Discipleship

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Now as I mentioned I don't want you to spend a lot of time thinking especially those of you who are thinkers and Perusers and meditators, so I'm gonna do a little word association with you
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I'm gonna say a word and I want you to jot down on your sheet if you have a pen or if not Think about it and remember it or on your iPads wherever I want you to jot down on your sheet the very first word that comes to mind when
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I tell you this word So we're doing a little word association Thanks Joel So the first thing that comes to mind jot it down And then we'll have some time after I go through these couple of ones to share our thoughts
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Okay, first thing don't spend a lot of time thinking about it favorite food Favorite food too many okay
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Since we're not thinking much about it next one basketball champions. It's the first thought that comes to mind write it down basketball champions
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Third and final word first thing that comes to mind jot it down discipleship Discipleship it's the first thought that comes to mind
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Okay, whoever would like let's share some of our thoughts favorite food Nobody wants to admit their favorite food
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Josh bacon Bacon man after my daughter's heart.
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She's always oinking Brian would I see your hand up? Rib eye steak
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Hmm I see over here Joel What's that? broccoli
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Who wants to have lunch with Joel today? I? Love it. He loves his greens anyone else
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Yes Frozen yogurt Thanks Lucille all right.
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Let's see basketball champions. What did you jot down? Michael Jordan it's funny.
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I was watching something on him last night Yes Celtics, thank you very much.
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I you know actually that was a reason. I threw it in there Being in a local body where both the senior and associate pastors of Lakers fans
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I it was kind of getting under my sanctified skin, so I needed to hear somebody say Celtic So I appreciate that very much.
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I feel sanctified this morning What's the first word you oh sorry? Yeah? Good representative for your husband excellent.
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Okay. What's the first word that came to mind when you thought of discipleship? Praise okay, right follower very good
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Reaching praise follower reaching Pradeep Jesus hmm good
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Question and Give me the end why you give me this answer the question is is the
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Christian life a sprint or a marathon? And why give me your support for you answer is the
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Christian life a sprint or a marathon? Why okay?
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Okay Long term so he described that this Christian life is a long term
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It's a marathon because a sprint is short term whereas a marathon is long term what you prepare for so that's
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Christian life is a marathon anybody else agree with him Okay, okay fought the good fight quoting
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Paul from 2nd Timothy kept the course for Mr.. Faith That's a marathon. Okay anybody else thoughts
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Yes Okay, Jim Elliot.
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Okay like a sprint because of his service. Yes of how he did it. Yeah Through the gates of splendor yes anybody else
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Yes, okay Very good good connection a marathon because sanctification is a long process
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So he kind of highlighted the connection between sanctification and discipleship Anybody else yes
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Okay Interesting so in the marathon they're gonna have rough patches that you know you're gonna face or the sprint you're gonna try to do it
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On your own strength with therefore a marathon Let me put it to you this way It Was kind of a screwball or a curveball question, but I think it is a marathon not a sprint
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But I will go beyond that and say there's a marathon relay The Christian life is a marathon relay because we are to pass the baton so to speak
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That's what discipleship is about Disciples of Jesus turn with me if you will to the book of Galatians for a second
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And then I'll give you kind of after we look at these initial verses Just a basic outline for today if you want to take notes, but turn with me to Galatians I'll give you the answers to mile of course
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I had more time to think about my answers, but favorite food baklava basketball champions
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Celtics of course Discipleship I think of very similar to what elder Pradeep said when
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I think of the establish of a thing of this word Christ likeness Christ likeness so turn with me to Galatians 4 if you will
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And if somebody can read verse 19 Galatians 4 verse 19 Thank You Fred Notice how he addresses in my dear children or my little children
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For who I'm again in the anguish of childbirth. What a beautiful word picture Paul is in the
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Anguish with throngs of childbirth so to speak until what until Christ is Formed in you he says to the
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Galatian churches that is his passion his heartfelt desire
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So much so that he's anguishing over this like a woman being in childbirth So that Jesus Christ Christ likeness is formed in you
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But I want to understand the impact of a verse like this of course We're not going to exposit the whole book of Galatians But at least understand the immediate context look at while he says this about the
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Galatian churches his desire Is that Christ is formed in them so much so that he's in the anguish of childbirth
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Notice the context with which he in which he says this somebody can read the very next verse verse 20 after that Yes, Gary, thank you
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Change my voice or change my tone for I stand in doubt of you the ESV says
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I'm perplexed about you interesting Paul's passion that he's in the anguish of childbirth so to speak is that Jesus Christ is formed in them
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But yet he's perplexed about them Verse 11 of the same chapter somebody can read that look and still let with this immediate context of chapter 4 notice his words
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I read that and I I can't help but laugh because here's the Apostle Paul Writing to the
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Galatian churches telling them I want Jesus Christ to be formed in you. This is my passion
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I'm in the anguish of childbirth, but yet at the same time. I'm I'm baffled. I'm in doubt
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I'm perplexed about you, and I'm wondering if I've even labored in vain over you if that wasn't enough chapter 3 verses 1 and 3
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Somebody can read it's the same person if you would read in chapter 3 verse 1 and verse 3 and notice how
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Paul addresses the Galatian churches here Joel thank you. Yes.
