Welcome to NECF. We're thrilled you're here.
Make sure to stay with us till the end, where
we'll share some great resources to deepen your
faith. Now, let's dive into this week's sermon.
Before in the name of Jesus. So as I started
off with the teaching on Sunday, I will continue.
And I say that we should understand that this
teaching is instructive. This teaching is such
that you cannot listen to it and not find something
that needs to change. You cannot listen to it
and not find something that you need to either
stop doing or something that you should continue
to do or something that you should start doing,
something that you start doing. So when we examine
through the lens of the teaching, through God's
word, we'll see that we have to come to a point.
And that is how we make progress. If we don't
look at what needs to stop. Look at what needs
to continue. Look at what needs to start. We
will not see progress. Things will continue to
go as has always been. We only see change when
things change. And for us, we are believing God
that this word and we were seeing God do something
in our lives and through our lives by the power
of his word in this season in the name of Jesus.
So I don't want you to be distracted because
what can happen is that everyone is off. Nobody,
I'm not seeing anybody. I'm not seeing, I think
the only person I'm seeing now is our brother
Takunda. I'm not seeing anybody else other than
our brother Takunda. And I don't want us to be
just to zone out and miss out on the opportunity
to learn. We say training means that it's uncomfortable,
but we take a posture to learn. It might not
be the best, but we don't learn in pleasure.
We learn under a certain amount of pressure.
that will help us to be able to see the things
that we are believing God to see in this season.
Praise God. So we said that we want to learn
as a child. We want to learn as a child. We want
to serve as disciples. And we'll see examples
in this evening from how Jesus Christ served.
We're going to see an example because remember
we said as disciples, our model is Christ. As
disciples, we're not modeling the instructions
that we're teaching is that of Christ. The person
we're modeling is Christ. Yes, we'll model individuals.
We'll see. as our pastors, how our pastors are
leading, and we model ourselves after them, but
we know that the ultimate model is Christ. I'll
read a key scripture from Matthew. Matthew 28,
I think I've already talked about why he was
leading us in prayer, had taken us to this scripture.
We started from 16, but I want us to just focus
on the key scripture in Matthew 28, 18 to 20.
It says, And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying,
All authority has been given to me in heaven
and on earth. It is good, 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 things
that I've commanded you. And lo, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age. Amen. And
as I said, I'll repeat myself again. Go there
is a verb. The make there is also a verb. Make
disciples is also a verb. There's two verbs.
One is a passive verb, but the imperative or
the active verb there is the make disciples.
Make disciples of all nations. Christ, at his
death, as in resurrection, is giving his disciples
instruction. Note that in verse 17, we saw that
some doubted. Praise God. Some doubted. There
were some of them that doubted. Some believed.
Some doubted. And I'm very sure that amongst,
they say they worshipped him, but some doubted.
The ones that worshipped him believed. The ones
that there was a bit of doubt here and there.
I want to believe that everyone on this platform
believes. Everyone on this platform is a believer.
Everyone on this platform knows they have...
come into a relationship with Christ and is in
union with him, meaning that this instruction
is still relevant, is very relevant to each and
every one of us. This instruction is very important
and demands our attention and it demands a certain
work and a certain practice. And I said, and
in training, there is a practice. It's a process.
It requires your commitment. It requires a reasonable
amount of effort because nobody makes any change
without a reasonable amount of effort. If you
want to change your clothes, have to make an
effort to take the buttons off and put on another
clothes you need to do anything you want to do
every change we want to see happens as a result
of certain actions certain steps being taken
and when he says make disciples we say the word
there is matter too i'll spell it again m -a
-t -h -e -t -e -u -o and we said It's written
there as making disciples or you see it as teaching.
And it implies to cause people to learn. It also
implies to cause people to learn. And we define
what discipleship is. We say discipleship is
a process of training. A process of training
as a student or an intern or an apprentice by
a disciple, a pastor or a shepherd. And we say
that it is very, very, and note that the person
is more matured in the sense that this person
is here and the individual that has been trained
this year. We want to understand that discipleship
happens as a result of someone being, someone
that is matured training someone that is not.
Meaning that the person that is training has
to be at a level different from the person that
is being trained. And that is very important
because in our group, we'll be in a position
where we can train others. And the end goal is
that every one of us here are being trained for
us to disciple others. It's not for the discipling
to always happen where you are the one. always
receiving. You have to come to a stage where
you will be the one at the position to train.
And every one of us is a disciple. We will always
be disciples. We are disciples to God's Word.
And as I said earlier, that there was something
that was seen in the life of which our brother
read. He was doing the course of the prayer.
In Acts 4, verse 13, where they saw Peter and
John. These two individuals were disciples. These
two individuals were disciples. And they perceived
that these men were uneducated men. They were
uneducated and they were untrained. Note that
there is the educational system that they had
where the people would come and be trained. They
would have their own establishment. And these
people had not been there. Because the schools
were not many. Nowadays, we have a lot of universities
where people go and they are trained. And when
you finish, they will give you a certificate
that you have been through that particular system.
Now people, you go to Bible school, you are being
trained and you come and you have a certificate
to show that you have been schooled or you have
been trained. But these people never had any
of those. So it means that we can't... come to
a point where we have an interaction consistently.
And that is basically what we're doing in our
church, where we're training people to be grounded
in God's word, where people will look at you
and know that this person is trained. This person
is trained with God's word. This person is trained
and this person is able to speak boldly. This
person is able to communicate the truth of God's
word boldly, clearly, and effectively. And that
is very key because if you are not discipled,
you cannot disciple. There has to be something
that people will see and will be drawn. There
are things that people will see and know that
this person is. And that was what made them to
Marvin. And it's my prayer that we as God's children
and in the Church of NACF will grow to a place
where people will see, not just in words, because
we can say things, we can be very eloquent in
our speech, but they will see it in our practice.
