FBCPS
Sermons, teachings, and podcasts from First Baptist Church in Powder Springs, Georgia.
FBCPS
4 Keys to Making Disciples | Luke 24:44-48
Every mother knows what it means to sacrifice—staying up all night with a feverish baby, preparing endless snacks, taxiing kids to activities, washing clothes that were just washed yesterday, all while managing to smile through it all. But in this heartfelt Mother's Day message, Pastor Chip reminds us of a truth that's easy to miss in the busyness of parenting and life: we were made for more.
Drawing from Matthew 28:19-20, this sermon reveals how easily we can become so consumed with meeting needs that we overlook the ultimate calling Jesus has given every believer—to make disciples. With refreshing clarity, Pastor Chip breaks down discipleship into four simple components anyone can practice: sharing the Bible, explaining the gospel, being personal about our own faith journey, and helping others become disciple-makers themselves.
The message features a powerful story about identity that will resonate with anyone who has faced uncertainty about who they are. When a man discovered through a DNA test that the person he had called "dad" his entire life wasn't his biological father, his response demonstrated the unshakeable foundation that comes from finding your identity in Christ: "My heavenly Father never changes."
Whether you're a parent struggling to balance daily demands with spiritual priorities, someone questioning your purpose, or a believer wanting practical ways to fulfill the Great Commission, this message offers both challenge and encouragement. You'll discover that the fulfillment you're seeking doesn't come from living for yourself but from investing in others spiritually—because you were truly made for more.
Ready to find your purpose beyond meeting needs? Listen now, and discover how making disciples could be simpler—and more fulfilling—than you ever imagined.
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Put your hands together for all of our moms this morning, every mother here, every grandmother, every great-grandmother, happy Mother's Day. All of our moms present, all of our moms represented and all of our moms remembered. We just want to celebrate you today and we are so thankful for all that you do. Thank you for putting up with all of us and putting up with all that we do. Welcome to First Baptist Church, Powder Springs. This morning. We are so thankful that you are here and putting up with all that we do. Welcome to First Baptist Church, powder Springs. This morning. We are so thankful that you are here. I wanna give a special happy Mother's Day to my wife, the mom of our three children Brooklyn, who's six. Cruz, who is two. Eliana, who turns one next week. Believe it or not kind of crazy Babe. I love ya Every time I think about you. Proverbs 31, 29,. Many women have done excellently, but you surpassed them all. I love you. Happy Mother's Day to you. Happy Mother's Day to my mom, who's watching from Pensacola, florida, this morning, and happy Mother's Day to my mother-in-law, who is watching from heaven with Jesus today. So we're just so thankful for all of the moms and I pray that Mother's Day is not a surprise to any of you men today, right, I hope this isn't your first reminder. I heard a story this week that said a man forgot it was Mother's Day and so it was Mother's Day morning. He was scurrying the house, scoured throughout the house, trying to find a Mother's Day card, couldn't find one, but he found a Mother's Day card. Couldn't find one, but he found a Valentine's Day card, and he took a crayon and he marked out Valentine's. It said happy, and he wrote in Mother's Day and then he handed it to her. And now every second Sunday in May, you guessed it, you know what he's doing he's sleeping on the couch. That's what he's doing, right? And so, man, I hope this is not a reminder to you.
Speaker 1:Mother's Day it actually sort of began in 1908. A lady by the name of Anna Jarvis she had just lost her mother. Two years prior she had a memorial service for her mom in her church filled that church with 500 carnations. The president at the time, woodrow Wilson, heard about it through letter writing and he made Mother's Day, from it a national holiday On 1914,. We've been celebrating Mother's Day as a country for 111 years. Well, this morning we don't have 500 carnations, which was her mother's favorite flower, but we have 500 roses for all of our moms, all of our grandmoms, all of our great grandmoms and every single female here today.
