Whose Disciple are you | Pr Sandra

You're listening to a passage to go from acts church.

We hope this message will light up your tea.

Our topic is there'll be imitators of God.

And the question to us this morning like to start

with a question, whose disciple are you?

All right?

Whose disciple are you? Who are you following?

Amen? Okay, we'll get there, all right.

So disciple first is the theme for this year, and

so we can't just have a theme and not act

on it. And so we're bringing the whole church through discipleship,

meaning we want to encourage, if possible, if people are willing,

that everyone be connected in a discipleship relationship.

Now what does that look like?

You can ask those who are in what we call

a huddle system in our church, and we are in scotocomrning.

So our huddle, our discipleship will be within the leadership

here and we hope to get everyone you know, connected

in a discipleship relationship. So I'm coming from the point

where Jesus said his last last commandment, and that was

in Matthew twenty eight, verse eighteen to twenty. Remember the

last commandment of Christ is our first priority. This with

a theme for us, I mean this is what we've

been doing twenty five years whereas old as.

Emily and gunnish whoo.

Right. And when Jesus before leaving he said in Matthew

twenty eight, what did he say, anybody.

Go and make kittens.

Go ahead, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in

her name of Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,

and teaching them. Yeah, teaching them and to observed the

teachings of the of the disciples. Right, He's been teaching.

And so you hear the word go, go. It's two

thirds of God's name when you add the ds God,

so go. Two thirds of God's name is go. And

that's why we are planting churches. Amen. Our church is missional,

it's a church planning church. We obey what God says.

We go, all right, and how do we go? We

send sons of the house to go out to plant churches.

And how do they become sons?

They get disciples in the house a man. But more

than that, we just want to capture what our faith

in Christ is. And we can't teach you everything and

this and that did you healing love?

Did you?

And leave out discipleship because the very foundation of our

Christian faith is also involving discipling. Jesus had twelve disciples, Hallelujah.

Cannot run away, So I have to follow my Lord

and my master. If he disciple twelve, I want to

disciple twelve. So I have twelve ladies under me and

twelve men is under pastor. There's the foundation where we

started twenty five years ago. We didn't get twenty twenty

four people immediately, but over time, today twenty five years later,

these are your elders. These are your pastors, very young elders.

By the way, when they became an elder elder Kenya

was only twenty five years old, everybody said, but I

don't know what any was vota already. I know, I

think he shaved off anyway. And so these are the

leaders that we have raised over years, and then now

they are second yeer leaders and other home leaders. And

so our church has been practicing and walking discipleship all

these years. So as we go into the theme because

it's dream and for those who are new year, dream

d starts with discipleship. So we want to bring everyone

through discipleship and hopefully a journey that will carry on

until they have do us part. But so disciples, So

I'd like to start first with my master. And and

so the question is, who's disciple are you? Amen? And

everybody wants to follow somebody like you or not, good

or bad. We all follow somebody, all right? You say no,

I never follow?

Are you sure?

Let me pick up the obvious to you. You're all

wearing white shoes because it's sexy right now to wear

a white sports shoe. Yes, but if you are my disciple,

you'll you'll never see me wear a white shoe. Yeah,

because I don't buy into it. Yeah, there was school

shoe I would a long time ago. Yeah, you are

just backward. You're just going back with I. Apparently the

French women made it famous, but I'm not French. From

sins will play vale anyway. So you want to follow something, right?

So whose disciple are you? Are you? Kay?

Drama disciple?

Are you? Japanese disciples are Oh? Okay, Well I don't

know whose disciple? Right? But we are we who are

in the Lord as we are growing, or we realize

that a master is the one who we want to follow.

Right anyway, ask you whose disciple are you? Of course

I believe all of you will say.

Jesus, Amen, and Jesus, as you know, you know this

beautiful name, the name that is above every other name,

is the name that has been given like for us

to be saved. Jesus came to save us. And he's

the one. You and I are following you and I

are in love with We follow him, we love him,

we serve him. Event Jesus all right. And when Jesus

walked on the earth, when he came to earth, and

he served in thirty years, he was around and then

by age of thirty.

He said it's time.

I'm going out to go preach that the Kingdom of

Heaven is at hand. And so he walks out. But

before he even goes out and starts miracles, he goes

into the whole.

They know he goes to be water.

Baptized and be baptized by John the Baptist. So if

I look at this scripture in Mark, chapter one, verse

sixteen to seventeen, it says Jesus was walking by the

beach by the seaside, and he sees these fishermen, right,

and he says to them, follow me, and I will

make you become fishes of men. They were fishes of fish,

and how they're gonna be fishes of men allelujah. How

many of you want to be fishers of men?

Yes, all right, we don't.

I mean we want to fish. It's raining men, hallelujah.

If you want a man, but we want a fishman

for the Kingdom of God.

O do sing that song? Ah, it's raining men, hellelujah.

No, he's raining men for the Kingdom of God.

All right. Okay, you're not born here, you do know?

Know the song? All right? Right? Right, right, all one

in the year two thousand journals a whole song.

All right, So.

