John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
Are you going through a time where you feel afflicted?
Psalm 129 (NKJV)
Song of Victory over Zion’s Enemies. A Song of Ascents.
1 “Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth,”
Let Israel now say—
2 “Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth;
Yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed on my back;
They made their furrows long.”
4 The Lord is righteous;
He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked.
John 6:16-21 (NKJV)
16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about [a]three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.
Mark 4:38-40 (NKJV) 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?
Are we a Royal Priest hood, and descendants of Abraham?
I have the understanding that we are both, a royal Priest hood and we are descendants of Abraham by faith. Many of us don´t think that we are a royal priest… and we do not think of ourselves as a descendant of the Abraham, who is described in the Bible as the Father of the nation of Israel.
However, the Bible makes it clear that God told Abraham that many would be blessed through him, many nations… That is, where the salvation in Jesus Christ comes in, to bring all of us together as one.
Can you imagine boasting something like this: ‘Well, my great-grandfather was Abraham and he was God’s friend you know? God reminds Jacob that he is a descendant of Abraham, God’s Friend. Let’s read this in Isaiah 41:8 "But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend.
God reminds us in the New Testament that we are descendants of Abraham as well.
Galatians 3:6-9 “6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”
Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV) “Jesus the Great High Priest’
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[a] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”
The Lord Jesus commanded: Go ye therefore and make disciples.
Jesus gave us the command; "Go ye therefore and make disciples". It is our responsibility to make the decision whether or not I want to and will accept to do it and obey His command.
John 20:21 (NKJV) 21 "So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
Mathew 28:18-20 (NKJV) "18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen."
Until the next lesson, may the Lord Jesus be with you.
Jesus Christ is the Lord of lords and King of kings, and disciples are His workers here on earth.
As it is written in the title of this chapter of discipleship the human ministry has been given to the disciples; that is, all those that have decided to give their life to Jesus and follow Him. But, the leadership always will belong to the LORD of lords and KING of kings = JESUS CHRIST. Today we will dig into this subject in more specific ways.
The Great Commission Mathew 28:
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go [c]therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen."
As the Lord Jesus said to His disciples: "Go, make disciples of all nations", He commissioned them. At this point the Lord Jesus was making it clear that His human ministry of Jesus here on earth had come to an end. He gave them the command to proceed with the work that He had begun. Jesus transferred at this point the responsibility of maintaining the legacy exactly the way He had structured it.
John 20:21 (NKJV) “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
John 17:18 (NKJV) “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.”
In John 20:19-23 The Apostles Commissioned
19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were [e]assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
In these verses, John describes as Jesus commissioned them. Jesus taught them during three years the principles, the laws, the values of doing the mission as His Father had taught Him. In John chapter 17, we see this very well described how Jesus prays for them and those that would believe through them. The disciples were named apostles by the Lord, and He ordained them to take on the work of discipleship that gave birth to the Church.
Then Jesus instructs the disciples to remain in Jerusalem as we read in Luke24 and in Acts 1:
"Stay therefore in Jerusalem, till ye be clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49).
The Holy Spirit Promised
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be [c]witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Jesus Ascends to Heaven
9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
It was a simple command, and the Lord made it clear that they needed to follow His instructions. They needed the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, since the Spirit is the agent that accomplishes all and any work. The strongest feature of the book of Acts of the Apostles (where Jesus' prophecy was fulfilled is the fact that the Holy Spirit was sent upon them to work through them. God is in control, it is His work through us and not our work.
With this commanded ‘go ye therefore’ Jesus made it clear that His earthly ministry was fulfilled, and now He was sending His disciples to continue this work. If we analyze the book of Acts itself, we will conclude that it is a continuity of the Gospels; because from the moment that the Holy Spirit was sent to indwell in them, God chose to work through them from there on.
God is the authority, and the Bible gives us a very clear picture of the same. The Lord Jesus reigns in heaven and on earth according to Scriptures, and now He is working through the Body of Christ here on earth. Jesus intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father, according to Romans 8:33:34:
Romans 8:33-34 (NKJV) “33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”
"And he shall reign forever in the house of Jacob, and his kingdom shall have no end" (Luke 1:33)
These verses make it clear that the Leadership always will be in God’s Hand, but we can learn that He gave His discipleships the work here on earth that He had started; and now Jesus Christ works through us the work that He began.
