[Sermon summary]

Disciples of Jesus are followers of Jesus. Jesus told us to first deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him, pointing the way out of self-centeredness or self-obsession.

A disciple of Jesus is one who is chosen and invited by Jesus. "And Jesus went up into the mountain, and called those whom he wished, and they came to him. And he chose twelve, and he made them to be with him..." (Mark 3:13-14) So a disciple of Jesus is someone who belongs to Jesus' flock. Jesus chooses and protects the marginalized, the despised, the self-loathing, the poor, and the sick.

A disciple of Jesus is one who abides in Jesus, abides in his word, and abides in his love. A disciple gets to know God by dwelling in the Word, prayer, and community with focus and expectation, experiencing the Triune God.

God enables Jesus' followers to experience "God-shaped change." Therefore, a disciple is one who learns and practices how God works.

(1) The life of a disciple who has experienced God's love and transformation becomes a little better at doing small, ordinary things.
(2) One who lives with God's love speaks words of love. The God of love is the one who says, "You're the best, you're the best, I love you, I love you." So a person who has been transformed by God's love speaks words of love to someone on behalf of God so that they can have an experience of encountering God.
(3) A disciple is someone who finds beauty in themselves. A disciple sees the beauty and strength within themselves as reflected in the hearts of others, realizing that the way they see others is the way they see themselves, so they look at others with generosity, warmth, and love.
(4) A disciple sees others as creators. "Life is not a process of finding oneself, but of creating oneself." A community of faith that embraces each other as "active creators" is the community of Jesus' disciples.

[Sermon Note]

Title: "Are You a Disciple of Jesus?" (4) (Discipleship) Text: John 1:36-39

10 Expectation: waiting for God's transformative love to happen in surprising ways.
20 Focus: being open to our neighbors and the world with complete equanimity and balance.
30 Transformation: transforming ourselves, our neighbors, and our surroundings with lives that reflect God's love.

Bible text

(John 1:36-39) "「36」 When John saw Jesus passing by, he said to him, "Behold, the Lamb of God."「37」 When the two disciples heard what John was saying, they followed him.「38」 When Jesus turned around and saw that they were following him, he asked them, "What are you looking for? "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi, where are you staying?"「39] He answered them, "Come and see." They followed him. "Come and see." They followed him, saw where he was staying, and spent the rest of the day with him. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon."

[Sermon manuscript]

0.[Greeting]

Good morning, everyone. How have you been doing this week?

-What people/things are you grateful for, what has been beneficial, what encounters/people/things have made you happy, what has been rewarding?

- I was sick and laid up for a few days, but my family took good care of me and I am thankful to be well enough to serve the ranch meeting and prepare for the week ahead.

1. [Last week's review].

- What does it mean to be a disciple?

11. A disciple is a follower.

- In John 1, two men follow Jesus (v. 37) - A disciple is a follower. A disciple of Jesus follows Jesus -- a disciple of the world follows the world, follows the dominant values of the world.

- To "follow" is, in fact, not in our nature.

-- (Isaiah 53:6, ESV) "We have all gone astray like sheep, we have all gone astray, we have all gone our separate ways, but the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

-- (Judg. 17:6, ESV) "In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did as seemed right in his own eyes."

(Jdg 17:6, NIV11) "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit." "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit."

(Jdg 17:6, ESV) "In those days there was no king in Israel; Everyone did what was right in his own eyes."(Jdg 17:6, MSG) "In those days there was no king in Israel; People did whatever they felt like doing."

11-1. A disciple is a self-denier.

- (Mk 8:34, NIV) "Then Jesus called the crowd together with his disciples and said to them. "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.""

(Mk 8:34, NIV11) "Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."(Mk 8:34, MSG) "Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how."

12. Disciples are the chosen ones.

- Fundamentally, being a disciple is a choice of the Master:- A disciple of Jesus is one chosen by Jesus. They are the ones he calls, invites, and so they continue to follow him.

- In John 1:39, Jesus says, "Come and see."

-- (Mark 3:13-14, NIV) "13 "Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and called those whom he wanted, and they came to him."14 "And he appointed the twelve [he also called them apostles], and he kept them with him, and sent them out to preach the word."

(Mk 3:13-14, NIV11) "「13」 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.「14」 He appointed twelve* that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach"

(Mk 3:13-14, MSG) "「13」 He climbed a mountain and invited those he wanted with him. They climbed together.「14」 He settled on twelve, and designated them apostles. The plan was that they would be with him, and he would send them out to proclaim the Word"

-- "Being chosen" is also something that does not sit well with our nature.

- This is an age of choice. : "I choose, I buy, I like." But being chosen is a look that doesn't fit well with our life style.

- A week ago, there was a wedding at our church. Those who attended said it was very nice, and of course I know it was a gracious and happy occasion for the two people who got married.

-- Friends, marriage is not a contract, it is a covenant.-- What I mean by this is that marriage is not only a place where two people commit to each other and vow to keep their promises, but it is also a place where two people become one and enter into a covenant with God.-- The God of the covenant is the one who calls, keeps, shows his face, and blesses his people.

