The first message in our Summer Series of Walking With Jesus: Learning to Be a Disciple was about the DNA of being a Disciple.
That DNA of being a Disciple was described as:
• Divine Truth. Truth comes from God. It is the revelation of God to humankind. This comes from the Son, the Spirit, and the Scriptures. The Son (Jesus) is both God and human and came to reveal to us in his person what God is like and what God requires. The Scriptures were authored by God and reveal God’s unfolding plan for humanity. The Spirit of God is also Divine Truth, since he brings revelation and direction to believers.
• Nurturing Relationships. Humans were never created to be alone. We are social creatures and have an intrinsic need for relationships. Our relational orientation is a reflection of the image of God in us. God Himself is relational and exists in a community—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is love because God is relational. To the Christian, God is love because he has always existed in relationship. Is love possible without someone to love? This should be the defining characteristic of our faith. All men should know that we are Christ’s disciples by the love that we have for one another.
• Apostolic Mission. Apostolic means that someone is sent as a representative with a message. We are here for a purpose. We have been given a prime directive to fulfill—to make disciples of all the nations. This part of us also comes from the nature of God. Jesus is an Apostle. He is the Chief Cornerstone of the apostolic foundation. Before he left this planet, he sent his disciples into the world with a mission.
One of the key tools we talked about in Walking With Jesus was Life Transformation Groups. Find out more on our website.
Below is the full Sunday Morning message by Phil Helfer:
Phil Helfer - October 6, 2019
He Is The Vine; We Are The Branches
“He is the Vine, We are the Branches” This week in our “It’s Like This” series, Pastor Phil lead us through the analogy Jesus gave of the vine and the branches in John 15. Jesus tells us, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Jesus is describing our usefulness. There are plenty of things we can accomplish in life, but if we set out to do things without being rooted in Christ, then those things do not have as much meaning. But when we seek God’s will and keep ourselves grounded in who Jesus is and what He wants for our lives, then the things we set out to do will flourish. Verse 16 says, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit…” How comforting is it that God chose us individually to go out into the world and bear fruit in His name? And just in case we were not completely sure of His motives, Jesus mentions this in verse 11: “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”
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