We’re in the middle of a series at the moment, exploring what it means to have the heart of a disciple. People can choose to be a disciple of any great teacher, leader or philosopher, learning from them and seeking to emulate them, but we want to know what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. In Matthew 4 we see the start of this discipleship journey for 2 of Jesus’ 12 disciples. It says:

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” Mt 4:18–19 (NIV)

If we look at this passage, we can see there are 2 parts to being a disciple…first of all Jesus called them, and He calls us, to follow Him, which Ps Sean unpacked so beautifully 2 weeks ago. And secondly, we are sent out.

Discipleship is both our own personal journey of becoming more like Jesus, and it’s also the act of going out into our community and encouraging others along their faith journey as well.

But what is it that Jesus called Peter and Andrew to do? I find it interesting that when Jesus talks to Peter and Andrew, He uses the phrase ‘…to fish for people’ or other translations say, ‘fishers of men’. When we hear this terminology, we assume there’s going to be something they can relate to from the experiences they had as fisherman. Maybe what they had learned in their trade, Jesus was now asking them to apply to their new calling. But it’s not necessarily going to be about the tangible things, like how to fix a net, how to fillet a fish or how to sail a boat. We need to think a bit more broadly about the character traits that have been developing over their years out on the boats and in the marketplace. Characteristics like discipline to get up early, resourcefulness to manage through the ebbs and flows of seasons and supply, determination to keep going, courage to face storms and rolling seas, and patience when it took longer than they hoped to get a catch.

If we apply this to our own lives, we can ask ourselves the question: What have I learned along my faith journey, what has God been teaching me…not just practical skills like how to fix a computer, how to take blood pressure for a patient or how to teach a child to read, but how has God been developing my character and more importantly, deepening my faith and strengthening my relationship with Him?

When you look back over your life, do you see ways that God has been developing your character, calling you to have a closer relationship with Him and inviting you to follow Him?

Being a follower of Jesus means choosing to invite him into every area of our lives, but the key word is ‘follow’, which means we have to let Him lead.

If you decide to take up hiking and you meet someone who’s a seasoned trail guide and invite them to come along, you’d be wise to let them lead from the front rather than tag along at the back. They’ll be able to point out beautiful scenery, suggest the shortest route, provide tips on how to make the hike as enjoyable as possible and warn against hazards along the way.

It’s the same for us as we journey through life. Ps Bek spoke last week about the difference between making the decision to be a Christian and making the decision to be a disciple.

Asking someone to come along on the hike is like the moment when you ask Jesus to come into your life, but asking Him to lead your life is like asking an experienced hiker to guide the bushwalk.

Saying ‘yes’ to Jesus is only the first step in a lifelong journey of walking with him, appreciating his wisdom, encouragement and guidance when we hit steep or rocky patches, learning the best paths to take and enjoying beautiful moments along the way.

The disciples had the benefit of living and walking with Jesus for 3 years. They saw how he responded to situations and how he handled life’s circumstances. Unfortunately, we can’t just walk up to Jesus and ask his advice on whether we should invest in the stock market or how we should parent our children in the digital age. You can’t turn to the verse finder at the back of your bible and search for the word ‘social media’ or ‘stock market’, but does that mean the Bible doesn’t have any advice on these issues? If we want God’s thoughts on investing in the stock market, we might have to ask a different question, like ‘What does the bible say about our finances?’ When we do this, we see that God does speak about being good stewards of our finances and He also reminds us not to be greedy or store up treasures in barns. If we spend time reading about the life of Jesus in the bible, we start to get a better picture of his character and the Godly principles he lived by and taught. We see how he treated people and handled situations with care, patience, generosity, forgiveness, humility and service.

We don’t come to understand and know all of these things the moment we say ‘yes’ to Jesus.

When we decide to follow someone, we start watching what they do and asking questions like ‘How did you do that?’ or ‘Why did you do it that way?’ We gradually start to understand things the way they do, think the way they think, behave in similar ways and share the same attitudes. We begin to mirror the things we admire in them, and it should be the same if we truly want to be more like Jesus.

