Habits of Effective Disciples: Intro

When we completed our study on the Holy Spirit we learned that after the Lord's Spirit convicts us and turns our hearts toward God, teaching us that we are without the means to bring ourselves to salvation, we become sons of God through His grace gifted through faith.

We learned that after we are saved, God prepares each of us, through His holy Spirit, for service to Him while we remain in mortal life. He prepares each of us by granting us a certain portion of each of the FRUITS of the SPIRIT, which are: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, SELF CONTROL

After we are so further gifted, there are certain expectations placed upon our lives by God as He, through the Spirit, begins the process of bringing us closer and closer to the image of his Son, Jesus Christ, in the process known as sanctification.

As we continue our walk with God, it becomes necessary for each of us to find understanding as to how to best serve the Lord to better His earthly kingdom. This effort is best described as becoming his DISCIPLE for the rest of our mortal life. To properly serve Him, we need to discover how to arrange effective habits in our lives that accomplish this service. Over many centuries, there has been found to be a few habits that seem to supply this need. These are the habits we will study this term in our group to learn and apply in order that each of us may become a better disciple as we ourselves focus on these habits.

Jesus himself commanded the primary habit that all who are His disciples should live by and display. He provided this habit in the form of a new commandment and gave it on the last night he and His chosen ones were together as a group. We find this new command in John 13:34-35:

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

We must note that these new marching orders did not say simply to love one another. The command is quite clear that we are to love one another AS HE HAS LOVED US.

As we seek to learn to become more effective disciples we need to focus ourhearts on this important portion of the new command He gave.

May the Lord bless this study and may His Holy Spirit lead and guide us.

Habits of Effective Disciples

Disciples read, study, memorize, and live out God's Word. One of the necessary ingredients in the recipe for spiritual growth is the knowledge and direction gained through the disciplined study of the Bible.

To be disciples of Jesus Christ, we will need to cultivate the habit of staying in the Scriptures. Our study this week features three different texts to inform our journey of walking in God's Word. First, we consider a section of the great Psalm 119 which speaks of a disciple's devotion to Scripture. Second, we look at the example of one group of new disciples in the city of Berea who took Scripture to heart. Third, we will look at Paul's teaching about Scripture to his young helper, Timothy.

LISTENING TO THE LESSONS OF SCRIPTURE AND TAKING IT TO HEART.

Psalm 119:9-16

Psalm 119 consists of twenty two sets of eight verses, with each new section beginning with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Our passage begins with "beth", the second letter of the alphabet and each verse has something to say about God's Word to His people.

This Psalm answers an important question which is: what are we to do with God's words recorded for us in the Bible? The writer answers by showing us that attention to the Scriptures guards our hearts against sin. We store up Scripture in our hearts, learn them, declare them to others in witness, meditate on them, and delight in them.

The Bible has always been, and still is, the meeting place with God. D.L. Moody once said about the Bible, "This book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book".

The Psalmist wanted to remain pure before God. How was this possible? Verse 9 gives us the answer, "By living according to God's Word"

So it is not enough to just know the Bible. We must put it into practice. James 1 teaches us we must not only be a hearer of the Word, but a doer also.

The writer was not content just to have a scroll of the Scriptures in his hand, he was determined to hide God's Word in his heart so that he might not sin.

No matter how well we know the Bible, we still have much to learn. Who will be our teacher? It turns out that the author of the book still speaks to those who will listen. So the psalmist praises God and asks Him to teach the degrees of Scripture to him. We can only use Scripture if we know it. God speaks His Word to us and we speak them to others. The original plan remains the most effective plan.

For this psalmist, meditation led to delight. Might we find delight ourselves if we do the same?

As we meditate, we can consider God's ways (verse 15). It is important for the Bible never to become drudgery to us as in just another chore to finish. Like this psalmist, we can take great delight in the thought that God speaks to us. In this way we learn not to neglect the Bible. A wise preacher, Billy Graham, once said that he had observed that those whose Bibles are falling apart through much use are likely not falling apart themselves.

RECEIVING AND EXAMINING SCRIPTURE

Acts 17:10-12

In Phillip and Thessalonica Paul and his companions faced the unbelief of many and these people caused near riots which forced Paul to leave both cities and after escaping at night, Paul stopped in a nearby village named Berea. Just as in the previous stops, Paul began his ministry there by preaching and teaching in the synagogue, but here he met a strongly different response.

Luke, the author of Acts, says the Berean Jews were of a more noble character. First, they received Paul's message with great eagerness. Since these more noble Jews were earnestly awaiting the arrival of their Messiah, this news of His arrival and work was the best news they had ever received.

Second, and even better, these Bereans did not simply take Paul's word for this news. Instead they themselves examined Scripture every day to verify Paul's words. When the Bereans verified the message through their own prophecy message of what we now call the Old Testament, they decided to accept and believe in Christ. Not only did many of the Jews believe, but as at Antioch, (Acts 11:19-26), Greeks also believed. In fact, Paul and Silas made spiritual inroads into the leadership of the entire city.

The teaching was received by both men and women who were prominent in the city. The violent unbelievers who had caused problems at Phillip and Thessalonica followed Paul to Berea, causing him to have to leave the village, but Silas and Timothy stayed and taught the new believers to continue the work of disciple making in Berea.

DIVINE INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURES AS REFERENCE POINTS FOR LIFE

2nd Timothv 3:10-17

Near the end of Paul's ministry and life, he saw much of society in decline. He urged Timothy to keep himself apart from the ills of social problems and to remain in the things he had learned in Scripture, remembering who had taught him and realizing the powerful purpose of Scripture for the Kingdom of God.

Timothy had learned in the Christian community from both his mother and grandmother, and of course, from Paul as well.

In the disciple's "toolbox" Scripture is one of the best tools available to aid our growth as followers of Jesus. The key to our own discipleship is to be found in Scripture. The teachings there possess the power to make us wise. They profit us by teaching, reproving, correcting, and training us in righteousness.

God invested Scripture with power to make us wise for salvation through faith (verses 10-15). Paul taught Timothy that he had confidence in Scripture and that these verses given to all who believe are able, dynamic, powerful, and grant wisdom so that those who seek the Lord through them will find Him.

God inspired Scripture to profit Christians by all manner of lessons which are brought to each believer showing him or her that God's Word is both inspired and useful. Scripture is God breathed so it is life giving to those who receive it. The same God who breathed life into the nostrils of Adam, breathes life into Scripture and thereby breathes eternal life into us.

Scripture is profitable. The Bible is useful in teaching what is right, rebuking what is not right, correcting us as we study to turn to the right, and training us to stay there on the right path once we have found it within these sacred verses.

The Bible is useful for reproof (evidence of proof either positively or negatively). When Jesus was tempted to sin, he could answer every temptation with truth from Scripture. By knowing Scripture ourselves we are much less likely to be deceived and then to yield to temptation.

The Bible corrects us along our walk of life and is useful to train us as to God's teaching of righteousness so that we can seek it in our own lives. Scripture is useful in our spiritual formation.

God provides Scripture to prepare us for whatever he has planned for our lives after we have been led and convicted by His Holy Spirit. The result of our dedication to Scripture is that we are more ready, more fit, and more furnished with the tools needed to be strong disciples.

God is present and speaks to us as we read His Word each day. His presence through His Spirit leads and guides us toward the goal He has set for each believer.

After the Lord ended His ministry in flesh and ascended, He gifted the Holy Spirit to guide our walk with Him. Our access to Him and knowledge of Him as the Living Word is through divine Scripture. We come to Christ through the words taught for all time by His Apostles (John 17:20).

Light is arranged for the message of Scripture by the softening of the heart by His Holy Spirit, the bending of our stubborn will to His will, and the opening of spiritually blind eyes as we read and absorb its message.

The Spirit causes our hearts to burn when we finally understand that Scripture is the will of God revealed to us and that the message is as new and fresh today as it was when it was given. Our scriptural proof of this fact is given in Hebrews 12:5 when the writer teaches us that “...the exhortation which speaketh unto you..." reveals that the Holy Scripture message remains for all in present tense, not resting in the past.

Habits of Effective Disciples: Confession

Disciples confess their sins to God in order to receive forgiveness and restoration.

The completed work of Jesus secures our relationship with Him. However, our daily fellowship with God is affected by how we live. Confessing our sins and repenting from them allows us to maintain a close fellowship with our Father.

Sin does not reside in a particular destination, even though many people refer to certain places as "sin city". Sin resides in every city where men are because sin resides in our hearts. One of the most difficult issues we face is that we have tried in the modern days to reduce the gospel to simply sin management, trying to manage our sin a little better. It does not work. Under our management we still turn to sin and cannot remove it. How do we move beyond sin management?

Let's look at a beautiful psalm from the Old Testament and a wonderful promise from the New Testament.

