Please open to the New Testament Book of First Thessalonians. And as I noted earlier, we're looking at verses 7 through 12 from the second chapter. Chapter 2 of the First Thessalonians, beginning at verse 7. Let me read to you, as I did last week, these first 12 verses. I'll read first the six verses we looked at last week as a way of reminding you, and then right until the end of our text for this morning. It reads this way. For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. For our appeal does not spring from error, or impurity, or any attempt to deceive. But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak not to please man, but to please God, who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed. God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. Now our text for this morning, verse seven. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil. We work night and day that we might not be a burden to any of you while we proclaim to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses and God also. How holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. Let's pray. Our Lord, our God, we again thank you for your words, for these words penned thousands of years ago and yet relevant for us today. Thank you, Lord, for the lessons we gleaned from these words, written to an ancient church and yet written to the modern church of today. And we pray, oh God, that we would learn. And that in learning, we would be excited. And that in being excited, we would also be applying these principles to our lives. Show us how, Lord, we pray. Keep me from error. Keep our hearts, our ears attentive. And we ask, oh God, that by your good grace, we would grow in you as we learn together from your word. Amen. Last Sunday, in these first six verses I just read to you, we discovered three primary ways in which we are to share the gospel. Do you remember what they were? Of course you do. Humor me. You'll recall that we are to share the gospel what? Boldly, right? Authentically, and do you remember the third? Humbly, correct. Selflessly humble. Three ways in which to share the gospel. Boldly, authentically, selflessly humble. not selfishly, selflessly humble. In other words, get out of the way. It's not about you. It's about Christ and about their soul. Well, this morning we're going to take one step further in this process. And what we see here listed for us in verses seven through 12 is an explanation on how we are then to grow people in Christ. How are we to see them grow? How are we to help them grow? How are we to help the maturation process? How are we to disciple people in Christ? Now keep in mind that as Paul is writing the second chapter, he is explaining to them, to the church there in Thessalonica, a church that he helped breed, and he's reminding the church of how he went about it. This is what I did. This is what you should be doing. Paul is setting himself as an example. And sometimes we think, well, that's a bit too bold. But my friends, if you profess Christ, you should be able to say likewise, at least that should be a goal in your life, that you should be able to echo the words of the Apostle Paul and say, follow me as I follow the example of Christ. That's not just something for the apostle to say. That's something for every Christian to say. Can you say that? I'm not saying you are perfect and they should follow you in every way. No. Follow me as I, as the norm of my life, as the goal of my life, as the habit of my life, follow Christ. And as Paul is writing the second chapter to this church in Thessalonica, he places himself under the microscope. And he welcomes anybody to come and take a very close look. He says, he says, look at me as a man. What do you see? Do you see the man of God I claim to be? And he says, take a good look at my message. Is it the pure gospel? The answer was yes. He says, look at my motives. My motives are to glorify God. Do you see that? And he says, look at my method. Are my methods authentic? Are they humble? Are they a selfless declaration of the person and work of Jesus Christ? And I think as we read not only in this letter, but other writings of the Apostle Paul, the answer is yes and amen. And what an example that is for us. This should be our goal in life. Imagine what the Church of Christ would be like if that was our goal for every single one here. Can you imagine the face of God smiling on us? Because that is our goal in life. Now what I find so unfortunate here is that the Apostle Paul is reminding them of what he has been and what he has done because they are questioning him. They're wondering, well, who are you to tell us how to live our Christian lives? Can you imagine saying that to the Apostle Paul? They did. They were not alone. Here's a man that served them diligently, and as you can see, he's reminding them. He's saying, you know, you know this is true. He's reminding them of who he is and what he has done. And as we saw last week, by doing so, he's also laying to us an example of how we should go about it. How should we grow others in Christ? But the fact that they're questioning him really does say something very poor about human nature, doesn't it? Even in Christians, despite all the good that this man did on behalf of this church, they still would rather question him instead of trusting him. Isn't that a shame? So as you read on, you have to ask yourself, what more could Paul have done for this church? I