Discipleship
WHAT ARE THE MARKS OF A BELIEVER?
by ANDREW CHAN, Pilgrim Baptist, Vancouver, BC
Being a disciple of Christ (a follower or a believer) is not about merely following a list of do this and don’t do that. To follow Jesus is more about “done”, rather than “do.” He has done it, when it comes to fixing things or patching things up between us and God. Romans 5:1 states as we place faith in Jesus "we have peace with God." So this is about a journey of discovery, a pilgrimage toward discovering a love relationship with God. Thus, the key thing to learn in Christ is: relationship.
1. According to John 8:31-32, what does a disciple of Christ look like?
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you KEEP OBEYING my teachings. And you will KNOW THE TRUTH, and the TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE.” John 8:31-32 (NLT)
a. O____________________ to His Word. (obedience)
For if you wander beyond the teaching of Christ, you will not have fellowship with God. But IF YOU CONTINUE IN THE TEACHING OF CHRIST, you will have fellowship with both the Father and the Son. 2 John 9 (NLT)
b. E____________________ the truth. (experience)
On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “If you are thirsty, come to me! If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that RIVERS OF LIVING WATER will flow out FROM WITHIN.” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him… John 7:37-39 (NLT)
c. L____________________ life. (liberating)
It is for freedom that Christ has SET US FREE…you…were CALLED TO BE FREE. Galatians 5:1,13 (NIV).
2. According to John 10:27-29 what are five things that characterize Jesus’ followers?
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
My sheep RECOGNIZE MY VOICE; I KNOW THEM, and THEY FOLLOW ME. I give them ETERNAL LIFE, and they will NEVER PERISH. No one will snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them from me. John 10:27-29 (NLT)
3. Assurance of Salvation (Christian certainty)
According to God’s word, it is a written guarantee that He will never a________________ us. (abandon)
For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.” That is why we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6
Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their sorrow.
Yet Jerusalem says, “The LORD has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.”
“Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for a child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on my hand. Ever before me is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins. Isaiah 49:13-16 (NLT)
Nails (Forever) by Richard Cimino
The nails is Your hands, the nail in Your feet
They tell me how much You love me
The thorns on Your brow, they tell me how
You bow so much shame to love me
When the heavens pass away, all Your scars will still remain
Forever they will say, just how much You loved me
Forever my love, forever my heart, forever my life is Yours.
So what does God desire us to do?
Just t_________ Him! (trust)
But you shouldn’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that I, the Son of Man, can give you. For God the Father has sent me for that very purpose.” They replied, “What does God want us to do?” Jesus told them, “This is what God wants you to do: BELIEVE in the one he has sent.” John 6:27-29
Thus, it about placing faith rather than mere feelings in God who loves you, who wants to relate to you in love, from within you. As you place your trust in God’s love you will hear His voice of joy over you, and will begin to experience His leading. AND FOLLOW HIM!
Changes you should expect (in time):
1. Experience in God’s lavish and unconditional love will grow (Eph.3:17-19).
2. Confidence of His acceptance of you will grow (Rom.8:15-17, 38-39).
3. Over time attitudes towards God’s Word will grow from zero to hero, as you see His love more and more ( 1 Peter 2:2-3).
4. Exhilaration of freedom felt in Christ (Rom.8:1).
5. Worship life will be exciting (from within)(Eph.1:17-19).
6. You will desire (want to)more of God and want to obey and please Him. You will hunger more of Him and just keep asking more of Him, He will bless you ( 1 Peter 1:8-9, 21-23)
7. The peace that passes understanding becomes a reality that will be felt deeper and deeper as you relate personally in prayer, gratitude to Him (Phil.4:6-7).
8. As faith grows, gonna feel just so blessed, so keep growing by dwelling with faith in a Person who loves you so much (Col.2:6,7)!
9. You will love the family of God! John 13:34,35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you LOVE ONE ANOTHER."
10. You will experience power of the Spirit as you wait and practice His presence in your life.
· Good advice without power is bad news.
-Illustration: In this brief illustration, Bell tells of a time his car battery was completely dead. A service station attendant offered this bit of "helpful" advice: "We can take care of it. Bring it on in."
Scripture is full of "good advice" that we cannot carry out on our own.
· Old Testament Law and The Sermon on the Mount become "bad news," telling us what to do and what not to do, but giving us no power.
· After all his miracles, Jesus told the disciples to do the impossible: "Go and do greater works than these."
Jesus knew his disciples needed more than precepts; they needed power.
· Jesus told them, "You will receive power from on high…But you’ve got to wait for it."
· If it weren’t for the good news in Acts 2, we wouldn’t be here today.
The disciples were filled with the Spirit.
· The symbolism of the fire and wind used here, representing the Spirit, is important:
-Jesus said the Spirit is like the wind, blowing wherever it pleases.
-Fire represents the holy presence of God.
· The Holy Spirit, with the gift of tongues, broke the communication barrier so that everyone could hear the gospel in his own language.
· The people were amazed, astonished and perplexed when they saw these phenomena; something extraordinary had happened.
The sequence of events with Christ and Pentecost is also applicable today.
· First, we take in Christ’s teachings, then we are filled with the Spirit and are consequently equipped for his service.
· Why isn’t today’s church as alive and powerful as the first church? Two reasons:
-We have shut the Holy Spirit up in some quiet closet of our lives
-Many people are either ignorant of, or are insensitive to the Spirit’s power within them.
· Where Christ is lifted up, there you can be sure the Spirit of God is at work.
· Pentecost reminded Christ’s early followers that Christ did not leave them alone and still serves as a reminder for us today.
How do we catch the wind of the Holy Spirit?
· We can’t put it in a box; we can’t leash it; we can’t bottle it; we can’t catch it.
· We can receive the Holy Spirit when our sails are unfurled and we’re ready to obey.
Conclusion:
· We can’t catch the wind, but we can be caught by it, by turning our life over to the Spirit.
· Has Pentecost happened in your life?