A PRAYER FOR FORGIVENESS - PSALM 51

The writer of 2nd Samuel tells us that David had overcome almost all his enemies. In the spring of the year David sent his army to conquer a remaining city and he himself stayed behind instead of going with his soldiers (2-d Samuel 11:1). David was out of position and was not where he should have been.

Temptation often strikes when we are where we should not be. Despite some good efforts, temptation will find us. On the roof of his palace David looked out on the city and saw a woman bathing and he did not turn away. He lusted after her, sent for her, and took her that night for himself. She was Bathsheba, the wife of one of his most loyal soldiers, Uriah. In a tangled web of intrigue, David tried hard to cover up his sin. He brought Uriah back from battle and told him to spend time with his wife, knowing now Bathsheba was pregnant. Uriah showed his decency by not doing so as his men were still in battle and he felt no comfort should come to him if they were still fighting and had no such comfort.

David then ordered him back with sealed orders to Joab, the commander, to place him in the most dangerous area and to withdraw and allow him to die. Joab obeyed. Now David was guilty of both adultery and murder, both allow a penalty of death.

David married the woman and she bore the son she conceived with David. After a year went by with no repentance by David, God sent His prophet Nathan to confront David, revealing to David that God had not forgotten his deeds of sin.

In Psalm 51, we hear David's open and honest confession.

Forgiveness is rooted in the very nature of God. God's mercy, love, and compassion brought David to bring his sin into God's presence and to ask God to hear and forgive it.

God did forgive David, but the consequence of his great sin remained. The son died, and violence and rebellion dominated David's house from that time forward.

WE MUST NOT CONCEAL SIN BUT MUST CONFESS IT TO GOD.

1'st John 1:9

John explains this principle found in Psalm 51 with a promise from the Lord. When we confess our Sins to God he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us completely. The full revelation of this portion of God's character is found in Jesus, and it is His atoning death that allows us to come directly to God and to lay our sins at His feet at the throne of Grace.

This is good news for us. The more we try to manage our sin, the more we manage to sin. What if we came under new management? We must move beyond the management of our own sin. Our gospel is far more than that. The more we know God's mercy and grace and great love, the more we find greater freedom to confess and thereby to find release from our sins. Because God is the way he is, he can change the way we are. So we confess because we confide in God and trust in Him to transform us by the continued work of His Holy Spirit.

Like Adam and Eve, David initially tried to conceal his sin and therefore caused his own soul to ache. He wrote of it in Psalm S1 and in Psalm 32:3-5: "When I kept silent my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For night and day your hand was heavy upon me... then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover my iniquity.. and you forgave the guilt of my sin".

In Psalm 51 we are reminded that God is merciful, with love that never fails and has great compassion toward those who are His. David knew he had sinned against others but what was worse he had sinned against God. He further knew and admitted that his sin nature came to him by birth. Now he fully confesses and repents and is forgiven.

Confession leads to cleansing. John reminds us of God's character, that He is both faithful AND just. Because God is who He is we can confess our sin to Him and His great kindness toward us convicts us to fully repent to restore our fellowship with Him.

We can never lose our salvation once we are His, but we can grieve Him by our sin if we refuse to confess it. The fellowship is damaged when we do so. Restoration comes by confession with repentance.

There is one more item we must understand in this very important matter. Once confessed, repented of, and forgiven, our sins are wiped away forever.

Psalm 103:12

"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgression from us".

Hebrews 8:17

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities I will remember no more"

NO MORE MEANS NO MORE. NEVER!

Therefore if our sins are forgiven after confession, and we find them constantly reappearing in our minds and hearts, the vision is not from above but is coming from below.

Satan loves to remind us of all we have done wrong and uses these sins to convince us that we are unworthy of God's love and grace.

So finally, after we have come to understand our own true nature and the precious path the Lord has provided to overcome sin, and we sincerely confess, repent and gain forgiveness, believers only need to ponder fours words to draw closer to God on the matter of sin.

IS ANY YET UNCONFESSED?

Habits of Effective Disciples: Faith

Disciples come to Jesus through faith and live by faith.

We receive Christ by faith and we place our trust in God for salvation. We must also place our trust in Him daily as we follow Him in obedience.

We who are His trust Him completely with our eternal life but do we trust Him with our life today and tomorrow?

Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. The writer of Hebrews goes on to say that it is impossible to please God without faith.

In the New Testament the words "faith" and "believe" are the noun and verb form of the same word. If I have faith I believe and if I believe I have faith. Faith expresses our absolute confidence in the object of that belief, which is the Lord. Our faith is first of all the knowledge and acceptance of His truth.

TRUSTING FAITH

Proverbs 3:5-6

Solomon reminds us that the Lord is the object of our trust. Trust in the Lord with all of our heart is Solomon's teaching, not in ourselves. So trust in the Lord involves a commitment on our part. One cannot trust from the sidelines. When we trust, we must go all in and reserve nothing within us that is not toward God.

The contrast to trusting in the Lord is to put our trust in our own understanding. The writer of Proverbs knew that our understanding is limited. Our minds are finite and limited but the Lord is neither finite nor limited.

So instead of trusting in our own knowledge, we acknowledge God. This command speaks of a close and deep relationship with God. We are to welcome His wisdom and His will because we know how He is, and we place our faith in His proven love for us. After all, while we are yet lost sinners, He sent His Son to die for our sin. What greater proof of love can there possibly be than this proof?

Paul teaches us in even greater detail on this matter in Romans, especially in chapter 10. First we must know, accept, and affirm certain important truths the first of which is that Jesus is Lord and God has raised Him from the dead. This truth is central to our faith.

Second, Paul teaches us that believing is more than just acknowledging a few important truths. It necessarily involves the heart. James taught us in 2:19 that even the demons acknowledge and believe in the one true God. They know this because it was Him that expelled them from heaven for their rebellion.

Paul says that faith believes both with the mind and the heart. Faith trusts and puts its hope in the things it knows about God, just as it trusts and puts its hope in God Himself to fulfill the promise of eternal life gifted to those who accept, trust, believe, and obey.

Paul puts even a third component to believing. Not only must we believe in our heart, but we must confess with our mouth (10:9-10). True faith is reflected in our speech and actions. If we are unwilling to confess Him openly with our own words, then what we think is faith is not a real faith, but actually is unbelief of the heart in its worst form. Genuine faith submits to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and those who truly believe are not ashamed to reflect it in heart or tongue.

When we trust in God He will direct our steps in ways that will lead us closer to Him as His disciples. So Proverbs 3:5-6 lays a foundation upon which the New Testament writers have built.

SAVING FAITH

Galatians 2:15-21

The Apostle Paul expands on this thought in his letter to the church in Galatia. He describes a large struggle he has with Peter. These two men are the heavyweights of the early church and in the book of Acts, Peter seems to dominate the first half while Paul does the same in the last half.

When Paul arrived in Galatia, Peter was agreeable to fellowship with the new Gentile believers. But when the Judaizers arrive with their belief in the priority of the Law, Peter changed his tune, moving away from the Gentiles and refusing to mix or eat with them. He treated them as second class citizens of believers. Peter's hypocrisy even affected Barnabas to act in the same way toward these Gentiles.

Paul attacked the entire attitude with a clear explanation of the good news of the Gospel. We are not justified or made right with God by works of the Law, but through faith in Jesus Christ through faith gifted ONLY by the grace of God.

As we seek to live as disciples, we must not take God's grace for granted. Instead we must die to the idea that the Law or any works we may do can save us so that we might live for the Lord. Such a thought is untrue and is heresy (false doctrine) toward the Gospel.

Out of gratitude for God's saving grace, we choose to use our freedom from the Law (or works) not to continue in our old patterns of sin, but to live transformed lives. Instead of obeying God because of external commands we are motivated by the presence of the Holy Spirit within us.

What does Paul mean here when he says "I have been crucified with Christ..."? Paul saw the crucifixion of Jesus not only as a historical event, but as a part of his own personal experience. Believers are indeed crucified with Christ because in him we die to sin and to our old ways of self-centered belief that we could save ourselves. Christians in faith have died to themselves, but now live because Christ lives in us.

How do Christians who have been united with Christ in His death actually live?

By faith.

The same faith which saves us also strengthens us and sustains us in the Christian life. Our everyday life as believers is marked by our constant trust in the Lord who has granted us this newness of different and far better life.

LIVING FAITH
RECREATED IN CHRIST TO DO GOOD

Ephesians 2:1-10

Paul's entire explanation comes clear in the letter to the Ephesians. His entire argument is rooted in the concept of grace or God's unmerited favor. Paul paints a dark picture of our lives before we came to Christ in 2:1-3. Before Christ we were dead in our trespasses and sins, under the influence of the prince of the power of the air here on earth, Satan.

Paul explodes this desperate situation with two powerful words, "But God" in Ephesians 2:4. God's mercy and great love made us alive (quickened us) by grace and he raised us up with Him. So the Christian is not only crucified with Christ but raised up and ascended with him (in spirit now and in body later). We have gone from the depths to the heavens all by God's unmerited favor.

