Discipleship pt. 2

Welcome to NECF. We're thrilled you're here.

Make sure to stay with us till the end, where

we'll share some great resources to deepen your

faith. Now, let's dive into this week's sermon.

Before in the name of Jesus. So as I started

off with the teaching on Sunday, I will continue.

And I say that we should understand that this

teaching is instructive. This teaching is such

that you cannot listen to it and not find something

that needs to change. You cannot listen to it

and not find something that you need to either

stop doing or something that you should continue

to do or something that you should start doing,

something that you start doing. So when we examine

through the lens of the teaching, through God's

word, we'll see that we have to come to a point.

And that is how we make progress. If we don't

look at what needs to stop. Look at what needs

to continue. Look at what needs to start. We

will not see progress. Things will continue to

go as has always been. We only see change when

things change. And for us, we are believing God

that this word and we were seeing God do something

in our lives and through our lives by the power

of his word in this season in the name of Jesus.

So I don't want you to be distracted because

what can happen is that everyone is off. Nobody,

I'm not seeing anybody. I'm not seeing, I think

the only person I'm seeing now is our brother

Takunda. I'm not seeing anybody else other than

our brother Takunda. And I don't want us to be

just to zone out and miss out on the opportunity

to learn. We say training means that it's uncomfortable,

but we take a posture to learn. It might not

be the best, but we don't learn in pleasure.

We learn under a certain amount of pressure.

that will help us to be able to see the things

that we are believing God to see in this season.

Praise God. So we said that we want to learn

as a child. We want to learn as a child. We want

to serve as disciples. And we'll see examples

in this evening from how Jesus Christ served.

We're going to see an example because remember

we said as disciples, our model is Christ. As

disciples, we're not modeling the instructions

that we're teaching is that of Christ. The person

we're modeling is Christ. Yes, we'll model individuals.

We'll see. as our pastors, how our pastors are

leading, and we model ourselves after them, but

we know that the ultimate model is Christ. I'll

read a key scripture from Matthew. Matthew 28,

I think I've already talked about why he was

leading us in prayer, had taken us to this scripture.

We started from 16, but I want us to just focus

on the key scripture in Matthew 28, 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. It is good, therefore, and make

disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the

name of the Father and of the Son and of the

Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things

that I've commanded you. And lo, I am with you

always, even to the end of the age. Amen. And

as I said, I'll repeat myself again. Go there

is a verb. The make there is also a verb. Make

disciples is also a verb. There's two verbs.

One is a passive verb, but the imperative or

the active verb there is the make disciples.

Make disciples of all nations. Christ, at his

death, as in resurrection, is giving his disciples

instruction. Note that in verse 17, we saw that

some doubted. Praise God. Some doubted. There

were some of them that doubted. Some believed.

Some doubted. And I'm very sure that amongst,

they say they worshipped him, but some doubted.

The ones that worshipped him believed. The ones

that there was a bit of doubt here and there.

I want to believe that everyone on this platform

believes. Everyone on this platform is a believer.

Everyone on this platform knows they have...

come into a relationship with Christ and is in

union with him, meaning that this instruction

is still relevant, is very relevant to each and

every one of us. This instruction is very important

and demands our attention and it demands a certain

work and a certain practice. And I said, and

in training, there is a practice. It's a process.

It requires your commitment. It requires a reasonable

amount of effort because nobody makes any change

without a reasonable amount of effort. If you

want to change your clothes, have to make an

effort to take the buttons off and put on another

clothes you need to do anything you want to do

every change we want to see happens as a result

of certain actions certain steps being taken

and when he says make disciples we say the word

there is matter too i'll spell it again m -a

-t -h -e -t -e -u -o and we said It's written

there as making disciples or you see it as teaching.

And it implies to cause people to learn. It also

implies to cause people to learn. And we define

what discipleship is. We say discipleship is

a process of training. A process of training

as a student or an intern or an apprentice by

a disciple, a pastor or a shepherd. And we say

that it is very, very, and note that the person

is more matured in the sense that this person

is here and the individual that has been trained

this year. We want to understand that discipleship

happens as a result of someone being, someone

that is matured training someone that is not.

Meaning that the person that is training has

to be at a level different from the person that

is being trained. And that is very important

because in our group, we'll be in a position

where we can train others. And the end goal is

that every one of us here are being trained for

us to disciple others. It's not for the discipling

to always happen where you are the one. always

receiving. You have to come to a stage where

you will be the one at the position to train.

And every one of us is a disciple. We will always

be disciples. We are disciples to God's Word.

And as I said earlier, that there was something

that was seen in the life of which our brother

read. He was doing the course of the prayer.

In Acts 4, verse 13, where they saw Peter and

Acts 4:13

John. These two individuals were disciples. These

two individuals were disciples. And they perceived

that these men were uneducated men. They were

uneducated and they were untrained. Note that

there is the educational system that they had

where the people would come and be trained. They

would have their own establishment. And these

people had not been there. Because the schools

were not many. Nowadays, we have a lot of universities

where people go and they are trained. And when

you finish, they will give you a certificate

that you have been through that particular system.

Now people, you go to Bible school, you are being

trained and you come and you have a certificate

to show that you have been schooled or you have

been trained. But these people never had any

of those. So it means that we can't... come to

a point where we have an interaction consistently.

And that is basically what we're doing in our

church, where we're training people to be grounded

in God's word, where people will look at you

and know that this person is trained. This person

is trained with God's word. This person is trained

and this person is able to speak boldly. This

person is able to communicate the truth of God's

word boldly, clearly, and effectively. And that

is very key because if you are not discipled,

you cannot disciple. There has to be something

that people will see and will be drawn. There

are things that people will see and know that

this person is. And that was what made them to

Marvin. And it's my prayer that we as God's children

and in the Church of NACF will grow to a place

where people will see, not just in words, because

we can say things, we can be very eloquent in

our speech, but they will see it in our practice.