It's raining men, hallelujah for the Kingdom of God. All right,

Jesus says, follow me, and I will make you fishes

of men. And what did these four fishermen say? There

was James, there was John, there was Peter, there was Andrew,

and there they were and they said this. In the

next Live Mark chapter eighteen, he says they immediately left

their nets and followed him. Wow, ask yourself, would you

just drop everything and just follow whoever says do you

follow me? You know?

Or take this job? Or I'm gonna send you to

China now you know, new job?

I don't know. Would you just drop everything and yes, sir,

and go. Well, this is answering a call to our

master Jesus. Now they were not yet disciples of Christ.

They were disciples of John the Baptist. So if you

read theo of John, what happened was John the Baptist

was already baptizing, was already saying, you know, repent for

the Kingdom of God is at hand. And then all

people began to become his disciples. And they were standing

with John when Jesus walked towards John, and John the

Baptist said, behold.

The Lamb of God.

Wow, follow him right, And all of these guys there

was this probably Andrew was there or John, I don't know.

They was probably nearby. And they're like hurt. John the

Baptists say that, but they've never met Jesus. Jesus looked

like any other bloke around the corner. He didn't look

like Sharuk Khan, all right, No way did he look

like Sharkhan.

He didn't even look like Ui, like Jaha all right.

So he was so plained. He was so common as

they're thinking, who's this right? You know, at least John

the Baptist said some no, not leopard skin. Sorry, some phone,

some beltler and eating locusts, like quite unique. But Jesus

walks in and they go like, this is the lamb

of God. He comes and says, you have to baptize me.

Ron's like, no, you baptize me, no you no, you

be okay, you baptized me. And then they baptized, and

he rose again. The Holy Spirit came upon him, and

Father's voice was heard, this is my beloved son, Amen

follow him. Wow.

And so these guys who heard it.

So when Jesus went by the seaside and said, hey,

follow me. I will make you fishes of men, they

remembered what John the Baptist said. So they're like, this

is the Messiah. We want to follow him. Every Jewish

family knew about this Messiah, but they did not expect

him to come born in a manger in a stable

so poor. They thought fireworks and all Lord and Dick

can say, they are a fire work.

Boom boom boom, No boom boom boom, nothing.

But the angels were in the sky and they were celebrating,

singing Hall Lujah.

All right, nobody heard it except for the shepherds.

God went to the lowly people and revealed himself to them,

and so here he is, and they're like, okay, John

Baptist said this, we read it somewhere in scripture.

We're gonna follow him. We believe that he's the Messiah.

So but still, dow Thingler, they have to see some

signs and wonders, right, But they followed him and they

went on. You know, they said, oh, Jesus, where do

you stay. I think the comun that you can come

and see me, see where I live. And so they

followed him. You read that Book of John. They followed

him and what they all around? They said, oh, this

is where he lives. This is his family, his mom,

his brother. And then they began to let everything go

and they went with him. And so they Jesus then

discipled them by walking with them. He ate with them,

He did miracles, he showed them how it's done. They

probably had no clue that he would leave three years time,

so they'll have to recall everything that Jesus did. So

as he did, they watch as he did. They watch,

but they didn't know that one day they would have

to do it, and you would see that in the

Book of Acts. They even started doing it in the

Gospels itself, So that.

Was what they were doing.

They were disciples, and he called and he had twelve disciples.

So the word disciple is in the Greek. I'm gonna

pronounce it the way I know how to pronounce this, methetists,

All right, methetists, it means a learner, a pupil, a disciple.

A disciple was not only a pupil, but an adherent,

meaning you follow very closely, and hence they are spoken

of as imitators of that teacher. How many of us

know that children imitate us very well. When you have

little children, right, they follow everything you do. You say,

then suddenly when they surprise you and go like jada

da da da, and you're like who told you that?

Or they make an exclamation like who said that?

Now we are standing there go like I think you

need you know, we on the onlookers. We'll tell them

I think you might have said something like that in

your home. So they learn, they follow, they imitate, and

so they were imitating Christ. They were gonna imitate Christ

and do exactly what Jesus did, not only a people, but.

Do exactly so.

That word disciple would then when we say we want

to be a disciple of Christ. We want to imitate

what Christ did, all right, But of course Christ is

not here now for us to look and see.

So what happens?

Right? But now mind will get there. John chapter thirteen,

verse fifteen. If you turned to your bible, John chapter

fIF thirteen, verse fifteen. If you have your bibles, you

can turn. If your e bibles, all right, they might

actually might help you. But good to turn the pages

of your We're missing this tradition. Don't throw it away,

all right, it's good. Type a bible, Carry your bible,

proud of your bible. We're still doing byob. Can you

remember what byob is dead? Not bring your own Yes, yes,

bring your own bible, not just by oh why oh,

bring your own bible?

Okay now?

John chapter thirteen, verse fifteen says that now the background

is this was the last supper. Jesus was having the

last supper with his disciples. They weren't sitting in a

straight table like the way you see the Leonardo da

Vingi picture painting. But they were sitting in a U

shape like this.

All right, And.