Homework = Scripture memory:
Be sure to commit this passage to memory before moving on to the next lesson. Then, practice reciting it repeatedly throughout this course.
Mathew 28:19-20 "19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen."
Personal goal: How do you want to make a difference in this world?? Who do you want to reflect? Let's be a disciple according to God's own heart.
Next lesson we will continue to study this subject,
Leadership belongs to God, and the discipleship was given to us.
John 6:44 (NKJV) “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Introduction.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you "(Matthew 28: 19-20).
The Leadership is the Lords and the discipleship Jesus Christ gave to His followers. When Jesus started His ministry He recruited those whom He chose to make His disciples. He called them and said: “Follow me”. What does it actually mean ‘follow me’?
Objectives of this subject:
1.Understand the difference between who the leader is and who the follower is.
2.Christ’s ministry here on earth and his heavenly ministry after his ascension.
3.The command that He gave to the disciples.
4.Ministry Jesus gave to the disciples at Pentecost.
As disciples we ought to teach to observe all things whatsoever Jesus commanded the Church to do.
Reflecting on these verses: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you "(Matthew 28: 19-20).
We can analyze carefully, exegetically; and we will realize that this text of Matthew 28 is differential within Sacred Scriptures because it has singularities that no other passage contains as it talks about the discipleship. From a small passage spoken to us within few lines we can extract powerful revelations that ware given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Exegetical means: exegesis. a critical interpretation or explication, especially of biblical and other religious texts. — exegetic, exegetical, adj.
First, we will study this text in order to understand it in relation to the practical teachings that it offers us in relation to discipleship as a human ministry and leadership as Divine ministry.
The text in Matthew 28 where Jesus gives the command: "Go"; makes a link, a connection. The bond that connects two specific historical moments, involving the people of God. It is the link, meaning the connection, which connects the end of human ministry to the beginning of the spiritual ministry of Jesus Christ.
The link that connects the completion of Christ's atoning work with the onset of discipleship.
The bond that makes the disciples into apostles.
The link that connects the conclusion of the Gospels and the beginning of the apostolic acts.
The link that begins the history of the Church.
The link that puts into practice all the precepts received and absorbed by the twelve throughout the three years in which the human ministry of Jesus developed.
Jesus was in Galilee, with his disciples, about to close the human stage of his discipleship ministry: he won, he consolidated lives; performed miracles and wonders as Mathew describes it:
- He healed a leper, the servant of a centurion, the mother-in-law of Peter; and He quenched a storm and drove out demons (Matthew 8);
- He healed a paralytic, a woman with a stream of blood, two blind and one mute (Matthew 9); He healed a man who had one withered hand (Matthew 12); He walked on the sea (Matthew 14);
- He multiplied bread and fish (Matthew 15);
- He was transfigured with the disciples (Matthew 17); He healed a lunatic (Matthew 18);
All these wonders were counted only in the Gospel of Matthew, not to mention other miracles that Jesus accomplished without them being recorded in the Gospels. The Apostle John states it this way: John 21:25: “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.”
But the human ministry of Jesus is not only of miracles. The Lord Jesus, as a born leader, was also concerned with building the Body of Christ, which is the Church; with a solid Doctrine based on the Father’s Word (which should be a concern of every disciple). He cared about making wholehearted disciples, he cared to consolidate and train them, and he also trained them as successors who would put His teachings into practice generating new disciples afterwards.
Throughout the three years of His human ministry, Jesus Christ formed these disciples; which I call the First Christian Theological Faculty of history, where he himself was the ecclesiastical and the teacher who brought an innovative teaching and unlike anything people had seen at that time. A practical teaching that broke with all traditionalism and put in check the religious system of the time.
He practiced everything He taught. He left an example that never had been seen before. The teaching was basically simple, but very profound and many times too hard to achieve by many that heard Him. In its essence broke with all the superficiality present in the teachings of the scribes and the Pharisees, setting a pattern of eternal and immutable values that should guide the lives of all who desire to follow Him.
