THE TWO CONFESSIONS:​WHY CONFESSION WITHOUT SURRENDER FAILS

The Two Confessions:
​Why Confession Without Surrender Fails

"If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” -Romans 10:9

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say" – Luke 6:46

The Problem: Confession Without Surrender

Modern Christianity has mastered the language of confession but forgotten the practice of surrender. We’ve made becoming a Christian sound like a momentary decision rather than a daily devotion. We’ve taught people to say Jesus is Lord without teaching them to live as if He is King. This has produced a generation of believers who are spiritually informed but not spiritually transformed. Confession without surrender is like declaring allegiance to a king but never entering his kingdom.
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The First Confession: Jesus Is the Messiah

Every disciple begins with an initial confession: Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. This is the moment of new birth, the awakening of faith, the turning point of redemption. But for many, this confession has been reduced to mere verbal affirmation, a statement disconnected from genuine repentance and obedience. When Peter declared Jesus as the Messiah (Matthew 16:16), Jesus celebrated his confession but immediately pointed him toward the cross. True confession leads to a crucified life, a life that denies self, takes up the cross, and follows Jesus daily (Luke 9:23). We are not simply inviting people to believe in Jesus’ existence but to entrust their existence to Him. This is the doorway to redemption.

The Second Confession: Jesus Is Lord...Daily

The first confession births us into the Kingdom. The second confession, our daily surrender, keeps us walking in it. Jesus didn’t call people to make a one-time decision; He called them to follow. He invited His disciples to confess His lordship every single day by surrendering to His leadership, His Word, and His will. This is what we call the Lordship Rhythm, a rhythm of daily surrender to King Jesus. In our 5.3.2 framework, the first and most essential rhythm of a disciple-maker’s life is Daily Surrender (Lordship Rhythm). Practically speaking, we help people do this by reading one chapter from the Gospels each morning, listening to Jesus, obeying His words, and sharing what He’s doing. They listen, hear, obey, and share.  When we confess Jesus as Lord through daily surrender, we are not just believing in Him; we are becoming like Him. This rhythm turns belief into behavior and confession into transformation.

Two Confessions, One Kingdom

Confession: Jesus is the Messiah
Description:Our initial declaration of faith; the moment we are born again.
Result: Redemption-entering the family of God.

Confession: Jesus is Lord
Description: Our daily surrender to King Jesus through obedience.
Result: Renewal – walking in the Kingdom life.

Both confessions are necessary. The first brings us into a relationship; the second brings us under rule. The first is a birth; the second is a lifestyle. Without both, we fall short of the Kingdom Jesus came to establish.

Disciple-Making and the Two Confessions

Our call as disciple-makers is not merely to help people make the first confession, but to train them in the second. We don’t just help people say Jesus is Lord, we teach them to live as if He is. That’s why we disciple people around the rhythms of surrender and accountability:

1. Daily Surrender (Lordship Rhythm) – Hearing and obeying Jesus through Scripture.
2. Weekly Accountability (Micro-Group Rhythm) – Confessing and encouraging one another to stay surrendered.

When we help people confess to Jesus daily through surrendered living, we’re forming disciples who not only believe the gospel but embody it.

The Invitation

Jesus doesn’t just want a confession; He wants your allegiance. He’s not looking for fans who admire Him from a distance, but followers who walk in His footsteps. The first confession invites you into salvation; the second invites you into transformation. If we want to see disciple-making movements multiply, we must disciple people into both confessions. That’s how we turn believers into followers, followers into disciple-makers, and disciple-makers into movement makers. Because the Kingdom doesn’t come through a momentary confession, it comes through daily surrender.

Reflection Questions for Disciple-Makers:

1. How have we emphasized the first confession (salvation) without teaching the second (daily surrender)?

2. What rhythms or tools help you practice daily surrender to King Jesus?

3. How can your micro groups help others move from belief to obedience?
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4. What would change in your church if every believer practiced daily surrender to King Jesus? 

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