They will see it in the way we comfort ourselves.

They will see it in the way we behave. They will

see it in the way we do things. Because it is

not just the things they knew that they saw.

It was the way they acted, the boldness that

they saw. That was one thing that clearly communicated

this. And I believe that we're going to be learning.

We're going to be training. We're going to be...

going in this season where we're going to be

learning a lot and we're going to be trained

a lot and it's to the end that is beyond just

being in our heads. It's going to go into our

practice and it's in the practice that we see

results because manifesting the kingdom of God

is practice. It's not knowledge. Manifesting

the kingdom of God is not what you do from words.

You can see your manifested kingdom of God, but

it's practice that makes the manifestation a

reality that we can see. Praise God. And very

quickly, I had stopped. I think we had gone through

how it should be. We say the first point is a

disciple is teachable. A disciple is teachable.

And I asked us to write it in capital letters,

and I asked us to be able to... to see and see

ourselves and ask ourselves to open our mouths

and say, I am teachable. And you are teachable

too, because if you have not been taught, you

cannot teach. And we say that the attitude of

a child is what we want to pay attention to.

And Jesus Christ points the disciples to the

way a child behaves, the attitude and posture

of a child. A child is dependent, a child is

trusting, a child is eager to learn. A child

is eager to learn. If at any point in time you

call yourself a disciple and you don't have it,

passion, a desire, eagerness to learn, and you

don't even trust the tool by which you are able

to learn, which is God's Word, and you're not

even dependent on God and dependent on the system

that God has placed around you for your learning,

you will have a problem. You will not learn.

You will not grow. Because learning is important

for growth. What makes an adult, what makes,

what differentiates a child from an adult? Even

when an adult behaves like a child, we call them

a child. It's not age. When an adult behaves

like a child, they are referred to, in fact,

they will say this person is acting like a child,

meaning that there's a way a child acts that

an adult shouldn't act. I told us that it can

be positive, it can be negative. Meaning there

are certain positive attributes of a child that

ensures for their growth and evenness, believers.

grown, matured physically, there are certain

attributes and attitudes that we see that ensures,

that accounts for a person's consistent growth.

You see, you don't outgrow being a child in the

kingdom of God. Yes, in the kingdom, you can

get to a point where you're grown, you're a matured

man, people can see beards and all of that, and

they know that this person is grown, or they

can see a woman, and you say this person is grown,

and then you say he's now ready to move to this

next level. But in our work, And in discipleship,

there is nothing like that. You are discipled,

you are discipling others. You are discipled,

you are discipling others. That is the cycle.

And we see an example in the life of the prophet

Samuel. When he was given to Eli, when he was

under Eli, we see that he submitted to the authority.

He learned. He learned. He learned. He didn't

just... He didn't just take things or did things

on his own volition. He didn't just wake up on

Monday and decide to do things by himself. He

learned. So we're going to go down to, we're

going to go down to the points. I think we'll

continue. I think before we even proceed, I want

to point us to the fact that even Jesus Christ

himself, at a certain point in time, I want us

to go to Luke. Luke 2. Luke 2. Because the person

that is instructing us also did likewise. In

a sense, also did likewise. He went and he stayed

around to look to. I want us to read from 41

to 47. I want us to read from 41 to 47. I'll

read from the New Living Translation. It says,

Every year, Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem

for the Passover festival. When Jesus was 12

years old, pay attention to his age. When Jesus

was 12 years old, they attended the festival

as usual. After the celebration was over, they

started home to Nazareth. But Jesus stayed behind

in Jerusalem. His parents didn't miss him at

first because they assumed he was among the other

travelers. But when he didn't show up that evening,

they started looking for him amongst their relatives

and friends. When they couldn't find him, they

went back to Jerusalem to search for him there.

46 now, which is what I want to pay attention.

That is Luke 2 verse 46. Three days later, they

Luke 2:46

finally discovered him in the temple, sitting

amongst religious teachers, listening to them

and asking questions. Listening to them and asking

questions. He says, all who heard him were amazed

at his understanding. And his answers. All who

heard him are amazed at his answers. All who

heard him are amazed at his answers. And I want

you to see something. In verse 46, it says, three

days later. You know, if a child is missing and

you find a child three days later, the child

will be crying. where's my daddy, where's my

mommy, where's, or you'll be, there's a sense

of, but it shows you something very important

that this person was eager. The person was not

found on the street crying. We see the fact that

Christ, I'm using it, a typical child, but it

shows you the heart of the person of Christ at

when he was even 12. He was there, not just talking,

he was listening to them. He was listening to

them. He was listening to them and was asking

questions. He was listening to them and was asking

questions. He was listening to them and was asking

questions. You know, sometimes we can feel, because

we talked about this with regard to pride, where

you feel your age or your status or what you

have achieved, what you have not achieved, the

money. We have disciples that were wealthy, but

were still disciples. We have examples in the

Bible of disciples of worldly. We have Joseph

of Arimathea was referred to as a disciple. He

was worldly, but he was still a disciple. We

have individuals in Scripture that were, in fact,

the scribes too, the scribes too were referred

to. There are certain individuals, even one of

some disciples, a couple of disciples were scribes,

they were still. disciples, meaning that there's

a teaching that you have to submit to the teaching

regardless of whatever status you have. Christ

himself came and was amongst these individuals.

They were amused when he was listening to them.

So we should be reminded of the fact that the

instruction given to us is an instruction that

Christ himself, even when he was very young,

followed. So you cannot get to a point where

you feel like, oh, I have known it all. When

teaching is going on, I don't need to take notes.

