More and Better Disciples
How Does GCCOB Make Disciples?
WITH JESUS
Great Commission Church
Intro: “More and better disciples” is our focus. How does GCCOB make disciples? With Jesus, In Person, Through Groups, On
Teams.
The first prerequisite of discipleship is being with Jesus.
Mark 3:14-15 Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have
power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons
The life of the disciple is not only mission for Jesus but also mission with Jesus. Remembering that major confession from Paul: “I
have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”
I am in Christ, and Christ lives in me. We make disciples for His kingdom together.
When Jesus makes disciples, they always hear three challenges:
COME FOLLOW ME
Matt 4:18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into
the sea; for they were fishermen.
Matt 4:19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Matt 4:20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
Matt 4:21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee
their father, mending their nets. He called them,
Matt 4:22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
What Christ did not say:
“Follow Me, and I will make you…”
a professor for intellectuals
a governor over the poor
a trader of stocks/commodities
a politician for a constituency
a scientist for lab experiments
But instead, “a fisher of men” – simple, common, everyone can…
Andrew – key role in feeding of the 5,000 men (brought boy with fish/loaves to Jesus)
inner circle: raising of Jairus’ daughter, present at Mount of Transfiguration, agony in the Garden of Gethsemane
Peter – walked on water with Jesus, Pentecost preacher, healed paralyzed man, 1 & 2 Peter
James – only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded explicitly in Scripture (Acts 12:1-2)
John – disciple whom Jesus loved, with Peter when paralyzed man healed, wrote gospel, 1-2-3 John, Revelation
When Jesus makes disciples, He takes ordinary people and gives them extraordinary lives through special grace from heaven.
CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE
Luke 14:25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them,
Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own
life also, he cannot be My disciple.
Luke 14:27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
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Tell the truth. Level with the candidates. State the facts. Reveal the risks.
Jacob Schwegel – “Clarity is kindness.”
Following Me will affect your closest relationships.
Following Me will bring difficulty and even suffering.
Why does it seem that some wicked people lived blessed lives despite mistreating and abusing others? Why does it look like they
enjoy the best things in life and get away with their evil deeds?
1 Tim 5:24 Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later.
The reputation of some precedes them. While the darkness in others is still a secret – but will not stay hidden forever.
Whether sins are visible or hidden, they are all known to God and will be dealt with in His wisdom, grace, and justice.
The Lord told Abraham that his descendants would eventually be enslaved for 400+ year in a strange land (Egypt). But after a certain
time, they would be set free and enjoy “great possessions” under the blessing and promise of God.
When would that time be? Not until a certain pagan nation had filled up the limits of its judgment.
Gen 15:15 Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.
Gen 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
The last phrase of the verse explains why God was not giving them the land right away: the wickedness of the Amorites has not
reached its full measure (“not yet complete”).
God would tolerate the sins of the Amorites until they were fully deserving of their day of reckoning.
What does waiting until their sins reach “its full measure” teach us about God’s judgment?
It is neither impulsive nor unwarranted.
This sheds rays of brilliant light on the Conquest in Joshua. It was an act of justice not aggression.
Until it was right to invade, God’s people must wait, even if it cost them centuries of hardship. A pivotal saying of the OT.
And yet God is not pleased with the suffering and pain that holiness brings. “Eventually I will right all wrongs. Until then, I will
demonstrate my deep love and compassion for you…”
COME AWAY TO REST
Mark 6:12 So they went out and preached that people should repent.
Mark 6:13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.
The mission of the Twelve repeats and extends the mission of Jesus. Followers of Jesus preach what Jesus preached and do what
Jesus did.
They are sent as His representatives who do what he told them to do. Their authority is Jesus’ authority.
They travel to meet people who need to hear Jesus’ message.
They cast out demons and heal the sick, demonstrating the powerful presence of the kingdom of God.
It is intense work. This ministry is taxing.
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It drains physically – those who evangelize, and pray for people to be healed and delivered, feel the strain in their bodies. It drains
emotionally – they enter into the feelings of the ones they are praying for. It drains spiritually – eventually their faith tanks get low.
Mark 6:30 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.
Mark 6:31 And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and
going, and they did not even have time to eat.
