#9: On the nature of discipleship and grace with Rodney Julian and Nathan Naoumi.
#9: On the nature of discipleship and grace with Rodney Julian and Nathan Naoumi.
#9: On the nature of discipleship and grace with Rodney Julian and Nathan Naoumi.
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Some believers posture the insane idea that proper discipleship for those rampantly promiscuous is rooted in giving them more grace. I say it’s insane because it doesn’t sound good to us, to we who’ve been raised to love justice and fairness and reciprocity. It doesn’t seem right that those who take life and pleasure for granted should be given seemingly more liberty to do so. It makes it too easy. At least, that’s what we often think. But the truth is, the gospel’s just that radical, that ludicrous for our tit-for-tat minds. And it’s this radically explicit gospel that Rodney Julian and Nathan Naoumi hope to bring to the people of Las Vegas, Nevada.
In this edition of Ministry Minded, I had the honor to sit down with Rodney and Nathan, both of whom are church planters in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rodney and Nathan are old collegiate classmates and friends. They’ve since moved west to Nevada to assist in planting Liberate Church, in hopes of bringing sinners to Christ in one of the most needy areas in the country. Instead of posturing a message that insists upon cleanliness and propriety before engaging in discipleship in Jesus, Liberate Church proclaims the message of grace for sinners to come as they are, and to let Christ clean them up. Their mission is to preach God’s substitution and absolution for sinners, yes, even those in “Sin City.”
Listen as we talk about God’s call to ministry, the radical effects of the gospel, and preaching grace in “Sin City.” Both Rodney and Nathan are excellent speakers and thinkers, and I think you’ll greatly benefit from this discussion on gospel-centered church-planting, evangelism, and discipleship.
Resources.
The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, Tim Keller
The Explicit Gospel, Matt Chandler
Always Ready: Directions for Defending the Faith, Greg L. Bahnsen
Vertical Church: What Every Heart Longs for. What Every Church Can Be, James Macdonald
Gaining By Losing: Why the Future Belongs to Churches that Send, J. D. Greear
Simple Church: Returning to God’s Process for Making Disciples, Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger
Confessions, Augustine
Grace: So Much More Than You Know and So Much Better Than You Think, Brad J. Gray
Sponsor.
This episode is brought to you by the Christian Standard Bible. Find out more by going to CSBible.com.
Notes.
Rodney and Nathan both live in Las Vegas, Nevada with their wives, and, what’s more, they all serve at a new church plant, Liberate Church. Both Rodney and Nathan embrace multiple aspects of Liberate’s mission, including student ministries, LYFE groups, and worship teams. Likewise, they both commit themselves to gospel-centered, cross-focused discipleship, in order to making Jesus famous in the greater Las Vegas area. Be sure and follow them on Twitter, @rodneyjulian11 and @nathan9naoumi.
Credits.
Intro music: “West Coast” by Ryan Little, licensed under CC BY 4.0.