It's the scriptures that we know them. No matter

how well you are familiar with the scripture,

being teachable is very important because every

one of us still needs to learn. Every one of

us still needs to grow. Every one of us still.

We don't want to come to, I think one time we

were in the cell. I think the funny thing is

that when you're in the cell and then it's, okay,

it's when the pastor is preaching, then you are

taking notes. If the pastor says, okay, the leader

or somebody should teach or the person is making

a statement, you'll be selecting who to write

and who not to write. That's very dangerous for

someone who wants to grow. You are in a setting

where something is being taught or someone is

giving the response, but you want to ensure that

you are teaching. Choosing, okay, this person,

I don't know. They're coming up. Not today. They

come up now. That's when I'll now hear what they

have to say. Or now, where I am. They are not

near me. That's very dangerous. If you have that

in your heart, if you have that behind, if you

have that as the motivation for your learning,

it means that you will lose out on the opportunity

to grow. Every opportunity is an opportunity

where we come around God's word to... to grow.

And it's very important that we see that. So

I want to take us to now the things that we see

in a disciple. And remember, we said we're all

talking about attributes of a disciple. And we

said there's the things that a disciple, that

we see in disciples as the work of a disciple.

There are certain attitudes and attributes that

we see in the work of a disciple. The servanthood

of a disciple. The servanthood of a disciple.

There are certain things you will see in a disciple

that you, that will That makes you know that

this person is someone that is keen on growth,

that is keen on the work that God has called

them into. And one of it is service. A disciple

serves. A disciple serves. A disciple serves.

A disciple serves. And we'll see in John 13,

because this service is modeled by Christ himself.

Note that the things that we're doing is the

things that are modeled by the one who has called

us. We see in John, let's open to John 13. We

look at this from John 13 and also we look at

it from Mark 10. So let's just go to John 13.

I think I want to read this again. Let's just

read it from here. Let's go to John 13 verse

John 13:14

14. John 13 verse 14 and 15. And note that the

John 13:14

background is Jesus washing his disciples' feet.

John 13 verse 14 and 15. I, your Lord and teacher,

John 13:14

have washed your feet. You ought to wash each

other's feet. In 15, he says, And I have given

you an example to follow, as I have done to you.

Do this as I have done to you. Do this as I have

done to you. And I say the background is Jesus

washing the disciples' feet. And those of us

that are following who had read the book of the

book that we had read through as a church, the

communion table, In fact, even if you're reading

the one that we're looking at, every disciple

and minister, you'll see something very key.

You'll see that the role of a disciple, you can't

divorce service from the role of a disciple.

And Jesus Christ here is exemplifying that. Not

that the symbol, what he was doing when he was

cleaning them, we said in the last reading and

the book we read last, there's the teaching of

salvation, which is being cleansed, washing them,

that's sanctification. There's a teaching in

that. Note that what the ultimate teaching, the

practical teaching you're seeing there is service.

And he says, as I've done to you, do to others.

May that you have to serve. You have to serve.

As a disciple, you can't be a disciple and you're

doing not. Remember I said, now this discipleship,

the pro is practical. It's very practical. You

can't just say stuff and not do. We don't, we

encourage you to. want to serve, to desire to

serve, even if you don't have the required skill,

but the commitment you have, it will enable you

to go out of your way to do, and following the

simple basic instruction ensures that you grow.

So Jesus Christ sets an example, and this example,

he was showing it to the disciples that he had

at then, but it's also for us to emulate, to

emulate these things. We are to emulate these

things because it's very important that we do

so. We do so. I want us to go to Mark and see

again. Mark and see Mark 10. I want us to go

to Mark 10. Mark 10 verse 43. Mark 10 verse 43.

Mark 10:43 Mark 10:43

It reads, it says, But among you it will be different.

Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be

your servant. Mark 10 verse 43. But among you

Mark 10:43

it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader

among you must be your servant. And whoever wants

to be first among you must be a slave of everyone

else. 45 now says, For the Son of Man came not

to serve, but to serve others, and to give his

life as a ransom for many. But to serve others

and to give his life as a ransom for many. And

note that we are saying that service here is

what Christ himself had done for us. He came

to serve. And we are to do likewise. The instruction

is for us to serve. It says anyone, and note

that greatness in the kingdom is equal to service.

Greatness in the kingdom is equal to service.

It says both among you. And note that he was

comparing, if you read the earlier verses. In

verse 42, if you read the earlier verses, 41

down to 41, 41 is where it starts. It says, when

10 other disciples heard about what James and

John, you know that it was a whole interaction

between James and John. You know, the thing that

James and John had done. They were indignant.

42 now says, Jesus called the others and said

to them, you know that the rulers in this world

lorded over their people and officials flaunted

the authority over those under them. He said,

but among you, it should be different. Among

you, it shouldn't be the same. Where you want

to pursue service, not position. You want to

pursue service. It's service to God's people

that is more important than anything else. Because

in the world, a person is great when they have

a position where people will hail them, or hail

the chairman, or hail the person that is in charge,

or hail the boss. But note that they can attain

those positions, but they don't do anything.

We are in a world where people just say, okay,

there's a title, but the work that the title

comes with, they don't pursue it. Know that when

you say, well, I think we're listing the roles

and responsibilities of a pastor. You know, somebody

in Isaiah is not easy. You know, when you know

the roles and responsibilities, you are less

likely to desire the position if your heart is

not really in on it. You know, somebody will

say, you say, I'm the pastor. You come. And then

there's some people who used to think, this is

the way we see it in the world, where somebody

comes and they're in a position, they have a

private car, they have a driver, they have all

of those things. And then you come and you're

like, I want to, I might go, I want to be. But

when they tell you, okay, aside from what you

can see, there's the other responsibility that

is this, this, and this, and this, you see the

person will change their mind very instantly

because... Service is not what everybody desires.

