Formed by the Gospel

Feb 10

Episode Summary

In this episode, Cory and Brian move into the next phase of the disciple-maker pathway and explore Planting the Gospel. Again, in this series, we are looking at how we’re formed in each phase of the disciple-maker pathway, rather than tools we use on mission. We highlight the challenges of communicating the Gospel and making disciples, emphasizing the need for humility, patience, and a deep-rooted identity in Jesus.

Key Themes & Takeaways

1. Phase 3: Gospel Planting (Not Gospel Extracting)

Phase 3 is about planting the gospel into people and places—not extracting people out of their context.
It’s more than living missionally (Phase 2); it’s the shift into disciple-making and multiplication.
The goal is disciples “from the ground up”—people discovering Jesus and growing where they are.

2. The Gospel According to Jesus: The Kingdom Breaking In

Cory defines the gospel as the good news of the Kingdom of God breaking through.
Brian adds: the Kingdom isn’t only proclaimed—it’s demonstrated.
A breakfast-table discipleship moment becomes the example: if the Kingdom is real, how does it show up today?

3. Allegiance Shifts and Idols Get Dethroned

When the gospel lands in a household or network, the result is new allegiance—King Jesus becomes Lord.
Brian shares a real-time example: how comparison and financial insecurity can surface quickly, and how speaking the gospel back to ourselves re-centers our hearts.
Discipling others helps expose what still competes for our trust and loyalty.

4. What Disciple-Making Forms in Us: Worship, Awareness, and Patience

Walking with people who are discovering Jesus produces awe, wonder, humility, and worship—because you realize it’s God doing the work.
Cory describes increased awareness: seeing where God is at work personally and in others.
Patience gets forged as you realize you can’t force transformation—disciple-making is spiritual and often slower than we want.

5. Learning to Communicate Good News as Good News

Disciple-making shapes our ability to speak the gospel in ways that actually connect to people’s real lives.
Instead of defaulting to a formula, we learn to bring “Kingdom news” into specific forms of brokenness with gentleness and curiosity.
The more the gospel takes root in us, the more clearly we can communicate it to others.

6. Formation in the Fire: Identity, Resistance, and the Battlefield of Mission

Cory describes the internal battle that can come with disciple-making: shame, imposter syndrome, and accusations like “you’re not worthy.”
Mission becomes the refining place where we learn to recognize God’s voice, resist lies, and root our identity deeper in grace.
The “classroom vs. workplace” picture: disciple-making isn’t theory—it’s where everything becomes real.

7. The Kingdom Takes Root in Us

Brian ties it together: in Phase 3, the Kingdom isn’t only planted “out there”—it gets planted deeper in us.
The disciple-maker is formed as they help others discover Jesus: idols are dethroned, allegiance is clarified, and the gospel becomes embodied.
The pathway may look linear on paper, but the reality is more like circles—returning again and again as we grow.

Final Thoughts

Phase 3 isn’t about becoming a disciple-making machine—it’s about becoming the kind of person the gospel produces. As we plant the good news in others through simple, Spirit-led disciple-making, we also find the Kingdom pressing into our own hearts: reshaping our allegiances, deepening our worship, and refining our identity in Jesus. If you’ve ever felt unqualified, impatient, or tempted to “speed up” the process, this episode is an invitation to slow down, stay close to Jesus, and trust that disciple-making is where God forms you—right alongside the people you’re trying to help.