Word-The Call of A Disciple | Pr.Yvonne Chong

You're listening to a message to go from at church.

We hope this message will light up your day. So

I'm gonna bring us to uh, you know this this

year itself a sex church.

It is a time of going deeper in the lot.

And and the theme for this year is actually disciple first.

As you can see that, you know, the.

Beautiful canvas that we brought over from our twenty fifth anniversary.

Uh it was you know, handpainted by our team and

those of you who were there for our anniversary, right,

if you know this or they don't know, because there's

a lot of things that was happening on stage, but

if you remember, you know, the dance change from one

one culture to another, right, and as the done changes,

there's this paint brush that was passed on from one

dancer to another, and every time it gets passed on,

it gets you know, the dance paints something on the

canvas and you know that's how the cameras was put together.

That is what you know, being a disciple is. And

and today the key text, Okay, I'm gonna bring us

to our key scripture first. It's from Mark chapter one,

verse fourteen to twenty and I'm gonna get you guys

got to read it. I think we have the mind

on standby, so please turn to your bible all right.

There will not be anything flashed out on screen. We

got a told STV. You guys can sit and receive

and because the rest of us, we're going to turn

to our own bibles, all right. And if you do not,

do not bring our bible today, It's okay. You can

just turn to your neighbor and ask and see whether

you could share the Bible, all right, and I remember

to bring yours next. Okay, Okay, are you guys there?

Mark chapter one, verse fourteen to twenty, and then we

shall start from the front. Glad, so the first row,

and then we'll move on to the second row. Mark

chapter one, verse fourteen to twenty. So each person can

take a verse each.

Mark chapter one, verse fourteen and reading from NIV version.

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee,

proclaiming the good News of God.

Reading from NIV version or so verse fifteen. The time

has come, he said, the Kingdom of God is near.

Repent and believe the good news, reading from the KJV.

Now, as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he

saw Simon and Andrew his brother, casting a net into

the sea, for they were fishes.

From NKJV.

They immediately left their nets and followed him.

Verse nineteen. When he had gone a little which what

are you reading for? Kid? I thoughtually, he's going to

kick the train, going make it easier? Eighteen? It was eighteen.

They immediately left their nets and followed him. Thank you

the Bible, Thank you JB.

Verse nineteen, when he had gone a little father from there,

he saw James D and John his brother, who also

were in the boat mending their nets.

Without delay.

He called them, and they left their father's everybody in

the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Thank you. Samon.

All right, I'm gonna be teasing her for a while, okay,

if you can see her right, what was happening?

What was going on? A girl? People? They were fishing?

Right?

And then who did they encounter? Jesus?

Right?

And you know, sorry, before I just go into the text,

you know, I as I was preparing the message to share,

God told me to break it into three parts. Okay,

so today is just part one, and the three parts

in three c's, because you know, we are first disciples

of Christ, right the largestcy.

So the first part of this message is the title.

You know, it's to have x TV as well, and

those of you who are taking notes, it's the call

of a disciple, all right. So if you is if

if you can see here this group of people that

was fishing, right, and you know that they are known

as the Disciples of Christ, followers of Christ, and and

you know the word disciple. I just want to help

us pull out the meaning a little bit more so.

In Hebrew is actually the word tell me t a.

L m I d.

It actually means a relationship between a teacher and a disciple,

a discipler and a disciples the disciple, okay. And in

Greek it's actually mathetics m A t h E t

e s all right.

Uh. It basically means someone who engages in learning. Uh.

And I think the Bahasa they call it a moord.

That moord done basically a student, right, A disciple is

a student and a student learns.

All right. So if you put together and that's how.

We do it here in next church, I introduced to

you first how we do discipleship in X It's relational,

all right.

Uh.

Different churches haven't done it differently, but for us, you know,

it is a relational discipleship.

And as I share along the way, Uh, I just want.

To encourage us, you know, to to to open up

our hearts to say that God, you know, how can

I be first your disciple? But I as I go

bring us through right a disciple. It's just not us

being a little Christ or being a follower Christ. But

it's allowing a teacher, right, a mentor or you know,

an next require a harder leader to walk us through

so as we learn to be more like Christ as

our disciple, help us to learn to be more like

Christ as well, to live out like what Jesus would do.

