Discipleship (2)

DISCIPLESHIP

MATTHEW 28:19–20 (ESV)

19GO THEREFORE AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND OF THE SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,

20TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THAT I HAVE COMMANDED YOU. AND BEHOLD, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, TO THE END OF THE AGE.”

INTRODUCTION

MATTHEW 28:19 - 20 IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR SCRIPTURE VERSES IN THE BIBLE TODAY.

IT IS ONE OF THE MOST DEBATED SCRIPTURES ALSO.

TO SOME THIS IS A KEY DOCTRINAL BAPTISM FORMULA,

TO OTHERS THIS IS A COMMAND TO BE CARRIED OUT.

BUT WITH ALL THE THEOLOGICAL DEBATE THAT HAPPENS ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE AS WE CANNOT FORGET THAT THIS IS IN FACT A COMMISSION TO EVERYONE WHO CALLS THEM SELF A CHRISTIAN.

WE ARE COMMISSIONED TO MAKE DISCIPLES.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN MAKE DISCIPLES.

THAT IS WHAT I WANT TO TALK TO US ABOUT TODAY

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO MAKE DISCIPLES.

DEFINING DISCIPLESHIP

FOR US TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE DISCIPLED I THINK IT BENEFITS US TO FIRST UNDERSTAND WHAT DISCIPLESHIP IS NOT.

LET ME PREFACE THIS BY SAYING NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE BAD THEY ARE GOOD INSTITUTES WITHIN THE CHURCH THEY ARE JUST NOT WHAT DEFINES DISCIPLESHIP.

1. DISCIPLESHIP IS NOT A NEW CONVERTS CLASS

2. DISCIPLESHIP IS NOT A ONE TIME TRAINING WHERE YOU GRADUATE INTO BEING A CHRISTIAN

3. DISCIPLESHIP IS NOT FOR NEW SAINTS

THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT DISCIPLESHIP IS NOT

AGAIN THEY ARE NOT BAD THINGS ANY TRAINING IN ANY TEACHING IS GOOD, BUT TO SOME DISCIPLESHIP UP INTO ANY ONE OR ALL THREE OF THESE THINGS IS AN ERROR.

DISCIPLESHIP IS HOWEVER

1. A LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO FOLLOWING JESUS

a. THE GREEK WORD FOR “DISCIPLE” IS “MA-THI-TIS” WHICH MEANS PUPIL, LEARNER, OR SCHOLAR.

b. A DISCIPLE IS COMPLETELY DEVOTED TO THE TEACHER

c. THE RELATIONSHIP GOES BEYOND STUDENT IN APPRENTICE RELATIONSHIP

2. A DISCIPLE DOES NOT SIMPLY LEARN A TRADE OR A SUBJECT BUT THEY CHOOSE TO ABOVE ALL ELSE FOLLOW THE MASTER.

MATTHEW 19:27 (KJV 1900)

27THEN ANSWERED PETER AND SAID UNTO HIM, BEHOLD, WE HAVE FORSAKEN ALL, AND FOLLOWED THEE; WHAT SHALL WE HAVE THEREFORE?

LUKE 5:11 (KJV 1900)

11AND WHEN THEY HAD BROUGHT THEIR SHIPS TO LAND, THEY FORSOOK ALL, AND FOLLOWED HIM.

SO BEING DISCIPLE MEANS THAT WE FORSAKE EVERYTHING AND WE FOLLOW AND LIVE THE PRESETS THAT GOD HAS ORDAINED FOR OUR LIVES.

IT IS A LIFE LONG JOURNEY OF LEARNING TO BE MORE LIKE JESUS.

IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN YOUR WALK WITH GOD YOU ARE STILL IN THE DISCIPLESHIP PROCESS.

IF YOU ASK BISHOP DAVID BERNARD OUR GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT OF THE UPCI (ONE OF THE GREATEST TEACHERS IN OUR APOSTOLIC MOVEMENT TODAY) HE WOULD TELL YOU THAT HE IS STILL IN THE DISCIPLESHIP PROCESS.

SO DISCIPLESHIP IS NOT SOMETHING THAT ANYONE EVER GRADUATES FROM ON THIS SIDE OF GLORY,

WE ARE EVER LEARNING IN CHANGING AND BEING TRANSFORMED BEING RENEWED BY THE WORD OF GOD IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

KEY PARTS OF THE DISCIPLESHIP PROCESS

DISCIPLESHIP HAS THREE PREREQUISITES

(LUKE 9:23-25; 14:26-27).

a. WE ARE TO DENY OURSELVES.

a. NO SUCH THING AS A SELF RIGHTEOUS CHRISTIAN

b. PUT OTHERS BEFORE OURSELVES

c. IF WE PUT OTHERS FIRST GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF US

b. WE ARE TO TAKE UP OUR CROSS DAILY.

CRUCIFIXION—WAS A CRUEL MEANS OF DEATH, FROWNED ON BY BOTH GOD AND

HUMANS. IT IS ONE OF HISTORY’S MOST IGNOMINIOUS WAYS TO DIE.

GOD’S WORD DECLARES THAT THOSE WHO ARE CRUCIFIED ARE CURSED OF GOD (DEUTERONOMY 21:22-23).