This was true wisdom on the part of Jesus in allowing them time to unburden themselves to Him.
The phrase “by yourselves” is emphatic: the disciples have ministered to others; now they need to be cared for.
Ezekiel 34:15 I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord GOD.
After the weariness and rush and strange faces of the mission, the disciples craved solitude and rest in the company of Jesus.
Matt 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matt 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matt 11:30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Application:
It is encouraging to think about eternity. We will dwell with God in the New Heavens/New Earth.
A New Earth…where we will enjoy the holy pleasures that started in the Garden of Eden before the Fall. It is not an eternal church
service. It is an eternal life under the holy reign of God without a trace of sin – learning, loving, traveling, exploring, resting.
Come and join us this Sunday at the Great Commission Church for a truly remarkable and uplifting experience. Great Commission Church is not just any ordinary place of worship; it's a vibrant community where faith comes alive, hearts are filled with love, and lives are transformed. Our doors are wide open, ready to welcome you into the warm embrace of our congregation, where you'll discover the true essence of fellowship and spirituality. At Great Commission Church, we are more than just a congregation; we are a family united by a common mission – to follow the teachings of Christ and spread His love to the world. As you step inside Great Commission Church, you'll find a sanctuary that nurtures your faith and encourages you to be part of something greater than yourself.
We believe in the power of coming together as a community to worship, learn, and serve. Whether you're a long-time believer or just starting your spiritual journey, Great Commission Church welcomes people from all walks of life. Our vibrant services are filled with inspiring messages, beautiful music, and heartfelt prayers that will uplift your soul. Every Sunday at Great Commission Church is an opportunity to deepen your relationship with God and connect with others who share your faith and values.
At Great Commission Church, we believe that faith is not just a solitary endeavor but a shared experience that strengthens and enriches us all. Our church is a place where you can find purpose, belonging, and the encouragement to live a life in accordance with Christ's teachings. Join us this Sunday at Great Commission Church and experience the transformative power of faith in action. Be part of a loving and supportive community that is committed to making a positive impact in our world. Together, we strive to fulfill the great commission to go forth and make disciples of all nations. We look forward to having you with us at Great Commission Church this Sunday, where faith, love, and community intersect in a truly amazing way.
Great Commission Church is a non-denominational Christian church located in Olive Branch, Mississippi. We are a short drive from Germantown, Southaven, Collierville, Horn Lake, Memphis, Fairhaven, Mineral Wells, Pleasant Hill, Handy Corner, Lewisburg and Baylia.
See you Sunday at Great Commission Church!
Transcript:
welcome to gcc i'm trevor davis i'm great commissions pastor and we are in a series called more and better disciples this summer before we get there though this is the sunday after youth camp and we've been praying for people and the spirit's been moving among us and typically in a church the season's like this you pray for people to be healed and and more of those prayers go unanswered than answered you'll have a healing here or there but for some reason the favor of god's been among us and recently more people have been healed when we prayed for them than not being healed it's just one of those times the bible says pursue love eagerly desire the spiritual gifts especially that you may prophesy and so we're learning how to be a word and a spirit church and moving the power of the spirit through the spiritual gifts and so this weekend i as i was praying and walking and seeking the lord i wrote down a couple of thoughts that just came out of nowhere that i think might be words for some people either in this service or the next so that when we have our prayer ministry time after the service is adjourned you might be prompted to come and receive prayer and we'll pray for anybody and everyone you don't have to be a member of our church but the lord hears our prayers yes and so i'm going to give these words and see if they hid and see if i heard from god i may not have but if it is a word from the lord it might help someone i'm wondering if there's anyone in the room with an ankle injury now i'm not talking about random pains in your ankle but you've had an ankle injury maybe a sprained ankle or something you got an angel an ankle injury because if you do that just kept coming over in my heart in my mind somebody with an ankle injury that god might actually want to do a work of healing for your injury today that would be unusual is there anybody with an ankle injury in the room if you are injury not a pain injury if you raise your hand stand up if you are willing if you can you might have an ankle injury you might not be able to stand okay we got stephanie back here and gary all right gary what's the nature of injury can you tell us you fell off a ladder recently on good friday and it's still giving you lots of trouble it's still swollen since good friday good friday was like march 29 or something almost three months okay stephanie what about you is it an injury you have a torn ligament i'll take that as an injury all right so what i want to do now is some of you some of you if you're around would you just kind of go and form just a family of