Life in the Spirit: The Walk and the Work (Part 1)

Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is

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right in. authority in the name of Jesus, right?

So this is just going to be part of it, right?

So what we are looking at today is the walk and

the work in the spirit, right? That is believers'

responsibility and their conduct, right? In the

spirit. That is what we are going to look at.

Or we can call it. Life in the spirit. Life in

the spirit. Alright. So turn with me to the book

of. Matthew chapter 28. From verses 18. Matthew

Matthew 28 · chapter mention

28. From verses 18. So one of the. The focal

point of this teaching is we're exploring realities

that every believer must carry. That is, the

first one is the walk. That is how we live. And

the work, which is what we are called to do.

And both of them are as a result of discipleship.

I believe, Marcel, Ifania has also taken us through

this route. So it's just going to be something

we're going to move out very quick. Matthew 28.

From verses 18 to 20. And Lord, I am with you

always, even unto the end of the age. One of

the instructions we see here Jesus giving to

the disciples is that they should go and teach.

They should go and teach, which is to disciple.

It means to disciple and to train. It means to

disciple and to train. Another thing we saw there

is that he says, go and teach them to observe.

All things whatsoever I have commanded thee.

Right. Whatsoever I have commanded thee. That

means there was an instruction that was given

to the disciples. Right. On how they were to

carry out this work of ministry, which is making

disciples. So, one thing we are going to look

at is what discipleship really means. So, discipleship

is not a passive word. or passive attendance

that I'm just attending church or I'm attending

services passively. No. If you look at the instruction

in Matthew chapter 28, just put it up. From verses

Matthew 28 · chapter mention

19, just put 19. It says, Go therefore and teach

all nations, baptizing them in the name of the

Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching

them to observe all things that whatsoever I've

commanded you. And lo, I am with you always,

even unto the end of the age. So, you see that

there were activities also that was happening

to the disciples when they were sent. That is,

they were to preach, they were to rise disciples.

Why? Because whatsoever has happened to them,

they were to replicate it also to other people.

Alright? So, One thing we see there is that the

disciple, who is the disciple? The disciple is

the learner. Pastor Ifanyi has spoken about this.

So one thing that happens is that there is a

learner. There is a training that is happening,

right? And how are they training them? That is,

they are instilling doctrine in them, right?

To instill doctrine in them. That is, they are

explaining, they are expounding a thing. They

are imparting instruction. And this, how are

they doing it? You see in Luke chapter 24, we

Luke 24 · chapter mention

see a pattern. Luke chapter 24, let's just go

Luke 24 · chapter mention

there quickly. Luke chapter 24 from verses 25.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

We see a pattern. It says, and to enter into

his glory. And beginning at Moses and all the

prophets, he expounded unto them the things,

expounded unto them in all the scriptures the

things concerning himself. Right? Verse 5. Verse

4. It says, And he said unto them, These are

the words which I spoke unto you while I was

yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled

which were written in the law of Moses and the

prophets and in the Psalms concerning me. And

then opened he their understanding that they

might understand the scriptures. So, When the

apostles are going to preach the word of God,

what are they talking about? That is the sufferings

of Christ and the glory that followed. That is

the gospel. That is what they are teaching the

believers about. So, there is not only, one thing

also we are going to note is that there is not

only teaching that is happening, right? There

is also A component of it that they are going

to practice, right? What they were taught. We

are going to look at something that during Jesus,

when Jesus was with his disciples, one thing

that happens that you teach them, after he teaches

them, he sends them forth. They come back. If

there is anything that goes wrong, he corrects

them. Then he sends them back again. So it wasn't

a passive learning only, but it was followed

with practical things. There were activities,

right? Let's open Matthew chapter 14. Let's start

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

with Matthew 10, sorry. Then we'll go to 14.

Matthew 10. You see Jesus sending forth his disciples

to preach, which is part of the training. Matthew

Matthew 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10. From verses 1 it says, And when he

had called unto him his twelve disciples, he

gave them power against unclean spirits to cast

them out. and to heal all manner of sickness

and all manner of disease. Then let's jump to

verse 5. It says, The kingdom of heaven is at

hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, rise

the dead, cast out devils. Freely you have received,

freely give. So he told them, prior to this,

the disciples were moving around with the Lord

Jesus Christ. So they saw him preach. They saw

him cast out demons. That is, they learned by

precept and also by, Jesus taught them by precept

and by example. They observed the life of Jesus.

Now Jesus is sending them to do the same thing.

They were to preach, they were to cast out demons,

they were to heal. So, discipleship is not only

coming to the church, sit, learn, and go. No.