can't think of anything more. And yet they thought something was lacking. And so here in chapter two, he's proving that he was who he claims to be, and that he did what he set out to do, which is what God called him to do. And so he puts himself under the microscope. Look at me as a man, look at me in terms of my character, in terms of my message, my motives, and my methods. And this passage here then describes how the Apostle Paul was training them. And they didn't even realize it, but the Apostle Paul was training them in the things of God. He was discipling them. And the first thing he says, is teach the gospel affectionately. Now keep in mind that the entire book tells us how we are to live in these last times, in these end days. This was the beginning of the end, the resurrection of Christ marks the beginning of the end times. And so Paul is explaining to them, look at my life and this is how you should be living as well. in these end days. Now, obviously today we are far closer to the end than when Paul penned these words. How then should we be living? Well, read 1 Thessalonians, read 2 Thessalonians, and allow me to explain it to you. How do we grow people in Christ? How do we make disciples? Well, verses 7 and 8 teach us, teaches us that we must do so by teaching the gospel affectionately, with a heart. Now we all have people who live around us who are either incredulous, they do not believe in Christ at all, or people who are believers and need to grow spiritually. We're surrounded by these people on a daily basis. Some people are antagonistic towards the gospel. Well, you can't exclude them. And some people are brand new in Christ. Some people know less about Christ than maybe even you. Whatever the case, you have a job, a requirement of leading others and maturing in their faith. Likewise, they to you. It's your job. It doesn't matter how young you are in Christ or how old. It doesn't matter how young you are in life or how old. You have this task given to you by God to help make disciples within the church of Christ. The Christian has to model and teach Christ first and foremost to those people that surround us. Model Christ, teach Christ. And Paul displayed the importance of sincere affection towards those who have been entrusted into his care. And he does so, maybe you notice, probably not because it's very hard to see in the English, in the original Greek language you see it more clearly. He gives to us two illustrations listed there in verse 7. It looks like just one thought, one idea, one illustration in verse 7, but it's actually two. A comma would have helped tremendously. The first one is this. Look at what he says. He says, but we were gentle among you. Here's illustration number one. This is how I helped you grow in Christ. He says, we were gentle among you. And that little word there, gentle, means a person who does not speak or an infant or someone who is simple minded. He's not here referring to a nurturing or a nursing mother. Rather, he's referring to an infant. He said, we came to you like infants. In other words, we came to you very, very innocent-like. We were innocent when we came to you, like a baby. I'm sure we've all held babies in our arms. And what do we see when we look at that little face? A child who's untarnished by the world, a newness, a freshness, an innocence. that my friends, I think we should try to keep for as long as we possibly can. In other words, Paul said, I came to you, we, my team came to you, not as brash preachers demanding anything from you. We were not authoritarian. Rather, we were tender. We were without malice and without any ulterior motives. Instead, we came to you as gentle, like an innocent infant in his mother's arms. Natural innocence. It's the innocence that you find in the child in the mother's arms, not wanting anything from that mother except for what is intended from a mother. That little child does not expect anything else. You know, that child that's sitting in his mother's arms, he doesn't say, well, mom, you're going to have to pay for my college. He does not expect anything other than, mom, just care for, just love me. Just remember me. And when I think you forgot me, I'll let you know. Innocent. And Paul says, this is exactly how we came to you. We had no ulterior motives. We came as innocent, gentle infants to you. In my opinion, there are few things that cry out affection more loudly than a baby in his mother's arms. I think many of you would agree. And that's how Paul came to them. Like a baby in their lives. Innocent. How do we grow people in Christ? Well, we need to be innocent. We need to be gentle in that sense. No ulterior motives. He gives a second illustration, same verse, the second half. And here he says, we came to you like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. And so now the illustration shifts from the baby in the arms to the mother holding the baby and nursing that baby. And Paul explains that he affectionately fed them with the nourishment of God's word. He was not like a wet nurse who's hired to feed someone else's child. No, he came like a mother feeding her own children with sweet milk, the milk of the scriptures. And as cumbersome as I imagine that to be, I've seen it many a times, mothers feeding their children breast milk with a particular pleasure, a particular love, care, and affection. And Paul said, that's how I came to you. I came to you like a mother who