Please take your Bibles and turn with me to Matthew 28. We'll read just verses 19 and 20 of Matthew 28. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Let's pray together. Our Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your promise that You are with us to the end of the age. And we think of how as we are out in the workplace or out in the ball field or out shopping, you are with us. But more specially, you are with us here in your house as two or three are gathered. And we ask that we would sense your presence. We pray that you would help us and nurture us and feed us and strengthen us as a church. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen. There's a trend out there. It's a trend toward people living in seclusion, people living privately away from the clutter of other people. It's neat, it's tidy, it's uncomplicated. In his book entitled Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam observes that the population at large is disengaging from their clubs and from their civic associations and, yes, from their local churches as well, bowling alone. And in his book, Going Solo, a man named Eric Klinberg notes, in 1950, for instance, only 4 million Americans lived alone. and they accounted for less than 10% of all households. But today, more than 32 million Americans are going solo. They now represent 28% of all households at the national level, more than 40% in cities including San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, Denver, Minneapolis. And nearly 50% of those in Washington, D.C. and Manhattan, the twin capitals, are the going-it-alone solos in a solo nation. Fifty percent of people living alone in these big cities. Now, this all fits with the I life, life of iPhones and iPads and iTunes and iWatches. The I life, right? But are Christians called to self-indulgently imbibe in the I life? I mean, aren't we instead called to live kind of a we life? kind of a one another life, a life that were made in the image of God who is three, Father, Son, and Spirit. And His we life, Father, Son, and Spirit is to profoundly be displayed in us, man, because we are made in His image. Man, for whom it wasn't good that man would be what? alone. That's not a good thing. So we were made male and female and we who were to multiply children and become a we people of God. Now I want to just pause here because I just caught the eye of someone out there. This is not a hit against anybody who's not married. I assure you that's not what we're dealing with here. at all. I realize that in due time, in due time, I understand that. But we were made male and female. And we were told the first words that came out of the mouth of the Heavenly Father to His creatures that we're to fill the earth and we're to multiply so that we can become the we people of God. And, by the way, when God became man, the Lord Jesus, His magnum opus, His great work was to gather together the church. I'll build my church, he says. That's the word, assembly, a group of people. And the gates of hell won't prevail against an assembly from every tribe, tongue, kindred, and nation, and uncountable multitude who will live together forever. around the throne singing praise to His name. Now, I don't think that the I life, the me, myself, I life, the Lone Ranger life is the good life. It can be, not necessarily, but it can be a life in defiance of God Himself. And so, the Son of God in His final command before ascending In Matthew 28, 19 and 20, the passage that I read, he brought this we life that is somewhat described in what we could call the discipling life. Go therefore, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, not the isolated life, not the secluded life, but the discipling life. And I just want to ponder this theme of discipling. And this Sunday, maybe Sunday night next when I get back from a brief vacation in Oklahoma, just want to look at this theme of discipling. And I've read a book called The Trellis and the Vine, and also read a book by Mark Dever called Discipling. And I want to work through this theme as we would seek to strengthen our flock here at Harbor Church. I have three main headings. Three main headings tonight. First, we'll look at the scope of disciples, of making disciples. Secondly, the pattern of making disciples. And thirdly, the choice of making disciples. Come on, we'll first do the scope of making disciples. It's interesting, because at our men's breakfast, we discussed this very topic. Go, make disciples of all nations. We had a little bit of a debate, didn't we? A little bit of a lively discussion about, what does this mean, making disciples? The Greek word is mathoutuo, and it speaks of, again, making disciples. And the question we asked was, does making disciples address the theme of evangelizing sinners? or training saints? Go make disciples. Does this involve initial conversion or does it involve ongoing sanctification? Does making disciples refer to preaching the gospel or teaching doctrine? Go make disciples of all nations. Well, I think that the answer isn't an either or. I think the answer is a both and. As it says, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them which would be initiation, and teaching them, which would be maturation. I think it involves both. These two words, baptizing and teaching, these are two participles that express and characterize what making