DIG for Sunday the 11th of June…..discipleship is really just the search for truth…..John 8 v 31 and 32

In Matthew 28 v 18 to 20 we read that Jesus wants us to make disciples of believers (we are to teach them in other words).

Many people still do not understand what involves making disciples of believers.

Discipleship, in my opinion, can simply be stated as the search for truth.

In John 8 we see Jesus talking to some Jews who had become His followers.

He said that they would be disciples if they did one thing, and this was to continue (or abide, dwell and remain) in His Word (John 8 v 31).

He said that if the believers continued in His Word and became disciples they would know the truth and the truth would set them free (John 8 v 32).

Jesus gives us here the key to discipleship; it is the search for truth.

And we are told where to find the truth, in His Word.

For us that means the Bible, we find truth in the Word and this truth, if we know it, will set us free.

That is what discipleship is about; it is all about the search for truth and knowing truth.

So do you want to be a disciple of Jesus?

Do you want to be set free by knowing the truth?

Well, there is only one way to do this and that is to immerse (or continue) yourself into the Word of God.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I can be your disciple through knowledge and understanding of your Word”.

John 8 v 31 and 32…..Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and thee truth shall make you free

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BIG – Beginning In Grace

big-course-a5-feb-2017

Hi Folks,

I’ve attached a link here to our updated discipleship course called BIG (Beginning in Grace).

This is an excellent course to use with young believers.

Please feel free to use and distribute this electronic copy.

We have hard copies for sale; send me a message for details and costs

DIG for Saturday the 1st of October…..He taught healing, they taught healing, so we should practice and teach healing…..Matthew 28 v 20

Many people still wonder if healing is for us today, wonder if healing is something that we can have as believers.

My understanding is that according to Scripture we are meant to see healing today!

In Matthew 10 Jesus called His disciples to Him and sent them out to heal the sick.

He told them what to do and how to do it with regards to healing people (Matthew 10 v 7 and 8).

Now, just before He ascended, after His death and resurrection, Jesus said something else to the same disciples.

He told them to teach people to do all that He had told them (Matthew 28 v 20).

In other words He told the disciples to teach future disciples what He had taught them.

He taught the disciples to heal, so this was something that He expected them to teach future disciples.

And I cannot see a verse that halts or puts an end to this process.

So the original disciples were taught to heal and they were to teach others, and these disciples would then teach others and so on until today.

We should be taught about healing and once we understand this truth we should be putting it into practice and also teaching others.

Healing was for then and it is for now!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that through the finished work of Jesus Christ healing has been provided for us today”.

Matthew 28 v 20…..Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen

DIG for Sunday the 31st of January…..it doesn’t stop with your salvation…..Matthew 28 v 18 to 20

To many people within the church the ultimate aim is to see people saved.

Did you know that this is not what Jesus asked us to do as believers?

Yes, we need to see people saved but that is not the end of it; Jesus commanded us to make disciples.

Jesus told us to teach, and that is discipleship (Matthew 28 v 20).

Once people are saved they need to move on into their salvation.

This means to learn about what Jesus has done for them and then see them made manifest in their lives.

Moving into salvation means seeing healing, peace, joy and prosperity in your life.

Discipleship (learning from a teacher) will help you mature and move further into your on going salvation.

You see, salvation in the way that I mean does not stop when you were saved.

Salvation is an on going process; and it is called discipleship, it is called maturation.

We all need to find teachers that are more mature than us and get under their teaching in order that we grow.

We also need to find less mature believers so that we can help them grow.

Growth is a process that we should undergo all the time; we should be seeing more healing, more peace and more prosperity.

The good news is that God has put in place a system to help with this; it is called teaching and discipleship.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for your anointed teachers, put in place to help me toward maturity through discipleship”.

Matthew 28 v 18 to 20…..And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. GO ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commended you: and lo, I am with you always, even until the end of the world

DIG for Friday the 8th of August…….now it is our turn to give out…..Matthew 15 v 36

In Matthew 14 and 15 we see Jesus feeding the “five thousand” and the “four thousand”.

Well actually, if you read the accounts carefully that is not what we see.

What we see is the disciples feeding the people.

Jesus took the loaves and the fishes in both instances, blessed it and broke it and then gave it to the disciples.

The disciples then handed it out to the people who were hungry (Matthew 14 v 19 and 15 v 36).

This is a great picture of how the Kingdom works.

As disciples, or believers, we have been given authority and power from Jesus to heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out demons; we have been given what the tired and hungry people of this world needs.

We need to now dish it out!

