You’ve probably seen the word discipleship on books, websites, church programs—even coffee mugs. It’s a familiar word. But for many, it’s still a foggy one.

Some hear it and think of evening Bible studies or accountability groups. Others think of spiritual disciplines, mentoring, or intense theological training. And to be honest - none of those are wrong. But none of them quite get to the heart of discipleship, either.

So we wanted to peel back the layers and ask the deeper question:

What does it really mean to follow Jesus - not just with your head or habits, but with your heart?

That’s why we wrote this series. Not to offer a program. Not to give you more rules. But to help you see that at the centre of discipleship is a Person. Not a system. Not a checklist. Just Jesus.

And when you follow Him - truly follow Him - your whole life begins to change. Not just your behaviour, but your heart. Your desires. Your sense of self. Your vision of the world. Because discipleship isn’t just about information - it’s about transformation.

Not just in your head, but in your heart.

Where your deepest loves live.

Where your identity takes root.

Where your worship ignites.

So whether you’re just starting out or looking to go deeper, we invite you to walk with us through this content. Not because we have all the answers - but because when your heart is captured by Christ, everything changes.

Let’s get to the real heart of discipleship - Jesus.

For many, discipleship means following the rules. 
Discipline. Self-control. Obedience.
It sounds noble - but it often feels heavy.

In Jesus’ time, that’s exactly how people saw discipleship. Jewish pupils followed the Law (the Torah) with great precision. They studied, memorised, and obeyed their rabbi’s teachings with intense dedication.

But then Jesus came - and turned everything upside down. Instead of saying, “Follow the Law,”, he said, “Follow me” (Mark 1:17). That was revolutionary back then and honestly, it still is today. Jesus’ call to discipleship isn’t a call to master the rules - it is a call into something far more enjoyable, deeper, and personal.

Discipleship is a call into a relationship with Jesus.

Not rules, but a relationship. A real relationship that draws you close to the One who knows you, loves you, and invites you to find life in Him.

This changes everything because all of a sudden, discipleship isn’t about doing - but about being with Jesus.

“And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him…” 
(Mark 3:14).

Discipleship is fundamentally relational.

Not a matter of behaviour, but a matter of the heart.

But what is the heart, anyway?

We’re more confused about the heart than just about any other part of our being. The heart can be warm or cold, tender or hard, light or heavy - and sometimes all before breakfast. It can break, sink, flutter, race, skip a beat, and even get stolen by someone we find attractive. You can wear it on your sleeve, cross it and hope to die, or swear you gave it away last Christmas. We’re told to follow it, even though we can have a change of heart… or just lose heart altogether.

How can the heart be so fragile and fierce?

So sentimental and stubborn?

It really is a poetical paradox with a pulse.

But all these sayings - as confusing as they are - point to something deeper: the heart matters.

Jesus explains why with a vivid image: if your life is like a tree, then your heart is the root system. What you believe and love in your heart (roots) will always show up in your fruit (behaviour). That’s why He said, “each tree is known by its own fruit… for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:44–45).

The rest of Scripture tells the same story - the heart is never just the place of emotion; it is the epicentre of our being (Proverbs 4:23). It’s where we treasure what matters most, where love is cultivated, and where decisions are made (Matthew 6:21, Deuteronomy 6:5, Proverbs 16:9). It holds our deepest desires, reveals our truest self, and from it overflows everything we say, do, and become (James 1:14, Proverbs 27:19, Matthew 12:34).

That’s right - our heart is so central (and vulnerable!) that whatever it is captivated by - whatever it loves - you become!

Love success and you become a work-a-holic.
Love comfort, and you become apathetic.

Love control, and you become anxious.

But love Jesus?

If your heart is captivated by Jesus - if your affections are stirred by who He is and what He has done - then you’ll become more like Him!

That’s why the heart of discipleship is the heart!
It’s about who has your heart.

So if the heart really is the heart of discipleship - because it’s both the centre of our lives and the centre of our relationship with Jesus - then we need clarity, because not everything that claims to be discipleship actually is.
Let’s start by clearing up a few misconceptions.

Discipleship is NOT:

• 🚫 A beginner’s course - you never outgrow or graduate from the need to follow Jesus.
• 🚫 Just about learning more information - It’s not just about learning more information - it’s about getting to the heart & living it out.
• 🚫 A solo journey - authentic discipleship happens in community.
• 🚫 Only for the super-spiritual - Jesus called ordinary fishermen, tax collectors and regular people into discipleship.
• 🚫 About being perfect—it’s about being transformed.

So what does real discipleship look like?

Discipleship is a lifelong journey of following Jesus together - being transformed by His grace in the context of a Christ-centred community.

That’s the big picture. But let’s break it down a little more.

Discipleship IS:

• ✅ Relational—it’s about knowing and walking with Jesus (Philippians 3:8)
• ✅ Gospel-centred—Jesus’ work, not ours, is what changes us (Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5)
• ✅ Transformational—what captures your heart, shapes your life (Proverbs 4:23, 2 Corinthians 3:18)
• ✅ Communal—we grow by discipling and being discipled (Proverbs 27:17)
• ✅ Reproducible—disciples make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20, 2 Timothy 2:2)

Our prayer is that with this biblical, heart-focused vision of discipleship, you won’t just grow in head knowledge, but be captivated by Jesus in a way that transforms even the most ordinary moments of life.

Whether discipleship is new to you, you’ve been discipled before, or you’ve even led others, this course isn’t a step-by-step program you graduate from. It’s a biblical discipleship tool—designed to help you grow deeper in your walk with Jesus and equip you to disciple others.

This journey is built around six key questions that provide a gospel-centred and heart-focused framework for discipleship.

• Chapter 1. WHAT IS DISCIPLESHIP?

PART A. GOD'S HEART

• Chapter 2. WHO IS GOD?
• Chapter 3. WHAT HAS HE DONE? 

PART B. OUR HEART

• Chapter 4. WHO AM I?
• Chapter 5. WHO ARE WE?
• Chapter 6. WHAT REMAINS OF MY OLD SELF?
• Chapter 7. WHAT FLOWS FROM MY NEW HEART?

• Chapter 8. WHY DISCIPLESHIP?

All of these questions are not designed as a once-off experience - they’ll come up again and again in your future discipleship. Taking time to reflect on them in each session will set you up for deeper growth as you follow Jesus. They can become a tool to help you engage deeply with God's Word, expose lies you are believing, uncover misplaced loves, and realign your heart to the truth.

And remember—this is just the entrée. The main course is enjoying Jesus for a lifetime. Discipleship is slow. It’s personal. It’s full of detours and wonder and hard days and unexpected joy.

But it’s also deeply worth it - because Jesus doesn’t invite you to walk alone. He promises to walk with you through every step (Matthew 28:20).

This is a chance to share your story and how Jesus has changed your life. Like the psalmist says, “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul” Psalm 66:16. Whether you’re new to the group or have walked together for years, it’s an opportunity to reflect on God’s grace and encourage one another in the gospel.

1. Tell the story of how you came to put your faith in Jesus.
This is your gospel story—how Jesus became real to you and what it meant to trust Him.

• What were the key moments or people God used to draw you to Himself?
• What gospel truth did you come to believe at that time?
• What were you trusting Jesus for? What made the message of the gospel good news for you?
• Try to make Jesus the hero of your story—not just what you did, but what He did in you.

2. Share about a time when you experienced significant spiritual growth.
This could be a season where your love for Jesus deepened, your understanding of the gospel expanded, or your character began to change.

• What were the circumstances of that season?
• Were there specific people (mentors, leaders, friends) who helped disciple or encourage you?
• What practices, relationships, or moments helped shape your growth during that time?

3. Where do you sense the Holy Spirit stirring growth in your life right now?
This is an opportunity to name where you’re at right now in your journey of following Jesus.

• Is there an area of your heart where Jesus is drawing you closer?
• Are there patterns, fears, or doubts that He’s gently confronting?
• Is there a gospel truth you’re learning to trust more deeply?
  

"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another."
(2 Corinthians 3:18)

Many of us carry around ideas about God that didn’t come from Scripture. Instead, they come from our feelings, frustrations, circumstances, and unmet expectations. We might think:

• If God doesn’t give me a sign, He must be distant.
• If He doesn’t heal me, He must be weak.
• If He doesn’t fix my situation, He must not care.

Our natural instinct isn’t to shape our lives around who God is. We shape who God is around our lives. Surrounded by pain and chaos, sin and suffering, we start to believe that God must be distant, weak, and uncaring. But who would want to worship a God like that?

And so, we leave Him out. We reject Him. We move forward as our own gods, convinced we could do a better job. Yet the God we’ve rejected—the one shaped by our wounds, our disappointment, our desires—is not the real God. He is only a projection. Pastor Sam Allberry once said:

“Describe the God you’ve rejected.
Describe the God you don’t believe in.
Maybe I don’t believe in that God either.”

This isn’t just clever - it’s crucial. If we’re serious about discipleship, we have to ask: Who is God, really? Who is this Jesus we’re called to follow?

Years ago, while working as a director and choreographer, I (Callum) had the opportunity to work with a few well-known performers. You think you know people like that - you’ve seen them on stage or screen, recognise their voice, maybe even mimic their mannerisms. But when you actually meet them, they’re rarely what you imagined. Sometimes they surprise you for the better. Other times, they don’t. But either way, you only truly know them by spending time with them - not from afar, and not through guesswork.

It’s the same with God.

If we want a real relationship with Him - which is what discipleship is - we can’t begin with who we imagine God to be. We have to begin with who He really is.

The good news is: God has revealed Himself. We don’t have to guess. We have Scripture. And when we open it, we encounter the character of God over and over again - loving, kind, holy, wise, righteous, and good. But Scripture doesn’t just list attributes. The biblical authors use a far richer, deeper word to describe the fullness of who God is: glory.

The Apostle Paul, especially in 2 Corinthians 3, speaks often about “the glory of the Lord.” This glory isn’t just majesty or brilliance—it’s the weight, the substance, the all-encompassing reality of who God is.

To better understand this, 18th-century theologian Jonathan Edwards offers a profound insight. He wrote:

“God is distinguished from all other beings, and exalted far above
them chiefly by his divine beauty. Not sovereignty, not wrath,
not grace, not omniscience, not eternity, but beauty is what more
than anything else defines God’s very divinity.”

For Edwards, God’s glory was His beauty—His central, compelling, and attractive quality.

The psalmist David saw it too. He cried out in Psalm 27:3,

“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.”

To see God truly is to see His beauty. Not just intellectually, but affectionately. Theologian Kevin Vanhoozer writes:

“Spiritual understanding involves the affections of the heart,
not simply the cogitations of the mind.”

This isn’t just knowledge - it’s beholding. It’s heart-level awe.

I (Callum) certainly don’t look like someone who climbs mountains - and to be fair, I’m not. But I have climbed a few in my time and one particular climb stands out. Nearly a decade ago, a friend of mine dragged me out of bed at 4 a.m., threw me into the back of his LandCruiser, and drove us over tree stumps and fields so we could spend a few hours scaling a mountain.