We allow ourselves to be guided. We do life together.

You know, every relational discipleship, you know, a relationship is

built when life is done together.

Right.

Uh, you know the only is here. You know.

They didn't just suddenly wake God the next day, I'm

gonna marry him. I'm gonna marry her.

Done. Uh and yesterday just happened right suddenly? No, it

did not right.

It takes it took ten times, you know, to to

you know, they started from pre courtship.

But even pre courtship, you.

Were friends, right, they had a friendship together already and

then moving on to you know, a pre cultural relationship,

and then it progress and now their husband and wife.

Right.

So and like wise as well, you know, we are

the bride of Christ. The church is the bride of Christ,

and we individually we are the church, right, which I

shud some time back. Uh.

And being the bride of Christ, it comes with a relationship.

Uh.

And today, you know, I just want to speak to

Christians here first and foremost.

That are two.

I see it as a two group of Christians. Okay,

one do not stow me for this, but one is

just a regular Christian, you know, you guys, I fulfill Okay,

I come to church on every Sunday or I don't

know of different cultures they're like, okay, at least I

go to church once a man. That's checked off the

leaves already, and I'm a Christian or probably okay, you

take it a little bit for those like oh, I

also attend prayer service.

I also attend you know, homes.

Okay, that's checked off. But you know, I use the

word attend because anyone can show up and attend as well.

Right.

It doesn't have to take you to be a believer,

to be a Christian, to just be regular to church.

Ah, and and anyone can be a regular.

But what sets us apart as believers is that we

are disciples of Christ. So I hope, I hope you know,

as as we allow yourself, as you allow yourselves to

be rooted here and ex money, allow yourself to grow

to a place to be a disciple. Uh. And you

know that's hence that So I know, disciples first, to

be a disciple first. The onies wouldn't have been here

if they're not disciples first. Yeah, I think they're gonna

get used to this.

I think. So it's not ended.

Because later as I passed the time back to the chairpers,

I'm sure there's going to be other stuff as Sorry. Yeah,

so you know, being a disciple first, and I would say,

you know, just being a believer for sometimes since nineteen

ninety six, we were not born yet. But since nineteen

einty six, you know, I have learned that discipleship it

is not an option. Yeah, it's not something to say

I want to. I don't want to right as believers.

Once we say we are a Christian, immediately I say

I want to be a disciple of Christ.

And and and.

While you know, I say that being a disciple is

not an option. It can be a journey, right, It

can be a journey of discovering. When I first became

a believer and when I was still really younger, I

we're still really young. But you know, along the way,

I've learned the important of following after Christ, the importance

of journey to be more like Christ. And how I've

learned that is because a lot, you know, whatever that

has been taught in church to sing in. You know,

I digested, I take it. And then you know what

I read from the world of God, You know, I

digested and take it and say that God, I want

to follow you and obey everything that you have commanded

me to to your word. All right, So as you

can see here right as you're moving on even into

the scripture that we have read. So what was happening

is this fisherman, right, I'm gonna be paraphrasing. They're happily

minding their own business fishing. Uh that's what fisherman can do, right,

all day, all night. They are trying to really in fishes,

uh in or the catch to have the big catch right,

And and what happened was as they catch and they rated,

so as they waded there was no cats, right, And

then what happened?

This guy by the name of Jesus.

Right showed up and what did he ask them to do?

In verse seventeen, Right, Jesus showed up and he was

at the shore. These guys were in the lake. I

don't know how loud Jesus was. But what did Jesus

tell them? Follow me and I will make you visires

of men? And then what happened? They immediately let down

their nets and followed him right. So today you know

God is calling out to this what call are we hearing? Yeah,

that will interrupt our daily life.

You know.

They were going on with their minding their own business.

But when Jesus called them, interrupt and they let down

on their nets and then they followed Christ.

You know, there's another part of.

Scripture as well, right, similar setting as well in Luke five.

As you know, in all the gospels the Bible, sometimes

it confirms each other, but sometimes it's also repeated as

well based on different accounts of those who have written.

So in Luke also right, and what happened was it

expanded a little bit further. They were fishing and they

caught nothing, right, And what Jesus did was he told them,

why not you just put down.

Your nets on the other side. Uh.