Through these teachings, Jesus signs the spiritual principles of the Kingdom of God, the Celestial Constitution. It is for this reason that every time the Pharisees tried to accuse Jesus according to Jewish traditions, Jesus was a step ahead demonstrating that all complexity of the Law was insufficient and superficial in regards of the ethical and moral standard of God’s Kingdom. These teachings were offered free of charge in common places like mountains and beaches; throughout the villages where He passed by. They were received through teachings, prophetic sermons, and parables.
Returning now to the text of Matthew 28, after suffering the terrible vicarious death on the Cross, bringing redemption to mankind, Jesus was resurrected and reunited with his disciples, who in a few minutes would become the first Apostles of the Church. Jesus' concern now was to transfer the human ministry to his disciples; to transmit to them the last instructions before ascending to Heaven so they could begin their spiritual ministry.
The "go and make disciples of all nations" puts an end to the human ministry of Jesus. It transfers to the new apostles the responsibility of maintaining the exact legacy that Jesus structured, based on the same principles, same laws, and the same values. The apostles take on the work of discipleship that gave birth to the Church; and the Lord Jesus, takes the lead. Jesus instructs the disciples to remain in Jerusalem:
"Stay therefore in Jerusalem, until ye be clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). This order was basically simple: They needed Baptism with the Holy Spirit, since it is the Spirit, the agent of all and any work. We can consider that the power of the Holy Spirit through the Church is the strongest feature of the book of Acts of the Apostles (where Jesus' prophecy was fulfilled). For this reason, I began the chapter affirming that the "go" is the link that connects the conclusion of the Gospels to apostolic acts, for if we analyze the book of Acts itself, we will conclude that it is a continuity of the Gospels in order to be connected to them through the "go".
The Holy Spirit is able to change lives. It is the power of the Spirit in the life of Jesus that authorized him to preach the Kingdom of God and to execute signs. The same power of the Spirit (Acts 2) transferred the same authority to the disciples. Therefore, Jesus is the greatest stereotype of a full life, filled with the Spirit and empowered by the Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian directs his actions, his thoughts, his words and his choices; or at least they should drive. For this reason, leadership belongs to the Lord.
The Lord Jesus, now in the heavens, assumes his spiritual ministry: to intercede for us at the right hand of the Father (according to Rom 8:34) and to rule through a reign which is equally spiritual for an hour, but which, in the future, prophecies, will be a physical reign, which will extend to all peoples, languages, races, tribes and nations.
"And he shall reign forever in the house of Jacob, and his kingdom shall have no end" (Luke 1:33)
A spiritual government to overcome the limitations of human leadership.
As it is written in the title of this chapter, discipleship (human ministry) has been given to us, but leadership belongs only to the Lord. In the next lesson we will explain why…
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Now Than, Let Us Compare It With What The Bible Says.
It is summed up above these definitions by uniting those with Collins and Strong that Biblical Leadership is: "function and ability to lead; Spirit of leadership, form of government based on personal prestige and accepted by others; Go about, lead, protect, sustain, care, feed, impel, lead gently, advise, deliberate, solve, consult, determine, guide, propose, guide, carry, guide the house, drive, guide, show the way through teaching , To command with official authority, to have the government on "= equal to => discipleship. Then a leader according to the dictionaries is the following: All these words bring in themselves the concept and the basis for someone who goes ahead showing the way, the way of proceeding or living. It is not possible to describe "discipleship" and / or "leadership" or "leader" in one word or even in one sentence. The theme is so rich and broad that we need to conceptualize it in a much more extensive way than dictionaries do. So let's get the meaning of these dictionaries and compare them with what the Bible says. When I read about David's life, and the life of all the prophets in the Old Testament, and about the life of the apostles, I come to the conclusion that God implanted in their hearts the character traits of a person who is after the heart of God. Leadership = sf (leader + ana) Leader role. What is a principle? Search the dictionary, the definition of principle. Principles are standards that we follow. Principle = sm (lat principiu) = 13 Standard of conduct. 14 Way of seeing; Opinion: Always faithful to its principles. Rules or code of (good) conduct by which someone rules your life and your actions. Fundamental doctrines or prevailing opinions: Political principles. Defining Biblical Leadership. If we go back to the verses we stated in the beginning of this lesson we can see that God commanded Joshua exactly like this. “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” You see God gave Moses and Joshua the Principle of the standard in their conduct. Guiding them on His own opinion. God taught His people always to be faithful to HIS principles. God gave His people rules of good conduct by which every leader instilled by God ruled over His people conducting their lives and actions. God gave kings the Fundamental doctrines and prevailing opinions: God’s Political principles. Observing leaders in the past we can point out in their lives that God has approved the characteristics