The disciples didn’t stop growing and learning when they met Jesus, and neither do we. Jesus meets us wherever we encounter Him on life’s journey. It doesn’t matter if we’re a child when we first meet Jesus, whether we’re a 35yr old man or a 62yr old woman. He works with the skills, gifts, life experiences and personalities we each have, and gently molds us if we’re willing to learn from his example and his teaching. As we dive into His word and spend time in conversation with Him, we will develop a greater understanding of the Father’s heart and His ways. This is what it means to choose to be a disciple or follower of Jesus.

So, what does it look like to follow Jesus? What is it He calls us to do?

Over the next 3 weeks we’re going to look at 3 aspects of our calling.

We’re called to care, we’re called to be generous, and we’re called to serve, and as we do these things it has an impact on the community we’re told to go out and share the Good News with.

A HEART TO CARE

In 1 Peter 2:21, we see Jesus set the ultimate example of doing good for others… Jesus cared so much for us that He was prepared to sacrifice His own life in order to save us and restore us to a right relationship with our Heavenly Father.

“For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.” 1 Peter 2:21 (NLT)

When we invite Jesus into our life, we have to daily choose whether we’re going to let Him take the lead or if he’s just invited to tag along for the ride. If we choose to let Him lead, then we are called to follow in His footsteps…we’re called to do good and care for others.

YOU ARE CALLED TO CARE.

If we look at Timothy, he served with Paul in preaching the Good News…and Paul equates this to genuinely caring about the welfare of the people. In Phil 2 he says:

I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare. All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ. Phil 2:20-21 NLT

What mattered to Jesus was caring for the condition of people’s hearts...He saw the lonely, the doubting, those in pain, those who were anxious and those who were disappointed. He saw beyond what was happening on the surface and recognized what was going on in their hearts.

Some of us will be called to care for others through teaching the word like Timothy, or sharing the Good News, but others will be called to care through praying for people, supporting them financially or providing for their practical needs.

What is God asking you to do to care for the condition of someone else’s heart?

Faith by its very nature is invisible, so we can’t meet the physical, emotional or spiritual needs of our community merely by speaking about our faith, but by putting our faith into action. James says:

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well” – but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. (Jam 2:14-17 NLT)

The challenge for all of us is for our actions to speak louder than our words. It’s interesting to see how closely people will watch our every move once they know we’re a Christ follower, and how quickly they will pick us up on language and behaviours they don’t expect to see in a person of faith. On the other hand, some people don’t even mention their faith, but people notice their calmness or positive attitude in stressful situations, their generosity and kindness, their willingness to forgive, and people start to wonder and ask what makes them different.

James says,

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for the orphans and widows in their trouble and refusing to let the world corrupt you. (Jam 1:27 NLT)

‘Care’ is a verb, it’s a doing word. If we say we care but we don’t do anything to demonstrate that care, we’re not really showing that we care at all.

TO SAY YOU CARE BUT NOT ACT IS TO NOT CARE AT ALL.

TRUE COMPASSION DEMANDS ACTION

If we are to be disciples or followers of Jesus, we need to look at the example He sets. Over and over again we see Jesus’ care and compassion towards others. Compassion is the feeling that arises when we’re confronted with another person’s suffering and feel compelled to do something to relieve that suffering. Compassion motivates us to take action.

If we look at just a few examples from the bible, we see the constant connection between Jesus’ compassion and His actions.

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Matt 14:14

Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him. Matt 20:34

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. Mark 6:33-34

THE STORY OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN

In Luke’s gospel, Jesus is questioned by an expert in religious law. He’s keen to find out what he has to do to receive eternal life. He knows what the scriptures say about loving God with all your heart and he knows that the scriptures say to love your neighbor as yourself.

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?" Luke 10:29 NIV

The Message version says ‘He was looking for a loophole’, a way to excuse himself…

In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. Luke 10:30-32 NIV

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE AN EXCUSE TO JUSTIFY NOT GETTING INVOLVED.