The activities that come in, we go out for evangelism.

During catatismus, we minister one to another.

We speak in tongues, we interpret tongues. We

are taught that. We are taught how to flow in

the spirit, with the spirit, right? Then we minister

one to another. We edify one another. That's

practical discipleship. That is active learning

also. So we're going to look at another instance

also. So the first one, Jesus sent the disciples

to preach. The second one is Matthew chapter

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

14. Matthew 14. Just four scriptures from 10.

Matthew 14. Let's read from verses 13. They followed

him on foot and out of the cities. And Jesus

went forth and saw a great multitude and was

moved with compassion towards them and healed

their sick. Right. Let's continue. You're going

to see something as you go down that the disciples

also ministered to the physical needs of people.

That is, they served. They were taught how to

serve also, the work of service. 15. And when

it was evening, the disciples came to him saying,

this is a desert place. And the time is now past.

Send the multitude away, that they may go into

the villages and buy themselves rituals. But

Jesus said unto them, They need not depart. Give

ye them to eat. And they said unto him, We have

here but five loaves and two fishes. And he said,

Bring them hither to me. And he commanded the

multitude to sit down. So they are serving. We

see service. It is part of discipleship. In chapter

10, he's sending them to preach, to heal. In

chapter 14, they are to serve. They shared food

to the people. So it's also part of discipleship.

Let's also look in the same. That is verse 31.

Verse 31. Verse 31, previously, Jesus said, come

walking on the water, on the sea. Then Peter

and other disciples were in the boat. Then Peter

said, Lord, if it is you, bid me to come. And

Jesus said, come. Then Peter walked on the water.

But immediately when he saw the boisterous winds,

he said, he doubted and he started to sink. Immediately

Jesus goes and stretched forth his hand and brought

him. They went into the ship. And immediately

he says, why have you doubted? Right. What was

happening there is that Peter walked. There was

an element of faith in the beginning. Then later

on, doubt crept in. And the Lord brought him

in and started also to explain to him, why have

you doubted? So, there was a problem. There's

doubt. Jesus brings him in. He addresses the

doubt. It is part of discipleship. There's a

failure. The pastors will see. Your team leader

will see. Okay, you did this wrong. Come here.

This is how you do it. Practical. Then lastly,

let's also look at the last example. Matthew

17, 14. Matthew 17, 14 to 21. Pastor Fred is

also taught us in this direction. There was a

man who had a son who was having seizures and

he was greatly tormented by demons. So the apostles,

the man brought the son to the apostles and the

apostles were not able to cast the demons. The

same people in chapter 10 that went, cast out

demons. Well, later on you hear a report telling

them that, Lord, the demons are subject to us.

So may that they came back with a report of what

they have. But in chapter 17, you see a problem.

So let's read it. They are not able to cast out

demons. And see how Jesus' reaction to that.

And when they were come to the multitude, there

came him a certain man, kneeling down to him

and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son, for he

is lunatic and so vexed. For oftentimes he falleth

into the fire and oft into the water. And I brought

him to thy disciples, and they couldn't cure

him. The same people. That's in chapter 10. They

went to cast out devils. Then Jesus answered

and said, All faithless and perverse generation,

how long shall I be with you? How long shall

I suffer you? Right? Bring him hither to me.

And Jesus rebuked the devil and he departed out

of him. And the child was cured from that very

hour. Then came his disciples now. Verse 19.

Then came his disciples to Jesus apart, privately.

You know, you cannot ask this question in public.

So they came to us to inquire. How is it that

we're not able to do this? Is there something

special? Let's see. So, they come to Jesus apart

and said, why could we not cast him out? 20.

And Jesus said unto them, because of your unbelief,

for verily I say unto you, if you have faith

as of a grain of mustard seed, You shall say

unto this mountain, Remove hands to yonder place,

and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible

unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out by

prayer and by fasting. There is an issue. There

is an issue of unbelief that happened here to

the disciples. So Jesus now addresses that unbelief.

Pastor Fred has stood in this line. So I'm not

going to do much more here. So he brings them

in. He never rebukes them. He brings them in.

He teaches them. Later on in chapter 28, let's

go back to chapter 28. This is after verse 17.

Chapter 28, we see this is when Jesus was giving

the great commission. Verse 18, it says, And

Jesus said unto them, All power is given unto

me in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore and teach

all nations, baptizing them in the name of the

Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching

them to observe all things whatsoever I have

commanded you. And lo, I am with you always,

even unto the end of the world or the age. Also,

let's see the same account in Mark chapter 16.

Mark 16 · chapter mention

You see that Jesus didn't tell them, no, no,

you guys are not qualified. Stop, stop, stop.