two or three people to pray for them and where it's appropriate like if we can have a lady touch your ankle and a guy touch your ankle gary let's just see what the lord might do injury not a pain alright church let's somebody over there in that group and in this group voice of prayer specifically for the person i'm going to pray voice of prayer for the whole church as we pray for these brothers and sisters here all right father we're hopeful god didn't know lord i didn't know how much faith i had i didn't know if anybody would stand up but lord there's two and so here's a son and a daughter of yours and so we're asking god that you would heal these injuries that you'd heal these injuries on the spot that you would manifest your goodness and your virtue like when the lady touched the hem of your garment and power went out from you god i pray i pray that you would have deal with these injuries right now by your grace give us healings to be reported and rejoiced over because of the worth and the work of your son in jesus name amen they're still being prayed for let's just wait just a second gary i know you'll tell the truth do you feel anything at all when we're praying not yet well i think the lord might want you to start coming to get prayer for that with the prayer team on sundays okay always pray and never give up so that's a we're gonna keep praying steph did you feel anything at all a little tingling i like tingling i like holy ghost heat i think the lord wants you to come be prayed for until that injury is healed all right one more and this is really specific this is for someone who in your life you're going through some serious financial trouble and it's been it distracted you all week and i got some more information about that that might be sensitive that i want to ask you in front of everyone but you are burdened by financial trouble in your life and your family and your middle name is margaret it's gonna be real specific hey i have i am troubled my finances may be a train wreck and my middle name is margaret anybody i nailed it okay look we will pray for you if your middle name is not margaret if you have financial trouble at the end of the service but that wouldn't be that prophetic word and i have another service to see if there is someone i think the lord has a message for you finances are a big deal but i think he has a specific word for somebody's middle name is margaret or i may just didn't hear from god all right in your bibles today i want you to find matthew chapter four we're going to jump from that text here's the summer series more and better disciples everybody say more and better disciples because you have the first five books of the new testament and they all have jesus giving the great commission to his disciples to believers and basically to sum that up our job the mission of the church is to make new followers of jesus make disciples and so i want you to know that we've been working on how to communicate the strategy of our church that if you belong to our church how you'll become a disciple maker how you'll be made a disciple yourself so the question is how does gcc ob make disciples on the count of three will you say that question to me and i'll answer it and here's the question again and i'll count to three how does gcc ob make disciples ask me that question out loud one two three thank you for asking who saw that coming the answer is i didn't tell you to tell me the answer just yet you smarty pants pretend like you don't know here's the answer the answer has four parts i'm glad that some of you know already because the next four sundays we're going to teach on these how does gccob make disciples with jesus in person through groups and on teams with jesus in person through groups and on teams and today is with jesus i want to talk to you about what that means the first prerequisite of christian discipleship is being with jesus because he's alive and you can spend time with him even though his body right now is at the right hand of god the father in glory you can be with him he has sent us his spirit to connect with the lord jesus he can talk with you through his word and through your own heart and you can know him and we know this because in mark chapter three verses 14 and 15 when jesus called the twelve disciples who would become twelve apostles to him the first time here's what it says then he appointed twelve that they might be with him you see that comes first that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons the work of the church the work of the church preaching the gospel of the kingdom is to preach the good news to sinners and to heal the sick and deliver people from demonic strongholds but i want you to recognize in these verses that those three things come after you have a relationship with christ and you've been with him do you see that the life of the disciple is not only mission for jesus it's mission with jesus we remember the major confession of the apostle paul and i didn't even talk to blair who picked the song for this week but we actually sang this verse or at least part of it in this last song that we just gave to the lord and that is in galatians 220 paul writes i have been crucified with christ nevertheless how does the new king james say it nevertheless it is no longer i who live and here's what i want you to see but christ lives in me and that's important as we think about what it means to make disciples with jesus and here's why it's important has the lord jesus stopped making followers of him since he went to heaven no he's never stopped making disciples and he lives in me connect the dots brothers and sisters he's still doing it he lives in you he's going to make new believers through you we make them with jesus and so that's kind of the simple idea i want every believer to take home today and i also want you