That's right, the last seat, the twelve of them, the

seed of the host is the seat number two. The guests,

the special guest is seat number three, and the first

seat is for the protector, the one who will protect

the host. And the last seat is usually the person

who has to wash people's feet. And who was sitting

in the last seat that day sulking Peter. Peter was

sulking away. Why jealous j e l e s jealous?

He was. He was wondering why in the world is Judas.

It's scary and sitting in the place of honor he

don't deserve it, So he's.

You don't want to see anyone else. He sits at

the end, John.

The youngest apostle, sits here to protect Jesus is the guest.

The host Judas is carried, so the last person normally

has to wash the feet, but that day, sulking Peter

was not in the mood to wash anybody's feet.

He was just forgot duty.

He's just like, I'm angry I should be at Jesus' side,

I should be the guest of honor, right, He's just

feeling all that. He thought, I'm very close to Jesus.

He said, if everybody leave you, I will never leave you.

That god thing.

No die with you for you, all right. He says that,

So he's sulking. And so halfway through Jesus moves his

clothes outer clothes, garmentize the tower, brings the basin, and

begins to wash the feet of his disciples. It's a

lowly job, it's a servant's job. And they were all like, no, no, please,

don't wash. If I come and wash your foot, now,

how I would tell you, don't watch my food lifeline.

I don't know what smell is gonna come out. I

don't know what it looked like, how it looks like.

I don't know, and it just washed.

So you're like, non, don't. But they were like, Jesus, don't.

But Jesus said, I have to. Then Peter sulking. Peter

toddly goes nama la bathe me or so wait hello,

no nee la. So there is Jesus washing the feet

of his disciples, taking on the servant who the servant position.

He really is, our servant king. He was king, but

yet servant. And so that's the background. When this verse

comes in John thirteen fifteen, it says, so I'll read

before the verse fifteen. So after this soul and verse twelve,

when Jesus had washed their feet, taken his garments, put

it on, sat down again, and he said to them,

do you know what.

I have done to you? Verse thirteen.

You call me teacher and lord, and you say, well,

that's right, that is who I am. If I, then

your lord and teacher have washed your feet, you also

ought to wash one another's feet verse fifteen. For I

have given you an example. Everybody, say example, okay, that

you should do as I have done to you. A man,

so he's saying you should do as I have done

to you. I've shown you an example. Most assuredly, I

say to you, a servant is not greater than his master,

nor is he who sent who is sent greater than

he who send him. If you know these things, blessed

are you if you do them? So the John thirteen

seventeen is, if you know these things, blessed are you

if you do them?

That means we have to do take action. Amen.

So we reflect upon our lives today and how we

can do what Jesus has taught us, because he said, yeah,

I've left you an example that you should do as

I have done to you.

Amen.

So the question then for us what does the disciple

of Christ do? So, if we're going to follow Christ,

I'm sure there's so much in the world of God.

But today I want to give you an action plan.

Howard's that when you go home you will take an

action plan.

My friend's not coming out all right? All right? So

what does the disciple of Christ do?

And I'm just picking three points simple from the Book

of John that we can do that we can continue

or start, Okay, don't stop. So the first one starts

with the letter A, and it's abide in Christ's words? Amen,

what does a disciple of Christ do? Number one is

the disciple of Christ. We must abide in Christ's words?

How do we abide? And there's a verse here with

the picture. He says, if you abide in my word,

you are my disciples. Indeed, if you abide in my word,

you are my disciples. Indeed. So we are hearing the word,

We read the word, we watch the words.

Some of us watch a lot.

Of YouTube reaching praise the Lord, Praise the Lord. But

are you abiding? How do we abide? Abide in Christ's words?

Right? It means to stay.

Remain And this picture shows us how this child is

sitting by the feet of Jesus, by Jesus side.

And we are called to be childlike in faith.

Not childish, dish dish, no, but child like child all right.

Nobody wants to handle a.

Childish person, but we we understand, and someone is childlike

in faith, and and and and how does this look

like for you on a day to day basis? Judge,

how you you declare you are a believer, you are

a disciple of Christ. I pray so well for me

for my abiding in Christ on a day to day basis.

I come in the morning.

I like to do it when it's not with the

sun yet, because once the sun is up, my phone

just goes here. Why you so cannot so before the

sun is up, I come to the the to the

feet of Jesus, and and here I am and just

being close to the Lord, taking time to read his word,

to tell him my heart to worship him. And I

sing the songs, and sometimes we sing on Sunday if

I remember the words. That's why we sing it a

hundred times, so that you remember the words right, because

we all remember the good old songs? Right? What did they?

I can't remember those good yeah, as the dear we're

together again, right or you.

Know, Chin Jesus, I don't know.

You got some songs? You remember it called the Evergreen

Songs because we sang it a million times in church.

Now now we don't sing it a million times every week.

You want to learn new songs? Were like Cuvullus teachers

songs properly, sing a few times, sing a few times

so that we can sing it in our times of trouble.

Right and don't love We sing one song here and

then then when the problem come, we complain. We were

penny feel comes in. No, we we remember the songs

and we sing in the times of bleak and darkness.

