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marrow, that convicts us of our sin, that leads us more into who
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God calls us to be. And so we preach the Word of God
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as Paul is urging and speaking to Timothy.
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Cause a time is coming where there's going to be people.
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And I said listen to that part 'cause it's happening now.
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There's false teaching everywhere.
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There's people all over the place.
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Even as I step into this realm when it was hard for me to step
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into this podcast world because I'm entering into social media
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where there's so many people who are deeming to be teachers of
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the word and they haven't even been discipled themselves or
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been walking with Jesus in a faithful way or been equipped to
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teach the word of God. That that is a mantle, a
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spiritual weight that you carry as a teacher of the word.
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As James 31 says, we will be judged harsher that because of
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your teachings you could lead people closer to Jesus, but you
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could also lead people away from Him.
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So this is something to take very seriously, to be reverence
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of the God of the universe, the holy and righteous God that we
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worship. That when we approach His word,
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when we preach His word, we preach His truth, not our own.
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That we don't shy away from His truth, That we don't try to make
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it sound good for those who want to have their ears itched.
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That we don't try to please people, but we please God when
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we teach His word. Because the reality is people
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who are in their sin, people who are living in the world, people
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who are living like the Gentiles do as Paul says in Ephesians 4.
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People who are people who are blinded and who heart whose
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hearts are hardened. They don't want to hear the
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truth of God. They don't want to hear you tell
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them what the reality is of their soul if they don't put
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their faith in Jesus. Well, we, we preach the word of
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God, we preach his truth. We have good teaching, wholesome
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teaching, teaching that comes from God's word.
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We don't allow people who are proclaiming to be a follower of
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Jesus preach a false gospel or to lead others to chase after
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these myths, these false propaganda.
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That's not true. That's not from the word of God.
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And so I wanted to start there first because the because our
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time with God and in his Word is something that can never be put
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on the back burner in our lives. As followers of Jesus, we are to
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be people who are always seeking to know more about our God so we
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can become more of who He's created us to be.
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One way this happens is from intentional time in His Word
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with others that we're reading the Word of God with one
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another, that we're gathering together.
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As Acts 242 describes, the early church gathered together to read
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the Word of God, to pray, to have fellowship, to share in the
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Lord's Supper. That is what it looks like to
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walk in discipleship. But I also love Hebrews 5.
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Verses 12 through 14 says this for those who I feel like God
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right now is speaking to you to step into this, to start being a
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part of the Great Commission, not just watching.
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It says in verse 12 of Hebrews 5, You have been believers so
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long now that you ought to be teaching others.
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If you've been walking with Christ and you're not sharing
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the good news with others, that you're not letting what he's
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poured into you pour out to others, you're just becoming, as
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the Scripture says, you're becoming fat.
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You're becoming spiritually fat, that you're over here real fed
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that you got all this knowledge and understanding that you're
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becoming puffed up and doing nothing with it.
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And so he said, so he's saying in Hebrews, you have been
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believers so long that you ought to be teaching others instead.
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You need someone to teach you again the basic things about
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God's word. You are like babies who need
19:39
milk and cannot eat solid food. Verse 13 for someone who lives
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on milk, is still an infant and does not know how to do what is
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right. Verse 14.
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Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training
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have the skill to recognize the difference between right and
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right, right and wrong. And so if you've been following
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Jesus. When you've put your faith in
20:04
Christ and we talked about the sanctification spiritual growth
20:07
should be happening just because someone there's a book, there's
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a book we read as a staff at our church a few years ago.
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If you've never read it, it's incredible.
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Pete, Pete Scazaro It is emotionally it is.
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Oh my goodness. I'm just, I'm just struggling
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right now to say, to say a emotionally, spiritually
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emotionally healthy spirituality.
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Oh my goodness, I was going to get there guys.
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Apologies. It's by Peter Schizaro.
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Schizaro, if I'm saying that correctly, it's called
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emotionally healthy spirituality and it's a it's a phenomenal
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book if you've never read it. But in that book he says just
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because you're chronologically older doesn't mean you're
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spiritually mature. And sometimes I think we look
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around and it's like Gray hairs don't equate with spiritual
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maturity. But sometimes it seems as if
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just because we're older, we think we're spiritually wiser
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and mature. And it's interesting because we
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just read in Timothy, and when Paul's writing to Timothy, a
21:13
young leader in the church, he is telling him, he's telling
21:17
them to lead by example. But sometimes we have people who
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have been in the body following Jesus for a long time, that they
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have all this knowledge and understanding, yet they're not
21:28
doing anything with it, that they're not spiritually growing,
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that they're still stuck where they're at.