I'm looking for another pack of people. No. He

is the discipler. He finds an error. He finds

where there is a problem. He brings them in.

He teaches that. He addresses that problem. They

send them again. So, let's look. Mark 16. 15.

Mark 16, 15. And he said unto them, Go ye into

all the world and preach the gospel to every

creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall

be saved, but he that believeth not shall be

damned. And these signs shall follow them that

believe in my name. They shall cast out devils.

They shall speak with new tongues. They shall

take up serpents. And if they drink any deadly

thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay

hands on the sick and the sick will recover.

So you see that even at the end, Jesus still

sent them again. So you see, discipleship, what

is happening? They are trained, number one, by

precepts. Jesus showed them by precepts. Many

times Jesus took them when he healed the people,

when he performed miracles, they were dead. Now

Jesus is now telling them, now we can go and

do the same. Let's look at another instance where

Apostle Paul taught a church. That is, He's a

pastor in that church, Galatian church. Then

he was absent. Then some guys came in and they

preached another gospel, which is not another.

Then there was now a problem again because there

was a shift that happened. Now they were towards

legalism. Then Apostle Paul comes again and corrects

them again. That is part of discipleship also.

Let's look at it. That is Galatians chapter 3

Galatians 3:1–3

verses 1 to 3. Galatians. Just after 2 Corinthians.

So all foolish Galatians who have bewitched you

that you should not obey the truth. Before whose

eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth,

crucified among you, this only would I learn

of you. Receive ye the Spirit by the works of

the law or by hearing of faith. Are ye so foolish,

having begun in the Spirit? Are ye now made perfect

by the flesh? That is, in the beginning they

received this gospel by faith. If you want to

see something, go to chapter 1. You'll see where

the problem came in. Chapter 1. Verse 6. It says,

I marvel that ye are so soon more from him that

called you into the grace of Christ and to another

gospel, right? That is, which means different,

totally different. The gospel is totally different.

These were people that were taught. They understood

the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ through faith.

In Christ Jesus. But later on, other people came.

And what happens? Apostle Paul does not leave

it there. He comes back and he reteaches them

again. Let's see. Verse 7. It says, Which is

not another, but there are some that trouble

you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. Some

that trouble you and would pervert the gospel

of Christ. Which is Sarazo. That's the word there.

is the word Tarazo. The reason why they preach

another gospel is that they will trouble you.

That is, they will unsettle you. That which you've

been assured of, right? They will come and move

it. That you are left with anxiety. You are left

with, you are no longer assured. There's no assurance

anymore. Why? Because they will come and tell

you, you have received it by faith. Another person

will come and say, you have to do works. So Apostle

Paul will come and say, that is another gospel

in correcting that error. What it does is that

it unsettles the believer. But it does not leave

it that way. It comes back. It teaches them again

like a father. Then they continue. So, number

one, we see that Jesus modeled the pattern of

discipleship from the scriptures we write. Jesus

modeled the pattern of discipleship. He sent

the apostles to preach as we saw in Matthew chapter

Matthew 10 · chapter mention

10. Involved them in practical service in Matthew

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

chapter 14. Jesus corrects Peter after he doubted.

That is Matthew chapter 14, 31. And he had them

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

to exercise authority which now we saw in Matthew

17, 14 to 21. So what we see in discipleship

is that there is training. Number one, which

is transmission of knowledge, information. Then

number two, we have training, which is application

of the knowledge, which leads to formation of

habits. Evangelism is a habit that is built.

We are taught the word of God. We go out, we

preach the gospel, we do it again, we do it again,

we come in church, we minister to one another,

we speak in tongues, we interpret tongues. Over

time, it becomes a habit. There is something

that is formed within you. That same thing, it

is when you go out of this place, when you go

out of Cyprus, where you find yourself anyway,

in your cell meeting, among your friends, it

is the same thing that you also do there. That

is the practicality of what you have been taught.

then you also rise disciples. So, we saw some

that discipleship is not complete without training,

without exercise, what you've been taught. So,

in three weeks, just very near, we have Catechismas.

We'll come here, we'll sit down, we are told

the word of God from morning to evening, morning

to evening, morning to evening. Pastor Koso last

time, he taught us about the gifts of the Spirit.

After that, what happened? we practiced it. That

is, information was given, then what followed

was the practice of that which was taught. That

is proper discipleship. Something fun is that

you cannot be properly discipled through online

meeting. You can receive information, which can

also be another gospel. That is, if you see it,

then there is not the practicality of that. You

know, discipleship is good, discipleship is,

you know the Great Commission, God says go, but

the practicality of it is not there. Therefore,

that is incomplete discipleship. You cannot have

a disciple who is not near you. You cannot have

a disciple in Zimbabwe. If you have a disciple,

you carry him out, He comes to your house, he

comes to your place, or she comes to your place,

you teach the Word of God. After that, you pray.

