Being a Disciple

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the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive

right in. So today we're going to be looking

at the word together. disciples or being a disciple.

So Matthew chapter 28 Matthew chapter 28 verse

Matthew 28 · chapter mention Matthew 28:18

18 verse 18 to 20 It says, And Jesus came and

spoke to them, saying, All authority has been

given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore,

and make disciples of all nations. baptizing

them in the name of the Father, the Son, and

the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all

the things that I have commanded you, and lo,

I am with you, even to the end of the age. Praise

the Lord. Even to the end of the age. So Jesus

spoke to his disciples to go and make disciples,

to go and teach. to go and share concerning him

baptizing people in the name of the Lord right

and there are many people who even in our time

or a generation that are believers or have received

the word of God or yet are acting in a way that

suggests to us that they are not actually believers

They have received the word. It could be as a

result of coming from a local church back at

home. But their life currently is not showing

that these people are children of God, that they

have a relationship with the Lord. And sometimes

you wonder why that is. Why is it that people

who have believed, people who know God, yet...

They show you that, or they live a life that

shows that they probably do not know God or they

have a lack of understanding of what has happened

to them. So, and part of the reason why that

is, why there is those type of abnormality is

because of the place of lack of teaching. They

are not properly taught concerning the things

that have happened to them. Praise the Lord.

They have belief, but then there is no place

where there is teaching, where there is tutoring,

where people come to learn about the life that

they have currently, or the life that they live,

or the life that they have in Christ currently.

So lack of teaching is a contributing factor

to these things, why people live in a certain

way that suggests to us that they are not children

of God, but they are children of God. They have

believed God. They are saved, but their life

does not show it or they don't know what to do.

So Jesus tells his disciples to go. He has given

them authority. They should go, therefore, make

disciples of all nations. So everyone who has

believed in the gospel, everyone who has believed

the gospel, everyone who has come to the knowledge

of God, everyone who has believed that which

Christ has done for them. who has the life of

Christ, should start being discipled or should

start learning or should start getting taught,

consigning the life that they have now. That

is the thing or that is the response that a believer

or somebody who is just coming to Christ should

know. That is also a lifestyle that a person

who is in Christ should continue to have, a place

where they are constantly learning, a place where

they are constantly being taught. A place where

they are constantly being rich and they defy.

Praise the Lord. So everybody who has believed

in Christ needs to start learning. Praise the

Lord. We see from verse 19, he tells them they

should go and make disciples of one nation, baptizing

them in the name, baptizing in the name of the

Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And then

he says you teach them to observe. So teaching

them, giving them instructions to observe. Right?

So when he says to teach them, It is an instruction

to teach. It is an instruction to teach. So to

teach means to instruct. To teach means to instruct.

To instruct them. It means to instruct a student.

It implies to instruct a student. To make somebody

to learn. Praise the Lord. To make someone to

learn. To make someone to learn. A student does

not necessarily know why they need some knowledge,

why these teachings are coming to them. But at

the end of the teaching or at the end of the

semester, they will come to the knowledge why

this is important. Praise the Lord. So it's important

for the teacher to continue to teach, to continue

to give instructions, to continue to show them

the way or teach them. Praise the Lord. So they

don't know or understand it, but they need learning.

They need to start learning. So that they don't

have. They don't come to that. Place where. They

have something. But yet they don't understand

it. Praise the Lord. So we also see in. So like

I said. The word teach means to instruct. To

make someone to learn. To make somebody come

to understand it. So we also have in Matthew.

Matthew 9 · chapter mention

Chapter 9. Verse 14. Where we also see. a word

again that tells us about disciples. Matthew

Matthew 9:14

chapter 9 verse 14. Matthew chapter 9 verse 14,

Matthew 9:14

it says, then the disciples of John came to him

saying, why do we and the Pharisee fast? Then

the disciples of John came to him saying, why

do we and the Pharisee fast often? But your disciples

do not fast. Praise the Lord. Why do we? So the

word disciple here as well refers to somebody

that learns from another school. These people

that were disciples of John, they were people

who were learning from John. They were people

who had been instructed by John. Praise the Lord.