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Thank you. So twice he addresses him as fools It's funny
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I laugh also because my daughters were watching We have a series of Christian videos and they're pretty straightforward right from the
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Bible and One of the videos uses the term fool, so we caught my youngest daughter addressing her older sister as that And so when we confronted her about it.
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She says it was in the Bible video Okay But he's saying that you're foolish no less than two times
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Have I labored over you in vain I'm Puzzled I'm baffled. I'm in doubt. I'm perplexed about you
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Galatian churches But yet I'm in the anguish of childbirth for what ultimate purpose that Jesus Christ Is formed in you
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Discipleship has to do with Christ likeness. All right, so we're gonna look at two basic things this morning the first thing is
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I call it principles to apply and After that we're going to look at pitfalls to avoid in this area of discipleship principles to apply and pitfalls to avoid
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The first principle I would say is this selection the principle of selection
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Turn with me if you will to the gospel of Luke the gospel of Luke Chapter 6 verses 12 and 13.
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This is the Lord Jesus, of course Luke 6 who could read that 12 and 13.
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Thank you, Dave Thank you
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So before the Lord called the 12th to himself he spent the entire night in prayer This is a principle of selection and then he went out and he chose him.
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He selected them individually By name and of course the context of Luke that Luke provides us for me
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Then he names him each off by name. So in discipleship. This is what Christ used and of course
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Salvific to each. He's the one who God is the one who chooses us but here in his ministry his earthly ministry
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He chooses 12 and remember he had 12 one was Judas and Of the 12 he had three, correct?
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Peter James and John and he did with those three Things that he didn't have the others experience
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Garden of Gethsemane, for example, it was only Peter James and John who were there the Mount of Transfiguration Only Peter James and John So Christ selected these 12 these 12 apostles, but he had an inner core of three
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It's interesting in just a little bit in my own in my own experience over the years There are times when
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I've Taken the initiative and approached somebody in and asked them to be in a discipleship relationship
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And there are other times when others have sought me out men have sought me out and asked me to be in that kind of relationship
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I've asked, you know, I've never had anyone disciple me. Would you be willing to do that? And from my own experience what
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I have noticed those who take the initiative who seek out to be in this kind of relationship are the ones who are really desirous of growing and maturing in Sanctification that was mentioned earlier who really want to progress in being sanctified and becoming more
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Christlike and they're the ones who? End up going in ministering and serving the body and proclaiming and giving the gospel to the lost
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Unfortunately, this has to be said sometimes in our evangelical culture, but when it comes to selecting men disciple men and women disciple women
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Fortunately, it's not a given nowadays Last year was asked by a church that knew me from when
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I used to pastor Wanted to meet with us and I said, you know come come to my house and it was a group of ladies with one of their husbands and I said come on over so I can sit down with my wife there and they had some issues because with the pastor what he was doing with them and he was kind of Not allowing them to listen to Christian radio
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They were only supposed to listen to his teaching and he was kind of legalistic and I said well Those are some issues but the main issue is what's the pastor of the church doing in a discipleship relationship with three ladies?