They will see it in the way we comfort ourselves.
They will see it in the way we behave. They will
see it in the way we do things. Because it is
not just the things they knew that they saw.
It was the way they acted, the boldness that
they saw. That was one thing that clearly communicated
this. And I believe that we're going to be learning.
We're going to be training. We're going to be...
going in this season where we're going to be
learning a lot and we're going to be trained
a lot and it's to the end that is beyond just
being in our heads. It's going to go into our
practice and it's in the practice that we see
results because manifesting the kingdom of God
is practice. It's not knowledge. Manifesting
the kingdom of God is not what you do from words.
You can see your manifested kingdom of God, but
it's practice that makes the manifestation a
reality that we can see. Praise God. And very
quickly, I had stopped. I think we had gone through
how it should be. We say the first point is a
disciple is teachable. A disciple is teachable.
And I asked us to write it in capital letters,
and I asked us to be able to... to see and see
ourselves and ask ourselves to open our mouths
and say, I am teachable. And you are teachable
too, because if you have not been taught, you
cannot teach. And we say that the attitude of
a child is what we want to pay attention to.
And Jesus Christ points the disciples to the
way a child behaves, the attitude and posture
of a child. A child is dependent, a child is
trusting, a child is eager to learn. A child
is eager to learn. If at any point in time you
call yourself a disciple and you don't have it,
passion, a desire, eagerness to learn, and you
don't even trust the tool by which you are able
to learn, which is God's Word, and you're not
even dependent on God and dependent on the system
that God has placed around you for your learning,
you will have a problem. You will not learn.
You will not grow. Because learning is important
for growth. What makes an adult, what makes,
what differentiates a child from an adult? Even
when an adult behaves like a child, we call them
a child. It's not age. When an adult behaves
like a child, they are referred to, in fact,
they will say this person is acting like a child,
meaning that there's a way a child acts that
an adult shouldn't act. I told us that it can
be positive, it can be negative. Meaning there
are certain positive attributes of a child that
ensures for their growth and evenness, believers.
grown, matured physically, there are certain
attributes and attitudes that we see that ensures,
that accounts for a person's consistent growth.
You see, you don't outgrow being a child in the
kingdom of God. Yes, in the kingdom, you can
get to a point where you're grown, you're a matured
man, people can see beards and all of that, and
they know that this person is grown, or they
can see a woman, and you say this person is grown,
and then you say he's now ready to move to this
next level. But in our work, And in discipleship,
there is nothing like that. You are discipled,
you are discipling others. You are discipled,
you are discipling others. That is the cycle.
And we see an example in the life of the prophet
Samuel. When he was given to Eli, when he was
under Eli, we see that he submitted to the authority.
He learned. He learned. He learned. He didn't
just... He didn't just take things or did things
on his own volition. He didn't just wake up on
Monday and decide to do things by himself. He
learned. So we're going to go down to, we're
going to go down to the points. I think we'll
continue. I think before we even proceed, I want
to point us to the fact that even Jesus Christ
himself, at a certain point in time, I want us
to go to Luke. Luke 2. Luke 2. Because the person
that is instructing us also did likewise. In
a sense, also did likewise. He went and he stayed
around to look to. I want us to read from 41
to 47. I want us to read from 41 to 47. I'll
read from the New Living Translation. It says,
Every year, Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem
for the Passover festival. When Jesus was 12
years old, pay attention to his age. When Jesus
was 12 years old, they attended the festival
as usual. After the celebration was over, they
started home to Nazareth. But Jesus stayed behind
in Jerusalem. His parents didn't miss him at
first because they assumed he was among the other
travelers. But when he didn't show up that evening,
they started looking for him amongst their relatives
and friends. When they couldn't find him, they
went back to Jerusalem to search for him there.
46 now, which is what I want to pay attention.
That is Luke 2 verse 46. Three days later, they
finally discovered him in the temple, sitting
amongst religious teachers, listening to them
and asking questions. Listening to them and asking
questions. He says, all who heard him were amazed
at his understanding. And his answers. All who
heard him are amazed at his answers. All who
heard him are amazed at his answers. And I want
you to see something. In verse 46, it says, three
days later. You know, if a child is missing and
you find a child three days later, the child
will be crying. where's my daddy, where's my
mommy, where's, or you'll be, there's a sense
of, but it shows you something very important
that this person was eager. The person was not
found on the street crying. We see the fact that
Christ, I'm using it, a typical child, but it
shows you the heart of the person of Christ at
when he was even 12. He was there, not just talking,
he was listening to them. He was listening to
them. He was listening to them and was asking
questions. He was listening to them and was asking
questions. You know, sometimes we can feel, because
we talked about this with regard to pride, where
you feel your age or your status or what you
have achieved, what you have not achieved, the
money. We have disciples that were wealthy, but
were still disciples. We have examples in the
Bible of disciples of worldly. We have Joseph
of Arimathea was referred to as a disciple. He
was worldly, but he was still a disciple. We
have individuals in Scripture that were, in fact,
the scribes too, the scribes too were referred
to. There are certain individuals, even one of
some disciples, a couple of disciples were scribes,
they were still. disciples, meaning that there's
a teaching that you have to submit to the teaching
regardless of whatever status you have. Christ
himself came and was amongst these individuals.
They were amused when he was listening to them.