They were people who had been instructed by John.

So the disciple there means that someone who

learns from another. These people are the learner

of John. They're the ones learning from John.

Praise the Lord. They are learning from John.

So John there refers to, John has a people that

they are being referred to him as disciples.

These are people that are learning from him.

These are the people that John is informing them.

Praise the Lord. The knowledge they have, the

understanding they have are things that they

got from John. Praise the Lord. So that's why

they came to Jesus and they say, we have a practice.

Why is it that your disciples do not have this

practice that we have? Praise the Lord. Because

the healer has instructed them, has told them

that they need to fast. So they have gotten information

from John that they have heeded to. Praise the

Lord. So there are people who are learning from

John. So we also see Where also a learner is,

or to learn is being referenced in Matthew chapter

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

11. Matthew chapter 11, verse 29, where Jesus

Matthew 11:29

says that you should take my yoke and learn from

me. Matthew chapter 11, verse 29. He says, take

Matthew 11:29

my yoke and learn from me, for I'm gentle and

lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your

soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden... He's

light, praise the Lord. So he says to them, they

should take upon, they should take my yoke, they

should take his yoke upon him and learn from

him. So the word learn there means, is the word

to increase one's information, right? It is the

word matona, which means to increase, to increase

one information or to hear or to be informed

by somebody, right? To learn by the... Use by

use and by practice. Praise the Lord. To learn

by use or by practice. So it means a learner,

to learn or to be a learner. Praise the Lord.

So we see that these people that are called disciples

are people that learn from another person. So

we see that they learn from John. We see also

that they have taken instruction from him. So

John has influence on these people. John has

people who are informed by him. So these are

the disciples of John, people who receive information

from him, who are informed by John, praise the

Lord. So there are people that receive information

from John. So the question that we have is, how

are you informed or who informs you? Who gives

you the information of your living? Praise the

Lord. Who gives you the information of your living?

What informs your life? What makes you do the

things that you do? Something made John's disciples

to be fasting. Something made them to go on and

fast. But the disciples of Jesus were not fasting.

And so they asked Jesus, why do we fast often

and your disciples don't? So who gives you the

information or who has informed your life? And

that has affected the way that you live. Who

has informed the principles of your life? Who

has given you these principles? And then Matthew

Matthew 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10, we see also Jesus' disciples. Jesus

called his 12 to him and gave them authority

to drive out. In pure spirit, there's a new international

version. Matthew 10, verse 1. It says, when he

Matthew 10:1

has called his 12 disciples to him, he gave them

power over unclean spirits to cast them out and

to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of

diseases. Praise the Lord. So Jesus has his own

disciples. So Jesus called the 12, right? So

these are Jesus' disciples. They are men who

have been learning from him. So these are men

who have been learning from Jesus. These are

men who have been instructed by him, who he has

gained influence over. So he tells them to go

and do some things. Praise the Lord. So he instructs

them in the way they should go. So they were

not just people who were just learning from him

or receiving instruction from him. But also there

were people who were also learning how he interpreted

or how he discussed the scriptures. Praise the

Lord. There were people also who learned the

pattern of how to interpret the scriptures, how

to properly read the scriptures, how to give

an explanation that is more greater than that

which the Pharisees are able to get. So there

were many things they were learning from him.

Giving them instructions on the things to do.