Speaker 1:And here's why Because the world won't celebrate all womanhood. We know that world religions today, many world religions, do not respect women. Even back in Jesus's day, women were not respected or seen equally as a man. But Jesus did. Jesus respected women, jesus honored women and Jesus was countercultural in the way that he broke through all social barriers and Jesus showed us how to respect, honor, celebrate all womanhood. So let's put our hands together for all women today.
Speaker 1:We are so thankful for all that you do, as, as we mentioned earlier, we know that today can be hard for many as well, maybe for those who have longed to be a mother, and Michelle and I, we went through infertility for some nine years and we feel your pain. It was some of the hardest days of our life. We feel pain for those that have lost their mother. I lost my mother-in-law. She lost her mom one month before our life. We feel pain for those that have lost their mother. I lost my mother-in-law. She lost her mom one month before our wedding, and just how difficult that was to go through joyous times and yet we so wanted my mama, snow, her mother, to be there with us.
Speaker 1:Or for some of y'all maybe that have, maybe you've lost a child or something difficult in your life, we know that this day can be very bittersweet, so I just wanna pray over us before we jump into God's word. Let's pray, heavenly Father, we love you and God, we do just wanna say thank you for mothers. God, thank you that you give us life from our mom. God, thank you that the way in which that you've designed the world, that we receive nurturing from our mother. But, god, we know that today there are people that may have a distant relationship with their mom, may have lost their mom, maybe they long to be a mom. And, god, here's what we believe and here's what we know that your word says in Genesis 16, 13,. That you are the God who sees our hurts Psalm 56, 8,. God, that you collect every one of our tears Psalm 147, verse 3, you bind up the brokenhearted. God, thank you that you comfort us and give us strength, even in our pain, that you're near to us. And God, you never forsake your children. In Jesus' name, and all God's children said amen. Well, happy Mother's Day again to all of you who are here.
Speaker 1:One of my favorite verses in all the Bible about Mother's Day, about moms, is 2 Timothy 1.5. It says I'm reminded. The apostle Paul tells Timothy, who is training to be a young pastor, I'm reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois, your mother Eunice, and now, I'm sure, dwells in you as well. In other words, we're always reminded that God is always using our faith in the life, in the faith of someone else. Thank you, moms that you would do absolutely anything for your kids. Just to read this. You would stay up all night for a crying or a feverish baby. You pray like a warrior at 3 am, you make 14 different snacks just before noon, you clean up messes you didn't make. You taxi your kids to every practice and every game and somehow you still find time to wash clothes that you could have sworn you just washed that yesterday. And you do it all, even when you're sick, with a smile, all while you hold a crying baby on your hip. Meanwhile, us dads, we catch a man cold and suddenly it is a national code red emergency. We're all wrapped up in a blanket on the couch, been watching shows and whispering to our wife. Just tell the kids I love them. Moms, we salute you. We salute you. You are our superheroes. There's nothing you would not do for your kids.
Speaker 1:I heard of a mom this week that she got a call from her little girl. Little girl was just old enough to stay home when she was sick. Mom was at work. Little girl called her. She said mom, I'm sick bad. I need you to come home. I need you right now. Stop by the drugstore and get me some medicine.
Speaker 1:The mom left work, jumped in her car, went to the drugstore, left her car running, ran inside, got the medicine, came back out to her car, started pouring down rain. She locked her keys in the car. The car was locked, she couldn't get in. She prayed oh God help me, my little girl is sick. This old, rusty truck drove up and parked right there and she said sir, can you help me? This rough looking dude jumped out of his truck and she said my keys are locked in my car. He said no problem, he had a coat hanger right there on his seat. Popped it through the window, popped the lock, got her in and she said thank you so much, wrapped her arms around him and said you're such a nice man. He said no, I'm not. I just escaped prison for stealing cars. And she said thank you, god, you sent a professional. You did it again. You did it again.
Speaker 1:So we just want to say thank you to all the moms that you would do absolutely anything, but I just want to remind you today that, while you're so responsible for everything in your kids' lives, it's so easy for a mom and for a dad to take care of everything because of all the needs, but yet you miss the most important thing.