So we should be reminded of the fact that the
instruction given to us is an instruction that
Christ himself, even when he was very young,
followed. So you cannot get to a point where
you feel like, oh, I have known it all. When
teaching is going on, I don't need to take notes.
It's the scriptures that we know them. No matter
how well you are familiar with the scripture,
being teachable is very important because every
one of us still needs to learn. Every one of
us still needs to grow. Every one of us still.
We don't want to come to, I think one time we
were in the cell. I think the funny thing is
that when you're in the cell and then it's, okay,
it's when the pastor is preaching, then you are
taking notes. If the pastor says, okay, the leader
or somebody should teach or the person is making
a statement, you'll be selecting who to write
and who not to write. That's very dangerous for
someone who wants to grow. You are in a setting
where something is being taught or someone is
giving the response, but you want to ensure that
you are teaching. Choosing, okay, this person,
I don't know. They're coming up. Not today. They
come up now. That's when I'll now hear what they
have to say. Or now, where I am. They are not
near me. That's very dangerous. If you have that
in your heart, if you have that behind, if you
have that as the motivation for your learning,
it means that you will lose out on the opportunity
to grow. Every opportunity is an opportunity
where we come around God's word to... to grow.
And it's very important that we see that. So
I want to take us to now the things that we see
in a disciple. And remember, we said we're all
talking about attributes of a disciple. And we
said there's the things that a disciple, that
we see in disciples as the work of a disciple.
There are certain attitudes and attributes that
we see in the work of a disciple. The servanthood
of a disciple. The servanthood of a disciple.
There are certain things you will see in a disciple
that you, that will That makes you know that
this person is someone that is keen on growth,
that is keen on the work that God has called
them into. And one of it is service. A disciple
serves. A disciple serves. A disciple serves.
A disciple serves. And we'll see in John 13,
because this service is modeled by Christ himself.
Note that the things that we're doing is the
things that are modeled by the one who has called
us. We see in John, let's open to John 13. We
look at this from John 13 and also we look at
it from Mark 10. So let's just go to John 13.
I think I want to read this again. Let's just
read it from here. Let's go to John 13 verse
14. John 13 verse 14 and 15. And note that the
background is Jesus washing his disciples' feet.
John 13 verse 14 and 15. I, your Lord and teacher,
have washed your feet. You ought to wash each
other's feet. In 15, he says, And I have given
you an example to follow, as I have done to you.
Do this as I have done to you. Do this as I have
done to you. And I say the background is Jesus
washing the disciples' feet. And those of us
that are following who had read the book of the
book that we had read through as a church, the
communion table, In fact, even if you're reading
the one that we're looking at, every disciple
and minister, you'll see something very key.
You'll see that the role of a disciple, you can't
divorce service from the role of a disciple.
And Jesus Christ here is exemplifying that. Not
that the symbol, what he was doing when he was
cleaning them, we said in the last reading and
the book we read last, there's the teaching of
salvation, which is being cleansed, washing them,
that's sanctification. There's a teaching in
that. Note that what the ultimate teaching, the
practical teaching you're seeing there is service.
And he says, as I've done to you, do to others.
May that you have to serve. You have to serve.
As a disciple, you can't be a disciple and you're
doing not. Remember I said, now this discipleship,
the pro is practical. It's very practical. You
can't just say stuff and not do. We don't, we
encourage you to. want to serve, to desire to
serve, even if you don't have the required skill,
but the commitment you have, it will enable you
to go out of your way to do, and following the
simple basic instruction ensures that you grow.
So Jesus Christ sets an example, and this example,
he was showing it to the disciples that he had
at then, but it's also for us to emulate, to
emulate these things. We are to emulate these
things because it's very important that we do
so. We do so. I want us to go to Mark and see
again. Mark and see Mark 10. I want us to go
to Mark 10. Mark 10 verse 43. Mark 10 verse 43.
It reads, it says, But among you it will be different.
Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be
your servant. Mark 10 verse 43. But among you
it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader
among you must be your servant. And whoever wants
to be first among you must be a slave of everyone
else. 45 now says, For the Son of Man came not
to serve, but to serve others, and to give his
life as a ransom for many. But to serve others
and to give his life as a ransom for many. And
note that we are saying that service here is
what Christ himself had done for us. He came
to serve. And we are to do likewise. The instruction
is for us to serve. It says anyone, and note
that greatness in the kingdom is equal to service.
Greatness in the kingdom is equal to service.
It says both among you. And note that he was
comparing, if you read the earlier verses. In
verse 42, if you read the earlier verses, 41
down to 41, 41 is where it starts. It says, when
10 other disciples heard about what James and
John, you know that it was a whole interaction
between James and John. You know, the thing that
James and John had done. They were indignant.
42 now says, Jesus called the others and said
to them, you know that the rulers in this world
lorded over their people and officials flaunted
the authority over those under them. He said,
but among you, it should be different. Among
you, it shouldn't be the same. Where you want
to pursue service, not position. You want to
pursue service. It's service to God's people
that is more important than anything else. Because
in the world, a person is great when they have
a position where people will hail them, or hail
the chairman, or hail the person that is in charge,
or hail the boss. But note that they can attain
those positions, but they don't do anything.
We are in a world where people just say, okay,
there's a title, but the work that the title
comes with, they don't pursue it. Know that when
you say, well, I think we're listing the roles
and responsibilities of a pastor. You know, somebody
in Isaiah is not easy. You know, when you know
the roles and responsibilities, you are less
likely to desire the position if your heart is
not really in on it. You know, somebody will
say, you say, I'm the pastor. You come. And then
there's some people who used to think, this is
the way we see it in the world, where somebody
comes and they're in a position, they have a
private car, they have a driver, they have all
of those things. And then you come and you're
like, I want to, I might go, I want to be. But
when they tell you, okay, aside from what you
can see, there's the other responsibility that
is this, this, and this, and this, you see the
person will change their mind very instantly
because... Service is not what everybody desires.