When we finally reached the summit, the view was breathtaking. But we didn’t pull out our phones to take a photo - not just because we were too tired, but because some things can’t be captured with a lens. Beauty like that isn’t meant to be consumed. It’s meant to be experienced with the heart.

Dane Ortlund puts it simply: the beauty of God “is not captured with a camera, but enjoyed with the heart.” 
And Tim Keller draws out the distinction this way:

“The religious person finds God useful,
but the real Christian finds God beautiful.
The religious is driven; the Christian is attracted.”

That might sound subtle, but it changes everything. A follower of Jesus “doesn’t merely rationally believe that God is glorious, but has a sense of the gloriousness of God in his heart.” (Kevin J. Vanhoozer). This isn’t abstract theology - it’s what happens when the heart sees the reality of God.

In the Old Testament, to experience this glory and beauty, people like David had to go to the temple. But Hebrews tells us something astonishing: the glory of God is no longer revealed in a building, but in a person.

“He [God] has spoken to us by his Son…
He is the radiance of the glory of God
and the exact imprint of his nature.” (Hebrews 1:1–3)

The glory of God is found in Jesus. Which means that if we want to know who God is, if we want to behold His beauty, we need only look to Christ.

This becomes deeply personal. Because now, when we ask what God is like, we don’t need to speculate. We can point to Jesus.

• How do we know God is loving? Not because life feels comfortable, but because Jesus laid down His life for His friends (John 15:13)
• How do we know God is merciful? Not because we avoid suffering, but because Jesus suffered in our place to free us from sin. (Isaiah 53:5)
• How do we know God is powerful? Not because He removes every hardship, but because He conquered death and rose from the grave. (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)
• How do we know God is generous? Not because of material abundance, but because He shares His resurrection life with us. (Romans 6:4-5)

Everything we need to know about who God truly is, we see in Jesus. Through His life, death, and resurrection, the fullness of God’s glory is revealed.  Getting the person of Christ right is absolutely essential, for "it it is precisely our false notions of Christ’s person that corrupt our love for him". (Barrett & Haykin, "Owen on the Christian Life).

So what does this mean for everyday life?

We might understand that our hearts shrink God down - that we’re tempted to imagine Him as smaller, less powerful, less present. And we might even grasp that the solution is to remember who He truly is in Jesus. But when life still feels full of pain, sorrow, and chaos - when we feel stuck in sin or crushed by circumstances - what difference does beholding Jesus really make?

Everything.

In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul writes:
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”

This is the heart of it. When we behold God for who He truly is - not who we imagine Him to be - we are transformed. We’re changed into the very image of Christ, sharing in His beauty and glory. That transformation is not just for some future moment - it begins now. And it’s not superficial. It’s deep, internal, and lasting.

This is what theologians call sanctification. Jonathan Edwards called it beautification. But it’s critical to notice how this change happens. Is it through hard work, rule-following, or trying to be better? No. It happens by beholding. True transformation doesn’t come by striving - it comes by seeing. It doesn’t begin with self-effort, but with seeing the beauty of Christ. Dane Ortlund expresses this so clearly:

“We don’t kill sin the way a soldier kills an enemy in battle,
by zeroing in on the enemy himself.
Killing sin is a strange battle because it happens by looking away from the sin…
by looking at Jesus Christ.”

He goes on to say that sin loses its appeal as we become “re-enchanted” by the beauty of Jesus - just as a child’s toy cars lose their charm when they’re invited to a real racetrack. Sin begins to wilt when we’re captured by something greater - when we see Jesus in His glorious gentleness and dazzling love. Ortlund concludes:

“There is no special technique to mortifying sin.
You simply open your Bible and let God surprise you
with the wonder of his love, proven in Christ and experienced in the Spirit.”

Discipleship is not about doing more. It’s about beholding more. And as we do, God changes us from the inside out.

This is the heart of discipleship: a real, joyful relationship with Jesus where His beauty doesn’t just inspire us - it transforms us.

That’s why we must keep asking: Who are we imagining God to be?

• If we believe He’s angry, we’ll keep Him at a safe distance.
• If we believe He’s cold and detached, we’ll assume He doesn’t care.
• If we believe He’s a harsh taskmaster, we’ll live as though His love depends on our performance.

But if we believe Jesus is the glory of the Lord - if we open His Word and behold Him for who He truly is - then we’re not pushed away.
We’re drawn in. We want to know Him, love Him, and trust Him. Our hearts are pulled toward Him instead of hiding in fear.

So hear this clearly: your first step, your second step, and every step after that in following Jesus isn’t about doing more. It’s about beholding Him. Because as we do, the lies our hearts have believed about God begin to unravel, and the truth of who He really is takes their place.

This is our prayer for your heart throughout the journey of discipleship:

• That the gentle but powerful work of the Holy Spirit
• would draw you into the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,
• exposing and untangling the lies your heart has imagined,
• and filling you instead with the truth of who He really is,
• freeing you to enjoy a life transformed into His likeness
• from one degree of glory to the next.

1. How have you personally experienced God’s character in your life?

• Think back to a time when God’s love, justice, mercy, or holiness (or any other characteristic) became real to you.
• How did that experience shape your understanding of who God is? Did it challenge or deepen your faith?
• What did you learn about His nature that you can carry with you into future challenges?

2. Which aspect of God’s character is most meaningful to you right now, and why?

• Is there a specific characteristic that resonates with your current season of life or personal experiences?
• For example, do you find hope in God’s faithfulness because you’ve experienced uncertainty, or comfort in His mercy because you’ve felt the weight of guilt?
• Share how this aspect of who God is has encouraged or challenged you.

3. What tends to be your default view of God?

What are you believing about God based on your experiences, fears or emotions?


• When you pray, do you see Him as distant or close?
• When life is hard, do you assume He is withholding, uncaring, or punishing you?
• When you sin, do you believe He is disappointed, angry, or ready to abandon you?

4. What does Scripture actually say about God?

Now compare your assumption with what the Bible says.
Some examples:

• If you assume God is distant, read Psalm 34:18
• If you assume God is powerless, read Jeremiah 32:27
• If you assume God is angry and impatient, read Exodus 34:6

5.
How can you grow in beholding and trusting more of God’s character?

• Are there characteristics of God you tend to overlook or struggle to believe in your daily life (e.g., His justice, wisdom, or compassion)?
• What could you do this week to intentionally focus on a characteristic of God that you’ve perhaps neglected?
• Consider practical steps such as praying specifically about that characteristic, meditating on Scripture, or asking others in your community how they’ve experienced it.

6. What specific step will you take to replace lies?


• What is one lie you’ve believed about God that you need to let go of?
• What scripture will you hold onto this week to replace that lie with truth?
• How can you make beholding God’s beauty a daily habit (prayer, Scripture, worship, community)?

"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you,
which you received, in which you stand..."
(1 Corinthians 15:1)

Space is beautiful - its scale, size, stars, and colours are enough to make us marvel.

And the more you learn about stars and galaxies, the deeper that awe grows. But even knowing all we can about space - no matter how glorious it is - doesn’t fix what’s broken down here. It doesn’t heal our shame. It doesn’t restore our relationships. And it certainly doesn’t save us from sin and death.

Knowing what space is - admiring it from afar - is a bit like knowing who God is. You can recognise that God is beautiful. You can marvel at his glory. You can even commit your life to studying his character and memorising Scripture, like the Pharisees (Matthew 15:8).

But simply knowing who God is isn’t enough.

Even the demons know who God is - and shudder (James 2:19). When they came face to face with Jesus, their immediate response was often: “I know who you are! You are the Holy One of God!” (Mark 1:24).

So what’s the difference? What moves someone from simply knowing about God to actually being in relationship with him?

The answer is: knowing what God has done.

God has done many things. Scripture tells us that he made the stars (Psalm 147:4), sustains the breath of every living thing (Job 12:10), feeds the sparrows (Matthew 10:29), and causes the rain to fall (Matthew 5:45). Even in our own lives, we can point to countless ways God has been at work.

But we aren’t asking what God has done in general.
We’re asking: What has God done about the relationship between God and humanity?

There is no more important question you could ask - because this is our greatest problem. And if discipleship is about a relationship with Jesus - who is God - how can sinful people possibly draw near to his holiness, let alone be united with him?

The answer is—we can’t.
Not unless God does something.
And he has. It’s called the gospel.

When we ask, 'What has God done?', we’re pointing to the very centre of the what it means to trust in Jesus. The gospel is God's magnum opus - the climax of history and the centrepiece of the cosmos.

And one of the ways we know it is God's magnum opus is because it’s the very thing the enemy wants to blind us to:

“The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Did you catch that? The devil’s primary tactic isn’t to frighten you with pitchforks - it’s to blind you to "the gospel of the glory of Christ". Because the gospel is where the glory of Jesus shines brightest.

As Kevin Vanhoozer puts it: “Jesus’ death and resurrection [the gospel] are the events by which God makes his cruciform glory known.” Cruciform glory is the kind of glory that shines through the cross.

Think of it this way:
Imagine someone tells you they’re a chef. How would you know if it was true? By the apron they wore? The knives they were holding? No - you’d know by the food they cooked you.

In the same way, who God is is revealed most clearly in what God has done. And so if you want to see the heart of God in full display - look at the gospel.

So what exactly is this gospel?

The apostle Paul defines it clearly:

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you… that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1–4).

The gospel is the good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ - which really, is a tale of two hearts.

In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve walked in harmony with God (Genesis 3:8). It was a heart-to-heart connection - marked by closeness, trust, and joy (Genesis 2:25; Psalm 16:11). We were created to be with God (Isaiah 43:7), and as long as we remained in relationship with him, our hearts were full of life and blessing in his presence (Genesis 2:9; Psalm 36:9).

But that didn’t last.

In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve believed a lie about who God was. In their rebellion, they turned their hearts away from him. And what happened to the relationship? It broke.

Like a plant that had ripped itself up from the soil or a light who had unplugged itself from its source, we disconnected ourselves from the source of life - and our hearts died. Though physically alive, humanity became spiritually dead.

And the same is true for us. Sin doesn’t just make us guilty or morally compromised - it makes us spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1).

But God didn’t leave us there. He could have. And he would have been just to do so. But God created us for a relationship with him, so he did something extraordinary - he came after us. The holy heart of God moved toward us in the person of Jesus Christ - the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrews 1:3). This is how “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

If you want to see the heart of God, look at the cross because there is no greater love than this: that someone would lay down their life for another (John 15:13). And Jesus did that - willingly - for sinners like us. And in doing so he absorbed our sin, carried our shame, bore our judgment and was consumed by our deadness. Everything we chose when we turned away from God was placed upon him (Isaiah 53:5–6).

But why would he do that? Why would he become what we were?
So that, through his resurrection, we might become what he is: “the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). See, through his resurrection, we received what we needed most to be in relationship with God: a new heart.
A clean heart.
A pure heart.
A heart that no longer turns away from God, but moves toward him - by the Spirit, in Christ.