Speaker 1:You miss the most important thing that God calls every, that Jesus has called every single parent to do, and we see it in Matthew, chapter 28,. And what we've been doing through this series, we've been standing and reading together the Great Commission. Can we all stand together this morning as we read Jesus' most important words on the planet that he has given to us, and then I'll ask you to have a seat. After that, let's read Matthew 28, 19 to 20 together. Here we go. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Put your hands together if you believe that this morning you can have a seat. And what a reminder that Jesus is saying that we get caught up with so many things to do that we can't miss out on the most important thing in our life. And he is talking about making disciples. And that's the ultimate call of motherhood, that's the ultimate call of fatherhood, but also it's the ultimate call of Christianhood, of being a Christian, as we are continuing in the series Made for More.
Speaker 1:Everybody say more. It's a reminder whatever it is that we are living for, that is not ultimately for the glory of Jesus, there is actually more in your life that you were made for. What was the more that you were made for? Well, here's what Jesus wants you to know. Jesus wants you to know that, when you live your life for you, that you will never feel the fulfillment, the satisfaction or the joy that you're seeking so often, what we are seeking the most, that we will never get because we won't find it in where we're looking for it. But Jesus said if you you really wanna be happy, if you want true joy, if you wanna be satisfied, if you wanna be fulfilled, he's saying then don't live it for you. Jesus is saying live for him. And Jesus says this is the way that you live for me. You live for me by living for others. You live for me. You serve me by serving others. We just read it in Matthew 28.
Speaker 1:He said go and make disciples. We learned last week. If you missed it, you can go back and check it out online. Go means wherever you go, it means as you're going or whoever you're around. He says to make disciples. Now I'll be honest with you. I hear a lot of sermons by pastors on making disciples, but I never hear a lot of clarification or strategy or simplification or how to communicate it in a way that any Christian can do it. Because Jesus didn't just say for churches to make disciples. He didn't just say for churches to make disciples. He didn't just say for pastors to make disciples.
Speaker 1:Jesus was calling disciples to make disciples, for Christians to make disciples. In other words, that you will find the meaning and the purpose and the fulfillment and the satisfaction of your life when you are making disciples with your life. But I think often we don't do it because we think what it requires is well now. So I'm dedicating my life to one person for the rest of my life, just to pour my life into Not necessarily. Jesus poured his life into 12 men for just three years. So it may be at times that it's different people. It may be that it's a couple of people that you're pouring into. It may be, as the word go means, wherever you are and whoever you're around. Jesus just said, whatever you're doing, wherever you are, as you're going, whoever you're around, that we're called to be making disciples, and I believe that if Jesus calls every Christian to do it, then it should be so easy that even a Christian can do it. Can I get an amen? Even a Christian can do this. So I want to just make it very practical this morning and for you to understand, for me to understand the simplicity and how easy it is, how simple it is that we are called to make disciples.
Speaker 1:Four keys in making disciples from Luke 24, verses 44 through 48. And this is for you, and so number one is Bible. Everybody say Bible, bible. So I want you to be thinking about your life. I want you to be thinking about your life. I want you to be thinking about who's in your life. Maybe you know someone, you're thinking of someone right now and maybe they've never given their life to Jesus and you're just thinking how can I impact them, how can I influence them, how can I help them to give their life to Jesus, that they can experience this life that they were created to live? Or maybe you're thinking about someone this morning that maybe they've given their life to Jesus but maybe right now they're not living their life for Jesus. Maybe you're thinking about someone this morning that maybe they've given their life to Jesus but they've never been taught by anyone in giving their life to Jesus. Or maybe you're thinking about someone that's just going through a really difficult season, a very hard time, and they're not sure how to live their life for Jesus during this season of their life. And that's what Jesus is calling us to do as believers, as his children, as Christians. And where do we start? Number one is Bible.