we have outlined in summarizing what dictionaries say: "to go about, to lead, to protect, to sustain, to nurture, to feed, to impel, to lead kindly, to counsel, to deliberate , to resolve, to consult, to determine, to guide, to propose, to carry out, to direct, to show the way through teaching, to command with official authority, to have the government over. And Jesus gave us the government over, for the fact that he said, "As the Father has sent me, I send you." This is certainly the most exact description of a shepherd; the function of it. Leading people means driving, protecting, sustaining, caring, feeding, gently leading, and counseling. I know it is a lot to take in, in one lesson all that is taught here. But Jesus gave the authority here on earth to the church, His disciples. John 20:21 says: “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” Further in another lesson we will learn that the Leadership belongs to God, and the discipleship was given to us. Eventhough Jesus gave the authority to us, His disciples; the final word still belongs to God alone. In this lesson I would like you to make the question… And next lesson we will talk about them. Journal nº1: But I would like you to write about a journal what you have learned in this lesson. What difference does it make to look at it God’s way compared with your way? Homework = Scripture memory: Be sure to commit this passage to memory before moving on to the next lesson. Then, practice reciting it repeatedly throughout this course. Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Personal goal: How do you want to make a difference in this world?? Who do you want to reflect?
This word disciple comes from Latin and actually describes exactly what a leader does. A leader goes ahead and teaches who follows him and the person who is discipling someone also goes ahead and shows what a person should do. This is exactly what Jesus did. Jesus fulfilled his mission and at the same time was teaching and training his disciples. We see the technical description by the Collins Dictionary of the English Language that defines "leadership" as: “You refer to people who are in control of a group or organization as the leadership. Someone's leadership is their position or state of being in control of a group of people. "Certainly there are people in the Bible who are leaders, that is, capable of leading. All the leaders who were imposed by God discipled their followers according to the order given by Him. We find biblical principles that help us understand the biblical leadership that describes exactly how Jesus taught those who followed him. Many of the men whom God anointed as prophets and kings had a leading spirit. They had the ability to lead. David, Moses, Joshua, Joseph and many others had the form of government based on the personal prestige accepted primarily by God and also by His people. The Strong’s Dictionary gives us some additional help to establish our biblical basis for leadership, as it defines leadership from the original biblical words. According to this dictionary, the word "guide" is used in the New Testament to replace the word "leader." Leading, therefore, is guiding; and this word (and its relative) appears, at least, in most versions of the Bible in English. Thus, when we study the Hebrew and Greek words translated as "guide" and their relative, we form our biblical basis on leaders and leadership. Jesus gave the leadership in His church hear on earth to His disciples. Jesus delegated them to do the work according to His command. In Hebrew, therefore, we have the words: • Darak, which means "to go on". • Nahal, meaning "to lead, to protect, to sustain, to take care of, to feed, to impel, to lead kindly". • Ya'ats - "advise, deliberate, resolve, consult, determine, guide, propose". • Nachah - "guide, transport, place" In Greek we find the words: • Oikodespoteo - "to guide the house". • Kateuthuno - "lead". • Hodegeo - "guide, show the way through teaching". • Hegeomai - "command with official authority, have government over". Have you ever consulted the Dictionary to see how it is described: "disciple"? Let's check: disciple1 - dis.cí.pu.lo1 sm (lat discipulu) 1. One who receives instruction from someone; The one who learns; student. 2. Sectarian professing the doctrines taught or propagated by another. 3. Fond, devout: A disciple of the truth. 4. Beloved: St. John the Evangelist. Disciples of the Gospel: those who preached and propagated the evangelical doctrine. " Leader, Representative type of a group. Head of a political party. "If we take the time to compare these two descriptions are in fact basically synonymous. He who receives instruction from another, he who learns; student. Leader is a guide, he also teaches how to do everything, so he is leading to be able to make sure that the leaders follow according to his teaching. It is summed up above these definitions by uniting those with Collins and Strong that Biblical Leadership is: "function and ability to lead; Spirit of leadership, form of government based on personal prestige and accepted by others; Go about, lead, protect, sustain, care, feed, impel, lead gently, advise, deliberate, solve, consult, determine, guide, propose, guide, carry, guide the house, drive, guide, show the way through teaching , To command with official authority, to have the government on "= equal to => discipleship. Then a leader according to the dictionaries is the following: All these words bring in themselves the concept and the basis for someone who goes ahead showing the way, the way of proceeding or living. It is not possible to conceptualize "discipleship" and / or "leadership" or "leader" in one word or even in one sentence. The theme is so rich and broad that we need to conceptualize it in a much more extensive way than dictionaries do. In the next lesson we will compare this to what the Bible says about this.