And imagine, right, these people they already knew, knew who

Jesus is. What was jesus profession at that time? He

was a carpenter, right, and a carpenter talking to fishermen

and teaching the fisherman how to fish. Uh. It's like

engineer telling a doctor what to do, all right, or

you know, those of you are studying major business, for example,

telling a civil engineer how to build the road racketect

a rachetect, you know how you should a should be

drawing the building. Don't make sense, right, But Jesus interrupted

what they were doing, and he had to change their

momentum and tell them, now let down the nets on

the other side. And what happened after that the story

They caught a lot of fishes, right, and you know,

right to let down the net on the other side.

It's not like, you know, Jesus are trying to change

to another lake. It's like go to another sea to fish.

It's just one side to the other side. Oh, and

I'm sure the same amount of fishes that was there

on one side, it would be the same as the

other side, right, and it won't change if the fishes

don't come it, they don't come right, it cannot you all.

So what happened was they let down and they color

of fish that they had to get a lot of

help from other people.

So what was the difference? Uh? In that.

You know, there was an interruption to their daily living,

an interruption to what they're familiar with from a person

who they may thinks, this guy don't understand what's the

skill required. They don't understand the time of the day,

or you know, you know, it's not his perfession or

her profession. You know, why are you telling me this?

What is my mentor or my hearted leader getting? You

don't understand we have different personality, different backgrounds. You know,

why are you letting me telling me this? Jesus, you

don't know you never be married before? You know, how

can you tell me what to do with my marriage? Ah?

You know all these kind of things, right, We can

be all cynical about it, but when God interrupts us,

he interrupts us because he's calling us out to say uh,

and to you know, and he's telling us, I want

you to leave your fullest destiny, and if you were

to obey me, you will catch my fish. You know,

if you do obey me, I will make you fishes

of men.

All right?

So what is God calling us to today? And what

does it mean for us to answer his call?

Right?

And and to be answering someone's call, we have to

first deem or see the person as an important person

in our life. Right. If you see an unknown number

calling you on your phone, right, you won't pick it

up right. Most of the times in Malaysia is very common.

Another scam call or another marketing call, another call you

know asking me to sign UF another credit card.

I don't know.

Uh.

In Malaysia is quite common.

But if you see the call that mom or that

or probably you know you have gone for a job

interview and you know you have set up your future

potential employer's number, and believe when you see that call,

you just drop everything to pick it up right, because

you're expert, I think something to happen, and because you

know the person or you trust the person, you know

that it's not just a bogus call, right, So to

answer the call. It takes us to know who is

calling right and and to know that. So it starts

from knowing and then to trusting right. So that leads

me to my first point as well hopefully straight points

for this.

To trust to be able to launch to the deep.

Uh, those offers, especially you know how to swim or

actually if you know the swim or do not know

how to swim, right, you have to jump into a

deep end and you can't see the bottom. It is

really really scary, right, And a lot of times when

Jesus interrupts our routine, you know, we are all creatures

of habit. When he interrupts our routine, and then he

is asking us to switch and do something differently, and

and and and now you know you're talking about you know,

he's asking us to follow him wholeheartedly, and that is

can be quite scary for some of us because you're.

Like, Okay, you know, I only live my life on

our own.

What does it mean now that if I'm going to

be a follower of Christ, if I'm going to commit

myself to this discipleship relationship, Uh, you know, it's.

Equivalent to launching to the deep.

What does it take us tan to to be able

to step up to that, it would be obedience, right,

and and it's radical obedience. We can be all skeptical,

but what happened here, you know, Peter's obedience showed that

he knew who Jesus is, he understood Jesus' authority, and

he stepped up in full faith, full trust, and full submission.

And then after that what happened, you know, a miraculous

catch happened, all right, So it can be overwhelming, you know,

sometimes you're like, okay, God, if I'm going to step

out of the boat, you're asking me to walk on water.

Right.

Peter was caught out the boat to walk on water

as well.

That would be scary, uh.

And it's almost like you don't have any handles to

hang on to, but to just walk.

But as he did that.

You know, it shows first and almost that all we have,

or we know it cannot be compact to what God wants.

Us to do. And and and.