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And so the author in Hebrew is saying you need someone to teach
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you again the basic things about God's word, that you still need
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milk like an infant, that you're having to be taught things over
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and over again. First Corinthians 3, Paul says,
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I should not have to be talking to you guys about fighting
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anymore, that you should be growing in your faith.
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And there's a lot of people in the body of Christ who are still
21:58
drinking milk. We should be moving to solid
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food. But this is the point of
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spiritual growth, sanctification, growing to be
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more like Christ. We have to be walking with him
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in His Word, in prayer, in fellowship, Not just being
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filled up by God in our walk with Him, but then going and
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doing it as well. I've said that before, and I
22:21
know I've spoken this about discipleship.
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Discipleship grows you so much because you're actively living
22:28
out who God calls you to be. That the last words Jesus gives
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to the disciples before going back to heaven is to therefore
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go and make disciples of all nations, as we've said now many
22:39
times in this episode. So what are you doing with your
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faith? What are you doing with the
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knowledge you have now of heaven, of Jesus?
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Are you still just worried about yourself and drinking milk or
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you moving into solid food and sharing your faith with others?
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So my prayer is again, that this challenges you and convicts you
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to walk out what it looks like to be a disciple maker, a
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disciple of Christ, a faithful disciple of Jesus, but then also
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someone who's reaching others, that's inviting them in,
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inviting them into a relationship with you, welcoming
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them into your life and spiritually growing together
23:17
with others. And so we we dive into what it
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looks like even deeper within Scripture.
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We need to be devoted to spending time in God's Word
23:28
together. Second Timothy 316 through 17.
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It says all Scripture is inspired by the word of God,
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that it is inspired by him. That when we spend time in God's
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Word, we're spending time with the living God who is revealed
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through his living Word. That it's sharper and active
23:45
than a than A2 edged sword as we learn in Hebrews 4.
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That the the word is alive. That it's true that it's living,
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that it's active, that it's impacting our hearts.
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That God's word can change someone's whole being.
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And so we follow Jesus, we need to be devoted to spending time
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in his Word. But these relationships that
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we've now built with people, these relationships should now
24:12
lead into intentional accountability.
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And we talked about this Galatians chapter 6 verses one
24:18
through 2. Paul says this, dear brothers
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and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who
24:27
are godly should gently and humbly help that person back
24:31
onto the right path. Listen to what Paul just said.
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And I want to speak on this. This is going to be an episode
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coming up when, when I was sitting here even praying about
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this episode, I'm like, well, we're going to be having an
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episode about biblical accountability.
24:44
Because so many times, sadly, I've seen in the body and as a
24:47
pastor, I've seen this approach of because, because we're
24:52
putting ourselves out there as well to be held accountable.
24:55
I would say that's one reason why I think it doesn't actively
24:58
happen because we're in sin and we don't want others to hold us
25:01
accountable to our sin. We don't want to be honest and
25:04
vulnerable. We don't want to, we don't want
25:05
to be checked. None of us want to be held
25:07
accountable to what we're doing. But listen to what Paul is
25:11
saying. This isn't something we can
25:13
avoid or to say, Oh well, I don't want them to be frustrated
25:17
with me or or man. I don't want to say anything.
25:19
Who am I to say anything? Again, only God can judge them.
25:22
No, Bible says we judge within the body, not in a mean way, in
25:28
an unkind way, that we don't just go and say you're a Sinner,
25:32
you're an idiot, why are you doing this?
25:34
Hit them upside their head. No, no, no, dear brothers and
25:36
sisters, if another believer is overcome by sin, that it is
25:40
weighing on them, that it is pulling them farther from God,
25:44
from his purpose, from who they're called to be when
25:47
they're overcome by it. You who are godly, you who are
25:50
walking with Jesus, who's been eating on solid food that is
25:54
mature in your faith. You should gently the keywords
25:59
gently and humbly gently because it's the kindness of God that
26:04
leads people to repentance. Romans 2 four and humbly because
26:09
you have been forgiven of much that you are also a Sinner and
26:12
fall short of the glory God that you humbly help that person back
26:16
onto the right path. Not that you say, oh man, it
26:21
looks like they're overcome by sin.
26:22
Looks like they're struggling with that, man.