disciples is. Donald Carson says this, it is envisioned that the proclamation of the gospel will result in repentance and faith, and a disciple will be baptized and then instructed as baptism is pledged submission to Jesus Lordship. But that submission isn't restricted to the initial conversion. It also involves the ongoing sanctification. Therefore, teach them all that I've commanded you. Baptize them. Start them out. Then teach them all I've commanded you. Build them up in the faith. We see the example of the Lord Jesus in Mark chapter 10. We see the Lord Jesus, it says, He summoned His 12 disciples to Him. These are the 12 who were His followers. He was discipling them. And we see what discipling looks like there in Matthew chapter 10. It speaks of how He gives them, their names are given so we know who they are. Then in verses 5 and following it says, Go, go to the lost sheep of Israel. and say, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And he tells them, whoever doesn't receive the word will shake the dust off your feet. So he's training them how they are to minister the word. You're to be shrewd as serpents. You're to be innocent as doves out there. Don't be anxious, he tells them. If you're to stand before kings, for the spirit of God will give you words to speak. Don't fear them, he says. Don't fear them who can kill the body but can't touch the soul. Fear him who will cast both body and soul into hell. What's he doing? He's brought them into the kingdom by his teaching and now he's building them up by this instruction for ministry. He tells them, ah, the hairs of your head are numbered. Don't be afraid. And he says, if you confess me before my father who is in heaven, I will confess you before him. And if you deny me before men, I will deny you before my father who is in heaven. Don't think I've come to bring peace. I've come to bring a sword. If any man does not take up his cross, he's not worthy to be my disciple. If you give a cup of cold water to the least of these, You've done this unto me. You see, this is discipling. Somebody deals with his disciples as it ends in 11, where it says, and when Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his 12 disciples, he departed. So what is discipling? Discipling is training up in maturation, as well as baptizing in initiation. So we look at this passage where Jesus says his last words as he's about to ascend up into a cloud on the mountain of ascension. We see that we're commissioned by Him to make disciples. Go, go, go. Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Don't just go off and live in seclusion like a hermit in a cave or in a high-rise apartment, but there's to be this interrelating and discipling of one another. Mark Devers says this. So, when you attend church on Sundays, do you only look for what you can get? Or also do you look for what you can give? How can I give this discipling influence to someone else? And how do you use your meals and spare time through the week? Do you strategize for evangelism or ways to build up other Christians? Not only do you need to be disciples, but you need to be making disciples. Didn't we see that just recently in John chapter 1 when we see that Andrew is converted. He goes and grabs hold of Peter. He's only been converted a few hours and he's a disciple making disciples. And Philip is converted. He goes off against Nathanael. It's just natural that there's this drawing of others in. Deborah says this, God wants you in churches not merely that your needs are met, but also that you'll be equipped and encouraged to care for others. So that's the scope of making disciples. That's important for us as Harbor Church. This is the commission the Lord Jesus has given to us. Secondly, secondly, I've been seeing the scope of making disciples considered the pattern of making disciples. What does it look like? A church that's making disciples. A Christian who is a disciple maker. I'll tell you what it doesn't look like. You ever seen pigs at a trough at mealtime? They're really hungry. And they want their peace. They do. They're pushing, they're shoving, they're snorting, they're swallowing as much as they can get with no thought for others. It's quite a sight. But that's not a good pattern for living in Christian community. You come to the gathering place on a Lord's Day. Where am I going to park? I want the best place. Where am I going to sit? I want the ideal location. What am I going to do after the service? I want what pleases me. How am I going to spend the day? What's ever convenient for my lifestyle? Being a disciple and a discipler means refocusing our lives away from ourselves and on to others. I was even talking to someone about the morning worship and getting up and looking out. Instead of saying, who can I go and meet with to satisfy me, how can I help somebody else? Oh, there's someone standing alone over there. I'm going to go and seek to have contact with and bring benefit to him. And isn't this the example of the Lord Jesus? You look at Him and the way that He moved about, He was so unswine-like, wasn't He? The Son of Man did not come to be served. but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. So we're looking at the pattern for making disciples. Just consider with me four patterns here, four patterns of being outward looking and I want to be a discipler because Jesus said I'm