WHOLEHEARTED DISCIPLESHIP ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURES.
Joshua 1:8-9 (NKJV) “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Objectives: By the end of this section You should have a clear concept of what is discipleship according to Scripture. Introduction: Wholehearted Discipleship According To Scriptures. Does the Bible give us a clear concept about discipleship? Would you be able to quote some Bible text that clearly tells us how a disciple should work in God’s kingdom? How can I know if I am leading biblically a Bible class, Sunday school; or in any other department of the church? How should we do the street evangelism according to what the Scripture tells us? Based on the verses we quoted in the beginning of this lesson we know that God teaches us just the same way as He taught Moses, Joshua and all the other leaders in the Old and New Testament. Jesus always referred to Scriptures when HE taught His disciples. I believe God says the same to you and to me as he said to Joshua. Scriptures shall not depart from our mouth, but we must meditate on it day and night, so that we can live according to it. God commands us to be strong and courageous as well. I think there is only one way that we can be strong and courageous as followers and disciples of Jesus; and that is following Him as He commanded us to do. Jesus gave us the command in Mathew 28:19-21 and also in Mark chapter 16. Mathew and Mark describe it to us how the Lord sent them, and Jesus is sending you and me as well. All who believe and receive Him as it says in John 1:12 are children of God and we are told to go and preach the good news in all the world. Do you know how many people were gathered there when Jesus said it? It were not only His disciples, there were First of all let us take a look at the Biblical Concept of Discipleship. But we need to understand what the Dictionary tells us about the meaning of "Concept"; and after this, we will research in the Bible this conceptualization on wholehearted discipleship according to the heart of God. Meaning of Concepcion Compose, idealize, develop and/or expose a concept about (something); to define. Assign judgment of value or note to: conceptualize the performance of employees. Develop and express an opinion or point of view about; Evaluate. If I understood correctly, what the dictionary says, conceptualizing would be to form a concept: ‘it is the way of expressing and developing an opinion about something or someone.’ Moreover, to conceptualize is the form in which we evaluate the supposed situation, circumstance, or theory. It is our opinion on the subject. Jesus expressed very clearly what His Father told Him to do and how to convey that message to us. Making disciples is for those who are already in Christ, and maturation as a follower of Christ begins on the first day of the Christian life, and it is a process of constant learning. So, on a daily bases we need to guard in our hearts what God told Joshua. God made His opinion clear as He sent Moses, Joshua and all the other leaders, He instilled as leaders for His people. And He did the same for the Church that He started with the twelve apostles. We have some good points in the verses stated above and we will address them here. Five specific things I want to point out on this passage. a)This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, = I believe the Lord gives us the same command, do not let Scriptures depart from your mouth; and we should not replace it with the modern teaching and ways of thinking as the world does. b)But you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. = We are called to a personal devotional with our God and His word on a daily bases. It is about our devotion, that commitment in studying it. Learning how to make our daily decisions based on the same. c)For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. = If a child of God obeys this command, I believe it will make it’s way prosperous; there is no doubt on it. d)Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, = Compare this with the New Testament teaching of the Lord, does He not teach us the same thing? Definitely. Eph. 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” 2 Cor. 12:9-10 “9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” = We all must take this thought line as our logo. “Be strong in Christ Jesus.” e)For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. = This promise He also gave to His church. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Hebrews 13:5b. Evangelism is fishing souls, calling others to follow Jesus. Once the person received Jesus as their Savior, they need to be trained in the Word of God, which is discipleship through felloship with other believers. We must all learn to be fisher of men from the first day on; but teaching them on the way requires knowledge of the Word of God. During these three years they were instructed to go and do the work in pairs; under the leadership of Jesus. After receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they were instituted by God as the leaders who would found the Church. We should apply the biblical principles of Christian leadership as exemplified and taught by Jesus, and train leaders as Jesus trained; that answers the question. We must work under someone who already has knowledge in the Word of God; to teach us where and how we can do the work of God. But, it is biblical that we should always do this work under the leadership in the Church of Christ; remembering that we are all members of one body. Some people claim that because the word "leadership" or "leader" does not appear in certain versions of the Bible or appears only in Old Testament. That there is not enough basis to teach about leadership or even to call someone else a "leader"; Or "Leaders according to the heart of God." The Word of God specifies how leadership should be. God teaches his leaders how to proceed before his people. Let's then look at how the dictionaries describe leadership so we can learn to apply it within the Church.