Most people will prefer to just be on the background
and then, or in fact, we prefer to be served,
not serve others. But we see Christ sets an example
for us in the fact that he came to serve and
he calls us to do likewise. He calls us to serve.
So we must desire to serve. Every disciple...
must desire to serve. So when we are saying,
serve, serve, serve, and I'm very sure if you
look at the platform now, we are like 58, 58
of us. You want to ensure and check yourself.
Anytime you're struggling with the idea of serving
others, check again. Anytime you're struggling
with the idea of serving others, check yourself
again. Because in the heart of a disciple, there
always has to, you know, some people say, I'm
not a people person. I don't like people. You
are not your own. It's not what you like anymore.
It's what God instructs you to do that is more
important than what you like. If everyone had
a choice to do what they want to do, there would
be chaos because everyone would be doing the
things they want. But because we are under God,
He is the one that is in charge. He instructs
us. He says, look. Greatness in the kingdom is
equal to service. If you want to be great in
the kingdom, you want to pursue service over
anything else. And that is it. Full stop. No
buts. Say buts. You know buts. You know where
I come from. You know buts. There's no buts.
There's no excuses. We'll get to the part where
we discuss excuses. And know that another key
thing is a disciple gives. This is the second
point. A disciple gives. A disciple is not just
someone who receives and receives and receives
and receives because you are being trained, you
are receiving training, you are receiving training,
you are receiving training. A disciple gives.
We'll get to the part where a disciple is giving
what they have received, but we'll talk about
the practicality of giving because a disciple
is committed to the work. So a person that is
committed to a work, a person will be willing
to give to see that the work moves forward. The
person we're willing to give to see that the
work moves forward. And when we talk, I think
in the Church of Renice here, we say this and
say this with every sense of humility in the
sense that we as a church don't place so much
priority on, oh, give this, give... But not that.
It is important that we know that it is a responsibility
that we have as members. to ensure that the place
where you are located, the local church, is thriving.
The local church is thriving. You know, one beautiful
thing about the church is when we call for needs,
it's when we say, okay, there's a need, we call
out, we put it out and say, okay, the church
needs this, that, but not that. It shouldn't
be that we should be in a habit and attitude
to be able to look for the needs in the church.
We, if we're part of a church, and you see that
the church needs this, and you should not even
be, it doesn't have to be something you want
to be loud about. Even though the church needs
this, you can go and find a way. Even though
nowadays people can give for very strange reasons.
Because, you know, I've seen people that will
come and say, okay, I want to, in my little time
here, you will see the person will come. The
person doesn't want to serve, but they want to
give. There's something about their giving, replacing
their acts. I say, if you have a heart for this,
join this. I say, no, no, no, no, Pastor, no.
No, I just want to. It's an agreement I have
with God. It's leading my heart to just want
to. I say, ah, if you really want to, you want
to see how what you are giving impacts the people
that you are. You say you have a heart form.
And it means that people can prioritize wanting
to give to... People do it. They will say, okay,
I give so that people that have this will go
for us. They will go for us. That is very wrong.
And we'll see how the disciples made this thing
practical in Acts 4. I think he read a bit of
it in Acts 2. I just want us to look at Acts
4. How these people did not just talk. They were
very practical in their needs. And these people
were people that were in the church. Acts 4,
I want us to read from 35 to 37. 35 to 37. Acts
4, 35 to 37. And I'll read from the New King
James. It says, 34 to 30, I think, yeah, I said
35. 35 to 37. It says, And they laid them at
the apostles' feet. And they laid them at the
apostles' feet. And they distributed to each
as... as anyone had need. They disputed to each
as anyone had need. Then he says, and Joseph,
who was also called Barnabas by the apostle,
which is translated son of encouragement, a Levite
of the country of Cyprus. Praise God, Cyprus.
The country of Cyprus. 37. having land sold it
and brought the money and laid it at the apostles'
feet. So what you will notice is that there's
this use of the apostles' feet. They laid it
at the apostles' feet. They laid it at the apostles'
feet. They laid it at the apostles' feet. And
we'll see, you'll see there's a lot of use of
the word feet. I want to explain to us that something
very interesting. If you look at 35, I think
in your translation, you'll see that it says,
and laid them at the apostles' feet, and then
you see a semicolon, right? You see a semicolon
there, and it says, and they distributed. They
is who? The apostles, right? And the apostles
now distributed to each one as they need. Each
one as they need. Note that the use of apostles'
feet there communicates the fact that, remember,
if we're using, I think we'll get to that part,
I think we'll get to that part shortly. Where
when something is laid at the feet of someone,
it communicates that this person is in charge.
It communicates the authority of that individual.
Because the person has that laid, not they laid
themselves. The person laid what they had at
the feet of the apostles. And then the apostles
now were saddled with the responsibility of distributing
to meet the needs of people. Meaning that the
apostles... are the ones in charge. People brought
what they had. They will sell what they want
to have the monies to give for the work that
was happening. And note something. It's important
that we know that the individuals have to have
prioritized the work that the apostles were doing
to be able to say, I will sell my land, I will
sell what I have and bring the money for this
to happen. They prioritize the work, prioritize
the people most importantly. The people... that
needed the people that were in need. And as I
said, I will repeat myself again, know that the
use of feet will see that. I want you to see
it with regards to training. See it with regards
to training. See it with regards to training.