As much as you know, we try to have control

of our own life, we can't. Right, as much we

try to determine what's gonna happen tomorrow or the next

minute we are here, we can't as well, uh, you know,

with all you know, structural things in place, if this

place is gonna give you, you just give me. And

we don't have control over it, right and and but

that and we have someone that.

We could really really trust on and rely on. That

is the lot.

And despite all the inconvenience or out of control situations

that we have, we know he's there to lead us

to it. So when he calls us, you know, God

is calling out the different ones of you today. Hey,

why not take up your nets, take up what you're

familiar with, pack it up, and then just follow me, uh,

and our encourage as all right as.

We pack it up. If you have to try it away,

just throw it away.

It goes you know following after Christ with a lot

of baggages and burdens.

Uh, it will make the following difficult, right.

Uh. No one wants to walk around with huge back

all the time lugging around. Right.

And if you have to con marry your stuff, just

commemorate it. Okay. Those of you who don't understand that

can ask yeah con Mary, Yeah, I can ask samone.

I think you know.

So it's okay. The next point, next point the court

to decide. So the first point when we are called

what does it mean when?

And when? You know?

To be a disciple is to launch to the deep.

But the second is to follow after Jesus.

All right?

The hypership is first and foremost, right, meeting and following

after Jesus and and following after him, meaning right, it's

going to be lifelong, all right? Uh? And and then

we say that I wanted to be a Christian, now

to be follow Christ. We're saying, God, I'm committing the

rest of my life to following after you.

And and you know.

There is a thing you know, and you don't following

after Christ? I liken it to lifelong marathon, right, and

not to share how many of you have joy any

long distance marathon before triathlon marathon?

Right?

It takes a lot of perseverance, right, It tastes takes

a lot of us pushing our celves and bodies when

our bodies on a give up.

It takes on for us to stay the course. But

for those who.

Are a long distance runner as well, right, or even cyclists,

what I've learned, I'm not sure whether it still practice

this day, But this is a person that is called

the forerunner, all right? And and and so when you

run naturally, physics is at play. There's gonna be a

lot of resistance. That's a lot of runner don't run

in their don't know, winter clothing, right, they run in

their running clothing almost to none as well, or barefoot.

Whatever.

The lesser friction the better, the lesser resistance the better.

So there's this forerunner, a setter they call it, that

starts the race, and it's not the actual runner. The

setter is there to set to start and to help

break through the resistance. So imagine I'm the setter. I

set first so that the actual runner can run, and

and to create a vacuum in a way so that

there will be lesser resistance and the person can run

faster at the start, and and and like wise as well.

I think for cyclists also it's the same.

They help break through the wind resistance first, so and

and and to be able to break through that and

go faster, right, you have to follow closely at the

right pace at the right distance so that you can

be in that in that vacuum.

Uh and and to be able to run further.

So like wise as well, right where we say that

I am called you know, I want to be a

disciple of Christ, we need to follow him closely, right

and and and you know Jesus has have has had

half whatever you can find out, done it all for us.

He has paved the way, he has sat the way

for us. And how did you do it? You know

it was by Diana Cross for us. And and true

that we have that reassurance, true that we have the authority.

Uh, true that you know we know that you know

I have help.

There is a lifeline. So all I have to do

is to follow him closely. And when he interrupted, when

Jesus interrupted the fishermen right when they were fishing. Uh,

he didn't just ask them to drop down their nets,

but he told them drop down your nets and follow me,

uh and follow after me?

All right. So some of us may feel afraid as.

All you know, it's like into the unknown, called into

the unknown. Some of us may feel like that. But

you know it takes faith and trust. That's you know

I've alluded to. You know I mentioned it earlier. So

it takes us trusting. And how can we trust if.

You do not know? So has that sory? You know

we have leaders here to be able to walk us through.

Uh.

Because sometimes being alone to trust is scary as well.

But you know you have that cheerleader in the harder

leader in the discipler and and you know, allowing others

to work us through. And you know, for myself as well,

being a leader in church, you know, definitely I'm in

a harder relationship.

Uh.

It took me a lot of time because you know,

going out at uh really bad encounter one at least

one encounter that really starved my perspective on trusting people.