26:23
I keep seeing their Snapchat and they're constantly, you know, in
26:26
the bars that they're getting drunk, that I've heard that
26:29
they're just living in this anxiety, you know, because they
26:32
are living constantly in sin that I'm hearing these things,
26:35
I'm seeing these things. But you know what, I'm going to
26:38
just kind of let them do their thing because that's their life
26:40
to live. No, if you've put your faith in
26:42
Jesus, you are now a part of the body of Christ.
26:45
We are united, that we do life together, that we hold each
26:50
other accountable because that's loving one another, that's
26:53
helping pull people back out of the right path.
26:56
And it's interesting that it, Paul adds that tidbit to it
27:01
though, 'cause be careful. Because for some of us, we're
27:04
still on milk. And for some of us, there's
27:07
still sin that is attractive to us, that there's still sin that
27:11
we struggle with. There's still sin that's being
27:13
sanctified out of us. And we have to be very careful
27:16
not to fall into that same temptation yourself, that if
27:19
that's a sin you struggle with, that that's a stumbling block
27:22
for you. That might be a moment where you
27:25
go to a spiritual mentor, you go to someone in your life and say,
27:28
hey, I know this brother, I know this sister's struggling.
27:32
Can you go and sit with them and just be with them to maybe call
27:37
on someone else within your group?
27:38
Again, we talked about proximity and relationship and trust
27:41
somebody else who also walks with their brother and sister
27:44
who's in your godly community that you can, that you can say,
27:47
hey, they're struggling with the sin that I also struggle with
27:51
and I don't think I feel like I can speak into or I feel like I
27:53
might even, it might, it might get a foothold in my life.
27:57
Can you go speak with them 'cause 'cause I can tell they're
28:00
overcome by sin and they're struggling again, We don't do
28:02
this in a gossipy we're praying for him way.
28:06
No, this isn't a way of we love one another and we see things
28:09
are going on. And that's the part that I want
28:11
to touch on the, the, the spirit I've seen behind this and
28:14
because I come from it pre Jesus, Carlos was all very
28:18
loyalty dog. I got loyalty with my dogs we
28:21
ride, which was just fake loyalty because my homies and I
28:25
acted like that. But the reality was, man, we,
28:29
we, we were trying to do whatever we wanted to do to
28:31
please our flesh. And if that meant doing what we
28:34
wanted, man, I wasn't worried about nobody else.
28:36
We, we put on a front of loyalty, but we weren't really
28:39
caring for each other. We weren't helping each other.
28:41
We were encouraging each other in sin.
28:43
We were encouraging each other to live a way, a way that was
28:46
far from God, that was keeping us stuck.
28:50
We weren't helping each other elevate.
28:52
That's fake loyalty. They're like, oh, well, you
28:55
know, I'm not going to say nothing.
28:56
Well, man, you know, I don't want to do nothing because man,
28:58
bro, like they doing anything. I'm doing my thing.
29:01
It's it's that cop out method. And I see that in the body of
29:04
Christ where it's like, well, I mean, that's, that's them bro,
29:07
That's them. Leave it between them, bro.
29:09
That's them to figure it out. No, no, no, no, no, no.
29:12
If they're a part of the body and you have a relationship with
29:14
them, you are not loving them if you do not step in gently and
29:20
humbly and pull them back onto the right path.
29:23
I've heard a pastor preach it this way.
29:26
You, if you see somebody, anybody just standing on the
29:30
railroad tracks and a train is coming full tilt at them and you
29:35
have the chance to pull them off the tracks, are you just going
29:39
to look and go? Well, man, they stepped into
29:42
that, bro. Their choice.
29:45
They chose to step on the railroad tracks, man.
29:47
So it's what it is. Yeah.
29:50
No, that's not loving people. Well, that's not being the Good
29:54
Samaritan and going above, above and beyond for one another.
29:57
We love each other. We step into the uncomfortable,
30:00
we step into the hard conversations.
30:02
We're willing to examine our own hearts.
30:04
We're willing to deal with our own sin.
30:06
We're willing to be honest and, and, and vulnerable with God and
30:09
with others. So then we can also hold each
30:12
other accountable. And so discipleship, spiritual
30:15
growth comes hand in hand with spiritual biblical
30:19
accountability. And I wanted to touch on that
30:22
because it's super important. We have to remember God uses us
30:25
to plant and water the seed of faith in people's lives, but
30:28
only God can grow it in them. First Corinthians chapter 3,
30:32
Paul talks about how we as Co laborers, as brothers and
30:37
sisters in Christ, some of us will plant the seed of faith
30:39
that will preach the word of God.
