WEBVTT

00:00:00.980 --> 00:00:08.339
 So, the first of these three aspects of discipleship is the aspect of information.

00:00:09.220 --> 00:00:12.740
 Discipleship begins with having the right information.

00:00:13.640 --> 00:00:18.699
 And you see that from the first moments that Jesus called His disciples, the very first

00:00:18.699 --> 00:00:21.559
 thing that Jesus began to do with them was to teach them.

00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:25.120
 And He spent a lot of time teaching them.

00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:33.280
 And what Jesus is doing there is He's entrusting, He's entrusting all that God desires to reveal

00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:37.840
 to His people, to His disciples, who will then go on and become apostles.

00:00:38.280 --> 00:00:39.500
 And what is an apostle?

00:00:39.820 --> 00:00:41.920
 The word apostle has a very cool meaning.

00:00:42.040 --> 00:00:44.400
 It means a cargo ship, right?

00:00:44.460 --> 00:00:50.079
 So, you put precious cargo on this ship, and the ship has one job, deliver the cargo.

00:00:50.579 --> 00:00:52.880
 And that's what the apostles were tasked with doing.

00:00:52.880 --> 00:00:58.080
 Take this precious body of teaching that you've received from Jesus and deliver it

00:00:58.080 --> 00:01:01.340
 faithfully to all of the people that need to hear it, right?

00:01:01.880 --> 00:01:07.520
 So, the model from the very beginning was for one generation to pass this teaching on to

00:01:07.520 --> 00:01:08.420
 the next generation.

00:01:08.659 --> 00:01:14.000
 And in Ephesians 4, our first passage, Paul says, and He, and He's talking about Jesus

00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:19.340
 here, gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and the teachers

00:01:19.340 --> 00:01:24.219
 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.

00:01:24.620 --> 00:01:31.420
 All of these people play specific roles in delivering that cargo, right?

00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:36.500
 They all place…they have specific jobs to do, but all of those jobs are related to delivering

00:01:36.500 --> 00:01:42.840
 the teaching of Christ, delivering what God has revealed to those who need to hear it,

00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:43.040
 right?

00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:43.920
 To the next generation.

00:01:44.820 --> 00:01:52.120
 And eventually, all of these teachings were written down, and they became what we now have

00:01:52.120 --> 00:01:53.820
 in the form of the Bible.

00:01:54.260 --> 00:01:59.180
 And all throughout the New Testament, we're reminded how important it is that our doctrine

00:01:59.180 --> 00:02:04.700
 is rooted in the teachings of the apostles, the teachings that they received from Jesus.

00:02:04.820 --> 00:02:08.700
 Make sure that you are rooted in the teachings of the apostles.

00:02:08.699 --> 00:02:10.539
 This we see again and again and again, right?

00:02:11.319 --> 00:02:17.899
 So, the word for that, the word for beliefs that are rooted in the teachings of the apostles

00:02:17.899 --> 00:02:22.299
 as revealed from Christ, there's a shorthand word for that, and that word is orthodoxy.

00:02:23.819 --> 00:02:25.299
 Rooted in orthodoxy.

00:02:26.620 --> 00:02:34.239
 So, orthodoxy means teaching beliefs that align with all that God has revealed in Christ through

00:02:34.239 --> 00:02:36.739
 the teachings of the apostles and recorded in Scripture.

00:02:36.740 --> 00:02:41.360
 That's a basic way of understanding the word orthodoxy.

00:02:41.719 --> 00:02:43.960
 So, another way of saying this, the first point would be this.

00:02:44.040 --> 00:02:46.280
 What's the right information that you need to be a disciple?

00:02:46.439 --> 00:02:49.920
 Well, mature disciples are rooted in orthodoxy.

00:02:51.700 --> 00:02:57.760
 When disciples are not rooted in orthodoxy, one of the ways that you can tell is what Paul

00:02:57.760 --> 00:02:59.900
 talks about here in Ephesians chapter 4.

00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:05.400
 He says, here's a symptom of a believer who's immature because they don't have the right information.

00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:07.159
 They're not rooted in orthodoxy.

00:03:07.200 --> 00:03:11.000
 He says they're, quote, like children, tossed to and fro.

00:03:11.180 --> 00:03:17.099
 Now, Jesus says that we are called to have a childlike faith, right?

00:03:17.140 --> 00:03:18.740
 And a childlike faith is good.

00:03:18.840 --> 00:03:19.480
 Be open.

00:03:19.879 --> 00:03:20.540
 Be eager.

00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:21.280
 Be hungry.

00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:22.759
 Be genuine, right?

00:03:22.800 --> 00:03:24.020
 Be receptive, right?

00:03:24.099 --> 00:03:24.640
 Be humble.

00:03:25.480 --> 00:03:26.560
 That's childlike faith.

00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:29.040
 Jesus does not call us to have a childish faith.

00:03:29.879 --> 00:03:32.360
 And that's what Paul's talking about here, a childish faith.

00:03:32.360 --> 00:03:33.860
 What does it mean to be childish?

00:03:33.980 --> 00:03:38.040
 Well, you're tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine.

00:03:38.300 --> 00:03:43.220
 Imagine a little boat on a stormy sea just getting rocked this way and that thrown all

00:03:43.220 --> 00:03:44.240
 over the place, right?

00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:49.260
 Carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes.

00:03:49.660 --> 00:03:52.340
 In other words, what's it mean to be tossed to and fro?

00:03:52.440 --> 00:03:53.340
 What's another word for that?

00:03:53.960 --> 00:03:55.020
 The word's reactionary.

00:03:56.240 --> 00:03:58.360
 All right, immature disciples are highly reactionary.

00:03:58.360 --> 00:04:01.600
 So, you know, new ideas come along.

00:04:01.720 --> 00:04:03.540
 In every generation, new ideas come along.

