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Discipleship · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is
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designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
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walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
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the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
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right in. So today we have another opportunity
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to teach God's Word. And what we're going to
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see is that we're going to be making progress.
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in our lives. We're going to be making progress
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in our work. And in this church, we're committed
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to seeing that we grow in our knowledge of God's
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Word and we grow in our commitments to the Word
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of God and we grow in our commitment to the work.
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I want us to pray in the Spirit. I want us to
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pray in the Spirit. I want us to take this time
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to pray in the Spirit. I want us to take this
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time and give thanks to God for what He... Yes,
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today the world is celebrating Easter. And every
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day, what Christ has done, the fact that we have
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power because he is risen, we sang, we danced
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on an empty grave, we have won the victory. The
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victory has been won long ago. We are walking
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in the victory that we've won. And I want you
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to open your mouth and say, Father, thank you
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because I have won the victory. I have won the
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victory. I walk in that victory. I know that
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victory. I know that victory and I walk in that
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victory in the name of Jesus. I want you to open
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your mouth and thank God. I want to hear you
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praying. I want to hear you praying. I want you
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to give glory to this God that is faithful. He
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didn't stay dead. He didn't stay dead. It's because
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of his death and resurrection, we can be called
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his children. We can be called sons. And we're
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grateful for the wonderful privilege that we
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have to call him father. We have a good, good
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father. We have a God who is gracious. And because
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of that, we're not slaves to fear. We are not
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slaves to fear. A victorious person doesn't tremble
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in fear. A victorious person glories in the fact
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that the one who has won the victory for him
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is alive. He's not dead. Thank you for what you're
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doing in our midst. Thank you for what you're
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doing already. Thank you for what you're going
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to do. We give you all the glory and praise and
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honor. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray.
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Amen and amen. What I want us to do is to examine
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ourselves. And in your examination of yourself
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by the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit is going
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to bring you to a point where there are certain
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things that you will stop, and there are certain
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things that you will continue to do, and there
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are certain things you're going to start. And
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for you to not take hold of that which Christ
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has done, certain things... have to end, certain
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things have to start, and certain things should
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continue. Praise God. Certain things should continue.
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And the teaching for today is going to be very
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instructive. It's going to be very instructive,
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and I want everyone of us to pay attention. I
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want everyone of us to pay attention. And it
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takes humility to be able to learn. It takes
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humility to be able to learn. And I want us to
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declare these words in affirmation. Say, I'm
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teachable. I am teachable. And I stay teachable
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without pride in my heart. Say it again. I am
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teachable. And I stay teachable without pride
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in my heart. I lead others by serving. I lead
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others by serving. and I serve diligently. I
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want you to declare these words. I submit to
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authority. I submit to authority. I am not rebellious.
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I don't frustrate the efforts of the leaders
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and the pastors. I prioritize discipleship. I
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prioritize discipleship and the activities of
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the kingdom over everything else. Say, I'm a
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disciple that disciples others. I am a disciple.
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The disciples order. Say, I'm a disciple. The
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disciples order. That you have your topic right
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there. The topic for this teaching is discipleship.
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And I want you to put a bar and include manifesting
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the kingdom of God. Discipleship, manifesting
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the kingdom of God. Discipleship, manifesting
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the kingdom of God. And I want you to meditate
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on this while the teaching is going on. Ask yourself
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these key questions. I'll ask them at the end
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of the service. Do you learn like a child? Do
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you learn like a child? Do you learn like a child?
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Do you serve like our Lord Jesus Christ serves?
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Do I serve or do you serve like our Lord Jesus?
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And ask yourself the third question. Do I prioritize
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God's kingdom? Do I prioritize God's kingdom?
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I'll read in Matthew 28. was from 1 to 20. But
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our focus for this teaching will be 18 to 20.