Speaker 1:Look at what Jesus said in Luke 24. In verse 44, jesus said to them he said these are my words, that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me, everybody say me that me, there is Jesus. Everything written about Jesus in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. What is Jesus saying? He gets his disciples and he says listen, I'm about to ascend back to heaven. Here's what you got to understand. Everything I've ever said, everything that's ever been written down about me, everything in the Bible. He said it is all about me, from the law of Moses. That's talking about the first five books of the Bible Genesis, through Deuteronomy. He says all the way through the prophets, that's all the way through Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament. He says even in the Psalms, that's the poetic books, and we know obviously, the whole New Testament is all about Jesus.
Speaker 1:Jesus is saying look at how the whole Bible is ultimately about me, which means the Bible is not about Abraham, the Bible is not about Moses. The Bible is not about David. The Bible is not about Moses. The Bible is not about David. The Bible is not about Solomon. The Bible is not about the apostles. The Bible is not about Paul. The Bible is not about John. The Bible is not about you and the Bible is not about me. The Bible is all about Jesus. Put your hands together, because he is the center of all scripture. Now here's what's so important about that in your life, that means, if we want Jesus to speak into our life and Jesus to work into our life, then we get in the word of God, wherever we are in the word of God and ultimately, somehow, every character, every story, every truth, everything in God's word points us to Jesus. In other words, it takes a whole Bible to make a whole believer. Can I get an amen? It takes a whole Bible to make a whole believer.
Speaker 1:2 Corinthians, chapter 3, verse 18, says we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord. Where is it that you behold the glory of Jesus? You behold the glory of Jesus in the Word of God. That's where you see his clearest glory. When we behold the glory of the Lord, then what happens? You are being transformed in Scripture, in the Word of God, into the same image of Jesus. You're being transformed into his image from one degree of glory to another, which means wherever you are spiritually, jesus works with you there.
Speaker 1:Sometimes Satan will lie to you and he will tell you that you've been disobedient and you've been distant from God and you've been away from God. So why would God ever work in your life when you are right now, god could never do anything in you. And the word of God tells Satan that he's a liar. Can I get an amen? The word of God says no, from one degree of glory to another, no matter who you are or where you are. God wants to meet you there and God wants to work in your life there. Listen, it is the Word of God, that is the voice of God, which does the work of God in the people of God. If you want God to speak into your life, you get in God's Word and you allow God to do a work in you as a child of God. So it looks like when we're making disciples.
Speaker 1:It's kind of like the way in which Michelle and I we like to disciple our kids, because ultimately, all Christians are God's children. And so what do we do? Like Brooklyn and Cruz and Eliana, we just want to get them in as much scripture as possible, because the word of God is the voice of God that does the work of God and the people of God as possible, because the word of God is the voice of God that does the work of God and the people of God. So that's why we get them in, like at an early age, in Bible cartoons. Now we're all up on Superbook and Mino Kids and Life Kids and all these different Bible cartoons, because we just want them to know the stories of scripture. This is why, every night, we want to read them their little children's Bible, every single night. Last night I read Brooklyn about Daniel the lion's and she said, dad, I'm not gonna look at the pictures but I'll be scared. But you can read to me, okay, but you can read to me. And we read Jonah and the whale last night.
Speaker 1:I told you last week that Cruz brought me his little children's Bible and he said daddy, god, daddy, god. And so I opened it up and he listened for two nights in a row and we read the entire Old Testament and that children's Bible was 200 pages. He actually finished his Bible this week About 300 to 400 pages of children's Bibles. Think, man, he did it. And I'm thinking I've got a super Christian on my hands. I've got the next Billy Graham, right. This is amazing.