30:41
We'll teach them that we'll reach them first and foremost in
30:43
their timeline of sanctification.
30:46
We might be the ones that plant that seed of faith, but then
30:49
someone else might might water it.
30:51
Someone else might come into life and actually is disciple in
30:54
them or pouring water and that's helping, helping that seed grow
30:58
deep into good soil. Or it might be you.
31:01
You might be the the, the, the planter and the water.
31:04
And that's amazing that you get to you.
31:06
You get to be the one who invites them but also welcomes
31:09
them and also spiritually grows with them in the discipleship
31:12
process. That might be all of you, but
31:14
sometimes we, I hope you don't get discouraged if you're like,
31:17
man, there was that person. Man, I feel like they they
31:20
responded to the gospel that I that I had that lunch with them,
31:23
that I connected with them, but then they went to a different
31:24
job or they went to a different church again, as the jokingly
31:28
memes all around, which is what it is.
31:32
I agree with the sentiments of churches are not gangs, right?
31:35
We can, we can go to different churches.
31:36
I think if it's done in a healthy and godly way, in a
31:39
biblical way, that's OK. But yes, we are all part of the
31:44
same body. Just 'cause I'm a part of one
31:45
church and my brother's at another church does not mean
31:47
we're not heavenly family. We are if we've put our faith in
31:50
Jesus, that we believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and the
31:52
life. No one can come to the Father
31:54
except through Him. When we agree upon essential
31:57
biblical truths, we are brothers and sisters in Christ no matter
32:00
what church we're at. So some people may even go to
32:04
another church and some others may water that seed of faith
32:07
that you planted at the church they were at.
32:09
That's an amazing thing. We celebrate that because it's
32:12
the body of Christ working together as the I can't say to
32:15
the hand I don't need you or the hand says to the foot, foot I
32:18
don't need you. We need one another because the
32:20
reality is it's not us that then grows the seed of faith.
32:24
That's first Corinthians 3 says we plant, we water.
32:27
Only God grows. The Holy Spirit hits them, fills
32:32
them and changes them when they hear the word of God and they
32:35
receive him. When we bring the good news, we
32:38
are just a part of it. God is the one doing it.
32:41
God is the one who changes us. The Holy Spirit's the one who
32:44
moves in us that leads us to God, that brings us, brings us
32:47
to faith. It is a miracle by God.
32:49
It's, it's through his power, not ours, but we get to
32:53
participate, as I said, to not just be the audience or the
32:56
bystanders or just be spectators.
32:58
We get to step into the game, the Great Commission, and we get
33:02
to be a part of God's great plan in this world.
33:06
And so don't forget that you plant, you water, but God grows.
33:11
So that should encourage you too.
33:13
Because I think sometimes, at least for me in my walk with
33:15
Jesus in this discipleship realm that I love, I, I, I'm very
33:19
passionate about discipleship, walking with people, helping
33:22
reach people for Jesus, but then also teaching them and equipping
33:25
them. Sometimes we get caught up in or
33:29
get discouraged because maybe you, that one person we thought
33:32
was going to, and then they did it.
33:33
And it's like, well, but then they went to the servers and
33:35
this other person was like, whoa, they're going with it.
33:36
Man, bro, that's amazing. I've had to check my heart.
33:39
That's amazing. I'm going to cheer on God's
33:42
blessing and favor. As the pastor said once, man,
33:45
when you see your neighbor favored and and getting blessed
33:49
by God, probably God's in the neighborhood, God's in the
33:52
neighborhood, God's doing something around you, even
33:55
that's amazing. That should encourage your
33:57
faith. When you see God doing
33:58
incredible things in another church or in another brother and
34:01
sister or around the globe through the body of Christ,
34:04
that's amazing. We are in this together.
34:07
We are, we are a team. We are one team.
34:11
And so be willing, most importantly, to have the hard
34:15
and honest conversations in this point of growing spiritual
34:18
growth, be willing to have those hard and honest conversations.
34:21
We have to be willing to have the iron sharpens iron moments.
34:24
As you've maybe heard before, the the iron sharpening iron
34:28
means sparks fly. It might not be easy, it might
34:32
hurt, it might cut, but man, I would rather have a brother or
34:39
sister in Christ say God's truth and love to me rather than not
34:44
and me just continue to be on the railroad tracks.