00:04:04.980 --> 00:04:09.040
 And always there are these problems in society and the older ways of trying to solve the problems

00:04:09.040 --> 00:04:09.680
 aren't working.

00:04:09.820 --> 00:04:14.220
 And so new ideas come along, new worldviews, new philosophies, and they say, we've got the

00:04:14.220 --> 00:04:14.460
 answer.

00:04:14.600 --> 00:04:18.040
 We're going to solve these problems in society better than anybody before us.

00:04:18.300 --> 00:04:19.860
 We finally figured it out, right?

00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:23.420
 And so in every generation, there are people who get really excited about that.

00:04:23.500 --> 00:04:24.400
 They jump fully on board.

00:04:24.500 --> 00:04:25.400
 It kindles their imagination.

00:04:25.399 --> 00:04:28.979
 They say, finally, human beings have progressed enough that we have figured it out.

00:04:29.039 --> 00:04:29.799
 We've got the answer.

00:04:30.239 --> 00:04:32.819
 And they go all in on these ideas, right?

00:04:33.179 --> 00:04:37.560
 And so you have Christians who look at the new ideas, the new philosophies, and they say,

00:04:37.620 --> 00:04:39.039
 you know, our faith is archaic.

00:04:39.299 --> 00:04:40.919
 The Bible was written so long ago.

00:04:41.299 --> 00:04:42.519
 All of this is outdated.

00:04:43.319 --> 00:04:45.179
 This is what we need to be doing right now.

00:04:45.219 --> 00:04:49.359
 And they will abandon the teachings of the apostles and go full in on whatever the new idea

00:04:49.359 --> 00:04:50.459
 might be, right?

00:04:50.479 --> 00:04:52.819
 So that's one way of being tossed to and fro, right?

00:04:52.819 --> 00:04:57.899
 But then you have other people who react in the kind of opposite way, that they respond

00:04:57.899 --> 00:05:03.159
 to any new idea with such fear, with such suspicion, with such trepidation that they

00:05:03.159 --> 00:05:03.759
 won't even enter in.

00:05:03.800 --> 00:05:05.019
 They won't even have the conversation.

00:05:06.459 --> 00:05:10.180
 And so those are both ways that you can be tossed to and fro.

00:05:10.439 --> 00:05:16.300
 And they're opposite reactions, but both of them indicate immaturity because they both

00:05:16.300 --> 00:05:19.399
 represent people who are being tossed to and fro as new ideas come to the table.

00:05:19.399 --> 00:05:24.859
 And mature disciples, according to Paul, mature disciples, by contrast, are people who are

00:05:24.859 --> 00:05:27.419
 rooted and grounded in their theology.

00:05:28.519 --> 00:05:29.759
 You know, they know the Bible.

00:05:30.299 --> 00:05:32.299
 They have strong, clear convictions.

00:05:34.479 --> 00:05:40.079
 They're committed to seeing everything and thinking through it biblically and doing that

00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:42.179
 with every idea, whether it's a new idea or an old idea.

00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:45.500
 You know, progressives tend to prefer newer ideas and assume they're better.

00:05:45.620 --> 00:05:47.179
 Conservatives tend to prefer older ideas.

00:05:47.180 --> 00:05:53.100
 But a truly biblically orthodox disciple is going to say, you know, every idea, I need

00:05:53.100 --> 00:05:57.100
 to hold this idea up to Scripture, see where it lines up, see where it departs.

00:05:58.459 --> 00:05:58.740
 Right?

00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:00.500
 So the first point that we see is this.

00:06:00.840 --> 00:06:06.019
 Spiritual maturity requires doctrinal maturity, which means you're rooted in orthodoxy.

00:06:07.139 --> 00:06:12.860
 And this is the problem with any church movement that seeks to revise historic Christian teaching.

00:06:12.860 --> 00:06:18.139
 I mean, you know, these days you have progressive churches that have more or less replaced orthodoxy

00:06:18.139 --> 00:06:18.860
 with postmodernism.

00:06:19.860 --> 00:06:23.220
 And there's this idea that, well, there's just different kinds of Christians with different

00:06:23.220 --> 00:06:25.680
 kinds of beliefs, and some are progressive and some are conservative.

00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:28.960
 What we need to remember is the Bible doesn't operate with those categories.

00:06:29.060 --> 00:06:30.620
 The Bible has a different set of categories.

00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:32.900
 You're either rooted in orthodoxy or you're not.

00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:36.460
 And according to Paul, if you're not rooted in orthodoxy, you're not going to grow.

00:06:36.840 --> 00:06:37.620
 You're not going to mature.

00:06:37.620 --> 00:06:41.220
 In fact, not only are you going to remain immature, but you're going to wither on the vine.

00:06:43.980 --> 00:06:45.360
 And so this is the problem.

00:06:45.780 --> 00:06:49.699
 One of the first things that we need to be thinking about is, are we rooted in orthodoxy?

00:06:49.819 --> 00:06:49.980
 Right?

00:06:50.019 --> 00:06:52.540
 Are we committed to growing together in orthodoxy?

00:06:53.500 --> 00:06:57.120
 The other problem that we need to recognize, though, and the thing that we can't overlook,

00:06:57.399 --> 00:06:59.500
 is what Paul says in verse 15.

00:07:00.300 --> 00:07:03.800
 He says, you know, we do all this with a posture of love.

00:07:03.879 --> 00:07:06.860
 As we're growing together, we're speaking the truth in love.

00:07:06.860 --> 00:07:10.939
 Now, love doesn't mean compromising orthodoxy, but it also means this.

00:07:11.300 --> 00:07:13.379
 It's not just about holding the right doctrine.

00:07:13.500 --> 00:07:15.879
 It's not just about checking all of the theological boxes.

00:07:16.600 --> 00:07:22.699
 It matters how we hold it and how we engage with people with whom we disagree.