But they also observed him. They saw the things

that he did. And he has influence over their

lives. Such that they are able to learn how he

explained the scriptures. So we see how Jesus

shows. So we see Jesus explaining the scriptures

as well. In Matthew chapter 7, verse 12. Matthew

Matthew 7:12 Matthew 7:12

chapter 7, verse 12. Verse 12 says that, therefore,

whatever you want men to do to you, do also to

them, for this is the law and the prophet. So

he tells them that whatever you want men to do

to you, do also to them, for this is the law

and the prophet. So when he says this is the

law and the prophet, what he's saying is that,

he's saying that this is the... He's referring

to the Old Testament of the Bible. He's referring

to the Old Testament of the Bible. And then in

verse 28, sorry, 28 to 29 now, it says, so that

is, Jesus was teaching, so there was people who

were observing what he was doing. And so verse

28 now said, so it was when Jesus has ended his

saying that his people were astonished at his

teaching, for he taught them as one having authority.

not as described. Praise the Lord. He taught

them as one, having authority, not as described.

Some other versions will put this teaching as

doctrine, which we know he's talking about the

same thing. So the word here, teaching or doctrines,

implies an explanation. So he explained the scriptures

to them properly. They were astonished by his

explanation. Praise the Lord. They were astonished

by his explanation. So when he says the people

were astonished, he was referring to the people

who were astonished by his explanation of the

Old Testament scriptures. Praise the Lord. The

people were astonished concerning his explanation

of the Old Testament scriptures. So it therefore

means that Jesus has a mode of explanation of

the Old Testament. And the disciples also were

influenced by this. Praise the Lord. So he has

a way in which he explains the Old Testament.

He didn't explain it as a scribe. He didn't explain

it as somebody who was without knowledge, but

he explained it in a way that was more powerful

than the way the scribes or the Pharisees would

explain it. Praise the Lord. Jesus taught the

scriptures, giving examples on how the scriptures

should be properly explained. So the disciples

were there, and they saw these things, and this

has an influence in their life concerning how

the scriptures should be explained. So his disciples

were with him also, or they stayed in this particular

pattern of explanation. They stay in this particular

pattern of learning. So the mode of interpreting

the scriptures or the mode of explanation of

the scriptures, the disciples were acquainted

with it because they were with Jesus. They were

together with him and they learned from him.

And they got all this experience from him. Praise

the Lord. So when he says the law and the prophet,

he's referring... to the Old Testament of the

Bible. And then Luke, we also see in Luke chapter

Luke 24 · chapter mention

24, Luke chapter 24, verse 25. Luke chapter 24,

Luke 24:25 Luke 24:25

verse 25. So he said to them, and he said to

them, all foolish ones shall have had to believe

all that the prophet has spoken, all that the

prophet has spoken. Praise the Lord. And then

from verse 44 now to 45. So Luke 24, 25, verse

26. And then verse 44 to 45 now. He says, These

are the words which I speak to you while I was

still with you, that all these things will be

fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses,

and in the prophet, and in the Psalms, and in

the Psalms consigning me. And he opened the understanding

that they might comprehend. So we also see another

pattern here that he shows. He says to them,

beginning from Moses, in verse 27, beginning

from Moses and all the prophet, he expounded

to them the things. He responded to them in all

the scriptures, the things concerning himself.

So his mode of explaining the scriptures is that

he goes from the beginning. So when he says beginning,

beginning from Moses, he's talking about the

beginning of the writing. He's talking about

the first book that was written by Moses. He's

talking about the first set of books that were

written in the Old Testament, which were written

by Moses. So he expounded to them the things

consigning himself. Like I said, the disciples

were there to learn some of these things that

he is giving or he is expounding to them. So

in verse 44, then he said to them, these are

the words which I speak to you while I'm still

with you, that all things must be fulfilled,

which are written in the law of Moses and the

prophet and the Psalms consigning me. Then you

open the understanding that they may comprehend

me. So he also is telling them that it's not

just beginning from Moses. He also goes to the

prophets. He also goes to the Psalms. He also

goes to the things. He's also telling them the

things which were written or which were... He

also was telling them the things that were written

concerning him which were found in the Psalms

and the prophets concerning him. Praise the Lord.

And the disciples, like I said, were... In tune,

or they were learning this pattern from him.