- Jesus calls his disciples to be with him, so that they may imitate his ministry and his character.

13. A disciple is someone who belongs to Jesus' group.

- To be a disciple of Jesus means to accept and belong to his company.

- The purpose of following Jesus is to be in the same place with him, so a disciple goes where Jesus goes. They are those who meet the people Jesus meets with the attitude that Jesus does.

-Remember what we said about the Eucharist. The Eucharist is an affirmation that we are all guests of Jesus. We should welcome one another, treating each other as Jesus' guests.

-- However, many people often misunderstand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. They try to make Jesus belong to their group because of their self-centered nature.

13-1 [The People Jesus Sought and Kept].

"Jesus chooses a crowd of marginalized people, despised people, unhappy people, self-loathing people, poor people, and sick people, so that his disciples will belong to that crowd."

- Jesus' disciples are those who accept that they have been chosen for Jesus' flock.

- Who is "Jesus' crowd" in our time? - If we were to use the term "Jesus' crowd," it would be "VIPs. May our church be a church that saves and makes disciples of Jesus' VIPs.

20. [Last Sunday]

[Focus] maintaining perfect equanimity and balance to be open to our neighbors and the world

- A disciple of Jesus is focused, expectant, and waiting. Abiding in the Word of God; and belonging to the community of the Church, the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, "welcoming and being welcomed," so that we build each other up and make each other live.

- Don't be a deminisher, be an illuminator. "That person made me feel like the best person I can be!"

- Abide in the Lord. Let His word abide in you. Abide in His love. To abide in His love, consistently participate in a "community of love".

- And when you go out into the world, expect to meet "the Lord's VIPs," and when you do, fellowship with them with the heart of the Lord. Then, even in the midst of your life, you will taste the eternal love, fellowship, and oneness of the Triune God.

- The ranch is a house church. The ranch is the campus church. The ranch is a place to go and seek out and meet "the Lord's people.

30. transformation: transforming ourselves, our neighbors, and our surroundings with lives that reflect God's love.

- It is God's will that the deeds of Christ be done through the disciples, just as the deeds of the Father are done through the Son, Jesus.

- The life of a disciple is a reflection of God's love.

- When a disciple follows Jesus' call and focuses expectantly on God and others, "God-shaped change" occurs. This means having an attitude of life that allows [something significant] to happen in your life, your neighborhood, and your environment.

- In other words, something irresistible happens in your awareness when you allow God's Purpose to blossom and bring about the kind of change that only God can accomplish.

31. A disciple is a learner.

- This is ultimately a question of what a disciple learns. A disciple is one who learns how God works through the life of Jesus. A disciple is one who is trained by first being with those who are called to be his disciples, and then by seeing and training them in the evident characteristics of God's work in their lives.

What are you learning through your faith walk?

- That God is at work in the world, demonstrating His work and action. God works directly, which is called "God's mission." God also works through His disciples. This is called the "mission of God's people." Jesus' followers live lives that reveal God's actions through their being and doing.

32. The life of a disciple

- The following is from a senior in the faith, Teresa of Avila (1515-1582). "It is quite ordinary what happens when we finally make 'progress' (transformation) through all the mystical experiences that make our hair stand on end. It is that our hearts are filled with an eternal love that makes us do the small, ordinary things in our lives a little better."

- Life transformation must begin with the small things: the everyday.

32-1. Waco, Texas

- In a small town called Waco, Texas, a reporter asked the question, "Who do people in this town trust the most?" and they said, "LaRue Dorsey, a 93-year-old black woman."

So the reporter meets Dorsey in a small diner.

-- Dorsey was a teacher, she says, and she lived in Waco all her life, and she introduces herself with a stern look on her face, saying, "I was able to discipline the kids so strictly because I loved them so much." Her first impression is of a stern face.

-- and then suddenly, a white man in his 60s named Jimmy, with a teddy-bear style, greets Dorsey.

- Jimmy sees Dorsey, smiles broadly -- the biggest smile a human face could possibly have, to be precise -- and walks over, wraps his arms around Dorsey's shoulders, hugs her tightly with both hands, presses his face close to hers, and says as loudly as he can, as if he's about to leave the place.

"Dorsey, Dorsey, you're the best, you're the best, you're the best, I love you, I love you!"

- At that moment, in the eyes of the reporter, "I had never before seen a person change so suddenly in appearance. The stern, stern face that had seemed to me so hard and stern suddenly disappeared, and the face of a delightfully cheerful 93-year-old girl appeared. "

32-2. Recognize your own beauty and strength

"He who never has the opportunity to see his own beauty and strength reflected in the hearts of others will never fully recognize the beauty and strength within himself."

"If we view others generously, we will be generous; if we view them coldly, we will be cold."

32-3. See Others as Creators

- "Life is not a process of finding yourself. It is a process of self-creation." See others as creators, and you will live a life of getting to know the Creator as His chosen people.

- "I want to accept you as an active creator" (and I appeal to you to see me as such).