00:07:23.280 --> 00:07:28.280
 You can have the right theology, but if you're smug or self-righteous or condescending,

00:07:28.620 --> 00:07:32.160
 there's no love in that, and that's a sign of immaturity.

00:07:32.780 --> 00:07:34.780
 You know, it may sound extreme to say this, but, you know,

00:07:34.779 --> 00:07:40.079
 Satan could very well hold a PhD in systematic theology, but there's no love in him.

00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:40.439
 Right?

00:07:41.179 --> 00:07:43.759
 So, Paul says, you need to be orthodox, but you need to…

00:07:43.759 --> 00:07:48.759
 Another sign of maturity is you hold your theology, you extend your theology with a posture of love,

00:07:49.079 --> 00:07:50.539
 which means I'm charitable toward you.

00:07:50.819 --> 00:07:52.299
 I assume the best about your intentions.

00:07:52.759 --> 00:07:54.059
 I assume the best about you.

00:07:54.359 --> 00:07:55.699
 I'm for you, ultimately.

00:07:55.799 --> 00:07:56.779
 I want what's best for you.

00:07:56.859 --> 00:07:57.739
 That's what he's talking about.

00:07:57.740 --> 00:08:01.939
 So, before we move on, just what does this mean for Advent?

00:08:03.280 --> 00:08:07.879
 A culture of discipleship at Advent means that we're all committed to growing together

00:08:07.879 --> 00:08:11.519
 in a faith that's rooted in orthodoxy,

00:08:12.160 --> 00:08:16.240
 that we're committed to growing in our understanding of Scripture and theology,

00:08:16.740 --> 00:08:21.120
 that we recognize that theology isn't something that's reserved for pastors and graduate students.

00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:22.019
 Right?

00:08:22.060 --> 00:08:24.040
 That theology is something that every Christian is called to.

00:08:24.280 --> 00:08:25.439
 You're all theologians.

00:08:26.580 --> 00:08:28.260
 So, every Christian is a theologian.

00:08:29.180 --> 00:08:33.860
 And small groups help, I think, and classes can help, but you really have to want it.

00:08:34.539 --> 00:08:36.440
 This is not something that people can do for you.

00:08:36.960 --> 00:08:40.960
 And, you know, if you have ears to hear, then hear this.

00:08:41.019 --> 00:08:45.120
 I think it's fashionable in our generation for some people to remain perpetually uncertain

00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:48.620
 about certain doctrines, especially when dealing with hot-button issues.

00:08:49.080 --> 00:08:50.420
 You know, I just don't know what I think about this.

00:08:50.920 --> 00:08:51.840
 I don't really…

00:08:51.840 --> 00:08:53.279
 I've never really looked into that, right?

00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:56.539
 But listen, if you live 30 years like that, your growth is going to be stunted.

00:08:57.259 --> 00:09:01.559
 You know, we're called to have clear convictions that are rooted in orthodoxy, right?

00:09:02.299 --> 00:09:05.480
 So, the goal is to grow together.

00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:08.419
 The goal is to be rooted in the teachings of the apostles.

00:09:08.879 --> 00:09:10.639
 Information is a key part of discipleship.

00:09:10.860 --> 00:09:11.519
 That's point one.

00:09:12.519 --> 00:09:13.500
 But there's more.

00:09:14.959 --> 00:09:16.419
 It doesn't end there.

00:09:16.419 --> 00:09:24.199
 Outside of information, we need what I think is most helpfully described as imitation.

00:09:25.659 --> 00:09:30.379
 One of the biggest mistakes that we make in the West, I think, especially in kind of Protestant circles,

00:09:31.399 --> 00:09:37.899
 is that we assume that if we simply give people the right information, that will lead to right living.

00:09:37.899 --> 00:09:40.899
 We just need to educate people.

00:09:41.179 --> 00:09:42.699
 And this isn't just in the church, by the way.

00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:43.620
 This is everybody, right?

00:09:43.620 --> 00:09:46.419
 If there's a social problem, we just need education.

00:09:46.919 --> 00:09:49.240
 And if people just know the right thing to do, then they'll do it.

00:09:50.179 --> 00:09:53.340
 You know, I think history has proven us wrong a million times on that point.

00:09:53.779 --> 00:09:56.579
 That there's something missing if you just think that people…

00:09:56.579 --> 00:10:01.000
 You know, Jamie Smith, one of my favorite guys, says that we treat people like giant bobbleheads.

00:10:01.460 --> 00:10:04.279
 You know, the body is almost non-existent, and they have a giant empty head,

00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:07.679
 and you just need to fill it with enough information, and then they'll go out and do the right thing.

00:10:08.440 --> 00:10:12.080
 And he says that's a misunderstanding of how people work, right?

00:10:13.039 --> 00:10:14.159
 Information is necessary.

00:10:14.240 --> 00:10:15.080
 We just made that point.

00:10:15.139 --> 00:10:17.480
 But it's not sufficient for discipleship.

00:10:17.940 --> 00:10:19.179
 So you can read a lot of books.

00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:22.580
 You can know a lot of theology, but it doesn't impact the way you live your life.

00:10:23.059 --> 00:10:27.379
 You can know a whole lot of theology, but you may never experience the truth of your beliefs.

00:10:28.120 --> 00:10:28.919
 It's all up here.

00:10:28.980 --> 00:10:29.879
 You never feel it.

00:10:29.879 --> 00:10:31.639
 It never impacts your relationships.

00:10:32.580 --> 00:10:36.220
 So we need a way of converting doctrine into experience.

00:10:36.340 --> 00:10:37.639
 You know, your body, you eat food.

00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:42.980
 Your body does a great job of converting that food into nutrients, into energy, into cellular growth.

00:10:43.200 --> 00:10:44.860
 We need a similar kind of thing in our faith.

00:10:44.939 --> 00:10:50.019
 We need a way of converting the knowledge into experience, into life change.