I want you to see in Acts, even though in the
Acts 4, I think it's Acts, the same Acts, we'll
see this in the individual question, but let's
go to Acts 22. We'll see the same use of feet
there. In Acts 22, this is not the Apostles'
Feet now. In Acts 22, verse 3. Acts 22, verse
3. Acts 22, verse 3. It reads, it says, I am
a Jew. That is Apostles' Feet. It says, I am
a Jew. I am indeed a Jew born in Tarsus of Caesarea,
brought up in the city, brought up in this city
at the feet of Gamaliel. at the feet of Gamaliel,
taught according to the strictness of our father's
law, and I was zealous towards God as you all
are today. As you all are today. Know that it
uses the feet of the apostle, the feet of Gamaliel
now, in this case, feet of Gamaliel to communicate
the fact that he learned from him. Gamaliel is
the authority. He is the student. Gamaliel is
the authority. He is the student. And you'll
see something in Acts 5. You'll see something
in Acts 5. Acts 5, the ending part, that is 33,
downwards. You'll see that Gamaliel, that is
in 34, to be specific, Acts 5, 34. You'll see
that then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee
called Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in
respect by all the people. and commanded them
to put the apostles aside for a little while.
This is the individual that Apostle Paul, being
trained by, is someone that was held in high,
is a Pharisee, a teacher of the law that is held.
So he had trained Apostle Paul in the law. He
has trained him in the law. And this is the person
he learned to know that the use of the feet means
that he's an authority in the law. In that, him
being an authority, he's in a place to train
the Apostle Paul. And I want us to see another
place where it still is used for Jesus. It's
used also with regards to Jesus. In Luke 10.
I want us to go to Luke 10, 39. The situation
between Mary and Martha. Luke 10, 39. Luke 10,
39. Luke 10, 39. And it says, And she had a sister
called Mary. who also sat at Jesus' feet and
heard his word. Who sat at Jesus' feet and heard
his word. Not that she sat at his feet and heard
his word doesn't mean that she dwells at his
feet. She just is a position of a student and
then the teacher. If you want to learn something,
the teacher is here, the student is here. It's
just a function of, you know that you are learning.
In fact, when kids come around, even in the house,
sometimes they say, okay, you sit down, let me
tell you a story. The person is at the higher
level, you are at the lower level. It means that
this person, you are learning from the person.
You can't be on that ground level and you're
arguing with the, you know, that's why the pulpit
is higher than the, you keep it at the, that's
why the pulpit has to be, pulpit, it has to be
up and then the other people are down. Because
you, aside that, it communicates the fact that
you are, You are listening to what is being taught.
The person is here. You are up, depending on
where exactly it is. I know that it's a thing
where you can see, but it's a function of the
individual. They trust you as an authority to
be able to deliver. That's why they will come
to you to learn. Praise God. It's a function.
It's as much as symbolic. It communicates much
more than just the physical. And it means that
if the person... is at that level, you have the
responsibility to know that in the case of Martha,
they were hosting him. They were giving to the
master. In fact, I think it's in Luke 8, where
you see that there are women too that were given
to the work of ministry. These women were aiding
the work that was being done. They were contributing
to Jesus Christ and also to his disciples. So
people gave. These people gave. They gave. And
giving is a lifestyle of a disciple. Giving is
the lifestyle of a disciple. It's not just receiving.
The disciple should have a lifestyle. The lifestyle
of a disciple is that of giving. A disciple doesn't
need to be pruded, cajoled. They will have to
use persuasive words. They will have to encourage
you, say, you know, you have to see that we need
this. And then you'll now be motivated to say,
okay, because I have seen, because the pastor
had explained and had to drum it down, then we'll
now... because the pastor had to drum it down.
Note that, yes, if you are not used to giving,
you have to be trained to understand that giving
is a responsibility. It should be a lifestyle.
It should be something. It is what is demanded
of us. And you don't have to have a lot to give.
You don't have to have a lot to give. I will
show us in Acts 10 verses 28 how the disciples,
each of them according to their ability, according
to what they had. They determined. They determined.
According to what they had, they determined.
I want us to see it in Acts 10. Acts 11, sorry.
Acts 11, 29. Acts 11, 29. Acts 11, 29. You know,
sometimes you say, ah, sir, I don't have... You
want to... The giving is a function. It's a discipline
you're acquiring when you give, even when you
don't have. Because if you can give when you
don't have, when you do have, you're not struggling.
You know, some of us will say, ah, sir, you know...
The money is not, even if it's, and we don't
want to despise, whatever it is that you have,
you want to train yourself to be able to do it
regardless, to be able to do it regardless. So
in Acts 11, 29, we see that, then the apostles,
according to their ability, determined to send
relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. The
brethren dwelling in Judea. So they were willing
to give for the, and by the way, understand that.
Meeting the needs, they saw that the brethren
in Judea had a need, and then they contributed.
They determined to send some form of relief to
them. Meaning that there's the giving that happens
with them. We saw that in Acts 4, where they
give to meet the needs of the people that are
around them. And there's also the giving to meet
the needs of people that are out. Okay, we see
that these people have something that they contribute
to meet the need. So it means that you give according
to your ability. You don't give beyond. You give
according to your ability and you know your ability.
You know your ability and you give according
to that. And I want us to see also the Philippian
church in their generosity to Paul in Philippians
4. I want us to go to Philippians 4. Philippians
4 verse 10. I want us to read that 4 verse 10
to 18. I want us to see it in context. Philippians.
Philippians 4, verse 10 to 18. So it says, But
I rejoice in the Lord greatly, knowing that at
last your care for me has flourished again, though
you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.
You surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.
Not that I seek... in regard to need, for I have
learned in whatever state I am to be content.
He says, I know how to be abased and I know how
to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have
learned both to be full and to be hungry, both
to abound and to suffer need. 13 now says, I
can do all things through Christ who strengthens
me. Note that when you used to read this verse,
you say, I can do all things, you can say means,
I can do this, you can say means, you can quote
it and quote it, but note that the context is
in the verse 12, where it says, I know how to
be obeyed and I know how to abound. Wherever
and in all things I have learned, because it
says, wherever and in all things I have learned
to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and
to suffer need. So he says he can do all things
to Christ. I mean that he can do the all things.
There is not everything and everything. The all
things there is that he knows how to, when hunger
is in the land and when he has enough. In all
of those things, he is strengthened of the Lord.
Nevertheless, you have done well that you share
in my distress. 15. Now he says, now you Philippians
know also that it. that in the beginning of the
gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church
shared with me concerning giving and receiving,
but you only. 16, it says, for even in Thessalonica,
you sent aid and a gain for my necessities. Again
and again for my needs. Once and again for my
necessities. 17 now. It says, note that I seek
the gifts. I seek the gifts, but I seek the fruits
that abound to your account. 18 now. Indeed,
I have all and abound. I am full, having everything
from Epaphroditus. The things which were sent
from you. a sweet -smelling aroma and acceptable
sacrifice, well -pleasing to God. So, not that
he had received the things that were sent from
them through Epaphroditus, and he's appreciating
this church, the church in Philippi, for their
generous gifts. is appreciating the church for
their generous gift. Note that it's important
that we understand that there's a giving that
you give to the persons in need and there's a
structure for it. When you're giving in the church,
there's a structure. You don't just come and
do it without... the structure that the leadership
has set in place. You don't just go around and
be doing whatever it is you want to do. Yes,
you are giving, but if you're in the church,
you want to respect the fact that there's a structure
around it, then speak to the persons in charge.
You don't just act like you're your own boss
or act like you want to be very careful with
that. And then once you're doing it, there's
a collective system where the church is able
to give for the needs and there's opportunity
for all of that to be done so that it's done
in order. is done in order. So this church, note
that he's writing, he's appreciating, writing,
appreciating the church for all supply of his
needs through a certain individual. The church
contributed to that individual and it came to
him. And note that in our giving, because in
the same Acts, you have an incident that happened
when individuals said they were going to give
something and they lied. In Acts 5, verse 1 to
11, where they say they are promised they're
going to give and they lie. Most of the times
we focus on who killed them, what exactly it
is. But you want to understand that a disciple
should be a person of integrity. A disciple shouldn't
lie. A disciple... shouldn't be given to lie.
If you want to lie, if you don't, you can't,
you shouldn't. You shouldn't lie. And in fact,
they in their own case, it was not on their neck
for them to sell the land and give everything.
But the question was, how much did you sell the
land? Because you promised to sell and give.
And they lied. So you want to focus on the error
of their actions. The error of their actions
was the fact that they lied. So in your giving,
you want to be honest in your giving. And know
that we said that your giving is according to
your ability. If you don't have the ability to
give, there's nobody that is micromanaging or
wanting you to give beyond your capacity. So
you want to be honest. The disciples should be
honest in their giving. That's why when we tell
you, we know that you have the capability to
do so. And then you also know your capability.
So you want to be able to do it within your means.
You want to do it within. Your means. Know that
you don't want to be manipulative. We are not
manipulating you to give. You want to truly give
under authority. You want to do your giving under
authority. Then we go to the other part where
a disciple rejects entitlement. A disciple rejects
entitlement. We are in a world where people are
entitled. They feel like, you know... The church
owes them. This sense of entitlement. Let's go
to 1 Samuel 2. Let's go to 1 Samuel 2. 1 Samuel
2. I want to see the situation with the sons
of Eli. 1 Samuel 2. I want us to read from verse
12 to 17. 1 Samuel 2, verse 12 to 17. It says,
Now Eli's sons were corrupt. Did you not know
the Lord? And the priest's customs with the people
was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the
priest's servants would come with a three -pronged
flesh hook, something like a fork, they would
come with it, in his hand while the meat was
boiling. Then he would thrust it into the pan.
or kettle, or cauldron, or pot. Not that that's
the word, that's the same, it's just the same
pot, the same, the meaning for the same thing,
like a pot. And the priest will take for himself
all that the fish hook, all that the flesh hook,
sorry, brought up. So then, so they did in Shiloh
to all the Israelites who were there. 15. Also,
before they burned the fat, The priest's servants
will come and say to the man who sacrificed,
Give me meat for roasting to the priest, or he
will not take a boiled meat from you, but raw.
16 now it says, And if the men said to him, They
should really burn the fat first, then you will
take as much as your heart desires. He would
then answer him, No. But we must give it to me
now. You see, but you must give it to me now.
And if not, I will take it by force. I will take
it by force. 17. Therefore, the sin of the young
men was very great before God for men above the
offering of the Lord. So, know that these individuals,
there was a system already there where you come
in and then you... You don't come and insist
on your own. Don't come and because my father
is the person in charge, then I'm entitled to
all that it is or I'm entitled because there's
some form of stake. Know that these men, first
and foremost, don't have any regard as we saw
from the start. They were corrupt. They didn't
have any regard for God. They didn't have any
regard for the things of God. As disciples, we
have great regard for God and we have great regard
for the things of God. We don't do otherwise.
We don't do otherwise. And it's very interesting
that if you look at the structure of the house,
the sons were doing what they were doing in rebellion.
