26th December 2012 by Donna Uning – CM
Jesus chose 12, graduated 11 and focused on three. The whole purpose of discipleship is multiplying effectively. What is the true follower of Jesus? The question posed for the attendees started off the annual Leaders Retreat at St. Faith’s Church, Kuching. The retreat brought in speaker Bro. Brian Young from Canada for the two-night event.
The theme this year is taken from Matthew 28:18-20, Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (NIV)
“Many believed in Him, very few followed Him,” said Bro. Brian Young. In John 6:66, From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “If we were working with the same spirit, won’t we see the same results?” he asked. What are the means are we doing to obtain results as Jesus did? We come together in church, not really doing it God’s way, he pointed out. The qualifications were given in Luke 9 and Matthew 10.
What does it mean by all things? All things are these – in Matthew Chapters 5-7 are the essence of the Kingdom, chapters 8-10 are the missions or demands, Matthew 13 is the theology of the Kingdom, Matthew 14 is the relationship of the Kingdom, and Matthew chapters 24-28 is the coming of the Kingdom. That is all things.
Jesus expects us to be obedient. Can we call ourselves spiritual people and not be obedient? “Take up your cross and follow me; that is the condition,” he said. It does not determine our citizenship in the Kingdom but our effectiveness in the Kingdom. This is what is expected of us to do, he added.
“The place of total obedience is a place a disciple will never suffer lack,” pointed Bro. Brian Young. John 12:24 holds the key to world evangelism. We will face opposition; it is the catalyst to the growth of the church. We cannot have a Pentecost unless we have a cavalry, he added.
Are we willing to lay our lives down? That’s the cost of discipleship. Maybe that’s why we do not see the results we want to see. The fear of death will hinder us. If we are willing to suffer and die, that’s discipleship. We are not here to learn what discipleship is, the issue we want to address is how. Is it hard? Extremely hard. Is it challenging? Extremely challenging.
Many are called, few are chosen. The word ‘chosen’ in Hebrew and Greek context is to suffer. Philippians 1:29 says, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but to suffer for him.” It is not easy. A disciple has no fear of death. The perfect love you experience in Jesus means you will have no fear. Perfect love cast out fear. A disciple is passionately in love with Jesus. Discipleship is built on the premise of love.
Luke 4:18-20 is the mandate for the Kingdom. In Luke 4:20, Jesus closed the book, sat down and all eyes were fixed on Him. Why? He sat on the chair. He is showing that He is the Messiah. The principle of the chair – we are seated in heavenly places. This signifies our authority on who we are; we are in Christ Jesus. The chair is the throne of your heart. Jesus sat on the chair. You and I are seated in heavenly places.
The principle of occupation or chair means, “I have to change. I have a seat of authority in that place.” Just like Joseph who became the Prime Minister of Egypt. He sat on the chair of authority and changed the government. “To see radical transformation, disciples are not just people at the church. They have to learn how they got there,” he said.
A disciple knows how to pray, how to intercede for the church, family and country, and when to make decisions. Jesus gave us the tools or gifts to use to disciple, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, discernment, tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, working of miracles, gifts of healing, and faith.
Our problem is not speaking to God, but hearing from God, he said. Only those with ears to hear will hear Him. Those who hear from Him will have profound effect through infiltration and occupation. Put the presence of Jesus there and there will be change. Jesus has authority because of the Father.
When you walk in His authority, you can guarantee results because it is the work of the Lord. We are called to be violent against the enemy; only when you have opposition, you know you are doing right for the Kingdom, he reminded. “Anything that is born of God will face opposition from the enemy,” he added.
A disciple is one who hears. He has a level of understanding on what God wants him to do and operates in the supernatural. Everything about God is supernatural. Jesus’ disciples operate on the same pretext that is in the supernatural, the way Jesus did. Jesus obeys and does what God does. “This is basically what it means to be a disciple of Jesus,” he said.
We are God’s representative, doing His work, His way. The three obstacles we face are fear of change, reluctance, and procrastination. The duty of the church is to train young men and women to be a power force outside the church. God never design the church to evangelize itself. A church is called to disciple and equip. Spiritual fishing is out there, we need to be equipped in the workplace and be trained to use the Holy Spirit in the marketplace.
Nothing is impossible through God. God is highly unpredictable and always consistent. He loves to do the supernatural. He loves to share His power and authority with His disciples. He has the power to do what He wants them to do. Children should be taught to work in the supernatural, so when they grow up, it becomes natural.
Are you a casual acquaintance of God or are you married to Jesus? Submission to higher authority means picking up your cross and follow Him. Do you say ‘yes’ Lord? Faith always moves in the impossible. God is faithful to His word. He will never disappoint us. A disciple is one who follows Jesus at any cost and does what He asked you to do. Will you follow Jesus? Be His disciple? Pick up your cross? Honor Him? Serve as an obedient student. Go out and change the world.
The second session about discipleship continues in Part 2. Bro. Brian Young and his wife Ruth were in Kuching with the Full Gospel Businessmen (FGB). The Leaders Retreat 2012 was held on December 11-12 at St. Faith’s Church, Kuching.
Looking g for missionaries Brian and Ruth Young