They learned this mode of explanation. Not like

the scribes and the Pharisees. They learned what

it means to properly interpret the scriptures.

And then we also see this word, disciples, in

Acts of the Apostles. So if we open to Acts of

the Apostles, Acts chapter 6, Acts chapter 6,

Acts 6 · chapter mention Acts 6 · chapter mention

Acts chapter 6, verse 1. It says, Now in those

Acts 6:1

days, when the numbers of the disciples were

multiplied, there was a complaint against the

Hebrew by the Hittites because the widows were

neglected in the daily distribution. He said

the number of the disciples were multiplied.

And then we also see the same thing in Acts chapter

Acts 11 · chapter mention

11. Acts chapter 11 verse 26. Acts chapter 11

Acts 11:26 Acts 11:26

verse 26. Then when he found him, he brought

him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year

they assembled in the church and taught a great

many people. And the disciples were called Christians

in Antioch. The first called Christians in Antioch.

Acts chapter 14 verse 22. Acts chapter 14 verse

Acts 14:22 Acts 14:22

22. Strengthening the souls of the disciples,

exalting them. to continue in faith and saying,

we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom

of God. And then Acts chapter 2, verse 41 and

Acts 2:41

42. Verse 41 says, And those who gladly received

his word were baptized, and that day about 3

,000 souls were added to them. And they continue

steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and in

fellowship and in the breaking of bread and in

prayers. They continue steadfastly in the apostles'

doctrine and in the breaking of bread and in

prayers. Praise the Lord. So the word continue

here implies that they stayed in the apostles'

doctrine. They stayed in something that has been

said or done. The apostles' doctrine is what

has been said. or what has been done, right?

So it's something that is there. That is, the

apostles taught from the scriptures, right? So

they continued in the pattern of the apostles,

that the apostles taught the scriptures, taught

from the scriptures in a manner that Jesus has

done to them, right? And instructed them to do

so. So the apostles have learned from Jesus,

right? And they are teaching these people and

these people are continuing in the same pattern.

of teaching the scriptures in a manner that Jesus

has taught to them, even as he has instructed

them to. So back to Matthew chapter 28, where

Matthew 28 · chapter mention

he gives them the instructions to preach the

word. So we also know that, you also should know

that the disciples were the people that Jesus

was speaking to here. So they are people that

they already have taught. They were people that...

He had taught, right? There were people that

have learned from him. There are people that

have received a pattern from him on how they

should teach or how they should give instruction

or how they should go, right? There are people

that were already taught by him. They have received

this instruction. They have understood how Jesus

taught. They have understood Jesus' mode of teaching

or explaining the scriptures. They have also

understood Jesus' way of living. Praise the Lord.

So there are people that have learned from him.

There are people that have received from him.

There are people that are well -equipped because

he was with them for that long. Praise the Lord.

So these were the audience, or these are the

people that he was speaking to. When he tells

them that they should go and teach, he tells

them to go and teach all the nation. Praise the

Lord. So they were to teach, they were to make

disciples of all the nation. Praise the Lord.

And making disciples is an important fact. That

was what we saw from the book of Acts. It's an

important theme of the church. There were people

who were making disciples. They were going out

there to make disciples. Praise the Lord. So

these people have been influenced by God, by

Jesus. These disciples have been influenced by

him. So they can go out and make disciples. Praise

the Lord. They know how to interpret the scriptures.

They know how to, from the beginning. From the

book of Moses or from the beginning. And in the

prophet, explain the things concerning Christ.

So they have this pattern already. They have

this understanding already. And they also have

a lifestyle. They have also seen the way Jesus

has lived his life. And they also are living

in a certain way. There are people who have been

informed by God. Praise the Lord. They themselves

have received information. So the pattern of

their lives is... like those who have been informed

by God. So Jesus is the influence of their life.

Praise the Lord. He has influenced how they understand

the scriptures. He has influenced how they study

the scriptures. He has influenced how they interpret

the scriptures or how they explain the scriptures.