Father God has provided all that this needy world needs through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

He has given us all the spiritual blessings that we will ever need (Ephesians 1 v 3).

He has given us the authority of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit to bring His Kingdom power to this world.

Now it is down to us.

If our attitude is I don’t have enough to give out we will never be a success.

If we know we have all we already need from the Lord then we cannot fail.

What is your attitude this evening? What do you think about this?

The disciples took what looked like a very little food and fed thousands of people under His guidance.

We can take the awesome and wonderful things He has given us and change this world.
Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for all that I have through the finished work of Jesus Christ and thank you that I can make a difference in this world through His power and His authority”.

Matthew 15 v 36…..And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude

DIG for Saturday the 26th of July…..believer or disciple……Matthew 4 v 19

In Romans 10 v 9 Paul records how a person can be saved; they have to believe in their heart the truth about Jesus and speak out that God raised Him from the dead.

I read in Matthew 4 this morning a somewhat different command that Jesus gave to the men who would become His disciples.

He said, “Follow me”, He did not say, “believe in me”.

This shows to me that there is a difference between a believer and a disciple.

There is no difference in terms of where they will spend eternity (that will be together with the Lord) however we will see a difference in how lives are lived on earth.

I think that a disciple is an “extension” of a believer; there is something “extra” about a disciple.

Jesus asked for and expected something extra from His disciples when He asked them to follow Him.

The mood of this verb “follow” is imperative and the tense is not stated; the imperative shows that this is a command and not an invitation, and the tense shows to me that this is an on going command, irrespective of past, present and future.

“Follow” literally means to come hither, and this holds with it a sense of coming, being with, learning and following. It means more than just having a belief that Jesus is Lord, it talks of making Jesus your Lord and acting accordingly.

In church today we have many who are believers (and I truly believe that they are) but who are not disciples.

People believe in Jesus but are not following Him.

Discipleship involves a cost, a cost of time and effort, to come to Jesus and learn from Him and with Him.

Let me ask you a couple of questions this afternoon.

Are you willing to put in the time and effort?

Indeed, are you a believer or are you a disciple?

The Word tells me that Father God wants every man to believe in Jesus and be saved (2 Peter 3 v 9).

I also believe that Jesus is giving every one of us the same command that He gave to His original disciples; He is saying, “Follow me”.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you for Jesus and for my salvation, and thank you that you want me to be a disciple”.

Matthew 4 v 19…..And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men

DIG for Friday the 8th of November…..simply follow Him, that’s all He requires…..John 1 v 43

It is really easy to be a Christian, or rather it should be!

Philip became a disciple of Jesus and we can see the “role profile” used by Jesus in this verse.

Jesus simply says “Follow me”.

He does not say “turn from your sinful ways, straighten yourself up, get yourself qualified and then you can follow me”.

He says “follow me”.

That is what He is saying to people today; to people who have never known Him and to people who profess to know Him already.

Whether you are a believer or not He simply wants you to follow Him, or become one of His disciples (that is what the Greek word for follow means).

That is what He is saying to you right now; be my disciple.

A disciple follows his master, in terms of learning from him and about him.

That should be your focus in your life as a Christian, or as I saw in a book recently “a follower of the Way”.

The focus should not be upon being better, trying to stop sinning or making yourself right before God; the focus should always be on Jesus.

Life becomes easier with that mindset.

Life becomes easier as you move from religion into relationship with Him.

Life is easier simply following Him.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for Jesus and His finished work, thank you that I am His disciple”.

John 1 v 43…..The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Peter, and saith unto him, Follow me

DIG for Wednesday the 5th of September…..teach the Word so that others can teach the Word…..2 Timothy 1 v 1 and 2

I believe that my main role as a teacher and pastor is to disciple believers in order that they can go out and teach and influence others.

I once had a prophecy spoken over me that I would “raise up pastors and teachers better than me”; this is such an exciting word from God.

Paul wrote to Timothy telling him to be strong in grace and tell faithful men about Him so that they could tell others.

The teaching of the Word is a continual ongoing process.

We are taught so that we can teach others so that they can teach others so that they can teach others……..and I could go on and on.

Good teaching will allow you to grow and it will bless you however it is not supposed to be kept to yourself.

You need to pass on this awesome good news and wonderful knowledge. You need to find more “faithful men” so that you can keep this process of discipleship moving forward.

What a wonderful challenge this verse from 2 Timothy is; to find people that we can disciple so that they can go and produce disciples themselves!

2 Timothy v 1 and 2…..Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also