00:10:50.500 --> 00:10:54.539
 And God's Word, in other words, has to become flesh in our lives.

00:10:56.419 --> 00:10:56.779
 Right?

00:10:56.779 --> 00:10:59.139
 And for this, we need imitation.

00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:09.519
 Anyone with kids knows how they can pick up on your words, your mannerisms, your behaviors, your habits.

00:11:09.879 --> 00:11:13.019
 Depending on who you are, that can be exhilarating or completely terrifying.

00:11:13.939 --> 00:11:16.860
 You know, our three-year-old mimics my wife.

00:11:16.860 --> 00:11:18.039
 She will say things.

00:11:18.580 --> 00:11:21.399
 And it sounds exactly like Laura.

00:11:21.680 --> 00:11:21.779
 Right?

00:11:21.860 --> 00:11:24.600
 Not just the words, but just the whole way she says it.

00:11:24.659 --> 00:11:25.800
 And I'll do a double take.

00:11:25.860 --> 00:11:28.039
 And I'm like, you sounded just like your mom.

00:11:28.740 --> 00:11:29.139
 Right?

00:11:29.680 --> 00:11:31.800
 And that can be exhilarating or it can be terrifying.

00:11:31.799 --> 00:11:37.059
 But what this shows us is that human beings learn best through imitation.

00:11:38.259 --> 00:11:40.240
 And we do it without even thinking about it.

00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:44.659
 But the difference is, as we get older, we get more of a choice in whom we imitate.

00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:46.839
 And that's really important.

00:11:48.039 --> 00:11:48.359
 Right?

00:11:48.439 --> 00:11:51.259
 But this is why Jesus didn't just teach from a hilltop.

00:11:51.339 --> 00:11:53.259
 Here, I'm going to proclaim truth to you.

00:11:53.439 --> 00:11:54.620
 Now go and do the right thing.

00:11:55.459 --> 00:11:55.659
 Right?

00:11:55.740 --> 00:11:56.839
 Jesus did more than that.

00:11:56.840 --> 00:12:02.879
 He invited a small number of people to share his life, to learn by living alongside him,

00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:04.780
 to, in other words, imitate him.

00:12:06.100 --> 00:12:10.300
 And so, for example, we see the disciples at one point, they look over and they see Jesus

00:12:10.300 --> 00:12:10.700
 praying.

00:12:10.820 --> 00:12:15.580
 And they're like, I've never heard anybody pray like that before, talk to God like that

00:12:15.580 --> 00:12:15.780
 before.

00:12:15.840 --> 00:12:17.019
 And so they all go over and they wait.

00:12:17.080 --> 00:12:20.360
 And when he's done, they say, Master, could you please teach us to pray like that?

00:12:21.200 --> 00:12:22.180
 That's imitation.

00:12:23.560 --> 00:12:24.780
 I've never prayed like that.

00:12:24.779 --> 00:12:27.019
 Can you show me how to do that the way you do it?

00:12:27.019 --> 00:12:27.639
 That's imitation.

00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:31.179
 And there's so much of that happening in the lives of the disciples.

00:12:31.419 --> 00:12:31.459
 Right?

00:12:31.579 --> 00:12:33.360
 So this is what we see in Jesus.

00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:34.639
 We also see this with Paul.

00:12:35.439 --> 00:12:37.459
 Paul didn't just write theology textbooks.

00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:46.159
 Paul regularly, throughout his letters, calls his readers to imitate his life, even as he seeks

00:12:46.159 --> 00:12:46.959
 to imitate Christ.

00:12:47.059 --> 00:12:49.419
 I love this passage in 1 Corinthians 4.

00:12:49.839 --> 00:12:54.659
 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you have teachers, you have people that you

00:12:54.659 --> 00:12:58.799
 listen to, you know, your favorite podcasts that kind of do the thing, you know, address

00:12:58.799 --> 00:13:00.039
 the topics that you're thinking about.

00:13:00.219 --> 00:13:03.679
 You have a lot of guides in your life, but you don't have many fathers.

00:13:04.740 --> 00:13:07.480
 What's the difference in Paul's mind between a guide and a father?

00:13:08.179 --> 00:13:09.399
 A father's a role model.

00:13:10.419 --> 00:13:11.360
 Somebody you look up to.

00:13:11.439 --> 00:13:13.199
 Somebody you say, man, I want to be just like him.

00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:16.159
 Paul says, you don't have many people like that in your life.

00:13:16.539 --> 00:13:17.919
 Let me be that person for you.

00:13:18.819 --> 00:13:23.599
 And then as if there's any doubt, he says, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through

00:13:23.599 --> 00:13:24.059
 the gospel.

00:13:24.199 --> 00:13:26.219
 I urge you then, be imitators of me.

00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:27.279
 He's very explicit here.

00:13:27.379 --> 00:13:28.639
 There's no doubt what he's talking about.

00:13:29.620 --> 00:13:32.639
 Now, Paul doesn't mean that we should imitate him instead of Christ.

00:13:32.719 --> 00:13:36.360
 He's not setting himself up and saying, you know, Jesus was good, but you should really

00:13:36.360 --> 00:13:36.899
 be like me.

00:13:37.099 --> 00:13:38.939
 The goal is to imitate Christ.

00:13:38.940 --> 00:13:45.020
 And in fact, earlier in the same letter, Paul chastises these same people for turning

00:13:45.020 --> 00:13:48.840
 certain leaders like Apollos into celebrities, right?

00:13:48.860 --> 00:13:51.960
 He says, you know, you're focusing too much on Apollos and not enough on Christ.

00:13:53.560 --> 00:14:00.440
 But he's also saying, if you want to be like Christ, you need to be able to imitate qualities

00:14:00.440 --> 00:14:02.920
 in other people that point you to Christ.

00:14:04.160 --> 00:14:05.600
 And he says, look at me.

00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:08.380
 Imitate those things in my life that point you to Christ.

