Episode Transcript
[00:00:07] Speaker A: Welcome to the Weekday Podcast of Sugar Hill Church, where we desire to help you know God and discover your purpose, whether you're exercising, driving, meditating, or just hanging out while you tune in with us today. Thanks. We hope these next five minutes help you feel encouraged and inspired for your day.
[00:00:22] Speaker B: Well, hey friends, welcome to another edition of the Weekday Podcast. Thanks for hanging out with us today. Our hope is that these couple minutes would be encouraging to you. And if you find them helpful, if you don't mind, consider sharing them with a friend. Send them to weekdaypodcast.com and we've got hundreds and hundreds of episodes, a back catalog that surely will be helpful for whatever you're facing today. Well, today I want to think about this model of following Jesus. In modern church world, we call it discipleship. And what's interesting is that in Hebrew culture, discipleship wasn't something new. When Jesus said to his followers, follow me, they had a framework that they would understand.
In fact, rabbis would invite young men to follow them, hoping those young men would hope to be chosen by their rabbi. And the goal was to be with the rabbi, to become like the rabbi and ultimately do what the rabbi did. Now, for us, the goal is to be with Jesus. That's what abiding is about, staying close to him. The second goal is to become like Jesus. That transformation isn't just about information, it's about living it out. And the true test of becoming like Jesus is becoming more loving, as he commanded us to love God and our neighbors. But the third goal is to do what Jesus did.
This is similar to corporate training, where there's that process of step one, I do while you watch. Well, Jesus did this. He lived and his disciples observed. Step two is I do and you help. And Jesus did this. He involved his disciples in the ministry. Stage three is you do and I help and Jesus did this. He empowered his disciples to take the lead. And then ultimately in training, it's stage four, you do and I watch. Jesus did this. He sent them out to continue his work. Well, in Luke 19 we see Jesus staying true to that agenda even in the midst of interruptions. On his way to the cross, he stops for Zacchaeus, a tax collector hated by many. But Jesus remained focused on his mission. And he reminded them in Luke 19, verse 10, for the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which is lost. I think we could learn from his model. Jesus mission was clear and he stayed true to it. Our mission as his followers is to seek and to save that which is lost. It is that reminder that every single person we encounter is made in the image of God and they are meant to have a relationship with God. And just like Zacchaeus climbed a tree to see Jesus, there are people today that are longing to catch a glimpse of Him. And that's where we come in. We are called to help. We're called to show them Jesus love and to guide them into relationship with them. So how can we do that? A couple of takeaways. One is to remain true to our agenda. Our mission is to help people know Jesus. Number two, be interruptible like Jesus, be open to those divine interruptions. And number three, love people like Jesus. Show unconditional love to every single person reflecting his heart. So today I want to encourage you. Let's live out our faith by staying connected to Jesus, being transformed by his presence and helping other people find their way to him. Because here's the reminder. Every person we meet matters to God. And it is our part of the mission to join Jesus in seeking and saving that which is lost. We can't do the saving, but we can introduce them to the one that can. Have a great day. Let's follow the model of Jesus.
[00:03:36] Speaker A: Thanks so much for joining us today for the weekday podcast. Our prayer is that the encouragement you just heard would help you live more like Jesus today. We would love to see you at Sugar Hill Church for one of our gatherings each Sunday at 9, 15 and 11. And we're always streaming live at live Sugarhill Church. Thanks again for joining us today. As always, if today's message encouraged you, share it with friends and family by tapping the share button. Have an awesome day.
