If a church is only as good as its disciples, are we growing mature, loving, and faithful apprentices of Jesus? Our third core practice is to grow disciples. We commit to invite people into a relationship with Jesus by baptizing, teaching, and sending them on mission. In this message we ask the question, "How did Jesus and his disciples make disciples?" and explore the answer for our own context. Listen as we trace Jesus' process of multiplying apprentices in his ministry down through the origins of the very first church.

SLIDES/RESOURCES

-- What makes a church a "good" church?

-- "Ultimately each church will be evaluated by only one ting: its disciples. Your church is only as good as its disciples. It does not matter how good your praise, preaching, programs or property are: If your disciples are passive, needy, consumerist, and not moving in the direction of radical obedience, your church is not good." // NEIL COLE, Search & Rescue: Becoming a Disciple Who Makes a Difference (2008)

-- So what is a Disciple?

Someone who commits to being with Jesus to learn from Jesus how to live like Jesus. (Think, "Apprentice") // PARAPHRASE OF DALLAS WILLARD (& Wording of Core Practice 1)

-- 2 questions every church must ask:

1.) What is our process of discipleship?

2.) Does it work?

// DALLAS WILLARD

-- Core Practice 3: GROW DISCIPLES // We commit to invite people into a relationship with Jesus by baptizing, teaching, and sending them on mission.

-- How did Jesus and his disciples grow disciples? What was their "process"?

-- KEY SCRIPTURE: John 1.35-46 (NIV)

-- Jesus gathers his first disciples. They are invited to "Come" // The first piece of the process

-- Jesus teaches his disciples the kingdom way. They are invited to "See" // The second piece of the process

-- SCRIPTURE: Matthew 7.24-27; 8.1

-- Then Jesus gives them the opportunity to LIVE what they've "SEEN" ... "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick." // LUKE 9.1-2 (NIV)

-- We simply will not learn the way of Jesus solely by listening and watching...we've got to go and do likewise with Jesus' power in our everyday lives.

-- SCRIPTURE: Matthew 28.16-20 (NIV)

-- So now we have a three-part disciple-making process...

COME: The invitation into life with Jesus

SEE: Being with Jesus to learn from Jesus

GO: Living like Jesus by declaring and demonstrating the good news.

The new disciples live in this rhythm of Come, See, and Go to grow more new disciples...

-- SCRIPTURE: Acts 2.38-47 (NIV)

-- Are we inviting people to come into life with Jesus? Are we baptizing and teaching people to see Jesus? Are we multiplying disciples to go declare and demonstrate the reign of Jesus?

If we asked a non-Christian to describe followers of Jesus, would the word "Love" make the list? If not, we've missed the point. Following Jesus and loving neighbors are inextricably linked because loving God is demonstrated in loving others. We want to be a church known for sacrificial, transformational, and radical love. That's why for our second core practice we commit to love others as ourselves regardless of race, background, ethnicity, orientation, or status. After all, we're just trying to follow Jesus' lead when he saw the unseen neighbors of his day, regardless of what it cost him.

SLIDES/RESOURCES

-- "Substantial majorities of Millennials who don’t go to church say they see Christians as judgmental (87%), hypocritical (85%), anti-homosexual (91%) and insensitive to others (70%)." // BARNA GROUP, 2015

-- Scripture Focus: Luke 19.1-10

-- Other passages to check out: John 13.34-35; Luke 6.27-42; Luke 10.25-37; 1 John chapters 3 & 4;

-- LOVE NEIGHBOR: We commit to love others as ourselves regardless of race, background, ethnicity, orientation, or status.

-- Who is my neighbor? Jesus has rezoned our neighborhood. Like the Good Samaritan, everyone we encounter is a neighbor to be loved as ourselves.

-- What do we see when we see our neighbors? Jesus sees a person to seek and save.

-- Zacchaeus went up to see Jesus, but it was Jesus who stopped to see Zacchaeus.

Will we follow Jesus' example to see the unseen people of our society?

Will welook at the overlooked in our neighborhood?