was breastfeeding her children with such nurturing care. Any able mother will protect and provide for her children, for her little ones, because of her deep affection for those children. The very children they brought into the world, the very children that has been entrusted into her care, she cares for them. And Paul said, that's exactly what I'm doing for you. I'm nurturing you. I came to you innocently. I came to you in order to nurture you to nurture God's people. And notice what I think is rather interesting. In verses five and six, Paul says that he proclaimed the gospel to them free from those lower motives. You remember what those lower motives were. He was free from a desire for money or for status or fame or power. He said, no, those things did not move me at all. That's not why I came to you. Rather, here beginning at verse 7 all the way to 12, he says, I had much higher motives. I have godly motives in order to come to you and raise you up in Christ. And so Paul trained them in God's truth innocently and with the nurturing power of God's truth. And this, my friends, was his true expression of affection towards them. Now, if you go back to verse 6, you'll notice he says there, I could have very well been a burden to you and made demands of you, because after all, I am an apostle of Christ. But he said, we chose not to do that. We chose not to be a burden to you. We chose not to demand anything from you at all. Because we did not want to get in the way of the proclamation of the gospel. So we chose not to be a burden. And so, whether you're seeking to lead someone to Christ, or whether or not you're seeking to grow somebody in Christ, it must be done from the heart, is what Paul is saying. Paul writes in verse eight, he says, so being affectionately desirous of you. In other words, Paul is saying, but I love you so much. I love you so much. His heart toward them actually compelled, compelled him to nurture this young church. He loved the people of God. Now I had a grandmother, who was not very affectionate, but she was a very dutiful Christian woman, very dutiful, but not affectionate at all. She had seven children, and as you can imagine, she has, as a result of that, plenty of grandchildren, none of which she actually wanted to spend any time with. She was the most un-grandmotherly-like grandmother I've ever seen. And unfortunately for her, she had to watch all the grandchildren all summer long in one house. Because all the parents would go to work, and all the kids would be brought over to her. And she would have to watch us all. And she did so in a very dutiful way. She fed us. She disciplined us. She taught me how to read in Portuguese. And the only reason she taught me and not the others is because I'm the only one who would actually come to her class. She was a school teacher and she wanted all her grandchildren to know Portuguese. And she would call on all of us to come outside, out of the yard, into the house for Portuguese reading lessons. And I used to feel bad for her because nobody wanted to come to learn Portuguese. on a hot summer day, and everybody stayed outside and I would come. And today I'm very grateful because I can read Portuguese, whereas the others barely. So she taught me well, but never was it in a caring way. It was in a rather heartless way. Truth is that when she fed us a hot bowl of soup, It would land on a table already chilled by her heartless care. There was no affection whatsoever. And unfortunately for her, even her Christian faith was communicated that way. It was dutiful. And Paul says here, if you're going to grow people in Christ, don't be my grandmother. You need to do it from the heart. It has to be with love. So the truth is that the Apostle Paul went beyond the call of an apostle. He even gave himself. He shared himself with them. That is, he was self-giving. So what does it mean to be affectionate? It means that, yes, you are innocent. It means, yes, you are nurturing. It also means that if you want to be affectionate, you have to be self-giving. Self-giving. Look at what he writes in verse eight. He says, so being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel. That was my grandmother. My poor grandmother. She was here to hear me. But it's true. It's true. He says, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. My friends, sharing the gospel was his apostolic duty, sharing his life was his heart compulsion. It's very difficult to persuade anyone of the life-changing power of the gospel if that change is not evident in your own heart. And Paul is saying, look, it's very evident in my heart. My affection goes out to you. Why am I here? Because you are so dear to me. How do you know that you are so dear to me? Look at how innocently I approach you. Look at how I nurture you with God's word. And look at how I give of myself to you. Keep in mind that even the most Christless person can be religiously dutiful. Those under your care must see your affection. Approach them with innocence. Whether it's your children or your workmate. Whether it is your spouse or your neighbor. Or maybe your grandchildren. Approach them with an innocence, a gentleness. Approach them with a nurturing desire. And approach them in a self-giving way. And keep in mind, my friends, that all three are essential. This is what I mean. Let's say you have two, but not a third. So let's say you are nurturing and you are self-giving, but you're