He has influenced their life that they no longer

are fishermen or they are no longer people who

were doing so many other things before. But now

their concentration now is to teach the world,

to make disciples of one nation. Praise the Lord.

To make disciples of one nation. So people who

have believed, like I said from the beginning,

people who have believed should start learning.

Praise the Lord. People who have believed should

start learning. And what it is that they should

start learning? They should start learning the

way... They should start learning the way of

the scriptures. They should start learning how

to understand the scriptures. They should start

learning their new realities in Christ. Praise

the Lord. So that just like the way Jesus had

influence on his disciples, just like the way

he had influence upon them, they also will be

influenced by him. Praise the Lord. So that they

also will be influenced by him. So that their

lifestyle will no longer be in contradiction

to the things that they have believed. So that

they are able to also from beginning from Moses

and all the prophets, they will also know the

things, they will also understand the things

consigned into Christ. Praise the Lord. They

will also know the things consigned into Christ.

They will understand their new reality in Christ.

They will know that their lifestyle is ought

to be in a particular way because they have stayed

in the place of learning. So without this place

where people are disciples or stay being disciples

through the world and through the men of God

that are around, they are not able to live the

life they are supposed to live. They are not

able to properly understand the things of God.

Praise the Lord. They are not able to know their

new realities or the reality that they live in

right now. And they will continue to live. in

contradiction of the things that they have been

saved from. Praise the Lord. So everybody that

has belief needs to start learning the scriptures

and their new realities and also be informed

by God or be informed by Christ. Praise the Lord.

So we see our new realities, right? The newness

of life or the reality that a believer has. Romans

Romans 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6. Romans chapter 6 Romans chapter 6

Romans 6 · chapter mention Romans 6:4–7

verse 4 to 7 he says that therefore we are buried

with him through baptism into death that just

as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory

of the father even so we also shall walk in unity

of life if we have been united together in the

likeness of his death certainly we are also We

shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection,

knowing this, that our old man was crucified

with him, that the body of sin might be done

away with, that we should no longer be slaves

to sin. For he who died is free from sin. Praise

the Lord. So we also see, like I said, that the

disciples have been informed by God, right? They

have been informed by Christ in their path. of

living in the way that they have lived their

life so we also as as people need to also continue

to get to continue to be acquainted with the

life that we have right and part of the new life

that we or part of the new things that we have

is our realities in christ that we are new creation

that we are people who have been free from the

power of sin and the power of death we have been

free from we have been we have been people who

are set to live In the newness of life. Or to

walk in the newness of life. Praise the Lord.

Galatians chapter 2. Verse 20. Galatians. Galatians

Galatians 2 · chapter mention Galatians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2. Verse 20. If I have been crucified

with Christ. It is no longer I who live. But

Christ who lives in me. And the life I live now.

In the flesh. I live by faith in the son of God.

Who loved me. And gave himself for me. He said,

I've been crucified with Christ. It is no longer

I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life

which I live now, I live in him. Sorry, the life

that I live, I no longer live. Sorry, I've been

crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who

live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which

I live now in the flesh, I live by the faith

in the Son of God who loved me and died for me.

Praise the Lord. I live in the life that Christ

has in me. He's been saying that you are in Christ,

right? I live in what he has done for me. I live

in the reality of that which God has done for

me. I live in a way or in a person that shows

what Christ has done for me. And then chapter

3, chapter 3 from verse 27 to 29. He said, for

as many as were baptized unto Christ have put

on Christ. Therefore, there is neither Jews nor

Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There

is neither male or female. For you are all one

in Christ Jesus. Praise the Lord. You are all

one in Christ Jesus. It means that we have put

on a new man. We have put on Christ. The reality

that we have now is that we have put on Christ.

Praise the Lord. It's a depiction of being in

sync together with him. It's a depiction of being

together with him, to be in Christ, to be closer

in oneness with him. Praise the Lord. Some illustration

we say to be to be. Clothed together with him.