Most people will prefer to just be on the background

and then, or in fact, we prefer to be served,

not serve others. But we see Christ sets an example

for us in the fact that he came to serve and

he calls us to do likewise. He calls us to serve.

So we must desire to serve. Every disciple...

must desire to serve. So when we are saying,

serve, serve, serve, and I'm very sure if you

look at the platform now, we are like 58, 58

of us. You want to ensure and check yourself.

Anytime you're struggling with the idea of serving

others, check again. Anytime you're struggling

with the idea of serving others, check yourself

again. Because in the heart of a disciple, there

always has to, you know, some people say, I'm

not a people person. I don't like people. You

are not your own. It's not what you like anymore.

It's what God instructs you to do that is more

important than what you like. If everyone had

a choice to do what they want to do, there would

be chaos because everyone would be doing the

things they want. But because we are under God,

He is the one that is in charge. He instructs

us. He says, look. Greatness in the kingdom is

equal to service. If you want to be great in

the kingdom, you want to pursue service over

anything else. And that is it. Full stop. No

buts. Say buts. You know buts. You know where

I come from. You know buts. There's no buts.

There's no excuses. We'll get to the part where

we discuss excuses. And know that another key

thing is a disciple gives. This is the second

point. A disciple gives. A disciple is not just

someone who receives and receives and receives

and receives because you are being trained, you

are receiving training, you are receiving training,

you are receiving training. A disciple gives.

We'll get to the part where a disciple is giving

what they have received, but we'll talk about

the practicality of giving because a disciple

is committed to the work. So a person that is

committed to a work, a person will be willing

to give to see that the work moves forward. The

person we're willing to give to see that the

work moves forward. And when we talk, I think

in the Church of Renice here, we say this and

say this with every sense of humility in the

sense that we as a church don't place so much

priority on, oh, give this, give... But not that.

It is important that we know that it is a responsibility

that we have as members. to ensure that the place

where you are located, the local church, is thriving.

The local church is thriving. You know, one beautiful

thing about the church is when we call for needs,

it's when we say, okay, there's a need, we call

out, we put it out and say, okay, the church

needs this, that, but not that. It shouldn't

be that we should be in a habit and attitude

to be able to look for the needs in the church.

We, if we're part of a church, and you see that

the church needs this, and you should not even

be, it doesn't have to be something you want

to be loud about. Even though the church needs

this, you can go and find a way. Even though

nowadays people can give for very strange reasons.

Because, you know, I've seen people that will

come and say, okay, I want to, in my little time

here, you will see the person will come. The

person doesn't want to serve, but they want to

give. There's something about their giving, replacing

their acts. I say, if you have a heart for this,

join this. I say, no, no, no, no, Pastor, no.

No, I just want to. It's an agreement I have

with God. It's leading my heart to just want

to. I say, ah, if you really want to, you want

to see how what you are giving impacts the people

that you are. You say you have a heart form.

And it means that people can prioritize wanting

to give to... People do it. They will say, okay,

I give so that people that have this will go

for us. They will go for us. That is very wrong.

And we'll see how the disciples made this thing

practical in Acts 4. I think he read a bit of

it in Acts 2. I just want us to look at Acts

4. How these people did not just talk. They were

very practical in their needs. And these people

were people that were in the church. Acts 4,

I want us to read from 35 to 37. 35 to 37. Acts

4, 35 to 37. And I'll read from the New King

James. It says, 34 to 30, I think, yeah, I said

35. 35 to 37. It says, And they laid them at

the apostles' feet. And they laid them at the

apostles' feet. And they distributed to each

as... as anyone had need. They disputed to each

as anyone had need. Then he says, and Joseph,

who was also called Barnabas by the apostle,

which is translated son of encouragement, a Levite

of the country of Cyprus. Praise God, Cyprus.

The country of Cyprus. 37. having land sold it

and brought the money and laid it at the apostles'

feet. So what you will notice is that there's

this use of the apostles' feet. They laid it

at the apostles' feet. They laid it at the apostles'

feet. They laid it at the apostles' feet. And

we'll see, you'll see there's a lot of use of

the word feet. I want to explain to us that something

very interesting. If you look at 35, I think

in your translation, you'll see that it says,

and laid them at the apostles' feet, and then

you see a semicolon, right? You see a semicolon

there, and it says, and they distributed. They

is who? The apostles, right? And the apostles

now distributed to each one as they need. Each

one as they need. Note that the use of apostles'

feet there communicates the fact that, remember,

if we're using, I think we'll get to that part,

I think we'll get to that part shortly. Where

when something is laid at the feet of someone,

when something is laid at the feet of someone,

it communicates that this person is in charge.

It communicates the authority of that individual.

Because the person has that laid, not they laid

themselves. The person laid what they had at

the feet of the apostles. And then the apostles

now were saddled with the responsibility of distributing

to meet the needs of people. Meaning that the

apostles... are the ones in charge. People brought

what they had. They will sell what they want

to have the monies to give for the work that

was happening. And note something. It's important

that we know that the individuals have to have

prioritized the work that the apostles were doing

to be able to say, I will sell my land, I will

sell what I have and bring the money for this

to happen. They prioritize the work, prioritize

the people most importantly. The people... that

needed the people that were in need. And as I

said, I will repeat myself again, know that the

use of feet will see that. I want you to see

it with regards to training. See it with regards

to training. See it with regards to training.