We can be too busy, too tired, not enough money, too shy, too proud or too old, but the first thing we need to realise about compassion is that it can often be inconvenient.

1. Compassion INCONVENIENCES

When Jesus shares this story, he chooses a man who was despised within the Jewish society to be the hero. It goes on to say:

Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. Luke 10:33-34 (NLT)

God doesn’t need us to be wealthy or spiritually mature, popular or well-respected. He can use anyone who sees people, feels compassion and is willing to go.

What does compassion look like to you?

Is it ever inconvenient?

I’m sure we can all think of those moments when the Holy Spirit is prompting us to do something, and an internal dialogue goes on, wrestling between what would be easy or comfortable, and what we think God could be suggesting.

Do you ever sense the Holy Spirit prompting you to message or call someone who’s been on your mind?

Compassion can be doing something practical like making extra meals and dropping them off at someone’s house.

It may mean giving money that you were setting aside for something else, or visiting someone after a long day at work when you could easily just head home.

Sometimes it might mean having the courage to speak up and defend someone, and at other times it can be just sitting quietly beside someone when they receive bad news or lose a loved one.

What if our willingness to be inconvenienced and our obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit leads to a moment where God shows up for someone who didn’t think God cared?

Just like the Good Samaritan, all we’re asked to do is really see the people around us, feel compassion for them…and then go and do something to ease or relieve their suffering.

2. Compassion COSTS

Not only can care and compassion be inconvenient, it can also come with a cost. There is a cost to compassion. The Good Samaritan took time out of his journey to care for the man, he used his own donkey to transport him, his own oil, wine and bandages to patch him up and his own money to pay for the man’s lodging and care. Sometimes there will be a financial cost to caring for others, but it can also involve sacrificing some of our time or resources. In some circumstances, showing compassion may put us at odds with the people around us…there can be a cost to our pride, our status or our relationships.

Compassion can cost us, but I guarantee it’s worth it…God is more concerned about the condition of our hearts and the hearts of others, than he is about our comfort.

But this isn’t just something that we’re responsible for as individuals. As a community of believers, we should be known for our compassion. As a church, we are called to care for others.

If we read Luke 10:35, it says,

The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, 'Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.' Luke 10:35 (NLT)

Have you ever considered what the inn represents in the story of the Good Samaritan? Have you ever considered who the innkeeper might be in our modern context?

In the same way the Samaritan brought the injured man to the inn, we can bring our family and friends to the house of God. But it’s not a drop and run situation, it’s a partnership. It says, ‘…the man put him on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.’ But then interestingly, it says he gave 2 silver coins to the innkeeper and asked him to take care of him until he returns.

I’m not sure how often we consider what our tithes and giving achieves. It isn’t just a Sunday thing. Just like the innkeeper would have had staff to welcome the guests, prepare the meals and clean the rooms, we have staff who look after the maintenance of this building and the administration of everything that goes on, as well as pastors who are reaching out and following up throughout the week to help people connect, grow and overcome challenges within their lives…we, the church, all of us, are here in this building and out in our community 7 days a week…to care for people.

So, before I highlight some of the acts of kindness and care that have taken place in the last 6 months, I firstly want to acknowledge the innkeepers of this house…Pastors Sean and Lynda, and the staff in the inn…our administrative and pastoral staff who do all sorts of things behind the scenes, as well as the amazing number of people who serve voluntarily on Sunday and throughout the week to help care for our community and beyond.

When we think about care, one of the things we invite everyone to be involved in each week is sharing praise reports and prayer needs. Since the start of 2024, we’ve received over 420 prayer requests and praise reports and this year a team has started making calls to people in the evenings to offer to pray with them over the phone.

Conservatively we’ve had over 250 pastoral care interactions in the last 6 months. Over half have been happy just to receive a phone call or text from the prayer or pastoral care team, but at least a third of them have had a visit to their home or hospital, or met with someone from our team for a coffee and chat. In addition, we’ve provided meals, baby packs, flowers and home help depending on the circumstances. And this doesn’t include the amount of prayer and pastoral care that Danny and Skye do with our teenagers and young adults as well.