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And I'll read again to our hearing. It says,
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And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All
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authority has been given to me in heaven and
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on earth. He now says, Go and make disciples
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of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
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the Father and of the Son. and of the Holy Spirit,
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teaching them to observe all things that I have
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commanded you. And lo, I am with you always,
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even to the end of the age. Amen and amen. Can
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someone say amen to that? I want you to read
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together with me verse 19. I want us to read
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it together, verse 19. Give us the New King James,
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verse 19. I want us to read together. He says,
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go therefore together and make disciples of all
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nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
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and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Next verse.
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He says, teaching them to observe all things
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that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with
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you always, even to the end of the age. And I
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want us to say an amen, an amen to that. The
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focus is the active verb in that 19. Our focus
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will be the active verb. There's a go, which
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is passive, is a passive verb. And then the make
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disciple is the primary and the active verb in
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that conversation. It says make disciples. In
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the New King James, you will see teaching there.
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You will see teaching there. And the word there
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in the Greek is matatu, which implies to instruct
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people, to cause people to learn. Instruct people,
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cause people to learn. It uses the word, uses
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teaching. And we'll see teaching later on in
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the subsequent verse. It says instruct. The word
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there is making disciples. The phrase there is
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making disciples. or in the New King James, it
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is teaching, and it is mathetio, M -A -T -H -E
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-T -E -U -O, which implies to cause people to
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learn, cause people to learn. And the word, the
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Greek word there is from a root word, math. It's
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from a root word, math. The math that you know,
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the math, the short for mathematics. From the
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word math. That's M -A -T -H. M -A -T -H. That
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Greek word there is an ancient word. And the
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word is for mental effort. Mental effort. The
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meaning of that word is mental effort. It says
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to think through something. It also means to
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think through something. And it deals with a
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thought pattern. It deals with a thought pattern.
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And I'm explaining all of this to... Set the
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stage for the different things that we're going
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to be looking at this Sunday. And I want us to
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pay attention. The word there, it goes beyond
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just making disciples. The root word there establishes
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the fact that it's down to the thought pattern.
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Note that it's not just all in here. It goes
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down to the actions of the individuals that are
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being trained or being made into disciples. Praise
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God. And it's very important that we know that
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it's beyond just education. It's beyond being
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educated. It's beyond knowing the things of God.
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It comes down to practice. Because we know a
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lot of things, but in practice, the things we
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know, it doesn't translate to the things that
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we do. Praise God. It's very important that we
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see that making disciples goes beyond education.
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because some of us are educated or we're getting
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education, but some of the education that we're
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getting doesn't translate into the practical
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workings of our daily living. Praise God. And
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I want to take us to a passage in Scripture that
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points to us the fact that these people that
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were instructed to make disciples, they themselves
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had something that people could see and knew
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that these people were trained by some means.
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Not a conventional training, but a training that
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they have been with someone. A training that
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comes as a result of their... interaction with
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someone. I want us to go to Acts 4 verse 13.
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Please pay attention. Please pay attention. Acts
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4 verse 13, it says now, it says, now when they
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saw the boldness of Peter and John, they saw
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something. They saw something. When they saw
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the boldness of Peter and John and perceived
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that they were uneducated and untrained men.
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Uneducated and untrained men will mean that These
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people don't seem like they had attended any
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form of, they didn't have any form of formal
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education or formal training. He says, but they
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marveled. They marveled because it got their
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attention. Like, these guys have not been to
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any of our Ivy League universities and why are
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they sounding like this? Why are they bold? What
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is giving them that boldness? What is giving
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them that confidence? And he says, they realized
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something. They realized that they had been with
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Jesus. Praise God. They had been with Jesus.
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And at the point in time where this was happening,
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know that Christ was no longer physically with
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them. Praise God. Christ was no longer physically
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with them. So it says they realized that they
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had been with Jesus. I want us to pay attention
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to this, that they realized that they had been
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with Jesus. So they didn't see what they knew.
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They saw what they practiced. Praise God. They
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didn't see what they knew. They saw what they
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practiced. So you can know a lot of things, but
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if those things don't translate to practice,
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it's a waste. Praise God. It's actually a waste.