Understanding, grace is essential to Christian growth and living in faith.

Paul contends here that the whole experience of salvation (and the later process of sanctification through the Spirit) is not something we have done, but is the gift of God in whom we have come to full trust. Since we are unable to earn God's favor, we cannot boast about receiving it.

Immediately after this great teaching Paul wastes no time in answering the next question even before it is asked. He says that God's grace not only saves us but it also empowers us to do good for God as are now His possession. Verse 10 says that God ordained these things for us. These works become the evidence and confirmation that we have received new life. So we do not earn salvation by fulfilling good works or works of the Law, but instead we demonstrate the reality of salvation by doing good after we are saved.

Paul uses beautiful words to describe the new life of salvation and living faith after the salvation moment. Not only is it resurrection over the death of sin in our lives but also a recreation of life itself in a new and better direction. He says we are God's workmanship. God made us and has now remade us in Jesus Christ. Paul explains exactly why we are saved. God has saved us for His own purpose which is for us to live in faith for Him and to accomplish his intended works while we remain here.

God anticipated and foreordained that His people would do good works. We show our gratitude for His gift of a better life now and an eternal life later by our obedience in those works. The best term possible for this matter is living faith.

We have learned that our conversion into the life of the Spirit occurs in different ways. But as we grow in Christ we begin to accept that any professed conversion is truly God's work and it always brings the following to the renewed life of the believer:

• A life of growing communion with Christ (1 Cor 1:9 & Phil 3:8-10).

• A life of increasing conformity to Christ (2 Cor 3:18).

• A life of continuous abiding in Christ (John 15:1-11).

• A life of principled obedience to Christ (John 14:21 & 1 John 2:3-4).

These are the precious aspects of faith that are gifted and guided into the life of the new creature we become when we become His.

Habits of Effective Disciples: Fasting

Disciples fast to seek God and His purpose.

Have you ever fasted? Many believers have never fasted even though our Lord spoke in the Sermon on the Mount, "... And WHEN you fast" (Matt 6:16). There are two dangers in this matter, one is going beyond God's commands and the other is neglecting His commands. Which one best describes us today?

In Scripture God's people fasted to focus upon Him. Sometimes they fasted in time of great crisis. At other times, disciples of Christ fasted to gain discernment and wisdom. In both Testaments we find powerful examples of God responding to the needs of His people as they consecrate themselves in times of fasting.

FAST IN THE FACE OF FEAR

2 Chronicles 20:1-15

Among the political leaders of ancient Judah, Jehoshaphat stands out as a godly king. His commitment to God did not exempt him and his people from challenges. On one occasion nearly all of his enemies gathered together against him at once, to have greater numbers to defeat Judah in war. Some of the king's advisers warned him about the vast army approaching and in his alarm the king commanded a fast. This fast had a unifying effect on the people (2 Chronicles 20:3-4). It was a time of earnestly seeking help from the Lord. In this case, fasting led to a profound declaration of dependence on God.

When God's people fast, every hunger pain and moment of discomfort reminds us of our dependence on Him. The king's confession prayer still guides us today: “...we have no might to face this great company that cometh against us: neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee." (20:12).

God did not answer the king in an audible voice on this occasion. Instead, He spoke as He often speaks today, through one of His messengers. He gave His answer to a man named Jahaziel who promised God would be with His people in the crisis.

Jehoshaphat bowed and the people stood up and praised God, singing songs to His power and thanks for His answer. God delivered them in the battle and afterward the people gathered for worship and thanks. All of this redemption began with a simple fast.

When we try to survive on spiritual scraps we learn once more that following His commands, all of His commands, is needed to experience full disciple life.

Fasting is about the individual and God. It is not a weight loss program. It is not a way to impress others. It is the next logical step in our effort to draw closer to the Lord and to demonstrate that as His disciples, we are aware that we should be only dependent

on Him.

Prayer is the reaching out for God and His unseen power for our lives. Fasting is letting go of all that is seen and worldly. It helps to express, to deepen, and to confirm that we are ready to sacrifice a portion of our lives in worship of Him.

How does God reward us as disciples for good spiritual choices? As a real reward, greater than any worldly reward, He gives us more of Himself. When we fast we are reminded of how empty we are and how only The Lord can satisfy our souls.

THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKS WHEN WE FAST

Acts 13:1-4

A core group of leaders emerged in the early church. These leaders fasted and prayed. The early church ministered to God and did indeed fast, and they were able to receive and respond to His direction.

Through the focus of this fast, the church not only knew God's will but did His will.

Matthew 17:20-21 teaches us in the words of Jesus, that neglecting to fast diminishes the spiritual power of the disciple, even reducing it to unbelief.

When we fast, we discover that God's work becomes our work. Jesus fasted to begin his mission to save the world. The disciples were fasting when they heard God's voice to continue that work of making disciples of many nations.

When we fast, we hear Him better. When we act as His disciples in the way we live our lives as testimonies to Him, we are drawn closer to Him as we accept that God's bread of eternal life is better than man's bread of daily life.

FELLOWSHIP

THERE ARE AT LEAST THREE FORMS OF FELLOWSHIP TAUGHT IN SCRIPTURE:

FIRST, FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD IN CHRIST

1 COR 1-9.

"God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord".

SECOND, FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIANS

PS 119:63

"I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that observe thy precepts".

THIRD, FELLOWSHIP WITH THE NEEDY

1 THESS 5:14

“…encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all…”.

Habits of Effective Disciples: Fellowship

The early church learned that living in relationship with Christ also meant living in relationship with each other. Paul gave the early believers practical advice on building relationships, explaining both the benefits and responsibilities.

What difference does the church make in the lives of disciples?

God gives us the church to help us form our identity as Christians. The church helps us to endure suffering, bringing comfort and encouragement in difficult times. The church nourishes us with the Word and the Lord's Supper, provides godly examples for us to see and imitate, and disciples us in love if we go astray. Also, we grow and are transformed as Jesus is manifested in our worship together.

Jesus said in John 13:34-35 that he gave a new commandment that we are to love one another as he loved us, and by this we shall be known as His disciples. Even though the early disciples struggled in this regard, they gained strength from each other and grew stronger.

DISCIPLES SHARE CHRIST IN COMMON

Acts 2:42-47

Luke tells us that Jews had gathered in Jerusalem from all over the inhabited world for the Passover. They had seen the crucifixion. Then, as promised, the Holy Spirit came and empowered Peter and the others with a mighty wind allowing them to testify boldly to the power that arrived through the work Jesus did on the cross (Acts 2).

The church in Jerusalem grew from 120 believers to 3,120 in the first day. The real mark of the new church was COMMITMENT. The people devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles and to the fellowship, breaking bread and praying together. Again and again Luke describes the remarkable unity of this group and their determination to be together. Here is one of our best examples of fellowship in the church.

What brought them together? It was their common commitment to Christ that united them. John would later describe it in this way : "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us. And indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3).

Fellowship is sharing a common life.

What did the early Christians believe? They believed in Christ Jesus as Peter had preached to them. At the beginning of Acts 2 we learn that they were from various cultures but when Peter preached Christ crucified, they believed and were baptized into one body.

These early believers shared a commitment to pray. We find Peter and John going up to the Temple at the time of prayer (Acts 3:1). In that moment arranged for prayer, a lame man, twisted from birth, who begged at the Temple gate was healed by the one and only thing given to the new believers, faith in Jesus and shown in togetherness.

Fellowship is relationship and partnership together for the purpose of glorifying God and sharing His life with the world.

Are Christians together today? Are we truly sharing life together in fellowship?

Let us not forget the example we were given of the early church. Devoted believers praying, eating, and sharing life in faith with each other.

DISCIPLES SHARE MINISTRY IN COMMON

Romans 12:3-11

After calling the Christians in Rome to a life of change and putting away old pagan beliefs, Paul taught them by comparing the church to a body. As each person has a body with many different parts and functions, so does the church.

Through our mutual connection to Christ we realize we are connected to each other as well. We cannot live lives isolating ourselves from other believers and still fulfill Christ's plan for His church.

After we have been gifted grace by faith we discover that we have gifts which will help the body of Christ. Our gifts come from Christ, thereby leaving us no room for pride as the gifts, like our salvation, are not of ourselves. We use our gifts by trusting in the one who has given them. These are our portions of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

By faith, we trust the Giver to enable us to serve Him well.

Christians wear no masks. Paul told the Romans they are to love without reservation or hypocrisy. The church is a place where we are to come without masks as we reveal our true faith in the Lord through the love we show each other.

More than anything, Christians reveal our discipleship by our love. As we love each other we demonstrate the reality of the love of Christ within us.

So we remain joyful in our hope. Hope in the Christian life represents confident expectation of the eternal rewards to come which are real and promised and are not wishful thinking. Love liberates us from selfishness. Christians are generous because God has been generous with us.

What if Christians in our churches and our communities lived out Paul's description of the Christian life in fellowship?

We would need a much larger parking lot!