I want you to see in Acts, even though in the

Acts 4, I think it's Acts, the same Acts, we'll

see this in the individual question, but let's

go to Acts 22. We'll see the same use of feet

there. In Acts 22, this is not the Apostles'

Feet now. In Acts 22, verse 3. Acts 22, verse

Acts 22:3 Acts 22:3

3. Acts 22, verse 3. It reads, it says, I am

Acts 22:3

a Jew. That is Apostles' Feet. It says, I am

a Jew. I am indeed a Jew born in Tarsus of Caesarea,

brought up in the city, brought up in this city

at the feet of Gamaliel. at the feet of Gamaliel,

taught according to the strictness of our father's

law, and I was zealous towards God as you all

are today. As you all are today. Know that it

uses the feet of the apostle, the feet of Gamaliel

now, in this case, feet of Gamaliel to communicate

the fact that he learned from him. Gamaliel is

the authority. He is the student. Gamaliel is

the authority. He is the student. And you'll

see something in Acts 5. You'll see something

in Acts 5. Acts 5, the ending part, that is 33,

downwards. You'll see that Gamaliel, that is

in 34, to be specific, Acts 5, 34. You'll see

that then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee

called Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in

respect by all the people. and commanded them

to put the apostles aside for a little while.

This is the individual that Apostle Paul, being

trained by, is someone that was held in high,

is a Pharisee, a teacher of the law that is held.

So he had trained Apostle Paul in the law. He

has trained him in the law. And this is the person

he learned to know that the use of the feet means

that he's an authority in the law. In that, him

being an authority, he's in a place to train

the Apostle Paul. And I want us to see another

place where it still is used for Jesus. It's

used also with regards to Jesus. In Luke 10.

I want us to go to Luke 10, 39. The situation

between Mary and Martha. Luke 10, 39. Luke 10,

39. Luke 10, 39. And it says, And she had a sister

called Mary. who also sat at Jesus' feet and

heard his word. Who sat at Jesus' feet and heard

his word. Not that she sat at his feet and heard

his word doesn't mean that she dwells at his

feet. She just is a position of a student and

then the teacher. If you want to learn something,

the teacher is here, the student is here. It's

just a function of, you know that you are learning.

In fact, when kids come around, even in the house,

sometimes they say, okay, you sit down, let me

tell you a story. The person is at the higher

level, you are at the lower level. It means that

this person, you are learning from the person.

You can't be on that ground level and you're

arguing with the, you know, that's why the pulpit

is higher than the, you keep it at the, that's

why the pulpit has to be, pulpit, it has to be

up and then the other people are down. Because

you, aside that, it communicates the fact that

you are, You are listening to what is being taught.

The person is here. You are up, depending on

where exactly it is. I know that it's a thing

where you can see, but it's a function of the

individual. They trust you as an authority to

be able to deliver. That's why they will come

to you to learn. Praise God. It's a function.

It's as much as symbolic. It communicates much

more than just the physical. And it means that

if the person... is at that level, you have the

responsibility to know that in the case of Martha,

they were hosting him. They were giving to the

master. In fact, I think it's in Luke 8, where

you see that there are women too that were given

to the work of ministry. These women were aiding

the work that was being done. They were contributing

to Jesus Christ and also to his disciples. So

people gave. These people gave. They gave. And

giving is a lifestyle of a disciple. Giving is

the lifestyle of a disciple. It's not just receiving.

The disciple should have a lifestyle. The lifestyle

of a disciple is that of giving. A disciple doesn't

need to be pruded, cajoled. They will have to

use persuasive words. They will have to encourage

you, say, you know, you have to see that we need

this. And then you'll now be motivated to say,

okay, because I have seen, because the pastor

had explained and had to drum it down, then we'll

now... because the pastor had to drum it down.

Note that, yes, if you are not used to giving,

you have to be trained to understand that giving

is a responsibility. It should be a lifestyle.

It should be something. It is what is demanded

of us. And you don't have to have a lot to give.

You don't have to have a lot to give. I will

show us in Acts 10 verses 28 how the disciples,

Acts 10:28

each of them according to their ability, according

to what they had. They determined. They determined.

According to what they had, they determined.

I want us to see it in Acts 10. Acts 11, sorry.

Acts 11, 29. Acts 11, 29. Acts 11, 29. You know,

sometimes you say, ah, sir, I don't have... You

want to... The giving is a function. It's a discipline

you're acquiring when you give, even when you

don't have. Because if you can give when you

don't have, when you do have, you're not struggling.

You know, some of us will say, ah, sir, you know...

The money is not, even if it's, and we don't

want to despise, whatever it is that you have,

you want to train yourself to be able to do it

regardless, to be able to do it regardless. So

in Acts 11, 29, we see that, then the apostles,

according to their ability, determined to send

relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. The

brethren dwelling in Judea. So they were willing

to give for the, and by the way, understand that.

Meeting the needs, they saw that the brethren

in Judea had a need, and then they contributed.

They determined to send some form of relief to

them. Meaning that there's the giving that happens

with them. We saw that in Acts 4, where they

give to meet the needs of the people that are

around them. And there's also the giving to meet

the needs of people that are out. Okay, we see

that these people have something that they contribute

to meet the need. So it means that you give according

to your ability. You don't give beyond. You give

according to your ability and you know your ability.

You know your ability and you give according

to that. And I want us to see also the Philippian

church in their generosity to Paul in Philippians

4. I want us to go to Philippians 4. Philippians

Philippians 4:10

4 verse 10. I want us to read that 4 verse 10

to 18. I want us to see it in context. Philippians.

Philippians 4, verse 10 to 18. So it says, But

Philippians 4:10–18

I rejoice in the Lord greatly, knowing that at

last your care for me has flourished again, though

you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.

You surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.

Not that I seek... in regard to need, for I have

learned in whatever state I am to be content.

He says, I know how to be abased and I know how

to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have

learned both to be full and to be hungry, both

to abound and to suffer need. 13 now says, I

can do all things through Christ who strengthens

me. Note that when you used to read this verse,

you say, I can do all things, you can say means,

I can do this, you can say means, you can quote

it and quote it, but note that the context is

in the verse 12, where it says, I know how to

be obeyed and I know how to abound. Wherever

and in all things I have learned, because it

says, wherever and in all things I have learned

to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and

to suffer need. So he says he can do all things

to Christ. I mean that he can do the all things.

There is not everything and everything. The all

things there is that he knows how to, when hunger

is in the land and when he has enough. In all

of those things, he is strengthened of the Lord.

Nevertheless, you have done well that you share

in my distress. 15. Now he says, now you Philippians

know also that it. that in the beginning of the

gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church

shared with me concerning giving and receiving,

but you only. 16, it says, for even in Thessalonica,

you sent aid and a gain for my necessities. Again

and again for my needs. Once and again for my

necessities. 17 now. It says, note that I seek

the gifts. I seek the gifts, but I seek the fruits

that abound to your account. 18 now. Indeed,

I have all and abound. I am full, having everything

from Epaphroditus. The things which were sent

from you. a sweet -smelling aroma and acceptable

sacrifice, well -pleasing to God. So, not that

he had received the things that were sent from

them through Epaphroditus, and he's appreciating

this church, the church in Philippi, for their

generous gifts. is appreciating the church for

their generous gift. Note that it's important

that we understand that there's a giving that

you give to the persons in need and there's a

structure for it. When you're giving in the church,

there's a structure. You don't just come and

do it without... the structure that the leadership

has set in place. You don't just go around and

be doing whatever it is you want to do. Yes,

you are giving, but if you're in the church,

you want to respect the fact that there's a structure

around it, then speak to the persons in charge.

You don't just act like you're your own boss

or act like you want to be very careful with

that. And then once you're doing it, there's

a collective system where the church is able

to give for the needs and there's opportunity

for all of that to be done so that it's done

in order. is done in order. So this church, note

that he's writing, he's appreciating, writing,

appreciating the church for all supply of his

needs through a certain individual. The church

contributed to that individual and it came to

him. And note that in our giving, because in

the same Acts, you have an incident that happened

when individuals said they were going to give

something and they lied. In Acts 5, verse 1 to

Acts 5:1–11

11, where they say they are promised they're

going to give and they lie. Most of the times

we focus on who killed them, what exactly it

is. But you want to understand that a disciple

should be a person of integrity. A disciple shouldn't

lie. A disciple... shouldn't be given to lie.

If you want to lie, if you don't, you can't,

you shouldn't. You shouldn't lie. And in fact,

they in their own case, it was not on their neck

for them to sell the land and give everything.

But the question was, how much did you sell the

land? Because you promised to sell and give.

And they lied. So you want to focus on the error

of their actions. The error of their actions

was the fact that they lied. So in your giving,

you want to be honest in your giving. And know

that we said that your giving is according to

your ability. If you don't have the ability to

give, there's nobody that is micromanaging or

wanting you to give beyond your capacity. So

you want to be honest. The disciples should be

honest in their giving. That's why when we tell

you, we know that you have the capability to

do so. And then you also know your capability.

So you want to be able to do it within your means.

You want to do it within. Your means. Know that

you don't want to be manipulative. We are not

manipulating you to give. You want to truly give

under authority. You want to do your giving under

authority. Then we go to the other part where

a disciple rejects entitlement. A disciple rejects

entitlement. We are in a world where people are

entitled. They feel like, you know... The church

owes them. This sense of entitlement. Let's go

to 1 Samuel 2. Let's go to 1 Samuel 2. 1 Samuel

2. I want to see the situation with the sons

of Eli. 1 Samuel 2. I want us to read from verse

12 to 17. 1 Samuel 2, verse 12 to 17. It says,

1 Samuel 2:12–17

Now Eli's sons were corrupt. Did you not know

the Lord? And the priest's customs with the people

was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the

priest's servants would come with a three -pronged

flesh hook, something like a fork, they would

come with it, in his hand while the meat was

boiling. Then he would thrust it into the pan.

or kettle, or cauldron, or pot. Not that that's

the word, that's the same, it's just the same

pot, the same, the meaning for the same thing,

like a pot. And the priest will take for himself

all that the fish hook, all that the flesh hook,

sorry, brought up. So then, so they did in Shiloh

to all the Israelites who were there. 15. Also,

before they burned the fat, The priest's servants

will come and say to the man who sacrificed,

Give me meat for roasting to the priest, or he

will not take a boiled meat from you, but raw.

16 now it says, And if the men said to him, They

should really burn the fat first, then you will

take as much as your heart desires. He would

then answer him, No. But we must give it to me

now. You see, but you must give it to me now.

And if not, I will take it by force. I will take

it by force. 17. Therefore, the sin of the young

men was very great before God for men above the

offering of the Lord. So, know that these individuals,

there was a system already there where you come

in and then you... You don't come and insist

on your own. Don't come and because my father

is the person in charge, then I'm entitled to

all that it is or I'm entitled because there's

some form of stake. Know that these men, first

and foremost, don't have any regard as we saw

from the start. They were corrupt. They didn't

have any regard for God. They didn't have any

regard for the things of God. As disciples, we

have great regard for God and we have great regard

for the things of God. We don't do otherwise.

We don't do otherwise. And it's very interesting

that if you look at the structure of the house,

the sons were doing what they were doing in rebellion.