34:48
I would rather have them gently and humbly pull me right back
34:51
onto the path of God. So be willing to step into hard
34:55
and honest conversations. This is super important as Jesus
34:59
teaches us, even if you're at the altar about to give, give a
35:02
sacrifice and you know someone has a problem with you, you go,
35:06
you leave, you leave your sacrifice there.
35:08
You don't even complete what you're doing and you run and go
35:10
before you go and bring bring your your offering to God that
35:15
you leave it and you go and make things right.
35:17
That's how serious Jesus takes conflict management, conflict
35:23
and communication. How we handle conflict as
35:26
brothers and sisters in Christ is super important and vital
35:29
that we have to be willing to have the hard and honest
35:32
conversation. Even if you've sinned against
35:34
somebody, you go, and even if someone sinned against you, you
35:37
go. Everybody should be going.
35:38
So everybody should be meeting each other in the middle.
35:40
All of us as brothers and sisters in Christ are committed
35:44
to this because that's what it looks like to reflect heaven on
35:47
this earth, being willing to have heart and honest
35:50
conversations with each other. And we have to be willing in
35:53
this process to confess to one another.
35:56
We should have people in our lives that we can confess to,
35:58
that we can pray with because James 516 says confession plus
36:02
prayer equals healing. That's the way I sum up that
36:05
verse. Confession to one another allows
36:08
us to be. And the way I always say this
36:10
is, think of it this way, 'cause I know for some people it's
36:12
like, man, why you need to know my business?
36:14
Like why I need to be sharing that with people, especially
36:17
people new to the faith. Again, coming from certain
36:19
backgrounds, certain experiences, maybe people have
36:22
abused your honesty, maybe people have have weaponized your
36:27
honesty and transparency and vulnerability.
36:30
And I'm sorry for that 'cause that's not OK.
36:33
But within the body of Christ, as I say to every small group,
36:36
Bible studies that meet here in my basement with our young
36:38
adults, when I'm down here with the young men of this group,
36:41
what I always remind everybody, what is talked about here stays
36:45
here. This is a war room.
36:47
This is for us to be able to confess to one another and not
36:52
use this to weaponize it or not use this to go gossip about it.
36:55
Man, that's man. That's for unbelievers.
36:58
This is a sacred place for us to come together, to really, really
37:03
get into it together because the Word of God tells us not just to
37:06
only confess it to God, but to confess it to others as well.
37:09
So prayer because as 517 verse 17 goes on to the prayer of a
37:16
righteous person is powerful and effective.
37:20
So yes, This is why we confess to one another so we can pray
37:25
for one another. I can't pray for you.
37:27
This how I word it to people, I can't pray for you and go into
37:31
my go into my prayer closet and go to war for you and intercede
37:35
on your behalf. As first Timothy said, we talked
37:38
about to intercede on the behalf of others.
37:40
I can't do that if I don't know what to pray for.
37:43
And again, this doesn't mean it's got to be for everybody.
37:46
I'm speaking this to my brothers who I do life with, the brothers
37:49
who I shepherd over, I pastor, I disciple.
37:52
I don't know how to pray for you if you don't tell me what to
37:55
pray for. And doesn't mean I'm not going
37:57
to pray for you still 'cause I'm still praying for people.
37:59
I still got my notes and my list of prayers.
38:01
I'm still praying for people when God puts people on my
38:03
heart. But man, how much more would it
38:05
look like if you actually confess to your brothers and
38:11
sisters so they can pray for what exactly is happening?
38:14
Because God's a God of order, not chaos.
38:16
And he's a God of purpose. He's he's a God of, of detail.
38:21
So I want to be, I want to be detailed in my prayers as well.
38:24
I don't want to just be throwing up lofty words, man, saying
38:27
random things. I want to be detailed and I want
38:29
to run after God and say the specifics of what I'm praying
38:33
for is for you and for others. And so confess and pray so God's
38:39
healing can come and be an encourager man in discipleship
38:43
in this process with others, encourage one another, encourage
38:46
one ever long as today is today, always be an encourager.
38:50
Always be when you see something in a brother or sister in
38:55
Christ, man, I, I mean, I, I want to speak this because I
38:58
haven't experienced this all the time.