to we're to as a church to make disciples of all nations. Think of the pattern of parents. There's something fundamental there with who we are as being made in the image of God. Genesis 1. Be fruitful. Multiply. Aren't parents the giving of birth? Jace was born just yesterday. Josiah was born just about three days ago. What is Jack? What is Thomas to be? What is Shelly? What is Kelly to be? They are to be, in a sense, disciples of their own. They're to make disciples, right? It's what's in our DNA. Deuteronomy 6, 7. These words, teach them to your sons. Diligently, talk of them when you sit down in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, when you rise up. We're going to be talkers, talkers. We're always discipling, aren't we? Eight of them you had. Ooh, you had a big job discipling. You did. And so we think of Proverbs. The proverbial father is a constant disciple, a river of words flowing out of his mouth. You read Proverbs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. My son, oh my son, hear my son, consider my son always. discipling, always teaching, always instructing. My son, treasure my words. My son, guard what I say. My son, bind what I say around your neck. My son, beware of the wayward Woman, stay far from her house, my son. My son, beware of those sins, the evil deeds that a wicked man ensnare him. The cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline. Let us stray by his own great folly. My son, sin is like a spider's web. Oh, first, you play around with sin. It's like a spiderweb around your wrist, and you can snap it so easily. But then those spiderweb's threads become strings, become ropes, become steel cords, and you can't My son, didn't you do that? You talk to your sons and to your daughters about these kinds of things. Parents are ever discipling. Don't let the woman reduce you to a loaf of bread by her temptations. Ah, the woman folly. She says stolen water is sweet, but don't believe her because you go into her house and the bones of dead men are there. She'll lead you down to Sheol. My son, listen. Isn't that true? You've got those two boys next to you, Oliver and Zach. It just pours out of you. It oozes out of you as a parent to be a discipler in Ephesians 6.1. Fathers. New Testament as well. Raise your children in the fear. and in the instruction of the Lord. So, man and woman were born to disciple, we could say. Proclaiming and teaching is like breathing for an image bearer. There's a pattern for us, a pattern for us. We think of discipling in the church. So, we're looking at the pattern of disciples and discipling, first parents. Second pattern is prophets, prophets. Think of the prophets in the Old Testament, Moses, We see that Moses took on an understudy quickly, didn't he? Joshua. He was preparing him, he was nurturing him, he was instructing him, and eventually Joshua took over. He was Moses' understudy. Or another prophet, Eli. Eli took on Samuel, little boy. Little boy in the tabernacle from youth. Samuel was trained up by Eli to be a priest in the house of God. Or you think of Elijah. He took on his protege, Elisha. He discipled him. It said of Elisha that he washed the hands, poured the water on the hands, always with this Elijah. There's this discipling that we see as a pattern in parents, in prophets, mostly in the master. Third, as we look at this pattern of making disciples, the master. Look at the Lord Jesus is in Mark 13, excuse me, three, 13 to 14. It says, Jesus went upon a mountain and he summoned those he wanted and they came to him and he appointed the 12 so that they could be with him. to hang around him, to spend time together, eating and drinking and traveling and discussing. This is discipling. He appointed the 12 that they would be with him, that he could send them out to preach. Is this not a pattern? Has not the Lord Jesus given to us a pattern, a model, an example that we should follow in his footsteps? And we see the fruit of this labor. Acts chapter 4, the Lord Jesus has been crucified, buried, risen, ascended. And then that power came. That power. Peter was cowering in Caiaphas' courtyard because a little maiden said, weren't you one of his disciples? No, I didn't even know him. I knew nothing about him. That coward! Now the spirit of power has come. We see he's a lion. We see in Acts chapter 4, Peter, who with John had spent the night in jail, being threatened with his life, he stood in front of the Sanhedrin, these 70 powerful men, and this gnarly-fingered fisherman who'd never been to any seminary, stood and stared him right in the eye. He says it says Peter filled with the Spirit says rulers and elders This Jesus of Nazareth, the stone you have rejected, has become the cornerstone. And the Sanhedrin, he's quoting Psalm 118. Where did he get that kind of theology? And he says, salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven by which man must be saved than by the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And the passage says that the Sanhedrin observed his confidence And they looked at Peter and John and saw they were uneducated men, untrained, marveling, recognizing them to have been with Jesus. They had been discipled by the Lord Jesus. And these guys were polished kingdom weapons now. And so in Matthew 28, the master says, as I've discipled you, Now you go on and you disciple others. Imitate