Let’s take a look at some examples of this in the Scriptures. In 1 Samuel 9:15 – 10:27, we find the beautiful story as God chooses Saul, and treats him with honor, being invited into the prophet's house for supper.
The prophet reserves for him the thigh, special part of the flesh, for him to eat, and then we read the beautiful story as he was anointed king. Saul was honored before the people and Samuel the prophet sealed all this in a book in verse 25: "And Samuel declared unto the people the right of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and set it before the Lord; Then Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house."
Saul was the only person to receive this kind of procession to his throne. Saul had everything to be an excellent king, we would say that he was very lucky to be imposed like this as a king. Saul didn’t need to make political campaign and to be voted in. But, something I personally observe, Saul had not been trained before by observing a king who acted in divine conformity; one that served God with all his heart. Saul, had never observed any king dignifying God in all his conduct, acting before God and his subjects correctly.
Saul had the anointing of God and was chosen by God; and we read it in 1 Sam. 10:11. “And it came to pass, as all that knew him before, that he saw that he prophesied with the prophets, that the people said every man to his companion, What is become of the son de Quis? Is Saul also among the prophets? "As also in 1 Sam. 19:24, it says that he was among the prophets.
David was also anointed king, and we also see this description in the Bible:
"So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah."- 1 Sam. 16: 12-13. (NKJV)
Although God used the prophet Samuel to anoint David, and the Spirit of God departed from Saul and seized David, even so; it still took a long time for David literally take the throne of Israel. The Word says that Saul still reigned for a long time, and only after Saul died, that David was anointed again by the people over Judah. But during the whole time that Saul still was king, which was all together 40 years; David already walked in the anointing of God. He was not literary In 2 Sam. 2: 1-4 we read how he was received by the men of Judah who anointed him king over the house of Judah. Years passed while David always stood under the command of God. He always sought God what he should do. Until the day that he was also anointed over all Israel. Throughout his reign we see that David always sought God. Before David would make a choice, he always sought the Lord for an answer.
Here are two examples of how God calls his children, enables them and empowers them, anoints them and provides them with everything they need to be leaders according to His heart. In spite of this, the person still has the right to choose to want to follow it or not. Saul obeyed up to a certain point, and after that he did what he believed to be right. David in his choices, as king of Israel always sought God first.
Next question: True or false? All leaders should be allowed to make their decision as the King Saul did.
David, Moses, Joseph, Paul, Peter and the other disciples learned leadership in theory and then in practice. Every human being who is used by God must first know the Word of God. This is because faith comes by hearing, hearing the Word of God. Therefore, we must have faith, because without faith it is impossible to please God. (Romans 10:17 - "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." - Hebrews 11: 6 - "Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes near to God, believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him."
Each of us learn by listening, just as the disciples learned and were trained to walk in God’s perfect way. From Theory to Practice, from learning to a leader. No one is born knowing things, nor is a leader formed without knowledge. Knowledge is acquired through various forms and the most important are to learn it in theory and then learn how to practice it alongside a leader.
In our churches the leadership needs to walk ahead in theory and in practice to train the new believers. Training them in the way to walk and live according to God’s Will.
Homework = Scripture memory:
Be sure to commit this passage to memory before moving on to the next lesson. Then, practice reciting it repeatedly throughout this course.
Phillipians 1:6: “6 Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Phillipians 2:13: “13 For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
Personal goal: How do you want to make a difference in this world?? Who do you want to reflect?