not innocent. You know what you will create? You will create cynicism. You will create a person who says, huh, I wonder why he's doing that. I wonder why she's doing that. That's just cynicism. Because there's no innocence involved. If you are innocent, and you are self-giving, but you are not nurturing, you will create a very kind person who knows nothing about Jesus Christ. You see, you have to nurture them with the gospel, not just be innocent and self-giving. Many moms are just that. Innocent and self-giving, but moms, don't forget the gospel. Grandmoms, granddads, don't forget the gospel. You have to nurture them with the word of God. Don't expect the church to do it. Don't expect them to hear it anywhere else. It has to come from the home first. Or, if you were to be innocent and not nurturing, rather, if you were to be innocent and nurturing, but not self-giving, what you will create is a very dutiful and heartless person. You have to be self-giving as well. J.K. Beale writes this, that we are to carry out a, quote, bold ministry expressed in tender care. A bold ministry expressed in tender care. So how do we disciple others? We need to do it affectionately. Innocent motives, nurturing with the truth, and self-giving devotion. Now, if that has not been your practice in the past, it's never too late. Start now. Yes, you'll have more work to do and some work to undo, but you begin now. Whoever it may be in your life that's standing outside of Christ or new in Christ, take the gospel to them. Make disciples. How? By coming to them with this particular gentle innocence. Nurture them and give of yourself, keeping in mind that disciples are created by Christ and grown through the work of Christians. Come alongside of them, Christian. Are you ready for point two? Are you with me? First, teach the scriptures affectionately. Look at number two, verse nine. Second, teach the gospel tirelessly. Teach the gospel tirelessly, verse nine. Now, we all have a propensity for giving up, don't we? Circumstances tend to, well, make us want to quit. Lack of results makes us want to give up. Or at times we even wonder whether or not this is true. If this is true, how come I don't see any results? Well, that's why God gave to us Galatians chapter 6, verses 9 and 10. Because we have this propensity to give up. Galatians 6 reads this way, Let us not grow weary of doing good, For in the due season, we will reap if we do not give up. So then, as you have opportunity, let us do good to everyone and especially to those who are in a household of faith." Why? Because people were giving up. And Paul says, don't give up. Because in due season, you will reap a harvest. We do not know when that season will arrive. Yes, it does make it harder. but we do need to be reminded that we cannot give up. God has a purpose in his timing, and his timing is impeccable, even when it doesn't jive with our own schedule. Paul gives us another principle here for growing people in Christ. He does tell us here that it is hard work, but don't give up. He says, don't let your needs get in the way of nurturing others in the gospel of Christ. That's exactly what he did, right? He did not let those needs get in the way. And look at what he says in verse nine. He reminds them, you remember, you remember what I did. In fact, he says that in verse 10, he says, you are witness. And in verse 11, he says, you know, in other words, friends, keep in mind what you know to be true. Tirelessly, he worked for the agenda of God on behalf of those who have been entrusted to him. And what an example that is for us. Don't give up. And don't think that you're excluded from this mandate. This is for all of us, friends. To tirelessly work on behalf of God's agenda to grow people in Christ. In fact, look at verse 9. He says that he labored and toiled on their behalf. Labor meaning a fatiguing work, and toil meaning that he endured hardship. Why? For them! Not for himself. Remember, he was innocent. We live in this outrageously broken world, and should we expect that the work of the gospel is in any way going to be easy? I don't think we should. We're foolish if we think it's going to be easy. If it's easy, you're doing something wrong. I assure you. He says here that he worked night and day in order not to be a burden to these new believers. night and day, labored and toiled. What a sacrifice. I do think that when he talks about working night and day, I think it's a reference to what we see in Acts chapter 18 verse 3. Paul had a second job, a part-time job, a job that actually helped him get food on the table, pay for his lodging, keep his clothes in order. And that was tent making. This was in a day in which there was no Motel 6. The Marriott had yet to be invented. And so people, when they traveled, they would have a tent. And when they finished their day's travel, they would pitch a tent. And that's where they would live. And so Paul's job was to make tents. And he would sell tents. And people would buy tents and be very grateful. But you could imagine that was not easy work. working all day long for the Church of Christ and then at night time have to sew and weave tents, make sure the poles are all the right size and make sure there's enough pegs and no holes in the fabric. That was his second job. That's what he did. That was his second job. Why? Because he refused to be a burden to these new Christians. He refused to let them say, you know, you're