Speaker 1:And the next night, after he just finished the Bible, I said all right, cruz, let's read the Bible. And he said no, no, daddy, no Bible, no Bible. And I'm like what happened right. But isn't that all of us Like? Sometimes we think that we already know that or we think we've already done that. Listen, we are never done with God's word because God's word is never done with us. We're never done with God's word because God's word is never done with us, even if you've heard it a million times, god's going to speak to you like it's the first time, because it's the word of God that does the work of God through the voice of God within the people of God. That's why we do things like KVX, our vacation Bible school the first week of June. That's why we encourage you get your kids here, get your nieces and nephews here, get your grandchildren here. When you're out grocery shopping or you're at the ball field or you're out in the community, get an invite or share the social media and let's get as many kids here.
Speaker 1:I can't speak for any other church, but here they're gonna get the word of God, here they're gonna get the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we are called to make disciples of the next generation so they quit living for sin and they start living for him and they start fixing their eyes on Jesus. Can I get an amen? So here's what we do. Here's what we do in terms of Bible. What do you do? First of all, I'm called to be in the word of God personally. You're called to be in the word of God personally so that we can disciple other people in the word, whether it's hey, let me text you a verse, or let me pray this over you, or let me encourage you with how God spoke to me in his word, or let me study this with you, or come to church with me and hear this sermon, or come to group with me and hear this study. Whatever it is that we are just exposing people to the word of God and then also not only discipling them in the word, but witnessing to them in the word.
Speaker 1:What do you do with someone that doesn't believe the Bible is God's word and therefore they're not a Christian? Do you realize that, even if they don't believe the Bible is God's word, you still speak the Bible to them Because you want the word of God to be speaking to them in their hearts, not your own words. Amen, man. You want the voice of God to be speaking to them. The Bible says the word of God is powerful and it is active, even if they don't believe it, god can still use it, because God is louder than the lies of Satan. So we witness through the word. Number one is Bible. Number two is gospel. Everybody say gospel.
Speaker 1:Look what he says in Luke 24, verse 45, jesus opened their minds to understand the scriptures Time out. Wouldn't that be nice If Jesus opened up your minds to understand all the Bible. You know, I mean, I still don't understand all the Bible. I'm a pastor, I've got a doctorate. There's still so much that I don't understand, because the word of God is inexhaustible, right. And so he says he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. Some people think I'll never understand the scriptures fully because I don't know Hebrew of the Old Testament or Greek of the New Testament, or I don't know systematic theology. I don't read all those big books. And some people think I've never been to the Holy Land, so I've never gotten a Bible degree. So what am I gonna know? That's not what Jesus says.
Speaker 1:Jesus says when he opens up people's minds to the scriptures. He says here is what the scriptures all come down to. Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer, that Jesus should suffer his death and on the third day he should rise from the dead. You know, god wrote the word, the scriptures, so that everything is pointing to the gospel of Jesus. Everything is coming back to one thing, everything is coming back to the gospel.
Speaker 1:The gospel is this the gospel is the person of Jesus, that Jesus is fully God and fully man. The gospel is the work of Jesus, that Jesus lived a perfect life, that he suffered for our sin, that he died for our sin, that he was buried for three days, that he rose from the dead and that he's coming back again. And the gospel is your response to that truth. And your response to that truth. What you're responsible for is to believe, to have faith in him, to repent of your sin and to call on him as the Lord of your life. That's how the gospel saves you, by placing faith in the truth of the gospel. But that's not all the gospel is designed to do in you. I love this. God did not just design the gospel to save you, he also designed the gospel to sanctify you. The same gospel that saves you is the same gospel that makes you more like Jesus once you're saved. So you continue to believe. But not only do you continue to believe, you continue to deepen yourself in the gospel, so that it becomes your identity, so that it becomes your story, so that it becomes who you really are.
Speaker 1:I had a friend several years ago. His name was DJ. Some of you have heard the story. Dj came up to me one day. He was about 35 years old and DJ said Pastor Chip, you'll never believe what happened. He said my wife, my kids, got me one of those DNA kits for Father's Day about five or six years ago. And he said I did the blood test, I sent it in, I got it back.