to know this and this is the outline of the message when jesus makes disciples they always hear three challenges they always hear him say three things and the first challenge that jesus makes to every person who would be a disciple of his who would become a christian is come and follow me and this is what we read about in matthew chapter four verses 18 through 22 when he calls the first four of the twelve this is what he says and jesus walking by the sea of galilee saw two brothers simon called peter and andrew his brother casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen and then he said to them follow me and i will make you fishers of men they immediately left their nets and followed him just quit their jobs just like that going on from there he saw two other brothers everybody say other brothers all right so it rhymes two other brothers james son of zebedee and john his brother in the boat with zebedee their father mending their nets he called them and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him four fishermen four blue collar workers four guys that dropped out of high school like lee four guys who we think knew each other bible scholars have even suggested that peter and andrew worked for zebedee at the fishing company with james and john zebedee's two sons the first thing i want to bring to your attention is what christ did not say he did not say come and follow me and i'll make you a professor to intellectuals because if he did that would limit the christian faith to simple academic pursuit and if he did that some of you would go i'm just not smart enough to be a christian another thing christ did not say is follow me and i'll make you a day trader of stocks and commodities because if he had said that it would make the christian faith all about financial pursuit all about making money and being successful in the world another thing christ didn't say is follow me and i'll make you politician for a constituency of voters because if he had done that the world would think the christian faith is just about power over others also christ didn't say follow me and i'll make you a scientist for laboratory research because if he did that would pare down the christian faith to just be something we believe for natural reasons there would be no need for faith we could test it in a test tube and prove it with science and math and you wouldn't have to believe anything but my friends when jesus bids a man to come and follow him he says i'll make you a fisher of men you want to know why because that's a simple pursuit it's for the common man god puts the cookies on the bottom shelf so that everybody can reach the them everyone can follow jesus he's looking for fishermen i was thinking about these four guys these four brothers andrew peter james and john just regular dudes and i began to think well what did god do with him after they followed him what do you know about andrew we don't know much about andrew in the bible but here's the two times he's mentioned he's always bringing someone to jesus the first person he brings to jesus is his brother peter and aren't we grateful for that and the second time we see andrew there's a multitude on a hillside they've been listening to jesus preach all day he's been ministering to them it's getting late in the evening they haven't had supper and they come to the lord the disciples do and say master it's getting late we need to send these people away we need to end the seminar we need to adjourn the conference because they gotta go get something to eat and jesus says how about you guys give them something to eat and everybody goes we didn't bring anything but andrew's got this strange little bit of faith and he starts walking through the crowd and he finds a little boy he's got two fish and five loaves five dinner rolls and he goes well that's not much but i've seen that guy over there do some strange things young man are you willing to give that to jesus well i think so sir he goes well come with me and through that little boy's happy meal lunch and andrew's little bit of faith jesus fed 5000 men and went not counting women and children so this is what andrew does remember he was just a regular fisherman kind of living an aimless life just kind of going to work never thought he'd be the catalyst of jesus being a wonder worker well what about the other three peter james and john you're used to hearing their three names in a row right they're the inner circle as the bible scholars call them jesus inner circle in fact peter james and john show up at three monumental moments of jesus ministry together they get front row seats they get special treatment they get vip passes to three things the first one was the raising of jairus daughter from the dead who got to see that was peter james and john and the little girl's parents right the next thing they show up to and this is one of the coolest is they're present on the mount of transfiguration when jesus takes the mask off and shows his glory from heaven it was such an incredible moment that two old testament saints get to come down from heaven hang out with jesus and how about that for a church conference jesus moses elijah peter james and john i would have never come off that mountain until they left so those three guys inner circle what do we know about them individually well peter peter walks on water with jesus how about that that would be on my business card wouldn't it be on yours he's the pentecost sermon preacher he gets to deliver the gospel on the day the church is born and the holy spirit indwells believers forever for the first time and when he gets finished preaching and by the way you know what he didn't say in his sermon god loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life you can read the whole book of acts there's one word you won't see in the book of acts the