00:14:09.940 --> 00:14:13.520
 And you know, when I look at my own faith, I was thinking a lot about this as I was writing

00:14:13.520 --> 00:14:13.860
 the sermon.

00:14:13.960 --> 00:14:20.760
 When I look at my own faith, when I look at my own story, I see a collage of people who

00:14:20.760 --> 00:14:22.260
 have profoundly influenced me.

00:14:23.100 --> 00:14:27.440
 People who, as I stand here right now, 43 years old at a church, I think back to these

00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:29.140
 people and I think, man, I want to be more like him.

00:14:30.540 --> 00:14:31.500
 I want to be more like her.

00:14:31.500 --> 00:14:38.480
 You know, I see my dad, his commitment to making sure that my brother and I,

00:14:38.480 --> 00:14:41.560
 and then my sister, that we were worshiping in church together.

00:14:42.940 --> 00:14:46.320
 You know, rain or shine, his commitment to making sure that was happening.

00:14:47.159 --> 00:14:50.860
 You know, and so much of that time, listen, so much of that time, I did not want to be

00:14:50.860 --> 00:14:51.080
 there.

00:14:51.580 --> 00:14:54.399
 And if you're a kid here and you don't want to be here, I totally feel it.

00:14:54.519 --> 00:14:55.279
 I totally get you.

00:14:55.539 --> 00:14:56.340
 But here's what happened.

00:14:56.720 --> 00:15:02.420
 Later in life, later in life, when I came to mature faith, that was, it was like God had

00:15:02.419 --> 00:15:05.059
 laid kindling in my life for years.

00:15:05.299 --> 00:15:07.959
 And all it took was a spark and it all lit fire.

00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:13.240
 And that investment of being in church with my dad all those years, all of the sermons,

00:15:13.379 --> 00:15:15.099
 all of that teaching, believe it or not, all came back.

00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:18.500
 And I felt like I had this rich history of faith.

00:15:19.219 --> 00:15:21.039
 It took me till college for that thing to catch.

00:15:21.719 --> 00:15:26.699
 But once it caught, it burned hot because of all of that time, right?

00:15:26.700 --> 00:15:30.780
 The times that my dad stayed up with us reading books like Chronicles of Narnia, you know,

00:15:30.980 --> 00:15:34.280
 forming our imaginations and helping us imagine what God is like.

00:15:35.740 --> 00:15:35.920
 Right?

00:15:35.980 --> 00:15:38.360
 I think of my old pastor, Hunter.

00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:40.740
 And some of you know Hunter Dockery, right?

00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:42.259
 He's one of the main reasons I'm a pastor.

00:15:42.640 --> 00:15:47.520
 And more than a few people have told me that at times in my preaching, I sound like I'm imitating

00:15:47.520 --> 00:15:47.879
 Hunter.

00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:50.540
 And I take that as a great compliment.

00:15:50.640 --> 00:15:51.879
 I say, you know, in fact, I am.

00:15:52.460 --> 00:15:53.100
 That's exact.

00:15:53.320 --> 00:15:55.320
 He's one of the first preachers that really impacted me.

00:15:55.320 --> 00:15:58.560
 And I can't, every time I preach, I'm thinking about him in the background.

00:15:58.860 --> 00:15:59.320
 He's there.

00:16:00.260 --> 00:16:00.480
 Right?

00:16:00.540 --> 00:16:07.040
 I think about my old roommate, Kwong Min, who left to go as a missionary to North Korea,

00:16:07.040 --> 00:16:10.760
 to risk his life, to bring the gospel to people in North Korea, right?

00:16:12.700 --> 00:16:15.320
 I think of my old professor, Dr. Carol Kaminsky.

00:16:15.860 --> 00:16:18.540
 It was through her that I first fell in love with the Old Testament.

00:16:19.700 --> 00:16:20.980
 You know, Kevin had her as well.

00:16:21.100 --> 00:16:22.220
 I mean, she's awesome.

00:16:22.500 --> 00:16:23.600
 She loves the Bible.

00:16:23.600 --> 00:16:27.420
 And when I saw the Old Testament through her eyes, I fell in love with it for the first

00:16:27.420 --> 00:16:27.540
 time.

00:16:27.580 --> 00:16:28.940
 It had always been intimidating to me.

00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:32.180
 And as she opened it up, it was like a key in a lock.

00:16:32.920 --> 00:16:33.960
 And I fell in love with it.

00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:40.139
 Now, I see the men that I lived with in a house in Salem, Massachusetts, who woke me up

00:16:40.139 --> 00:16:45.240
 at 6 a.m. every single morning to do morning prayer.

00:16:46.159 --> 00:16:47.480
 And man, I hated it.

00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:49.240
 And then I loved it.

00:16:50.060 --> 00:16:50.779
 I hated it.

00:16:51.460 --> 00:16:52.240
 And then I loved it.

00:16:52.379 --> 00:16:53.539
 Just one day, the switch flipped.

00:16:53.580 --> 00:16:54.060
 And I loved it.

00:16:54.200 --> 00:16:57.639
 And that was the first time I really began to fall in love with common prayer, morning

00:16:57.639 --> 00:16:57.899
 prayer.

00:16:58.139 --> 00:16:58.960
 I'd never done it before.

00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:03.799
 You know, I think of my friends Patrick and Esau, both from seminary, who are both Anglican

00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:04.120
 priests.

00:17:04.440 --> 00:17:08.859
 Part of the reason I'm Anglican and not the denomination I grew up in is because I really

00:17:08.859 --> 00:17:11.059
 wanted to follow in their footsteps and be like them.

00:17:11.620 --> 00:17:13.500
 I thought they were amazing, and I loved their tradition.

00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:15.240
 So I wanted to be part of that tradition.

00:17:16.160 --> 00:17:18.039
 You know, I see my bishop.