So I didn't trust people a lot. I had like walls,

thick walls built around me, as as stick and as

big as the wall of China. I didn't allow people

in my life at all. So but God challenged me,

let down your nest. Uh, you know, get out from

where you're at. You're comfortable with the comfortable of not

transiting people, be God says pause. You know some people

say like, oh, it's protective mechanism. We are just protecting yourself.

It's okay, so that people won't hurt you. But God

is telling me otherwise, you know, allow that wall to

be broken down, the wall China to be brought down.

Allow others into your life because I have so much

more in stot for you. So I'm like, it took

me time you told me about three years class to

really build that relationship with Passara. That's my other leader,

to trust her and to trust the leadership and authority

that God places in my life, which is the leadership

or church.

So then I could start.

Working out different areas in my life and allowing pass

Sara to walk me through it. You know, sometimes sometimes

I believe us right. We always have the right answer.

It's like, oh, you know, my relationship is between me

and God, right Personelma, what I believe in my faith,

you know, is a relationship. You know, I don't need

other people, but it's the other people in our lives

that God used to be our true mirror. So his

word is our mirror, the first one, but other people

in our lives is the true mirror. To point out, hey,

that your hair is out place today. You know there's

a pimple going somewhere. You know, you've got vegetables stuff

in bitting your teeth. We will be able to see

it on our own right, other people have to tell it,

tell us that. So, following off the crisis, I got

used people around us to help us with that.

So how many of you here, you.

Know, are really to allow others in to odthers to

journey if you and especially not others until you know,

sometimes it can be overwhelming or others you might be

thinking like, oh no, I need to let fifty people

here in my life.

No, no, no, at least that one person. You know.

Pray about it and ask God, God, I desire to

be your disciple, uh and and a desire to be

disciples by a leader here today? You know who can

it be? Pray about it, asked the Lord. And and

that's how I started with passer Sarah. So I don't

know who she is personally by prayer, then apparentline God

said Sarah.

I'm like, what who is that?

So it took time, but as you allow yourself, God

will lead you every single step of the way.

Okay. Third point is.

Being a disciple is you know, God is asking us

to be fishers of men, of fishers, just not k

KJV version, I said, fishers fisher, Yeah, fishing person is

a fisher.

Yeah, being a fisher of men.

So discipleship itself means we have to reach out to others, right,

So Jesus interrupted their daily routine, asked them to stop

and then to follow him because he wants to make

them fishers of men and to fish for others. So

when Jesus right in Matthew twenty eight, who can turn

to the verse? Oh wait, bing is next, mister Wuen

Matthew twenty eight, nineteen very familiar to all of us.

But I would like to remind us again.

Nineteen.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them

in the name of the Father and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit.

Very twenty years long, yep.

Continue from twenty and teaching them to obey everything I've

come wander you, and surely I am with you always

to the end, to the very end of the age.

Thank you. All right.

So being a disciples, not just following Christ. But it's

a call to fish, all right, is to go and

make disciples of all nations. Uh. And it's a call

not to just fish the fish and then like, hey,

I've done, my child, But as your fish, you have

to help this person to be more like Christ. Okay,

not just you know, find people. Okay, So our call

is not just to go find people and then we

are done. But to find people to follow off the Christ,

but to teach them how to follow as well, all right.

So that that is what disciples, what we will need

to do as disciples.

And and you know.

We are not called you know, as Christians, you know,

all right, they're just saying we are not called to

just convert people, right. Uh.

We are called to.

Teach them, uh, and and and to baptize them, to

lead them, to guide them to be.

More like Jesus. I'm going to go to my last

point now so I can finish in time. Uh.

The last one, you know, is as a disciple as well.

We so Jesus interrupts, and then what's next? They drop

their nets. They were asked to do things differently, and

then they were asked to follow him. And after they

follow him, you know, they were asked to be visuals

of men, all right.

And then the next.

Part is as a disciple as well, we're called to

have fellowship with other people, all right. So which I

want to end this point because I have been I

think speaking about this for a while as well. The

importance of community, uh, they importance of a village. Uh,

you know, I we cannot just be followers of Christ

on our own right. Christ has called the Church's body,

and his body consists of all of us, all right.

And and one of the I feel one of the

most difficult things, and one of the most difficult things

being maybe for me, like not for you guys like okay.

One of the most difficult thing of being a disciple,

of being a Christian is sometimes being around people, because

people will irritate you to the next People come in

all shapes, colors, and sizes, speaking about character and personality.

