Sermon | 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12| Disciple-Making Secrets
INTRODUCTION
The new Home Group quarter kicks off this week. I want to give some encouragement to our Home Group leaders.
This message applies to anyone in a disciple-making context: Pastors, church leaders, Home Group leaders, and parents.
Home Group leaders are in a disciple-making role. Home Group is not just a social club. We are trying to accomplish something. The ultimate goal is discipleship.
What is discipleship? Helping people become fully-devoted followers of Jesus. Making FDFs.
Making FDFs is challenging. How do we make disciples?
Paul gives us a great example to follow.
TEXT: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
1 For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our visit with you was not without result. 2 On the contrary, after we had previously suffered and were treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, we were emboldened by our God to speak the gospel of God to you in spite of great opposition. 3 For our exhortation didn’t come from error or impurity or an intent to deceive. 4 Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please people, but rather God, who examines our hearts. 5 For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy motives—God is our witness—6 and we didn’t seek glory from people, either from you or from others. 7 Although we could have been a burden as Christ’s apostles, instead we were gentle among you, as a nurse nurtures her own children. 8 We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. 9 For you remember our labor and hardship, brothers and sisters. Working night and day so that we would not burden any of you, we preached God’s gospel to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly, righteously, and blamelessly we conducted ourselves with you believers. 11 As you know, like a father with his own children, 12 we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to walk worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
15 SECRETS FOR MAKING STRONG DISCIPLES
1) Keep sharing the gospel.
1 Thessalonians 2:2 “we were emboldened by our God to speak the Gospel of God to you”
Your first priority is to lead them to a saving relationship with Christ. This is done by sharing the gospel with them.
The gospel must permeate all of your teaching.
They must know that they can never earn heaven.
That the motive for spiritual growth and holy living is not to earn heaven.
That God still loves them, and their salvation is secure even when they fail.
The gospel is our motivation for everything – Jesus died for us, so we live for Him.
Every once in a while, especially if you sense that someone in your group is lost, share the gospel and lead the group in a prayer to receive Christ.
2) Be resilient.
1 Thessalonians 2:2 “we were emboldened by our God to speak the Gospel of God to you in spite of great opposition”
You will face much opposition when you become a disciple-maker.
Fatigue – especially if you are leading and hosting. Leading a group is a much different experience than attending a group. It takes a lot of energy to make sure everyone feels welcome and comfortable; to start and end on time; to keep the discussion on track. If you are hosting you have to get the house company-ready.
Discouragement – when people don’t show up; when people drop out; when nobody volunteers to bring a snack; when nobody wants to talk; when people are mean to each other; when you don’t feel like you are making a difference; when there are a ton of distractions (dogs barking, phones ringing, side conversations, children acting up).
The devil is trying to get you to quit. To win at disciple-making, you must be resilient. Keep planting. Keep sowing. The harvest will come in due time.
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
3) Study your Bible so you can teach it accurately.
1 Thessalonians 2:3 “For our exhortation didn’t come from error”
You must know the truth you teach.
Do you have sound bibliology, Christology, pneumatology? Do you know what the Bible says about creation v. evolution, sexual morality, etc.? Do you know the difference between the filling of the Spirit and the Baptism with the Spirit? Do you know what the Bible says about speaking in tongues, and slavery, and the apocrypha?
There are some very helpful, easy-to read books that cover the basic doctrines. The following are concise explanations of the major doctrines of Christianity.
Christian Beliefs, by Wayne Grudem
Know What You Believe, by Paul Little
Concise Theology, by J. I. Packer
Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, by R. C. Sproul
If a question is raised and you don’t know the answer, admit it, and tell them that you will look up the answer and get back to them.
4) Guard your personal purity.
1 Thessalonians 2:3 “For our exhortation didn’t come from error or impurity”
For God to use you to the fullest, you must be free from sin.
You are like a pipe through which the Holy Spirit flows to others; if the pipe is clogged, then you will be ineffective.
Don’t let the devil disqualify you for ministry by leading you into sin.
5) Avoid hypocrisy.
1 Thessalonians 2:3 “For our exhortation didn’t come from error or impurity or an intent to deceive.”
A hypocrite is someone who does not practice what they preach, but they pretend like they do.
It reminds me the climate-crazies who tell the world they we need to stop using fossil fuels, but then they fly around the world in their private jets. Or the politicians that are against school choice, but they send their kids to the fanciest private schools. Or the president who is against a border fence, but who has a fence up around his house. Or the politician who says he is against abortion, but encourages his daughter to get an abortion.
What’s the problem with hypocrites? They have no credibility. They have no influence. Nobody cares or believes what they say.
If it is found out that you are a hypocrite, you will lose all influence.
6) Focus on pleasing God alone.
1 Thessalonians 2:4 “Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please people, but rather God, who examines our hearts.”
At times, to grow your group or avoid losing people, you will be tempted to please the people you are discipling rather than God.
- To water down the truth.
- To not confront them when they sin.
- To not correct them when they believe the wrong thing.
- To avoid controversial subjects.
- To avoid tough one-on-one conversations that you need to have.
- To let someone dominate the conversation.
- To let someone be a continuous distraction.
To make disciples, you must focus on pleasing God alone.