-- I can see Your heart in everything You’ve done

Every part designed in a work of art called love

If You gladly chose surrender so will I

I can see Your heart eight billion different ways

Every precious one a child You died to save

If You gave Your life to love them so will I

Like You would again a hundred billion times

But what measure could amount to Your desire

You’re the One who never leaves the one behind

// "SO WILL I (100 BILLION X) by Joel Houston,Benjamin Hastings, Michael Fatkin

-- Do we realize how costly this love is?

Zacchaeus' bank account takes a major hit as he moves from the top to the bottom.

Jesus' reputation as a "Friend of sinners" continues to plunge.

-- What are we willing to let loving our neighbors cost us? Finances...Reputations...Time...Comfort...

-- Real love is relating to the other as valuable, even at cost to yourself.

We're rolling out TNC's new Core Practices in our first series of 2018. We didn't invent these 5 practices, we're just highlighting what's evident in the New Testament. Our hope is that by naming these practices we can renew our focus and live with intention in our mission together for God's kingdom in our neighborhood. The first is "Follow Jesus" because for us, everything starts and ends with Jesus. We commit to be with Jesus to learn from Jesus how to live like Jesus in our everyday lives. This message explores a surprising conversation Jesus had with his disciples in Luke 9. How would you answer Jesus' question? Would you accept his invitation to deny yourself, take up a cross, and follow him in new life? We hope you decide to set off on the journey with us.

SLIDES/RESOURCES:

-- Scripture Focus: Luke 9.18-27 (NIV)

-- Studies show that by January 8, 25% of New Year's resolutions have already been abandoned. // David DeSteno in the New York Times,Dec. 29, 2017

-- 5 Core Practices // 1.) Follow Jesus, 2.) Love Neighbor, 3.) Grow Disciples, 4.) Create Space, 5.) Bring Peace

-- FOLLOW JESUS: We commit to be with Jesus to learn from Jesus how to live like Jesus in our everyday life.

-- "Christ didn't redeem my life theoretically or abstractly -- the life I dreamed of living or the life I think I ideally should be living. He knew I'd be in today as it is, in my home where it stands, in my relationships with their specific beauty and brokenness, in my particular sins and struggles." // TISH HARRISON WARREN, Liturgy of the Ordinary

-- "God is forming us into a new people. And the place of that formation is in the small moments of today." // TISH HARRISON WARREN, Liturgy of the Ordinary

-- "Today is the proving ground of what I believe and of whom I worship." // TISH HARRISON WARREN, Liturgy of the Ordinary

-- There is no such thing as my "Christian life" or my "Spiritual Life". There is only my life. Every day I have the choice to live from my true identity as a citizen of God's kingdom as I follow Jesus in my life right now just as it is...or not.

-- RESOURCE: Check out the "Rhythm of Life" worksheet at tncgarland.com, Resources > Spirit Formation

-- NEXT STEP: Choose a mundane activity of your daily life and think of a way you could be present to God's presence while doing it.

Do you remember how hard it was to wait for Christmas morning when you were a kid? What are you waiting for today? Has waiting gotten any easier for you? There was a man named Simeon who was waiting for God's rescue and to see God's king. But HOW he waited made all the difference. Simeon gives us an example of looking forward in hope and of listening to the Holy Spirit. So in this season of Advent -- a season of waiting -- may we keep our eyes open and our ears listening to the God who keeps his promises in his timing.

SLIDES/RESOURCES:

-- Key Scripture: Luke 2.25-33 (NIV)

-- What are you waiting for?

-- Better: HOW are you waiting?

-- Simeon gives us an example of looking in hope and listening to the Spirit.

-- GUIDANCE: Experiencing an interactive friendship with God that gives direction and purpose to daily life. // RENOVARE

-- QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION // What do you think "an interactive friendship with God" looks like in everyday life?

// How often during the course of a typical day are you attentive to God's presence with you?

-- ISAAC PENINGTON (1600s) // O Friend, do you not have a sense of the way to the Father? Then you must press your spirit to bow daily before God and wait for breathings to you from his Spirit. Pray that he will continue his mercy to you and make his way more and more clear before you every day. Yes, and also pray that he will give you strength in all the trials which may come your way. By his secret working in your spirit, giving you assistance from time to time, you will advance nearer and nearer towards the kingdom.