39:00
And it's, it's impacted me so much that I, I am passionate
39:03
about this encouragement cause I've had many times in my walk
39:07
with Jesus where I've spoken things to others, where have,
39:12
you know, spoken when I feel like God's calling me or leaving
39:14
me to. And man, I was met with
39:15
discouragement from brothers and sisters that the Spirit felt
39:19
quenched when I talked to them. And man, there's no worse
39:22
feeling than being on fire for God or, you know, being around a
39:26
brother and just kind of like talking about God and excited
39:29
and just being met with discouragement, being met with a
39:31
spirit of discouragement, a spirit of half cup, half cup
39:36
empty, you know, mindset. But man, like someone who's
39:39
filled with the Holy Spirit, who's filled with Lovejoy,
39:42
peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness,
39:45
faithfulness and self-control to overflow encouragement to the
39:50
body of Christ. Man, encourage one another, man,
39:53
'cause we're all going through stuff.
39:54
And to hear brothers, sisters speak encouragement, man, that's
39:58
from the Holy Spirit. Man, that is an incredible thing
40:01
that we get to do for one another.
40:03
So be an encourager to others. In this discipleship process,
40:09
and last but not least, man be vulnerable with others, 'cause I
40:12
always word it this way, vulnerability creates
40:14
relatability. When we are vulnerable, it opens
40:17
up a space for others to be vulnerable.
40:18
And again, we don't just do it so they're vulnerable.
40:21
Cause some people might be saying, all right, I'm going to
40:23
be vulnerable. And then and then look around,
40:25
look around the room and the Bible's saying and be like, yo,
40:27
why ain't none of y'all confessing?
40:28
You're saying, yo, I just opened up about this thing.
40:32
Listen, if God's putting on your heart to be vulnerable about
40:35
something, be vulnerable, but also let God do the work in
40:38
other people's hearts for you. Worry about you as I say this to
40:42
my children all the time. Who are you called to worry
40:45
about you and I'm talking to you about you.
40:47
So you be vulnerable in spaces with brothers and sisters in
40:50
Christ and I have witnessed the Holy Spirit move through
40:54
vulnerability and open up conversations and people may not
40:57
even say it right then and there, but you might get that
40:59
text message later that says, man pastor Lois, thank you for
41:03
vulnerability because it allowed me to face this sin that I've
41:06
been secretive about that I haven't been willing to confess
41:09
about. The hope is God moves and does
41:11
what he does because we plant, we water, but he, the Holy
41:15
Spirit convicts, the Holy Spirit changes us.
41:18
We are just the instruments and vessels for God to speak his
41:23
truth and so be willing to be vulnerable.
41:25
And I always word this, I don't need to go super off rabbit
41:28
trail with this, but I always say this, and I've learned this
41:32
from someone else, a Big Brother in Christ.
41:36
You can be vulnerable with everybody, but not everybody
41:38
needs to get your intimacy. There is a core circle that gets
41:41
the intimate parts of you that you've really welcomed into all
41:44
of you. But vulnerability is something
41:46
that we can be with everybody, that we can welcome them into
41:49
certain spaces of our lives. To be able to have 'cause we are
41:52
called to be people of confession and prayer for one
41:55
another so God's healing can come.
41:57
So be willing to be vulnerable in these discipleship
41:59
relationships 'cause I promise you God will bless that and
42:01
honor that, and it will allow someone to see that you are
42:04
human. Also, 'cause I think sometimes,
42:06
and I'm speaking from a pastor's lens and from someone who grew
42:09
up in the church, it can feel like when you're talking to
42:11
someone who's mature in their faith, been walking with Jesus,
42:14
who's clearly, you know, very knowledgeable in their
42:18
understanding of God and in the word of God.
42:21
People might feel like, Dang, man, I don't know if I can say
42:23
this to them. Like they're probably going to
42:25
look at me like whoa, when they see someone like that.
42:28
Say no man, I'm just as broken as you, that I've been healed of
42:33
much and I've been forgiven of much, that God still working in
42:36
my heart when they can hear that honesty because the reality is
42:40
all of us fall short of the glory God.
42:42
It creates A relatability to fellow brothers and sisters of
42:44
Christ and reminds them that they're not alone.
42:46
First Corinthians 10/13 says you are not alone in your
42:49
temptations, cause all of us are tempted, all of us are
42:53
struggling, all of us have moments of sin, but we find
42:56
salvation in the one who gives it.
42:58
And we are sanctified through the power of the Holy Spirit
43:00
within us. That's helping us be a living
43:02
and holy sacrifice to give all of us over to God.
