Obedience-Based Discipleship (Rules of Engagement – Week 4)

This week’s encouragement: Obedience-based discipleship

Hi Church family,

Recently the Lord has been challenging me with the idea of obedience-based discipleship.

So often, in the American church, we can become content with information without being formed into obedience. We can unintentionally measure “maturity” by how many Bible studies we attend or how much we know—while those things are good and helpful, the truest mark of a disciple of Jesus is a life that actually lives out what Jesus says.

James puts it plainly: when we hear God’s Word but don’t obey it, we aren’t just being inconsistent—we’re deceiving ourselves (James 1:22).

This morning, as we taught through Week 4 of our Rules of Engagement series—“Engage with Truth and Grace”—I was struck again by the way of life Paul lays out in Ephesians 4. He calls believers to take off the old way of life and put on the new. And if we’re honest, the “new way” can feel daunting:

• truth instead of lies
• repairing conflict instead of letting anger simmer
• words that build up instead of tear down
• forgiveness instead of bitterness

It’s easy to read commands like these, feel convicted, and still walk away unchanged.

So here’s my challenge for our church this week: renew your mind by focusing on God’s Word so you can practice obedience with God’s help.

A few practical steps to consider:

• Invite accountability. Ask a close friend or your spouse to help you pay attention to your words this week.
• Ask better questions. “Did my words build up today—or tear down?”
• Practice repair quickly. If something is unresolved, don’t let it linger—pursue humility, clarity, and peace.
• Give and ask for forgiveness where it’s needed.

The Lord wants his children to carry his DNA—to reflect what our Father is like to a watching world. Let’s not be content to only hear God’s Word. Let’s be disciplined, Spirit-dependent disciples who actually do what God says.

Grace and peace,

Nathan

Upcoming sermon link: This week’s message should be posted online soon.