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."







Thursday, March 8, 2018

5th Lesson: Discipleship according to God's own heart.

Learning to engage in the conduct with God.

 





The second thing that we must do. We are taught to make disciples, encourage people to follow Jesus and to become His disciple; and teach them to do the same. For this to happen we need to have the longing in us, to want to call upon His Name; and to seek Him and search for Jesus with all our heart. We ought to mean it and truly want it. This is what we need to convey in our message with tender loving care.

There is not a lack of leadership in this world; but which percentage of it receives from God a description equal to the one David got? Who is fit to lead in the kingdom of God? Who should lead and how, or why? Do you believe that David at age 17 years old saw himself as the future king of Israel? 

The same way as David did not know, the disciples did not either. They had no idea what they would be in the future. They did not know that Jesus would lay the foundation of His church based on their testimony and the witnesses they would be proclaiming that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He is the Messiah; promised to them in the Old Testament. You and I do not know it either what God will do with us in the future.

Scripture teaches us that we are qualified if we are born again according to the Word of God, and if we truly are following the Lord as He called us to do. If we bring someone to know Jesus and His Word, for that person we are a leader, because we were used to show him = ‘The Way, the Truth and the Life’ = how to reach salvation in Christ Jesus. The reason why we encourage everyone to study Faith Foundation first is to be able to know how to pass on what we have learned.

In John 1:43-46  we read about Philip and Nathanael how they found Jesus… and followed Him.  “43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Jesus calls Philip and he follows Jesus, and right away, he says to Nathanael: We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Amazing how he right away, was concerned to lead his friend to Jesus as well. That is a sign of a true born again Christian. We want others to find the true life with Jesus. Making disciples is everyone’s work, and not only the leaders’ job. 

Journal no 2:  Check out your life, and evaluate how you are standing in this matter. Are you concerned about your friends and relatives that they also find Jesus? Are you as excited as Philip was to go and make this known to your neighbor/friend? Are you telling them that you found Jesus just as Phillip did? 

Does the Bible teach us how every disciple should work in the Church of God? Does God use only the leadership of the Church or each member in it?  The Word of God certainly gives us guidelines in this regard. The Word of God is the answer to all these questions. Glory to God, for he never leaves us without guidance and answers; and we will try to study each one of these.  

If we attempt to search in the Bible to see how many people received the same description that David received, we would see that it is the minority. Many served God, but not all were described likewise, in their leadership and ministry. There was a special reason why the anointing of God was upon David, who grew up in his journey and in his way of proceeding. David sought the Lord with all his heart and all his understanding, leaning on God in all his decisions. And, when he sinned and was confronted by God, he repented earnestly. Reading the Psalms that David wrote, we can identify in him the fact of true repentance before his God. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” 
Reading this verse in Proverbs, we can tell that David taught his son well. Solomon had learnt the right way, and he followed it for many years and God chose him as the next king after David. 
True or false: I can be a great and awesome leader in church throwing in some good thoughts of my own, as I believe it should be done. 

Vessels for Honor or for dishonor. 
Each and every one of us needs to learn to trust in the Lord with all our heart, and lean not on our own understanding. In all our ways acknowledging our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave His life in order that we can live and by doing so, He directs our paths. Not one single person is a good leader because of what the person is in itself. We are a good leader if we are a vessel for noble purposes in God’s hands as the Apostle Paul explains to Timothy.  

2 Timothy 2:20 “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.”

Select one of the multiple choice.  Since I am a vessel in a great house, that is God´s House, I want to be a vessel of:
a. Gold or silver. 
b. Wood or clay.
c. For honor. 
d. For dishonor.
e. A and C.
f. B and D.

Now to the Romans the apostle Paul addresses it like this: Romans 9:21 (NKJV) “Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?" 

Please also visit page Four Spiritual lays: 
http://highestperspective.blogspot.ca/p/four-spiritual-laws.html



Blessings on to you all. 
Antonina Penner.


A. PENNER PUBLISHING.
 Discipleship according the heart of God
ISBN NUMBER:  978-0-9881063-2-1

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Rev. Billy Graham