THE NEW TESTAMENT WAS WRITTEN ORIGINALLY IN GREEK.

GREEK HAS A VARIETY OF DEFINITIONS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF LOVE WITH DIFFERENT SHADES OF MEANING:

EROS:

PHYSICAL PASSIONATE LOVE BETWEEN MAN & WOMAN

STORGEO:

LOVE AMONG FAMILY MEMBERS/ PARENTS & CHILDREN

PHILEO:

LOVE BETWEEN BROTHERS OR CLOSE FRIENDS

(DAVID & JONATHAN ARE BEST EXAMPLES)

(PHILADELPHIA = CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE)

AGAPE:

A LOVE OF THE WILL NOT OF THE EMOTION. GENERALLY LOVE SHOWN TO ONE WHO IS UNLOVABLE AND UNLIKELY TO RETURN THAT LOVE.

THIS IS THE WORD USED TO DESCRIBE THE LOVE GOD

EXTENDED TO US WHILE WE WERE REBELLIOUS SINNERS

AND IS EXACTLY THE TYPE OF LOVE WE ARE TO SHOW

OTHERS AFTER WE ARE SAVED.

(JESUS SAID IN JOHN 13:35 WE ARE TO LOVE OTHERS

AS HE HAS LOVED US).

WE SHOULD REMEMBER THAT WE ARE NOT SAVED BECAUSE WE LOVE GOD. WE ARE SAVED BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US. JOHN 3:16 AND 1ST JOHN 4:10 (HEREIN IS LOVE, NOT THAT WE LOVED GOD, BUT THAT HE LOVED US)

HE LOVED US WHILE WE WERE HIS ENEMIES AND WERE UNGODLY, COMMENDING HIS LOVE TOWARD US WHILE WE WERE DEAD IN SIN AND HIS LOVE QUICKENED US (MADE US ALIVE) IN CHRIST (EPH 2:4-5)

JUST AS WE CANNOT SAVE OURSELVES OF OUR OWN EFFORTS, WE CANNOT MAKE GOD LOVE US MORE THAN HE HAS ALREADY SHOWN BY GIVING HIS SON TO DEMONSTRATE HIS LOVE (JOHN 15:13) GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT HE WOULD LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS).

Habits of Effective Disciples: Love

Disciples love others because of God's example and his command.

God's kind love is not a reaction to receiving affection from someone else; His kind of love is a decision to put another person's needs above my own.

How do we measure our progress in discipleship?

One clear measurement is our love for others. Jesus told us in John 13:35 that our love for others will demonstrate that we are His disciples.

(ARE WE MAKING PROGRESS?)

FAITHFUL LOVE

Proverbs 17:17

We sometimes draw a false distinction between the teaching of the Old Testament and the New Testament. There exists a great continuity between the two. Saint Augustine once taught us that: The new is concealed in the old, and the old is revealed in the new.

God has always been a God of love, who chose to love His people. In the book of Proverbs we see examples of love described. Proverbs 18:24 teaches us that "... there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother". Even before that verse Solomon has reminded us that a friend loves at all times (17:17).

Proverbs says quite a lot about friendship. It is defined in this book of wisdom as unending love. We are told to love our God and our neighbors, not in an emotional sense, but in the sense of our actions. So the lesson is that love is not just something we feel, but rather is something we do. The true friend loves at all times. So love for another is not conditioned on the other person's actions or worth.

The New Testament has much to say about love as well. In John's Gospel, we discover that the Apostle defines God's purpose for the world in his report to us of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in chapter 3. Jesus said the most loving words as He revealed God's true love in John 3:16.

John, the beloved disciple, has a lot to say about love. He had once been called a "son of thunder" in Mark 3:17, but was transformed by Christ's love, and so changed that he was forever after known as the disciple Jesus loved.

The more we remain in God's love and God's love remains in us, the more loving we become. God's faithful love for us creates in us a fearless love for others, the same as the love He shows us.

DISCIPLES LOVE BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN LOVED BY GOD PERFECTLY.

1 John 4:7-10

We sometimes say to those we love, don't tell me you love me, show me!

God has done exactly that. Talk is cheap but commitment is costly. John wrote: "... love comes from God * (1 John 4:7)

To show his perfect love, God sends. God the Father sent His one and only Son into the world to give us life so that we might live through Him (1 John 4:9). In His perfect love, God sacrificed for us. God the Father sacrificed His only Son for us (1 John 4:10) and the Son of God sacrificed His life for us. Jesus willingly became the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

In His perfect love, God sanctifies us. John wrote ".….. he has given us of his spirit..." (I John 4:13).

Finally, God in His perfect love saves us. God had every right to punish us all, because of what we are (Ephesians 2:1-7). But instead of punishing us, God chose to love and forgive and transform us.

DISCIPLES LOVE OTHERS FEARLESSLY

1 John 4:11-12 & 16-21

We are taught strongly that we ought to love each other. John explained that when we love, God is living in us and completing His immense love in us. John wanted his readers to know that God is love and if we abide in love - we abide in God and He abides in us. Our lesson here is that God's love for us is never mature or complete or perfected within us until we become a channel for that great love to flow through us to others.

When we love, the hatred which grows from fear leaves. Why do people hate?

John makes this connection between hatred and fear. We fear judgment until we believe God loves us. (4:17). Once we let go of the fear that allows us to mistakenly think God hates us for our sin, then we are free to love others as he has commanded. A man who hates others cannot qualify as a disciple. We know that some men say they are born with certain prejudices and learn to hate others early in life, therefore they feel they cannot change. The truth on this matter of hatreds is so sweetly conveyed to us by John as he teaches us again and again that we were born again to let them go.

Hatred and bitterness can never cure the disease of fear: only love can do that. Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love brings it into harmony. Hatred darkens life: love lights it.

Habits of Effective Disciples: Obedience

Disciples choose to obey God completely. Partial obedience or conditional obedience is disobedience. God expects our wholehearted commitment to Him and His commands.

In both the Old & New Testaments we discover that God expects His people to obey Him completely.

HEARING AND HEEDING GOD'S COMMAND

1st Samuel 15:1-35

Here we find one of the most tragic stories of disobedience in the story of Israel's first king. For all its history before Israel had been led by prophets and priests, men and women who had a personal relationship with Yahweh and chose to obey Him. From the time of Abraham and the earliest origins of the Hebrew people, they never had a king.

Moses, the man of God, was followed by Joshua. After a time Israel was led by a series of local leaders raised up by God to deliver His people in their times of disobedience. These leaders were known as the judges. Israel's king had always been God,

When Eli's spiritual leadership failed the people, Yahweh raised up a spiritual leader in answer to a young woman's prayer for a child. God had closed Hanna's womb and as a result of her submission to'Him in prayer caused her to bear a boy child she named Samuel and she kept her promise and dedicated him to the Temple service. Samuel grew up there and learned to hear and listen to God's voice.

When the people called for a king, Samuel was obedient to God and anointed Saul as Israel's first king. Saul was an impressive man, taller than most men, and strong, but his character did not match his appearance.

Saul refused to wait upon Samuel to make an offering to the Lord before his first battle against the Philistines and Samuel told him his haste and disregard was to be punished greatly. In I" Samuel 13:14 we are told that God chose another leader, named David, who became a man after God's own heart.

Saul's army turned on him in disregard when he threatened the life of his own son. Afterward God gave Saul one more chance at redemption in battle against the hated Amalekites. These people had attacked the Hebrews when they had first escaped Egypt and had shown them no mercy.

God's command, through His prophet Samuel, was for Saul to destroy every breathing thing, human and animal, leaving nothing alive. Although this seems very harsh to us, the Lord knew any people left alive would spend generations trying to gain revenge against Israel.

First Saul warned the Kenites before he attacked. These were a fringe group of nomads and metal workers, descended from Cain.

Next, Saul disobeyed the Lord's command, leaving the king of the Amalekites, Agag, alive and also took livestock with him after the battle. So there was partial obedience but not full obedience.

Before we look downward on Saul for his partial obedience we should remember that we ourselves have not obeyed the Great Commission causing people to die without God to face eternity and damnation.

In the New Testament we discover again and again that it is not enough to hear God's command. We must actually heed it, being not just a hearer but a doer of His Word. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, contrasted the one who hears His Word with the one who actually put the Word into practice (Matthew 7:24-27).

In the New Testament when Ananias obeys God and goes to Saul to restore his sight and to deliver the Holy Spirit; Saul then gets the chance to obey (Acts 9:10-18). As a result the greatest evangelist of the first century was unleashed upon a dark world to spread the light of Jesus everywhere he went. Paul left us great teachings to lead us to Jesus and to teach us to walk with Him with one profound thought:

You will not obey Him if you do not believe Him and trust Him.

You cannot believe Him if you do not love Him.

You cannot love Him unless you know Him, and are born again unto Him.

EXCUSES AND A MESSAGE FROM GOD

Even if nobody else knows our sin, God does.

