CHAPEL ROCK
In our second message in the series called “Spliced,” Lead Pastor Casey Scott brings today's message, 'Discipleship -> Disciplemaking.' It’s amazing what has been done in recent years with our DNA. But Jesus has been doing it with the DNA of His church for a long time! Scripture has shown there are times that the Lord would like to do a little spiritual DNA editing on His people. There are four elements that comprise a church’s DNA – (1) Theology (Doctrine), (2) Philosophy of Ministry, (3) Size, and (4) Local Context. Each week in this series, we’re going to look at one of those in turn. Today, we’re talking about the Ministry Philosophy of the church.
Communion
Chapel Rock practices an 'open communion' meaning that if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are welcome to participate in the communion service. The elder/staff member giving the devotion will provide instructions.
1 Peter 2:21-25 NIV
Chapel Rock’s Vision:
To See the Whole Community
Whole in Christ
Casey Scott
Lead Pastor
Series: Spliced
Sermon: Discipleship -> Disciplemaking
Text: Matthew 4:18-20
2 Timothy 2:2
INTRODUCTION
Last week, we talked about how Jesus is “unmutating” his church from a focus on attractional theology to incarnational theology. Today we’re talking about how Jesus wants to edit His church from focusing on discipleship to disciple-making.
Some churches have mutated ‘disciplemaking’ into other forms of spiritual development, called it discipleship, and lost a measure of our effectiveness in engaging in the Great Commission. What we have seen in the last few generations is that the pace of spiritual replication has slowed because we have focused on spiritual formation practices and substituted them for ‘disciplemaking’, all the while telling ourselves we’re doing exactly what Jesus said to do.
TODAY’S BIG IDEA
The more you zoom in on what it means to follow Jesus, the more you realize you’re not the only one in the picture.
There are two aspects of Jesus’ editing process that he wants us to see.
REFRAME THE WIN
What does it mean to be formed in the image of Christ? That’s typically what we’re talking about when we use the word “discipleship.” Which is why we tend to think in terms of the church’s programs. We think that Bible studies, and small groups, and classes, and religious experiences, and going to conferences and concerts are supposed to make us like Jesus.
This “divine DNA edit” of our ministry philosophy unmutates the church from looking at ministry as “programs in a place” to being “people in a process.”
> 2 Timothy 2:1–2: “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”
“There's nothing more exciting than helping another person become a Christian - except helping that person into an exhilarating experience of discipleship.”
REFOCUS THE PROCESS
In the literature of the ancient Romans, nowhere do we have written instructions on the proper way to crucify someone. Roman historians documented everything, but not that. It’s called institutional knowledge. It got handed down from soldier to soldier.
Thankfully, God did not want to take that chance! He preserved this process of discipleship for us a couple ways. One is in the passage 2 Timothy 2:1-2, we are to pass on, generation after generation, the lifestyle and teaching of the Apostles. The second way actually predates that, because it’s seen in Jesus’ call of his disciples.
> Matthew 4:18–20: “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.”
The process of disciplemaking really is clear - It has to be these three:
~ Simple – it must be simple to understand, participate in, and lead others to do. It can be a missional community, small group, micro-group or even a one-on-one system. Just make sure it is simple, make it easy.
~ Effective – some disciple-making models sound great in theory, but they were ineffective in practice. Some models work with certain groups but not with other groups. Some models work well in one part of the country, but not in another.
~ Reproducible – we want to raise up disciples who make disciples. That means that we also want our personal disciple-making model to be easy for people who have been discipled by us to repeat the same process with others.
CONCLUSION
Chapel Rock should be the kind of church that is committed to seeking and saving the lost by making disciples that make disciples.
VISION BENEDICTION
We BRING our brokenness to Jesus because a CHANGE to wholeness is the story we SHARE.