First Steps
Matthew 22:35-40
Message #4
Last weekend was all about “Coming to Faith in Jesus Christ.” We started with a message called “Here’s Your Sign,” where we looked at the incredible signs Jesus left us on his way to the cross. Our second message was a podcast called, “Signs of Love,” which is a podcast about the path to the Cross. And then our third message was “Beat Death!” and we laid out as clearly as we could, how you and I can beat death by putting our faith in Jesus as our Savior and Lord. And then, today’s message is titled, “First Steps.”
And if you weren’t here for those messages, I’d encourage you to listen to or watch them. I’ll put them all in a “Topical Series” on the Word By Mail phone app and wordbymail.com and I’ll call the mini-series “Beat Death” because I like that title best.
So, after these messages about putting your faith in Christ to receive eternal life, today we need to consider the first steps a new believer should take in order to begin living in the new life that Jesus Christ has given you.
The church at large has always known the first steps for a new believer are critical. And by far, the biggest approach we see to address this critical first step is to give that new believer a Bible (maybe even a New Believer Bible) and tell them to go read the Gospel of John.
And of course, I’ve done that more times than I can count and we as a church have given away cases and cases of New Believer Bibles. But can I tell you please – from my personal experience – over twenty-seven years of doing that exact thing, I can tell you most of those new believers never read much (if any) of that New Believer’s Bible.
And so, the question has to be WHY does this approach (most of the time) not work?
Is there a chance that the answer has to do with the type of God that our God is? Is there a chance that sending someone off on their own to learn about God doesn’t work because that is not the type of God that our God is?
Listen closely, please – because this statement should absolutely set the course for the first steps for every new believer (and every believer for that matter). Are you ready for the direction setting statement…? Our God is a RELATIONAL GOD.
God created Mankind in order to have a relationship with us. When God created Adam and Eve in the Garden, he didn’t give them “study material” to go off and absorb on their own. God created a beautiful place for Adam and Eve where he could have real relationship with them.
And then sin severed that relationship, and from Genesis Chapter 3 on, God put into action the plan to restore his relationship with Mankind that sin had severed.
That plan was fulfilled in Jesus Christ! He paid the price to redeem us (to buy us back) to the place of intimate relationship that God created us to have with him!
Our God is a relational God and we know that a real relationship with God is what we were created for and what we were redeemed for.
But, is it just that vertical relationship with God that we were redeemed for – by Christ? Or, was it also to redeem us to right relationships with other people in our lives?
Turn over to Matthew Chapter 22. The religious leaders here are nipping at the heals of Jesus, like little Chihuahua’s protecting their turf. We pick it up in verses 35-38.
Matthew 22:35–38 (NLT)
35 One of [the chihuahua’s], an expert in religious law, tried to trap [Jesus] with this question:
36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
The first and greatest commandment is this: Be Restored to a RIGHT Vertical Relationship with God
LOVE GOD:
1) with your HEART - (your innermost being)
2) with your SOUL – (all that makes you up as a person)
3) with your MIND – (with all your choices)
But then, (in the next verse), Jesus links a second commandment to the first. It is still THE (singular) Greatest Commandment but now it becomes two commandments – linked together.
Matthew 22:39 (NLT)
39 A second (commandment) is equally important (the Greek word means “to be linked’ together – the second is ‘Linked Together’ with the first): ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
First, let’s clear up the obvious… no, Jesus is not saying “love yourself.” We don’t need his encouragement to do that. Jesus is re-stating what we call “The Golden Rule.” Write this down.
Matthew 7:12 (NLT)
12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
This second part – is us living in RIGHT horizontal relationships with the people in our lives.
We read in Matthew 22, verse 40,
Matthew 22:40 (NLT)
40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Having a right Vertical Relationship with God
Having right Horizontal Relationships with others
And all that we need to learn about God will flow out of these two right relationship areas.
Our God is a relational God, and if God made us to be in right relationship with him and with others around us, doesn’t it make sense that as we begin to learn how to follow him, that we first learn to do that IN a right relationship with God and IN a right relationship with others around us?
Guys, the first steps for every believer must be to begin developing a right vertical relationship with God and right horizontal relationships with others.
