DEEPER IN DISCIPLESHIP

A question to explore today – is there one thing you can do to POSITION yourself to go deeper in God? 

Coming to Jesus. Understanding our sins forgiven, adopted into God’s family, life has meaning and purpose. Then the process of following Jesus begins.  

Doesn’t just happen. Needs work on our part.  

Are spiritual lessons we can learn from modern deep sea diving – about how to go deeper in God. 

Also like to look at one heart attitude revealed in Scripture (embodied by Jesus) that can make all the difference in our journey with God. 

1 Breathe. Divers MUST learn special technique of breathing (for relaxation, oxygenate the blood and critically to survive!) STAY CONNECTED TO JESUS. OUR SOURCE. 

Jesus invites us to abide in Him: a place of safety, rest, intimacy, empowerment, faith.  

Matthew 11:28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” 

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. 

How to abide: 

• PRAYER: Talking to God. Lifestyle of prayer. We are called to pray unceasing/continually. Encouraged to be persistent even when it seems prayer is unanswered (Parable of the persistent widow).   1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.       

• WORD. God talks to us. Soak in the Word. Search out Jesus’ heart and mind in every book of the Bible. Ray Comfort: “OT is Jesus concealed; NT Jesus revealed”.  Word of God has the power to transform our lives. 2 Tim 3:16.  

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 

2 Decompress: divers must get rid of potentially harmful nitrogen that forms in the body under pressure… Likewise we are to get rid of those things that are potentially harmful to our spiritual walk. 

• Scripture talks about casting off those things that hinder and entangle us. 

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith 

HINDERS … even good things that are just a distraction. ENTANGLEMENTS. 

Good to self-reflect. Anything hindering or entangling me. Solution – throw off and LOOK TO JESUS. KEEP HIM IN CENTRE OF OUR LIVES. HE STARTED OUR WALK AND PROMISES TO KEEP US ON TRACK AS WE PURSUE HIM. 

• Make room for life-giving oxygen.  CULTIVATE A HEART ATTITUDE OF HUMILITY: Going lower to go deeper. Empty of self.  

Quote on humility (unsure of source): “Humility is not about thinking less of ourselves; it’s thinking of ourselves less.” 

Jesus modelled that humility. He thought of us when he went to the cross. 

Romans 5:8. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.  

Paul identifies that a focus outside of ourselves helps to break the bondage of pride and cultivate humility. 

Philippians 2:3. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 

Paul modelled humility (glad “prisoner for the Lord”) and encouraged it in others. Recognised humility paved the way for unity. 

Paul’s teaching 

Ephesians 4:1-3 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 

Jesus teaching: Mk 10.45; Mt 23:12. 

Jesus example. 

John 13:3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.  

SKIP TO 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. 

“Jesus knew” – we can only walk in humility if we are secure in who we are in God. Insecure people cannot walk in humility.  

“Blessed if you do them” – called to be doers and not hearers only.  

As we “fix our eyes on Jesus”, it is hard not to fall in love with Him repeatedly…. 

• BEAUTY OF JESUS. He would have washed Judas’ feet! 

• COMPASSION OF JESUS. He weeps at Lazarus tomb.  

• POWER OF JESUS. Easter – HE ROSE! Joshua and Revelation. Warrior who battles for us! 

• RESTRAINT OF JESUS. Pilate. Angry mob. Compared to Moses who strikes rock with the stone. (SIDE NOTE: Leadership lesson from Moses: don’t let the provocations of others cause you to sabotage your calling). 

Jesus’ humble mindset is captured in Philippians 2.  

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 

7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

• Determine: I will be a learner of Jesus. I will exalt Jesus. “He must be greater; I must become less”. Jn 3:30. 

• Humility sets us free, draws us near. Place of safety and freedom. 

• Pride chokes us, draw us away from God. Keeps us bound. 

• Danger of the Pharisee. Loaded with head knowledge - but never applied to the heart. Mt 23:3.  Make it an ambition: I will apply SOMETHING. I will LEARN OF JESUS. Even little progress brings the favour of God (talents – Mt 25:14-30). 

3 LIVE OUT OF A CHANGED ENVIRONMENT.  

The diver’s tank – no matter how deep the diver goes, he or she takes the “above water” environment with them. 

We are citizens of Heaven. Wherever we go, we take the Holy Spirit with us. Don’t sabotage our influence through compromise. 

Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. 

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

Other refs: John 17:14-17. 2 Cor 5:17. Gal 2:20 

4 DIVE BUDDIES. WE NEED EACH OTHER. 

No lone rangers.  

Don’t despise the gift of fellowship. We need each other.  

Mentors/being a mentor. 

Connect groups. More than 100 people participated in the launch of Connect Groups 2025. Wouldn’t it be great if we could get all involved?  

Acts 2:46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. 

Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 

Paul’s example of interdependence. 

A CHALLENGING THOUGHT: How deep we go depends on our capacity to allow people into our lives. We can choose to cap out the depth of our spiritual growth by our willingness to let others invest in our lives and for us to invest in the lives of others. 

CLOSE: We are called to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. James 1:22.  

Illustration – imagine this scenario at a medical clinic. Doctor gives patient a prescription. “Take those pills three times a day for a week”. Patient goes back in a week’s time. Doctor: “How did you go?” Patient: “Not so great. I memorised the prescription, shared it with my friends. Translated the instructions into Greek and Hebrew. Opened the pill bottle, looked at them, held them up to the light, put them back in the bottle, closed the lid. It didn’t help me at all.”  

No amount of Bible reading/teaching makes one iota of difference to our lives if not applied in some way. But imagine what your life might look like if applied… if took one step closer to going deeper.   

• How might my life look different if I did this …? 

What steps do I need to take today to go deeper? To be discipled/disciple others? 

• BREATHE: Set aside time with God? 

• DECOMPRESS: Let go of things that hold us back and choke our spiritual life. 

• LIVE OUT OF A CHANGED ENVIRONMENT: Live out of my identity in Christ – being faithful to Him in my witness; not conformed to the world but transformed by Christ. 

• DIVE BUDDIES. Join a connect group – lead a connect group. Invest in others. Let others invest in you.  

• A MESSAGE FOR THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW JESUS. Encourage you to think deeply about Jesus. Ask deep questions about meaning of life, purpose of life. World messed up. Yep. That’s right. Beautiful but broken. SIN. REALITY OF SIN, PENALTY OF SIN. GOD’S LOVE – BORE THAT PENALTY SO YOU COULD BE RIGHT WITH GOD. He has done everything possible. Now it’s over to you. What will you do with GIFT he offers? He invites you to receive gift of eternal life from Him today.