January, 22nd 2012 - "Abiding" (sermon audio)

The first step in becoming a disciple who makes disciples is being a disciple yourself.

Spiritual fruit comes from the overflow of our fellowship with God. The more deeply we are connected with Christ and

walking with Him, the more fruit there will be. The best investment you can make in combating the evil or advancing

the Gospel or serving the poor is to focus first on your relationship with Jesus. To commit by yourself as his apprentice -

to learn everything he said and to seek to apply it all the time. Abiding in Christ, is the most basic and necessary

commitment needed from a believer to grow into a more devoted follower of Christ.

"You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can

bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 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."

(John 15:3-5)

When we become believers, the Holy Spirit - or the Spirit of Christ - comes to live within us, to be ever present in our

life, to intercede for us, to remind us of everything Jesus said. He stays in us ... present all the time ... active all the

time. What would it look like for us to stay in Jesus all the time, to be present with him all the time, to be active with

him all the time? That's what Jesus is talking about.

We all need to develop our own Rule of Life to grow as disciples who make disciples. Basically, this is a game plan for

spiritual growth. A Rule of Life involves a rhythm for living that helps us abide in Christ and grow more connected to Him.

To begin crafting a strategy for spiritual transformation, Pastor John Ortberg suggests these initial questions:

1. How and when will I pray?

2. How can I approach my work in a way that will help Christ to be formed in me?

3. How will I handle money in a way that draws me closer to God?

4. How will I invest in Christian community (such as corporate worship, fellowship and confession)?

5. How can I fill my daily tasks with a sense of the presence of God?

The first step in becoming a disciple who makes disciples is being a disciple yourself, and the crucial and most basic

element of being a disciple of Jesus is choosing to abide in Him daily.