In Discipleship Matters, Tyler Lynde continues with Follow Me by naming a reality we all feel: crisis isn’t an if but a when. The answer isn’t panic; it’s formation. Tyler frames the year with a simple conviction—sharpened Christians are best equipped for crisis—and then walks us through Jesus’ four-stage path of discipleship: come and see, follow me, be with me, go for me. He highlights the hinge, “Follow me,” where spectators become imitators who carry Jesus’ heart into everyday places that need it most.

Drawing from Matthew 4:18–22, Tyler shows how Jesus’ invitation is an invitation to imitation. “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” redefines success around serving. Mark 10:45 anchors the new definition of greatness: even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve. Tyler asks, “How’s your serve game?” and paints a practical picture of servants who step into gaps at work, at home, and in the city—people about whom others say, “They’ll do anything for anyone.”

From there he presses into character. John 14 reminds us that Jesus reveals the Father; disciples reveal Jesus. Tyler invites honest self-examination: if those you’re discipling shadowed you for a week, what would they learn to imitate—patience, integrity, repentance? He normalizes the Spirit’s refining work: over time motives, tone, and thought patterns come under grace, and repentance becomes a rhythm. Authentic character, lived with appropriate transparency, is credible evangelism in a skeptical world.

Tyler keeps Jesus’ heart for the lost at the center. Luke 19 and Luke 4 frame a life moved by compassion—seeking, saving, setting free. Instead of treating outreach as a program, he calls us to notice real names in our contacts, neighbors on our street, co-workers who ask for prayer, and to move toward them. And he keeps the target clear: multiplication, not addition. With Paul’s pattern—“Imitate me as I imitate Christ,” “entrust to faithful people who will teach others also”—Tyler offers a doable rhythm: think big, start small, go deep. One person, one meal, one prayer at a time.

A moving testimony ties it all together. A dad simply said, “Invite Nick to Bible study,” then kept showing up for breakfasts. God used ordinary presence to rewrite a life. Tyler closes with clear next steps: dare to be a disciple, take stock of your relationships, pray, invite in, teach to obey, and release to multiply. Watch to be equipped with courage and practical steps to follow Jesus and help someone else do the same this week.

We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
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We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Subscribe to our Podcast & YouTube channel to find past sermons, classes, interviews, and more!
Find us on Facebook & Instagram

Mark Medley opens Psalm 105 and invites us to practice gratitude so we can remember and retell God’s works among us. He frames the morning as “stones of remembrance,” rehearsing how the Lord formed belonging, deepened growth, and multiplied service in 2025—and how those simple steps will shape the year ahead.

Under Belong, Mark celebrates the fruit of a team-led pastoral model that equips the saints and makes space for many voices. Average attendance rose by more than 80 people each week. Thirty-eight new partners (17 families) completed the New Partners track. More than 15 babies were dedicated, and nine people were baptized. Community Groups ranged from apologetics, traditional skills, and business cohorts to support groups and “Dinners for 8,” while house-church style gatherings carried fellowship through the year. Trinity Christian Academy surged to 242 Friday co‑op students (104 families), added 45 high schoolers in Thursday core classes, and now connects 133 families across TCA’s ministries. Midweek equipping and a growing rhythm of Triads point to where we’re headed next.

Under Grow, Mark highlights Scripture at the center. The church moved through Nehemiah, the Sermon on the Mount, and Ephesians 1–3, with 127 people in a chronological Bible plan. Twenty-one days of corporate prayer and fasting pressed roots deeper into God. Leadership pipelines—Trinity Ministry Apprenticeship and the Timothy Team—multiplied emerging teachers and mentors. Marriage and parenting equipping, FIT classes, and young mothers’ discipleship helped homes become disciple-making hubs.

Under Serve, presence turned belief into action. Seven Serve Day projects mobilized 80 volunteers across parks, schools, assisted living, and downtown outreach. A providential building purchase provided long‑term stability and room for a sanctuary build‑out. Justice and mercy advanced through protecting human life initiatives, Street Hope, Hope Resource Center, and a thriving prison ministry. ROTC cadets found discipleship, meals, and mentors through weekly rhythms on campus. Partnerships with Empower School and Farm and Compassion Coalition deepened local impact.

Globally, our people touched five continents. Two Cuba trips trained leaders and helped purchase a house‑church property now hosting forty-plus people. In Tanzania, the Maasai community grew in discipleship and development as the Victoria Watoto School surpassed 150 students. Partners in France and Poland discipled young professionals and united churches, while next‑gen missionaries served in South Korea, Poland, Thailand, and Honduras. Sent Ones extended reach through Siberian Missions, the Ezra Project, and Thrive Ministries, including new translations and grief-care resources in Ukrainian and Russian.

Looking to 2026, Mark calls us to grow deeper to know Christ and make Him known. Imagine your next step—belong, grow, or serve—and join the story.

We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Subscribe to our Podcast & YouTube channel to find past sermons, classes, interviews, and more!
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