And you can see Samuel, the young Samuel, who

later became Prophet Samuel, submitted to the

authority and the things of the sons were in

rebellion. So in a setup, you want to be the

one who is submitted to authority and submitted

to the authority of God's word and submitted

to the leadership. You want to be the one that

submitted to the authority of God's word. And

also, which is very key to point out here, is

the fact that in Eli's case, Eli had a failure.

He had failed to, he allowed sin, the sin of

his sons to thrive. That's why we give instruction.

That's why we correct. You can be in the church

where there's a leadership and then you are floundering

and then you expect us to watch you. do the things

that you want to do or your heart desires. We

said, wherever you, any system where anybody

just does whatever they like, nobody grows, nobody

learns, nobody, there's nothing. Everybody just

chooses however it is they want to. Because in

his house, the man tolerated that happening.

And we see that even in our own church setting,

we do well to avoid a situation where anything

that is erroneous will thrive. Scripture says

that a little leaven leavens the lump. So wherever

it leavens the lump, wherever it is that you

allow anything to thrive, it will destroy the

house. People will just come and think that that's

a culture. That's the norm. That's what we do

here. That's basically what is obtainable. That's

what is allowed here. In 1 Corinthians, okay,

let's just read it. I just quoted it not long

ago. Let's just read 1 Corinthians 5 verse. Okay,

while we're in Samuel, let's just look at Samuel

3 .13. Samuel 3 .13, where it says, For I have

told him that I will judge the house forever

for the integrity which it knows, because his

sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain

them. I want you to see that he did not restrain

Samuel. Sorry, I took us to... Listen, well,

in 1 Samuel 3 .13, we see that the Eli, Prophet

Eli, did not restrain his sons, meaning that...

He had the responsibility to restrain them. That's

in 1 Samuel 3, verse 13. It says, For I have

1 Samuel 3:13

told you that I will destroy the house of iniquity,

because his sons made themselves vile, and he

did not restrain them. He did not restrain them.

In 1 Corinthians 5, verse 6. 1 Corinthians 5,

1 Corinthians 5:6 1 Corinthians 5:6

verse 6. We'll go to 1 Corinthians 5, verse 6.

1 Corinthians 5:6

1 Corinthians 5, verse 6. But your glorying is

1 Corinthians 5:6

not good. Let's speak in context. Your glorying

is not good, but do you not know that a little

leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore, purge

out the old leaven and the new lump. In this

Christ is the Passover. Note that the focus of

this passage is the fact that Christ is the Passover.

For in this Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed

for us. But the point is this, that once you

take out, that you don't want to allow room for

anything, because in the whole passage, we see

Apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth,

saying that, encouraging and admonishing them

to flee all manner of immorality, because immorality

defiles the church. He's warning and instructing

that this is not allowed here. This is not allowed

here. It is not allowed here that this will leaven

the whole. When they say a little leaven, it's

yeast. And you put yeast into something, there

will be fermentation. And if you notice that

the children of Israel had a thing, because it's

symbolic, they didn't eat. The bread that they

ate was not the one that had yeast in it. It

was not the fermented one that went through the

process of fermentation because yeast in it was

almost like adding something that shouldn't be

in it. to part of it, praise God. And this is

an instruction here where you want to ensure

that you address, you restrain any form of error.

You say, no, this is not obtainable here. And

that is how people grow. Some people don't even

know what is obtainable or what is not obtainable

until they are instructed. And when they are

instructed, a responsible disciple will take

heed of the instruction and go from there. So

we also will see that a... Disciple forsakes

all. A disciple forsakes all. A disciple forsakes

all. It is the responsibility of a disciple to

prioritize God, prioritize the teaching. And

we see this in Luke. I want us to go to Luke

14, 26. I think I've seen previous teachings,

okay? Luke 14. I just want us to read 26. Luke

14, 26. If anyone comes to me, and does not hate

his father and mother, his wife and children,

brothers and sisters, yes, his own life also.

He cannot be my disciple. And you'll be thinking

to yourself, what has been said here? I don't

really understand how that will work. And let

me jump to 33. It says, So likewise, whoever

does not forsake all that he has, cannot be my

disciple. See, whoever doesn't forsake all that

he has can be my disciple. And we say that the

word there, to not, and does not hate, means

that, the hate there means to love less. Meaning

that you prioritize or you love more this one

person over this. So you love less. The hate

there communicates to love less. So it says that

you want to prioritize him over anything else.

We read the 26 and then the last bit. I would

love you to read 26 down to 33, but I just read

the first and the last. But what it's pointing

to is the fact that your priority has to be Him

over anything else. Your priority has to be Him

over anything else. And by the special grace

of God, we're helped by God to be able to prioritize

Him over anything else and not make excuses,

which is the next point in the forsaken all.

When you choose to pursue other things, you will

always have excuses. When you choose to pursue

other things, you will always have excuses. And

I want to say this, at this point, I really want

us to pay attention for this point. When you

forsake, as a disciple, forsake your key responsibility,

what you are giving root for is excuses. You

will have to say, oh, but this, oh, but that.

You know, when a person is full of excuses, You

already right there have a disciple that is not

committed to growth, that is not committed to

the Word, that is not committed to the things

that he's called to do. And we see Jesus Christ

spelling this out to a certain group of people

when they were designed to follow. And then they

said, oh, that's in Luke 9. Since we're in Luke,

let's just go to Luke 9. I want you to see very

quickly. We'll read all the excuses that was

given. One first said, ah, hey, um, ah, well.

I'm going to follow you. He now says, foxes have,

let's look 9 .59. Look 9, let's start from 57.