Right. To be one with him. So that is the reality

of the man that is in Christ. Romans. That is

the reality of a man that is in Christ. So in

doing all of these things, in knowing our realities,

in understanding our realities. Then we are informed

by him. We are informed by him. And we continue

to stay informed by him. Romans chapter 12. Romans

Romans 12 · chapter mention Romans 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12. Romans chapter 12. Romans chapter

Romans 12 · chapter mention Romans 12 · chapter mention

12. your body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable

to God, which is your reasonable service. He

said, do not be conformed to this world, but

be transformed by the renewal of your mind that

you may prove what is that good and acceptable

and perfect will of God. So he tells us that

we should present It tells us that you should

present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy

and acceptable unto God. So the presentation

of our bodies, right, holy and acceptable to

God is only impossible because we are in Christ.

Praise the Lord. It's only impossible because

we are in Christ. There's a man in Christ that

can present his body a living sacrifice. Praise

the Lord. It's being in Christ that gives us

the ability or the enablement to present ourselves.

So it is only impossible because we're in Christ

that we're able to present our members to him

a living sacrifice. It is only because of the

realities of what Christ has done. that we're

able to present our members a living sacrifice

to him. Praise the Lord. And he tells us that

do not be conformed. So even the enablement not

to be conformed is also as a result of the realities

that we have in Christ. The strength or the ability

to not be conformed is only impossible because

of what we have in Christ or the reality that

we have in Christ. Praise the Lord. That we are

together with him and that we are in Christ is

the only advantage or the ability that is given

to us to be able to give us the strength not

to be conformed. Praise the Lord. So the devil

knows that there is nothing he can do about our

salvation. There is nothing that he can do about

what has happened to us. But one of the things

he will do is not to want to us, he wants to

influence us. So he tells us not to be conformed.

So he knows that he would like us to think of

something else. He would want us to be conformed

to a particular image. He would want us not to

live that life that God intends for us. He would

want to inflect that place where he wants us

to live a life that is not what God intends for

us to live. Praise the Lord. He knows there is

nothing he can do about our salvation. He wants

us to conform to something else. He wants us

to conform to something else. Praise the Lord.

So to conform, that is, it means that one's mind

or character, it changes to another, right? Or

to fashion oneself according to something else

or according to something or to a particular

thing. Praise the Lord. To fashion oneself according

to something else, according to a particular

pattern, according to that which is not in accordance

to the reality of the person. Praise the Lord.

To be conformed is for one's mind or character

to go a different pattern, to be fashioned to

be different than that which you ought to be.

Praise the Lord. To that which you ought to be.

So he wants believers to want something else

or to want something more, if you like. He's

saying, okay, maybe this thing that you have

is not sufficient enough. Maybe you should do

something else. Praise the Lord. You should conform

to something else. You should conform to something

else. Or you need more things. You need more

things to your salvation. You need something

else to your salvation. You need to explore some

other ways. Those are some of the suggestions

that he will give to us. Praise the Lord. He

wants you to believe that you need something

else than that which Christ has given you, that

you need something more. But our reality in Christ

is enough. That which we have in Christ is enough.

There's nothing more that you're looking for.

Praise the Lord. Somebody once said that you

know people that that god has given some people

good families and maybe good husband or wife

but they will decide that they want something

they want to do something more right and at the

end of the day they are going to lose that which

they already have that was good or they're going

to lose that which was valuable to them praise

the lord so he wants to suggest to us that we

need something more We need something more. So

the writer of Romans tells us that we should

not be conformed to these things, right? The

reason why he tells, he said, do not be conformed,

right? You do not be conformed because he knows

that we are people who can be influenced. Praise

the Lord. We are people who can be influenced.

We are people who can be informed. We are people

who can be, who can learn something, right? We

are people that can learn. We can be conformed

to something. But he wants God to influence us.

