Discipleship — The road less travelled June 18, 2025

The Title of this series—— Discipleship—-The Road Less Traveled Why this title?

Because not everyone who asks Jesus to come into their heart... want to follow Jesus Many choose... the Path of least resistance.

Note—- Becoming a disciple... is NOT “the easy road”.... but it is fulfilling & rewarding Every believer —-needs to be planted in a Strong Ps 122:1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” Ps 92:13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.

Everyone of us... should be discipling // training a new believer 1 Cor 11:1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. Roadblocks to Progress: a) Staying in Comfort Zone b) Victim Mentality c) Taking the Path of Least Resistance d) Understanding our Part - Work Phil 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. It takes “Work” ( effort ) … to Renew your mind … to build new habits It also takes Repetition —- new life is built through acting upon the word over and over again.

It also takes “Consistency” — Must keep doing… steady… unchanging Definition Achieving a level of performance, which does not change overtime. Ex: Church attendance Bible reading Daily prayer, Praise, confession of the word Giving of yourself Ps 63:1-2 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.——- My God = personal, Fellowship Early = put God first every day Always read your Bible… With a post-resurrection mindset ( Finished work of Calvary ) Thirsty — it’s all you can think about Ps 5:3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.

Definition of Disciple = an apprentice { Listening, Learning to apply knowledge } Transformation… Begins with a heart desire Must hunger and thirst for the word of God from the heart Just hearing the word of God will not change it Your heart Must be set on growth and change

What Jesus said about Discipleship Luke 14:25-27 NLT —-( The Cost of Being a Disciple ) A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, —-25

“If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. —-26 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.——27 Note— Two times Jesus says, “unless we do these things” we cannot be His disciple. He is calling us... to step out from the crowd... to serious a commitment a) Jesus & His Word —must be First Place

Note— To follow Jesus...means you Love Jesus Christ & His Word.... ABOVE anyone & anything else in your life. Nothing else even comes close to your dedication to obey His plan for your life! Jesus is NOT telling us to Hate or neglect anyone! Your love for God must be so strong... that all other relationships looks like hate in comparison. Billy Graham Salvation is Free, —but— discipleship costs everything we have. Luke 9:57-62 NLT —- ( The Cost of Following Jesus ) As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”—-57 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”—-58 He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”—-59 But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”—-60 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”—61 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”—-62 Note— Jesus is dealing with ——- a) Wrong Priorities

b) Procrastination —- I’ll follow you...”later”

Discipleship is a Decision—- “I choose to be a dedicated follower of Jesus”

How about you? c) Taking up your cross —