SERMON
NOTES

Today we begin our 5-part All-Church Study series entitled Inside Out: Becoming the Disciple God Calls You to Be. This series has come about after two half-day retreats facilitated by Rev. Gina Yeske in October 2025 and February 2026 for members of DUMC’s Leadership, Small Groups, Staff, and anyone else who chose to attend. Discipleship is at the core of what Jesus taught his followers. Yes, he wants us to know that we are deeply loved by God. But the only logical response is to accept and grow in that love, becoming his children. And the only way we can grow in that love is to be a disciple.

A disciple is more than a “fan,” or even a “follower.” In Jesus’ words:
Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, and take up their cross daily, and follow me
Luke 9:23

Simply put, Jesus said that what is asked of his disciples is:

• Surrender
• Sacrifice
• Submission

In another passage, John 12:24, he explained this in agricultural terms, in the germination of a seed to the “fruit” that results.
“…unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit”
John 12:24

• Surrender => Roots

“Deny themselves” means to relinquish control of oneself, in a sense, dying to oneself. Discipleship begins with the complete surrender of oneself to the One who gave Himself for us on the Cross. It is as if the seed has to give up being a seed and, in a sense, “dies.” It is out of surrender that humility is born, and it is out of humility that the “New Creation” is truly formed. This happens as we immerse ourselves in God through His Word, prayer, and obedience. Within the disciple should be the yearning (in the words of John the Baptizer) that “he – Christ – may increase, and ‘I’ may decrease” (John 3:30). Or in the words of Paul, “It is no longer I that lives, but Christ that lives in me” (Galatians 2:20)

• Sacrifice => Shoots

“Take up their cross daily” is to live sacrificially. Daily. This sacrificial living is two-fold. The first is that every part of our being is to be a “living sacrifice” to God, which is our act of worship (Romans 12:1). Our offering of self is worship. We learn to worship by offering ourselves. The second is in the way we give ourselves (sacrificially) for those God sends us among. This is the process of growth, even as the grain grows above the ground as a shoot with its leaves. There is food production (photosynthesis), energy absorption through chlorophyll for fuel, breathing, and water management. Each part of the plant / tree is not living on its own. Just as we discover our small groups are essential for personal and our corporate life as “church” – this is where not only do we grow through the nurture of others, but we become God’s instruments in others’ lives as well.

• Submission => Fruit

“Follow me” is the submission of our will to His. We go where we see Jesus go. How does this happen? This happens when we allow the Holy Spirit, who God has given to every Christ-follower, to control our lives (See Romans 8:4-17). We begin to think his thoughts, feel his experiences, and reflect the person of Jesus in our lives. Amazingly, as we change, we begin to see the “fruit” of the Spirit becoming increasingly apparent in our lives. We will also discover that as we allow God’s Spirit greater control in our lives, we become more “influential” for the Lord.

In our small groups, we will discover more deeply how we grow as disciples. We will discover that, along with there being a personal aspect of being a disciple, there is also an equally essential corporate aspect of discipleship.

One cannot exist or grow without the other.

Disciples grow through personal belief and behavior as sons and daughters.

But they have to learn to depend on fellow disciples in their faith community to grow as servants, just as Jesus became a servant of all