Uh. People are the.

One that's going to drive you out of the world.

People are the one that's gonna make you love, cry,

have good memories or bad memories, okay, And it's all

a lot of our core memories involved people, whether positively

or negatively. But the aspect of discipleship revolves and includes

about building good.

Relationship with each other. All right.

So if you're saying that, hey, I'm a Christian, my

challenge for you today, you know, let's move on from

being a regular to a disciple, and a disciple of

Christ to do what he wants us to do. And

the call is to make more disciples so that they

in turn can fish for more as well. And and

to be a disciple is to include and allow other

people in our lives. What happened was, you know, when

at the lake, right, they couldn't catch anything that was

in from Luke itself Luke five, verse one to eleven.

They cannot catch, right, but they let down their nests

and caught a lot of fish. And then the Bible says,

you know, they have to signal other people to.

Come and help.

Uh.

That's where community is, right.

Uh. You go through life, things can be overwhelming. That's

where you can ask like help and the prayer help,

I'm getting married.

Help.

And they saw all different ones coming around and the

help that and we know, you know, actually if we

know them very well, they can just handle the whole

wedding on their own.

They are the power couple.

Okay, the mister and misters Ui, the unis are really

power couple. They can handle whole wedding on their own,

from set up to set down to everything like to

managing the guests. Yeah you're laughing, y'all know, right, they can,

but they have allowed other people to come in to

support them. Uh, and they have a lot of people

to journey with them. They could have done the relationship

on their own as well, right, and then sign the

papers that hey guys and getting married come tomorrow. They

could have done that, but allowed people to journey them through.

They have pre courtship. Who was doing a pre cold ship? Yeah,

past the joy and can walk them through their pre

courch ship. And then for their PMC was Elder Terrence

and Elder Mabel. You can see, right, different groups of

people walking them through. And there was this you guys

here as well, supporting them, uhchaing them, teasing them, shipping

them together sometime back before they got together, I don't know.

And and and to create a healthy environment for them

to girl and then the next couple coming out as well. Right,

and and imagine getting married on your own. You can

eLOAD blah, you can elove blah, but how long you

want to do that?

Right?

Uh?

You know, when you need babysitters, you have your community

here to help you your kids. And when you have

a football team or kids, you know you have the

people here to help play with your.

Children as well. Uh you know, right.

It takes the whole village, but it starts the earth

fun thing to build relationship with people are okay, So.

I'm gonna end. Now I'm gonta invite extreme on stage.

And my my, my call, my challenge now to all

of us, Let's move from regular to extra regular. Okay,

extra latch Christians, extra last Christians.

That will allow.

Someone to walk us through, someone to keep us on track,

someone to be our real mirror. Okay, it doesn't have

to be the whole village, but someone that is in

the form of a harder leader, or a mentor or

a discipler.

And today, you know, for those of you who do

not know.

Jesus yet, that's all I'm gonna give you this opportunity

to respond to him.

Okay it is.

You know, I have better believer since nineteen ninety six

no regrets at all. And you know, as to hear

me share today, like what being a you know, follow

up Christ requires so many things, but I tell you what,

you know, it's not just a requirement. It is a

relationship that is real. And you know, as I've started

in nineteen ninety sixteen, now right, there wasn't a looking

back to say like okay and Godness, reel myself up

and walk out of this relationship, no real the curtains

and just walk away. Know why because you know, I've

experienced God over and over again, because it is a

relationship not just a religion, you know, every time the way,

you know, I experienced Christ so real in my life

and you know, having amazing people around me to continue

to cheer me on in this race. So if you're

here today and you do not you know you have

not been on a journey of relationship with the Lord Jesus,

or if you have been far away from Him and

today you're saying that, you know, hey, it is a

new year. It's still the first quarter of twenty twenty five.

You know, I just want to get this right. Uh

no more normal, you know, just zooming around. Were all

taken up with life and trying to do things on

my own. But I just want to surrender my life

all over again to Jesus and asking him to come

and take over.

We hope you've been blessed by this message.

For more information on our church, please visit as Church

the RG. We are also active on Facebook and Instagram.

We're believing that this week is going to be a

good week. I hit for you, God, bless