After praying, you take them out, you evangelize.

You teach them the things of the Spirit, like

we are being taught here. Then also, you demonstrate

it, then they learn from it. When you see that

there is a problem, there is a misunderstanding

in some aspects, you bring them back, you re

-teach it, you correct them, you do it again.

Again and again, again and again, discipleship

does not stop. So we see habits being formed.

We see responsibility, which we call the work.

A believer is taught about the work of ministry

during discipleship. Now, the gospel can be preached

to you. Someone preached to me. I believed. I

don't know which one saved me. I'm part of those

people. Many people preach to me. But I never

knew that I also need to go out and preach. Or

they will just preach to you, leave you there.

But that is not discipleship. Yes, you are saved.

But the greatest work comes after you are saved.

What's next after you are saved? Which is discipleship.

That is where you are modeled. That's where you

see character development. That is... Where you

see yourself working effectively in God's calling

for your life. So, I'll just read this discipleship

model. We preach the gospel. The person believes.

Stay with the person. Teach them. Guide them

into practice. Then ensure that they are growing.

Those are the things you can take note of when

you have a disciple. So, most people will still

get conversion. I want this all, you leave this

all. In fact, some people will say, choose a

church which you are comfortable going. No. Take

that disciple to your own local church. So, one

thing also that happens in discipleship is that

teaching is continuous, repetitive, And reinforcing,

this is Jesus' model. You teach continuously,

you repeat the same thing. You teach again, you

repeat the same thing. It's not the first time

you teach a person and just assume that they've

understood it. No. I believe that when the disciples

saw Jesus doing it, they were like, we can do

the same thing. Yes, it's easy. But Jesus will

bring them back, teach them again, send them,

they find an error, comes back, they didn't do

this correctly, let's correct them, go back.

That's the model. So, the call of this teaching,

like I said from the beginning, is we're going

to look at the walk, which is the conduct, walk,

W -A -L -K, W -A -L -K, and the wake, W -O -R

-K. The walk, Under the word W -A -L -K, we're

going to look at the conduct of the believer.

How the believer ought to live. Then we're going

to look at the work, W -O -R -K. That is the

assignment of the believer. What the believer

does here in the earth. Those are the two things

we're going to be looking at. So, a Christian

life is a trained walk, purposefully, right?

And we know that this is enabled by the Spirit

of God. So, in discipleship, one of the things

we're going to be told or being trained in, they

have started already. Me, I've been here from

2021. That's five years from now. Five years

to now, yeah. And it's the same thing that has

been taught to me. Over and over again, some

of the things which I was taught in 2022, I understood

them in 2025. That is when they started making

sense. So look, there's a gap of about three

years. I understood them in 2025, 2024. I was

talking to Pastor Fred. And I said that my first

Catholicism was in 2022. Pastor Olu taught about

the kingdom of God. That is 1 Matthew chapter

Matthew 16 · chapter mention

16. I thought that I understood it. This is 2022.

2023 came first. 2024 came in the middle of 2024.

Now it's making sense. After two years, there's

a repetition of what we are being taught over

and over. There's consistency. I'm around for

all the meetings. I'm being told the same thing.

Now my mind is catching up. Now I can understand.

I can put all things together now. And it's making

sense. That is continuity. A disciple is a person

who is always available to be taught. Always.

You cannot say, I am a disciple of so and so.

When you say prayer meeting, you are not there.

Karatismas, you are not there. You come in one

Sunday, you jump two, you come in. No, that's

not discipleship. You are a visitor. You are

a visitor. You come and go. Pastor Poston will

say, you are a UFO. I identify flying objects.

Okay. So, one thing also that happens in discipleship

is all of us are going through it. In fact, right

now online, there are many things that are happening.

We hear different things that are happening.

You go back home, you hear something else. You

go another place, you hear something else. The

same thing is being taught in different ways.

Here you come, salvation is eternal. You go to

another place, you can lose it. you go online,

it is possible for you to lose. You come to church,

you cannot lose. One thing is happening is that

if you are not grounded in the truth, that kind

of gospel unsettles you. That's why you start

seeing questions. Ah, pastor, that thing you

say, eternal salvation, ah, I don't think it's

like so. Why? What happens is that there is something

else that has been preached. It's troubled the

person. That is what Galatians says, that gospel,

it unsettles you. Those kinds of gospel, it disturbs

you. It brings anxiety. You're not going to show

that to yourself. You're not going to even show

that internal life is really everlasting. So,

in discipleship, we are trained how to think.