43:06
And so we are able to strive to be more like Jesus.
43:10
And so I just want to have you guys sit on that.
43:12
I want to wrap it up with a few questions.
43:14
You can write these down. Just something for you to sit
43:17
on. Question one, do you find
43:19
yourself saying I'm too busy or not ready enough when it comes
43:22
to the discipleship? And why or why not?
43:24
Why do you feel like you're saying I'm too busy or I'm not
43:26
ready enough? And I want to challenge you to
43:29
not just hear these episodes of discipleship, but to really sit
43:34
on this and to walk it out. So sit on that.
43:37
Why? Why do you think you've come in?
43:38
You keep coming up with excuses to not do it.
43:40
And I want you to spend time with God on that.
43:43
And #2 is confession in your relationships easy or hard for
43:46
you? Why or why not?
43:47
Why do you feel like confession doesn't come easy to you?
43:49
Again, as I said, maybe it's because people have weaponized
43:52
your your confession or maybe people have changed the way they
43:55
treat you after your confession. I want to encourage you just
43:58
because others have misrepresented Jesus and
44:00
misrepresented how we are called to respond with a love covers
44:05
multitude of sins. First Peter 48 spirit don't give
44:09
up on confession because it's biblical and it brings healing
44:13
when people can hear it and pray for it and pray for you.
44:18
And three, what point stood out to you most this week and why
44:21
what we just discussed sit on what we just discussed these
44:24
these points of being devoted to God's word to be intentional,
44:27
intentional and biblical accountability to know that we
44:30
plant in water, but God grows that we're willing to have heart
44:34
and honest conversations to confess, to pray, to see God's
44:37
healing, to be an encourager and to be and to be vulnerable cause
44:40
vulnerability creates relatability.
44:43
What stuck out to you and I'd love for you to comment on that
44:46
below and send me a message. I want to hear what God's
44:48
speaking to you through these messages, but I'm a leave with
44:51
this challenge. You ain't leaving yet.
44:53
There's homework. Oh shoot, you thought you were
44:56
done with school. Nope, there's some homework.
44:59
I'm a leaving this with you. This is my challenge.
45:01
Is there anyone in your life right now who you consider to be
45:04
a spiritual accountability partner?
45:06
So think about, is there someone in your life right now who you
45:10
consider to be a spiritually spiritual accountability partner
45:13
in your life? Someone who is doing what we
45:15
talked about, holding you accountable in your life?
45:18
That they're speaking God's truth, that they're gently and
45:20
humbly pulling you right back onto the path of God.
45:24
I want to encourage you and challenge you to find at least
45:27
one person or multiple, but one person to be that for you in
45:31
your life. I want you to text them right
45:34
now or call them and say, hey, the Holy Spirit just convicted
45:39
me. I'm listening to Heart Check
45:40
podcast. Oh shoot, unshameful plug.
45:44
I'm listening to Heart Check podcast.
45:45
Pastor Lowe said this thing, man, and I want to call you and
45:48
I want to ask if you would be willing to be a spiritual
45:51
accountability partner in my life.
45:53
That you're going to be someone that I'm trusting, that's going
45:56
to speak God's truth to me in love.
45:58
That you're going to gently and humbly put me back on the right
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path. That you're going to call out my
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sin in love. That you are going to say, bro,
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what are you doing? That's not who you're called to
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be. And you're going to allow me to
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confess to you so you can pray for me and that God's healing
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can come. I want you to find one person in
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your life who can be that for you because this is so important
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and vital for us. It's vital to our spiritual
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growth. This is someone who you can
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truly do all of life with and so I love you guys.
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Thank you so much for being here with me hopping on this heart
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check community, spread the word share this episode if it blessed
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you and I'm just praying that you start to actively be someone
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that therefore and goes and and and disciples all nations
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baptizing them in the name of the father son, the Holy Spirit.
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I love you guys. Let me pray so we can get a body
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here. Dear God, help me, help us to be
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someone who loves you with all our hearts, minds, soul, and
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strength. Lead us to a place of honesty
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and transparency and guide us to be real, authentic, spiritual
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accountability relationships in our lives.
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Lead us to who you call us to be.
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God, I pray that we start to live out discipleship in our
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lives, that we're discipled by you, Jesus, and we're discipling
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others. We love you, God, we thank you
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for your word. Thank you for the ways you
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change us and lead us and guide us.
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And we pray all this in the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.
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I love you all. God bless.