me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations." So we're looking at this pattern of making disciples. Parents and prophets and the master and fourthly Paul. Paul. Think of Acts 16. It speaks that there was a certain disciple there at Philippi whose name was Timothy. It says in verse 3, and Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him. I don't know. There are times when traveling, if one is traveling in Zambia or traveling in South Africa or traveling in Italy or China, I just want to go alone. I can be more agile in my movements if I'm just alone, not having someone tag along with. But that wasn't Paul's mindset. He wasn't going to go as a lone ranger. He was going to go with someone. In fact, Paul later writes in 2 Timothy 2 too, while you've heard from me, Timothy, Timothy, Timothy, because he discipled Timothy and built in him to be a powerful minister, a man of God. Timothy, now while you've heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, you entrust to faithful men. who will be able to teach others also. So Paul wants what he did, Timothy was his spiritual son, so that was single-generational. He wanted this thing to be multi-generational. He wanted this to go on to spiritual grandparents and spiritual great-grandparents and spiritual great-great-grandparents, this discipling to go on. And don't think it's just a matter of, oh, pastors, they're the ones who are to do all this discipling. Paul says in Colossians 1, 28 and 29, we proclaim Him, admonishing every man, teaching every man with all wisdom that we may present every man complete in Christ. And for this purpose, I labor, striving according to His power which mightily works within me, within Paul, yes. God's power is also in rank-and-file saints. There's a wonderful passage in Romans 15-14 where Paul is writing to the church at Rome. Listen to what he says. The church at Rome. He says, I am convinced that you yourselves, all of them, that you yourselves, you are full of goodness, you are filled with all knowledge, and you are able to admonish one another. You know, J. Adams. took this passage, were able to admonish one another. The word is noutheo in Greek, which means admonish or instruct. And J. Adams says, look, counseling is not just something that a professional does with a shingle on an office in an office park somewhere, but this admonishing one another is something that every saint should be able to participate in. in, sharpening one another. And this matches well with Hebrews 10, 24. Let us consider how to stimulate one another. There's that one another phrase again. Not alone, but together. We're one anothering. Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling of ourselves together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another. And all the more as you see the day drawing near. So I just think one area of Harvard Church, there's that church in Lafayette, Indiana, which is where our brother Andrew is from. Not that church, but a church nearby. And they began with this new thetic counseling, and they have many people who are certified in counseling, and they're able to admonish one another. I was talking with a pastor down there. He says, you know what? We have at our church, because we live in this dysfunctional, broken generation where so many families are breaking up, and so many people are on psychotropic drugs, and everybody needs input. to go off to a counselor will cost you $110 an hour to be able to get counseling from someone who's a professional. But at this church, two nights a week, I think it's Tuesday and Thursday, that people come in. And they have members of the church who just sit in various classrooms and they counsel people from the community. What are they doing? They're discipling. They're admonishing. Oh, the pastors? No, no, no, no, no. I'm not talking about just the pastors. or even just the deacons. They are members of the church. Even ponder the implications of this, Marcy, our secretary. And I think you're even considering this. And there are other people who are considering getting some kind of a certification so that we could say we're counseling, discipling people. The point I would make in this, the pattern of making disciples, the pattern of parents, prophets, the master, and Paul, look, the Christian life Isn't the self-indulgent bowling-alone life, is it? It's not the filling and the swallowing of our own trough life, is it? The Christian life isn't just hoarding biographies. I read this Christian biography and I think this is great. This fills my soul. Hoarding podcasts. Oh, I like to listen to this one and that one and that other one. And sermons that I can listen to on sermon audio. Oh, this is the Christian life. It can be one dimension of the Christian life. But it can be a swine's life, too. if one is just snorting down for oneself. But the true Christian life that Christ called us to live, go make disciples, is a serving others life. By the way, who are you discipling? Who could you be discipling? You see, we should follow this pattern of disciple making. One another should be in the very air that we breathe. We've been a church for 23 years now, and we really need to get better at this, I believe. And I admit as a pastor, this is something that I have been weak at in cultivating this idea of all members of the body being disciples. And that leads us