In summary, the gospel is mostly simply that Jesus gave us his heart.
He has forgiven us, made us new in him and united us to himself - "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). This is why Paul can say, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

Through the cross, it is no longer two separate hearts - but our hearts found in Christ.
Christ and his bride - the Church - united as one, forever. (Ephesians 5:31-32)

This is who our God is.
And this is what he has done.

But if the gospel is true, why do our hearts still drift?
Why does it feel like we are constantly forgetting the gospel?
According to Scripture, once you’ve truly seen the gospel of the glory of Christ - you can’t unsee it. You are his. Forever (John 10:28-29). But while you’ve been given a new heart in Christ, your old self - that sinful nature - still lingers (Romans 8:1-11). It sticks around like a bad smell until Jesus returns and you are made fully new (Romans 7:22–25).

There’s a tension inside you now - a battle between who you once were, and who you’re becoming in Christ (Galatians 5:17). And although you can’t unsee the gospel, you can forget it. You can experience what theologian Paul Tripp calls “gospel amnesia.”

We forget what Jesus has done.
We forget who we are in him.
We forget what we’ve already received by grace (Ephesians 1:3–8).

As the old hymn Come Thou Fount says:
“Bind my wandering heart to thee.”
Why? “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.”

When we forget the gospel and because our hearts were designed to be captivated, we quickly find ourselves chasing a false gospel - one that doesn’t trust in what God has done, but in what we think we can do. See if any of these sound familiar:

• The self-help gospel: You’ll be happier if you become a better version of yourself.
• The prosperity gospel: You’ll be blessed with health, wealth, and comfort—if you just believe enough.
• The performance gospel: Jesus gave you a second chance—now it’s up to you to prove your worth.
• The therapeutic gospel: Jesus wants you to feel better, not necessarily be different.
• The religious gospel: Follow the rules, and you’ll be accepted.
• The progressive gospel: Jesus came to affirm your truth, not confront your heart.
• The deconstruction gospel: Jesus came to tear down the system—not to build a church.

But what is missing in all of them?
The cross.

Each of these false gospels assumes you can save - or at least validate - yourself.
But Jesus isn’t a coach, a guru, or a vibe. He is the crucified and risen King. That’s why Paul writes:
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all” (Galatians 1:6–7).

The true gospel is a gospel of grace - not of earning, proving, or performing. This is why gospel amnesia is so dangerous. Because it slowly convinces you that:

• “I’m not really loved by God… so I need to earn it.”
• "I’m not really saved by God… so I need to try harder.”
• “I’m not really seen by God… so I need others to notice me.”
• “I’m not really satisfied by God… so I need to find satisfaction somewhere else.”

It leads either to a superiority complex - “I’m doing just fine. I don’t need God.”
Or an inferiority complex - “I’m so bad that God could never love me.” 

But the gospel says something completely different. As Tim Keller puts it:

“The gospel is that I am so sinful that Jesus had to die for me,
yet so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me.
This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time.
I can’t feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone.”

Paul knew how easy it is to forget. That’s why he wrote, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you…” (1 Corinthians 15:1)

This is why discipleship can’t happen in isolation. Because when I forget the gospel, you can remind me. And when you forget, I can remind you. We need each other. We need a community that brings us back to what God has already done - again and again.

Years ago, I (Callum) was in a discipleship group chatting about how easy it is to forget the gospel - not just in crisis moments, but in ordinary ones. One example we were discussing was doomscrolling - that slow, numbing drift into your phone when you’re tired or flat.

But here’s the thing: Doomscrolling isn’t just forgetting how bad technology can be for you. It’s forgetting how good the gospel is for you. We needed to remember the gospel. So one of the guys in the group wrote a gospel reminder and I’ve kept it ever since. Here it is;

This is what discipleship is really about: reminding each other of what God has done - again and again -
so that, through remembering the good news of the gospel, we might be drawn into deeper relationship with Jesus. Yes, the gospel saves, but it also sustains. It draws you deeper into Christ. In fact, it is the only way we are drawn deeper into a relationship with Christ - and the only way we stay in it (Colossians 2:6–7).

And doomscrolling is just one example of where we forget the gospel. There are countless others. But praise God - every road can lead us back to the gospel of grace, if we’ll just remember the way.

That’s why we look to Jesus - and remember what He has done.  Because we don’t just need to hear the gospel once. We need to speak Jesus and the gospel - into the broken places of our lives again and again and again.

Because you don’t graduate from the gospel. It’s not step one of discipleship - it’s the foundation of it. It’s not the diving board into relationship with Jesus - it’s the pool we swim in every single day.

• So when you feel ashamed - remember the gospel, where Jesus bore your shame (Hebrews 12:2).
• When you feel unworthy - remember the gospel, where Jesus was mocked and rejected for you (Isaiah 53:3).
• When you feel like giving up - remember the gospel, where Jesus did not give up on you (Philippians 2:8).

What happened on that cross 2,000 years ago is not just a one-time-use event. It is the daily reminder that God set His heart on you long before you ever set your heart on Him. That is good news - for today, for tomorrow, and for every moment until Christ returns.

Go and live in the freedom of what God has already done!

1. Where are you most tempted to forget what Jesus has already done for you?
(E.g. When you feel anxious, ashamed, unseen, or dissatisfied—what gospel truth do you lose sight of?)

2. Which false gospel are you most drawn to currently—and why?
(E.g. performance, prosperity, self-help, therapeutic, religious, etc.)

3. What does that false gospel promise you? What has it cost you?

4. What specific truth of the TRUE gospel speaks against that false promise?
(What has Jesus already done that meets that same longing more fully?)

5. When was the last time you really remembered the gospel in a way that changed how you thought, felt, or acted?
(What was the situation? What truth about Christ came alive for you?)

6. Who can help remind you of the gospel when you forget it? Who can you help remember the gospel?
(What does it look like to help each other fight gospel amnesia?)

7. What would it look like to speak the gospel to yourself this week—in your ordinary moments?
(Try writing a short reminder of gospel truth to declare when you feel X.)
(Use bible verses to ground this declaration in God's Word. e.g. John 1:12 - I am a child of God)

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.”
Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ (NLT)

Previously, we saw that Jesus defined discipleship not as rule-following or ladder-climbing, but as a relationship with Him. Then we looked at God’s heart - who he was and what he has done in and through Christ. We saw the dangers of imagining God to be someone he’s not and forgetting the gospel - and the joys and rewards of knowing who he really is and the transforming power of remembering the gospel.

In this session, we move from looking at God’s heart to looking at ours. And we’re going to do that by asking a question that every person will ask at some point:

Who am I…?

We tend to ask this question when we hit some kind of existential crisis—like when Derek Zoolander stares into a puddle and asks, “Who am I?” because his modelling career was spiralling downward.

The world tells us that identity comes through self-definition, visualisation, or imagination. It says you can find identity in your occupation, your achievements, your cultural background, your family history, or even the sport you play or the team you support. It might come from a self-help guru, a fitness plan, a relationship, or countless other avenues.

But for followers of Jesus, our primary identity isn’t found in these things.
It isn’t something we discover by peeling back the layers of our personality to find some hidden, authentic self deep inside.
We aren’t meant to look within to find who we are—we’re meant to look outside ourselves, to our Creator and Saviour, to see who He has made us to be.

When we ask this question in light of the gospel, we’re not starting with our uniqueness or personality (though Jesus absolutely delights in both—remember, He made you!). Instead, we’re asking a much deeper, more transformative question:

Who am I in Christ?

When you put your faith in Jesus—when you trust that His life, death, and resurrection were in your place—then you are in Christ.
You have a new identity.
And it’s not something you earn.
It’s a gift—freely given by your gracious Saviour. 

Jeff Vanderstelt puts it like this:

Our identity shapes everything about us—how we see ourselves, how we interact with others, and how we respond to life’s challenges. Yet, too often, we build our identity on things that shift and fade—our achievements, failures, relationships, or emotions. 

But Scripture tells us that when we are in Christ, God has taken up residence in our hearts. The Holy Spirit lives in all who put their faith and trust in Jesus. Growing in our gospel identity, which is just another way of saying growing more into who we are in Christ, is the process of our hearts becoming more like Jesus’ heart. 

“Who am I?” matters because discipleship is a process of letting go of self-definition and allowing our hearts to be shaped by Christ.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

If you are in Christ, then you are not the same person you were before. Your identity has fundamentally changed. You’ve been given a new heart, a new status, a new future—one that is completely bound up in Him.

This is what it means to be united to Christ. And that union is not just positional—it is personal. Christ has given us new hearts. Day by day, the Spirit is at work within us, shaping our desires, softening our resistance, and helping us to love what God loves.

This new identity isn’t built on our feelings, circumstances, or achievements—it is grounded in the unshakable reality of our union with Christ.

Scripture tells us time and time again that if you have put your faith in Jesus, then you are "in Christ".

What an unusual idea—that we are "in Christ". What does it mean, and how do we make sense of it?

In his book, "One With My Lord", Sam Allberry explores this concept in great detail and, at one point, refers to an analogy where he imagines one is abroad and desires to fly home to Perth. He asks;

Allberry's point is that, like the plane, what happens to Christ, happens to us if we are IN Him.

One of the richest examples comes from Ephesians 1:3–6:

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.”(Ephesians 1:3–6) (NLT)

This is what it means to be united with Jesus: your spiritual reality is now shaped by WHO HE IS and WHAT HE HAS DONE. Not who you are and what you have done.

Let’s slow down and take this in for a moment.

Paul says that if you are in Christ, then every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms is already yours (v3). Not because you’ve earned it. Not because your circumstances always feel blessed. But because your heart has been united with Jesus’ heart, and God withholds nothing from His children.

This is your NEW identity.

Verse 4 says that before the foundation of the world, God chose you — in Christ. Not reluctantly. Not randomly. He chose you in love. Before your heart ever turned toward Him, His heart was already set on you.

In verse 5, Paul says God adopted us into His family through Jesus. That word “adopted” is one of the most beautiful words in all of Scripture. It means you weren’t just rescued—you were wanted. God didn’t just forgive you; He welcomed you into His family as a dearly loved son or daughter.

You may have grown up feeling like a mistake. You may have wondered if you were truly wanted or valued. But in Christ, your identity is secure: God has no accidental children. None.

Every single adoption into His family was His idea—and it gives Him great pleasure to call you His own.

And what’s more, this new family status cannot be revoked. Your union with Christ means your identity is sealed in eternity. As Romans 8 reminds us, nothing can separate us from His love—not death or life, not angels or demons, not even our own doubts or failures.

That’s the heart of your heavenly Father toward you.

So, who are you in Christ?

You are chosen, blessed, and adopted.
You are fully wanted and deeply loved.

And as you grow in your identity in Christ, your heart is being shaped to mirror His—to love what He loves, to delight in what He delights in, and to rest in the security of being His child.

It’s like putting on a pair of glasses for the very first time.
Before, you didn’t realise how much you were missing—shapes were fuzzy, colours were dull, and you just assumed that’s how the world looked. But once you put those lenses on, everything is sharper, brighter, more beautiful.

