What is required to become and remain a disciple?

Messages for July 2018: Our Month of Excellence

Message for Sunday 8^th July, 2018

Theme: Understanding the Benefits of Discipleship

Topic: What is required to become and remain a disciple?

Introduction: Every business people go into requires skill acquisition which is done through teaching and observation of the teacher by the protégé. At the beginning of the relationship between the disciple and the discipler, an agreement is usually arrived at before the training commences.

In the case of anyone who wants to become a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, an open invitation has been made to all converts with the terms expressly stated by the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

Who can become a disciple?

Discipleship in our context is open to only those who have become converts of the Lord Jesus Christ through faith and expressed by their declaration of the Lordship of Jesus Christ and baptism by immersion in water.  In Jn.8:29, Jesus preached in a certain place to some Jews and many of them believed on him to the point that they requested to see him. It was at this point Jesus Christ brought out clearly the distinction between a convert and a disciple. He said to those Jews who had believed in him that if they continued in his word then would they be his disciples indeed and that the benefit was that they would get to know the truth that would make them free.

Thus the commencement stage of discipleship is to first become converted to Christ from the world. The best description of one who answers an altar call when invited to give their lives to Christ, is a convert. It is continuity in the faith through reading, meditating on and doing the word of God that causes one to grow into discipleship.

The cost of discipleship: The Lord without hiding it from all declared that discipleship is a costly adventure that would demand the willingness of the would-be disciple to pay the price. In several places in the gospel, He lets us know what these demands are. To make it easy for us to understand, we shall make a list of it as follows:

1.     Self-denial: To deny self simply means to go to the Cross and allow the Lord to work in you to slay your ego or selfishness. Until this is done, whatever else you attempt to do in discipleship would be tantamount to a faulty foundation. Sincerely, the foundation for effective discipleship is self-denial for the love of God. To deny yourself simply means to consciously make choices that would honor God’s truth taking the throne of your life even when it conflicts with your desires even the very deep desires of your heart. see Lk.9:23-24

§  Self-denial will make you put God’s interest above your personal interest. Jn.12:24-26 and 2Cor.12:15

§  Self-denial will make you love the Lord and His interest more than your parents or any other person. You get to know this when the interest of your parents conflicts with the interest of God. Mt.10:34-37

§  Self-denial will make you willing to lay down your life for the cause of the gospel. Jn.10:17-18 and 2Tim.4:6-8.

§  Self-denial will make you willing and obedient to the word of God at all times. See Acts 13:1-4 and Isa.1:19.

2.     Take up your Cross daily: This means that on a daily basis, you need to seek the Lord to know His mind for you for that day and fall in line with it. Sometimes it may not be convenient for you to do but because you have committed to discipleship, you will give it what it takes to do what is demanded even when it is not convenient. The Cross of every disciple includes our daily commitment to the Lord in prayer and reading, meditating on and doing the word. As a matter of fact doing the word is not an optional Cross for every believer to carry daily; it is mandatory. See Jas.1:21-25; Mt.7:24-27 and Mk.8:34.

3.     Follow the Lord:  To follow means exactly that; we are to follow the Lord; not to lead Him; not even in the way we pray. We are told to learn to be led by the Spirit. Anyone who is led by the Spirit proves that they are spiritually mature. This will demand dedication from you because no one can truly do this except they are really dedicated to the Lord. When we follow the Lord, He makes the decision and we carry our His instructions. See Rm.8:14, 16 and Jn.12:24-26.

We shall draw the curtain here today. As we saw above, we cannot begin this great journey of discipleship unless we first become converts. To become a convert starts with first making Jesus Christ the Lord of your life. If you are yet to do this and you so desire, you can do so right away by saying the following prayer out loud in faith and you will be born again:

Heavenly Father,

Have mercy on me a sinner. Today, I believe that Jesus died for me and you raised Him from the dead for my Justification. I therefore declare that Jesus Christ is my Saviour and Lord and from today, I renounce the fatherhood of Satan and embrace Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord. Thank you for this father in Jesus’ name! Amen.

Congratulations! For more information and resources that would help you grow in this new life, please visit our website at www.kingdomheirsministries.org and our blogs at www.flourishinggirl.blogspot.com and follow us on twitter at alero_nanna and on face book on www.facebook.com/flourishinggirl www.facebook.com/khmii2015; www.facebook.com/thewellbeingcenter. Or www.facebook.com/kingdomjointheirsfamily email:  jointheirsfamily@gmail.com.