CHRIST WAS MADE A CURSE FOR US THROUGH HIS CRUCIFIXION

(GALATIANS 3:13).

NOW WE HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CRUCIFYING THE FLESH IN A SPIRITUAL SENSE AS A MEANS OF SELF-CONTROL.

1. OUR OLD MAN IS CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST (ROMANS 6:6).

2. PAUL WAS CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST (GALATIANS 2:20).

3. THOSE WHO ARE CHRIST’S HAVE CRUCIFIED THE FLESH (GALATIANS 5:22-25).

4. WE ARE TO BE CRUCIFIED TO THE WORLD AND THE WORLD TO US(GALATIANS 6:14).

C. WE ARE TO FOLLOW JESUS.

MATTHEW 19:16–30 (KJV 1900)

16AND, BEHOLD, ONE CAME AND SAID UNTO HIM, GOOD MASTER, WHAT GOOD THING SHALL I DO, THAT I MAY HAVE ETERNAL LIFE?

17AND HE SAID UNTO HIM, WHY CALLEST THOU ME GOOD? THERE IS NONE GOOD BUT ONE, THAT IS, GOD: BUT IF THOU WILT ENTER INTO LIFE, KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS.

18HE SAITH UNTO HIM, WHICH? JESUS SAID, THOU SHALT DO NO MURDER, THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, THOU SHALT NOT STEAL, THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS,

19HONOUR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER: AND, THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF.

20THE YOUNG MAN SAITH UNTO HIM, ALL THESE THINGS HAVE I KEPT FROM MY YOUTH UP: WHAT LACK I YET?

21JESUS SAID UNTO HIM, IF THOU WILT BE PERFECT, GO AND SELL THAT THOU HAST, AND GIVE TO THE POOR, AND THOU SHALT HAVE TREASURE IN HEAVEN: AND COME AND FOLLOW ME.

22BUT WHEN THE YOUNG MAN HEARD THAT SAYING, HE WENT AWAY SORROWFUL: FOR HE HAD GREAT POSSESSIONS.

23THEN SAID JESUS UNTO HIS DISCIPLES, VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, THAT A RICH MAN SHALL HARDLY ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

24AND AGAIN I SAY UNTO YOU, IT IS EASIER FOR A CAMEL TO GO THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE, THAN FOR A RICH MAN TO ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

25WHEN HIS DISCIPLES HEARD IT, THEY WERE EXCEEDINGLY AMAZED, SAYING, WHO THEN CAN BE SAVED?

26BUT JESUS BEHELD THEM, AND SAID UNTO THEM, WITH MEN THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE; BUT WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.

27THEN ANSWERED PETER AND SAID UNTO HIM, BEHOLD, WE HAVE FORSAKEN ALL, AND FOLLOWED THEE; WHAT SHALL WE HAVE THEREFORE?

28AND JESUS SAID UNTO THEM, VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, THAT YE WHICH HAVE FOLLOWED ME, IN THE REGENERATION WHEN THE SON OF MAN SHALL SIT IN THE THRONE OF HIS GLORY, YE ALSO SHALL SIT UPON TWELVE THRONES, JUDGING THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL.

29AND EVERY ONE THAT HATH FORSAKEN HOUSES, OR BRETHREN, OR SISTERS, OR FATHER, OR MOTHER, OR WIFE, OR CHILDREN, OR LANDS, FOR MY NAME’S SAKE, SHALL RECEIVE AN HUNDREDFOLD, AND SHALL INHERIT EVERLASTING LIFE.

30BUT MANY THAT ARE FIRST SHALL BE LAST; AND THE LAST SHALL BE FIRST.

EMULATING JESUS

THE MOST POWERFUL FORM OF WORSHIP IS EMULATION

IN COMPUTING, AN EMULATOR IS HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE THAT ENABLES ONE COMPUTER SYSTEM TO BEHAVE LIKE ANOTHER COMPUTER SYSTEM. AN EMULATOR TYPICALLY ENABLES THE HOST SYSTEM TO RUN SOFTWARE OR USE PERIPHERAL DEVICES DESIGNED FOR THE GUEST SYSTEM. EMULATION REFERS TO THE ABILITY OF A COMPUTER PROGRAM IN AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE TO EMULATE ANOTHER PROGRAM OR DEVICE. MANY PRINTERS, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE DESIGNED TO EMULATE HP LASERJET PRINTERS BECAUSE SO MUCH SOFTWARE IS WRITTEN FOR HP PRINTERS.

2 TIMOTHY 2:2 (KJV 1900)

2AND THE THINGS THAT THOU HAST HEARD OF ME AMONG MANY WITNESSES, THE SAME COMMIT THOU TO FAITHFUL MEN, WHO SHALL BE ABLE TO TEACH OTHERS ALSO.

ACTS 1:8 (KJV 1900)

8BUT YE SHALL RECEIVE POWER, AFTER THAT THE HOLY GHOST IS COME UPON YOU: AND YE SHALL BE WITNESSES UNTO ME BOTH IN JERUSALEM, AND IN ALL JUDAEA, AND IN SAMARIA, AND UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF THE EARTH.