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Oh Hmm a couple weeks later when I asked him invited me to preach there that did not continue fortunately
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But it's a given men should be working with men and women should be working with men women unless of course, it's in a couple setting
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Married couples helping other married couples along the way in the process Now, let's say for example women working with women, you know this passage you're familiar with it
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Titus 2 Let's turn there Titus chapter 2 the Titus Mandate towards women working with other women.
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This is still under the principle of selection. So if you're a
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More mature woman in the faith and you want to train somebody who's younger this
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Paul gives Titus Clear instructions as to what should be taking place
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Let's read verses 3 to 5 if somebody will do that Titus 2 3 and 3 to 5
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Gary, thanks Excellent.
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Thank you Notice that the training of the older woman towards the younger woman the errors that it relates it relates to the relationship with their husbands
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It's interesting. Of course Paul always talks about clearly in Ephesians that the husband is to love his wife as how
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Christ loved the church Correct, but here it's very clear that the older woman I do encourage and train the young woman to do what to love their husbands
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Reciprocating that and also to love their children to be keepers at a home submissive to their own husbands ultimately for what purpose
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So that verse 5 the Word of God may not be reviled So if you're training if you're a woman working with another woman who is married
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These are the areas you want to be helping them in in the process of discipleship and sanctification
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So the principle of selection is very important many times. Somebody will come to you to ask you for help
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Sometimes you might be selecting somebody in the process principle number two, I will give you from from these first section,
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I'll call it the principle of association the principle of association and Actually the second the third principle is together with this one, but we'll look at them together mark chapter 3 verse 14
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Mark chapter 3 verse 14. This is
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Mark's account of what we read earlier from Dr. Luke, but Mark is into a little bit more detail as to why
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Jesus Christ selected the Apostles Mark chapter 3 verse 14. Thank you twofold purpose.
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Why did Jesus appoint the 12 to for what purpose? Two purposes listed there.
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What's the first one? They might be with him and Whether it was the second purpose did it stop there?
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Send them out To do ministry to preach. So this is really the the principle of association that they would be with him
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Don't have to turn there for the sake of time But recall with me in Acts chapter 4 Acts chapter 3
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Peter healed the lame beggar, right? He was at the temple gate. He says silver and gold. I do not have but in the name of Jesus walk and before the
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Council in chapter 4 they're asking him about in what power do you do this? And he's given them the truth of the gospel
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Acts 4 verse 12 and their salvation and no one else There's no other name under heaven by which we must be saved the name of Jesus and in verse 13
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Luke records this now when they Saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated
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Common men they were astonished and notice what they recognized and they recognized that they had been with Jesus That was
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Jesus intent that he chose him so they might be with him. They were with him eating with him
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Seeing him in ministry together confronting the Pharisees giving sight to the blind forgiving sinners teaching them the truth of God The third principle which we get out of this verse, of course
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Which was mentioned already the principle of association that they might be with him and it's the principle that he might send them out to Call it the principle of proclamation
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So it's not just to be the sample ship is to be with somebody to to minister to them life on life
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But eventually to get them out to send them out To preach the gospel to be ministers of the gospel
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Sometimes it's helpful when you're training with somebody training in some basic ministry skills If you send them out to do evangelism
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Which we have we do that on Saturdays in downtown Worcester or in other ways that you want to do evangelism a person might not know.
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What do I say? What's the content of the gospel and you can teach them in your training and discipleship? What is the gospel?