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And this thing called discipleship, let's define
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it. Let's define it. Discipleship is a process
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of training. It's a process of training. How
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many of us like training? I know the hands will
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be few. Some people, it's a process of training.
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Praise God. I see one or two hands. It's a process
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of training as a student. I'm nervous as students.
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Yeah, we're students and we don't like training.
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Praise God. So it's a process of training as
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a student or an intern or an intern or an apprentice.
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I'm giving us a list. It's as a student, as an
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intern or an apprentice. If, let me, I think
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we're very familiar with the student part. How
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many of us are familiar with internships? We
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do internships. If you have, some of us are doing
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internships at the moment. Some of us are interning.
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You're an intern when you're doing internships.
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And, you know, all the things you studied in
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school now becomes practical when you're doing
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internships. And most of you don't even realize
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what you don't know. You don't realize what you
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don't know until you're now asked a couple of
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times, you'll be like, we did this in the first
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year. And then it starts. It's over time, it
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starts coming together. I remember when I did
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my own internship, as in the experiences I had
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from that internship as way back as 2009, I did
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my internship and I did it in a lab. I did it
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in a lab. And when we came in at first, I think
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I was the second person to show up as the intern.
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And what they do is that the company wants to
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relieve themselves of responsibility. So they
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will ensure they train you properly so that when
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they train you, the next set of people that are
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going to come, you will train them. And that's
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discipleship right there in the world system.
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They train you and know that they're doing it
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because they don't want to do their responsibility,
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which is train everybody. But there's a beauty
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of that because you now get trained and you train
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the next person. Praise God. And it's so beautiful.
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I can remember the experience. For me, it was
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beautiful because I was like, all the things
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I've been taught now takes on life. It takes
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on flesh. Praise God. Takes on flesh. It's not
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just words now. It's practical. And even in one
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of the incidents, when I was training the person
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as I was trained, an accident broke out in the
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lab where my hands were on fire and I had to
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wave it through. You know, those experiences
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are not what you get from just in class. There's
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no accident. There's safety. The place is just
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safe. There's no, you're not going to experience
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anything. Nothing is going to come to you. Just
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read it. And then the only accident might be
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during exams. After exams, when you go for the
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exam, that's probably a terrifying experience.
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But it was very interesting because I had instructed
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the person that I was now training, because now
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I'm the trainer, I'm the teacher, the person
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is a student. I had given instructions, and the
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person actually messed the instruction up. And
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there's always a consequence. When you do...
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What you shouldn't do. Praise God. I want us
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to pay attention. We're going somewhere. There's
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always consequences for when you are instructed
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and you don't follow instruction. What we saw
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was fire. Praise God. What we saw was fire. And
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I was now in God. I've given instruction. I'm
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walking away. And all of a sudden, I looked at
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my hand. But the good thing was that I had a
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very... God preserved me. I had a very long...
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So it was what was on fire. My hand, my actual
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hand was not on fire. The cloth was what was
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on fire. And then I walked past the office swinging
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my hand. And then my bosses were like, what is
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going on? Like they saw fire just going around
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because I was trying to get the fire out. And
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then once it was out, it came, what happened?
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What happened? I couldn't explain because I was
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trying to work out what just happened because
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even my brain was not computing what had just
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happened. Went back into the lab. We saw the
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lady there because she was holding the thing.
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when the wires was on fire. And then she dropped
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it. It was when she dropped it, the fire followed
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me out. And then I got engulfed by the, we had
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the fire situation. And we had a fire extinguisher
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right there, but we didn't, nobody's, you know,
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in the heat of the incident, nobody's paying
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attention to that. I think I had, I made a LinkedIn
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post on that. And I advise people to be very
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careful, be very careful when you're in the lab
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and pay attention to your environment and follow
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instructions. So not that, that. You can have
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incidents like that when you're trying to give
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life to what it is you're being taught. And then
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you have the other word, the apprenticed. I think,
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I don't know, you know, I'm from Nigeria and
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I'm Igbo by tribe, but I'm from the kingdom of
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God. Yes, that's my earthly tribe, but my heavenly
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tribe is the kingdom of God. And there's something
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that we practice, which is a young man, Lends
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a trade. He wants to make something out of his
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life. He now goes and meets his boss or his master.
