What a Disciple Does: A Visual Guide to Week 3 (Cultivating Abiding)

We're continuing to share visual summaries from the earlier weeks of our "What a Disciple Does" series. Whether you missed a Sunday, want to revisit what we've learned, or simply process information better visually, we hope these sketchnotes serve you well.

This week's sketchnote captures the heart of the message on cultivating abiding, building on Pastor Paul's teaching from Week 2 about love being the "secret sauce."

The Practice is the Porch, Not the House

Here's the tension we wrestled with: abiding doesn't happen by accident. There are real practices that position our hearts to experience Jesus. But those same practices can become the very thing that replaces the relationship they're designed to foster.

The message gave us a helpful image: the practice is the porch, not the house. You sit on the porch to spend time with the person who lives inside. If you fall in love with the porch instead of the person, you've missed the whole point.

Warning Signs

How do you know when the practices have become a prison? Three warning signs:

1. Pride in discipline: When consistency becomes a badge rather than a blessing.
2. Guilt when you miss: When shame replaces longing. Jesus didn't die so we could feel guilty about missing quiet time.
3. No transformation: When knowledge increases but love doesn't.

Root and Fruit

The most practical part of the message traced our common struggles back to their root. Bitterness, anxiety, identity issues, anger, temptation, discouragement, materialism: these aren't just problems to manage. They're symptoms of disconnection from the vine.

Self-help addresses symptoms. Abiding addresses the root.

A Note About This Sketchnote

This visual summary was created with AI assistance and may not capture every detail perfectly. We hope it helps you revisit the message and apply it throughout your week.

"Remain in my love." (John 15:9)