I know you can hand someone the Gospel of John and they can go learn about Jesus – all on their own.
In the very first years here, and in Menifee, we were very involved in the Harvest Crusades (with Greg Laurie) follow-up. We loved the whole thing with helping people get connected. They would start the counselor training (those who go on the field to get the card filled out) by saying, “Listen, we know that only ten percent of the people who respond to the altar call each night will actually ever take a first step in following Jesus.” And they’re trying to motivate the counselors to do a good job on the field because only one out of ten people will follow Jesus. Honestly, after decades, I think ten percent is a little generous, a little optimistic.
Because, what’s missing? A relationship is missing.
We have made the phone calls. We’ve been committed to following up with those people, we get all their phone numbers, and make the phone calls. Here’s what happens most of the time (over ninety percent). They never take the first call. You leave a voice mail; they never call you back. And you call a couple of times.
If they “mistakenly” answer your call (I know this is hard, but it’s true) they say, “I’m good.” “Oh, are you going to church?” “Well, I watch a guy on Sunday morning on TV. He’s pretty funny.” “Are you reading the Bible?” “I’m not really sure where it’s at – but anyway, thanks for calling. I appreciate it.” And they get off the phone as fast as possible because there is no relationship.
And why should we think when a relational God created us to be in relationship, and his first commandment is a vertical and horizontal relationship, why would we think that we could take the same approach as an unknown salesperson and reach someone for Christ? It’s a little hard, right?
I’ve been struggling with this for a long time, twenty-seven years in formal church leadership. My only desire every Sunday – get somebody saved, help them follow Jesus. Twenty-seven years later, I’m like, hey maybe there is something we’re doing that we’re not really getting it. That’s where this message comes from – from me personally.
But – wouldn’t a relational God who created us for relationship rather us learn about Jesus – in relationship?
As believers, we best learn how to have a right relationship with God and how to have right relationships with others in a relational environment! That is the big idea here.
Let’s look at just one verse that sums up the environment Jesus created to disciple the original twelve. We could read one hundred verses that make this same truth clear. But let’s look closely at Mark 3 verse 14.
Mark 3:14 (ESV)
14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him . . .
What does that mean – that they might be with him?
It means Jesus created an environment of constant relationship with these twelve men. The Greek verb “WITH” (with him) – implies a “duration of action.” It means they were constantly with Jesus. And then their discipleship (their training) occurred within that relational environment.
And then, if we go beyond Jesus and look at how disciples were made in the Book of Acts, we can easily see that disciples were always made in the context of close, committed relationships. In the same chapter where the Holy Spirit was first poured out on the church – in Acts Chapter 2 – at the very beginning of the New Testament Church, we read in Acts 2 verse 42,
Acts 2:42 (NLT)
42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
The believers were devoted to studying God’s teaching
Within the environment:
of fellowship
of sharing life together
of praying together
The word for “fellowship” here – is KOINONIA. It means – the intimate sharing of life.
They were eating together, praying together, having communion with God and with one another. The first believers in the New Testament Church were devoted to having their lives transformed in the environment of close, committed relationships.
Guys, tomorrow, April 29, 2019, it has been forty years (exactly) since I committed my life to Jesus Christ and my wife’s forty years with Jesus anniversary is three days later – the day before her birthday. For forty years (tomorrow) we’ve been following Jesus.
But there have been times in those forty years that we have not had anyone close to us that we were following Jesus with, and I can assure you during those times we were not really growing – as disciples! In fact, the biggest reason we started our first church in Menifee (twenty-seven years ago), was because we wanted a group of people in our own neighborhood that we could follow Jesus with. And after forty years of following Jesus, and over thirty years helping others follow Jesus, I can tell you without a doubt we are not meant to follow Jesus alone.
The truth is, most Christians cannot grow in their relationship with Jesus on their own.
But listen, it’s not just about having friends. We’ve got to learn to build a relationship with God and relationships with other people that are intentional.
Jesus didn’t just hang out with the twelve. Their time together was very intentional. The first disciples in the New Testament didn’t just hang out together. Their time together was very intentional. They were devoted to studying God’s teachings – while they were living life together.
So, what does this intentional relationship with other believers that is so critical to our spiritual growth look like?