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Don't assume that that's part of their growth and maturity and discipleship and sanctification So that they know how to give the gospel or if it's a ministry that we talked about last week in terms of serving
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Within the body of Christ somebody might want to teach a Sunday school class Somebody might want to lead a home group, whatever it is what
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I've done is I would sit down with somebody I'm working with during their Sunday school class and I would
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Sit there as a bystander listening to them teaching and interacting with a class and I'll be taking notes
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What are some of the positive things that I saw and what are some things that they can work on and then we'll sit down Together during our next time together and I would go through that with them or in a home group
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Whatever setting it might be as you're teaching and you're training somebody to send them out to minister and to preach and to teach
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You can go over those things with them together and give them good feedback and encouragement Okay principle number four
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So there's selection there's association That's why we choose people and ultimately to proclaim to send them out and fourth principle is the principle of instruction
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The principle of instruction so two verses here I want us to look up one is the Great Commission by Matthew Matthew 28 if somebody can look that up Matthew 28 19 through 20
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And the second one is in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 the first two verses 2nd
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Timothy chapter 2 Matthew 28 1st and then 2nd Timothy chapter 2 the words of Christ and the words of the
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Apostle Paul. Thank you
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In the original Greek, there's one imperative in that in that passage in its Make disciples all the other terms the going the teaching the baptizing are are dependent upon the making disciples
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But it's very clear there in the in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ to his followers that part of that discipleship involves teaching
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Baptizing them in the name of the Father Son and the Holy Spirit and doing what teaching them to what to know?
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Is it important to have biblical knowledge? Of course it is but notice Jesus said teaching them to obey
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Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you that's discipleship to become more
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Christlike Now, how about 2nd Timothy 2 anybody have that? 2nd
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Timothy chapter 2 the first two verses, please. Thank you
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Fred we'll keep our spot there. Thanks for reading because we're going to return back to that verse. I appreciate it But just want to highlight here.
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There's a lot of basics here But I had us I had Fred read verse 1 because as Paul is instructing
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Timothy young pastor Timothy in the ministry He begins with verse 1 be strengthened in what?
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The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we are saved by grace Only by God's grace by his sovereign distinguishable grace, but we minister by grace, too
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It's not out of our own strength. So he reminded to be strengthened by grace He's already saved but in terms of ministry and then he tells him what he ought to do and notice at the end to faithful men
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Who will be able to what teach? Others also, but remember it's teaching to obey not just to know
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We're not trying to develop big heads here biblical knowledge is important you can't grow without knowing
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But you can know and not grow the purpose of knowledge is for the sake of growth
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Sanctification as was mentioned earlier Christ likeness obedience. That's the ultimate purpose in Discipleship, so the principle of instruction is very important Principle number five kind of coincides with this one with instruction on the one hand is instruction on the other hand
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There's this principle demonstration the principle of Demonstration as a young Christian when others worked with me invested their life in me
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I noticed that a lot of I mean, I'm a I'm a sponge I absorb everything whatever somebody teaches me
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I take that and run with it But also I noticed in my life and I was told this early on that sometimes things are better caught
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Than taught So I'm observing a person's life as a young Christian somebody who's investing their life in me
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I'm listening to what they're teaching me, but I'm also watching them Observing their life how they respond to difficulty
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How they work in the ministry how their walk with God is so demonstration a few verses here
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So let me get some Some on the life of Christ and some on the Apostle Paul Luke chapter 11 verse 1 who would like to look that up Luke 11 verse 1 per deep.
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Thank you First Corinthians, I have two passages in 1st Corinthians the same person can do those first We'll go to chapter 11 verse 1 1st
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Corinthians 11 1 and then I'll take you to the next passage after you read that Anyone want to do 1st
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Corinthians? Mark, thank you. And the last one Philippians chapter 4 verse 9
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Philippians chapter 4 verse 9 Okay, the principle of demonstration as you're working with somebody you need to instruct them for the sake of obedience so that they obey growing
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Christlikeness in their process of sanctification But there's also demonstration notice
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Luke chapter 11 who had that pretty. Thank you, brother. Thank you
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Now, I mean this is just one specific instance and dr. Luke records this is his account of the
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Lord's prayers recorded by Matthew, but we know over and over and over again in the life of Christ in his incarnate ministry how many times he would slip away from the crowds to do what to pray?
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I mean there was one time in quarter to mark where it's like the disciples are looking all over for him And they're like, where'd you go?
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You went to pray these people want a piece of you But that was his priority and by doing that he was
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Demonstrating to them the priority of prayer and notice as elder per deep read in Luke 11 here He was praying and when he finished one of the disciples came to him and said
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Lord Teach us to pray. He saw prayer demonstrated by the Lord Jesus himself incarnate
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God and then he said, okay I see. This is a party now teach us to pray The principle of demonstration as you disciple and work with other people
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Okay, the Apostle Paul Mark, let's do 11 one first and then I'll lead you to the next one.