We sing in the times of pain and scariness.

That's what I have to do right now. I'm when

I have to sing something.

Thank you Jesus. Walk again. It's not do my quiet time,

but not very hard to do quiet time. Last time

I wake up, freedom, wake up me, brush my teeth,

I go do quiet time. Now I got a big

baby that I wake up. First thing I have to help,

go to toilet, ah, wait for finish. I haveway brushed

my teeth, you know, because I'm so so busy with

assignments and just scent it yesterday night. Whoa, I think

sweat fever and pain. Oh gone done ready, So it

was very tough for the weeks. I came back from

the pal It's just been two weeks, so tied up

to here, so I cannot do the immediate quiet time,

and then I get the breakfast ready, and so I

have to work from home, and then suddenly work starts already.

Well I thought a muster, right, so I cannot, But

I can I abide in my spirit? Can I keep

talking to the Lord? Yes you can, right, I couldn't

come away to be quiet for a while.

I do.

I try last, so the faster I do faster, but

sometimes really have to talk to him, pray with him

or oh kayla. Then he gets to do his nice

long while you tie because he ain't going nowhere. He's

just stuck there. O.

I do many things to do.

So abiding, just as if I'm sitting at the feet

of Jesus and abiding. I can't say that get it

right every day because of just different things. But I

can imagine young moms with the baby, or if you're

taking care of elderly people, or you know, what is

the priority is to abide in Christ, because that is where.

Your strength comes from.

That is where the word of the Lord for the day,

with your fears and your challenge, in your happiness, in

your you know, just.

Praying for other people, even for other people's needs. This

is where we do it. And so Church, your action plan.

What are you going to do now?

We need going to do immediately.

If we're saying, if you're a Christ disciple, would you

abide in Christ's world? Take time to be in his presence,

open the word, or sit in his presence, worship with

him with any song that's your song.

You know I love you.

Jesus talking to him, being still before the Lord. This

is what a disciple of Christ does. This is your

first act. Amen. We're busy, we're rushing, we're all very busy.

I think nobody is that free. But you make some

time somewhere to abide, followed by him teaching us the

next thing is to love one another. Now, because you

see he said that if you abide in my word,

you are my disciples. So point number one, how to

be disciples? Abide Number two, he says, love one another.

WHOA That should be easy enough, all right, Jesus says

in John, Chapter thirteen, Verse thirty four, thirty five.

He says, a new commandment.

I give to you that you love one another as

I've loved you, that you also love one another. By this,

all will know that you are my disciples if you

have love for one another. All right, So Jesus, after

washing the disciples feet, he's teaching them, and he says, now, guys,

there is the first commandment, to love the Lord your

God with all of your heart, with all of your soul,

with all of your mind, with all of your strength.

And then the second commandment is to love one another

as you love your shelf. Are you loving yourself? Some

of you love yourself too much better? No, love yourself. Please,

don't hit yourself. And I'm I'm a bad child of God.

No you're not. I'm a bad mom. No you're not.

God loves you. He's given you his love. He's forgiven

you love.

Love yourself as the way God loves you, that you

may love another person.

Amen.

So Jesus says, this is the new commandment. Please, he says,

look at it. Love one another as I have loved you,

And then you also love one another by this verse

thirty five. By this all will know that you are

My disciples if you have love for one another. So

what's another trait, the other disciple of Christ loving other people?

Now, is it easy to love? I tell you what.

It's hard to like everybody love, but love you love

by Christ's love.

Amen. Okay, I didn't ask you to like everyone.

Because it's hard to like everyone, but you can love

them with the love of Christ. Because people are so different.

People are you know different. You can come from different

backgrounds and and I know some some I was just

telling them morning. So it's not always go for international conferences.

And I don't I don't make it a happy to

do it this every time all the time. But some

people love it missions conference. They keep going for all

the mission conference. I don't know who these peop are.

And then they're there and then they're mixing around and

sometimes they you know, they're Asian. They want to be

friend friend only with the Western villas. I'm like, hello,

so glad to them, and mom so loud that the

how did they change plant there? But they love it.

They love it's coming together from all over the world.

Oh we love one another. Praise the lot. Do you

like each other?

I don't think so. But they come brother and sisting

crist Oh yeah, we love so God saying love one another.

But the love is a verb, it's not just a noun.

So I have to love Albert. I have to love Albert.

Yes, amen, Mama. So despite his disobedience in his younger days,

I still loved him right, Yes, then he made the

right choice he married this woman.

Yeah, he has a lot to thank you know.

Yeah, So.

We love you by the love of God.

I mean, if we're to do any discipleships out of love,

but you'll have to believe that if I'm your discipler,

that will I love you with the love of Christ

our own. We don't have enough juice. We're not perfect disciplers.

We are in the Lord and we do what we

need to do. But just saying. One other action point

that you can do when you go back is to

consider who is someone that you can love or show love.

May not have been loved by others. Maybe other people

despise that person. How do you love when you go

back to school, your teacher? How do you show love

to the one student? Go back to your office, your home.

