Basic Discipleship Truth

  We need to be aware if we are going to disciple someone that we ourselves have something to share. It is going to be a one on one relationship you will be setting up.

   You don't have to be perfect. In fact, it is best if you don't have everything together quite yet. The person you are discipling needs to see you struggle. How else is that person going to understand the Christian life and see Christian Growth?
    Of course you must realize that this is all possible because of the resurrection. If Christ is not raised, then what we do in discipleship is useless and just spinning our wheels, so to speak.
    Pastor Joe, the pastor of ACTS, A Church That Studies, has talked about the ascension. He states Christ ascended to heaven and opened the gates of heaven so that we can partake in the heavenly blessings that come down. That sounds about right.
     But we do need to be a Christian ourselves. We can't transmit something we don't have. We need to have a relationship with God because of the death of Jesus. And that death must have been as a payment for your sins.
     Jesus said if He be lifted up He will draw all men to himself. Yes. But after they are drawn someone needs to come along side and walk that person through what he needs to know. The Bible study. The prayer. The daily behavior. The attendence with fellow believers. 'Forsake not the assembling of yourself together as is the habit of some.'
      Just some basics.

   

God will Meet Your Needs

There is a Bible verse that God will meet all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus. But when it comes to a business start-up I am not too sure that applies.
  Again the Bible says casting all your cares upon Him because He cares for you. That may apply somewhat when you are starting up a business. The daily care of cash flow and traffic enough to pay the bills you are accumulating are cares.
   It helps if you are a prayer. You can talk it out with the Lord. Not that He will all of a sudden pour money out. Even if the Bible does say give and it will be given to you, pressed down and overflowing, that may not be talking about finances. More like it is talking about needs being met.

   Tithing , bring all into the store house and I will pour out is talking more about blessings than it is finances.
   Even if I were to want to force financal provision into those verses and make God a bank, I just can't seem to.
    In the long run you will just have to trust that all will work out. Also that God knows and has allowed you to be where you are. And that together you and He will be alright.

More On Discipleship

Another way to look at discipleship is to think in the area of being pleasing to God. We all want the creator of the universe to be pleased with us.
   We become very much like then person or thing we spend a great amount of time with. If we work and don't spend time with our family, we become workaholics. We may lose our family.

   That is not good.
    So we need to be spending time if we truely want to be discipled and be like Jesus, we need to spend that time with Jesus.
   Jesus spent a good three eyars and more with his disciples. They heard what he said. They ate what he ate. They slept where he slept. And one day they became disciples and did what he did.

Wrong Ideas About Discipleship

More about discipleship. Maybe it would be better to say what discipleship is not.
   I know a church that has a pastor who thinks that discipleship just happens . He is telling his people that they are all to be making disciples and he feels the whole things is taken care of by small groups and Bible Study Fellowships, and witnessing.
   That may be part of it but it is not discipleship.
   First off a disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ. A person can not follow someone they have not studied and know. Discipleship is a process, not a moment in time.
    Discipleship is two people sharing life together, the good times along with the bad times. Two sharing failures as well as successes. It is putting life in boot leather.
      It is being free to cry and cheer in each others presence.
      It is not leading a person to the Lord and then leaving him to figure out the rest. To find out how the Bible relates to life.
       I believe that when you set up a disciple there should be at least eight years between the two of you and no more than eleven. Too close and it is too soon for the discipler to have enough to share. Too long and there is the problem of relating to the needs expressed.

    Discpleship is sharing life and wisdom with another person. You can't do that if you make a convert and run. You must stay and work with the person until they can turn and duplicate.
    Complete the process.

Training Places

  The church needs gifted individuals. Yes. but also trained individuals.

   A good foundational University to attend for Bible training and literacy is Biola University. You will get 30 units of Bible no matter what your declared major. You get it even if you are not a Bible major.
    Another good school is Moody Bible Institute.
   And if you wish to beccome a leader in the church you can consider Talbot School of Theology which meets on the same campus as Biola University.
   I also would recommend Dallas and Western. Masters Seminary is also a good training ground.
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Discipleship Is Needed

Pastor Joe has a vision for the ACTS family. We need to get a program going of discipleship. So the question is, what is discipleship? Yes, it includes Bible study and prayer.
  As I see it discipleship is a one on one relationship between two people. Our example for discipleship would be Jesus. He had twelve and of those twelve he had three. And those who were his disciples ate with, walked with, talked with and observed Jesus.
     It has been sugegsted you have an eight to ten year age difference between the two of you. Man should disciple men and women should disciple women.

     This sounds like a good way to grow the church. Small groups are not discipleship. Needs groups are not discipleship.
      Go slowly. but move forward.
   Pastor Joe states we will need a gifted person to take on the training and leadership to duplicate in the life of others. I think he means we need a trainer who is a Christian who is gifted by God, the Holy Spirit, with the exact gift of discipleship
   True, all Christian should be discipling yet we aren't.
    God has given to the church gifted individuals to train and build up other believers. I think this is what Pastor Joe is talking about.

Sermon Rocked The House

     Last Saturday in Victory Christian Fellowship, a new church being planted in the city of Santa Monica, a guest speaker, a Pastor Cheery Smith, a graduate of Biola University and Talbot Seminary, both located in the city of La Mirada, CA, spoke on the need for community. He pointed out from the book of Acts that the early church had all things in common and they gathered together to hear the apostles doctrine (preaching) and they shared  what they had with one another.
     We need community because no one of us has all the abilities within themselves. We are dependent on others. For example, you may have a need to know how to share the word of God with others. Your fellow Christian has just shared the word and he comes and shares with the group his success. You can learn from him and be built up. "So that is how it can be done. I am encouraged."

       He was very good and I think he had the attention of the young folks. Victory Christian Fellowship is for the young people by the young people and needs to grow. Pastor Daryl is trying hard but he can't do it alone. He needs once in a while a guest speaker to come in and give him a rest. This is what was happening.