And you can see Samuel, the young Samuel, who
later became Prophet Samuel, submitted to the
authority and the things of the sons were in
rebellion. So in a setup, you want to be the
one who is submitted to authority and submitted
to the authority of God's word and submitted
to the leadership. You want to be the one that
submitted to the authority of God's word. And
also, which is very key to point out here, is
the fact that in Eli's case, Eli had a failure.
He had failed to, he allowed sin, the sin of
his sons to thrive. That's why we give instruction.
That's why we correct. You can be in the church
where there's a leadership and then you are floundering
and then you expect us to watch you. do the things
that you want to do or your heart desires. We
said, wherever you, any system where anybody
just does whatever they like, nobody grows, nobody
learns, nobody, there's nothing. Everybody just
chooses however it is they want to. Because in
his house, the man tolerated that happening.
And we see that even in our own church setting,
we do well to avoid a situation where anything
that is erroneous will thrive. Scripture says
that a little leaven leavens the lump. So wherever
it leavens the lump, wherever it is that you
allow anything to thrive, it will destroy the
house. People will just come and think that that's
a culture. That's the norm. That's what we do
here. That's basically what is obtainable. That's
what is allowed here. In 1 Corinthians, okay,
let's just read it. I just quoted it not long
ago. Let's just read 1 Corinthians 5 verse. Okay,
while we're in Samuel, let's just look at Samuel
3 .13. Samuel 3 .13, where it says, For I have
told him that I will judge the house forever
for the integrity which it knows, because his
sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain
them. I want you to see that he did not restrain
Samuel. Sorry, I took us to... Listen, well,
in 1 Samuel 3 .13, we see that the Eli, Prophet
Eli, did not restrain his sons, meaning that...
He had the responsibility to restrain them. That's
in 1 Samuel 3, verse 13. It says, For I have
told you that I will destroy the house of iniquity,
because his sons made themselves vile, and he
did not restrain them. He did not restrain them.
In 1 Corinthians 5, verse 6. 1 Corinthians 5,
verse 6. We'll go to 1 Corinthians 5, verse 6.
1 Corinthians 5, verse 6. But your glorying is
not good. Let's speak in context. Your glorying
is not good, but do you not know that a little
leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore, purge
out the old leaven and the new lump. In this
Christ is the Passover. Note that the focus of
this passage is the fact that Christ is the Passover.
For in this Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed
for us. But the point is this, that once you
take out, that you don't want to allow room for
anything, because in the whole passage, we see
Apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth,
saying that, encouraging and admonishing them
to flee all manner of immorality, because immorality
defiles the church. He's warning and instructing
that this is not allowed here. This is not allowed
here. It is not allowed here that this will leaven
the whole. When they say a little leaven, it's
yeast. And you put yeast into something, there
will be fermentation. And if you notice that
the children of Israel had a thing, because it's
symbolic, they didn't eat. The bread that they
ate was not the one that had yeast in it. It
was not the fermented one that went through the
process of fermentation because yeast in it was
almost like adding something that shouldn't be
in it. to part of it, praise God. And this is
an instruction here where you want to ensure
that you address, you restrain any form of error.
You say, no, this is not obtainable here. And
that is how people grow. Some people don't even
know what is obtainable or what is not obtainable
until they are instructed. And when they are
instructed, a responsible disciple will take
heed of the instruction and go from there. So
we also will see that a... Disciple forsakes
all. A disciple forsakes all. A disciple forsakes
all. It is the responsibility of a disciple to
prioritize God, prioritize the teaching. And
we see this in Luke. I want us to go to Luke
14, 26. I think I've seen previous teachings,
okay? Luke 14. I just want us to read 26. Luke
14, 26. If anyone comes to me, and does not hate
his father and mother, his wife and children,
brothers and sisters, yes, his own life also.
He cannot be my disciple. And you'll be thinking
to yourself, what has been said here? I don't
really understand how that will work. And let
me jump to 33. It says, So likewise, whoever
does not forsake all that he has, cannot be my
disciple. See, whoever doesn't forsake all that
he has can be my disciple. And we say that the
word there, to not, and does not hate, means
that, the hate there means to love less. Meaning
that you prioritize or you love more this one
person over this. So you love less. The hate
there communicates to love less. So it says that
you want to prioritize him over anything else.
We read the 26 and then the last bit. I would
love you to read 26 down to 33, but I just read
the first and the last. But what it's pointing
to is the fact that your priority has to be Him
over anything else. Your priority has to be Him
over anything else. And by the special grace
of God, we're helped by God to be able to prioritize
Him over anything else and not make excuses,
which is the next point in the forsaken all.
When you choose to pursue other things, you will
always have excuses. When you choose to pursue
other things, you will always have excuses. And
I want to say this, at this point, I really want
us to pay attention for this point. When you
forsake, as a disciple, forsake your key responsibility,
what you are giving root for is excuses. You
will have to say, oh, but this, oh, but that.
You know, when a person is full of excuses, You
already right there have a disciple that is not
committed to growth, that is not committed to
the Word, that is not committed to the things
that he's called to do. And we see Jesus Christ
spelling this out to a certain group of people
when they were designed to follow. And then they
said, oh, that's in Luke 9. Since we're in Luke,
let's just go to Luke 9. I want you to see very
quickly. We'll read all the excuses that was
given. One first said, ah, hey, um, ah, well.
I'm going to follow you. He now says, foxes have,
let's look 9 .59. Look 9, let's start from 57.