-- (MORE) QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION // Think of a time you felt led by the Holy Spirit...

What was that experience like?

Where have you seen his influence or work recently?

What if you created space this week in order to pause and wait on the leading of the Spirit?

-- SIMEON'S SONG // LUKE 2.29-32 (NIV):

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,

you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

For my eyes have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and the glory of your people Israel.”

-- To see Jesus is to see God's salvation.

// To see Jesus is to see God's promises finally realized.

// To see Jesus is to see God's hand holding your life in love and peace.

-- (ANOTHER) QUESTION FOR REFLECTION // Have you had an experience where you just had to stop and "marvel" (pause in wonder) at God's work, word, or presence showing up in your midst?

-- When we live in hope and listen to the Spirit...

we see Jesus for who he really is.

We celebrate the second week of Advent; Peace. The waiting continues as we prepare our hearts, our minds, and our souls to anticipate the coming of Emmanuel, God with us. Continuing our study of the “Songs of Advent”, we look closely at Luke 1 and Zechariah, a well respected Jewish priest. God reached out to Zechariah and Elizabeth and gave them a child, John the Baptist. Upon reflecting upon God’s mercy and Truth, Zechariah’s emotions were captured in song as he prophesied to his people. The song began with worship, and then proclaimed that God was going to rescue his people from their enemies and from their own sins. John, the Baptist would prepare the hearts of the people for the coming of Jesus.

We begin the Advent Season today with a fresh and different way. We will learn about this season of waiting by studying the songs that were sung at the First Christmas. Each week we will have a person sing the scripture in song that Luke recorded. Mere words and monologue can only go so far. But when you go deeper than that, you reach for poetry, for songs, for music…because they resonate with us; our hopes, our fears, our longings. In Luke 1:46-55, Mary’s feelings explode in a heart felt song, the Magnificat, about the coming of Baby Jesus. Through her faith, devotion, and understanding of the ancient scriptures, her words are powerful and describe the coming of a New King and the revolution of Love that comes with Him. Study with us The Songs of Advent.

Daniel's been waiting in the darkness. Have you spent nights waiting in anguish for the morning? Have you felt hopeless? Have you felt surrounded? You're not alone. This is the final message of our series exploring the stories of the book of Daniel. We've seen story after story of how God is still at work throughout Daniel's long life in an oppressive culture surrounded by difficult people. But Daniel's in a life-or-death situation again. It's in those moments that we're tempted to lose hope. Will our faith be rooted in trusting God in the darkness or will our faith be dependent on our circumstances?

SLIDES/RESOURCES:

-- Scripture Focus: Daniel 6.19-28

-- Our temptation when we face the lions: Will our faith be rooted in trusting God or will our faith be dependent on our circumstances?

-- Faith for Daniel is not believing in spite of evidence but obedience in spite of consequences.

-- Faith is a relationship of trust, not a certainty of belief

-- How can we develop that kind of relationship of trust to help us through the dark nights? It starts with Prayer and Memory.

--Prayer rooted Daniel in the kingdom of God and reminded Daniel to follow the kingdom way of life in spite of darkness, persecution, or the consequences. Surely his faith in God grew out of a life of prayer and the memory of God's work in the past.

-- 3 Big Ideas of this series...

1. God and his kingdom are always active and eternal...We saw this in the visions and in the lives of the exilesas other kingdoms came and went.

2. No matter how dark it looks, the light is always winning...We saw this when the exiles faced death and looked toward a future hope.

3. We live as a kingdom alternative in a hostile culture...We saw their examples as they worked in the public sphere with a public faith.

-- "The God of Daniel is still the king of heaven and of earth. His kingdom still rules the kingdoms of this world. He can deliver, and he often does. But he calls his people to faithfulness and integrity in our everyday lives, whatever the cost. He calls us to build our lives on the values of the kingdom of God not "when we all get to heaven," but in the here and now."