That’s what your identity in Christ does—it’s new gospel lenses for your heart. It changes the way you see God, yourself, and the world around you. It reshapes how you think, how you live, and what you long for.

If I believe that I am rejected, I will live trying to earn approval from others or fearing that I’m never enough. But in Christ, I am accepted.

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

You no longer have to live trying to earn approval from others or fearing that you’re not enough. You are already accepted—fully, permanently—by the One whose opinion matters most.

If I believe that I am broken beyond repair, I will carry shame and hopelessness like a weight I can’t put down. But in Christ, I am complete.

“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him…” (Colossians 2:9–10)

In Christ, you lack nothing. Yes, we feel our weakness, and yes, we still wrestle with sin—but spiritually, you have been made whole. You’ve been filled up with the fullness of Christ.

If I believe that I am spiritually unsafe, at risk or in danger, I will live in constant fear. But in Christ, I am secure.

“And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” (2 Corinthians 1:21–22)

You are sealed by the Spirit and held in the unshakable hands of your heavenly Father. Your salvation isn’t fragile—because your God, and His love for you, is unbreakable.

If I believe that my future is uncertain, I will live anxious, restless, and unsure of where my life is heading. But in Christ, I can be assured.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

God is not guessing with your life. You don’t need to fear the unknown. Even when you can’t trace His hand, you can trust His heart. He is working for your good—even when it’s hard to see.

If I believe that I am insignificant, I will struggle to see any purpose or meaning in my life. But in Christ, I have significance.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

You were handcrafted by God on purpose, for a purpose. You are not invisible. You matter to your heavenly Father, and He has good works prepared just for you to walk in.

If I believe that I am too weak to keep going, I will live defeated or constantly be living on the edge of giving up. But in Christ, I am empowered.

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

Your strength doesn’t come from yourself—it flows from Christ in you. His Spirit empowers you to persevere, to stand firm, to love deeply, and to follow Him even when it’s hard.

Whatever your story, these gospel identities speak directly to the lies we carry in our hearts. They meet us where we are—but they don’t leave us there.
Because our union with Christ means our hearts are being renewed.

And the more we rest in these truths, the more our hearts begin to believe them, live out of them, then the more we will delight in the God who gave them to us.

No matter what the world says about you—no matter what your past whispers or your present circumstances shout—who you are in Christ is true, foundational, and unchanging.

But here’s the thing: that truth will be challenged.
There’s a battle going on—not just around you, but within you.

Because while your identity in Christ is secure, your heart is still in the process of being renewed. And sadly, that process doesn’t happen without resistance.

Knowing our identity in Christ is not just an encouragement—it’s a weapon.

As disciples, we are in a daily battle against sin. But here’s the good news: in Christ, even our relationship to sin has changed.

Before Christ, we were enslaved to sin.
But now, we are free.

Sin still tempts us, but it no longer defines us. It’s no longer WHO WE ARE. And through the power of the Holy Spirit, we now have the ability to choose righteousness—to respond not with old patterns, but with gospel fruit that is growing in increasing measure.

How do we do that?

“We need to identify the lies we believe and replace them with the truths of the gospel.” —Jeff Vanderstelt, Gospel Fluency, p. 58

Remember that we’ve already looked at this concept over the past few weeks: Belief doesn’t just happen in our minds—it happens at a heart level. What we truly believe will shape our desires, decisions, and identity. That’s why renewing our hearts involves confronting the lies we’ve absorbed and replacing them with the truth of who we are in Christ.

Because at the cross, Jesus didn’t just cancel the record of your sin—He crushed the power of sin itself. He took the full weight of its penalty, He broke the chains that held you, and He silenced the enemy’s right to accuse you. In His resurrection, He proved that sin’s reign is over. Its grip has been broken. Its claim on your life is gone. And now, His victory is your victory—so you are no longer a slave to what once mastered you… You are free.

When you feel trapped in sin, the gospel declares that you are free in Christ:

“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” (Romans 6:6)

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

When you think you are alone in the fight, the gospel assures you that God is with you:

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b)

Sin is easier to fight when we stand side by side, reminding one another who we are in Christ and speaking the gospel into the places where our hearts still need to believe it.

This is why discipleship can not be done alone. We’re not just fighting sin—we’re helping each other hold on to truth.

It’s one thing to know your identity in Christ, but what does it look like to actually live in light of it? How do we move from knowing these truths in our heads to believing and embodying them from the heart?

Paul gives us a key insight: "We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)

This means actively surrendering our thoughts, emotions, and decisions to Jesus—bringing them into alignment with the truth of who we are in Him. The battle is often won or lost in the heart, where belief is formed and reshaped.

But the beauty of the gospel is that we’re not left to figure this out on our own.

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” (2 Peter 1:3–4)

This divine power is the Holy Spirit—God’s own presence in your heart—actively at work, shaping your desires, renewing your affections, convicting you of sin, and drawing you closer to Christ.
And the more we depend on Him, the more we begin to see His power in our everyday lives: in the way we speak, respond, forgive, serve, and love.

So who are you?
You are a new creation.
You are adopted and loved.
You are free and victorious.
You are never alone.
You are in Christ.

1. What does it mean to be "in Christ"?

• Read 2 Corinthians 5:17. What does this passage say about your identity?
• Sam Allberry uses the analogy of being "in the plane" to describe what it means to be in Christ. How does this analogy help you understand your relationship with Jesus?
• What are some ways you’ve struggled to believe that your identity is fully found in Christ?

2. How does your gospel identity shape the way you see yourself?

• Our world tells us to define ourselves by achievements, experiences, or feelings. How does the gospel offer a better foundation?
• Think about a time when you placed your identity in something other than Christ. How did that impact your thoughts and actions?
• How can knowing that your identity is received, not achieved, bring freedom to your life?

3. What difference does your gospel identity make in your daily life?

• Read 2 Peter 1:3-4. What does it mean that God has given us "everything we need for life and godliness"?
• What are some ways you can practically live out of your new identity in Christ rather than falling back into old ways of thinking?
• What role does the Holy Spirit play in helping you walk in your gospel identity each day?

4. How does your identity in Christ change how you fight sin?

• Read Romans 6:6-7. How does being "in Christ" change your relationship with sin?
• Jeff Vanderstelt says, "We need to identify the lies we believe and replace them with the truths of the gospel." What are some lies you tend to believe about yourself, and what gospel truths counter them?
• What practical steps can you take to replace lies with truth when temptation arises?

5. How does your gospel identity affect your relationships?

• If your identity is secure in Christ, how does that change the way you respond to criticism, rejection, or failure?
• How does knowing you are fully accepted by God shape the way you extend grace to others?
• Is there a specific relationship in your life where you need to apply the truth of your gospel identity more fully?

6. Personalising Gospel Identity: Holding Onto the Truth of Adoption

• Gospel identities often resonate more deeply depending on personal experiences. Which gospel identity (e.g., accepted, free, significant, secure, adopted child, redeemed) stands out to you right now, and why?
• Consider sharing how this particular gospel identity is meaningful to you with your group. How can you encourage one another to live confidently as beloved children of God?

Example: Holding Onto the Truth of Adoption

Theology of Adoption Applied
Adoption is not just a theological concept—it’s a life-altering reality. Before Christ, we were spiritual orphans, lost and without a home, but in His great love, God didn’t just rescue us—He made us His own. Ephesians 1:4-5 tells us that before the foundation of the world, God chose us, predestined us for adoption, and took great delight in calling us His children. This means that no matter our earthly circumstances—whether we come from loving homes or broken ones, whether we feel wanted or forgotten—we have a Father in heaven who has intentionally and joyfully made us part of His family. And because our adoption is secured in Christ, it can never be undone. Unlike human adoption, where relationships can strain or even fracture, God’s adoption is eternal. He does not regret choosing you. He does not waver in His love. You are not an afterthought, a burden, or an obligation—you are His beloved child, fully embraced and forever secure. When doubts creep in and tell you that you are alone, unwanted, or unworthy, take those thoughts captive and replace them with the truth: You are chosen. You are cherished. You are home. And nothing—not your past, not your failures, not even your own doubts—can separate you from the love of your Father (Romans 8:38-39).

• Read Ephesians 1:3-6. How does this passage speak to your identity as a child of God?
• Adoption into God’s family means that He chose you before the foundation of the world (v4) and that He delights in calling you His child (v5). How does this truth challenge or encourage you?
• If you have experienced broken or distant relationships—especially with earthly parents—how does the reality of being fully adopted and loved by your heavenly Father bring hope?
• When you face doubts or struggles, what specific promises from Scripture can you hold onto to remind yourself of your secure place in God’s family?
• How can you actively take thoughts captive and proclaim the truth of your adoption in Christ to yourself when you are tempted to believe lies about your worth or belonging?

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
- John 13:34–35

In this session, we move on to our next question, but before we look at that, we need to get existential for a moment: so ask yourself… What would you say is your greatest need? What couldn’t you live without? Chocolate? Netflix? Coffee in the morning? That might feel true - but studies are showing us more and more that what we really need, and what we aren’t getting enough of, is one another. Now, I know there are some doubts stirring right now among all of the introverts in the room, but it’s true.

The connection you have with others - being together or with one another is one of the most fundamental needs in your life right now. Many of you probably already know that social isolation can affect your mental health, but do you know that it can also affect your physical health? Check this out;

The results are conclusive - mentally, socially AND physically, we were not designed to be alone.

This is why when someone commits a serious crime in prison, the harshest punishment is Solitary confinement. Locked away from human touch, from human voice, from human presence - people start to lose their minds. Why? Because we weren’t made to be alone. And you don’t need to be in a prison cell to feel it.

One in four Australians reports feeling persistently lonely. And doctors now tell us what the Bible has said all along: connection is not optional. A relationship with others - leads - quite literally - to life. And disconnection leads to decay and death. We were designed to live life and be with ONE ANOTHER.

Genesis 2:18 records the very first “not good” in all of creation. Up until that point, God had spoken the world into being and declared each part “good.”
But when He looked at Adam, He said: “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18)

Now, that wasn’t a design flaw. Adam’s aloneness was not a mistake. It was intentional—because Adam was made in the image of a God who is a “WE” rather than just a me.

God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—exists eternally in a perfect, loving relationship. He has never been alone. And so, to be created in His image means we, too, were created for relationship—both with God and with others. From the very beginning, God stamped His relational nature onto us. He was highlighting the reality that His image is not individualistic—it’s relational.

Which means this: we cannot become who we were meant to be in isolation. To be fully human is not just to be me as an individual. To bear the triune God's likeness is to be connected. You and I can’t truly reflect the image of God on our own. To be human is to be in community.

That’s why discipleship can never be done alone. Because a relationship with Jesus is also a relationship with His people. Community isn’t just helpful for following Jesus—it’s essential.

Jesus makes it clear when speaking of the most repeated one-another commands:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love ONE ANOTHER: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34–35)

That command is not aimed at individuals trying to grit their teeth and muster up more love on their own—it’s a vision for a community shaped by His love. Discipleship is not simply “me becoming like Jesus,” but us becoming like Jesus, together.

