What a Disciple Does: A Visual Guide to Week 1

As we continue through our "What a Disciple Does" series, we wanted to go back and share some visual resources from the earlier weeks for those who may have missed them or who simply want a fresh way to review what we've been learning together.

This sketchnote captures the heart of Pastor Paul's opening message on discipleship: what it means, what it demands, and the shape it takes in our lives as followers of Jesus.

The Big Picture

Pastor Paul opened the series with a challenge from Hebrews 5:11–6:3, where the writer confronts believers who had become "dull of hearing," stuck on spiritual milk when they should be ready for solid food. The call is clear: God demands that we aggressively pursue maturity in Christ.

But here's the encouragement woven throughout the message: discipleship isn't fundamentally about rules. It's about a Person. It's about fixing our eyes on Jesus, who is both gentle and lowly and mighty and victorious. Yes, He demands everything, but He empowers us to give everything through His grace.

The Discipleship Shape

At Island Church, we've refined our core values into four movements that form a continuous cycle:

Abide: Daily relationship with Jesus, His life flowing through yours. It starts with loving God wholeheartedly (Matthew 22:37) and staying connected to the Vine (John 15:5).

Connect: Committed relationships with God's family in corporate worship and small gatherings. We can't claim to love God if we don't love His people (1 John 4:7-11).

Invest: Giving your time, talent, and resources for the Kingdom. A good disciple is never content just to receive but is passionate to reproduce (2 Timothy 2:1-2).

Go: Intentionally sharing Jesus locally and globally. Not just making disciples, but making disciples who make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).

Each element fuels the next. As you abide, you're drawn to connect. As you connect, you're compelled to invest. As you invest, you naturally go and share, which leads others to abide. The wheel keeps turning.

A Note About This Sketchnote

This visual summary was created with AI assistance and may not capture every nuance perfectly. But we thought it might be helpful for those who learn best through images or who want a quick reference to revisit throughout the week. 

Over the next several days, we'll post sketchnotes from the other sermons in this series. If you like this format and find it helpful, please let us know! If it is useful, we'll continue to create these each week.

Our common prayer for 2026? Conform me into the likeness of Your Son.

May that be the cry of our hearts as we pursue Jesus together, not out of obligation, but out of love.

What's your next step? Abide, Connect, Invest, or Go? Your next step is always one of the four.