I don't know where God shows us, but the Lord

is saying to love one another even within the body

of Christ is important. But sometimes we don't think so

I no need to love my brothers. You still a

love people outside. But the love the people that you

see every day and see, oh the carrot, yeah, oh

the oh you know, and to still love them.

That is called love.

Because God loved us with all our spots and with

all our cracks in our lives.

He still loves us.

But when we are able to extend that love, it

means it's extending forgiveness, isn't it. You can't love without forgiving, honestly,

especially when people hurt, you, betray, you judge, you call

your names.

And then sometimes we do the wrong things.

But there's forgiveness, and Jesus teaches us to forgive and

therefore their love. So who is that one person you

can forgive? That's loving that person, your parent, your sibling,

your colleague, an old friend. Love disciples do that and

people can see right. And thirdly, B A L B

L which is half of Albert's name el Bee is

bear much fruit today.

It's all about help, all right. So bear much fruit.

And Jesus says John chapter fifteen, verse eight by this.

My Father is glorified that you bear much fruit, so

you will be my disciples. Amen. A lot of people

enjoy the fruit from the duri entry and a mango tree.

Which fruit you want to choosier? Sorry, my pictures out,

but some kind of fruit there. People always enjoy the

you know, the fruit, the outcomes, the fruit love.

So nobody likes the mango tree, the tree, but the mango.

Is nice, right.

So the fruit of the spirit is also a fruit.

How you love, how you bless people, is your kindness

all under the fruit of the spirit. So the Lord says,

my father is glorified that you bear much fruit, so

that you be my disciples. So, all disciples of the

of the Lord, you have to bear fruit. You have

to show something to Jesus. He's going to ask you.

What's in your basket?

Got fruit?

Not guava? Okay, I don't know a kindness, patience, you know,

I don't know hard working. You know this. God has

taught us a lot. The Word of God teaches us.

But I'm just.

Bringing just narrowing down three points today's disciples.

What Jesus says.

About disciples is to bare fruit. Is it the fruit

of patience? Is it the fruit of kindness? Is it

the fruit of joy? Okay?

Sometimes that got nothing uch to joy about. Come on,

you have joy in the Lord. That's why I say.

Jurge is not a semetry is living organism. Don't say

the wrong word organism.

All right, that too is happy. But anyway you are awake,

all right? Fireworks, fireworks, all right. It's not a cemetery.

Church is where we meet to get if you come

long face every Sunday, what kind of church is this?

Twenty five year papa?

Are yo? Papaia very good for toilet? Papa?

You see what does that mean? You're rubbish?

Right?

Toilet?

All right?

No, so no, don't have long face.

Joy of the Lord, the joy of the Lord. You

know I got the joy.

I got the joy. There's just not a song. So

you learned that song.

You're very set at home because your son made you angry,

and then you're wakim gonna I go to joy, go

to Joe, Joe, and you bear that fruit and the

fruit has to be bad. We need to bear fruit

if our lives and any you cannot bear fruit. If

you are so low, let me don't touch me, you say,

don't touch me, I don't want nobody, don't tell me

what to do. Then you want bare fruit run Why

because if you read John chapter fifteen, ver said, oh,

if anybody planting fruit tree in your house, Sha, don't

go fruit tree in your house? Do you you just

let it grow? Do you take time to trimm it?

Gonna trimming very pain? No trimming, very pain, No future

life when we get trimmed, trimmed.

Ouch.

But then after that, more fruit, more fruit, too much fruit?

Got row, I got got arrow. Iron. I tell you

he has given his life to you. He is looking

for fruit. Hopefully it's sweet fruit and not sour grapes.

But sometimes you walk here like sour grapes and then

you sour someone. You become our prune. Right, we don't

want to be a prune. I don't want to be

a sour grape. I want to be a plump prune.

Plump prune. All right.

That the bearing the fruit of the Lord, and therefore

people know that you are his disciples.

There's so many things you can develop, you know, patience

and faithfulness, being faithful patience in waiting. Waiting is also

a virtue, right, So we have to show this. God

can see it, and then we glorify the Lord. Who

are these people the disciples of the Lord. Amen? Amen,

So your action plan, you can choose to do something

when everyone in this room can choose. Amen. And then

I learned something you know, you, niece, Not only I

appreciate we all got choices. Psychology also say got choice right,

remember not choice theory. Ah, so even they teach it

in in psychotherapy, we do choice theory.

You are in charge of your life and you have

a choice. I'm depressed.

Whatever. They got many theories live, but one of the

theories choice. We can choose to say, I will abide

in the Lord. I'm going to choose to love that

person who's difficult, because the Lord told me to love

one another and love my rather in Christ, my sister

in Christ. And the Lord says, if I'm his disciples,

our bare fruit?

Friends?

What is that one fruit you're trying to bear? Is

it patience? Is it kindness? There have to be kindness?

Say okay, there's a fruit to bear? Is it if

you're not a hard working person? Come on, work hard? Now,

work hard? Amen? And so Alb is showing that these

other way that you are known as God's disciple. All right.

So Jesus was with them, he showed them the way.

