Out of the Crowd — Into Community The Journey of Discipleship

By Pastor Aaron Rios | Garden City Church | May 10th, 2026

There is a dangerous form of Christianity growing in modern culture. A Christianity that wants the benefits of Jesus without the burden of following Him. We want peace without surrender.
Blessing without sacrifice. Authority without obedience. Community without commitment.
Transformation without discipline.

Many people want proximity to God while resisting the process that actually produces intimacy with Him. But Jesus never called people to casually observe Him. He called people to follow Him.

This past Sunday at Garden City Church, we explored one of the most important questions a believer can ask: Where am I in my discipleship journey? Not where was I five years ago. Not what do I claim doctrinally. Not whether I occasionally attend church.
But honestly, how close have I actually allowed myself to get to Jesus?

Jesus Never Called Admirers. He Called Disciples
In Matthew 4:19, Jesus approaches fishermen and says: “Come, follow me.” Simple words. Yet absolutely disruptive. Because in the first century Jewish world, this phrase was far deeper than a casual invitation. It was a rabbinical summons. Jesus was not asking people to occasionally hear Him preach. He was inviting them into a complete reordering of life.

To follow a rabbi meant total immersion. A disciple would walk so closely behind his rabbi that ancient writings described them as being: “Covered in the dust of their rabbi.” That image matters. Discipleship was never about collecting information. It was about transformation. The goal was not simply to know what the rabbi taught. The goal was to become like the rabbi himself. His habits. His prayer life. His thinking. His priorities. His convictions. His posture. And Jesus still calls people this way today.

Not merely to church attendance. Not merely to inspiration. But to transformation.

The Problem With the Crowd
Crowds surrounded Jesus constantly. They pressed in. They followed Him. They listened. They were fascinated by Him. But many were attracted to what Jesus could do more than who He actually was. Miracles attracted crowds. Multiplication attracted crowds. Healing attracted crowds. But surrender separated disciples.

The crowd loves spectacle. Disciples embrace sacrifice. The crowd gathers when things are exciting. Disciples remain when things become costly. You can be around Jesus and still remain distant from Him. That is one of the most sobering realities in Scripture. Many people know church culture without ever truly developing intimacy with Christ.

The Progression of Discipleship
Throughout the Gospels, we see a pattern emerge repeatedly. Jesus is always calling people closer. Here is a quick recap of Sundays Sermon:
1. Observers — The Crowd
This is where many begin. Curious. Interested. Watching from a distance. The crowd hears sermons. The crowd witnesses miracles. The crowd experiences moments. But distance remains.

The crowd enjoys inspiration without responsibility. And eventually, many in the crowd leave when following Jesus becomes inconvenient.

2. Followers — The Called
Then something shifts.
Jesus says: “Follow me.” And some respond. Not perfectly. Not fully understanding everything. Not with polished theology. But with surrender.

The disciples left nets, boats, careers, routines, and certainty behind. Following Jesus always costs something. And contrary to modern Christianity, Jesus never hid that fact.

He said:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.”
Discipleship is not self enhancement. It is self surrender.

3. Learners — The Disciples
As disciples followed Jesus, they began learning privately what the crowd never understood publicly. Jesus explained mysteries to disciples that He did not explain to the masses. Why?
Because intimacy creates access. Disciples asked questions. Disciples stayed after. Disciples listened longer. Disciples developed discipline.

This is where transformation begins. Not merely hearing truth. But allowing truth to confront, expose, shape, and mature us. Real discipleship changes habits. Changes language. Changes priorities. Changes relationships. Changes appetites. Jesus does not simply improve people.
He remakes them.

God Has Always Chosen the Unlikely
One of the most encouraging realities in Scripture is this: God repeatedly chooses people who appear unqualified. David was overlooked. Gideon considered himself the weakest. Moses felt incapable. The disciples were ordinary and unschooled. Yet God deliberately chose them. Why? Because weakness creates space for God’s glory.

The Kingdom of God has always operated upside down compared to worldly systems.
The world celebrates charisma. God looks for humility. The world promotes self confidence. God seeks surrender. The world values appearance. God examines the heart.

Again and again, Scripture reveals this pattern: God does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called.

Many people disqualify themselves before God ever does. They assume their past excludes them. Their weakness excludes them. Their failures exclude them.

But throughout Scripture, weakness was often the very platform God chose to reveal His strength.

Your brokenness may not disqualify you. It may actually position you for dependence upon God.

4. Workers...Discipleship Must Produce Movement
At some point, Jesus stopped merely teaching His disciples. He sent them. Discipleship that never produces action is incomplete. Jesus gave them authority. He gave them assignment.
He gave them responsibility. They became workers in the Kingdom. Not consumers. Contributors. Not merely recipients. Representatives.

The modern church often struggles here. Many believers want perpetual encouragement without responsibility. Continuous feeding without serving. Endless inspiration without mission. But mature disciples eventually become active participants in the work of the Kingdom.

Healthy discipleship always produces movement.

5. The Final Invitation: Friendship
Perhaps the most staggering part of the Gospel narrative is this: Jesus does not merely invite people to work for Him. He invites them into friendship.
In John 15, Jesus says: “I no longer call you servants… I have called you friends.”

What a breathtaking statement. The Creator of heaven and earth inviting humanity into relational intimacy. This is where discipleship ultimately leads. Not performance. Not religious activity. Not external image management. But genuine intimacy with God.

John leaned against Jesus. Peter, James, and John were brought further up the mountain. Abraham was called a friend of God. The invitation has always been closeness.

The Honest Truth
Some remain in the crowd forever. Some start following but stop growing. Some learn but never serve. Some serve publicly while remaining spiritually distant privately. They do things for Jesus… without truly knowing Him deeply.

But Jesus continues extending the same invitation He always has:
Come closer.
Closer than routine religion.
Closer than surface Christianity.
Closer than occasional church attendance.
Closer into surrender.
Closer into transformation.
Closer into intimacy.


So Where Are You? That is the real question.
Not:
Do you attend church?
Not:
Do you believe in God?
Not:
Do you know Scripture?
But:
How close have you allowed yourself to get to Jesus?

Have you remained in the crowd? Or have you stepped into discipleship? Because Jesus is still calling ordinary people today. Still calling the overlooked. Still calling the weak. Still calling the available. Still calling those willing to surrender.

And the beautiful truth is this: He does not merely call people to use them. He calls people to walk with them.