word love he preached that jesus rose from the dead and they were guilty of his murder and he would forgive them if they would repent at the end of that sermon 3000 souls saved baptized into the church in jerusalem then peter's walking through the crowd one day in acts chapter three and john was with him and there's a paralyzed man and the paralyzed man begs for money and peter says silver and gold have i none but what i have i give you in the name of jesus christ of nazareth rise and walk and the paralyzed man gets up and takes his mat and he walks pretty good moment for a guy that was on a fishing boat and then you can open your bible to one peter and two peter those two letters and be encouraged by the grace and the story of goddess because peter heard the call come and follow me that's peter what about james we don't know a whole lot about james the son of zebedee here's the one thing we do know he's the only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the bible acts chapter twelve verses one and two the only one of the twelve that god says of your death i'm going to write about for the ages remember when he was throwing a net into the sea catching fish living a boring life what about john the bible calls john the disciple whom jesus loved that didn't seem fair he has a special affection from the lord he was also there when peter healed that paralytic god used him to write five books of your new testament the gospel of john the three letters of john called 1 second and third john and the unveiling of jesus christ in that great prophetic book called revelation do you see what god can do with four fishermen who are just willing to follow jesus because what he can do with them he can do with you come and follow me when jesus makes disciples he takes ordinary people he gives them extraordinary lives through the special grace of heaven so that's the first challenge challenge number two and this is kind of weird first jesus says come follow me and when people start doing it he goes here's why you can't follow me anymore here's the second challenge you cannot be my disciple holy cow this is not how you build a team jesus this is not positive marketing you don't tell them the negative stuff if you want them to sign up now that's how the world thinks jesus he tells the truth he levels with the candidates he states the facts he reveals the risks here's luke 1425 26 and 27 now great multitudes went with him and he turned and he said to them it's almost like he's saying the crowd's getting too big you guys are following something and you don't know what you're getting into yes you see it in the text so he turns and he says to them if anyone comes to me and he does not hate his father and mother wife and children brothers and sisters yes in his own life he can't be my disciple there's the message of the church hate all the people you love just be a hater hate your mother who gave you birth hate your father who worked hard to provide for you hate your wives and your children and for god's sake hate your brothers and sisters what does this mean because if you don't you can't be his disciple he said then he follows it up in verse 27 whoever doesn't bear his cross and come after me can't be my disciple well when jesus says you got to hate your father and mother brother and sister wife and children he doesn't mean feel hatred in your heart he's comparing your love for them versus your love for him now keep loving all of them but make them come after your love for god because if you'll love god first you'll love them best but if you don't then it's just kind of your own human weaknesses that's going to carry your love for your people and then you're going to miss god in the end pastor jacob who leads our staff during the week has been saying to us over and over again clarity is kindness and i love this idea clarity is kindness if you'll just be clear the people working with you and around you and under you and even above you will serve the lord or work to the glory of god in their workplace because of your kindness to them they know what you expect you've leveled with them and jesus says if you're going to come after me if you're going to follow me if you're going to be a fisher of men i want you to know what you're getting into it's a life of difficulty until this life ends and the next life begins but it's a life of difficulty under the grace of god and with the promises of god because here's the truth everybody on earth in this fallen world has lives of difficulties you either have it with god's grace or you have it with god's judgment you get to pick so jesus levels with the crowd he says following me will affect your closest relationships i had a guy come to me at youth camp last week i think he's 17 or 18 years old and he said i think i want to become a christian and i said did you have a christian upbringing and he said no no one in my family is a believer and i said to him well if you give your life to christ tonight and you begin to follow on the narrow road i cannot guarantee you that your family will cheer you on it may get worse before it gets better do you still want to follow him because following me will affect your closest relationships jesus says hey do you realize in that text we just read in matthew chapter four that immediately when jesus walked by zebedee is now down two important men in his business and they happen to be his sons it's like you know zebedee's grooming james and john to take over the family fishing empire and jesus just went and stole them away because when you follow him it affects your closest relationships now most of the time it will affect them for the better but not always also jesus says following me will bring difficulty and even suffering the apostle paul told the church on his missionary journey in acts 1422 we must through we must go