This weeks blog, was inspired by our church previous series, that's why I decided to give some insights on DISCOVERING the DISCIPLESHIP MANDATE.
The Bible says,
"Come follow me," Jesus said,
"and I will make you fishers of men."
-Matthew 4:19
2000 years ago, it was so simple that a Carpenter (Jesus) explained it to uneducated fishermen in one sentence (Matt. 4:19). The fishermen understood it, acted on it, and they changed the world.
For Jesus, discipleship was and still top priority.
Yes, He fed the hungry and healed the sick, but He always gave the twelve disciples His prime time. His final word to them before He ascended into heaven was a commission not just to be disciples, but to make disciples. Like the original followers of Jesus, we are supposed to be disciples and we are supposed to make disciples. In other words, we are supposed to follow Jesus and we are supposed to help others follow Him. This is a GREAT COMMISSION.
Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT)
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,[a] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
DISCIPLESHIP is a call to FOLLOW Jesus.
The starting point of being a disciple is to follow Jesus.
Following Him requires that we give up for our whole lives-
mind, will, emotions, past, present, and future- to follow Him.
Matthew 16:24 (NLT)
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you
wants to be my follower, you must turn from your
selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.
DISCIPLESHIP is a call to FELLOWSHIP with others.
None of the original disciples attempted to follow Jesus alone.
Following Him meant following along with other disciples.
7 But if we are living in the light,
as God is in the light,
then we have fellowship with each other,
and the blood of Jesus, his Son,
cleanses us from all sin.
DISCIPLESHIP is call to FISH for people.
Jesus expects all who follow Him to help others find and follow Him.
Following Jesus does not mean that we cut off all contact with non-Christians.
Rather, it means we actively seek to introduce them to Jesus.
Matthew answered the call to discipleship and immediately
had a celebration at his house to introduce his friends to Jesus.
9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. 11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?[a]” 12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.”
The call to discipleship is a call to build RELATIONSHIP
on three levels --with God, with God's people, and with the lost people.
If a disciple is someone who follow Jesus,
fellowship with other believers, and fishes for people,
then discipleship is simply the process of helping people follow Jesus,
fellowshipping with other believers, and fishing for people.
Our personal relationship with Jesus in devotion, relationships with other Christians in care and accountability, and relationships with non-believers in evangelism.
Therefore, discipleship is more than just handling and teaching people but building a RELATIONSHIP with them and change them not by our words but by the TRUTH.
BELIEVE, TRUST, and have FAITH in our Lord Jesus.
Shalom!
Source:
Royal Ambassadors International and Network of Ministries, Inc. (RAINM)
"CELEBRATE DISCOVERY MANUAL"
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