Speaker 1:Long story short, dj found out that who he always thought was his dad was not his dad. Who he always thought was his dad was not his dad. He said Pastor Chip, the man who was there when I was born, the man who I have lived with. I was named after him. I've called him dad all of my life. Everything I've ever known is that this man was my dad.
Speaker 1:Dna kit came back and he is not my dad. Another man is my dad. Dna kit came back and he is not my dad. Another man is my dad. And I said DJ, bro, like we got counseling for people like you, man Like you. Okay, is everything all right.
Speaker 1:And DJ looked at me and a smile came across his face and he said, pastor Chip. He said this is why the Psalms say that we can never be shaken. He said because I believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ, which means that my father, my heavenly father, never changes, because I believe in Jesus as my Lord and savior, he has forgiven me of my sin, so this doesn't change anything, my identity in my life whatsoever. He said, if anything, it just gives me new family members to witness to, because I get to tell this man and others about Jesus. Put your hands together right now for the way that God works. That's the power of the gospel in you. The power of the gospel of Jesus Christ in you is that the gospel is the most important, the most powerful part of you, that nothing can shake you, nothing can destroy you, nothing can ruin you, because what is most true about you is the gospel of Jesus. Can I get an amen? So the gospel.
Speaker 1:What do we do? Number one I want to encourage you that you continue to believe the gospel, you continue to be deepened in the gospel. I want to encourage you buy books that deepens your understanding and comprehension and knowledge of the gospel and I, even as a Christian, I just pray the gospel every day. I don't pray the gospel for my salvation every day. I pray the gospel from my salvation every day. I thank God for it and I ask God for the power to live in it and we disciple with the gospel so that when people are struggling in life, we can tell them God still loves you because Jesus died for you.
Speaker 1:When people are hopeless, we can tell them no, jesus rose from the dead, which means that God is working out all things in your life according to his good and his glory. When people in life are, or maybe they're depressed or they're anxious, we can say no. When the Holy Spirit has come into your life, he has given you power, even in your anxiety, even in your depression, even in your worry. Those things are not your identity, those things are not your label. The gospel of Jesus Christ is your label and that's how we witness to people, whether or not they believe that it's true. Because it is true, god uses the truth to bring sinners to salvation in Jesus Christ. If you're with me, say yeah. Number one is Bible. Number two is gospel. Number three is personal. Everybody say personal. Verse 47,.
Speaker 1:Jesus said this. He said and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in my name. In other words, jesus is saying and when you share the word of God with them and when you share the gospel of Jesus with them, here's what Jesus is saying. He's saying tell them what I've done in you. He's saying tell them of the things that you've repented of. Tell them about the things that you've struggled in your life. Tell them about the things that I've repented of. Tell them about the things that you've struggled in your life. Tell them about the things that I've forgiven you of. Tell them about the things that I've given you power over, that you have overcome through the gospel, things that only Jesus could give you the power to overcome it. He's saying I want you to be honest with them, be personal with them. Tell them about the forgiveness that I have offered you and tell them about the forgiveness that you are able to give others who have hurt you, because God has forgiven you of every way that you have hurt him.
Speaker 1:He's saying make it personal, as the gospel is not just something to believe, as the gospel is the truth to live. He's saying that we are called to make it personal in our lives and in their lives. I would encourage you to live it personally. Experience the power of repentance, the power of forgiveness, the power of the gospel that God has in your life. And when you experience, then you'll be able to help others experience it too. You'll be able to disciple them personally. Well, let me tell you about what God's done in me. Let me tell you about what a mess I am. Let me tell you about all the wreckage in my life that God had to clean up. And when we witness, we're telling people what God has personally done in us, so that they see that we're not, that they're not trying to become like us. They're trying to become like Jesus, just like we are becoming like Jesus. Number four is missional. Everyone say missional. We've talked about Bible, we've talked about gospel, we've talked about personal. And number four is missional.