through many tribulations to enter into the kingdom of god you need a local church to cheer you on when it all gets difficult and hard you don't need cheering when it's going great but pastor why does it seem that some wicked people live blessed lives despite mistreating and abusing others why does it look like they enjoy the best things in life and get away with all their evil deeds i think that's a good question the bible speaks to it in the old testament and the new testament here's the new testament verse answer to why it looks like people who don't know the lord make lots of money have all the things that the world would pick for them and live and die at a good old ripe old age why do they get to do that and the best christians you know die young and die peniless penniless why does that happen i believe it was charles spurgeon who said even if the lord doesn't settle his accounts on tuesday that doesn't mean he won't settle his accounts first timothy 524 some men's sins are clearly evident preceding them to judgment but those of some men follow later in the last two weeks a big charismatic church in dallas texas area with a membership that boasts 100,000 people been around for 20 something years their pastor writes book sells them all the time the news reports noted that he was a special advisor to president trump when he was in the oval office and in this news report it was the scandal that he had sexually abused a young girl from the age of twelve to the age of 16 as he and his wife stayed in their family home as he was on the road as an evangelist preacher and he said that he had repented of that back in the eighties when it happened and when he reported it to the church he says it was with a young woman and that was the scandal that he took two years of a break off of church off of ministry and repented and gave got back into the game because it was with a young woman but now we found out no one in the world calls a twelve year old girl a young woman that's a crime it's a scandal and he had to resign in shame last week but he got to keep his $117 million you know what i heard well that's what happens to charismatic preachers and then a couple days later a baptist guy with reformed theology they busted him last week cnn in the report even cnn called him a monster because of the images of him and little children on his phone you see the sins of some men are evident but some of the other ones trail behind and eventually god will deal with it yes i think the holy spirit is cleaning house in every kind of church and so the answer is you follow jesus faithfully in this world you will have trouble but take heart i've overcome the world john 1633 that's what jesus said on the night before he died you just follow the lord and all the riches and the blessing that you would ever want you inherit that in the next world come follow me here's why you can't be my disciple and yet it doesn't please the heart of god when his children suffer for righteousness and holiness and it's like our lord says eventually i will write all things that's why these pastors are being exposed these false shepherds until then god says i'll demonstrate my deep love and my deep compassion for you with the third challenge you ready it's come away to rest come follow me you can't be my disciple and those who do though come away to restore in mark chapter six jesus sends out the twelve on their first ministry trip where he doesn't go with them and here's what we read in verses twelve and 13 so they went out and they preached that people should repent that's the preaching of the gospel message and they cast out many demons because this always comes with it and they anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them and that always follows the preaching of the gospel sometimes it precedes it so what we just read about in those two verses is that jesus sent his twelve out to do the same things he was already doing the mission of the twelve repeats and extends the mission of jesus so here's what they do they leave home they travel to meet people who need to hear jesus message they cast out demons and they heal the sick and when they do that they demonstrate the powerful presence of the kingdom of god because the king is here and here's what i want you to know it is intense work the ministry is taxing i'm never more tired in all of my life not after some kind of workout and yes i used to do that not after some kind of athletic event i played basketball in high school nothing is as tiring and as draining as pouring out the love of god and the message of god and praying for the saints of god on a sunday it just takes everything out and you don't think it is and in the moment maybe you don't feel it but in the after at 02:00 on sunday i don't even know my own name and sometimes i don't even remember if i'm married there's guys walking in my house i think they're my sons i don't know i mean it's just everything's gone because it drains physically those who evangelize and pray for people to be healed and delivered feel the strain in their bodies it drains emotionally because when you do that you enter into the feelings of the ones they're praying for all around you are folks going through train wrecks and it drains spiritually can i tell you eventually everyone's and faith tanks empty out jesus knows this and here's what happened at the end of their ministry trip mark 630 and 31 then the apostles gathered to jesus and they told him all things both what they had done and what they had taught and he said to them come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile you know what the new testament calls heaven rest you know what the psalmist said in psalm 23 the lord is my shepherd i shall not want he makes me to lie down in green pastures he leads me beside the quiet waters the good shepherd in ezekiel 30 