then, lastly, having seen the scope of making disciples and the pattern of making disciples, to the choice of making disciples. The choice of making disciples. So, say, okay, I should have iron sharpening iron, spurring on, discipling relationships with whom? With whom? Well, I have five elements. I'm going to go to discussions. You want to talk about something we'll have some time to discuss? Jot it down. What do you want to ask about or comment on here? Consider the first element in this choice of discipling. First, family. Family. We could say discipling is kind of concentric circles. There's a bullseye priority. Then you go out regarding areas of importance. The bullseye would be for any man or woman First Timothy 5.8, if anyone doesn't provide for his own relatives, his own household, he's denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. So if you're a married man, disciple your bride. And if you are a woman, you can also have discipling effect on your husband and your children. And I know there are some seasons in life where that's pretty demanding. Family. But let me say this, I don't think you should ever be all-consuming. Family. There are some places in circles of Christianity where there is family-olatry that goes on, where family is everything. And I know it could be a very virtuous thing, and I understand raising children and the like, it's all really important, but it can possibly erode into self-serving trophy polishing Because, oh, my children, look what my hands have crafted, what my hands have created. You see, parents can sometimes even exempt themselves from the good Samaritan helping of others. passing by those laying alongside the road in need because, oh, no, not me. I am preoccupied with, I am obsessed with my own children. Thank you. Have you ever seen that? It can't happen. I think there may have been times in some of the emphasis made in some of our circles where that could have taken place. Some can look back and we can reflect, and some I'll say, you know, pampered and polished and pandered to children. they can end up having an unhealthy thinking that they are the center of the world. Let me tell you what's a real useful thing. You told me a while back that you took Henry off with you to visit Fred at the hospital. He was discipling. You got a busy life, dad. You got sons, you got daughters. Take a couple of your sons off to go visit Fred. He had his leg amputated last week. Let your kids see what it looks like to have only a stump for a leg. And let those kids hear Daddy talking and giving encouragement to this man who is sitting in God's waiting room, waiting for the Lord to call him home. And for those kids to have it registered in their mind that, no, I am not the center of the world. I don't have to have Mom read me a book for a half an hour on Sunday afternoon. Dad took me off. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that at all. See what I'm saying? but to see my life isn't about me, I'm to be a servant. Just like the disciples tagged along with the Lord Jesus as he kept serving and giving and then dying on a cross. Now that makes quite an impact on somebody who's observing and watching and taking notes. And so we think of family, family. I can remember when ladies would take their daughters off to Abigail Rayne's house. She had two little ones, remember? And then remember some of the mom taking a daughter over and working on the house. The daughter seeing what it is to be a Christian, what it is to give, nurture in a Christ-like way. So yeah, a disciple, discipling your family. But that can also be combined with discipling others. Or a second element, how about church? Who should I disciple? Family? Also church. The assembled church together, when you think of discipling, I believe is the first priority. We could say the church is the Christ-ordained organization designed for the discipling of souls. Now, there's nothing inherently evil about parachurch organizations or Bible studies out there. Nothing inherently evil at all. But, but, our chief discipleship energies, I believe, should be poured into church ministry. Well, why do you say that, Mark? Well, think of that passage, Hebrews 10, 24, that we should stimulate with one another. Don't forsake together the assembling of ourselves. We should be encouraging one. That's the context of church. That's really the best way that discipling can take place in the church. It's the most efficient structure for discipling. Christ built into the church pastors and preaching and members and discipline. That's the vehicle. Jesus, the magnum opus of Jesus. I'm going to build my church. And the church, that's the vehicle. That's the organization I'm building for discipling. I think of how even nurturing, rearing up children, the family is the organization that the Lord established for the rearing up of children. But Hillary, a while back had a different idea. What did she say? It takes a village. And so the family has been somewhat set aside in our culture and society because the village will do it. And I think sometimes what can happen is the church can be set aside because the parachurch organization can do it. I think when we think of discipling, I think the best way to disciple is not in the belittling of the church, but in the uplifting and the utilizing of the church. The church has pastors, and shepherds, and preaching, and