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Okay? Yeah, can you ever say that to somebody you're investing your life in? I've heard people say well, don't don't be imitators of me
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But he said but Paul but well, but that was the Apostle Paul the great Apostle Paul Should we say to others be imitators of me as I'm of Christ.
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Does that mean we have we're perfect? No, we still have our flesh, but that means That in my flesh when
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I do sin or when I fall I take the initiative as a Christian I'm aware of my sin.
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I confess my sin first John 1 9 and I go and make it right with somebody else So they see a pattern there of demonstration.
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The Greek word really means mimic me Me meet them and mimic me as I mimic
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Christ you mimic me and that's what happens as we work with people People will imitate us and Paul actually encourages the
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Corinthians to do that and we know the whole background having gone through Corinthians What was going on there?
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let's jump back to chapter 4 if you would mark of the same book verses 15 through 17 and The next couple of verses that we're going to read
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I want to show you as I mentioned the principle of instruction and demonstration Are really two sides of one coin
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Okay, and you're gonna see that in these verses now listen as Mark reads these verses 15 through 17 Thank you.
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So Paul is their spiritual father in the gospel again He tells them to be imitators of him and the last verse as Mark read.
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He says there clearly I'm sending you Timothy to remind you of my ways in Christ.
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That's demonstration as I teach everywhere in every church in other way.
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In other words, whatever I'm teaching throughout the churches That's being demonstrated in my life in the ways
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I live what I teach what I say is consistent with what I do and that's part of the process of discipleship and Who had
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Philippians 4 right verse 9? Thank you
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Famous context we know verses 6 and 7 do not be angst about anything verse 8 let your mind dwell on these things and Then verse 90
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Paul tells the Philippians this local body and fill it by practice these things which things he says the things you've heard and the things you've seen
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It's audio -visual if you will Discipleship people hear what you're teaching instructing and they see what you're demonstrating ultimately for the goal of Christ likeness
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Okay, one last principle and then we'll get into some pitfalls as we close off our session the last principle
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Which is part of your handout is multiplication the principle of multiplication Fred read this verse earlier in 2nd
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Timothy 2 verse 2 Paul writing to young pastor Timothy giving him instruction about the ministry
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What you Timothy Paul what you Timothy have heard from me from Paul in the presence of when many witnesses and trust to What kind of men?
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faithful Men who will be able to what teach others also
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So we have Paul His son in the faith as Paul has said in the both pastoral epistles to Timothy the things that he taught
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Timothy that Timothy is to entrust a faithful or reliable dependable men Who will also are able themselves to teach others also?
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Let me give you a little helpful acronym When I this might sound funny initially But you'll understand when
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I look for people that I want to invest my life in I mean Obviously we have to think when
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Jesus selected the twelve they weren't he they weren't polished They had some rough ages even at the very end did they not and that should encourage us
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This should encourage us in our own process of sanctification But also with those we work with of course sometimes
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I say to people that I work with of course It's not to say that I'm equating myself with Jesus, but as a joke
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I'll say to them you know they'll say I'll Instruct them in something I'll demonstrate something and it takes them a while to get it
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And I'll turn to them and say have I been with you so long Did Jesus not say that to his disciples, but yet he didn't give up on them
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But this is what I look for I don't look for people who are lean I look for people who are fat What I mean by that is this
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F 80 people who are faithful as Paul instructed Timothy here It has to be done to faithful men because again if Discipleship is not just a marathon, but a marathon with a relay
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We want to pass the baton and if the person is not faithful It will not continue people who are faithful the a stands for available
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If people are not available to spend time as years want to spend time in life in ministry with the twelve and Finally the
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T is teachable right from this passage who will be able to what to teach others also to pass on those life truths faithful available and teachable
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Look at your sheet if you want we're not going to go into details on this you can study it on your own We see just the example of Barnabas it's amazing when you read the account of acts acts is a great.