only doing this for the money. No, he said, no, obviously I'm not. And you remember this. You see here that there's absolutely no reason to question Paul's motives. He made sure of that. He has proven who he is as a man and now he proves himself to be genuine in terms of his motives as well. Paul says to them, I will not let money get in the way of conveying the gospel or even the reception of the gospel. I'm getting myself completely out of the way and so I am willing to work tirelessly on your behalf so that I can properly influence you. as a young Christian and so that you would grow spiritually. This is a lesson for mothers and fathers. This is a lesson for grandparents to work tirelessly in order to influence children, small or old, in the gospel of Christ. Certainly it is a lesson for pastors And notice here that this is not Paul being proud and independent. Oh, I don't need any help. I can do this myself. No, no. He would much rather have people support him, but he says, no, that's just going to get in the way. That's just going to make people wonder who I am and what my motives are. So I'm just going to work extra hard in order to make sure that you are willing and able to receive the gospel of Christ. And what an example that is for us. Whatever the situation may be, it could be your own family. You could be maybe the only believer at home. It may be your parents. Whatever it may be, your job is to stay out of the way so that they can hear the gospel clearly. Work tirelessly at it. Doesn't guarantee they're gonna believe, but it guarantees that you won't get in the way. When proclaiming the gospel, when growing others in Christ, be ready to do hard work. When you proclaim the gospel, let the gospel itself be the only offense. Don't you be an offense. Let the gospel offend. And it does. Because it speaks of our sin. It speaks of our wretched depravity. The gospel offends because it tells us that we are alienated from Christ. Let that be the only offense, not you. Here's the third and last, verses 10, 11, and 12. Teach the scriptures affectionately, that's number one. Number two, teach the gospel tirelessly. And three, common sense, but it needs to be said, teach the gospel with Christ at the center of life, both you and the person you're teaching. Teach the gospel with Christ at the center of life. You know, we have, every reason to believe that the gospel is 100% accurate. We have reason to have 100% confidence in the scriptures that we possess. The problem is not the scriptures. The problem we face in conveying the gospel message often is our very own shortcomings. Often we are the problem in conveying the gospel. Our own doubts or maybe our own vacillating even. Here at verse 10, Paul makes a very clear comment about his public and private conduct. Notice what he says. His conduct actually gives us greater confidence in what he is saying. Look at what he says. He says that in his conduct he was three things. Holy, you see it there, verse 10, righteous and blameless. You are witnesses and God also. How holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. Holy meaning untainted. In other words, he lived in accord with biblical requirements. He obeyed the word of God. And he also lived righteously. In other words, it was an upright life in terms of his moral conduct and blameless in his dealings. He was without accusation. And those people who would fling accusations at him would discover that the accusations did not stick. He had a very Teflon character. Say what you will, it won't stick. And he says, you know that to be true, my desire is to please God foremost. And it is for the glory of God first. But look, he says, it's also for your sake that I did these things. Verse 10, he says, I did these things, holy, righteous, blameless, towards you believers. He wanted his church to grow. He wanted to see them mature. Why? One, it brings glory to God. Number two, it brings richness to their own lives. Oh, that God's people would believe that. That once you take God's word seriously and you begin to live by it, you will benefit from it. I wish I could convince everybody in the room of that. The truth is, my friends, is that confidence is quickly lost when what we say does not match up with what we do. But confidence is quickly gained when what we see, what we say transforms people's lives, our own lives. Then people say, wow, there's truth there because I could see it happening in myself and in others. And so Paul here gives a third illustration, a third family illustration. He says, well, he goes from the innocent child to the nursing mother to now, verse 11, a father who gives good advice, who gives godly advice. And he appeals to their conscience. Once again, he says, for you know. In other words, Christians, don't lie to yourselves. You know this to be true, you know what you saw, you know what you heard. Don't lie to yourself. And of course, the common lie these days is that there is no truth or that you can develop your own truth for yourself. That's all that matters. Here, Paul is saying, don't follow what others are saying. Don't follow the crowds. Don't forget what you saw with your very own eyes. He says, for you know, and he says, recall the fatherly care that we gave to you. Verse 12, we exhorted each one of you. And then he says, we encouraged you and we charged you. He gave fatherly advice. Exhorting, meaning that he admonished them or corrected them