LFSTL

In this message, the focus is the cost and calling of true discipleship as seen through four areas of the Christian life: worship, the Word of God, the work of ministry, and world missions.

The central emphasis is the mission of God and how it shapes every part of a believer’s life. True discipleship is not partial or compartmentalized—it touches everything.

Drawing from passages like John 3:16–17, Matthew 28:19, Acts 1:8, Luke 14, and others, the message highlights four key realities of the mission of Christ:

•  It is for WHOEVER—every person, regardless of background. 
•  It is for WHEREVER—all nations and every place in the world. 
•  It is for WHENEVER—present in the everyday rhythms of life. 
•  It is for WHATEVER—pervading every detail of a believer’s activity. 

The sermon challenges listeners to evaluate whether they truly follow Christ by loving what He loves and embracing the cost of discipleship. It warns against building personal kingdoms and instead calls believers to participate in God’s global mission: seeing every moment, relationship, and opportunity as part of the work of the gospel.

Thanks for listening to the Living Faith St. Louis podcast. This episode is part of our weekly sermon ministry from Pastor Blade Sbisa, with occasional guest speakers and special series.
 For more information, visit the LFSTL website.

This teaching walks through the reality that biblical ministry is not casual or accidental; It requires intentionality, sacrifice, and a clear understanding of what we are being called to accomplish for the Lord. Each movement of the WORK of the ministry comes with a cost that must be counted faithfully as we follow Christ.

1. Equipping ourselves in the word of God for the work
 

Key Point 1: Biblical ministry will require us to count the cost of preparation as we look ahead to the work before us. 

Before any public ministry or visible fruit, there is the hidden work of being rooted in Scripture. Preparation is not optional, it is the foundation that sustains every act of service that follows.

2. Engaging in the work of the ministry

Key Point 2: The work will require us to count the cost of our participation as we look among ourselves for our unique role in the body of Christ. 

Ministry becomes real when we step into active participation. Each believer has a role within the body, and engaging that role requires humility, availability, and commitment to serve alongside others.

3. Edifying the body unto perfection

Key Point 3: The work will require us to count the cost of perfection as we look above to Christ Jesus. 

Spiritual growth and maturity in the church is directed upward—toward Christ. Edification is not self-improvement alone, but Christ-centered transformation that shapes the entire body toward maturity

4. Extending & exemplifying the word of God to others

Key Point 4: The work will require us to count the cost of our propagation as we look around & across cultural barriers to sow the word of God into the souls of men. 

Thanks for listening to the Living Faith St. Louis podcast. This episode is part of our weekly sermon ministry from Pastor Blade Sbisa, with occasional guest speakers and special series.
 For more information, visit the LFSTL website.

What does it really mean to follow Jesus as a disciple? It means more than belief. It means counting the cost of walking in the wisdom of God found in the Word of God.

In this sermon we explore the connection between wisdom and Scripture, and why true disciples must be rooted in the Word like a tree planted by rivers of water. Jesus said that abiding in Him includes letting His Word abide in us, and Psalm 1 shows us the picture of a life shaped by daily meditation on God’s truth.

But this kind of wisdom is not free. It will cost us what money cannot buy, our natural desires toward sin, our personal pursuits, and even our comfort. Yet what we gain is far greater, the wisdom of God, the fear of the Lord, and a life that bears lasting fruit.

Key Thought: The disciple must count the cost of obtaining the wisdom found in the Word of God.

Thanks for listening to the Living Faith St. Louis podcast. This episode is part of our weekly sermon ministry from Pastor Blade Sbisa, with occasional guest speakers and special series.
 For more information, visit the LFSTL website.

In this sermon, we continue our series on discipleship by looking at the first aspect of counting the cost: worship.

Worship is more than music, it is recognizing and responding to the worth of God above all else. From Luke 14, David’s sacrifice, and Mary’s offering in Bethany, we see that true worship always involves cost, surrender, and priority. Jesus teaches that following Him means placing Him above possessions, relationships, and personal plans.

This message challenges us to consider what it truly means to follow Christ, and how discipleship is rooted in a life fully established in worship.

Thanks for listening to the Living Faith St. Louis podcast. This episode is part of our weekly sermon ministry from Pastor Blade Sbisa, with occasional guest speakers and special series.
 For more information, visit the LFSTL website.

In this episode we continue our discipleship series with a message titled The Cost of Discipleship, focusing on what God requires in the formation and multiplication of mature believers. Discipleship is not presented as a secondary ministry of the church but as the central mission of making followers of Christ who are grounded in truth and equipped to reproduce spiritual life in others.

This message walks through three foundational qualities that shape every disciple. First, the work of the Spirit of God, who seals believers, reveals truth, and produces spiritual fruit that cannot be manufactured by human effort. Second, the necessity of a teachable heart, marked by humility, surrender to Scripture, and a willingness to be shaped through instruction and correction. Third, the call to faithfulness, where consistency and endurance become the evidence of stewardship in the life of a believer.

Together these truths remind us that discipleship is not built on talent or personality, but on Spirit dependence, humble learning, and steady obedience over time. As the church embraces this calling, God forms believers into mature followers of Christ who are able to strengthen others and carry the gospel forward.

Thanks for listening to the Living Faith St. Louis podcast. This episode is part of our weekly sermon ministry from Pastor Blade Sbisa, with occasional guest speakers and special series.
 For more information, visit the LFSTL website.

This message begins a new series on discipleship by focusing on “The Cost of Discipleship.” Discipleship is not simply one ministry of the church, but the central mission of the church. While the gospel call includes seeing people saved and born again, it does not end there. True discipleship is the ongoing work of forming believers into the image of Christ and equipping them to disciple others.