This is the mark of true discipleship—not just believing, but belonging. Not just “Jesus and me,” but “Jesus and us,” bound together by God’s redeeming love.

Community, by itself, doesn’t change us. You can sit in a group, attend church every week, and even be surrounded by people—and still remain unchanged. But one of the most remarkable effects of discipleship in community is that heart-level change becomes more possible than it is if you remain in isolation.

As others help us to see who Jesus is—and who we are in light of Him—the very desires of our hearts begin to shift. Others help us see our need for Jesus and the gospel in ways that we could never do on our own.

It's quite common for someone in your discipleship group to point out something you hadn’t seen for yourself: a place where you aren't believing gospel truth; false belief being exposed; a place where repentance is needed; and many other things our hearts can be blinded to.

Jeff Vanderstelt puts it this way:

Left to ourselves, we don’t see clearly. We all have blind spots. And we all need people who love us enough to step into those blind spots and point us back to Jesus. When we are known and loved in an authentic Christian community, those blind spots can be revealed in a relationship of trust.

This is why Proverbs 27:17 says:
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)

Sharpening doesn’t happen without friction. Growth opportunities increase in community. Real heart change happens—not in isolation—but in relationship.

Paul makes it even clearer in 2 Corinthians 3:18:
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Notice those two little words: we all. Transformation is communal. As WE behold Christ together, WE are changed into His image.

And this isn’t the only place Paul uses this kind of language. In fact, in his letters to churches, Paul almost exclusively speaks in the plural! We can’t see it very well in our English translations, but where we see the word “you,” it’s most often plural, not singular. We tend to read it the other way around, but it’s a “you all.” In Aussie slang, it’s a “youse.” In the Southern States of America, it’s “y’all.”

Here’s the punchline: we are better together. Isolation whispers that you’ll be better on your own. But grace-filled community where you are known and loved proves the opposite—you are freer, and stronger when you walk with others.

What’s interesting is that long before society figured out that life is healthier and better when we do it with ONE ANOTHER, God revealed it to us through His Word.

The Greek word that is translated “one another” (ἀλλήλων) appears about 100 times in the New Testament. It’s the Bible’s way of saying: if you want to live life to the fullest - if you want to experience life the way it was really meant to be lived - then remember to “ONE ANOTHER” each other.

Let’s look at a few:
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

“…forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Colossians 3:13)

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” (James 5:16)

“…through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13)

This should go without saying: you can’t “one another” by yourself.

 A good friend of DC Pete Sondergeld, shares about this concept in his book "Friend of Friend". He pointed out that all the way back in the garden, the problem with taking the fruit was, yes, not trusting God, but it was not trusting God because the humans thought life would be better without Him. This was the great lie back then, and it’s the great lie today - that your life is better alone;

“I won’t call or text them—if they needed me, they’d reach out. My evening will be better if I just switch off.”

“I won’t offer to help—it’s good for them to work it out for themselves. My week will be smoother if I just focus on myself.”

“I won’t share that struggle—it’s too embarrassing. If they knew the real me, they’d think less of me.”

Adam and Eve believed the lie that it would be better alone, and so they hid from God and from each other. How did that go for them?

How is that going for you today in the places you want to hide or stay isolated?

Is it REALLY better alone?

Following Jesus is not just believing—it’s belonging. The moment your heart is changed and you trust Jesus for your salvation, you become part of God’s family; you become part of Christ’s body. It’s not just Jesus and me. It’s Jesus and us.

Why?

Because, Jesus designed a relationship with him to INCLUDE a relationship with one another - walking with Jesus IS better together!

Imagine for a moment that someone in your Missional Community Group loses their job. They’re suddenly under financial pressure and battling feelings of failure. It would be easy for them to retreat into isolation—skip Sunday services and discipleship, avoid talking about it, and keep their struggles hidden.

But instead, picture what happens when they are known and loved by their community. Someone drops off groceries at their front door. Another friend offers to babysit the kids so the couple can have space to talk and pray together. Someone else sits with them over coffee, listens without judgment, and reminds them that their worth isn’t in a job but in Christ.

And in a discipleship gathering, when they finally find the courage to admit, “I feel like I’ve failed as a parent and a follower of Jesus,” the group doesn’t shame them. Instead, they pray, they weep with them, they remind them of the gospel. Their worth and value were not found in their work, but first and foremost in Jesus Christ!

That’s the picture of better together. That’s what it looks like when the invitation to do life with one another comes alive in real time. It’s not theory; it’s the everyday gospel at work. There was Care in action for the practical, but more importantly, they ministered to the heart when it was exposed.

Now let’s be honest—community isn’t always easy. Opening up your life to others feels risky. Allowing people to see your struggles and failures takes courage.
Authenticity can be uncomfortable, inconvenient, and counterintuitive.

But so was the cross.

Jesus isolated Himself from the Father so that you would never have to be alone again. The cross was the most lonely place a human could be - completely exposed. Yet, Jesus looked beyond it, as he embraced it, to see joy in our redemption.

Hebrews 12:2 reminds us:
“…for the joy that was set before him [Jesus] endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

Jesus embraced aloneness and separation - he suffered for the sake of His people, His bride, the church.

And that church—messy as it is—is God’s plan for your growth.

Sin thrives in isolation but suffocates in the light. And that kind of light only shines when we walk together.

That’s why James says:
“Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” (James 5:16)

Yes, it feels risky. But in a grace-filled community, risk leads to freedom. Healing can take place in our one anothering! To be known and loved despite your faults is one of the greatest blessings of discipleship.

It’s a bit like the first time you share something personal in your discipleship group. Your heart races. You’re thinking, “What if they judge me? What if this changes how they see me?”

But then, that vulnerability is met with acceptance and encouragement. Suddenly, you realise you’re not alone. You are part of a team. What felt risky becomes the first step toward freedom.

And that is the reward: to be part of a community where grace is not theory but practice, where healing flows through honesty and vulnerability, where the love of Christ is made visible not just in sermons, but in lives intertwined.

Now, some of you might be thinking: “But I’ve been hurt by the church. Community has left me bruised, not built up.”

If that’s your story, hear this: YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

And let’s be honest—Scripture doesn’t hide the mess. The early church wasn’t a highlight reel of perfect fellowship. It was full of conflict, division, hypocrisy, immaturity, and sin (just read 1 Corinthians!). God’s people have always been riddled with dysfunction.

And yet… still beloved. The church is still called “the body of Christ.” Apparently, to Jesus, it is still worth building.

The church has always been flawed—and yet it has always been His Bride.

Here’s the good news: in a gospel-shaped community, hurt can be met with healing, failure can be met with grace, and sin can be met with truth and restoration. This is the intrusive community of grace we all need. This is where the invitation to “one-anothering” comes alive—not just in warm greetings, but in costly forgiveness, patient bearing, and tender-hearted mercy.

Colossians 3:13 calls us to:
“…bear with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Colossians 3:13)

Think of a family road trip. Someone gets carsick, someone else complains about the music, and there’s always an argument over snacks. But even if there are bumps and detours along the way, you will arrive at the destination together. The church is the same. Not perfect, but bound by love — a love that conquered the grave so that we could all share the same eternal destination.

It’s not always going to be easy. But it is worth it. Even when it’s messy—it’s still better together.

Why?

Together we are stronger. The enemy loves to pick off stragglers, but when we walk in community, we are fortified.

Ephesians 6:10–11 says:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10–11)

The greatest war isn’t out there in the headlines—it’s the war for your heart. That’s where the enemy schemes and attacks. The Christian life is war, so we can’t live with a peacetime mentality. In the battle, lone soldiers don’t last long. We need each other’s shields, prayers, and encouragement to keep standing.

Picture a row of soldiers locking shields. One alone would be vulnerable, but together they form a wall. That’s the church: not isolated individuals, but a battalion standing shoulder to shoulder.

But here’s the good news: Christ our Redeemer has already won the decisive victory by His life, death, and resurrection. And now, as His people, we get to apply the spoils of that victory to our everyday lives—together.

It’s like a stained-glass window. One piece of coloured glass on its own doesn’t look like much. But when all the pieces are fitted together and the light shines through, you see the full picture. That’s what the world sees when the church reflects the light of Christ together.

Jesus says:
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
(John 13:35)

Discipleship - that is, a relationship with Jesus - is better together - not just for our sake, but for the sake of the world around us! They get to see who Christ is through who we are.

So, Who Are We?

We are the glory of Christ on display.
We are a community who LOVE one another - imperfectly yes, but gloriously nonetheless.
We are his body.
We are better together. everyday lives—together.

“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God."
- Hebrews 3:12

There’s a question that lingers for many of us: if following Jesus gives us a new heart and a new identity, why does so much of the old self still remain?

We know who God is.
We know what He has done for us.
We even know who we are meant to be because of Jesus.

And yet - anxiety still rises in us. Frustration spills out. Bitterness and jealousy creep back in. Old habits have a way of resurfacing no matter how hard we try to shake them.

It can feel a lot like the story of Ryan Benson, the first winner of the reality TV show The Biggest Loser. Back in 2005, he lost an incredible 55kg in just a few months. But not long after, he admitted he had gained it all back - plus more. He put it bluntly:

That’s how discipleship often feels too. We resolve to change: “Something has to be different.” So we set stricter rules. We cut out temptations. We make new commitments and grit our teeth, determined to become a better version of ourselves. And sometimes it works - for a while.

But eventually, we find ourselves back where we started. The same sins, the same struggles, maybe even worse than before.

Why is that? Why, even with the best intentions, do we return to the very things that harm us?

Because the real issue isn’t our behaviour. The real issue is our heart.

When we want to change, our first instinct is usually to focus on behaviour. We try to cut out bad habits or replace them with better ones. But according to Jesus, real transformation doesn’t begin with what we do on the outside—it begins with what is going on in the heart.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus gives us a vivid picture:

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
(Luke 6:43–45)

It’s simple but confronting. If we see bad fruit, the problem is not solved by trying to attach good fruit to the branches. The problem is in the tree itself—in the roots.

Pastor and author Paul Tripp has used a helpful picture to explain this. If we cut apples off an apple tree, oranges don’t grow back—more apples do. Why? Because an apple tree is “appleistic” all the way down to its roots. In the same way, our lives inevitably produce what is rooted in our hearts.

That’s the point Jesus makes. The behaviour that flows out of our lives—what we say, what we do, how we respond—comes from what our hearts treasure most. Whatever we desire, love, worship, and trust will eventually show itself in our behaviour.

This is what we might call the problem beneath the problem. Sinful behaviour doesn’t appear out of thin air. It is born out of the desires rooted deep within the heart. The letter of James makes the same point:

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:14–15)

This explains why our attempts to simply manage behaviour so often fail. At best, they bring short-term results. But unless the heart itself is changed, the same destructive patterns will keep returning. As Paul Tripp puts it,

That is why the promise God makes through the prophet Ezekiel is so significant:

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”(Ezekiel 36:26)

We don’t just need new behaviour. We need a new heart.