We must learn to Listen to our Heavenly Father as Jesus did.
Jesus always listened to His Father, and only did what the Father told Him to do. We need to learn to listen to God in our personal relationship with Him. Let’s check out some important versos about this. John 5:19 “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.” John 10:30 "I and the Father are one." John 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” Matthew 14:23 “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.” Luke 6:12 “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” John 11:41-42 “So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." A true friendship is developed by talking and listening. And we need to learn to sit at the feet of Jesus so that we can learn from Him. A wonderful passage that we read about this is when Jesus said that Mary chose the better part. Let’s read the passage here now. Fellowship is developed by listening and talking together. I want to mention here something I read on the internet, and I will only quote the Scriptures mentioned in it. 8 ways God speaks to us. 1. Through His Word in general. 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” 2. Through His Son, Jesus Christ. “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by His Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe” Hebrews 1:1-2, NIV). Jesus says in John 10:27, NKJV: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Why? Because the sheep know who He is. They belong to Him, and they recognize Him by the sound of His voice. And He’s the one who will always lovingly lead them on the right path–again and again. 3. Through Nature and God’s Creation. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse ” Romans 1:20, NIV). 4. Through Other Believers. God may use a friend, a teacher, a parent, or a preacher to convey His message of truth to us. Their words may come as a warning, a blessing, or as a prophetic truth about our lives. Whether we choose to hear it or ignore it, depends on us. Do their words line up with Scripture? Will God confirm or affirm that truth in us? “The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere” (James 3:17, NIV). 5. Through Music. In 2 Chronicles 20-21, King Jehoshaphat faced a huge army of enemies who could have easily destroyed His people, but he did a strange thing. With a declaration that his eyes were on God, he sent in a choir of praise singers: “Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: ‘Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever’” God “spoke” clearly. He released His power, and Jehoshaphat’s army defeated their enemies! 6. Through Circumstances. God is a Holy God, and often uses circumstances to get our attention. But He will usually confirm it in other ways. 7. Through His Spirit. I once heard someone teach about “minding the checks” in your spirit. Some may call it “God’s whispers,” while others say, “God’s still, small voice.” We are made in the image of God, and when we confess Jesus and follow Him as our Lord and Savior, His Spirit comes to live in us (John 14:17, 1 Corinthians 3:16). God’s Spirit speaks to us through our conscience, helping to make the right decision. When we’re tempted, that same Spirit warns and nudges us to do the right thing. 8. Through Prayer. God often speaks to us through His Spirit, through prayer. We may not know how to pray, but God’s Word tells us His spirit makes intercession for us (Romans 8:26-27). Taken from: https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/8-ways-god-speaks-to-us-today.html Homework = Scripture memory: Be sure to commit this passage to memory before moving on to the next lesson. , Then, practice reciting it repeatedly throughout this course. “God often speaks to us through His Spirit, through prayer. We may not know how to pray, but God’s Word tells us His spirit makes intercession for us (Romans 8:26-27). Jesus says in John 10:27, NKJV: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Why? Because the sheep know who He is. They belong to Him, and they recognize Him by the sound of His voice. And He’s the one who will always lovingly lead them on the right path–again and again.” Personal goal: Make a commitment with the Lord. My suggestion is to ask Him to make of you a Disciple according to His own heart.
1.8th Lesson = Learn to be an imitator of Christ as Paul was.
Our Objective is to learn to be an imitator of Christ as Paul was.
Phillipians 1:6: “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Phillipians 2:13: “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
Starting this lesson I just want to point something out that really makes my heart to be joyful and it really touches me the fact that Jesus is the Author and the one that completes the good work in us… He never leaves us nor forsakes us. “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5b (NKJV)
And it reminds me of another passage in Deuteronomy where God speaks with Moses. Let’s check it out.
Deuteronomy 31:6-8(NKJV) 6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. 8 And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
Jesus trained and promised the same blessing to the disciples, the Body of Christ. He trains us, He equips us and He gave us the indwelling presence of His Spirit to abide in us. Jesus prepared everything for the Church, as already indicated in the Word of God, and every disciple is included in this.
The Twelve Apostles
“12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles.” Luke 6:12-13.
I love to research this in the Bible to find answers to my questions. God trained the ones He made leaders in the Old Testament and He does the same in the New Testament.