Turn over to Hebrews 10, verses 24, and the beginning of verse 25.
Hebrews 10:24-25(a) (NLT)
24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another . . .
What does it look like when we are following Jesus in an intentional relationship with other believers? We are thinking of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. We are making sure that we are meeting together – sharing life together. And we are encouraging one another as the end of Hebrews 10:25 says, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Guys, we live in a Christian culture that is buried in resources. I read one article that said there are 8,000 religious books published every year – twenty-one per day. And it's okay to use some of those resources, as long as that resource is attached to the hands of a person you are developing an intentional relationship with for the purpose of following Jesus together.
Our God is a relational God, and because our God IS a relational God, his first and greatest command is a two-fold relational command.
1) Be in a Right Vertical Relationship with God
2) Be in Right Horizontal Relationships with Others
And within those “right relationships” of loving God and loving others, you will come to know God, better and better and you will be transformed more and more into the image of Jesus Christ.
Now, listen guys, I have taught a whole bund of new believer messages, and this message does not negate any of those messages. But I’ve been asking myself a lot lately, what is really THE most important first step in following Jesus.
And I really believe the answer comes from the greatest commandment in Matthew 22.
TO FIRST – Focus on Developing
1) A Right Relationship with God
2) Right Relationships with those who will help you follow Jesus
And within those two right relationship areas, God WILL transform your life!
Many of you know that we are really focused on small discipleship groups here and we want to do all we can to help you establish intentional relationships where God can continue the great work of giving you new life in Jesus Christ.
We have many of these small discipleship groups now and we want to have many more. We don’t actually set the group up for you because that would nullify the relational aspect. But we will help you pray and ask others if they would be willing to follow Jesus with you.
Here’s what I want to leave you with today. If you are a new believer today (brand new or super old) your first step – your first priority is:
1) Develop a Right Relationship with God, Daily
We have a short series called “Alone With God” and you can get it on the Word By Mail phone app. You can go through that with your discipleship group to learn how to grow in that right relationship with God.
And then, number two is:
2) Get into INTENTIONAL Relationships with others
With those who can help you follow Jesus and we have a dozen messages on discipleship (again, on the phone app) that will teach you about intentional discipling relationships. And as you develop these right relationships in the context of those right relationships, God will transform your life by the power of his Word lit alive by his Holy Spirit.
Please ask us how you can become part of a small discipleship group where you can watch this happen in your own life.
And if you weren’t here for those messages, I’d encourage you to listen to or watch them. I’ll put them all in a “Topical Series” on the Word By Mail phone app and wordbymail.com and I’ll call the mini-series “Beat Death” because I like that title best.
So, after these messages about putting your faith in Christ to receive eternal life, today we need to consider the first steps a new believer should take in order to begin living in the new life that Jesus Christ has given you.
The church at large has always known the first steps for a new believer are critical. And by far, the biggest approach we see to address this critical first step is to give that new believer a Bible (maybe even a New Believer Bible) and tell them to go read the Gospel of John.
And of course, I’ve done that more times than I can count and we as a church have given away cases and cases of New Believer Bibles. But can I tell you please – from my personal experience – over twenty-seven years of doing that exact thing, I can tell you most of those new believers never read much (if any) of that New Believer’s Bible.
And so, the question has to be WHY does this approach (most of the time) not work?
Is there a chance that the answer has to do with the type of God that our God is? Is there a chance that sending someone off on their own to learn about God doesn’t work because that is not the type of God that our God is?
Listen closely, please – because this statement should absolutely set the course for the first steps for every new believer (and every believer for that matter). Are you ready for the direction setting statement…? Our God is a RELATIONAL GOD.
God created Mankind in order to have a relationship with us. When God created Adam and Eve in the Garden, he didn’t give them “study material” to go off and absorb on their own. God created a beautiful place for Adam and Eve where he could have real relationship with them.
And then sin severed that relationship, and from Genesis Chapter 3 on, God put into action the plan to restore his relationship with Mankind that sin had severed.
That plan was fulfilled in Jesus Christ! He paid the price to redeem us (to buy us back) to the place of intimate relationship that God created us to have with him!
Our God is a relational God and we know that a real relationship with God is what we were created for and what we were redeemed for.