Number one. We are trained how to think. Interpretive

kind of thinking. Let's look at something. So,

Proper discipleship trains a person to think

correctly. A properly discipled believer does

not just know verses in passing, just quoting

verses. No. He knows how to reason with the scriptures

because he has taught how to do it. To ask the

rightful questions and to interpret rightly,

which is exegesis, right? Exegesis. E -X -E -G

-E -S -I -S. which is a skill of asking intelligent,

interpretive questions. So, the reason why many

people or some believers, you hear something,

you flow with it, is because the way you reason

with the scriptures is not right. By the time

someone will come and tell you that You need

to be circumcised. That is the Galatians situation.

You need to be circumcised. Salvation, yes, you

are served, but you need to be circumcised for

you to be really, really served. Oh, you are

served, but you can still miss rapture. Yeah,

you know, when the Lord comes, What you're doing

in that moment, if it's not in both plans, you

miss the first flight, you catch the second one.

That is if when the second one comes, you catch.

No. When you are being taught rightly, you ask

critical questions. Okay. How is it that Galatians,

for instance, the Galatians, how is that they

receive salvation by faith? How then are you

saying that you are perfected by your own works?

How is that possible? When initially it was not

about me. Let's look at examples. Matthew chapter

Matthew 19:3

19 verse 3 is an example of a question that was

asked. That was asked Jesus. Okay, before we

go to Matthew, let's read 2 Timothy 2 .23. 2

2 Timothy 2:23

Timothy chapter 2 verse 23. But foolish and unlearned

questions avoid knowing that they do gender strife.

That is, this is talking about useless questions,

right? I'm talking about we are going in the

direction of how to really ask proper questions.

But there are some questions like this. Which

gender strife? Avoid them. That's one. Number

two. Let's check. There's a situation that happens

in Matthew 19, where the Pharisees came to ask

Jesus a question, not to learn. This is to tempt

you. Another instance, let's just read it. Matthew

Matthew 19:3

19, verse 3. What we're just trying to see is

that when you are discipled properly, you'll

be able to ask proper questions that builds,

that advises you. But we're just seeing... An

example of these guys, these fellows. That is

Matthew chapter 19. Matthew 19. This kind of

Matthew 19 · chapter mention

question is not to learn. Matthew 19 from verses

3. And the Pharisees also came unto him, tempting

him and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man

to put away his wife for every cause? And he

answered and said unto them, Have ye not read

that he that made them from the beginning? made

them male and female, and said, for this cause

a man shall leave his father and mother and shall

cleave into his wife. Then it continues. This

kind of question, number one, is it is not a

question to learn. It is to tempt. These guys,

their motive is not to come to learn. They are

just trying to find a way to trap him. Let's

look at another one. This one is different. It's

the opposite. Luke chapter 2. Luke chapter 2.

Luke 2 · chapter mention Luke 2 · chapter mention

This is how a believer or a person who is being

trained thinks. This is a model from Christ.

Luke chapter 2. From verses 46 to 47. And it

Luke 2 · chapter mention

came to pass that after three days they found

him. and they found him in the temple. What was

he doing? Sitting in the midst of the doctors,

both hearing them and asking them questions.

This is talking about Jesus. They've come for

an occasion, then on their way back, Jesus stayed

behind. Then the parents found out after some

time that the child was not with them. So they

went back to look for the child Jesus, our Lord.

They went back. Then they said they found him

sitting in the midst of the elders. What was

he doing? And they found him in the temple sitting

in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them

and asking them questions. And all that had him

were astonished at his understanding and answers.

And when they saw him, they were amazed. And

his mother said unto him, son, they were looking

for him. So one thing we see about Jesus is that

he was asking proper questions. To what end?

That he may understand. So part of discipleship

is you are taught how to think critically. You

are taught how to reason with the scriptures

and to understand them. That is a result of proper

discipleship. You cannot think this way if you

are not discipled properly with a good discipler.

So, we can see that We are taught how to think

properly. We are taught how to think properly.

Then let's see, lastly, that is Acts chapter

Acts 17:11

17 verses 11. Acts 17 verses 11. One person who

Acts 17:11

can ask you a question is Pastor Victor. You

go ahead and ask or you say something. You should

be prepared to think. Yes, that is proper discipleship.

It helps you. It helps you how to think properly.

It helps you how to see the scriptures. That's

one thing you see in Luke. Jesus meets the disciples

on the way. Then they were discussing about Jesus.