I have seen in my walk with the Lord that the Bible gives us the answer in all our inquiries. Praise the Lord, He never leaves us without answers, even though so many times it seems that God does not answer us. But does He really not answer, or did we not learn to listen to Him?
Now we have to learn how to apply these Biblical principles so that we can form the discipleship in each local church. Every child of God inquires about the Christian life, yes. And how can we see the rules and guidelines in biblical discipleship? Are we all obliged to observe them? How about the fact that the Bible says: I am free once I am saved.
Biblical discipleship has its traits of character, and Jesus Christ is the perfect example of this. A disciple according to the heart of God is one that reflects Jesus. How could we conceptualize discipleship according to the heart of God?
The apostle Paul invites us to be imitators of him, just as he is an imitator of Jesus Christ. A quick answer to this would be: Let's do everything according to God's will and not our way. This is basically all we need to know. I believe that a wholehearted disciple is described as one who has the goal to be according to God's own heart.
The first thing we need to do is: to learn the Word of God, and from there choose to practice it wholeheartedly. We see that this is exactly what the disciples did. They walked with Jesus for three years, they received power from on high; and then they went to do the work Jesus entrusted them to do. Jesus trained them and Jesus ordained them calling them His apostles. Jesus gave them the authority to go and do the same work that Jesus had done up to that time.
Question nº2: Are you ready to proceed and practice what you have learned, and make disciples?
The second thing we need to do, is to live according to how we were ordained and honored by the Lord Jesus. Jesus chose twelve disciples. What does it mean to be ordained?
The dictionary says that ‘When someone is ordained, they are made a member of the clergy in a religious ceremony.’ Based on this description we can clearly say that all those that followed Jesus, were ordained by him, to be a member of His clergy. Amen, praise God.
Dictionary also says that ‘The clergy are the official leaders of the religious activities of a particular group of believers.’ Jesus said ‘Follow me and I will make you fisher of men’. Jesus ordained them to do the work He had chosen for them to do. It was based on the testimony of the disciples that the church of Jesus Christ was founded here on earth.
What was their character trait? I believe that when Jesus chose them, they were ordinary people just like you and I. However, once they started to follow Jesus, gradually they were transformed into His image and His likeness.
In the beginning, when God created the human being, He created them in His own image and likeness… is this correct?
- Human being chose to follow the serpents’ suggestion, sin entered into the humans’ nature and we lost the likeness of our Creator.
- Christ Jesus restored it on the cross and He works in us the willing and the fulfilling.
Dictionary says that Fulfilment is: ‘a feeling of satisfaction that you get from doing or achieving something, especially something useful’. Remember our confidence comes from that fact that Jesus started the good work in us, and Jesus will complete it. Jesus sews the love in us and He is the one that will work in you and in me to want to do it His way and that we do it as well; to fulfill His good purpose. Jesus works in us the fact that we want to achieve and we will be able to do so, according to His will.
Phillipians 1:6: “6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Phillipians 2:13: “13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
Third thing we need to do is: Learn to be an imitator of Christ as Paul was.
For this we will strive that we may honor the one who called us to serve him here on this earth as His ambassadors. Dictionary says that Imitator is: “An imitator is someone who copies what someone else does, or copies the way they speak or behave.”
I believe that copying the Lord’s way is not exactly what happens in us, I believe that Jesus works in us the fact that we do want to become transformed into His likeness; and therefore we develop the conduct of a true disciple as we allow Him to work in us His character and His likeness. I want to stand as a righteous disciple alongside with Him. I want to rule as we have been instituted by God. The Lord Jesus teaches us to follow the Principles that we must engage into, and also act under the code of conduct that God establishes in which we must lead. I want to be conformed to the heart of our God. God calls, enables and empowers each one of us. Hallelujah!!!
Question nº1: How do you see the discipleship and leadership you know in the church according to the study above?
Question nº2: Are the leaders in your church imitators of Christ as the apostle Paul teaches us?
Homework = Scripture memory:
Be sure to commit this passage to memory before moving on to the next lesson. , Then, practice reciting it repeatedly throughout this course.
Phillipians 1:6: “6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Phillipians 2:13: “13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
Personal goal: Make a commitment with the Lord. My suggestion is to ask Him to make of you a Disciple according to His own heart.