This is why God promised through the prophet Ezekiel:

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26)

Before our hearts desire Jesus - before we love Him, worship Him, and trust Him - our hearts are like stone. Lifeless. Dead in sin and dead to God.

But when we stop relying on our own efforts to be good and instead place our faith in the goodness of Jesus—His life, His death, and His resurrection—we are given a new heart with new desires. The heart of stone is replaced with a heart of flesh, soft and beating with the power of the Spirit.

The apostle Paul describes it this way:

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4–5)

It is God’s love, shown in Christ, that makes this possible. By grace, we are made alive in Him. And once alive in Christ, our hearts can never die again. Our relationship with Him is secure forever.

But here lies the tension: we may have new hearts with new desires, capable of glorious things, yet we still carry the remnants of our old selves. This is the “now but not yet” reality of Christian life. We have new hearts - but not perfect hearts. Which means we are still vulnerable to the dangers of sin.

It’s like dropping a powerful sports engine into a rusty old car. The engine roars with new strength, but the body still rattles. The heart beats for Christ, yet sin still fights back. And if left unchecked, the rust can spread. Though our new hearts will never die, they can still harden.

This is why the book of Hebrews warns us so seriously:

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion… Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:7, 12–13)

What is most striking about this passage is who it addresses: believers. The warning is not written to those outside the faith but to the church itself. Which means that even with new, living hearts, we are still at risk of being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Theologian Thomas Schreiner explains it this way:

This is different from the heart of stone that belongs to an unbeliever. In Christ, our hearts cannot die again—but they can grow cold. They can be hardened when we forget to trust God and allow ourselves to be lured by the deceitfulness of sin.

Imagine placing a healthy, beating heart in a freezer. Impossible, yes—but the picture is helpful. What would happen? Frost would begin to form. The heart would still be alive, still beating, but it would grow cold and numb, less responsive and less tender.

That is the danger. Unbelief doesn’t kill the new heart, but it does freeze it. It makes it less responsive to God’s voice and less tender toward His love.

And this is where everyday life shows the danger. Take something as ordinary as toothpaste. Imagine a husband exploding in anger because the toothpaste was squeezed the “wrong” way. That flash of anger is not about toothpaste at all - it is the remains of the old self, the bad fruit of a hardened heart.

The problem isn’t the toothpaste technique - the problem is the heart. What lies is he believing?

• WHO ARE WE? At that moment, the husband believes he and his wife are opponents, not one flesh on the same team.
• WHO AM I? He believes he is a kind of “demi-toothpaste god,” appointed to bring order to the chaos of toothpaste usage.
• WHAT HAS GOD DONE? He acts as though Christ did not absorb the full wrath of God on the cross, because he feels compelled to unleash anger on his wife.
• WHO IS GOD? And ultimately, he believes that God is not in control—because he has taken control himself.

That is what unbelief looks like.

But unbelief must be replaced with truth.

• WHO ARE WE? The truth is that husband and wife are made to be one, working together as members of Christ’s body.
• WHO AM I? The truth is that he is not a demi-toothpaste god but a child of God, whose identity is secure in his heavenly Father.
• WHAT HAS GOD DONE? The truth is that Jesus has already absorbed the full wrath of God on the cross, freeing him to offer patience and grace.
• WHO IS GOD? And the truth is that God is in control—the Creator of the universe holds authority, not us.

When the heart believes these truths, the fruit changes. The response shifts from anger to love, from bitterness to kindness. This is what life in Christ is meant to look like.

Unbelief does not kill the new heart, but it does freeze it. It makes us less responsive to God’s voice and less tender toward His love. That’s why the call of Hebrews is so urgent: “Take care.”

It’s no wonder the author of Hebrews says, “Take care!” Even a new heart, in a moment of not trusting Jesus, can grow frosty—hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Yes, sinful behaviour is destructive. But Hebrews actually warns of a greater danger that we often don’t expect.

“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:12–13)

This is not the kind of falling that loses salvation—
it’s the kind that dulls our relationship with Christ.

The real danger of the freezing temperature of unbelief and sinful desires is relational numbness—a coldness toward Jesus. If discipleship is ultimately about a relationship with Him, then what’s at stake when we let sin take root is not loss of salvation but the loss of intimacy and vibrancy with Christ.

What’s our relationship with Him like right now—warm or cold? Are we responsive to His voice and His Word, or numb?

Seeing this changes how we fight sin. Many of us assume sin only costs pain, shame, and guilt—and if we ignore it long enough, it fades into background noise. But once we grasp what sin does to the heart, we see what’s really at stake: the joy of walking closely with Jesus. Missing that nearness is too high a price.

And once that’s clear, it becomes easier to say no to sin.
Why would we ever trade nearness to Christ?
Why would we put our hearts in the freezer when He is our life—our joy, our strength, our refuge, the source of every good thing in and around us? Apart from Him, we are nothing.

When that is what’s on the line, our desire for sin is replaced with a desire for Him. Sin loses its appeal. It almost becomes a joke: what can sin offer that Christ doesn’t give in fullness—joy, satisfaction, peace, comfort?

Does our sin love us?
Did our sin go to the cross for us?
No.

If the danger we don’t expect is relational numbness—a coldness of heart toward Jesus—then the question is obvious: what can actually melt a frozen heart?

The answer is not more effort or self-discipline. The answer is Jesus Himself.

When He went to the cross, yes, the crucifixion killed Him. But what really broke Him was the weight of our sin. The purest heart in history was crushed under the guilt and rebellion of our hardened hearts.

John tells us what happened after He had died:

“But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.” (John 19:34)

Theologians and medical professionals suggest that the spear most likely pierced not only His side but His heart. Which points us to a powerful reality: the heart of Christ was literally poured out so that ours could be made soft again.

His heart stopped beating so that our hearts could beat again.
His heart bled so that our hearts could be healed.

As Peter writes:

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

This is the scandal of grace: in all His innocence—the only one with a perfectly soft and obedient heart—the Son of God was treated as if His was the hardest heart of all. On the cross He bore our unbelief, our rebellion, our indifference, so that we could live with new hearts, even in the face of sin.

And after His resurrection, He gave us His Spirit—the very presence and power of Christ—to fill our hearts and keep them soft, tender, and alive to Him. And the Spirit does this by continually drawing us back to Jesus:

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

To behold His glory is more than seeing light. It is to feel the warmth of His presence.

Think about the sun. It gives both light and warmth. Revelation uses this image to describe Christ’s glory:

“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:23)

And what happens when ice is set in full sunlight? It melts. So how much more must the ice of unbelief melt in the presence of the uncreated Son of God?

The temperature of sin hardens, but the glory of Jesus melts.

The frost of sin cannot survive the blazing warmth of His presence. Who Jesus is, and what He has done in the gospel, thaws what unbelief has frozen until our hearts beat alive again.

This is why the gospel of the glory of Christ is not only the power that saves, but also the power that sustains. As Tim Keller once said:

“The gospel is not just the ABCs of the Christian life but the A to Zs.” (Tim Keller)

The gospel is God’s solution to the hardness of our hearts, because it constantly reorients us to grace rather than self-sufficiency.

So let us encourage one another every day, as long as it is called “today”:

• Every time our hearts grow cold in worship.
• Every time we stumble back into sin and shame.
• Every time we feel numb or unresponsive to Jesus.

The call is the same: come back.
Come back to the cross, where His heart bled for yours—that is your freedom.
Come back to the resurrection, where His new life became yours.
Come back to His throne, where He reigns in glory.

Trace The Fruit To The Root In An Everyday Moment
Think about a recent situation that triggered frustration, anxiety, or a sense of control—something small but revealing. Maybe it was:
– a messy house,
– a slow driver,
– a child interrupting your plan,
– or someone not replying to a message.

Pause and ask:
WHO ARE WE? 

• What were you believing about your relationship to the other person? Were you acting as a "teammate"… or an adversary?

WHO AM I? 

• What identity were you living out of in that moment—beloved child of God, or something else (e.g. judge, victim, ruler, fixer)?

WHAT HAS GOD DONE? 

• Were you resting in what Christ has already accomplished, or acting like it all depended on you?

WHO IS GOD? 

• Were you trusting His presence, authority, and care—or had you quietly taken His place?

Once you’ve traced the beliefs behind your reaction, let the gospel speak to each one.
What Gospel truth could melt that moment?

Trace The Fruit To The Root In An Everyday Moment
Think about a recent situation that triggered frustration, anxiety, or a sense of control—something small but revealing. Maybe it was:
– a messy house,
– a slow driver,
– a child interrupting your plan,
– or someone not replying to a message.

Pause and ask:
WHO ARE WE? 

• What were you believing about your relationship to the other person? Were you acting as a "teammate"… or an adversary?

WHO AM I? 

• What identity were you living out of in that moment—beloved child of God, or something else (e.g. judge, victim, ruler, fixer)?

WHAT HAS GOD DONE? 

• Were you resting in what Christ has already accomplished, or acting like it all depended on you?

WHO IS GOD? 

• Were you trusting His presence, authority, and care—or had you quietly taken His place?

Once you’ve traced the beliefs behind your reaction, let the gospel speak to each one.
What Gospel truth could melt that moment?

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
— Philippians 1:6

We have reached a turning point. After looking at who God is, what He’s done, who we are both as individuals and corporately, and how we wrestle with what remains of our old selves, the question is now:
“What difference does all of this actually make?”

Not just on Sunday mornings. Not just in theory. But in real life—on Tuesday afternoon when you’re tired, on Thursday when the pressure piles up, on Saturday night when you’re tempted to numb out.

Does the gospel still matter then?

And the answer is, of course: Yes. Deeply.

Let’s be honest—there are times when we wonder how much impact the Gospel can have in those moments, don’t we?

We know we’re saved. We know Jesus died for us.
We’ve seen moments of change.
And yet… we also know ourselves.
We still get stuck in old patterns.
We still battle with temptation, shame, and doubt.

We still feel the tension between who we were—and who we are becoming.

So here’s the question - if my new heart is the root system, and if producing good fruit happens by replacing the lies I believe with the TRUTH about who God is, what he has done, and who I am and we are in light of that —then where does that truth we need come from?

Where does the nourishment for the roots of my life FLOW FROM?

The answer is: the WORD of God.

If our lives really are - like Jesus said - like a tree, and if we want to be healthy trees growing big and strong and producing much fruit, then we need to be planted by streams of living water.
Psalm 1 says the blessed person is like a tree planted by streams of water, whose roots never run dry. Jeremiah 17 says the same thing

But if you’re thinking, “There is a lot of metaphor here… the word isn’t actually water—it’s text on a page.” Well, here’s the beauty: it’s not just ink on a page.

The Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12).

Paul says Christ cleanses his church by the washing of water with the word (Ephesians 5:26).

Jesus says that whoever believes in him, rivers of living water will flow from within them - and John tells us he was talking about the Spirit (John 7:38–39).
The Spirit is the stream that carries the water of the word into our hearts.

When you open the word of God - when you drink from this well - your root system will never dry up.
You will never go thirsty again, because the word of God is life-giving.

And this is why the word is so central to discipleship.