Jesus joins them. And they started telling Jesus

about Jesus. Have you not heard? What kind of

conversation are you having? Walking along, they

say, have you not heard what has happened here

recently about a man, Christ Jesus, who was crucified?

Oh, we thought that he was a prophet. But suddenly,

they killed him. Then Jesus texts them in verse

25 and he's told them, all ye fools are slow

of heart to believe all the prophets have spoken.

All know Christ has suffered all these things

and to enter into his glory. And beginning at

Moses, the prophets and the Psalms, he expounded

unto them the things concerning himself. You

go to 45 and it says that he opened their understanding

that they may understand the scriptures. That

is what Jesus was teaching them. He was remodeling

the way they think, the way they saw the scriptures,

the way they reasoned was the problem. But now

after they saw everything, that moment he said,

and their understanding was opened and they saw

that this was truly Jesus. So that is proper

explanation, proper. teaching that leads your

person to think critically when they approach

the scriptures. You cannot grow with nuggets.

You go on YouTube, you see one two -minute video,

one charge. You, this and this, one, two, one,

two, they will say many things. You cannot grow.

You won't. We have to sit down, being taught.

There's pain. Three years and above with Christ

Jesus. Being told the same thing. In fact, same

thing. From the beginning, Jesus was telling

them about his death. They never understood it.

In fact, some of them, they were looking for

a kingdom saying, when your kingdom comes, I'll

be on the right, I'll be on the left. The mother

came to plead on his children's behalf. But it

never meant that. But when he resurrected from

the dead, that is when they understood it. So,

let's continue. So, Acts 17 verse 11. Acts 17

Acts 17:11 Acts 17:11

verse 11. Acts 17 verse 11. These were the variants.

Acts 17:11

Variants. Acts 17 verse 11. These were more normal.

Acts 17:11

than those in Thessalonica, in that they received

the word of God, or they received the word, with

all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures

daily, whether those things were so. They were

reasoning. They were taught. They received the

word of the Lord with readiness of heart. They

went to search out the scriptures. This is because

the word of God was taught. There was a persuasion

that happened when the Word of God was preached

to these guys. And they went to search, to check

whether those things were so. So, discipleship,

discipleship produces a habit, that spiritual

habit. There's behavioral consistency. This is

the result of discipleship. And repeated exposure

to the scripture results in comfort. That is,

the believer finds comfort with the scriptures.

It produces dependence on the scriptures and

a scriptural worldview. This happens in training

rather than being shared with friends. And society

and culture, they have effect on people's lives.

But in discipleship, we are taught how to think.

You are taught how to conduct yourself. You are

taught how to be comfortable with the scriptures,

how to be grounded, how to be rooted, so that

when another gospel comes, you'll be able to

know. So let's go back to Mark 16. I'm just going

to read it in passing. We are looking at the

work. The work. The work, sorry. The work. The

work. The work. That is the disciples' responsibility

to what they are supposed to do. That is the

work. They are being taught. Jesus taught them

in chapter 16. He gave them an instruction to

go and do something. Let's see. And he said unto

them, Go ye into all the world and preach the

gospel to every creature. He that believeth and

is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth

not shall be damned, and these signs shall follow

them that believe. So there's key responsibilities

we see here. Those people that were disciples,

they were now being sent to preach, to teach,

to disciple. And one thing that is also going

to happen is that signs will be following. John

John 20 · chapter mention

chapter 20, same also. We are talking about the

work. John 20, 21 to 23. And you see that in

this work, we are partners together with Christ.

We are partners together with God. There's a

responsibility. What's the responsibility? Go

and teach, go and disciple. And God is working

with us. John 20, verses 21 to 23. Just before

John 20:21–23

us, that's where John is. 20, verses 21 to 23.

Then said Jesus unto them, Peace be unto you,

as my Father hath sent me, even so sent I you.

And when he had said this, he breathed on them,

and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.

Whosoever sins you remit, they are remitted unto

them. And whosoever sins you retain, they are

retained unto them. So they were taught. Now

there's a responsibility that comes in. Go and

preach. And what are they going to do? They say

that whosoever sins you remit are remitted, and

whosoever sins you retain are retained. What

the disciples are going to do is that they are

going to announce what God has done in Christ

Jesus. They are going to preach in the name of

Jesus. What does that mean? We have seen from

previous teaching last week that it entails what

God has done in Christ Jesus. What did God do?

He has forgiven. He has made pardon of sin available

through Christ Jesus. So that is what they are

going to To preach. They will preach. What does

God do? God has already forgiven sin. Mark. Micah

7 verse. 18. Micah 7 verse 18. They will be preaching.