Speaker 1:Verse 47 says this. He says again and that repentance for the forgiveness of sin should be proclaimed in his name. Hear me. And he says to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem you are witnesses of these things. See, what God calls every Christian to do is not to live for ourselves, is not to tell people about ourselves, is not to point people to ourselves. But everything that God has called every believer to do is to witness and to point and to tell everyone about Jesus. He's saying that you are witnesses of these things. To who? He says to all nations. He says to absolutely everyone. Why? Because every single person on the planet is created equally in the image of God, no matter where they're from, no matter what they look like, no matter where they live, no matter what they've been through, no matter what they've gone through, that we all are in need of Jesus.
Speaker 1:Can I get an amen? That's why I told you last week that even just our church and think about our community, think about our just greater Atlanta area, think about Georgia, think about the United States and the world, think about our greater Atlanta area, think about Georgia, think about the United States and the world Just in our church, first Baptist Church, powder Springs, we have Zimbabweans, we have Nigerians, we have Liberians, we have Trinidadians, we have Jamaicans, we have Mexicans, we have African Americans, we have Japanese Americans, we have European Americans and some of you have let me know that I missed you last week, so I apologize. We and some of you have let me know that I missed you last week, so I apologize. We also have Filipinos, we have Ghanians, we have Puerto Ricans and who knows where you're from. In other words, god loves this, god loves this when his children, in diversity, get together and find their unity in Jesus. This is where God is glorified throughout all generations, throughout all nationalities, throughout all people groups and throughout all ethnicities. And he said I am calling you to be witnesses to all nations, which simply means to all people, because everyone, everyone should have the opportunity to become a child of God, and that's why we are continuing to raise up the next generation as disciple makers.
Speaker 1:We aren't just called to make disciples, but we're called to make disciple makers. In other words, when we are discipling someone, when we're sharing someone with the word of God or the gospel of Jesus or about our personal story in Jesus Christ, we are not listen to me we're not just working in them to make them a disciple. We are telling that story and we're working in them to make them a disciple maker so that they will follow Jesus and they will make more followers of Jesus, that they will tell their story to other people. Another way to say it is we haven't fully made a disciple maker until the disciple is making disciple makers. In other words, we're continuing to tell people now you take the story of Jesus, now you take your story and you go and you make disciples too, because that is what we're called to do on mission trips. That's why we're going to Puerto Rico there in October, and this is not just a trip for the church, this is a trip for you, because we want to be a church that not only do we spread the gospel to the nations that are here, but we want to go to the nations and take the gospel to them when they may never hear the gospel any other way. That's why we're going to Uganda in September, so that we can go and take the gospel to a place that may never hear the gospel. And that is why we learned earlier about Lois and Eunice Lois, timothy's grandmother, eunice, timothy's mom. Listen to me Isn't it amazing? It's amazing that what God did in Lois' life as she poured into Eunice, and what God did in Eunice's life, she poured into Timothy, and what God is doing in Timothy, he was pouring out into his church, and what God poured out into his church poured out into other believers and other believers and other believers. So, therefore, the gospel has come to you and to me, to us. Today it is our turn. It's our opportunity to take the gospel and continue to give it to others, so the gospel continues to spread throughout our homes, throughout our families, throughout our community and throughout our world is what Jesus is calling us to do. So what do we do? I would encourage you and I challenge myself that we're called to live missionally. We're just called to live in such of a way every day that somebody could get saved, that we're called to disciple people missionally. We're not just called to help them to follow Jesus, but to help them to follow Jesus in such of a way that they can help others follow Jesus too. And whenever someone isn't saved, we get the beautiful opportunity of inviting them to believe in Jesus, just like we have had the opportunity to believe in Jesus Just want you to know that so many people have witnessed to me in my life in Jesus. I just want you to know that so many people have witnessed to me in my life. I'm thankful for every man who has witnessed to me throughout my life, but today I just want to honor the women who have witnessed to me through my life. I'm