00:17:19.059 --> 00:17:22.640
 Some of you don't know Bishop Steve, but every single meeting we have, even if it's a totally

00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:26.759
 business-oriented meeting, almost every meeting I've ever had with Steve, he begins with Scripture.

00:17:27.559 --> 00:17:32.039
 And he always begins, not with some prepared speech, but he just shares a few thoughts about

00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:34.039
 the passage that he was reading that morning.

00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:38.859
 Because no matter what is happening in his life, he is always beginning the day by reading

00:17:38.859 --> 00:17:39.200
 Scripture.

00:17:39.840 --> 00:17:41.059
 And I think, man, I want to be like that.

00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:42.500
 You know?

00:17:42.940 --> 00:17:48.920
 Last example, I see my wife, who, quite honestly, has done more to build bridges with our neighbors

00:17:48.920 --> 00:17:52.880
 and to love people in our community than almost anyone else I know.

00:17:54.200 --> 00:17:55.519
 Way more than I have.

00:17:55.960 --> 00:17:57.620
 And I think, man, I wish I had a heart like that.

00:17:58.640 --> 00:18:01.740
 You know, this is just a few, and, you know, for the sake of time, I'm going to cut myself

00:18:01.740 --> 00:18:01.920
 off.

00:18:01.980 --> 00:18:07.400
 But listen, I could go on and on and on and on the people that have influenced my faith.

00:18:07.400 --> 00:18:14.080
 Anything, here's the point, anything worthwhile in my faith is the product of someone else's

00:18:14.080 --> 00:18:15.780
 influence on my life.

00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:17.700
 That's the point.

00:18:18.580 --> 00:18:20.560
 And that's going to be true for anybody who's a Christian.

00:18:21.640 --> 00:18:23.380
 So does that mean that these people are perfect?

00:18:23.580 --> 00:18:23.920
 No.

00:18:24.220 --> 00:18:26.440
 Except for my wife, but for everybody else, no.

00:18:27.259 --> 00:18:30.720
 But there are qualities in each of these people that point me to Christ.

00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:33.640
 You know, qualities that I look at and I say, man, I really want to imitate that in you.

00:18:33.640 --> 00:18:35.380
 I really want to be more like that.

00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:37.720
 I want to go stronger in my faith in that way.

00:18:39.160 --> 00:18:43.080
 And I think this is one of the biggest missing pieces in the way we think about discipleship.

00:18:44.340 --> 00:18:44.700
 Right?

00:18:44.740 --> 00:18:50.560
 What this means at Advent is we need to be able to learn to see Christ in other people and

00:18:50.560 --> 00:18:52.980
 things in other people that point us to Christ.

00:18:53.640 --> 00:18:54.000
 Right?

00:18:54.040 --> 00:18:56.160
 Now, you're better at doing that if you're rooted in orthodoxy.

00:18:56.600 --> 00:18:57.860
 So you're knowing what to look for.

00:18:57.859 --> 00:19:02.559
 But we need to learn to look at people and say, wow, you know, you're not perfect and

00:19:02.559 --> 00:19:04.879
 there are ways that God is at work in you right now and you're growing.

00:19:04.979 --> 00:19:09.659
 But man, this thing in you, when you pray, I just feel like you have this relationship

00:19:09.659 --> 00:19:11.339
 with God that I want.

00:19:11.579 --> 00:19:11.740
 You know?

00:19:12.899 --> 00:19:15.779
 You're so good at managing your time.

00:19:15.839 --> 00:19:17.559
 You're able to have a week of Sabbath every week.

00:19:17.639 --> 00:19:18.479
 You're able to keep a Sabbath.

00:19:18.879 --> 00:19:22.159
 And even though you work as much as the rest of us, somehow you manage it better.

00:19:22.219 --> 00:19:22.939
 How do you do that?

00:19:24.519 --> 00:19:24.679
 Right?

00:19:24.680 --> 00:19:26.940
 So this is what I would love to see more at Advent.

00:19:27.160 --> 00:19:28.840
 I would love to see more of this happening.

00:19:30.320 --> 00:19:33.160
 We're called to follow Jesus, but we need pace setters.

00:19:34.519 --> 00:19:39.480
 Somebody who's just a little bit further than you down the road in one way or another.

00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:43.360
 So if you want to learn how to study Scripture and actually understand it and have it nourish

00:19:43.360 --> 00:19:46.440
 you, find somebody who does that really well and read the Bible with them.

00:19:46.920 --> 00:19:51.840
 If you want to learn how to pray, find someone who has a rich prayer life and pray with them.

00:19:51.839 --> 00:19:56.759
 If you want to learn how to manage your time better, find someone who keeps a weekly Sabbath

00:19:56.759 --> 00:19:58.500
 and then copy their day planner.

00:19:59.879 --> 00:20:00.899
 You know, just for a few weeks.

00:20:01.099 --> 00:20:03.939
 Just do whatever they do and see how it works out for you.

00:20:04.500 --> 00:20:08.559
 I guarantee you, if you're keeping a weekly Sabbath, you're better at time management than

00:20:08.559 --> 00:20:09.740
 90% of the people out there.

00:20:10.699 --> 00:20:11.159
 You have to be.

00:20:11.220 --> 00:20:12.339
 You have to get it all done in six days.

00:20:14.079 --> 00:20:17.480
 Sometimes this means you're regularly meeting with somebody, you know, every week and you're

00:20:17.480 --> 00:20:18.799
 downloading your life and all of that.

00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:20.460
 But much more often, it doesn't mean that.

00:20:20.859 --> 00:20:26.539
 Sometimes it just means observing somebody from afar and then seeking to imitate them

00:20:26.539 --> 00:20:30.720
 or sitting down with them over coffee and saying, hey, could you just tell me how you do this?

00:20:33.059 --> 00:20:38.299
 You know, the last point I'll make about this before we move on is, as Anglicans, this is why

00:20:38.299 --> 00:20:39.759
 we value liturgy.

