Discipleship
Introduction
1 Peter 2:2 “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment,”
2 Timothy 2:15 “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.”
‘If you would do the best with your life, find out what God’s purpose is in your generation and fling yourself into it.” ( Arther Wallis)
- Change starts with a decision of the Mind
- It is mobilised by an encounter with the Holy Spirit
- And fully realised over a period of time through a series of “disciplines”
Work out you salvation with fear and trembling
The power behind my decision is my mind handling my weakness
God is a God of order
The process is worked by God’s order.
As you think, so you are.
Gospel of the Kingdom – Salvation is the door
Never knew you Matt 7:21-23
The meaning of ‘knew’ here is an intimate one – God wants intimacy
God’s Kingdom – King’s domain
The order of God
Easy experience gifting – we can run to the gift
God requires obedience – Moses and the rock: he was obedient to the instructions to stoke the rock initially but the second time he was instructed to point the rod, but he hit the rock our of anger with the people and so disobeyed
God still allowed the water to flow (show’s Father’s grace and mercy), but there was a consequence for Moses
Four houses in the New Testament
- Me and my house being myself with God – God wants his orderRelationship is Top down; inside out – God looks at the inside and outside
- My family – man is not head of his house but of his wife.
The two head up family
Oikos means the household of God
As a leader we have the right to minister where God gives us room - The church being the household of God – more want titles than life style
Titles breed pride & pride brings a big fall - The kingdom – God’s house
All of the above have a father
When the kingdom comes to the house then God’s order comes
60% of the 10 Commandments are focused toward man to man conduct
When we have the right foundations / DNA/ ethos we get the required results in all of the 4 houses.
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Salvation
1. DEFINITION
The words save and salvation come from the Greek word SOZO meaning deliverance, safety preservation salvation, healing, soundness. In scripture it has reference to one being redeemed from something.
Gal 3:13 “But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.””
‘Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. The curse of the law according to Deut 28:15-68
The curse of the law is three fold, i.e.
Spiritual death which is separation from God.
Sickness
Poverty.
2. THE FALL OF MAN
Man was created in God’s image, being in total fellowship with God having dominion on the earth (Gen 1:26-30).
Through disobedience to God’s word, man fell into sin (Gen 2:16,17; 3:1-24). Sin produced death (Rom 5:12; Rom 6:23) and separation from God
3. THERE IS A NEED FOR SALVATION
We are identified with Adam in his death (Rom 5:12-19). ALL HAVE SINNED (Rom 3:23). Sin has separated us from God who is holy and just and cannot tolerate sin in HIS PRESENCE.
N.B The only sin keeping the sinner from salvation is the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ. According to 2 Cor 5:19 God sees the sinner as forgiven.
4. GOD PROVIDED SALVATION
N.B: JESUS IS THE ONLY MEANS OF SALVATION.
John 3:16 ““For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
John 14:6 “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
Acts 4:12 “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.””
1 Tim 2:5 “For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.”
5. THE NEW BIRTH
John 3:1-7 “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
1 Peter 1:23 “For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of
The New Birth is an exchange of life and not a change of life (2 Cor 5:17).
The new creature is from above it is the direct operation of the Word of God and the Spirit of God on your life – changing your spirit when you truly
repent and turn to God.
It comes about as follows:
5.1 ACKNOWLEDGE that you are a sinner, lost
without God, and without hope (Rom 3:23)
5.2 ACKNOWLEDGE that Jesus Christ died on the
cross to save you from sin (Eph 1:7) .
5.3 REPENT OF YOUR SINS (Luke 13:3,5; Acts 17:30)
N.B. Repentance means “to change your mind and attitude”
5.4 CONSCIOUSLY RECEIVE Jesus as your Lord and Saviour (John 1: 12)
5.5 BELIEVE in your heart and CONFESS with your mouth that Jesus is Lord (Rom 10: 9 – 10) .
6. UNDERSTANDING SALVATION
Man is a tri-une being SPIRIT, MIND and BODY
(Gen 2:7; 1 Thess 5:23; Heb 4:12)
AT SALVATION
Our SPIRIT is born again, RECREATED (John 1:12,13; 3:3,6,71
Our MIND (or soul man) must RENEW (Rom 12:1,2) in order to release what God has done in our SPIRITS.
Both our MIND and BODY will be affected by what God has done in our SPIRIT at salvation if we continue to OBEY HIS WORD.
Note order SPIRIT, MIND, BODY.
1 Peter 3:4 The Spirit is the hidden man of the heart, which now becomes the most important part of us.
7 WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CHRISTIAN SINS?
Your FELLOWSHIP with God is broken.
N.B.: This will not affect your RELATIONSHIP unless you persist in SIN and
DISOBEDIENCE to God.
To restore fellowship with God confess your sins for he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) .
When you FALL (SIN) don’t run from God, run to Him and ask for FORGIVENESS.
8. THE GREAT EXCHANGE
“Everything I was, Jesus became, so that I can become what He is now”
Jesus became our substitute and we identify with Him in every point of His substitutory work.
His Substitution. Our identification
Jesus died
He was made sin to make us alive.
(with our sinfulness)
He became weak. To make us strong
He suffered shame. To give us glory
He went to Hell. In order to take us to Heaven
He was condemned. In order to justify us – set us free
He was made sick with our in order that we be healed and be in
sickness health and live in Divine health
He was cast out of the in order to make us
presence of God. welcome there.
9. SANCTIFICATION – POSITIONAL and EFFECTUAL
DEFINITION: Sanctification means to SEPARATE yourself from SIN, etc to God, in true DEDICATION and LOVE.
9.1 Positional
1 Cor 1:2,30; 2 Cor 5:21 – We are MADE right with God through FAITH, through no EFFORT from ourselves, but simply through accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.
9.2 Effectual
Gal 5:16-25; Eph 4:21-24; Phil 2:12,13,15 ; Col 3:5-10 –
Once we are MADE right with God it is OUR responsibility to work out practically in our daily lives what we are in Christ Jesus.
10 . CHRISTIAN GROWTH
1 John 2:12-17
This comes from
10.1 READING the Word of God daily.
10.2 FELLOWSHIPPING with the Father daily through PRAYER.
10.3 ATTENDING and being INVOLVED in an active local church.
10.4 SHARING your experience with Jesus with OTHERS.