Now Jesus not with us. So he sent us Holy

Spirit to be our teacher. But the Word of God

also says, go and make disciples. Somebody has to make disciples,

right or not right, somebody has to make disciples. So

we have to make disciples. Who's make Who are you

being discipled by?

And who are you discipling?

Amen?

So Paul so boldly. Also Paul, he was not part

of the twelve.

He's no. Number thirteen apostle. But he said, what a privilege.

I'm the worst, I'm the least. I'm a criminal. But

Jesus encountered me and gave me the privilege to bring

the good news to the gentiles.

And we are those gentiles.

He said, I've been sent and he's planted churches. He

had to pass the churches. He also raised disciples. This

is what he says in First Corinthians eleven one. He says,

what imitate me as I imitate Christ? So bold was

he to tell the church and the believers in corinth

Hey like, Hey, Laura, imitate me as I imitate Christ. Laura,

look at me, Like who you I mean she could,

but you know he just said, Look, I'm following Christ.

Imitate me, and as I as you imitate, others are

gonna imitate you. So on planet Earth we have to

go and make disciples. And mean, somebody has to make

me a disciple, right, has someone had to come and

engage me and make me a disciple and so that

we can grow.

And then Paul goes on into Timothy too.

Two. He says to Timothy to two, which is what

we stand for. This church has been doing discipleship from

day one, twenty five years in counting. And these things

you have heard, Paul says to Timothy, Young Timothy, these

things you have heard from me among many witnesses. Commit

these two faithful men who will be able to teach

others also.

So there are four generations we're talking about.

Paul. He raised Timothy as his spiritual son. Timothy, go

look for faithful men, and faithful men go look for

the others. So if I ask you this morning, out

of this category, which one are you? Are you? Paul?

Are you Timothy? Are you fair for men or others?

Two thirds of this room will tell me I'm others.

I've asked this question. Before and there, I say, which

one are you are? Thiss You're so humble, Lah, Maybe

you are Timothy, but you have the teslaa all right,

So before and in acts we we want to have

that four generation, and we have them.

But it's not easy. It can be watered down.

That's why Timothy was teaching Paul to Paul was teaching

Timothy to make sure we need to pass it down,

to keep that DNA, to keep the truth that every

generation there will be others imitating you. Who's imitating Paul,

who's imitating Christ? Amen? And but the so if we

teach you everything church and don't talk about disciple shape,

we're not. We are not teaching you the full gospel.

You want to throw out discipleship and say are you

I don't want to like I don't think anyone. I

don't like anyone here. I don't think anyone's too young.

It's all he's too.

Ugly, all right, So you cannot Then I have to

say you choose. You again, have a choice.

You have to choose because Christ is saying go and

make disciples, means you have a chance to make disciples

of somebody, all right, and look out for that means

we start from someone who's not yet the believer or negative,

but today we launched this year. Discipleship disciple first is

so that in every plan, every plan, we want to

we want to draw everyone to come into a place

of discipleship, or at least start something like, all right,

so Pasta has twelve, I have twelve girls.

He has twelve guys.

And we've added on, so we've got more than twelve,

twenty four. Now they've all risen up, all of Rachel

faster than Albert. All on Huddle one already, and Huddle

one's our top there and this is where the first

early we raise our church elders from there over of course,

over over night, luck, over many years, and now we

have our elders, We have our pastors, We have new pastors,

we have new home leaders, we have new because we

continue to raise. Are we perfect? Come on, no one

is there there yet. I'm a work in progress. Please

have patients with me, patient with me. Jesus is perfecting me.

But and so therefore were you know, just to share

with you. It starts with Jesus.

He leaves this commandment. Then his disciples take it on.

Palls become the greatest I mean the writer who writes

so much, and they talk about discipleship, so.

That therefore we give to you this church.

Consider that to disciple vers is you be a disciple,

and you also must disciple somebody that will keep you ongoing, fresh,

always excited. When you don't disciple anyone, there's nothing to do.

Who are you discipling? No new fruit, no new bodies

to to to bring to the Lord.

So discipling people from even negative I mean not yet

believers by living your life to the point that they

ask you something is different. How can I have what

you have? And you get to tell them and and

so we have to ask the Lord. First, Lord, who

can who can I go to get disciples here in quotecommoning? Lord,

is there somebody I can disciple? The Lord has to

show you or within your homes, within the church.

Amen.

Because you see, I when we plant churches, we send

sons daughters. I don't send anybody to just plan. We

send them who are sons daughters of the house, because

I know they'll do the job well, they do it

the way I would do it. And so we disciple,

and we continue to go and make disciples in other nations,

we plant churches. And I ask you today, who are

you being disciples buy and who are you discipling the

whole discipleship process. And we're all at different walks. Is

so that we become more like Christ? Amen, not not

anybody else, but to look like Christ. But of course,

when you cannot see Christ, you have to look at

the person nearest to Christ that would be your leader.

And hopefully we are following Christ.