John 1 tells us Jesus is the Word made flesh - the ultimate revelation of God. He was the Word in the beginning. God has spoken through his Son—he has revealed himself through Jesus. Which is why Jesus said, “My words are spirit and life” (John 6:63), because it is in Jesus that we have life.

So if discipleship really is a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus—and like any relationship, it’s built on communication—then we need to be listening. God speaks to us through his Word, through his Son.

But how can we expect Him to do that if our Bibles are collecting dust on the shelf?

If you want to meet with the living God, with Jesus himself, if you want to behold him in all of his glory, you’re going to need to start by opening the Word and meeting with the Word himself.

And when you do, you will experience God speaking to you through his Word—through his Son.
And when he speaks to you, you can then speak back to him - that’s what prayer is.
Or you can sing back to him - that’s what worship is.
Or you can sit in silence, or in tears, or just be with Him.

That’s what meditating upon his word day and night looks like.

But don’t miss this: the word is what nourishes the heart.

Cut a tree off from its water source, and the fruit shrivels.
Cut your heart off from the word, and it hardens quickly. It dries up.

But drink daily from the living word of God, and gospel fruit will flow from your new heart—naturally, inevitably, beautifully.

And here’s the promise - Jesus said,

Jesus is letting us know the gospel fruit flows—not from effort—but from union with Christ; from a heart that is continuing to increase in adoration and affection for Him.

This tree is a picture of not just scraping by, or surviving on a droplet here and there - it’s a picture of a tree thriving, overflowing, abundant with fruit.  

And it’s exactly what Jesus promised in John 10:10: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

The abundant life doesn’t mean money, riches, or perfect circumstances. Even the rich and famous will tell you - all the wealth in the world doesn’t make for an abundant life.

A truly abundant life is one that is connected to Jesus, in a living relationship with him. That is where you will find your purpose and meaning, because this is what you were created for
— a life with Jesus.

Which is why discipleship leads to an abundant life - it’s walking daily with Jesus, receiving from Him, being filled by Him.

What does that life look like?

It looks like fruit - Holy Spirit-produced fruit.

A life so full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that it’s not just flowing out of you, it’s spilling over into others.

An abundant life is one where Gospel fruit is not the final step, but the ongoing effect of your relationship with Jesus; where the Spirit produces so much fruit in you that it’s contagious.

Others get to taste and see the goodness of God because of what he is doing in your heart.

You see it when someone gently calls you back to the truth of the Gospel.
You taste it when forgiveness is extended.
You experience it when others bear with your weakness, or carry your burden, or help you see the grace of Jesus when you can’t see it for yourself.

Because we weren’t made to grow alone. We are made to follow Jesus together. 

That’s how the church began in the first century—and it’s how the church still flourishes today.
And it’s the church we long to be here and now.

Disciples Church—a Word-saturated, Jesus-centred, Spirit-filled forest of disciples who bear so much fruit that Springfield can’t help but see and taste the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ through us.

So how do we get there?

WHO IS GOD?
He is patient. Slow to anger. He is in control—of traffic, of schedules, of all things. You don’t need to seize control when Jesus is already on the throne.

WHAT HAS GOD DONE?
He gave Himself for you in your worst moments. He forgave you when you were disruptive, inattentive, or selfish. That kind of grace empowers you to extend it to others.

WHO AM I?
You’re not a flustered commuter trying to hold the world together. You are a child of God—secure, loved, no matter how behind schedule you feel.

WHO ARE WE?
If there are kids or passengers with you, they’re not your enemies. They’re your people—your family. This is a discipleship opportunity in real time.
This car ride isn’t an obstacle—it’s a moment for grace.

SO, what flows out of the new heart that is remembering the Gospel?

A gentle word. A calm spirit. Maybe even a quick apology for the earlier tone.

And in turn, Greater Springfield’s road rage is reduced because there are disciples of Jesus living and driving here, and those around us can’t help but see and taste the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ through us.

Sure, you arrive ten minutes late… but with your heart intact, your relationships preserved, and your gospel witness strengthened.

That’s gospel fruit—flowing from gospel truth. Not manufactured. Not forced. Rooted in Biblical truth, saturated by grace.

And the power behind it isn’t willpower… It’s worship.

This is life flowing from a heart that’s been with Jesus, soaking in His presence.

Paul writes in Romans 12:2: “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Time in His word is a huge part of how our minds, and in turn our hearts, are transformed. This renewal leads to change at the heart level; at the belief level, not just at the behaviour level. And transformation at the heart level will overflow into our behaviours.

Jeff Vanderstelt puts it like this:

This is the two-way rhythm of transformation: Fruit to root… and root to fruit.
From awareness of sin to deeper dependence on Christ. From gospel truth to gospel response.

And if you’re sitting here thinking, “That sounds great, but I’m not there yet”— don’t be discouraged.

Growth is often slow. Fruit takes time to produce. But the Holy Spirit is faithful.

The key is staying connected to Christ. Remain in Him.

Jesus says it as plainly as possible in John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Not some things. Not small things. Nothing.

Just like a branch can’t bear fruit on its own, we can’t either. Cut a branch off a vine, and it might look alive for a moment.
But give it a little time—and what was green and full of promise becomes dry and brittle.

That’s what happens when we try to live as disciples but are disconnected from Jesus. We might look okay on the outside for a while. But there’s no life flowing through us.

We don’t produce gospel fruit in our own strength. We produced gospel fruit by staying connected to Jesus. Keep turning back to Him. Let the truth of who He is water the soil of your everyday life.

Because even on your slowest days, if your roots are in Him—fruit will come.

That’s what this whole series has been about. It’s about a relationship with Jesus.

That connection—what Jesus calls abiding—is cultivated through rhythms of worship, prayer, Scripture, confession… and yes, community too.

That’s how we stay rooted. That’s how we stay nourished. That’s how His life flows into ours.

Lasting change is the result of the Spirit working through the gospel in the soil of everyday life. It’s not about trying harder. It’s about trusting deeper.

The Holy Spirit is the active, personal presence of Christ applying the truth of the Gospel to the deep places of our hearts.

He doesn’t just tweak our behaviour—He transforms our desires. He doesn’t just polish the bad fruit—He reshapes the root. And over time—slowly but surely—He produces the fruit.

What does this fruit look like?

It’s not loud or showy. It’s not always obvious at first glance. But it’s real, lasting evidence of grace.
It’s not the size of the fruit that proves transformation. It’s the presence of it.

Stop looking in your life for radical love or patience when not so long ago you had none. Stop comparing yourself to other people’s love and kindness and joy.

The question is - are you being transformed from ONE degree of glory to another? Is there more fruit in your life today than there was yesterday?

If not, fix your eyes on Christ, replace the lies with Gospel truth and watch it grow! Little by little.

We don’t expect immediate exponential growth from our children or a plant, so why should we expect it in discipleship?

It’s the fact that you care. That you feel conviction. That you want to change.

That’s fruit. That’s evidence of new life in Christ. Even the smallest fruit proves the gospel is beginning to transform that area of your life in which that fruit is appearing!

Dane Ortlund puts it like this:

If you’re open to the Holy Spirit’s conviction… If your heart is soft, ready to be moulded… If you’re aware of where you need to grow…

That’s more likely to be the beginning of fruit than failure. That’s the Spirit at work in you.

And this is where it’s so powerful to have others around you—because often, we don’t see our own growth clearly.

But someone else in your MCG or discipleship group might look at your life and say:

• “You’re not as anxious as you used to be.”
• “You’ve become more gracious in how you speak.”
• “I see the way you’re forgiving others more quickly.”

Maybe that surprises you—because you’ve been discouraged, felt like nothing’s changing.

Sometimes gospel fruit grows quietly in the background—and goes unnoticed until someone else points it out.

Romans 12:10 tells us to “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour.”

So here’s an invitation: this week, don’t just look for fruit in your own life. Call it out in someone else’s, too. Encourage them. Tell them where you see Jesus in them.

Because here’s the deeper truth behind that encouragement: The fruit you see in others—and the fruit that’s slowly growing in you—is not random or accidental.

It’s the evidence of God at work in your heart!

The Spirit doesn’t start something in us and then leave us to finish it on our own. He is shaping us, day by day, from the inside out. Even when we don’t see it clearly. Even when it feels slow.

So when you see growth—celebrate it. When you feel conviction—lean into it. Run back to Jesus in repentance. Because both are signs that God hasn’t given up on you.

And He won’t. Never. Jesus will not quit transforming into His likeness.

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6)

That’s the kind of promise we can build our hope on.

Why?

Because when Jesus hung on the cross, His final words weren’t, “Try harder.” They weren’t, “Finish what I started.” They weren’t, “Good luck.”

No—His final words were: “It is finished.” (John 19:30)

Not half-finished. Not almost there. Finished. Done and dusted.

Sin—defeated.
Shame—covered.
Death—conquered.
Satan—disarmed.
Your salvation—eternally secured.

The reason we can be confident that the Spirit will keep producing gospel fruit and will complete His transforming work in us… is because Jesus, upon the cross, completed His saving work FOR us.

He didn’t just die to give you a clean slate—He died to give you a new heart. A heart that is alive to God. A heart that beats with grace.
A heart that has the capacity to bear fruit that is not of this world, … but of the Spirit.

When the world says, “Hold a grudge—they don’t deserve your forgiveness,” You now, by the Spirit, have a heart that can forgive.
When the world says, “This situation is hopeless,” You now, by the Spirit, can produce joy—even in the darkest valley.
When the world says, “Take control—no one else will look after you,” You now, by the Spirit, can rest in peace and trust in God’s care.
When the world says, “Make them pay for what they did,” You now, by the Spirit, can respond with gentleness.
When the world says, “Do what feels good right now,” You now, by the Spirit, can walk in self-control.
When the world says, “You’ll never change,” You now, by the Spirit, have a new identity—secure, loved, transforming into Christlikeness.

That’s the fruit. That’s the evidence. That’s what flows out of my new heart.

And it’s all because of Jesus.

And for those moments you feel stuck… when you feel like nothing’s changing… when you’re tempted to believe that maybe you’ll never really grow… Look to the cross.  That’s where your hope comes from. That’s the heart of discipleship. That’s where the work of your heart being transformed began. And that’s where the promise was sealed. Not with a handshake or a signature… but with His precious blood. Jesus didn’t JUST die to forgive you. His death also guarantees that what His grace started in you the moment you first believed, will be finished. And when He rose again, He proved that nothing—not sin, not death, not even your slow progress—can stop Him from completing what He began.

So don’t give up. Don’t lose hope. Don’t pull away.  Stay close to Jesus. Spend time with Him; Listen to Him speak through His Word; and speak back to Him through prayer. Abide in the true vine.
And trust that the One who gave everything for you… will not stop working in you and through you until the day you meet him face-to-face. Lord, would you hasten the coming of that day!

1. When do you find yourself running on “empty”—trying to produce fruit without being rooted in the Word of God?
Can you think of a recent moment where Scripture could have nourished and steadied your heart?

2. Where do you notice yourself relying on willpower rather than worship? How do you try to force fruit, instead of letting it flow from abiding in Jesus?