Yahweh was grieved by Saul's choice to disobey. Saul turned away from God by his disobedience. Not only was God grieved, but so was Samuel, God's holy one.

Samuel quickly found Saul and confronted him: Saul blamed the livestock left alive on the people (his soldiers) claiming they were kept for sacrifice. Samuel did two things. First he gave Saul the powerful command we still try to keep true today. It is better to obey than to sacrifice. Next Samuel himself had the captured king brought to him and personally cut him to pieces.

The lesson was ( and still is) that there is no excuse for disobedience to God. Excuses are an attempt to justify disobedience.

LOSS OF THE KINGDOM

Saul failed because he wanted the favor of the people instead of God. He feared their disfavor more than the disfavor of his creator.

Saul later died in battle for his sinful disobedience. The Lord turned away from him and even went further to display His disfavor toward Saul.

1 Samuel 16:14-15

"But .the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee".

Saul knew that this spirit was upon him and he sought out a witch to give him advice (Pt Samuel 28) and she brought up the spirit of the now dead Samuel from the land of the dead to tell Saul that he would himself would die in a losing battle the next day.

The end of Saul is best described for us in i sr.Chronicles 10:13-14:

"So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; And enquired not of the Lord: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David, the son of Jesse".

There may be no greater example for each of us to keep in our hearts when we are tempted to disobey God. The consequences of disobedience are most serious.

Obedience is the mark of a disciple.

Habits of Effective Disciples: Prayer

Disciples persistently offer faithful prayers to God.

Jesus taught His disciples a model prayer and with. it He showed them the power of taking our hopes directly to the Lord.

Prayer is not completely an action we take but is also an attitude we take which is to accept an attitude of dependency on the Lord.

Prayer is the means by which we are to confess to Him our sense of need and that we are in submission to Him to meet those needs.

This effort is our communion with God so that there will be common thoughts between His divine mind and our mortal mind.

The object of prayer is not to get our will done in Heaven, but rather to arrange the Lord's will done on earth through us. Romans 8:28 teaches that we are called according to His purpose.

We must remember that prayer defined the ministry of Jesus at His baptism (Luke 3:21), when he withdrew to lonely places alone and prayed (5:16), when He spent the night praying (6:12), and when He sought to hear who people thought Him to be (9:18), and on the Mount of Transfiguration as he was praying when He displayed His glorified Self (9:28-29).

His disciples learned the lesson well and continued the life of prayer after Jesus had departed (Acts 1:14). So as we grow in Christ and take on the role of stronger disciples we should recall that we come from a long line of faithful disciples, all of whom learned this lesson.

DISCIPLES FOLLOW THE PATTERN JESUS TAUGHT

Luke 11:1-4

This prayerful scripture is similar to the Lord's prayer taught in Matthew 6 with only a few differences. This prayer is shorter and simpler.

But in both cases, it begins with God the Father. This teaches us that He is to be approached in reverence and that His position is primary and most holy.

The example prayer is meant to show us that we are to ask the Lord for our daily bread. We remember that God provided such sustenance to the Hebrews in the wilderness and commanded that they only take what they needed for one day (except on the day before the Sabbath). The reason is that He wishes each day for those who love Him to ask again for that day's bread. We should follow that example.

Just as we need bread (physical & spiritual) for daily life, we also need to be forgiven for our daily sins against Him and His precious Word. As we confess and repent in prayer the Lord provides this need as well. But we need to go one step further and in that same prayer, we are to forgive others who have wronged us. Finally, we are to beg the Father to help us to avoid temptation. We know (and He knows) we are prone to sin. We find strength to be unyielding ONLY through His strength. Jesus made this point clearly to Paul by teaching him that it was in his weakness that the strength of Jesus prevailed. This request aligns us properly in His will before the temptation arrives.

DISCIPLES ASK STRONGLY AND SECURELY

Luke 11:11-13

Prayer to Jesus was about a relationship. He prayed consistently using the word "Abba" (meaning Father) and each prayer he made began that way until He was on the cross when He quoted Psalm 22 ("My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?")

But at His end he again addressed the Father as we see in Luke 23:46: "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit"

So His practice should be our practice as well

Jesus gave a powerful lesson on this matter in Luke 11:13 when He taught that the heavenly Father gives more than an earthly father and gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. Such a prayer gift is more powerful than any other gift possible.

The writer of Hebrews echoed this lesson in 4:16: "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need".

Are we following the example Jesus gave and taught?

Are we asking for more of the Holy Spirit, inviting Him into our heart daily?

His presence and power stand in waiting for our hearts to open and make the request.

Acts 1:24 teaches us that the original disciples were much in prayer to replace Judas before the Holy Spirit arrived.

DISCIPLES ASK PERSISTENTLY BECAUSE GOD IS GREATER AND KINDER THAN ANY JUDGE.

Luke 18:1-8

Jesus later told another parable about prayer. When the Pharisees asked Him about the kingdom of God coming, He told them it was already in their midst.

A persistent widow refused to relent in her efforts to ask a judge for legal relief and only after she pestered him did he finally grant it.

This parable is given as a contrast. If even a wicked judge will relent. How much more will our loving God give to us through His justice granted to those who sincerely and openly ask?

Are our hearts ready to receive the grace, the fellowship, the power, and the gifts God gives to those who come to Him in prayer showing a contrite heart and broken spirit?

The contrite heart and broken spirit was the evidence David brought to the Lord in his great confession Psalm 51 (verse 17).

Finally, we must always remember that there are three possible answers to each prayer:

• YES

• NO

• WAIT

Baptists seem less than happy with the last two. In some cases we later are thankful for the NO answer (sometimes called "The Blessing of Unanswered Prayer"). If we trust the Lord to know best all things, we must honor Him by accepting that He knows not only WHAT is best but also WHEN it is best.

The last two answers test our willingness to submit and fully trust.

DO WE?

PURITY

WHAT DOES IT CONSIST OF?

IST TIMOTHY 1:5

NOW THE END OF THE COMMANDMENT IS CHARITY (LOVE) OUT OF A PURE HEART, AND OF A GOOD CONSCIENCE…

JAMES 4:8

CLEANSE YOUR HANDS, YE SINNERS. AND PURIFY YOUR HEARTS…

HOW DO WE GET THERE?

IST PETER 1:22

SEEING YE HAVE PURIFIED YOUR SOULS IN YOUR OBEDIENCE TO THE TRUTH UNTO UNFEIGNED LOVE OF THE BRETHREN, LOVE ONE ANOTHER FROM THE HEART FERVENTLY.

HOW CAN OUR RELIGION BECOME PURE?

JAMES 1:27

PURE RELIGION AND UNDEFILED BEFORE OUR GOD AND FATHER IS THIS. TO VISIT THE FATHERLESS AND WIDOWS IN THEIR AFFLICTION, AND TO KEEP ONESELF UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD.

DO WE ACCEPT THE WORD AS PURE?

PSALM 119:14

THY WORD IS VERY PURE; THEREFORE THY SERVANT LOVETH IT.

WHAT WAS THE VISION OF JESUS OF THE PURIFIED?

MATTHEW 5:8

BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART: FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD.

Habits of Effective Disciples: Purity

God calls His disciples to live pure lives in an impure world.

How do we avoid impurity in our world? In Psalm 119:9

the psalmist asks: "How can a young man keep his way pure?"

This question is now more relevant than ever before. It also

applies not only to a young man, but to all men.

We find help in the words of King David and also in Paul's

letter to the Ephesians.

King David knew from Samuel's story that God had always been

the king of Israel (1* Samuel 8:7). When Israel cried out for an

earthly king they did not reject Samuel but rejected God. The time

of the pure relationship between the Lord and His people was

no longer direct and the Lord was not pleased.

How do we avoid impurity in our world? In Psalm 119:9

the psalmist asks: "How can a young man keep his way pure?"

This question is now more relevant than ever before. It also

applies not only to a young man, but to all men.

We find help in the words of King David and also in Paul's

letter to the Ephesians.

King David knew from Samuel's story that God had always been

the king of Israel (1s Samuel 8:7). When Israel cried out for an

earthly king they did not reject Samuel but rejected God. The time

of the pure relationship between the Lord and His people was

no longer direct and the Lord was not pleased.

So now in our day we seek to bring a pure heart to the worship of the

Lord.

Why is this need so important?

PROMISES TO THE PURE

Psalm 24:5-6

God's promise to the pure in Psalm 24 is powerful. When we worship God

in purity, we receive the two-fold grace of His blessing and His never ending pardon.

First, God blesses worshipers who come into His holy house in purity of heart. We do so

by confessing our sin in prayerful communion, repenting of those sins, and asking His

forgiveness. We also extend to Him in prayer our forgiveness of those who have

wronged us. By these factors, we approach in purity.

Next He offers His pardon to His people who come to Him in purity. God

does not wink at our sin.

How can a holy God make unholy people pure? Paul gave us this answer in

2nd Corinthians 5:21:

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might

become the righteousness of God".