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And then he lends. This active is selling spare
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parts, selling building materials. They spend
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time and lend a trade. And it's not just, they
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don't lend it by proxy. They go there, engage
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with the market, know what the dynamics of the
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market is, and then they learn. They don't do
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it. online. Praise God. They do it by doing.
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Praise God. They do it by doing. And it's very,
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very, very, we can see that and see something
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to pay attention to. And I've not finished defining
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discipleship. Remember I said it's a process.
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Means that if you start and not finish, you lose
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out on the opportunity to grow or to learn. Praise
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God. You lose out on the wonderful opportunity
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you have to learn. And if the young man that
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goes to learn that trade decides that his boss
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is not worthy to be his boss and then he quits,
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that's the end of it for him. He might not probably
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have a career in that because he dropped off
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in his second year or his first year. Same thing
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with being a student. If you drop out in your
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first year or your second year, I think this
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week, I asked about a student of mine. I said,
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where are they not in class? The friend said,
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they said they quit. They said they quit. I laughed.
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I said, you're just in foundation. You have not
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started first year. And you just did one semester
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and you failed the course. You came back again
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and then you say you quit. I said, there's a
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lot ahead of you. If you start quitting like
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that, you'll quit on everything. There'll be
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nothing left of you. Praise God. And even as
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a student, if you quit, that's the end of the
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degree. That's the end of the degree. You go
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find something else. That means you have a plan
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that doesn't involve schooling. Praise God. And
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the thing about discipleship, it involves someone
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higher. It involves someone you can refer to,
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since we're using the same word, a discipler.
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Praise God. Involves a discipler. And I want
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you to put another word there. It involves...
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In the context of a church, it involves a pastor.
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Praise God. It involves a pastor. It involves,
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you can also call it, because a pastor is all,
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a shepherd. Praise God. A discipler, a pastor,
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a shepherd. And this is someone who is more mature.
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In the context of the boss, it's someone that
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has experience, someone that is in it for longer
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than yourself. Someone that has been in it for
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longer than yourself. With a teacher or with
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a lecturer. Someone that has a couple of degrees
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to their name that gives them the authority to
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be able to teach you. Praise God. And I want
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us to pay attention to something. In the context
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of discipleship, know that discipleship is not
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mentorship. Praise God. Discipleship is not coaching.
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And it's something that the world uses. Terms
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of engagement, the rules of engagement for mentorship.
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Let me explain. The rules of engagement for mentorship
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is that you go, you see a mentor. There's something
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you want to learn in the life of that mentor.
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Then you tell the mentor, I want to be your mentee.
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And then there's an agreement between you and
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that mentor. And then what happens is that over
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time. If you decide that that mentor is no longer
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worthy to be your mentor, you switch to another
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mentor. Some people will have mentors for days.
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And know that you, in fact, in the world of mentorship
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or in the world of business, they will tell you,
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you should not have, if you have a mentor, the
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mentor has to be for this area. Your other mentor
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has to be for this area. Because if you have
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two mentors in the same area, one mentor will
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say, jump up. Your other mentor will say, stay
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ground, don't jump up. And then you'll be confused.
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You'll be like, should I jump? You now look and
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then you weigh the mentor. You say, what is in
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the CV of this mentor? And then you now start
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choosing which one of them you will follow. But
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know that in the kingdom of God, you don't choose.
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Once you are in the church, the pastors that
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are there in that church are the ones you submit
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to. Praise God. The pastors that are there in
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that church are the ones you submit to. Let me
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give us a scripture in Acts 20. Verse 28. Acts
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20, verse 28. He said, Therefore, take heed to
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yourselves and to all the flock, among which
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the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd
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the church of God, which he purchased with his
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own blood. Which he purchased with his own blood.
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He said the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.