Throughout Scripture we see a consistent pattern of spiritual growth and generational investment, from Moses and Joshua to Elijah and Elisha, from Jesus and His disciples to Paul and Timothy. Spiritual maturity is not instant but progressive, built step by step as believers grow in knowledge, temperance, patience, and godliness.

This message explores why discipleship matters. It is commanded by God, it equips every believer for ministry, it strengthens the entire church, and it ensures that the next generation is grounded in the truth of Christ. A discipled church is not centered around a single leader, but is a body of believers who are trained, mature, and active in the work of the gospel.

Ultimately, discipleship is how the church becomes spiritually healthy, missionally effective, and generationally faithful.

Thanks for listening to the Living Faith St. Louis podcast. This episode is part of our weekly sermon ministry from Pastor Blade Sbisa, with occasional guest speakers and special series.
 For more information, visit the LFSTL website.

In this message we explore Philippians 4:5 and the call to let your moderation be known unto all men. In a culture marked by extremes, outrage, and constant noise, Scripture calls believers to a different spirit, the power of gentleness.

Using Paul’s imagery of the Christian life as a race, we examine how spiritual maturity requires temperance, patience, meekness, and gentleness. Moderation is not weakness or passivity, but Christlike strength under control, fair minded, steady, and gracious in judgment.

Through passages such as 1 Corinthians 9, James 1, Titus 3, and Psalm 18, this message shows that the Spirit produced life is marked not only by conviction, but by a visible calmness and humility toward others. David’s testimony reminds us that it is God’s gentleness, not power alone, that shapes and transforms His people.

Ultimately, this sermon challenges us to live in such a way that Christ’s character is seen clearly in how we speak, respond, and relate to others, because the Lord is at hand.

Thanks for listening to the Living Faith St. Louis podcast. This episode is part of our weekly sermon ministry from Pastor Blade Sbisa, with occasional guest speakers and special series.
 For more information, visit the LFSTL website.

Ezra 10 brings the book to a sobering conclusion as the restored community confronts renewed sin among the people who have returned from captivity. Though the temple has been rebuilt and worship restored, Ezra discovers that Israel has once again compromised by intermarrying with surrounding nations, directly violating God’s command for a holy and separated people.

The passage moves through three movements of restoration. First, intercession, as Ezra weeps, confesses, and pleads before God on behalf of the people, demonstrating how godly sorrow leads others toward repentance. Second, proclamation, as the Word of God is clearly declared, exposing sin and calling the people to make confession, separate themselves, and return to obedience. Third, examination, as each individual is brought face to face with their own responsibility before God, revealing that repentance is never merely corporate but deeply personal.

Though the chapter is heavy with conviction, it is also marked by hope. “Yet now there is hope in Israel” because God’s mercy preserves a remnant and provides a way for restoration. The message closes by pointing to the ultimate fulfillment of this hope in Jesus Christ, whose complete devotion and atoning work alone make true restoration possible. God’s call in Ezra 10 is clear. Turn from sin, respond to His Word, and find hope in His mercy through repentance and faith.

Thanks for listening to the Living Faith St. Louis podcast. This episode is part of our weekly sermon ministry from Pastor Blade Sbisa, with occasional guest speakers and special series.
 For more information, visit the LFSTL website.

n Ezra 9, the tone of the book shifts from restoration to repentance as Ezra arrives in Jerusalem and discovers that the people, including priests and leaders, have not separated themselves from the surrounding nations but have instead returned to patterns of compromise and spiritual unfaithfulness. This moment reveals that external restoration of the temple did not automatically produce internal renewal of the heart.

Ezra’s response is immediate and deeply sorrowful. He tears his garments, sits in shock, and identifies with the sin of the people in prayerful confession before God. The passage highlights the seriousness of holiness in the life of God’s people and the ongoing call to be sanctified and set apart, not conformed to the surrounding world as taught throughout Scripture.

Yet even in judgment, Ezra recognizes the mercy of God. Though the people deserved full consequence, God had given them “a little space of grace,” preserving a remnant, restoring worship, and allowing them to rebuild what had been broken. His confession centers on the truth that their survival is not the result of their righteousness but the patience and mercy of God.

Ezra 9 ultimately confronts the reader with the weight of sin, the necessity of separation from the world, and the overwhelming mercy of God who does not consume His people according to their iniquities but offers grace that calls them back to repentance and renewed faithfulness.

Thanks for listening to the Living Faith St. Louis podcast. This episode is part of our weekly sermon ministry from Pastor Blade Sbisa, with occasional guest speakers and special series.
 For more information, visit the LFSTL website.

In Ezra 8, the repeated theme of the “hand” of God comes into full focus as Israel continues its return from captivity and the work of restoration moves forward. From Cyrus to Artaxerxes, and throughout the rebuilding of Jerusalem, Scripture repeatedly emphasizes that every step is directed not by human strength but by the sovereign hand of God. This passage draws attention to that reality and calls us to see God’s hand as active in provision, preparation, and protection.

As Ezra leads the remnant on a long and vulnerable journey back to Jerusalem, he depends not on military strength or political security, but on the mercy of God. Through fasting and prayer at the river of Ahava, the people acknowledge their dependence on the Lord, and God proves faithful to guide, supply, and preserve them. The same hand that moves kings also equips His people, raises up leaders, and guards them along the way.

Ezra 8 confronts the temptation to trust human strength while revealing the sufficiency of God’s hand over every circumstance. The passage calls believers to humility, dependence, and confidence in the God who both calls His people and faithfully completes His work.

Thanks for listening to the Living Faith St. Louis podcast. This episode is part of our weekly sermon ministry from Pastor Blade Sbisa, with occasional guest speakers and special series.
 For more information, visit the LFSTL website.