This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on July 14th 2024 by Colin. For the audio & video please click here. For the worship please click here.We are continuing our study on discipleship. As a recap let’s look at some of the th8ngs we discussed in the previous weeks:
Matthew 4:19 “ come follow me and I will make you fishers of men” the end result of following Jesus is to become fishers of men.
What fishing for men means is to become and make disciples. In genesis, God commanded Adam and Eve to fill the earth and subdue it. God wanted the world to be filled with image bearers of God who are in a right relationship with him. He still wants the same. It is repeated at the end of the gospels.
Matthew 28-18-20. “And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."”
There are different stages in this discipleship process
Unsaved / spiritually dead. Eph 2:1-5. Without a relationship with Christ we are spiritually dead and the wrath of God is coming upon them.
Infants: when we come to Christ we come as spiritual infants who need a lot of love and care. The sad thing is to stay an infant for a very long time. As we feed ourselves on the word of God and fellowship with the people of God, we grow.
Children: 1 John 2:12 “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.” It’s a good stage to be in but they cannot discern between good and bad. They need more mature believers to correct them and guide them. Children can be very self absorbed. And we can be like that as spiritual children. They need teachings about who they are in Christ and need mature believers to be in fellowship with them and model things to grow.
Young Adult: 1 John 2:13-14 “ …I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one….I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” Young adults can take care of themselves and can take care of others s well. They are beginning to understand that God has called them to be a part of the body of Christ. They are interested in serving others and putting the needs of others first. We must strive to move people from being children to young adults. Gratitude is a great way to stop focusing on ourselves. In the church young adults have a sense of belonging to the church and they’re looking at how to serve and be a blessing. We can characterise which stage of growth we are in by what they do and say. Young adults are spiritually also caring for themselves. They are able to grapple with spiritual things and have a desire for them.
What do young adults need? They need a coach - a spiritual mentor to grow their gifts and sharpen their skills. Training is necessary for great potential to be able to get stuck in a seed form. The coaches will make them do things they might not feel like doing so they can become what they want. They also need deeper relationships and accountability.
Parents: 1 John 2:13-14 “I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning... I write to you, fathers because you know him who is from the beginning.” Paul became a spiritual parent to Timothy. You become a parent by giving b
Solid understanding of the word of God
Good relationship with God
Have great desire to have spiritual children
“And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” - Genesis 25:21 ESV
You cannot be a parent spiritually without spiritual children. When you want spiritual children you need to pray desperately!
Rachel told Isaac “give me children or I’ll die” “When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I shall die!"” - Genesis 30:1 ESV
Parents are not perfect. But parents sacrifice. But as we sacrifice, there is a huge spiritual reward. We all need to have spiritual children we are investing in. Spiritual parents are connected to a family. They are using their God-given abilities to serve people and advance the kingdom.
“and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” - 2 Timothy 2:2 ESV
This is a parental model. Our job is completed when we can see 4 generations.
How can we put this into practice:
Parents of young children have the primary responsibility of teaching and discipling their children. discipling is modelling. So read the word of god with them. Make sure you’re doing it consistently.
If you don’t have spiritual children, make a list of people you have interactions in hand and consistently pray for them. Pray that God would open a door for the message.
Discipleship does not happen alone. It happens when you have strong and deep relationships.
Our names are written in the lamb's book of Life. Nothing is more important than investing in someone’s soul. Let’s pray.
Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again), Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.
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