Philippians

What Is a Disciple?

December 4, 2025 by Tim Sherfy

Everyone who loves Jesus longs to be His disciple. If you don’t, you don’t love Him. It’s a basic litmus test you can use for yourself. As in any conversation, it is vital that we define our terms. What one person thinks it means to be a disciple might differ from someone else’s thoughts.

Of course, we don’t have to rely on the opinions of any fallible human to determine what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus. God’s Word reveals what genuine discipleship looks like. So, what is a disciple? God’s opinion is the only one that matters, so let’s see how He defines it within the pages of His Holy Word.

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Two Foundations

November 13, 2025 by Tim Sherfy

Matthew 7:24-29

We call Jesus Lord, but we don’t live like He is. While we hear what He says, we don’t act on what we hear. Since we do not obey His Word, we show we do not love Him (John 14:15). We still love and cling to the things of this world (1 John 2:15-17) although we claim to have left everything to follow Christ (Matthew 16:24). Our supposed Christian life is a house of cards.

Man thinking through which of the two foundations he will build his life upon, desiring to build on the bedrock of God's WOrd and live a life of surrender, commitment, and discipleship

We are building without a foundation and will crumble at the slightest breeze. When the storms come, the disaster will be catastrophic. Jesus said there are two foundations we can build our lives upon: the bedrock of obedience to His Word, or the shifting sand of cultural whims and man’s opinions (Matthew 7:24-27).

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Can You Live for Jesus?

November 3, 2025 by Tim Sherfy

Christian persecution is on the rise across the globe. It’s not just in countries where you might expect it, like North Korea, Eritrea, and Iran, but also in places you wouldn’t, like Australia and Great Britain. Perhaps, like me, as you read the horrific accounts of kidnapping, imprisonment, torture, and murder, you contemplate whether you would stand firm for Christ in similar circumstances.

Woman asking herself can you live for Jesus as contemplates her commitment, surrender, and salvation

I think most mature believers would say they are willing to die for Christ rather than deny Him as the Savior He is. I hope that is true of all of us. Even if it is, I must question the sincerity of the claim because there is a tougher question we must answer first. You say you are ready to die for Jesus, but can you live for Jesus?

Walking in God’s Will, Part 4 – God’s Will Is Not a Secret

October 30, 2025 by Tim Sherfy

This is part four of our study of what it means to live life walking in God’s will. You can catch up or review by reading parts one, two, and three. If you are stumbling upon this for the first time, our premise is that God’s will is not a secret and that it is the same for each individual.

Contemplative young man pondering walking in God's will by ordering his priorities with discipline in obedience and discipleship for the glorification of God

The challenge lies in discerning His will in our very specific and disparate circumstances and decisions. The point of this series is to provide some questions we can ask to help us eliminate the noise around our choices, and boil them down to the simple and plain teaching of scripture. Let’s look at the final two questions we can ask.

Walking in God’s Will, Part 2 – Know God’s Will

October 23, 2025 by Tim Sherfy

We’re continuing to look at what it means to know God’s will. In part one, we established that God’s will is knowable and not specific to each individual. We also began looking at some questions we can ask when facing a decision and seeking God’s will in it. The first two questions are, “Will this violate God’s Law?” and “Will this draw me closer to God or hinder my walk with Him?”

Young man thoughfully seeking discernment and wisdom to understand what it means to be walking in God's will

Of course, most of us won’t stop and take the time to ask those questions when facing a decision. We’d rather spend hours wringing our hands wondering what we should do. We’re putting all the emphasis on us rather than on God’s Word. Only God’s Word has the answers, so wasting time anywhere else is foolish (2 Timothy 3:16-17).