415 god says to himself i will feed my flock and i will make them lie down see after the weariness after the rush is over after the endless line and strange faces of the mission of the church the disciples craved one solitude and rest in the company of jesus and he delivered he says come away come away come away with me my loves in matthew eleven he said it this way come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and i will give you rest as i land the plane today i want to give you some thoughts it's encouraging to me to think about eternity in eternity do you know that you don't just live in heaven did you know what the bible calls your eternal state the new heavens and the new earth do you know why god's making a new earth because it's what he made to begin with and before sin it was perfect and it was a great idea it still is one and so the earth that you get to live in forever is like the perfection of the garden of eden before sin and you're also familiar with planet earth i don't hate my life i love it i don't hate this world and things all of it there's some things that really bless me i like to travel am i the only one in here that likes to eat my friend don over there fixed me a meal one day it was like filet mignon say amen it was like lobster bread and tea it was just me him and don mckenzie i'll never forget that meal as long as i live why are you talking to me about that because in heaven we start with the marriage supper of the lamb and there's animals in the kingdom where'd jesus get his horse that he comes back on in isaiah eleven the wolf will lay down with the lamb that doesn't happen in the world today wolves eat lambs today i look forward to the new heavens and the new earth with you i'm going to come to your house and check it out because it's heaven i won't be jealous i look forward to traveling with you and learning you come to my house and we can go maybe visit jesus one week and i can introduce you to my dad and my grandparents man they were awesome i look forward to the rest of god with you come away to rest you only get it if jesus gets your whole life and if jesus gets your whole life you'll be made right with god and you'll no longer be an object of his wrath you'll become one of his children come and follow me jesus is still summoning sinners to do that let's think about that as we pray lord i'm so touched by the words that you gave your twelve and by extension us god let our church leave encouraged today in jesus name and a faithful congregation said good morning my name is sheila hirschberg and i'm on staff here at great commission as the director of assimilation and i also oversee first impressions and i am so excited today that we have a baptism it always feels like a celebration to me but it's never a celebration of the person we're baptizing it's a celebration that god gives salvation so freely he loves us so much and we're celebrating the fact that his heart is so big and he has added another faithful member to his family and that feels like celebrating so i'm going to ask willow massey and her parents to come forward thanks samiti anyone come right here okay now willow has a lovely testimony that i'm going to read to you over the last few months i've been feeling god convinced convicting me when we went on a family vacation including my cousin who is a believer god pointed out that my cousin's actions and how he treated his younger brother compared to how i treat my younger sister sometimes afterward i started to feel god convicting me more and more about studying his word prayer and spending more time with him after much prayer and talking with my parents god released me from my feelings of uncertainty and showed me that i can rely on god's grace and faith in jesus alone for salvation afterwards my mom and i started a bible study called lies girls believe teaching me to recognize lies from the enemy and the world i wrote verses down and i put them on my wall to remind me of the truth every day the verse that i was really trying to grasp and stood out to me was ephesians two eight and nine then one night my mom i told my mom after we finished with our bible study chapter that i had been saved by placing my faith in christ sweet girl yes now it almost silly to ask you this considering you've said it twice in here but is it your testimony that you are placing your faith in the grace of god alone and through no works of your own okay if you'll sign right here sweetie awesome and since willow is under 18 her parents will be signing this as well and this is just the covenants that all church members know they're a little different when you're under 18 but she's confessing that the lord is her savior she commits to faithfully attend the weekend service she supports the church through regular financial giving when she has funds and she will seek to volunteer and serve as guided by the church leadership and she understands that she is to obey her parents and commit to grow in this area so if y'all will sign just down here wonderful well let me pray for you father god we are so happy that helen has lost another one thank you thank you thank you for your gift of salvation lord for your never ending love for just always being for their lord for calling out to us so we can hear and respond to you father in jesus name amen okay so ryan is going to be baptizing his daughter and her uncle jared will be assisting can you guys hear me we have prayed for you since the day you were born i thank god for your salvation and it gives us i'm crying but it gives us so much joy to see this so i baptize you in the name of the father the son and the holy spirit amen hallelujah hey as we finish up the service a couple things i'd love to draw your attention to one is the welcome card that's in your seat maybe you aren't baptized and you see that as a reminder
