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The biggest distinction between the lives of the saved and unsaved is the ongoing transformative work of the Spirit. The church has a responsibility to help people as they learn how to submit their themselves to God, but how do church leaders prioritize discipleship? In this episode, John Bailey is joined by Joshua West to discuss why discipleship is so important but also how the church can balance outreach with tending to the hearts of their own people.

Key Points from the Podcast

•  Churches want people to be connected, but connection does not automatically lead to discipleship and growing maturity, and that’s where the modern Western church often falls down.

•  People who seem like ‘good’ Christians may abruptly depart from the faith, while others who seem very messed up gradually grow into solid believers and good leaders. We can’t always determine the existence of someone’s faith from how they look on the outside, but their choices will tell us about the degree of their spiritual maturity.

•  Legalism tends to look one of two ways: the honest person who lives in despair over their failures, or the deceived into believing that they’re practically sinless and perfect.

•  The believer and the nonbeliever both sin; the difference is that the believer is justified before God and he or she hates the sin because of what it does to their relationship with God. Also, the believer will change as they grow in Christ.

•  If we invite people into church with anything other than their need for God and the gospel, telling them the truth of scripture will more often than not drive them right back out of church.

•  Believers are often hindered by the idea that we’re going to church to get something rather than be prepared to give something to the unsaved around us.

•  As leaders, if we are not preparing and commissioning believers to be leaders in their spheres of influence, we can’t be upset if people are not bringing new people to church or growing in their faith.

Bible Verses Referenced in the Podcast

Ephesians 2:4-10

About Joshua West

Joshua West serves as the Church Leadership Network Director at World Challenge helping equip and empower pastors all over the world. Joshua’s desire is to raise up ministers who will correctly and boldly preach the word with passion and integrity. The point of all his work and writings is to preach the gospel, glorify God and to teach sound doctrine.

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About John Bailey

Pastor John Bailey serves as the Chief Operating Officer at World Challenge. John came to know Christ in jail after some difficult struggles as a young man, and God has done a powerful work of transformation since! Spending 13 years in Next Gen ministry, he excelled in discipleship and helping young leaders discover giftings to serve God. John was called next to serve as a missionary and pastor in Western Europe. John and his family then returned to plant the Springs Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Today, the church is a thriving body of believers excelling in outreach and missions. John has now brought his giftings and vision to World Challenge, accelerating the spread of the gospel in America and around the World.