Through these promises, both fulfilled, the Lord allows us joy in worship.

PURIFIED BELIEVERS BECOME CHILDREN OF LOVE AND LIGHT

Ephesians 5:1-16

We may be tempted to think of our time as the darkest of all days since

Jesus ascended and sent the Holy Spirit to be our help and guide. But an honest study of

history reminds us of many dark ages until now.

Before we mature into true disciples, we must lean into what it means to be

children of God, loved by Him, and living in His precious light.

Paul extends a simple and powerful lesson of comfort for all followers of

Jesus, which is you are loved. This love is kind and compassionate toward us and it

leads us to be kind and compassionate toward others. Paul teaches us that we are loved

by God when we were dead spiritually in our trespasses and sins. He taught us in

Romans 5:8 that Jesus died for us in loving sacrifice BEFORE we were saved. The

power of the lesson is that He loved us at our worst.

DISCIPLES IMITATE GOD IN HOLINESS

Ephesians 5

Paul was working to bring God's kingdom to the entire world, through the

salvation of sinners who would then witness to others who would then seek their own

salvation. This effort reflects the true spiritual purity of purpose. In S:7 Paul warned us

to walk as children of light and in 5:8 we are to live that way. Here is a lesson of

importance. Paul did NOT say we were once IN darkness, but he went much further and

said that we WERE darkness itself.

Through grace we have become His disciples. We have been changed from

darkness to light by salvation and are being changed even more into images of Jesus

Himself by the work of His Holy Spirit in sanctification.

God's standard of purity is not subject to popular opinion.

We want to be kind and loving to all we meet as His disciples and

ambassadors of His work in our lives. God loves sinners. This is actually very good

news because we are still sinners ourselves, seeking to sin less.

Let's live what we believe, becoming pure through Christ and purifying the

world we see around us by putting forth His gospel in the life we live and use words if

necessary (St. Francis of Assisi taught that little lesson).

Jesus put the final exclamation point on this lesson for us in Matthew 5:8:

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God".

Habits of Effective Disciples: Service

Disciples follow the example of Jesus in serving others.

Am I following His example?

Jesus taught His disciples that being a servant was the most important thing a Christian can do as his life's work for the Lord.

What is our great goal in life?

At the end of 2015 there was a large survey done of 18-22 year old college students to determine their life goals. Here is the results:

• BE RICH 81%

• BE FAMOUS 51%

• HELP PEOPLE IN NEED 30%

• BE A COMMUNITY LEADER 22%

• BECOME MORE SPIRITUAL 10%

Jesus took His disciple's ongoing argument about greatness seriously. Some of the disciples had come from the fishing boats and at least one came from tax collecting. But we see their inner desire when they contended with each other to be seen as the greatest of the chosen group.

GREATNESS THROUGH SERVICE

Mark 10:30-42

After three years of ministry alongside Jesus, the disciples had not been fully sanctified. They wanted to be great and thought that greatness was found in ruling over others from high positions. Jesus showed them a different way because he taught them that greatness is found in service.

Are we servants? If we are going to live the way that Jesus lived and taught we must serve. When we serve we find the greatness that Jesus wanted us to have as disciples. Christ's call to serve helps us to examine not only what we do but why we do it. As we serve each other, we are serving Christ. and John are trying to become the greatest among the disciples.

In Mark 8 & 9 & 10 Jesus speaks to His disciples concerning His going to the cross and he invites them to service. Amazingly, while Jesus is preparing to die, James and John are trying to become the greatest among the disciples.

In Matthew 20:20-28 we are told that they even used their mother to make the request that they might be the greatest among the chosen group. What did they really want?

They wanted to be placed at each side of the Lord when he came into His glory.

These two men were in the top three inner group already and had been chosen to be allowed to see the transfiguration (along with Peter) but that was not enough. They were not satisfied with being in the top three, and both wanted to be seen as number one.

At this point Jesus called a team meeting of the Apostles and spelled it out. There are basically two ways to live: the way of the world and the way of the Word. Jesus taught them that Gentile rulers "lorded" over their subjects as they exercised authority. Now Jesus teaches His own that greatness arrives in becoming a servant. The one who wants to be first needs to be slave of all. Jesus literally wanted them to love and serve

each other and their fellow man.

There is no way to become truly great as a Christian disciple apart from a willingness to serve. Why would we do this? Because we follow the one who did not come to be serve but to serve and in that service to give His life as a ransom for many. What did Jesus mean in this teaching? Christians were sold into slavery of sin. Jesus paid the ransom to set us free from that captivity.

IMPROVING OUR SERVICE

John 13

Jesus practiced what he preached. On the night before His crucifixion, His disciples were still debating who among them was greatest. So Jesus gave them an object lesson by washing their feet. Then He told them to do the same for each other by service.

Why do we serve? We serve because we are secure in God's love. More than any other Gospel, John shows us all that Jesus knew. He knew Nathaniel was under the tree (1:47-48). He knew He was going to multiply the loaves and fishes (6:13).

John teaches that Jesus knew three important things.

First, He knew the time of God's plan and purpose. He said to His own mother that His time had not yet come in chapter two and in chapter twelve said His hour had come.

Second, He knew he was guarded by God's power as seen in chapter thirteen, and He knew He would be betrayed. He knew all this and yet He served. He served not because He was powerless but because He was powerful. The things that He knew led him to do!

Third, He knew not only that He would be betrayed but who would betray Him, (13:11), yet He washed the feet of that one who sold Him to the chief priests and Pharisees.

The lesson was clear and direct. Greatness was shown by serving. Greatness is still shown by serving and we become more effective disciples as we serve.

Servants absolutely give up their rights. If anyone had the right to be served it was Jesus. He was the Son of God. Yet He said that he came not to be served but to serve. He gave up His life for His chosen disciples and every believer who would become a disciple through their words (John 17). This means us!

The disciple's debate was who among them would be seen as greatest. They wanted personal greatness but Jesus taught them that their greatest need was to serve others and that through that service, greatness would come. He was saying that greatness and true love is manifested in being a servant. Those who humbly lower themselves to serve in this life will be seen as first in the life to come.

FAITH WORKS

James 2:14-17

James provides the summary of putting faith into action by service. He teaches that faith works. James asks two questions of us all. What good is it if a man claims to have faith yet has no deeds of service? Once we are saved, what role do works play in the continuing process of being a disciple?

Paul was very clear in Ephesians 2 that we are NOT saved by works. Salvation is by grace through faith (both gifts of God).

But Paul does not end the lesson there. He continues to teach that we are the workmanship of God to do good works that have been ordained before we were saved.

We are saved by grace alone through faith alone but not by faith that is alone. Faith without works is indeed dead. Real faith works!

What are we doing to serve that shows our faith is alive?

THE NEED FOR SERVICE

JESUS SAYS IN JOHN 4:35 THAT THE HARVEST IS GREAT BUT THE

LABORERS ARE FEW.

GOD'S APPEAL FOR SERVICE

ISAIAH 6:8 GOD ASKS WHO WILL GO FOR US, AND THE PROPHET

ANSWERS "HERE AM I, SEND ME".

CALLED DIRECTLY INTO SERVICE

MATT 4: 19-20 FOLLOW ME AND I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF

MEN & THEY LEFT THEIR NETS AND FOLLOWED HIM.

VOLUNTEERING FOR SERVICE

SAUL (SOON TO BE PAUL) RESPONDS TO JESUS IN ACTS 9:6 􀅌

WHAT WILL YOU HAVE ME DO?

.

THE SPIRIT OF SERVICE

PSALM 100:2 SERVE THE LORD WITH GLADNESS.

SERVICE BRINGS ABOUT LOVE

1ST COR 13:3 PAUL SAYS IF HE GAVE ALL HIS GOODS TO FEED

THE POOR BUT HAS NOT LOVE, IT PROFITS HIM NOTHING.

GREATNESS IS MEASURED BY SERVICE

MATT 20:26--28 JESUS TEACHES THAT WHOEVER WILL BE GREAT

MUST BE A SERVANT.

SERVICE ARRANGED BY JESUS

MATT 25:35-40 IF YOU HAVE DONE IT TO THE LEAST OF THEM,

YOU HAVE DONE IT TO ME.

MATT 9:41 EVEN THE GIVING OF A DRINK OF WATER WILL BE REMEMBERED AS SERVICE WHEN WE RECEIVE OUR REWARD.

FAITHFUL SERVICE IS REWARDED

MATT 25:21 BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN FAITHFUL OVER SMALL THINGS I WILL MAKE YOU A RULER OVER MANY THINGS.

Habits of Effective Disciples: Stewardship

Disciples are faithful stewards of all God has entrusted to us.

Am I a faithful steward?

Everything has been given to us by God as a stewardship. Someday it will be returned to Him, and we will be held accountable for what we did with it.