On Sunday, during our services, we have a host team that care for people that are new to our church community or new to the faith. In the first half of 2024 we’ve had over 300 people come to LifeUC for the first time and almost half of them are now connected in some way through coming to an event, joining a Life Group or serve team, or getting involved in KidsLife or Young Rising.

One of the things I love about this church is that it’s not just about caring for the people within our own community…

CCC

We receive an average of 500 visits per week.

We have about 750 active members.

Our food relief network includes 12 partners reaching over 1200 additional households per week.

The Tech Shed is serving on average 25 customers a week, offering computer maintenance and sales

The Harvest Kitchen is producing on average 200 meals per week

The Cafe serves on average 35 customers per two-hour shift (3 days a week)

We are rescuing over 2,000 Kilos of fruit and veg from supermarkets each week which equates to 1000 meals

Any Fruit, veg and bread that’s not fit for human consumption is passed on to farmers, significantly reducing waste to landfill.

And this doesn’t even touch on what we do to care for other nations through the financial support we provide to our field workers in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Mozambique and Lesotho.

But I’m not telling you these things to brag about our senior leaders or our staff, because they certainly don’t do it on their own. Does this mean all you need to do is just hand over a bit of money each week, brush off your hands and expect the ‘church’ to do it all? No. The reality is that none of us could do what we do without each other…our tithes and offerings, our time, our gifts and talents help us all care for the people in this church community, as well as our local and global community. It’s a partnership. Remember, the man used his own donkey, he brought the man to the inn, he cared for him, but he also made a contribution to the inn so they could continue taking care of the person when he wasn’t there to do it himself, and he came back again to help in whatever way he could, which in this case was an offer to reimburse the innkeeper for any further expenses.

3) Compassion CHANGES LIVES.

When we work together, we see that compassion changes lives. Jesus concludes his story by asking the religious leader:

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." Luke 10:36-37

So, what does Jesus command us to do as disciples?

In John 13 He says:

So now I am giving you a new commandment. Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.

John 13:34-35 (NLT)

Jesus says we should love and care for others in the same way that He loves and cares for us. So, before we consider how to care for others, I want to ask if you know that Jesus loves you?

Have you experienced His love, do you know what it feels like to be forgiven, accepted and loved unconditionally by our Heavenly Father?

For some, you may have invited Jesus to come along for the ride at some point in your life. You’ve been calling yourself a Christian but if you’re being completely honest, you haven’t really been following Christ, instead you’ve given Him a position at the back of the hiking group. You’re not reading the manual he offered or asking for His advice on anything. Jesus lets us decide who’s coming on our journey and what role each person plays. He also gives us free will to choose how much we want Him to be involved in our life. He’ll never make Himself the leader without your invitation. Today I want to encourage you to invite Jesus to take the lead, to get to know Him again and listen to the expert advice He has for every aspect of your life.

For others, you may have never let Jesus into your life. Just like the hiker, you’re walking life’s journey on your own without an expert guide leading the way. If you want to take the first step today, you can ask Jesus to join you on the journey of life. But more importantly, I would recommend that you ask him to take the lead, and that is a daily decision for all of us as we swing our legs out of bed each morning and put our feet on the floor…are we going to take the lead today or are we going to choose to follow Jesus?

SALVATION PRAYER

Call to Action

Once we’re secure in the knowledge that we’re loved by God, Jesus calls us to love and care for one another. As you leave here today, ask God what He’s personally calling you to do. For some people, he could be bringing to mind particular people or circumstances that you’ve been ignoring or avoiding because it’s going to be an inconvenience on your time; maybe God is challenging you to rethink your understanding of tithing this morning and how we need to work together to care for our community; for others you might walk up into the cafe after the service and chat with one of our ministry leaders at the market day to see how you can get involved in serving.

Jesus says, ‘Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love, your care, your compassion for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.’