Micah 7:18

What are they doing? They are announcing. What

God has done. Micah 4 verse 18. Micah 7 verse

Micah 7:18

18. It says. Who is. Who is a God like unto thee

that pardoned iniquity and passed it by the transgression

of the remnant of his heritage? He returned not

his anger forever because he delighted in mercy.

So God forgives the sin. What does the believer

do? The believer is announcing what God has done.

So he's working together with God. Let's also

see Psalm 103, verse 3. Wait, Pastor Emmanuel.

Psalms 103:3

Read Psalm 103, verse 3. Bless the Lord, O my

Psalms 103:3

soul, and all that is within me. Bless his holy

name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not

all his benefits. Who forgiveth all thy iniquities,

and who healeth all thy diseases. Who do what?

Who forgiveth all thy iniquities, and who healeth

all thy diseases. So it is God that forgives.

And the believer is announcing what God has already

done. So they are working together. A believer

works together with the Lord. Isaiah 43 verse

Isaiah 43:25

25 is the last one we'll look at. Isaiah. Isaiah

Isaiah 43:25

43 verse 25. I even, I am he that blotted away,

I blotted out thy transgression for my own sake,

and I will not remember thy sins. So God is the

one that forgives. God has already made a valid

provision for the forgiveness of sin. And what's

the responsibility of the believers? Responsibility

of the believer is to announce that which the

Lord has done in Christ Jesus. So we are co -laborers

together with the Lord. This is as a result.

of discipleship. This is when you know it. That

is when you come to understand it. Then you go

out and preach. That's the work. This is a responsibility.

So, we'll end on this section today, right? We're

going to read Galatians. This is the last one.

Then we'll do it there for a long time. Then

we'll continue on Wednesday. Galatians, let's

go to Galatians from verses 5. Galatians chapter

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

5 from verses 14. And in this part, what you

are going to see is, we said we have spoken about

the work and we are going to also look at the

work that is in the conduct. So we're going to

be looking in Galatians. We're spending more

time in Galatians chapter 5. Yes, there's something

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

that is, there's a way a believer ought to conduct

themselves. Let's see from Galatians chapter

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

5. Galatians chapter 5 from verses 14. Galatians

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

5 from verses 14. It says, for all the law, is

fulfilled in one word, even in this, thou shalt

love thy neighbor as thyself. And if ye bite

and devour one another, take heed that ye not

be consumed one of another. This I say then,

walk in the Spirit. Walk in the Spirit. Peripatao.

That's the way that appears there. It implies,

it can be literal. Or figurative. It can mean

literal movement. And also can mean. A manner

of life. How one ought to conduct himself. And

in this context. It's not literal. It's figurative.

Talking about how a believer. Ought to conduct

himself. Let's continue from verse 17. For the

flesh lusts against the spirit. And the spirit

against the flesh. And these are contrary. The

one to another. so that ye cannot do the things

that ye would. But if ye be led by the Spirit,

ye cannot be under the law. Now the works of

the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery,

fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry,

witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath,

strife, sedition, heresies, envying, murderous,

drunkenness, reveling, and such like, of which

I tell you before, as I have also told you. And

the time passed that they which do such things

shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the

fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, and

longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith,

meekness, temperance. Against such there is no

law. And they that are Christ have crucified

the flesh with his affection and lust. If we

live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Let us not be... Desires of unglory provoking

one another and envying one another. So, I'll

give a background of Galatians. The way Galatians

is structured, you look from chapter 3, chapter

4. The way Paul was explaining or the way Paul

was moving. You see Abraham. You see the seed.

You see the land, you see Hagar, you see Sinai,

you see the promise, meaning the audience of

Paul. Paul assumes that his audience have a background

of the scriptures, that is Genesis to Malachi,

all that thought. So now when he comes and start

talking walk, he's teaching from the scriptures,

right? Genesis to Malachi. When it comes to the

walk in the spirit, Peribatau, the first one,

although the other walk in the spirit you see

in verse 25 is different. It's another shed.

The one in 16, when he's explaining to them,

the way he's building his argument is coming

from Genesis to Malachi. He assumes that his

audience, they know the scriptures already in

the background. So what then happens when he

now employs some of the terms? There's something

that is involved in the minds of his listeners.

That is the Old Testament. So when they say war,

in the Old Testament, there is a shed of... If

you go to your LXX, that is your Greek Septuagint,

the Old Testament of the Greek, you see that

the word peripatau is so close to the word that

is used in Genesis when it talks about... And

Enoch walked with the Lord and he was... Enoch

walked with the Lord. Noah walked with the Lord.