But, is it just that vertical relationship with God that we were redeemed for – by Christ? Or, was it also to redeem us to right relationships with other people in our lives?
Turn over to Matthew Chapter 22. The religious leaders here are nipping at the heals of Jesus, like little Chihuahua’s protecting their turf. We pick it up in verses 35-38.
Matthew 22:35–38 (NLT)
35 One of [the chihuahua’s], an expert in religious law, tried to trap [Jesus] with this question:
36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
The first and greatest commandment is this: Be Restored to a RIGHT Vertical Relationship with God
LOVE GOD:
1) with your HEART - (your innermost being)
2) with your SOUL – (all that makes you up as a person)
3) with your MIND – (with all your choices)
But then, (in the next verse), Jesus links a second commandment to the first. It is still THE (singular) Greatest Commandment but now it becomes two commandments – linked together.
Matthew 22:39 (NLT)
39 A second (commandment) is equally important (the Greek word means “to be linked’ together – the second is ‘Linked Together’ with the first): ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
First, let’s clear up the obvious… no, Jesus is not saying “love yourself.” We don’t need his encouragement to do that. Jesus is re-stating what we call “The Golden Rule.” Write this down.
Matthew 7:12 (NLT)
12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
This second part – is us living in RIGHT horizontal relationships with the people in our lives.
We read in Matthew 22, verse 40,
Matthew 22:40 (NLT)
40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Having a right Vertical Relationship with God
Having right Horizontal Relationships with others
And all that we need to learn about God will flow out of these two right relationship areas.
Our God is a relational God, and if God made us to be in right relationship with him and with others around us, doesn’t it make sense that as we begin to learn how to follow him, that we first learn to do that IN a right relationship with God and IN a right relationship with others around us?
Guys, the first steps for every believer must be to begin developing a right vertical relationship with God and right horizontal relationships with others.
I know you can hand someone the Gospel of John and they can go learn about Jesus – all on their own.
In the very first years here, and in Menifee, we were very involved in the Harvest Crusades (with Greg Laurie) follow-up. We loved the whole thing with helping people get connected. They would start the counselor training (those who go on the field to get the card filled out) by saying, “Listen, we know that only ten percent of the people who respond to the altar call each night will actually ever take a first step in following Jesus.” And they’re trying to motivate the counselors to do a good job on the field because only one out of ten people will follow Jesus. Honestly, after decades, I think ten percent is a little generous, a little optimistic.
Because, what’s missing? A relationship is missing.
We have made the phone calls. We’ve been committed to following up with those people, we get all their phone numbers, and make the phone calls. Here’s what happens most of the time (over ninety percent). They never take the first call. You leave a voice mail; they never call you back. And you call a couple of times.
If they “mistakenly” answer your call (I know this is hard, but it’s true) they say, “I’m good.” “Oh, are you going to church?” “Well, I watch a guy on Sunday morning on TV. He’s pretty funny.” “Are you reading the Bible?” “I’m not really sure where it’s at – but anyway, thanks for calling. I appreciate it.” And they get off the phone as fast as possible because there is no relationship.
And why should we think when a relational God created us to be in relationship, and his first commandment is a vertical and horizontal relationship, why would we think that we could take the same approach as an unknown salesperson and reach someone for Christ? It’s a little hard, right?
I’ve been struggling with this for a long time, twenty-seven years in formal church leadership. My only desire every Sunday – get somebody saved, help them follow Jesus. Twenty-seven years later, I’m like, hey maybe there is something we’re doing that we’re not really getting it. That’s where this message comes from – from me personally.
But – wouldn’t a relational God who created us for relationship rather us learn about Jesus – in relationship?
As believers, we best learn how to have a right relationship with God and how to have right relationships with others in a relational environment! That is the big idea here.
Let’s look at just one verse that sums up the environment Jesus created to disciple the original twelve. We could read one hundred verses that make this same truth clear. But let’s look closely at Mark 3 verse 14.
Mark 3:14 (ESV)
14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him . . .
What does that mean – that they might be with him?
It means Jesus created an environment of constant relationship with these twelve men. The Greek verb “WITH” (with him) – implies a “duration of action.” It means they were constantly with Jesus. And then their discipleship (their training) occurred within that relational environment.