Look 9 .57. Look 9 .57. It says, now it happened

as they journeyed on the road that someone said

to him, Lord, I will follow you anywhere you

go. And Jesus said to him, foxes have holes,

birds have nests, birds of the air have nests,

but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.

Meaning that the ease is like, look, if you're

going to come with me on this journey, you will

not always have where to lay your head. It might

not be comfortable. It might not be the best.

You will not always have anything you want, the

comfort of a bed, a pillow, a house. Things will

be difficult. Meaning that this thing of discipleship,

the process will be tough. The process will be

tough. And then it says in verse 59, it says,

And then he said to the other, follow me. But

he said, Lord, let me go and bury my father.

Let me go and bury my father. And look at his

response to it. He said to him, let the dead

bury their own dead. But you go and preach the

kingdom of God. See what he says in the instruction,

which is our duty. He says, our duty and responsibility

is to go and preach the kingdom of God, to go

and preach. And there's no excuses for that.

We don't have any excuse for that. He says, let

me go and bury... See, we're not saying that

you should not do the irresponsible, but the

priority for a disciple is go and preach the

kingdom of God. That is the instruction he gave

in Matthew 8. Go and make disciples, go and preach,

go and do all of that because in doing that,

we're going to be teaching. We're going to be

teaching. And then in 61, he now says, and another

said, Lord, I will follow you, but let me first

go and bid them farewell. who are at my house,

and bid them farewell who are at my house. But

Jesus said to him, No one having put his hand

on the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom

of God, is fit for the kingdom of God. Not that

there is no excuses. Every one of them had an

excuse, but the priority for the master is to

preach the kingdom of God. And we see this even

in the Old Testament. We see Elisha. Elisha.

Elisha was... Elijah calls him to follow him.

And Elisha's response was a wholehearted surrender.

He even goes as far as breaking the calf, killing

the cow because he was a farmer. He did all of

that in 1 Kings. We see this in 1 Kings 19 verses

1 Kings 19:19–21

19 to 21. He goes ahead and does that and follows

him. And we see him being discipled by Elijah.

And we see where he goes. We see the effectiveness

of the discipleship, the effectiveness of being

trained under him, the commitment. We see where

he went. And I use the example of even David

and his men. See how they grew. See all the things.

So we want to always, because we can claim to

follow people because of, we can claim that we

are not able to follow because of our career.

because of our family, because of our comfort.

But all of those things are not, we don't do

that. We don't, we prioritize being disciples

over anything else. Praise God. We prioritize

being disciples over everything. We don't prioritize

discipleship over career. We don't prioritize,

but we do all of those things with respect, under

that respect. And know that a disciple also stays

connected. A disciple stays connected too. the

local church a disciple stays connected to the

teaching of god's word we saw that the the the

the people that were converted continue steadfastly

in the apostles doctrine in fellowship and in

breaking of bread and in prayers they stayed

connected and i want us to really very much and

this is we see this in acts the acts 2 42 to

47. We see also in Hebrews. I want us to write

down the scriptures. We see also in Hebrews 10,

25. All of these things, we don't neglect the

Garden of God. We stay connected to the Garden

of God because that is how we grew. That's how

we grew. And I want to very much put this out

there that when you come and then you are a disciple

on social media. Social media follower, social

media disciple is not truly a disciple because

he's in a commitment to local church. I said

this on Sunday and I'm saying it again. If you're

committed to local church, you truly grow. Because

true disciples are committed to a local church

and it's in local church that people, they grow,

they serve, and they are effective. They grow,

they serve, and they're effective. And lastly,

a disciple multiplies. A disciple multiplies.

A disciple multiplies. Our brother, when he was

leading us in prayer, took us to Acts 6. Acts

6. We see in Acts 7 that there was multiplication.

The word spread and disciples multiplied. The

word of God spread and disciples multiplied.

And going back to the scripture that we read,

it says, go and make disciples, teaching them

to observe all the things I've commanded you.

If there is no multiplication, there is a problem

somewhere. It means that either we're not doing

what exactly Jesus was saying, or we're just

saying things we're not doing there. It means

that there is a need for us to come to that place

where the word is spreading, and I believe, God,

that we're seeing it. tremendous amount of multiplication

in the Church of NDCF. We are seeing multiplication

in people's passion and desire to preach the

gospel. We are seeing multiplication in people's

desire to break away from everything that is

holding them back from speaking, everything that

is holding them back from learning, everything

that is holding them back from serving, everything

that is holding them back from prioritizing the

kingdom of God. And it's my prayer and it's my

heart desire that we are challenged. We are greatly

challenged to understand that discipleship is

not automatic. Discipleship happens by intentionally

submitting to the place where God has placed

you in. Discipleship happens by when you intentionally,

it's intentional. It's a desire that you have

that if I must grow, I must submit to the authority.

I must submit to what God is doing in the church.

And I want us to just take this time to just

pray. I would want us to affirm the words I have

encouraged us to affirm on Sunday, which is,

I am teachable. Say it in your room, I am teachable.

Shout it in your room, I am teachable. I stay

teachable. I stay teachable. without pride in

my heart. I stay teachable without pride in my

heart. I lead others by serving. I lead others

by serving and I serve diligently. I submit to

authority. I am not rebellious. I don't frustrate

the efforts of the pastors and the leaders. I

prioritize discipleship. I prioritize the activity

of the kingdom over everything else. I am a disciple

that disciples others. I want you to say these

things. I want you to pray these things and we

are enabled. We are helped of God to be able

to... manifest the kingdom, by the help of God

to continue to manifest the kingdom, by the help

of God to do the things that is required for

us to see the change in our lives and in the

lives of others in the name of Jesus. Amen and

Amen. We're thankful you joined us today. Don't

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God bless.