So I will tell my girls, oh now they are, Auntie,

really so, And I say, I know you follow me

as I follow Christ, and do as I would teach

you from the world, things in the natural, things in

the spirit. Amen, I do I do speak to them

in my own journey of being disciple. I was disciple

from from my from my school days. As from my CF,

I couldn't go to church. So I joined the CF.

And you know, everybody in the CF, the outgoing team,

was saying, we need a new team. And I was

a new believer, born again through my Christian Fellowship. And

then they have to disciple me. And so they would

take us to discipleship classes. And then they wanted to

put a new person on the on the board or

your CF up on air committee and so the one

suggesting me saying, oh how about Sandra.

And then the rest of them said, are you sure

she's so worthy?

Man? She's on the catwalk all the time, she's on TV.

Well you know how, you know how is she not

even spiritual? So everybody can say that, But thank God

for one person who saw through it and said, let's

give her a chance.

Not that doing cat what is.

Wrong and being on advertisement face and always on the

cat walk right, So this is so worly. But only

people even get saved. Thank God, Jesus, save me, Save me.

It gave me a chance, discipled me. I gave her

a lot of things. I stopped doing advertisements. I didn't

liket be cause a lot of the ads were not

to the my left. What I want to do. I

only do food once and look fat? Yeah, I only

do food ads, shampoo.

We all have to take up bout you.

Thank you Jesus, you'll keep it. I tell him no,

so my agent will say, you're were hard, are you?

It's okay. I don't do secret ads too.

Those days, those of you remember Peter Stuyvesant a lot

of money, you all, and my father lost everything so

I need the money, but I didn't take it because

I made a stand being discipled, and then I want

to take it. He lot, money, money and everything I

was sent. So someone gave me a chance and discipled me.

And then I went on as I grow in church,

are the leader's disciple teach me, taught me. I learned submission.

I learned even when I didn't think it was cool.

I had to be not cool. So worship leader only female.

Youngest female worship leader mostly weremen. I felt like game

for a very traditional church, but it's not like it's

quite a happening church. So one day I really want

to break the barrier, right, So I went and I said,

this suit looks really nice with the short skirt, and

I'm gonna lead worship that way.

So I went out let worship raised a lot hallelujah.

Next day, worship pasta Sandra, our eldest, said it's not

good to wear a short skirt. I'm like, I didn't

go like you or I'm called lot. I didn't say that,

I just say you're old fashional. I was like, okay,

and I never wear shots. I'm always wear proper, you know,

just that there I thought this is cool. I'm young

and I'm sassy like that. When you're young, what goes

around comes around. Okay, don't player, don't play, because now

I'm past that to face all of you telling me this,

telling me that I did it to my person.

Now you're doing it to me.

How are you?

But I repented, you know, I really just summit that

I used to say I'll.

Bring the coolest songs, you know, because youngers everything all

old uncle.

And in my church, you know, I brought the first

song to my church.

My worship person was, okay, with your love, my eldest,

we're gonna kill me. I sang Jesus, Love of my soul,

best song, right, who's the lover? You're calling Jesus lover?

He loves me lave. And I introduced shout to.

The Lord all the Jesus. Not deaf sister, Why are

you shouting to Jesus. It means shautla like you know, shout,

clap your hands. You know they say no, cannot kayla.

And I just sing the old song way together again.

She was praising the Lord.

See why I have to endure as upcoming cool worship leader.

It's okay, humble yourself and really up to today, they say,

come back and lead worship in our church, come back

and lead worship.

So I submitted. I learned because they teach. They never

colded me.

They just said, Sandra, this is this that I say, okay, sir,

all right, pastor, okay, Elder, I don't do and when

it's time they say, go ahead, free flow. Yeah.

We were like the hippoes worship teap singing all the

best songs.

You know. That means they want to play when I

lead worship. Aha, but there's naughty, but you learn you've

being transformed. I even told my worship pastor one time.

Now she's like my father's age. You know, I said, no, uncle,

Holy Spirit, very sad with you. You know you don't

let me free worship. Holy Spirit moving. You know, you're

rarely stifling the spirit. They're all sitting in the room

looking I like this twenty two year old munchkin showing off.

He was very kind.

I never scolded me. My father's age, and he said,

we are going to do it in thirty minutes leadership

within thirty okay, sir. I learned to submit, and the

Holy Spirit still moved because you are the vessel. How

it God wants you to move. Amen, And so I

thank God to all the discipling, to different leaders over

my life. I am where I am today. I'm grateful

for my church, my leaders and you know, guys, don't

please don't tell me your disciple by Brian Houston, who's

the latest speaker for Tick for Tick and all mister

Stevens for TI.

I don't know who's the latest speakers now. I don't

know who.

Okay, I don't follow all these things anymore.

Just there.

You don't know your name, John, I don't know your name.

I know your name, I know your.

Birthday, I know where you stay.

He don't know where you are because I go to

different and they all come to me and says, you know,

will you be my discipler. My other disciples are brand

Newston and Darling.

And I'm like you, you know, I know the m

D you know and you spoke I think photo Dari

check me for.

I'm shaking hands with the brand Newston. He's the one

who call out the call. I went there there, I

talked to him. You know him, you saw so I'm on,

is your disciple?