In the book of Deuteronomy, which means "Second Law" Moses prepared the tribes of Israel with powerful sermons. Moses understood that the Promised Land was a prepared place for a prepared people. God wanted to make His people ready to receive His good gifts. Israel spent 40 years completing a journey which almost all experts agree could have been completed in 11 days (Deut 1:2). Just before they entered the land, Moses delivered these sermons so they would be ready for what lay ahead.

First, Moses conveyed the 10 commands, and then he taught them what has from that moment been called the "Shema", found in Deut 6:4-6:

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord…”, God would deliver all the lands into the hands of His people even though they were not as strong as those who lived in the land. Moses reminded them not to forget the Lord. In Deut 8:1-9 Moses taught them again that it was the Lord who brought them there to keep His promise to His chosen people.

THE TEST OF PROSPERITY

Deut 8:10-18

How do we resist the tendency to forget God when all is going well? One of the very first lessons is to continually give Him thanks and praise for His kindness.

Moses reminded the people that God had brought them out of slavery and had sustained them in the wilderness. Even the manna was a reminder that the chosen people could not provide for themselves. Water sprang from rocks. All these gifts were means by which the humility of the people was tested.

Moses warned the people not to think these things came from their own hands.

How do we handle the prosperity of our day?

Offering thanks to God is a good beginning and then next is the important part of sharing with others because this sharing enables us to use God's gifts to us with those in need.

The lessons of Moses are to assure that we do not forget the God who gave us life which is abundant and eternal. Our lives do not finally consist of our possessions. God alone grants these gifts and abilities and health to work and earn our living. He gives us these abilities as part of His Covenant of kindness to us who love Him.

In His kingdom here we are not owners but are stewards who take what he has given us and multiply it for His glory.

RISKY FAITHFULNESS

Matt 25:1-30

In these verses Jesus speaks about the kingdom of heaven in three parables, not just the place called heaven but the rule of heaven come down to earth. In the first parable he told his disciples to keep watch because they did not know when the Lord would return to earth.

In the second one he teaches that the Lord will return and settle accounts with His servant disciples. Before he left the master granted three servants certain possessions. Two did well by multiplying the master's value. Here we see that Jesus views the abilities we are given as the means by which we are to further His kingdom. The greatest treasure he has granted us is the Gospel. God has entrusted it to us. What will we do with it? Will we invest it for the kingdom and by the witness of our life and testimony will we make it grow as we multiply it to others who need it?

The Lord has entrusted to us abundant gifts of our time, our talents, and our treasures. These are not given as gifts to be hidden away, but rather to be risked daily in the service of the Lord. With our talents we are to both use and expand the value entrusted as with these abilities comes much responsibility.

When the owner returned he settled accounts with the servants. These are US! In the parable, two servants (we who are serving disciples) were rewarded with commendation and a greater opportunity to serve. One is condemned for the lost opportunity to multiply what had been entrusted. The first two were said to be faithful and good (25:21 & 23).

As we develop our spiritual muscles in service and become stronger, our reward is that we will be expected to carry even heavier burdens and still feel good about the service. To those who have more, more is given (25:29).

Sometimes we are tempted to give up hope that our work for Christ, the small deeds of compassion and kindness, will amount to anything. But we have assurance that the good we do, even in small ways, is not wasted or forgotten.

Jesus said in Matt 10:42 that even one drink of cold water given to one in need will be remembered.

So our reward for using God's gifts wisely will be greater opportunity to use even greater gifts. These greater opportunities are His blessing and approval for being good stewards. Every instance of such added opportunity also brings us closer to our Lord as we seek to become more faithful to His service.

Becoming more effective disciples is personally sharing and transferring the full knowledge of our relationship with Christ to another person. This is the expectation placed upon us as we serve as disciples to the Lord. When we take the good news that God has given us and invest it in the lives of others so that they can also come to know Him, we will discover our greatest joy.

Habits of Effective Disciples: Thankfulness

Thankfulness expressed to God and others reveals a heart of gratitude that produces and receives blessings.

David sang about God to his own soul. By recording it, he allowed us to listen in. He lifted a hymn of praise to God as he remembered all of God's benefits. He was able to praise God with his whole soul because God had made his soul whole. He felt God's forgiveness and had been healed. David's hymn of praise was his thankfulness.

WE GIVE THANKS TO GOD FOR MEETING OUR NEEDS

Psalm 103:1-5

Twice David instructs his soul to praise God. First, he summons his inmost being to praise the holy name of the Lord. Second, he remembers God's benefits. David lists several specific blessings of God in verses 3-5.

Our God forgives all our sins.

God is not a scorekeeper. He is patient with us and assures that those who come to Him with a heart of contrite confession are forgiven and sin is forgotten.

Our God heals all our diseases.

God promised the Israelis he would heal them. In Exodus 15:26 He reminded His people that he had brought them out of bondage and is the God who heals them. (In the Hebrew language of the OT here, the term for God is Yahweh Rapha which means God who heals).

Matthew 9:35 teaches us that Jesus filled this position in the NT as He went through the towns and villages healing every disease and sickness. It is important that we remember he healed those before Him who were afflicted but he did not erase disease from the earth. He does not always heal each and every sickness, even among those devoted to Him today while individuals are in mortal life. But this is not the Lord breaking his promise of healing because Christians are indeed healed, either here or in the life to come. His ultimate healing is resurrection into eternal life.

Our God crowns us with love and compassion.

There is no end to His love and caring for His children.

In the NT, Paul tells the Corinthians that our crown is incorruptible. (1st Corinthians 9:25)

At the end of his ministry he reminds Timothy of the crown of righteousness that is reserved for all who love Christ's appearing 2nd Timothy 4:7-8). To the churches in Asia Jesus promises crowns in Revelation when He says "I will glve you a crown of life" (Revelation 3: 11 ).

Our God satisfies our desires. with good things.

We thank God because He satisfies. First he gives us Himself. While we love family and friends and brothers and sisters in Christ and each plays a role in making life better, they are but drops in the ocean of life. God IS that ocean. His blessings fill the innermost needs of our heart. Jesus taught this lesson strongly in Matthew 6:33 when he tells us to first seek the Kingdom and then all these other things will be added.

WE GIVE THANKS TO GOD OUR JUDGE FOR DECLARING US FORGIVEN.

Psalm 103:6-13

The Holy Spirit does surely convict us of sin. However, Satan remains the great accuser (as we learn in Job). But we learn in Revelation 12:10 that is it the Lord who is the great Redeemer and Forgiver. In these verses we are given the great teaching that is the foundation of confession and forgiveness. Once truly confessed, sins are forgiven and are cast away as far as the east is from the west. Sin is repaid with forgiveness, not condemnation and for that we are surely thankful.

WE OBEY GOD BECAUSE HE IS THE ETERNALLY HOLY KING.

Psalm 103:14-22

As a father, God knows our frailty. We are here today and gone tomorrow. This is not the case with the Lord. He is eternal and He loves those who fear Him from everlasting to everlasting. In His holy commands He directs us to to keep the covenant He has made by obeying Him.

While David ruled Israel and Judah, God rules the world. David knew and respected the sovereign rule of the Lord and praised God in thanks for His provision.

WE ARE THANKFUL TO GOD FOR DELIVERING US.

Luke 17:11-19

In the NT, Luke introduces us to an unlikely worshiper, a Samaritan leper. The question is what do we owe to our deliverer?

Jesus met 10 lepers who were unclean and were forced to live outside the city because of their disease. He sends them to the priests to confirm they are cleansed and this cleansing occurs not instantly but as they go toward the Temple. Only one returned to give thanks for his becoming clean and he was the Samaritan who had cried out for mercy and he came back to express thanks.

Whatever our need in our physical body, our need in spirit is always greater. We should recall that God not only wants to heal us physically but much more importantly, wishes to save us.

Ingratitude is our greatest sin. It becomes the root of all other sins in our lives. But when we live as disciples, we live with gratitude for the blessings He allows.

These lepers begged mercy from Jesus. They used the term "master" when they made their plea. The word translated here as master actually also means "commander" Jesus commanded they go to the priests and as they went toward the Temple they were healed. Obedience in direction commanded provided their healing.

Only one returned in thankfulness.

Let us be sure as we learn to become more effective disciples that we ARE that one. Let us be sure that thankfulness resides on our lips for what He has given. We should never forget we have gained mercy, exactly like the lepers. Mercy is not getting what we deserve to get. Grace is getting what we do not deserve to have.

Near the end of the ministry of Charles Spurgeon, at the invitation moment, a woman came to the altar and asked pastor Spurgeon to pray with her for salvation. Her words were never forgotten by this preacher and he wrote that her words just before her moment of salvation were:

"Oh Mr. Spurgeon, if Christ saves me He will never hear the end of it."

As men seeking to become more effective disciples, let us be sure to do the same. Let our thanks be never ending and our gratitude become our guide in living for Him.

Habits of Effective Disciples: Witnessing

DISCIPLES DECLARE THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

A disciple is a follower of Jesus who learns from Him, lives like Him, and leads others to do the same.