// CHRISTOPHER J. H. WRIGHT

How do we respond to enemies in our hostile and violent world? Which Master will we let reign in our lives, Jesus or Fear? The answers to these questions are crucial because all of us have, are, or will face pressure or persecution from others. Daniel faced these same questions when a group of jealous co-workers conspired to get him killed. While our situation might not be as dire, we still face the temptation of returning hostility with more hostility. But we have better examples for a better way. When we're staring down our own lions' den -- will we trust God and follow Jesus' way of non-violence, peace, and radical faith? (NOTE: Daniel pt. 7 covering chapter 5 failed to record due to a technical difficulty)

RESOURCES:

-- SCRIPTURE FOCUS: Daniel 6.1-18

-- Big Ideas for our series:

God and his kingdom are always active and eternal

No matter how dark it looks, the light is always winning

We live as a kingdom alternative in a hostile culture

-- Each time violence, pressure, or persecution encroaches it raises 2 questions for God's people:

1. How do we respond to our enemies (and what do we mean "Enemy")?

2. Which Lord will we let reign in our lives - Jesus or Fear?

-- Jesus "rezoned our neighborhood." Everyone we meet is a neighbor to loved, not an enemy to be hated.

-- 1 PETER 2.21-25 (NIV) // 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 25 For “you were like sheep going astray, ”but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

-- ROMANS 12.2 (NIV) // 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

-- Daniel's example in the face of persecution:

// Daniel knew of this law but still resisted

// Daniel continues to live God's way in spite of persecution

// Daniel still has reasons to praise God

// Daniel doesn't diminish how difficult his situation is, he asks God for help

-- FAITH for Daniel is not believing in spite of evidence but obedience in spite of consequences

-- FAITH is a relationship of trust, not a certainty of belief

-- How do we keep going when we're on the wrong side of the stone? Remember that no matter how dark it looks, the light is always winning.

Accounts from two of our members on confronting our recent studies in their daily lives. Are we doing everything we can to fully embrace our neighbors? And, a look at how an imbalance of work and rest can prevent us from hearing and doing for our neighbors.

TOBI'S NOTES:

Psalm 73:25-28

- If you haven’t talked to God in a while, maybe you can just start with praying Psalm 73:25-28

- Ask God to help you see what you are embracing and resisting with open eyes, even if it makes you feel uncomfortable

- Repent to the LORD if your heart or actions have not represented Jesus and His kingdom

- Ask God to embrace what/where/who He is calling you

JASON'S NOTES:

Scripture references:

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Matthew 7:24-27

• Lord, thank you for giving me your attention. Where do you desire for me to invest mine?

• Where/what are my attention wasters?

• Lord, help us to surround our neighbors and neighborhoods with the brackets of Hear and Do. Of Attention and Love-In-Action

A proud pagan king is one of the central players in the stories of the book of Daniel. On paper, this is the last guy you'd expect to pen a worldwide proclamation praising Israel's God. But with each chapter we see a sharpening of his awareness that Israel's God is alive and at work. And when the events of chapter 4 hit him like a freight train, he's left with no doubt that God is at work...in him! The lesson he and all of us need to learn sooner or later is this -- God is able to humble the proud not so that he can gloat but so that we can change. Stick with this fascinating story and you'll see that there's hope for all of us because God doesn't want to give up on anybody.

SLIDES/RESOURCES:

-- Big ideas in our series

God and his kingdom are always active and eternal

No matter how dark it looks, the light is always winning

We live as a kingdom alternative in a hostile culture

-- The lesson the proud king + proud people learn sooner or later is this: God is able to humble the proud...

-- Scripture Focus: Daniel ch. 4

-- King Neb recognizes something is different with Daniel...Do others see the Spirit within us?

-- Do we make the invisible presence of God visible in our actions?

-- King Neb recognizes a need the world can't meet...Are we ready to meet the needs of the world when they knock on the door of the kingdom?

-- Daniel had a kingdom opportunity in the moment because Daniel had been a kingdom presence for the long haul

-- LETTER TO THE EXILES // JEREMIAH 29.5, 7 (NIV): 4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce...

7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

-- The lesson the proud king + proud people learn sooner or later is this: God is able to humble the proud not so that he can gloat but so that we can change.