You must care more about winning with God than winning with people.
You must be willing to disappoint and offend and lose people in order to do what is best for them and the group.
7) Avoid flattery.
1 Thessalonians 2:5 “For we never used flattering speech, as you know”
Giving people undo praise so they will like you.
Examples:
- Your hair looks so good!
- I love your shoes!
- I love your new car!
- That’s a really great insight!
- I just love to hear you pray!
- Your kids are so well-behaved!
- I really see you growing!
Praising others can be encouraging. But if your language is filled with flattery, eventually people will pick up on it, and your praise will no longer encourage people.
We need to be truth tellers, speaking the truth in love. Be truthful with your words of affirmation.
8) Avoid greedy motives.
1 Thessalonians 2:5 “For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy motives – God is our witness”
You must be trustworthy with money.
At times the group will entrust you with money to help someone in need. Or the church may give you some money to meet a particular need in your group. Be sure to be above reproach with how you steward money.
9) Don’t seek glory from people.
1 Thessalonians 2:6 “and we didn’t seek glory from people”
It can be tempting to try grow your attendance to make you look good. So that you will receive praise from people.
You might find yourself bragging about how many are in your group, or embarrassed about how few are in your group. You might feel some jealousy when you hear that another group is thriving, but yours is struggling.
Don’t seek the praise and admiration of people.
Remember why you are in this: To make disciples.
Just because someone has a bigger group doesn’t mean they are making more disciples, or any disciples.
Focus on the people you have, and on discipling them the best you can.
10) Be gentle.
1 Thessalonians 2:7 “Although we could have been a burden as Christ’s apostles, instead we were gentle among you, as a nursing mother nurtures her own children.”
Avoid arguments; avoid raising your voice; avoid insults; always keep your cool.
It’s possible to win an argument but lose a soul.
You can’t force people into heaven. You can’t bully people into heaven. You can’t intimidate people into heaven.
11) Share your life.
1 Thessalonians 2:8 “We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.”
Develop friendships with them.
Get to know them as best you can, and let them get to know you.
Get involved in their lives.
Do things outside of Home Group with them.
12) Love them.
1 Thessalonians 2:8 “We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.”
Allow yourself to develop a deep affection for them.
Once in this passage Paul says the discipler is like a mother with her children (1 Thess 2:7), and once he says that the discipler is like a father with his children (1 Thess 2:11).
Home Group members are not customers; they are not teammates; they are not classmates; they are not coworkers; they are Christian family.
This affection will help you tolerate their differences and annoyances, and will help you to put more effort into serving them.
13) Meet their needs.
1 Thessalonians 2:9 “For you remember our labor and hardship, brothers and sisters. Working night and day so that we would not burden any of you, we preached God’s gospel to you.”
Instead of accepting a salary from them, Paul worked on the side as a tent-maker. He did this because he did not want to be a burden on them.
The transferable principle is to meet your group’s needs. If they have a financial need, help them; if they have an emotional need, help them; if they are sick, help them.
As you meet their physical needs, they are more willing to let you lead them spiritually.
14) Set an example.
1 Thessalonians 2:10 “You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly, righteously, and blamelessly we conducted ourselves with you believers.”
They will learn just as much from what you do as from what you say.
Give them a picture of what you want them to become.
Be consistent at church. Have a daily quiet time. Be a tither. Teach your kids the Bible at home. Develop a healthy marriage. Clean up your language.
15) Teach them to walk worthy of our God.
1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 “As you know, like a father with his own children, 12 we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to walk worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.”
Use the discussion time to teach people to be strong disciples of Jesus Christ.
Paul uses three words to describe the disciple-maker’s teaching task:
Encourage/Exhort.
To call upon someone to do something (Acts 15:32).
Don’t just teach them what the Bible says; challenge them to do it.
Comfort.
When they struggle; when they go through hard times; when they fail; when they face persecution; ease their pain.
Remind them that God loves them; that the church loves them; that growth is hard, and takes a long time; that we all fail; that we all go through hard times; etc.
Implore.
Beg, plead.
At times, you must make emotional appeals to repent and follow Christ in obedience.
The goal of discipleship is to lead our disciples to walk worthy of God. In other words, to be Christ-like.
How do we lead them to Christlikeness? Lead them to take their next step in Christ. The following are Nine Steps to Full Devotion: 1) Attend church on Sundays. 2) Trust in Christ as Lord and Savior. Baptism. 3) Attend the Newcomer’s Lunch and join the church. 4) Plug in to a Home Group. 5) Serve in a regular ministry. 6) Have a daily quiet time. 7) Tithe. 8) Witness to others and invite them to church.
WAYS TO SUPPORT YOUR HG LEADER
For a Home Group to be an effective garden for growing disciples, there are some ways that Home Group members can help. 1) Be consistent. 2) Do your homework: Listen to the sermon and fill your Discussion Guide. 3) Bring your Bible. 4) Communicate clearly if you plan to attend or not. 5) Sign up to bring refreshments. 6) Help with cleanup afterwards.
CONCLUSION
Home Group can become a close-knit group of friends who have fun together, grow together, serve together, and care for one another.
Before we start the new quarter, let’s pray for our Home Group leaders.
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