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I love the book of Acts But when Paul was persecuting the church none of the early disciples were welcoming remember
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They didn't believe that he was converted the only one who welcomed them into the fold was who the son of encouragement
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Barnabas We could say in a manner of speaking that Barnabas was
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Paul's Paul and we see here from the sheet Paul invested in his life in Timothy And then as we see there in the chart faithful men the church in Ephesus there as he writes in 1st
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Timothy He invested in in Titus in Priscilla and Aquila and they also trained
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Apollo's and that went on and on and on So it's a process or the principle of multiplication that Paul was highlighting to Timothy in 2nd
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Timothy to faithful available and teachable teachable is very important in the process of working with somebody
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Because if a person is not teachable ready to receive instruction This is very difficult to continue to work with them.
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Of course. We're all like that a lot of times God's God will direct as we're studying the scripture or we hear a message that the
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Holy Spirit convicts us with or Somebody through the scripture brother sister didn't Christ mention something.
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Sometimes we have to be receptive to that being teachable Recently had an example that reminded me of that not somebody that I'm working with right now
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But somebody that I've worked with in the past and they do something relationship I have some contact with them still but I were in touch over some issue in their life
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And so there was something that happened So I had to talk to them on the phone we talked for about an hour and a half and the first thing
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I said to them was this Proverbs 27 verse 5 Better is open rebuke
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Than hidden love So by saying that I was prepping them Better is open rebuke
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Than hidden love and the person knows because of my ongoing relationship with them that anything
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I say is out of care out of spiritual concern for their development in Christ and then we discussed the issue that I needed to bring to his to the forefront and By the end of our conversation the person said to me, thank you for confronting me about this
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That's having a teachable spirit Okay, any questions on the principles before I take the last few minutes to just talk something about some pitfalls that we can avoid
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Any questions or comments about the six principles that? covered Okay, some pitfalls to avoid
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I got four listed here, I'm sure there's others Some pitfalls to avoid
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The first one, I don't know what to name it I simply wrote down here book like sometimes people will ask me, you know,
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I've been asked by so -and -so to disciple them Well, which book do I use? What what what book do
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I use and it's a legitimate question if somebody's never been involved in that kind of intensive relationship Which book do
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I use? The Bible Which book did Jesus use?
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Now this is not to say as we know here the Bible is is what we exposit here The Bible takes precedence as Jesus Christ is the head of the church.
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This is what we follow. This is what we teach This is what we obey. But as we know here, we also encourage
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Reading of good solid Christian theological books, do we not? So it's not to say that just because we have these resources and they didn't exist then that you can't use a book
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But it's the mindset. Sometimes that's important It's your way of thinking that I have to use a book you can you might not have to Sometimes if especially if a person is new to the faith is a young believer
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Something like the fundamentals of the faith can be very significant for them It takes them through some of the basics who is
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Jesus Christ the importance of the Word of God and the fellowship of believers evangelism and all that and Or you can do another book depending on what the person at that point in their journey in their
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Christian life and their sanctification Dealing with or you might not use a book You might just get together open the scriptures together and let's discuss this week's sermon or you might just be reading through a book of the
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Bible together spend time in prayer Discuss some of the challenges that they are facing in life and helping them through that It's not that you can't use a book outside of the
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Bible, but don't get locked in can say Oh, if I don't actually go through an actual book, I'm not discipling somebody
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Second pitfall to avoid I call it programs Programs now programs are not bad.
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We have programs. But again, it's the way of thinking If I don't have it in a certain program, it's not gonna fit
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I mean there are places that think Discipleship is if I can get somebody I'm gonna have a bunch of hula hoops.
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I call them religious hula hoops Okay, now jump through this hoop now jump through this hoop if you jump through ten hoops in a row.
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Okay, boom. You got it That's it. It's not just jumping through hoops. It's not about programs. It's about people.
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It's about relationships Life on life, that's what Jesus was he chosen that they might be with him now.
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Do you need a regular time together? Yes, you should have a regular time together where you sit down and discuss and pray and open the scriptures together
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And then your time together. What do you do during that time together? What should you do? Well, if it's the process of sanctification if discipleship is becoming more like Christ We know from Ephesians 4 that part of maturity is what?
