Submission vs. Agreement: The Discipleship Truth the Church Avoids

About this sermon

Jesus didn’t say, “Go and make converts.” He said, “Go and make disciples.” And if we’re honest, discipleship isn’t a frictionless process. It requires the laying down of self—ego, preferences, and the instinct to bolt the moment a relationship feels uncomfortable. In this conversation, I unpack why Christian maturity doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in covenantal community—where love gets real, submission gets tested, and transformation actually has a place to stick. We also go straight at one of the most confusing tension points in the modern church: submission vs agreement. If I only stay connected when I agree, that’s not submission—it’s convenience. We talk about why so many people are triggered by words like “bishop,” “father,” or “authority,” and how church hurt and father wounds have shaped an entire generation’s theology and church structures. But we also explore something hopeful: healthy ecclesiology can be rebuilt, and it starts with relationships that restore trust, not titles that demand it. Along the way, we address the “cul-de-sac” we’re stuck in—where younger believers feel molded and used, and older believers feel like they can’t trust anyone to carry weight. We talk structure and spirituality (institutional order and spiritual direction), why the sin of schism should sober us, and why getting back to Scripture, doctrine, and the historic sources of the faith is the only way out of shallow, sentimental Christianity. If you’re hungry for a church that actually reflects Jesus—not a brand, not a platform—this one’s for you. Chapters: 00:00 Make Disciples: Why Maturity Requires the Cross 01:05 Submission vs Agreement: The Difference That Exposes Our Ego 02:10 TikTok Church + Church Hurt: Why We Need Reformation 04:10 From Tradition to TED Talk: How We Stripped the Church Down 06:00 Fathers in the Faith: The “Yes Sir” Relationships We’re Missing 08:00 When Leaders Aren’t Fathered: How Ecclesiology Gets Bastardized 10:40 A Generational Cul-de-Sac: Distrust, Individualism, and Responsibility 12:00 Rites of Passage: What Evangelicals Lost (Bar Mitzvah/Confirmation) 15:20 Back to the Sources: Scripture, Doctrine, and Biblical Literacy 24:10 Bishops, Structure, and Schism: Why Authority Still Matters 33:40 Identity Crisis: From “Christian” to Disciple (Luke 9:23) Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertrstearns/ Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertrstearns/ Don't forget to PUSH THE BELL to get NOTIFICATIONS of new and upcoming videos.

Topics

• Obedience
• Bible Study
• Discipleship
• Church & Fellowship
• The Church