Some people are far too reluctant to correct, rebuke, or admonish an erring brother; but some are far too eager to point out every little thing with which they disagree. When rightly understood Matthew 7:1-6 protects from both errors. Listen as Pastor Matt shows who’s ‘specks’ Jesus expects us to remove, what a ‘speck’ is, […]
Matthew 4:18-22 Peculiar Disciples with a Peculiar Calling
Who were Jesus’ 12 disciples? Smelly, hard-working, uneducated fisherman! That’s right, He calls fisherman not Pharisees, the common laborer instead of the learned, the overlooked instead of the overlord. God doesn’t think like us. We are finite & weak & we need strength or our goals may fail. God is infinite & powerful & He displays […]
I Corinthians 3:10-15 Our Foundation, Building, and Reward_ Brother Cody Maples
Laying the right foundation is essential if you are to build anything. But even if you have the right foundation, shoddy materials built on the right foundation won’t last. Paul uses this imagery when describing our work in making disciples. But what is the right foundation? What are the right materials? How can we be […]
I Thessalonians 2:17-19 A Father’s Love Defended
Discipleship can be well described as ‘spiritual fathering.’ The emotional investment, the time investment, the material investment, indeed the pouring out of your very life for the benefit of fellow Christ followers is as much a must for the effective disciple maker as it is for the effective father toward his children. Listen as Pastor […]
I Thessalonians 2:12 Spiritual Fathering_ Part 5 of 5_ The Will of a Disciple Maker
In this final sermon in the Spiritual Fathering series we see the end goal of discipleship. Our goal is not to produce people who know a lot about Jesus, but people who walk a lot like Jesus. Listen as Pastor Matt explains what a walk ‘worthy of the God who calls (us) into His Kingdom […]
I Thessalonians 2:11 Spiritual Fathering- Part 4 of 5- The Words of a Disciple maker
So far in our series on Spiritual Fathering we have seen that making disciples is not just about teaching true things from God’s word. A disciple maker must also model work hard, and a disciple maker must walk in an upright way. We teach by our actions perhaps even more than we teach with our […]
I Thessalonians 2:10 Spiritual Fathering-Part 3 of 5- The Walk of a Disciple Maker
Paul was not a hypocrite. He practiced what he preached. He walked the walk. Listen as Pastor Matt shows how the walk of a disciple maker must be walked devoutly, righteously, and even blamelessly.
I Thessalonians 2:9 Spiritual Fathering Part 2 of 5- The Work of a Disciple-maker
Work is good. It was part of God’s good creation and existed even before the fall of Adam. Before there was sin, there was work. Satan blinds men of the inherent goodness and joy of labor.Do you get discourage, and struggle to find meaning in your job? Listen as Pastor Matt looks at I Thessalonians […]
I Thessalonians 2:9-12 Spiritual Fathering_ Part 1 of 5
Our lives are not about us. We are to exist for the Glory of God. In order to maximize God’s glory on the earth we need to disciple others. But what does discipleship look like? Listen as Pastor Matt begins a five part series on I Thessalonians 2:9-12 entitled ‘Spiritual Fathering.’ Discipleship relationship most closely […]
I Thessalonians 2:7-8 Spiritual Mothering
Today’s brand of hyper-macho, anti-sensitive, sub-biblical masculinity hinders discipleship. That statement is shocking coming from an ultra-conservative church in the midst of the current gender revolution; but it is true. Listen as Pastor Matt gives a biblical corrective to this popular misunderstanding of masculinity, and shows from I Thessalonians 2:7-8 how that biblical discipleship requires […]