so thankful for my mom, susan Dean. I'm thankful for my grandma, who's with Jesus on my mom's side, who would tell me all about Jesus. I'm thankful for my mama Dean. My grandmother on my dad's side tell me all about Jesus. I'm thankful for my mama Dean, on my grandmother on my dad's side, that told me about Jesus. I'm thankful for my mother-in-law, who's a witness of Jesus Christ. I'm thankful for my wife, who's a witness of Jesus in my life, every single day. I'm so thankful for you, ladies here. I wanna say thank you for every lady that pours into our kids. Thank you for every Thank you for every lady that pours into the next generation, here in our kids' ministry, in our student ministry. Thank you for every lady that leads a group. Thank you for every lady that is a part of our women's ministry or on our serving team, or on our hospitality team, or maybe you're just out in the community and you're just inviting people to come and to be a part of what Jesus is doing in such of a powerful way here at First Baptist Powder Springs. I just wanna say to all of our ladies, all the women in the room, every single female, that God sees you, that God is near and that God is, he values you, that your worth is found in him. Let no woman, let no man label you or give you an identity that is not true about you. You are a daughter of the king, you are a woman of Jesus Christ and the Bible says that, jesus, if you believed in him, he is in your life, the Holy Spirit has filled you, and that him, he, is in your life, the Holy Spirit has filled you, and that God has a purpose for your life to use your life in a way that is greater than to bring any recognition or any fame unto you, but of bringing all of the glory to Jesus. He alone is your identity. Can I ask us all to bow our heads and close our eyes, with every head bowed and every eye closed, I just want to encourage you right now, just to ask God. Ask God right here, right now. God, put a face in my mind. God, give me a name, faith in my mind. God, give me a name. Who is it that you want me to disciple, to encourage, to pour into? Just to talk to them about the Bible, the gospel, make it personal, help them to become missional, god, who is it that you are God. You're calling me to do this. Who is it that you're calling me to do it with? And maybe you're here this morning and you're thinking I could never do that. Maybe you're thinking because I've never given my life to Jesus, how can I help someone do something that I haven't done myself? I want you to know that I've been there. Everyone in this room has been there. If that's where you are, then here's what you need to know Jesus loves you. God created you for so much more than what you're experiencing today. Jesus died for you so that you could experience so much more than what you're going through today. He rose from the dead to give you life and this morning, if you ask him, he'll come into your life. He'll save you. With every head bowed and every eye closed that I can't pray this for you, I can't save you, but you can pray this to God. He'll answer you and he's promised to save. If you mean it with all of your heart, you can tell him right now, in your own words, from your own heart, you can say God, I believe in you and God, I need you. And you can tell him and you can say God, I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and I ask you to forgive me of all my sin, and he will. Based upon Jesus, he will. And the Bible says you pray right now. And, god, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead. He's alive and he's real and I want to give my life to him. I call on Jesus as the Lord of my life and I want to give my life to him. I call on Jesus as the Lord of my life and the Bible says in Romans 10, 9, that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead here's the promise, here's the truth. It's for you you will be saved. So you pray that, invite Jesus to be your Lord because of his death and resurrection, and you'll be saved. And, oh God, we believe that. God, thank you for your salvation. Lord, we love you and we pray these things in Jesus' name. And all God's people said would you put your hands together right now for anybody that gave their life to Jesus? We want to say welcome to the family. The Bible says that heaven rejoices every time one sinner. One sinner repents and gives their life to Jesus. I just want to ask us all to stand up right now and I just want to encourage you as we're about to worship Jesus together. There's a next step card in front of you and with that next step card, during this song or right after the service, you can fill it out, you can bring it up to me. And here's the question is what is Jesus calling you to do next in your life? Have you given your life to him? Do you need to be baptized? You need to be a part of one of our groups, or need to be serving in a ministry, or maybe you wanna join the church? These are all your next steps as you follow Jesus, and we wanna give him all the glory right now, because he, as the ultimate missionary, has come into your life and he has made you a disciple, a follower of him. So we're gonna worship him right now and give him all the glory. Let's go.