00:20:39.940 --> 00:20:41.859
 It's why we value the book of common prayer.

00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:43.899
 It's why we value the lives of the saints.

00:20:43.900 --> 00:20:49.759
 Through the liturgy, we imitate the worship of Christians who came before us.

00:20:50.100 --> 00:20:54.620
 Through the book of common prayer, we imitate the prayers of Christians who came before us.

00:20:54.680 --> 00:20:57.259
 I have learned how to pray through the book of common prayer.

00:20:59.300 --> 00:21:04.180
 Through the lives of the saints, we imitate the lives of Christians who came before us.

00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:05.800
 The saints didn't live perfect lives.

00:21:05.799 --> 00:21:12.180
 But there are things in their lives worthy of imitation, and so they act as pace setters

00:21:12.180 --> 00:21:12.680
 for the church.

00:21:12.779 --> 00:21:15.019
 That's essentially what it means for the church to recognize a saint.

00:21:15.259 --> 00:21:16.059
 This is a pace setter.

00:21:16.240 --> 00:21:17.480
 This is somebody you should pay attention to.

00:21:17.639 --> 00:21:19.720
 This is somebody in whose life there are things you should imitate.

00:21:21.480 --> 00:21:21.639
 All right?

00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:23.799
 So discipleship must involve information.

00:21:24.559 --> 00:21:25.799
 It must involve imitation.

00:21:25.799 --> 00:21:32.299
 It's not just self-improvement.

00:21:32.440 --> 00:21:34.019
 It's not just so I feel better about myself.

00:21:34.879 --> 00:21:35.019
 All right?

00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:37.799
 The goal of all of this is improvisation.

00:21:38.579 --> 00:21:39.799
 And you say, well, what do you mean improvisation?

00:21:40.700 --> 00:21:43.000
 And that sounds like just kind of making it up as we go along.

00:21:43.059 --> 00:21:43.839
 Isn't that the problem?

00:21:44.039 --> 00:21:45.099
 Aren't too many people doing that?

00:21:45.220 --> 00:21:46.599
 And in fact, it means the opposite of that.

00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:49.019
 Let me ask you this.

00:21:49.019 --> 00:21:52.000
 What does Christian faithfulness look like in the 21st century?

00:21:54.440 --> 00:21:54.639
 Right?

00:21:54.640 --> 00:22:00.380
 What does Christian faithfulness look like in the age of Amazon and Tender and Fortnite

00:22:00.380 --> 00:22:01.320
 and TikTok?

00:22:02.740 --> 00:22:06.460
 What does Christian faithfulness look like in response to all that's happened this past

00:22:06.460 --> 00:22:06.720
 year?

00:22:07.220 --> 00:22:07.759
 Right?

00:22:07.800 --> 00:22:09.200
 With COVID, politics.

00:22:10.580 --> 00:22:12.280
 What does Christian faithfulness look like?

00:22:13.280 --> 00:22:19.460
 You know, if you expect to be able to look to the Bible to give you a script for life in

00:22:19.460 --> 00:22:22.140
 the 21st century, you're going to be sorely disappointed.

00:22:22.140 --> 00:22:28.480
 The Bible was written thousands of years ago and simply does not directly address many

00:22:28.480 --> 00:22:30.680
 of the challenges that we face on a daily basis.

00:22:30.740 --> 00:22:34.900
 There's no verse in the Bible that tells you, here's how you should think about iPhones.

00:22:36.259 --> 00:22:39.400
 And that's really frustrating if you're wanting that, right?

00:22:39.400 --> 00:22:42.800
 And we all kind of want something like that to tell us what to do.

00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:46.040
 How do I raise my kids in the age of internet porn?

00:22:46.039 --> 00:22:47.680
 You know, how do we do this?

00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:50.960
 It's hard.

00:22:52.059 --> 00:22:55.039
 The good news is that's not the Bible's intent.

00:22:55.139 --> 00:22:56.799
 It was never meant to be a script for life.

00:22:58.259 --> 00:23:00.059
 And this is why we have discipleship.

00:23:01.680 --> 00:23:07.579
 Christian faithfulness is something every generation of disciples must discern for themselves.

00:23:07.579 --> 00:23:10.460
 That's what Paul's talking about in Romans chapter 12.

00:23:10.599 --> 00:23:16.199
 I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,

00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:18.939
 holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

00:23:19.679 --> 00:23:21.480
 Do not be conformed to this world.

00:23:21.500 --> 00:23:23.460
 In other words, don't imitate the ways of the world.

00:23:24.699 --> 00:23:25.980
 That's not an example to follow.

00:23:27.480 --> 00:23:33.240
 But be transformed by the renewal of your mind through word, spirit, through imitation and information.

00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:35.199
 Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

00:23:35.419 --> 00:23:35.779
 Why?

00:23:35.779 --> 00:23:36.599
 Here's the goal.

00:23:37.099 --> 00:23:43.220
 That by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:49.480
 The point of discipleship is to develop the capacity to discern the will of God and to know how to be faithful,

00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:52.000
 no matter what circumstances we face.

00:23:52.139 --> 00:23:54.099
 The word for that is improvisation.

00:23:55.420 --> 00:24:05.680
 Dan used a wonderful illustration last week to help us visualize what this actually looks like in practice.

00:24:05.680 --> 00:24:09.160
 Because Dan is a trained musician, trained jazz musician.

00:24:09.460 --> 00:24:12.180
 And so he talked about the example of jazz improv.

00:24:12.340 --> 00:24:19.500
 And if you think a jazz musician is up there just kind of making it up with, you know, you've completely misunderstood how it works, right?

00:24:19.500 --> 00:24:29.599
 The only way a jazz musician can improvise, which means playing with no sheet music, right, is because they spend hours learning the right information.

00:24:29.740 --> 00:24:30.799
 They learn all the music theory.