teaching, and body member one anothering, and accountability, and Matthew 18 kind of discipling. Whereas, you know what? There are para-church organizations out there. Like, let's take counseling. You can go off to all kinds of counselors. I know you can. I'm not saying going off to other counselors is wrong or evil. But I'll tell you what, Judges 17 says that there are some men who, there was no king in Israel and every man does what is right in their own eyes. I'm telling you, there are counselors out there, like Dr. Laura Schlesinger used to say, you can find a shrink to tell you whatever you want to hear. And I'm telling you, many of these organizations, there is no quality control out there. There is no church. There is no authority. There is no accountability. It's the wild, wild west of counseling that takes place out there. I'm telling you, there are people who are being washed up on the shore of Harbor Church who've been shipwrecked. by that kind of counseling. And what about when a counselor states something and brings home the Word of God? The counselee, I can take it or leave it. I can walk away. Whereas in the church, there's this wholesome accountability structure. Like in Matthew 18, if one, there's a way to bind and hold precious saints with shepherds in safety. So when we think of discipling, I think the church is the best place for counseling. Best place for marriage counseling. couples counseling, even couples getting together and counseling one another. We can go on and on and maybe the next week that we get together we can talk about this. But I'm just saying the church is the ideal community to throw yourself into discipling. Look around! Look around! Who's coming to our church? Who's in our church? Who's a member of our church? The fields are white unto discipling harvesting. It says in Galatians 6.10, Do good to all men, but especially do good to the household of God. for the choice of disciple. Disciple in the family. Disciple in the church. How about also gender? Gender. It says in Titus 2, 3, Older women, be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips. Older women, I encourage you to teach the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children. I think sure, Pat, right now I'm discipling. I'm discipling men and women at the same time. But when it comes to choosing a disciple relationship, I think it's wise for men to disciple men and for women to disciple men. Women. Gender is a God-given reality, and we should treat it realistically and respectfully. Deborah says this. Sure, we should love everyone in the church, but at the same time, we should labor to avoid wrong intimacies in the church. So, who are you going to? Disciple. Family, church, gender. How about age? Age. Bible is also age-sensitive. Older women, we saw, teach younger women. Younger women, by the way, younger women. Are you a younger woman looking to older women to disciple you? You're looking for these older ladies? It's possible for, well, they're just from this other generation. There's a certain humility that should be cultivated in this idea of discipling that takes place. There's an age sensitivity though. First Timothy 5.1, do not rebuke an older man harshly but appeal to him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters in all purity. But then again, Paul tells Timothy, let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech and conduct and love and faith and purity show yourself an example to those who believe. So age, think of age. But Devers says this, and I think he's right. Normally, you disciple someone younger But the scripture is full of exceptional examples. Timothy, as we just read about. Deborah says, personally, I find I learn much from friends in their 20s and 30s, even as I do from folks in their 70s and 80s. And I find that true. Some of you younger people, I love spending time with you. You make me think new thoughts, and I appreciate that. Yes, Emma, you do make me think new thoughts. And the last would be teachability. teachability when it comes to the choice of discipling. Frankly, in discipling relationships, the teaching should go both ways. Ken and I, I wanted to get together with Ken in Allegan for lunch. Now, when Ken and I get together in Allegan for lunch, I don't know, am I discipling him? Or is that old warrior discipling me? It's going both ways. I don't think one has to be called the discipler and one has to be called the disciplee. It's often iron sharpening, ironing, going back and forth. So you have coffee with one. One does not have to be designated as, OK, I'm the teacher and you're the pupil. Got that straight, man? No. It's not necessary. But either way, there's humility, 1 Peter 5, 5. You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves in humility toward one another. For God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Endeavor says this. You don't want to spend time trying to teach someone who thinks you have nothing to teach them. Now, they have nothing to learn. Teach the teachable, and then try to be teachable yourself. So this is just an opening up of this theme of discipleship. We want to consider it more the next time we get together, but just in the meantime, consider the unhealthiness of the me-centered, the I-life, the bowling-alone life, and instead consider the one another, we-life, the disciple-making life.