Same shed is the word halak. It also has two

sheds, which means either it can be literal or

also either it can be figurative. So, let's think.

So, Paul is teaching from that same position.

So, when he says walk, what comes to their mind?

Those instances. Right. Okay, I still have six

minutes. We can look at it. What comes in their

mind is those instances. We're going to read

some of those places. Genesis 12 verse 1. You

Genesis 12:1

see that word halak. H -A -L -A -K -H will be

the root word. Most of the words are coming from

that root word where we're going to see it. Genesis

12. Genesis 12. And you see what is happening.

Genesis 12 .1. Genesis 12 .1. Now the Lord...

I said unto Abraham, Get thee out of thy country,

and from thy kindred, and from thy house, unto

the land which I will show thee. And I will make

of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee,

and I will make thy name great, and thou shalt

be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless

thee, and cast them that cast thee, and in thee

shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

So Abraham departed as the Lord had spoken unto

him, and went with him. And Abraham was 75 years

old when he departed out of Haran. That's one.

Get thee out of thy kindred unto the land that

I'll show thee. You see the way they're appearing.

Get thee out of thy land. One which is more...

I want you to look at this following one. We'll

come back to Genesis 12 later on. Let's look

at this one. That is Genesis 13, verse 17. Then

Genesis 13:17

you tell me, what do you think? Is it literal

or is it figurative? Genesis 13, verse 17. It

Genesis 13:17

says, Arise, walk through the land, and the land

of it, and in the bread of it, and I'll give

it to thee. Is it literal? Is it figurative?

So in this, also Abraham was returned to the

land. Yes, there's also a literal movement in

this. But when it's now explained much more by

the apostles, it goes beyond the land. It's now

used also figuratively, which you're going to

see on Wednesday. We're going to look much more

on it on Wednesday. So let's just look at these

ones, then we finish. I'm going to just read

them. Then you check them. Genesis 12, verse

22 to 24. And Enoch worked with God. And Enoch

worked with God. This is a Hebrew idiom. Number

one, you should know what is employed. It's a

Hebrew idiom. It's a Hebrew idiom, which is describing

Enoch's relationship with God. This expression

conveys an idea of one ordering his life according

to God's will. That is what's happening here.

The order is according to God's will. That is,

he's being faithful and obedient. That is the

idea here. Same with Genesis 6 verse 9. Noah

Genesis 6:9

was a just man and Noah walked with God. That

walk again is the same word. And also talks about

a relationship, a fellowship, a participation

in what God was doing. Same thing you see in

Micah 6 verse 8. It tells the people to walk

Micah 6:8

with God. With the Lord. In Genesis also, chapter

3 verse 8. You see, and they heard the voice

of the Lord. God walking in the garden. So what

you see there in the garden, we have seen that

there is a temple narrative, man and God dwelling

together. So what that comes in your mind is

that that word is not figurative. That word is

figurative, sorry, not literal. It means a relationship

between man and God. Get this, we are going to

explain this much more on Wednesday. What you

see here is that There is a fellowship between

man and God. From the last chapters we read,

from the last verses we read, there's a fellowship,

obedience, walking in obedience. There is a participation

that is happening. If you want to look at all

the people we've gone through, they were preachers

of the gospel in their generations. They were

prophets of the Lord. What were they doing? They

were announcing the gospel of God. They were

announcing the message of God. That is, there

is a participation in there. So when our Paul

comes to Galatians and he employs the same thing,

the people's mind will definitely go back. Their

attention is drawn back to participation, fellowship,

and relationship for the Lord. So now when he

comes and says, In Galatians chapter 5, verse

Galatians 5:16

16, we are going to continue from here. Galatians

Galatians 5:16

5, verse 16. Galatians 5, verse 16. It says,

Galatians 5:16

One thing here is figurative. What comes in their

mind is that there is, when they say walk in

the Spirit, it's talking about fellowship, participation.

It's what is required of a believer. That is

conduct here that is being spoken about. There's

a way a believer ought to conduct himself. Which

we are going to look at in the following meeting.

Then we are going to look at the fruit of the

Spirit also. Because if you look at the discussion,

There's 11 seconds. If you look at the discussion,

the progression of discussion, you see that why

Paul employed the word fruit of the Spirit. That

is, there is something that is expected that

when a believer walks in the Spirit, there is

a result of that walk, which he calls the fruit

of the Spirit, which is love, which we are going

to discuss on Wednesday much more. We appreciate

you being here today. We hope you carry this

word with you throughout your week. Don't forget

to check the show notes for additional insights.

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Until next time, stay blessed.