SHARING GOOD NEWS

Romans 10:8-15

Paul's ambition in life was simple: he wanted to win people to Christ. His ministry was most successful among the Gentiles. Still, Paul yearned for his own people (Jews) to become Christians.

Unfortunately, many in Israel were seeking to establish their own righteousness and they missed the true righteousness which comes through faith in Christ.

Even more unfortunately, most Americans are exactly like the unbelieving Jews. They lean to and cling to the thought that they themselves can live a life acceptable to the Lord without Jesus in their hearts and without the Holy Spirit dwelling within them.

Since we are simply beggars who have found bread (the bread of life), let us show others where to find it. Pastor Charles Spurgeon probably explained this matter as perfectly as anyone has ever explained it:

"Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter."

Paul gave us clear understanding on this message. We do not have to go up into heaven to bring Jesus down because in the incarnation He already came down. We do not have to travel down to death & hell to get Him, because he arose from the dead already.

Paul actually anchors his teaching on this matter in Deut 30:12-14: … who shall go up for us to heaven? ... the word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it."

WITH OUR HEARTS WE BELIEVE AND ARE JUSTIFIED

Paul's teaching in 10:10 takes us back to the beginning of God working in man, all the way back to Genesis 15:6 where we learn that Abraham (the first human father of the Jews) believed and God counted that faith to him as righteousness.

"And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness."

This teaching by Moses in the OT and by Paul in the NT lead us to a far deeper understanding of our relationship with our Lord.

The Lord chose Abraham first and told him to leave his home and to travel to a place he had never known. He was first chosen and then he believed. This is strongly important to every Christian. This same lesson is given us with the examples of Paul and of each disciple, all chosen before believing the truth of the Gospel.

We are not chosen because we believe. We believe because we are chosen.

WITH OUR MOUTHS WE CONFESS AND WE ARE SAVED

What do we confess? We confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Paul presented the Gospel by teaching that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ, foretold in the OT, and had fulfilled the promise of the OT as well. He equated Jesus with Yahweh and this was the profound foundation of the Gospel. This was a stumbling block for the Jews in the first century and remains a stumbling block for them and others) still today.

GOD SEND US TO SPEAK THE GOOD NEWS

Romans 10:14-15

Our call upon the name of the Lord and the Savior He sent saves us by His grace through the gift of faith. John related this message also in His Gospel in 20:21: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

Paul's point was direct and simple. Jesus sends preachers, they preach and people hear, those who are chosen believe, believers witness to others about the good news, and others come to seek the Lord as well.

THE WITNESS OF THE GOSPEL IS NOT AN EASY TASK

1 Cor 15:1-8

In the church founded at Corinth, some believers wondered if there was any point to witness if it seemed few are accepting. They wondered if their work and witness was in vain. Paul is strong in telling them that if they do not hold fast to the Gospel and their witness of it, their faith is indeed vain (empty). Later he teaches that if Christ was not raised, both his preaching and their faith is indeed vain (useless). But he also then says that thanks be to God, Jesus was raised so the labor in this world is never in vain, and they are to live with strength for the Lord.

This is our first and finest reason to rejoice in our faith and our witness for we have wonderful news to share.

Paul told them that the good news had become their salvation and he even went a step further by teaching in the present tense in verse 2 : ". ... you ARE saved..."

So the core teaching of four factors becomes the basis of our witness: (Jesus' crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and appearances after he arose)

Our witness command is clear and true. We all live in the house of the dying, and because of the resurrection we have the chance to show people how to live, both here and eternally. All of Christian history hinges on the resurrection. Because of that fact we who are chosen and believe can be effective disciples in witness to those who have not yet surrendered their lives to the Lord.

OUR BLESSED ASSURANCE CONCERNING OUR WITNESS

If we believe God ordains all things (either by His command through His will for things to occur or by His permission to allow some things to occur) we can rest in this belief through scripture given us in Hebrews 1:3:

"Who (Jesus) being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, and upholding ALL things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high."

If we accept this clear scripture teaching that our Lord upholds (sustains) all things, then we must also accept that He upholds and wills the means by which all things are done. The means of witness to His Gospel and salvation is US!

His most often taught command in all scripture (over 300 times) is FEAR NOT

So we are to witness His Gospel to others without fear.

LET'S BE FEARLESS IN OUR WITNESSING

Habits of Effective Disciples: Worship

Disciples respond to God's revelation with a life of worship which begins by seeing God for who he truly is.

In Scripture we have a few examples of worship in the presence of God. The prophet Isaiah saw a vision of the heavenly throne room and it led him to worship the Lord. Later the Apostle John saw heaven while he was in exile on the island of Patmos. Both Isaiah and John show us heaven as a place of profound and powerful worship.

THE ONE OBJECT OF WORSHIP

Matt 4:10 teaches us that Jesus did not yield to the temptation of Satan and told him it is written, we are to worship the Lord our God and none other. Exodus 20:3 is very clear in giving the great commandments God said that we are to have no other Gods before Him.

Hebrews 10:22 teaches us to draw near to God with a true heart in fullness of faith. Psalm 100 teaches that we are to make a joyful noise in our worship. Isaiah 40:3 teaches that our strength is renewed when we wait upon the Lord in our worship. Jesus taught us in Matt 18:19-20 that worship is not conditioned on the number of worshipers for wherever two or more are joined in His name, He is there.

AN AUDIENCE WITH THE KING

Isaiah 6:1-13

Isaiah's audience with the King became his call experience and it changed his life and the lives of many others. In this moment Isaiah received a revelation of God. What did he see?

He saw the Lord God in His highest position, on His heavenly throne. In his vision God was enormous in size and the train of His robe alone filled the Temple. The holy Seraphims of God spoke and smoke filled the temple and the structure of the Temple itself shook with the words that were spoken. This moment is important as it foretold that while His being filled the Temple in that Old testament moment, His being now fills each of us who is saved in a New Testament moment. His Holy Spirit indwells us and fills us just as He Himself filled the Temple. These highest angels are in perpetual worship of God, ready to praise and serve.

Nowhere else in the Bible are these highest ones mentioned by name.

Isaiah heard the voices of the angels praising God by the words:

"Holy, Holy, Holy"

One time each for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

This word means set apart. God is holy and He expects us to pursue holiness in our worship. He told us so in Leviticus 20:26 telling us He Himself has set us apart to be His own.

What did this moment of vision do to Isaiah? What do our worship moments do to us? What can we say about the worship moment example?

Worship removes our pride. If we are in sincere worship the time is in our hearts about reverence and then confrontation. The Lord confronts us with our sin when we come to Him in worship. His Spirit convicts us to confess and repent so that He will forgive and allow us close. Just as Isaiah taught us in giving us the story of his moment, we should realize God is far more and far mightier that we can imagine.

Isaiah began his confession after his sin was immediately brought to his mind and his lips. He confessed he was a man of unclean lips and in the moment of seeing God's holiness, he admitted his own unholiness. We too may be men of unclean lips. How do we clean them? We confess.

Worship offers us cleansing from sin and it wonderful good news for us. Here is the Lord's answer to our failures and shortcomings. What happens after confession in worship?

WHEN HE CALL US TO WORSHIP WE CONFESS, WE REPENT, WE GAIN DIVINE FORGIVENESS, AND THEN WE OBEY.

Isaiah heard God speak directly asking who could be sent to do His will. The worship moment consumed Isaiah's senses, sight, sound, touch, and smell. He responded well and asked the Lord to send him.

The greatest need of our world is spiritual renewal. Isaiah was renewed and cleansed in worship. This lesson is to us to seek renewal as well in worship and willingness to accept His will.

ANOTHER GLIMPSE OF OUR GLORIOUS GOD

Rev 4:1-11

Here we are given a wonderful portrait of heaven in John's vision on his island of exile. The windows of heaven were opened for him by Jesus and he was called upward and discovered that heaven is filled with worshipful praises of God.

This final book is filled with worship. We cannot understand it apart from worship for it is packed full of praise and worship.

As he arrived John saw a throne, teaching us once more that heaven is a kingdom. He saw the great King seated on the throne. Elders seated near were casting their crowns at His feet. John saw beauty there, precious stones everywhere and a heavenly rainbow. Just as in Isaiah's account, God is not alone. Angels, elders, and creatures worship there. The throne shows power, thunder, lightning and divine light from the lamps John saw.

Heaven is a place of perpetual praise and worship.

We should do all we can to do the same here. If we have not learned to be worshipers, it really does not matter how well we do anything else. Worship changes us or it has not been true worship. Worship begins in holy hope and ends in holy obedience.

We are created and born again to be worshipers first and workers second. How do we know this?

Remember the prayer Jesus taught for His disciples ( and for all who believe and came after them - meaning us), and the first words we are to pray:

Our Father, who are in heaven
HALLOWED be thy name.

We hallow the name of God before we do anything else.

The power and the glory we seek are at the end. Our praise is most important and is so taught by Christ.