Let us look at Step 12, Part 3, as we look into the 12 Steps with God

Step 12 – Discipleship – Having come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and beginning this journey of faith with Him in a Bible-believing church, we share the gospel with others and encourage them to grow in Christ.

In this final step we want to take several lessons to highlight the important themes: the journey of faith, the role of church in our lives, sharing our faith, and the nature of discipleship.

In the previous steps and lessons we have learned about our God, our selves, our great salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord, and that we should make disciples. What we will discuss tonight is the fact that if God is truly our God, and His will is to spread the good news about Him, then we should be devoting our lives to that.

Romans 10:13-15 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

God makes it very clear in this verse, that people cannot call upon a Savior and God that they don’t know about. We have to tell them about God and about the wonderful salvation He offers through the Blood of Jesus Christ alone.

Ezekiel 3:17-18 “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou gives him no warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”

In this passage, we see the great passion God has for people to know Him, even before He came to us in the Person of Jesus Christ. God’s plan from the beginning has always been that mankind would know Him in truth through the preaching of His people.

John 17:20, 21, 23” Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me…I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.”

Even more clearly do we see the will of God through the words of Jesus Christ that everyone in the world would hear the good news of His gospel. God loves the world in the same way as He loved Jesus, which is hard to understand but great to hear!

1 Timothy 2:3-4 “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of truth.”

Again, we see that the will of God the Father is that all men should be saved. This isn’t just people that we feel like talking to about God. This isn’t about people who are convenient or easy to speak to. It's all people. Everywhere. God wants all persons to be saved

Mark 16:15-16 “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

Remember the parable of the sower…not the seed. If you struggle with speaking to people, or deciding which technique to use, simply remember the parable of the sower from Mark 4:1-32. Firstly, remember that it is a parable about sowing, not about seeds or fruit. This parable is not used to determine if someone is saved or not. Instead, it is to show that we are to sow the seed everywhere: good ground and bad.

Consider and Confess:

1. What has Jesus Christ the Savior done for you in your life? Why wouldn’t you want everyone to share in that incredible salvation?

2. Is there someone you refuse to share the gospel with? Why? How are they any less unworthy of God’s love than you?

3. Even if you are not capable of preaching the gospel to your community, nation, or the world, how can you devote yourself to the spread of it? Beyond fasting and prayer, are you funding those who go instead of you? What else can you do in devotion to the spread of the gospel?

4. We often take vacations for leisure and pleasure. Have you ever considered replacing a vacation with going on a gospel focused mission trip to another country? Why not?

5. Now that we are hopefully free of addiction in our lives, what are we doing with the time and money we have left over? Are we spending it on ourselves or are we giving it to God through the spread of His gospel?

6. Have you ever felt led by the Holy Spirit to share the gospel and didn’t? What was your reasoning? Have you begged for forgiveness from God for disobedience? Can you find that person and share the gospel with them now?

7. Do you share the gospel often and are rejected just as often? Have you realized that it is your job only to share the gospel, not to convert them? How do you feel when people reject the gospel? Why? Are they rejecting you or are they rejecting God?

Looking Forward: In our final study we want to discuss the discipleship model as taught in God’s Word. You should be learning truth, doctrine, and theology through the study of God’s Word from someone; but you should also be teaching what you know to someone else.

How do you disciple or teach someone else, especially if you do not know an awful lot yet? We will discuss these matters as well as the importance of study of God’s Word as a lifelong pursuit. You have learned a lot through the study of these 12 steps. Maybe it is time for you to teach someone else what you know because they need it – many have said that discipleship begins with “Hello”.