And then, if we go beyond Jesus and look at how disciples were made in the Book of Acts, we can easily see that disciples were always made in the context of close, committed relationships. In the same chapter where the Holy Spirit was first poured out on the church – in Acts Chapter 2 – at the very beginning of the New Testament Church, we read in Acts 2 verse 42,
Acts 2:42 (NLT)
42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
The believers were devoted to studying God’s teaching
Within the environment:
of fellowship
of sharing life together
of praying together
The word for “fellowship” here – is KOINONIA. It means – the intimate sharing of life.
They were eating together, praying together, having communion with God and with one another. The first believers in the New Testament Church were devoted to having their lives transformed in the environment of close, committed relationships.
Guys, tomorrow, April 29, 2019, it has been forty years (exactly) since I committed my life to Jesus Christ and my wife’s forty years with Jesus anniversary is three days later – the day before her birthday. For forty years (tomorrow) we’ve been following Jesus.
But there have been times in those forty years that we have not had anyone close to us that we were following Jesus with, and I can assure you during those times we were not really growing – as disciples! In fact, the biggest reason we started our first church in Menifee (twenty-seven years ago), was because we wanted a group of people in our own neighborhood that we could follow Jesus with. And after forty years of following Jesus, and over thirty years helping others follow Jesus, I can tell you without a doubt we are not meant to follow Jesus alone.
The truth is, most Christians cannot grow in their relationship with Jesus on their own.
But listen, it’s not just about having friends. We’ve got to learn to build a relationship with God and relationships with other people that are intentional.
Jesus didn’t just hang out with the twelve. Their time together was very intentional. The first disciples in the New Testament didn’t just hang out together. Their time together was very intentional. They were devoted to studying God’s teachings – while they were living life together.
So, what does this intentional relationship with other believers that is so critical to our spiritual growth look like?
Turn over to Hebrews 10, verses 24, and the beginning of verse 25.
Hebrews 10:24-25(a) (NLT)
24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another . . .
What does it look like when we are following Jesus in an intentional relationship with other believers? We are thinking of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. We are making sure that we are meeting together – sharing life together. And we are encouraging one another as the end of Hebrews 10:25 says, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Guys, we live in a Christian culture that is buried in resources. I read one article that said there are 8,000 religious books published every year – twenty-one per day. And it's okay to use some of those resources, as long as that resource is attached to the hands of a person you are developing an intentional relationship with for the purpose of following Jesus together.
Our God is a relational God, and because our God IS a relational God, his first and greatest command is a two-fold relational command.
1) Be in a Right Vertical Relationship with God
2) Be in Right Horizontal Relationships with Others
And within those “right relationships” of loving God and loving others, you will come to know God, better and better and you will be transformed more and more into the image of Jesus Christ.
Now, listen guys, I have taught a whole bund of new believer messages, and this message does not negate any of those messages. But I’ve been asking myself a lot lately, what is really THE most important first step in following Jesus.
And I really believe the answer comes from the greatest commandment in Matthew 22.
TO FIRST – Focus on Developing
1) A Right Relationship with God
2) Right Relationships with those who will help you follow Jesus
And within those two right relationship areas, God WILL transform your life!
Many of you know that we are really focused on small discipleship groups here and we want to do all we can to help you establish intentional relationships where God can continue the great work of giving you new life in Jesus Christ.
We have many of these small discipleship groups now and we want to have many more. We don’t actually set the group up for you because that would nullify the relational aspect. But we will help you pray and ask others if they would be willing to follow Jesus with you.
Here’s what I want to leave you with today. If you are a new believer today (brand new or super old) your first step – your first priority is:
1) Develop a Right Relationship with God, Daily
We have a short series called “Alone With God” and you can get it on the Word By Mail phone app. You can go through that with your discipleship group to learn how to grow in that right relationship with God.
And then, number two is:
2) Get into INTENTIONAL Relationships with others
With those who can help you follow Jesus and we have a dozen messages on discipleship (again, on the phone app) that will teach you about intentional discipling relationships. And as you develop these right relationships in the context of those right relationships, God will transform your life by the power of his Word lit alive by his Holy Spirit.
Please ask us how you can become part of a small discipleship group where you can watch this happen in your own life.