That is why he says that you should be transformed

by the renewal of your mind. So he wants the

influence of God upon our lives, upon our daily

lives. That's why he says that you should be

transformed by the renewal of your mind. I was

sharing with somebody and said that if you see

somebody who is struggling, let's say a good

example is that they have like the temptations

and they are struggling with either a sexual

scene or addiction online pornography and stuff

it doesn't say on their face right it doesn't

it doesn't say you don't you don't dictate it

by looking at them praise the lord but it is

something that they are going through except

they open their mouth or you see it that's when

you will know that something is going on here

Praise the Lord. And the strength that we have

is not by either the physical strength that you

have, but by the information that you have gathered

or what you are conformed to or what you have

allowed to influence your life. What you have

allowed to take hold of your life or to inform

you or to give you the information that you need.

Praise the Lord. To give you the information

that you need. He tells us that we should renew.

our mind, that we may prove that which is good

and perfect, that we may prove that which is

good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

He won the influence of God upon our lives to

stay in the reality of what we have, to stay

in the reality of what God has given us, what

we have in Christ. And then Psalm 1 tells us,

Someone tells us that it's a blessed man who

walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor

stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat

of discomfort. He said, but his delight is in

the law of the Lord, and he meditates day and

night. He said, he shall be like a tree planted

by rivers of water that brings forth its fruit

in season, whose leaves shall not wither. Whatever

he does shall prosper. He said, but the ungodly

are not so. They are like shafts that the wind

blows away. Therefore, the ungodly shall not

stand in judgment, nor sinners in the congregation

of the righteous. But the Lord knows the ways

of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly

shall perish. Praise the Lord. It tells us that

blessed is that man, right, who does not walk

in the counsel of the ungodly, who is not influenced

by evil, who is not influenced by... evil things.

But he said, but his delight is in the law of

the Lord. That is, to a man who has decided that

his life, his joy and his delight is to do the

things of God. To walk in the reality that he

has in God. He says, to delight in the law of

the Lord and to meditate on it day and night.

So in doing so, he says, he is like a tree planted

by He's like a tree planted by rivers of water.

Because of the influence of the world, because

of the influence of the delights that he has

in the world, because of the influence of thinking

about the things of God, there is growth, there

is nourishment, there is fruitfulness in the

life of such an individual because he has allowed

the influence. He has allowed himself to find

the light in the law of the Lord, to meditate

on it day and night, right? He says it's like

three planted by rivers of water. Because of

that which he has chosen to do, right, there's

prosperity around him. There's growth, right?

Because of that which he's taking in, which he

allows himself to take in, something comes out,

and that is fruitfulness. That is fruitfulness.

That is that there is fruit that is seen. He

shall not wither. Praise the Lord. When the storms

of life or when challenges come, he's able to

stand. He's able to find encouragement because

he has allowed the Lord to be his refuge. He's

allowed the Lord to be his dwelling place, his

sacred place, or his place where he finds delight.

Praise the Lord. So he tells us not to be transformed

by the renewal of our mind, to be influenced

by God, to allow our minds to be transformed

and be renewed by God. Praise the Lord. So the

same way that Jesus has influence, the same way

as he had influence in his disciples, in the

things, in the way that they have lived their

life. In the way that we are able to understand

the scriptures. In the same way that he wants

us to be able to learn. To be able to continue

to grow. To be able to continue to learn from

him. Paul will tell us to imitate him even as

he imitates Christ. Telling us to imitate Christ

in essence. So to live our lives like him. Praise

the Lord. So, like I said, the reason why we

have the abnormality of someone being a believer

and yet they are not able to, they are not living

as such is because there is a place where learning

was not effective or learning was not initiated

or continual learning was not... was not going

on. Praise the Lord. So as a result of learning,

we're able to be influenced by him and continue

to be influenced by him. Praise the Lord. Amen.

So thank you so much for today. 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.