3. Describe a time when God’s Word refreshed your heart like water to a thirsty tree. What fruit flowed out of you as a result?

4. In what ways do you resist the Spirit’s slow work because you want faster, more obvious change? How might impatience with growth be shaping your discipleship?

5. How do you see the fruit of the Spirit showing up in small, quiet ways in your life? Where might God be producing fruit that you’ve overlooked?

6. When has someone else pointed out fruit in your life that you didn’t notice yourself? What does that reveal about the importance of community for your transformation?

“Go and make disciples...”
- Matthew 28:19

We've come to the final question — really the question that ties it all together: Why discipleship?
What’s the point of all this? Where does it lead?

For many people, Christianity gets boiled down to this: “Believe and be saved.” And yes, belief is absolutely essential — we are saved by grace through faith. But here’s the thing: Jesus told His followers to, “Go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). It’s not a call to convert people and move on, but rather to walk alongside, to share life with one another, especially those new to faith, to help them put their roots deeply down into Jesus.

Think about who He was speaking to in that moment. Just a small handful of ordinary people — fishermen, a tax collector — still wrestling with moments  of doubt. And yet Jesus entrusts his gospel to these ordinary people - to them this massive mission: to carry His gospel to the nations. It is good news to be spread!

Discipleship is walking in relationship with Jesus and helping others do the same. But if it stops with me — if it’s only about my own growth, my own comfort, my own walk — then it becomes a cul-de-sac, a dead end. Jesus designed discipleship to be a highway of multiplication: disciples who make disciples. And we know that is how it was meant to be because that mission has reached us here in Springfield some 2000 years later.

And here’s the key point: Discipleship is not primarily about you — it’s actually about Jesus and others. In what way?
It’s about Jesus, because at its core, discipleship is about the worship of, adoration of, affection for Jesus - he is the object of our worship and the desire of our hearts! This is why we walk with Him, listen to Him, and become more like Him — all because we are in a relationship with Him. And it’s about others, because the fruit of that relationship is love flowing outwards — showing up for people, encouraging them, pointing them to Jesus.

Remember how Jesus said the greatest commandment is this: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind… and love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:37–39). This reflects the heart of discipleship. When you see it this way, it won’t leave you unchanged. You will be affected. You will be transformed. Because the Spirit takes your relationship with Jesus and uses it to shape you — and those you are walking with in close community. It’s a two-way street. Those alongside you are helping you be refined into Christ-likeness more effectively than you could be by yourself. What better way to love our neighbours than to encourage them to be more like Jesus?

This is how the Great Commission starts. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). Not optional. Not just for pastors or leaders. It’s the heartbeat of His mission. If you are in a relationship with Jesus, then part of following Jesus is helping others in their relationship with Jesus. We are following Jesus together!

Jesus didn’t just tell us this is how healthy discipleship worked, he showed us by living this out. Because just over two thousand years ago, Jesus poured His life into twelve ordinary blokes for three years, and those guys went and poured their life into other ordinary people, and those people poured their life into other people. A handful of believers, sold out for Jesus, fully committed to the mission of making reproducible disciples, sparked a movement that has changed the course of human history.

And that’s exactly the way Jesus designed it to happen. Not through a few spiritual superstars gathering crowds of converts, but through ordinary people making disciples — who make disciples — who make disciples. His mission grows through people like you and me, ordinary believers walking with Jesus and helping others do the same. They passed it on faithfully, generation after generation, until over time it reached us — here, in Springfield, today.

The number of the trees is not the most important thing — it’s the health and vibrancy of the trees. Because healthy trees will naturally overflow into healthy numbers. The numbers aren’t the goal — they are the EFFECT of healthy trees. If a tree is healthy from the roots, all the way to the fruit, then it is going to produce more healthy trees. That’s the picture of reproducible discipleship!

Discipleship involves sharing what you love with those you love.  
If you are following Jesus and your love for Him is deepening — because you know how great His love is for you, you know who He is and what He has done — then you will naturally want to share that with others.

We share what we love already in our lives in dozens of ways.
Nathan Rule loves the Raiders. He is always talking about the Raiders. His passion for his footy team is infectious.
We all do this with Movies and TV series, we do this with our hobbies, with our latest life hacks, parenting tips, fitness routines…. etc.
The point is, we share what we love. We naturally want to spread what we delight in. And so when people worship Jesus, the gospel spreads infectiously— it reproduces and multiplies.

Maybe you love Jesus, but you don’t feel like you can share. Why is that the case?
If multiplication is the design, what keeps us from it? What is stopping us from stepping into what Jesus has called us to?

Two of the biggest enemies of discipleship are consumerism and complacency.

Complacency causes us to sit back, keep our distance, and never really put skin in the game. It’s that blasé attitude that says, “I’m fine just where I am.” But Jesus never called anyone to be casual spectators. He called us to be disciples who make disciples.

And then there’s consumerism. Our culture trains us to consume — binge, scroll, devour, repeat. And if we’re not careful, that mindset seeps into our faith: “I’ll just attend. I’ll just watch. I’ll just consume.” Consumerism asks, “What do I get?” But Jesus asks, “Who will you serve?”
Listen to His words in Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus didn’t watch humanity’s battle against sin from the sidelines of heaven. He came down and joined the fight. He didn’t remain a consumer, waiting to see what He could get out of us. He wasn’t complacent about our desperate state apart from Him.

No — He took action. He laid down His life. He served. He gave. He ransomed. As Paul says in Romans 5:8, “ …God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 
That’s the heart of the gospel.

Jesus didn’t come to consume but to be consumed — to pour Himself out for us. He wasn’t complacent about your sin, your shame, your separation from God. He came to deal with it once and for all.
Jesus entered the mess. He carried the cross. He rose again to bring you life. Life to the fullest; life with Him beginning now and continuing throughout eternity.

And so, Discipleship isn’t about earning His love — it starts with receiving His love. It begins with trusting the One who already gave Himself for you.
Discipleship isn’t about fulfilling an obligation, because Jesus has already fulfilled every requirement for you. You just need to trust in His finished work upon the Cross.

That’s the invitation for today - to step off the sidelines, to stop spectating, and to trust in the One who stepped into your battle, who gave His life as a ransom for you.

That’s why discipleship can not be a spectator sport. It’s about participation, not consumption or complacency. You can’t follow Jesus from the sideline. You’ve got to be with Him — on the team, in the game, living it out.

Don’t start with yourself. Discipleship isn’t about you. So stop thinking; “I wouldn’t know what I’m doing.”
“Surely someone else would be better than me.”
“I’m too much of a work in progress to disciple someone.”

But here’s the thing — those statements sound humble, but they’re actually self-focused. They all begin with “I can’t… I don’t… I’m not…” And that’s the problem. Discipleship was never meant to rest on YOUR ability.

The truth is this: discipleship is not about you. You don’t mature people — Jesus does. You don’t transform hearts — the Spirit does. Discipleship is about Jesus. Start with Jesus.

Your role is far simpler: show up. Open the Word. Get to Jesus. Pray. Trust the Spirit. He’s the one who does the work. As Paul reminded the Corinthians, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). That’s discipleship. Faithful presence, trusting God with the fruit.
Our job as pastors and leaders is to equip you - the saints - to build up the body; to help people know, love, and walk with Jesus in a deeper way. To be disciples who make disciples!
“Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12)

That’s why we’ve developed some tools to help aid in simplicity and reproducibility. We want to empower you to grow into a disciple maker, so we've created discipleship content to try to make that aspect of leading as easy as possible. Discipleship isn’t as hard or as scary as you think. It’s simply pointing people to Jesus.
We help you with that by providing the theological content. We provide the questions that help you get to the heart. We train and equip discipleship leaders.

All with the purpose to help you point others to Jesus.
And you know what? It may start basic. It may feel clunky. That’s okay. The best way to learn to be a disciple maker is by being involved in discipleship. If you’ve been consistent in discipleship for a year or two, you’re already beginning to develop the necessary skills through experience. Discipleship is caught as much as it is taught.

So don’t buy the lie that you’ll never be ready or able to disciple. If you’re in Christ, the Spirit has already equipped you with everything you need to start helping others go deeper into their relationship with Jesus.

That being said, I want to acknowledge something important: we don’t just want to throw people in the deep end. Discipleship isn’t sink-or-swim. We want to love people well and equip them for ministry. So let’s get really practical for a moment.

Not yet a disciple of Jesus: Come talk with us. We’d love to introduce you to Him, help you take steps of faith, and even walk with you toward baptism when the time comes.

Believer but not in discipleship:

• If not a member, join the next round of newcomers.
• If a member, talk to your MCG leader about getting into a group.

Member in discipleship: Turn up. Not just for yourself but for others. Your presence is a blessing. Be an active participant and grow in encouraging others to go deeper with Jesus.
If you’ve been in discipleship for a good while and you are feeling like Jesus is calling you to lead others in discipleship, talk to your leader about what moving toward leading might look like and require. Ask them where you need to grow, and be humble enough to take that on.

Parents: Disciple your kids. Use the same framework from this series — Who is God? What has He done? Who am I? Who are we? What old nature remains? What flows out of our new hearts?

And one more, and this is the most important: Pray!

• Be in prayer about your own walk.
• Be in prayer for your discipleship leader.
• Pray for the Spirit to move in you and through you. Ask Him to convict and remove barriers. 

Now, not everyone fits neatly into boxes. People experience gospel growth at different rates and in different seasons. Discipleship is both a science and an art form.

Last session, we talked about how the Holy Spirit is at work. There will be fruit, but it may begin slowly and small.
 
At its heart, discipleship is helping people — wherever they are — take one step closer to Jesus in community. It looks like regularly meeting together and pointing one another towards Jesus! It is encouraging one another to replace the lies that keep trying to creep back in with Gospel truth.

At the very heart of all this is the Great Commission. Matthew 28:18–20 says:
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and 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.’”

Did you catch that last part? “Behold, I am with you ALWAYS” That’s where the power comes from. That’s where the courage comes from. Not from your ability, not from your confidence, not from your perfect words — but because the risen Jesus, who has ALL authority over all things, is WITH YOU always!

So when you step into discipleship, you’re never stepping out on your own. When you open the Bible with someone, when you pray for each other, when you share the gospel with a friend — Jesus is right there with you. His Spirit is empowering you. His authority is backing you. His presence is guiding you.

Discipleship —

• Is not about rules, but a relationship with Jesus.
• It shows God’s heart for us revealed in Jesus. Which we see that most clearly in what He has done in the gospel, through Jesus' life, death and resurrection.
• It empowers us to live out of our new identity; Who I am in Him And Who we are together.
• Strengthens us for the battle with the old self.
• It produces greater Holy Spirt fruit from our new hearts. 
• And it invites us into Christ’s mission to make disciples who make disciples.

And that’s why we are called Disciples Church. It’s not just a name — it’s a mission. To make disciples. To mature disciples. To multiply disciples. 
To carry out the Great Commission right here in Springfield, confident that Jesus Himself is with us every step of the way.