00:24:30.960 --> 00:24:33.440
 They learn all, you know, Dan rattled it all off last week.

00:24:33.460 --> 00:24:35.460
 I don't even know because I don't have the right information.

00:24:35.460 --> 00:24:38.440
 But they learn the right information.

00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:41.700
 And then they spend hours imitating other jazz musicians.

00:24:43.860 --> 00:24:49.819
 I mean, Dan talked about when he was being trained kind of, you know, meticulously writing every note to these jazz solos.

00:24:49.940 --> 00:24:51.420
 You know, learning them note by note.

00:24:51.720 --> 00:24:52.920
 You know, pause by pause.

00:24:52.920 --> 00:24:57.660
 And they spend hours doing this, information, imitation.

00:24:57.960 --> 00:25:03.300
 And what that does is it develops in them instincts that enable them to improvise in the moment.

00:25:03.380 --> 00:25:06.640
 They learn how to improvise from all that time spent.

00:25:06.640 --> 00:25:09.380
 And so Christian faithfulness is like jazz improv.

00:25:10.160 --> 00:25:14.720
 The goal of discipleship is to make music with our lives that glorifies God.

00:25:15.480 --> 00:25:16.920
 No sheet music required.

00:25:18.039 --> 00:25:18.960
 That's the goal.

00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:25.559
 All of your life is like a song of worship to God that you play without sheet music.

00:25:25.700 --> 00:25:32.440
 You're responding out of those biblical instincts in the moment in unprecedented, unknown, unscripted challenges.

00:25:33.100 --> 00:25:34.880
 And you're responding with faithfulness.

00:25:35.079 --> 00:25:39.039
 You're testing and discerning the will of God in every circumstance you face.

00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:39.960
 That's the goal.

00:25:40.539 --> 00:25:42.380
 Your life glorifies God as a result.

00:25:43.259 --> 00:25:48.100
 So as we read our Bibles, as we pray, as we fast, as we practice the spiritual disciplines,

00:25:48.099 --> 00:25:51.639
 we're developing biblical instincts that we need to make that possible.

00:25:53.559 --> 00:25:53.959
 Right?

00:25:54.019 --> 00:25:59.179
 So just to pull all of this together, when we think about discipleship, we're thinking about three things.

00:25:59.480 --> 00:26:03.059
 We're thinking about this cycle of imitation…

00:26:03.059 --> 00:26:04.679
 Sorry, if I could pull it up on the screen there.

00:26:04.759 --> 00:26:04.879
 Yep.

00:26:05.539 --> 00:26:05.939
 Information.

00:26:06.319 --> 00:26:07.179
 Getting the right information.

00:26:07.319 --> 00:26:08.099
 Getting orthodoxy.

00:26:09.019 --> 00:26:09.459
 Imitation.

00:26:09.740 --> 00:26:11.299
 Finding pace setters in our lives.

00:26:11.399 --> 00:26:12.339
 Examples that we follow.

00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:13.019
 Role models.

00:26:13.539 --> 00:26:14.899
 And then finally, improvisation.

00:26:14.899 --> 00:26:17.839
 Testing and discerning the will of God in every circumstance.

00:26:19.039 --> 00:26:28.399
 And all of this is, of course, as Paul says in Ephesians chapter 4, that we might all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God.

00:26:28.699 --> 00:26:30.919
 To mature manhood or personhood.

00:26:30.980 --> 00:26:32.859
 In other words, we're becoming fully human.

00:26:33.619 --> 00:26:36.599
 To the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

00:26:37.339 --> 00:26:37.939
 Let's pray.

00:26:37.940 --> 00:26:40.460
 Lord, we thank you.

00:26:40.660 --> 00:26:46.519
 And again, we act like we can just put this up on a screen and it just happens.

00:26:46.660 --> 00:26:48.960
 And Lord, we know that at the end of the day, this is about a relationship.

00:26:49.299 --> 00:26:53.640
 And this is about the God who made us at work in us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

00:26:54.640 --> 00:26:58.880
 So Lord, we pray for your Holy Spirit to do what we cannot do.

00:26:58.880 --> 00:27:04.200
 To take our intention and our desire to know you and our desire to grow and to make that happen.

00:27:04.820 --> 00:27:09.100
 Lord, we pray for your Spirit to fill us with a hunger to know you deeper.

00:27:09.500 --> 00:27:10.920
 And we pray that you would make that possible.

00:27:11.880 --> 00:27:15.600
 And we ask that in the name of your Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ.

00:27:16.540 --> 00:27:17.580
 It's in his name that we pray.

00:27:17.740 --> 00:27:17.980
 Amen.

00:27:17.980 --> 00:27:18.080
 Amen.

00:27:18.080 --> 00:27:18.140
 Amen.

00:27:18.140 --> 00:27:18.160
 Amen.

00:27:18.160 --> 00:27:18.180
 Amen.

00:27:18.180 --> 00:27:18.200
 Amen.

00:27:18.200 --> 00:27:18.220
 Amen.

00:27:18.220 --> 00:27:18.240
 Amen.

00:27:18.240 --> 00:27:18.280
 Amen.

00:27:18.280 --> 00:27:18.720
 Amen.

00:27:18.720 --> 00:27:18.760
 Amen.

00:27:18.760 --> 00:27:18.820
 Amen.

00:27:18.820 --> 00:27:18.900
 Amen.

00:27:18.900 --> 00:27:18.920
 Amen.

00:27:18.920 --> 00:27:18.940
 Amen.

00:27:18.940 --> 00:27:18.960
 Amen.

00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:19.000
 Amen.

00:27:19.000 --> 00:27:20.000
 Amen.

00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:21.000
 Amen.

00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:21.060
 Amen.

00:27:21.060 --> 00:27:22.060
 Amen.

00:27:22.060 --> 00:27:23.060
 Amen.

00:27:23.060 --> 00:27:23.100
 Amen.