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Doctrine that the person is no longer child tossed by every wind of Doctrine so doctrinal teaching is very important helping them in their prayer life
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Helping them in evangelism as they have a passion for the lost Helping them in different ministry skills as we talked about or a daily habit of Bible reading and prayer
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Call it what you want devotions quiet time Whatever it is all those things are important in helping them with the graces that God has given them
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So it's not just putting them through a program. It's working life on life relate person to person
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The third pitfall I mentioned here This is common. I faced this a bit over the years discipling those who aren't even saved
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Discipling those who aren't even saved. So what happens you're investing your life in somebody and you're doing everything
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That you can toiling over them and investing in this person that you're taking the time with has
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Absolutely. No as you want to discuss and open the Word of God with him or discuss what they learned from the message
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There is no hunger for the Word of God Now who gives a hunger for the Word of God?
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the Spirit The author of Scripture gives a hunger for the Word of God. Can I wet that person's appetite?
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Yeah, I can wet their appetite, but it's the Spirit of God now They might not know how to study the scripture and that's what we have
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IBS So we have in the disablishable issue somebody to help that person. This is how to go about it
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The Spirit gives the hunger We can help a person in studying the scripture or the person that you're helping has no desire to be with other
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Christians Doesn't want to be with the brethren. I love being with other Christians sometimes more than with my family not my own family my wife and kids,
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I mean but my extended family because We know we have passed from death to life When we love the brethren
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Or a person has no passion. They might not know where to begin You know, I don't know if you remember when God first saved you, you know, that might not have any passion for the lost
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I want to tell my friends and family about Jesus what he did to me how he saved me when I wasn't even seeking him
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I was talking with somebody recently and they said I Asked them their testimony and they said they were telling me their testimony and talking about how they found
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Jesus and as we were discussing I said, you know as a young Christian, I used to think the same thing That I found
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Jesus. I didn't find Jesus. I wasn't even searching for him. He found me Romans 3 no one seeks after God So even being able to help teach him that in the process of discipleship to understand it doesn't mean that they're not saved
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But a lot of times people are not saved and the reason we're trying to and then we say oh you see Discipleship doesn't work in Murray in his book the
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Forgotten Spurgeon puts it this way. I love how he said it here It's frequently said that a man who makes a decision for Christ With little evidence of a change of life if this man should gradually lose his newfound interest
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The fault is frequently attributed to lack of follow -up or prayer or some other deficiency on the part of the church
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The possibility that these marks of worldliness and falling away are due to the absence of a saving experience at the outset is rarely considered
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For the sake of time, let me just jump to the last one Pitfall number four to avoid discipleship
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I Call it the discipleship salvation dichotomy if we're not going to turn there
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But the reference is mark 8 verses 34 to 37 for the sake of time Let me read it to you a lot of times
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I would hear testimonies where people would say God uses first to open my eyes Where it says what does it profit a man right if he gains the whole world and it forfeits his what so?
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but in the context Earlier Jesus said two verses earlier if anyone would come after me let him deny himself
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Take up his cross daily and follow me that verse is not a post -conversion
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Ten year after God saved me Dedication in post -conversion second grace discipleship, whatever you want to call it.
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It's the essence of coming to faith in Christ That's why Jesus talks about what does it profit a man if he loses his life?
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Gains his life it loses his soul Well, I would just ask you to pray and think about is there anyone in your life?
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Who you can be a Paul to and they can be a Timothy to that you can invest in or is there somebody in your?
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Life that you would like them to invest in you. Let's pray father we thank you for the
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Scriptures and we thank you for the life of our Lord Jesus Christ the one perfect life that he lived and he came ultimately father
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To bring home the elect those that you had chosen from eternity past But we see in this incarnate ministry some basic principles of discipleship as we also saw in the
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Apostle Paul I pray that you would help us father to understand that it's ultimately to help others to help each other in the process of Sanctification of becoming more like Jesus teaching others investing our lives in other
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Passing the baton so that others may obey all that Jesus has commanded us. We ask these things in Christ's name.