Look 9 .57. Look 9 .57. It says, now it happened
as they journeyed on the road that someone said
to him, Lord, I will follow you anywhere you
go. And Jesus said to him, foxes have holes,
birds have nests, birds of the air have nests,
but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.
Meaning that the ease is like, look, if you're
going to come with me on this journey, you will
not always have where to lay your head. It might
not be comfortable. It might not be the best.
You will not always have anything you want, the
comfort of a bed, a pillow, a house. Things will
be difficult. Meaning that this thing of discipleship,
the process will be tough. The process will be
tough. And then it says in verse 59, it says,
And then he said to the other, follow me. But
he said, Lord, let me go and bury my father.
Let me go and bury my father. And look at his
response to it. He said to him, let the dead
bury their own dead. But you go and preach the
kingdom of God. See what he says in the instruction,
which is our duty. He says, our duty and responsibility
is to go and preach the kingdom of God, to go
and preach. And there's no excuses for that.
We don't have any excuse for that. He says, let
me go and bury... See, we're not saying that
you should not do the irresponsible, but the
priority for a disciple is go and preach the
kingdom of God. That is the instruction he gave
in Matthew 8. Go and make disciples, go and preach,
go and do all of that because in doing that,
we're going to be teaching. We're going to be
teaching. And then in 61, he now says, and another
said, Lord, I will follow you, but let me first
go and bid them farewell. who are at my house,
and bid them farewell who are at my house. But
Jesus said to him, No one having put his hand
on the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom
of God, is fit for the kingdom of God. Not that
there is no excuses. Every one of them had an
excuse, but the priority for the master is to
preach the kingdom of God. And we see this even
in the Old Testament. We see Elisha. Elisha.
Elisha was... Elijah calls him to follow him.
And Elisha's response was a wholehearted surrender.
He even goes as far as breaking the calf, killing
the cow because he was a farmer. He did all of
that in 1 Kings. We see this in 1 Kings 19 verses
19 to 21. He goes ahead and does that and follows
him. And we see him being discipled by Elijah.
And we see where he goes. We see the effectiveness
of the discipleship, the effectiveness of being
trained under him, the commitment. We see where
he went. And I use the example of even David
and his men. See how they grew. See all the things.
So we want to always, because we can claim to
follow people because of, we can claim that we
are not able to follow because of our career.
because of our family, because of our comfort.
But all of those things are not, we don't do
that. We don't, we prioritize being disciples
over anything else. Praise God. We prioritize
being disciples over everything. We don't prioritize
discipleship over career. We don't prioritize,
but we do all of those things with respect, under
that respect. And know that a disciple also stays
connected. A disciple stays connected too. the
local church a disciple stays connected to the
teaching of god's word we saw that the the the
the people that were converted continue steadfastly
in the apostles doctrine in fellowship and in
breaking of bread and in prayers they stayed
connected and i want us to really very much and
this is we see this in acts the acts 2 42 to
47. We see also in Hebrews. I want us to write
down the scriptures. We see also in Hebrews 10,
25. All of these things, we don't neglect the
Garden of God. We stay connected to the Garden
of God because that is how we grew. That's how
we grew. And I want to very much put this out
there that when you come and then you are a disciple
on social media. Social media follower, social
media disciple is not truly a disciple because
he's in a commitment to local church. I said
this on Sunday and I'm saying it again. If you're
committed to local church, you truly grow. Because
true disciples are committed to a local church
and it's in local church that people, they grow,
they serve, and they are effective. They grow,
they serve, and they're effective. And lastly,
a disciple multiplies. A disciple multiplies.
A disciple multiplies. Our brother, when he was
leading us in prayer, took us to Acts 6. Acts
6. We see in Acts 7 that there was multiplication.
The word spread and disciples multiplied. The
word of God spread and disciples multiplied.
And going back to the scripture that we read,
it says, go and make disciples, teaching them
to observe all the things I've commanded you.
If there is no multiplication, there is a problem
somewhere. It means that either we're not doing
what exactly Jesus was saying, or we're just
saying things we're not doing there. It means
that there is a need for us to come to that place
where the word is spreading, and I believe, God,
that we're seeing it. tremendous amount of multiplication
in the Church of NDCF. We are seeing multiplication
in people's passion and desire to preach the
gospel. We are seeing multiplication in people's
desire to break away from everything that is
holding them back from speaking, everything that
is holding them back from learning, everything
that is holding them back from serving, everything
that is holding them back from prioritizing the
kingdom of God. And it's my prayer and it's my
heart desire that we are challenged. We are greatly
challenged to understand that discipleship is
not automatic. Discipleship happens by intentionally
submitting to the place where God has placed
you in. Discipleship happens by when you intentionally,
it's intentional. It's a desire that you have
that if I must grow, I must submit to the authority.
I must submit to what God is doing in the church.
And I want us to just take this time to just
pray. I would want us to affirm the words I have
encouraged us to affirm on Sunday, which is,
I am teachable. Say it in your room, I am teachable.
Shout it in your room, I am teachable. I stay
teachable. I stay teachable. without pride in
my heart. I stay teachable without pride in my
heart. I lead others by serving. I lead others
by serving and I serve diligently. I submit to
authority. I am not rebellious. I don't frustrate
the efforts of the pastors and the leaders. I
prioritize discipleship. I prioritize the activity
of the kingdom over everything else. I am a disciple
that disciples others. I want you to say these
things. I want you to pray these things and we
are enabled. We are helped of God to be able
to... manifest the kingdom, by the help of God
to continue to manifest the kingdom, by the help
of God to do the things that is required for
us to see the change in our lives and in the
lives of others in the name of Jesus. Amen and
Amen. We're thankful you joined us today. Don't
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God bless.