He knows your name?

No, please, don't tell me your discipler is. I don't

know whola, which paston and which church? Is he there

with you every day? Is he seeing how you behave?

Did your nose sleep in the service?

I see you, so I can tell you, boy, wake up,

you know, sleep early next time. So at least I

disciple you that way, because Jesus loves you. Right, you

cannot have a DISCIPLO.

It's not there.

Why I'm not so quick to take anybody to disciple

outside of ex church. In fact, we honor the pastors

of that church. Any church I go to love that,

say can you disciple? Say no, speak to your he's

my friend. Yes, I honor him. You go back, he's

a great pastor or your whatever. In this church, we

disciple women to women, men to men. No griss cross.

But I know a lot of women like the male

pastor because he's anointed. But we always say protect our pastors.

You see it's okay, open place. We just sisters or

the wife.

We got no wife. Okay, stand there, we just standing men.

And then the ladies like what are you standing there?

No mind? Like just stand and keep going faster. At

least someone there couse too many things have happened. I mean,

it hasn't happened here. But I protect my male pastors

a lot. I tell them all one by all, my elders.

I do and you don't. You dare counsel women? Now

bring your wife along. You want disciple, You disciple with

your wife, not alone.

Amen.

So women to women, men to men, and we walk

with people, we do life with them. That's what we've

been doing all this year. We're not perfect. I'm far

from perfect, failed, loose temper, sometimes get ang, but but

this this is there, accepted me ready And because not

every day sometimes only overshot baby firework, fireworks simply everywhere,

but most times quite come quite cool. As I grow older,

I have no more energy to get upset. Ready, I

have no more. And that's why you've got grandparents? Why,

because you're the child do like? Ok?

Never mind life the parents.

That are like dead or mom like so kla, I'm

the grandparent right, so no, no more. But if I

have to tell you, I will have to tell you

what is right in the lot, things that make you stronger.

Amen. So, church, why why do we disciple?

And and there there levels there but one level two

there's relationship building. First, we don't just come and tell

you it is there, never will never do that. We

work out a friendship. We work our relationship.

Can you trust?

Then you us that disciple me? All right?

And then we will do that. And we have levels.

I mean there's different people at different levels of faith.

I pray that acts here throughout our whole extra that

we will want to we want to be disciples and

we want to disciple others.

Amen.

So first, Second Corinthians three eighteen, what are we discipling

us into? Yes, imitate me as I imitate Christ. But

why because we want to be more and more like Jesus.

Amen.

So the verse here says, so all of us who

have had that veil removed. The veil in the temple

was removed when Jesus rose again. Right, and we can

see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord,

who is the Spirit makes us more and more like

him as we are changed into his glorious image. We

are being transformed from glory to glory, from grace to grace.

Amen.

You can ask any of those who've been with us

long enough for twenty years at least, you can ask

them when they started and where they are.

Now really happening.

But they were willing to say, okay, I will some

even though like I'm standing on the inside, you ask

me to sit down. I'm sitting on the outside, but

I'm standing on the inside. There I can see us, says,

sit down and learn, and and then the lot allows

you to be transformed a stoually. Without discipleship, we cannot

We cannot grow any church. Really we can't. So we

disciple them from pre believers all the way to strong

believers who will. Then you will continue to disciple others.

That keeps your fire going. That is how the church

should grow.

It does not. You cannot take up discipleship and say

I don't want to be I don't be under and

do what I want.

Go ahead, be a free willly. You can free willly

all you want.

All right, the Lord you have to stand before the

lot one day and he's gonna ask you, did you

not disciple anyone who discipled you. It's hard because Jesus said,

make go and make disciples. If I'm making, then someone

else is making me and I'm making at the sense

of connection there and and therefore we must be am.

I born up to say, imitate me so immediate Christ,

and I can only say this to people who've been

walking with me for a long time. Amen. So Church,

you can decide, you can choose. Are you a disciple

of Christ? Are you following the word of God?

And if you are, you're reading it. You're reading it.

So I'm giving you action plan.

I'm saying prayer about the discipleship because that's how that's

how we grow. But as you follow Christ, as you're

being transformed, please abide in Him. As you abide, he

will speak with you. He will shed his word in

your heart. As you love one another, you're going to

even you know, experience loving the difficult people or just

reaching out to those who have not been loved before.

And Thirdly, as you love, you bath fruit because that's

the food of the spirit. And more is you want

to go deep in your faith, you do need discipleship.

That's how we disciple people. We don't just care for people.

We disciple out of love, out of care of freely

honoring to the word of God.

Amen.

So the take on for you today is really this

is where our church is at. We believed we want

to launch into we have launch into discipling. Where are

you at You've got to answer that, who's your discipler?

Who are you discipling? Think about all our leaders from

your homes. But the other thing is as you're being discipled.

You know this is where I'm discipling you overall by

saying elp abide, love, bath fruit.

Amen.

So I can do discipleship like this too. But I'm

not one on one with you. I don't know the

things that you need to deal with.

So I just.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

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this week is going to be a good week ahead

for you.

God bless