when they were wrong. And that he encouraged them, meaning that he comforted them and he charged them as well. Not for money, but he charged them in the sense of urging them, motivating them to live properly. And so he says in verse 12, I exhort it, I encourage, I charge you to live in a manner worthy of God. How do you grow people in Christ? Well, you have to do just that. You have to exhort them, encourage them, and charge them to live a life, to walk in a way worthy of Jesus Christ. Now, he's not saying here to be worthy of salvation. No, not at all. He is saying to walk in a manner worthy of Christ, referring to that now that you are saved, now you walk in a way that demonstrates you are saved. Walk in a way worthy of the one who has already given you salvation. Not so you will earn salvation, but because you are saved, now reflect the one who saves you. Abide by God's Word. And this, by the way, is an external proof of salvation. I am living according to God's Word. Let your life reflect Christ in you. And this is the daily task of the one who is in charge of training followers of Christ. We are called as a church to, in a godly way, with convictional kindness, we are called to exhort one another and encourage one another, as well as to charge one another with God's principles. So Paul really wanted to please God, and he also wanted to please others. But who takes a priority? God, of course. And he knew that if God was being pleased, the people of God would be pleased as well if they were serious about God in them, about Christ in them. And this was Paul's constant work on their behalf, that they would live by God's standards. a higher quality of life for sure. So again, verse 12, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charge you to walk in a manner worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. Is there a better way to live? Is there a better task to put our hands to? but other than to prepare people for the kingdom of God and the glory that is to come? My friends, this is a high calling and you are given that calling. Take it seriously. Live it out. And by the way, this is the essence of discipleship. The Great Commission was given to us by Christ. It's recorded in Matthew 28, 19, and it begins this way. It says, go and make disciples. In other words, go and make followers of Jesus Christ. What was the great difference between the disciple Peter and the disciple Judas Iscariot? Well, in Peter's case, Christ was at the center of his life. Oh yes, he stumbled. But Christ was at the center of his life. In Judas Iscariot, Christ was a means of gain. He pilfered from the treasury. Really, Judas Iscariot was hoping for a high position in what he thought was going to be the kingdom of God. He said, well, I'm going to walk with Christ. So, you know, if I hang out with the big guy, I'm going to get a big position. And when he saw things collapsing, he took the first opportunity he could to make some money so that those three and a half years would not all be wasted. You see, he wanted Christ for his personal gain. Christ was simply a means to an end. Whereas in Jesus Christ, in Peter rather, Jesus Christ was at the core of Peter's heart. In Judas Iscariot, Judas Iscariot was at the heart of Judas. There's a difference. Tim Keller describes disciples this way. definitions or three parts to a disciple. A disciple is, first of all, a student of Jesus Christ. That is to say, a disciple is a follower who learns from Jesus Christ, follows Christ to learn from Christ. Number two, a disciple puts allegiance to Jesus first in his life, in her life. Allegiance, first, to Christ. And number three, a disciple is a father of Christ who is on a mission, sent into this world to minister the Word of God both verbally and by caring for others. That's the disciple. And we church, we Christians, are called to be disciple makers. Not when you are old in the faith, but even now, to be disciple makers. Making disciples begins with a call to salvation. No question about it. Faith and repentance. You must believe, you must repent, come to Christ. That's the initial point. But discipleship happens by coming alongside of others and training them in the Word of God so that they will be students of Christ, so that they will have Christ as a primary allegiance in their life, and number three, so that they will be in honest mission by which they proclaim the Gospel both verbally and in how they live, how they care. And how do we do this? Well, according to these verses here beginning at 7 through 12, we have to teach the Gospel affectionately from the heart, We have to teach the Bible tirelessly, and I assure you, you will get tired. And we have to teach that Christ must be at the center of our lives. That's how you make disciples. Now, I'm going to be frank with you. Examine. Examine where you are today. Examine where you have failed in those three. But don't just kick yourself for it. Go to God and plead his forgiveness. He will forgive you. but now go and make disciples. Affectionately, tirelessly, and teaching wherever they may be, wherever your children, wherever your employer, wherever your neighbors may be, teach them about Christ at the core of life and what true life will come about as a result of that. Do it tirelessly. You may have to do it slowly, but it has to be done. Anything else, my friends, anything less is really not making disciples at all. Go and make disciples.