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And know that the context of that is, Apostle
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Paul actually admonishing the elders of the church
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in Ephesus. He was admonishing them and telling
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them to take heed to themselves and to the flock.
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The flock there will not be referring to a group
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of sheep. It's human beings. Praise God. It's
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human beings. It says, among which the Holy Spirit
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has made you overseers. Meaning that the Holy
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Spirit is the one that has placed the pastors,
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the shepherds, because that will make sense,
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flocks, shepherds, in charge. The church of God.
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And even the statement there also says, which
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he purchased. Who is the he there? Christ. Remember,
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what Christ had done. is for all of this. What
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his resurrection gives rise to is in his resurrection
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that we're called sons. It's in his resurrection
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that we are part of a body, part of a family.
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And he is the one that is truly in charge. I
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want to establish something very, very, very
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clear and very powerful. That the things that
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you are discipled in or on is the things concerning
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the same Jesus. that has saved and is still saving
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the lives of people. Praise God. And if you're
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here, know that the message is singular. The
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message is not multiple. And that's why in this
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church we're blessed to have several pastors.
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There were six pastors in this church. And know
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that everything that we teach is anchored on
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one message, which is what I said. Mentorship
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is very different in the sense that you can have
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different people teaching you different things.
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And by the way, also just to point out a couple
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of things. In this church, your pastors have
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their careers as well. So, know that I'm a lecturer.
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If you come and ask me to mentor you in your
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academics because you're doing badly, that now
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is different from this. It's together because
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we do that. When we tell you your CGP has to
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be 3 .0, know that we are... Because what we
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do here is beyond... Just teaching the Word of
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God. We are concerned about every area of your
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life. Praise God. You're concerned about every
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area of your life. And know that what is most
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important to us is your spiritual. What is most
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important to us is your spiritual. Meaning that
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if there's anything that is our priority is that
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you grow in your walk with God. You grow in your
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knowledge of God's Word. You grow in your fellowship.
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You grow in the discipleship. And you're growing
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to the end that you... And not just disciples,
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you also disciple others. Because in your growth,
24:34
you're more matured than someone else. Praise
24:38
God. So you can be here and just having it one
24:42
way. And in your growth, others will grow. In
24:46
your growth, others will grow. And let's look
24:48
at why the whole teaching and everything that
24:51
we do is anchored on Christ. It's anchored on
24:56
Christ. Let's look at the same passage of Scripture
24:58
where we read. He says, In 20, he said, teaching
25:02
them to observe what? Teaching them to observe
25:06
all things that I have commanded you. Teaching
25:11
them to observe all things that I have commanded
25:14
you. And I want us to go to Luke, Luke 24, 27.
25:17
So it says, in the beginning at Moses, this is
25:23
Jesus Christ speaking, beginning at Moses and
25:25
all the prophets, he expounded to them. in all
25:29
the scripture, the things concerning himself.
25:33
Expanded in scripture, the things concerning
25:35
himself. And that same Luke 24, 44, this was
25:39
the incident with Cleopas in 44. We see where
25:43
he does it with a larger group of disciples in
25:45
44, the same 24, 44. It says, Then he said to
25:50
them, These are the words which I spoke to you
25:53
while I was still with you, that all things must
25:57
be fulfilled, which were written in the law of
26:00
Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning
26:04
himself, concerning Christ Jesus. So know that
26:08
all the things they thought, even when they were
26:10
going around, the reason why they would say that
26:13
these people had been with Christ is because
26:16
they saw the things that were being taught by
26:18
Christ in flesh. So they had internalized all
26:23
the things thought concerning him to the point
26:26
where it shows in how They acted. It shows in
26:30
the things that they do. And as I said earlier,
26:33
I'll repeat myself again. The message is singular
26:36
because it's all about Christ. The curriculum
26:40
for discipleship is all founded in the things
26:44
concerning Christ and nothing else. The thing
26:47
concerning Christ and nothing else. It's beautiful
26:49
when you add business, education, and all of
26:52
this to that. Know that that is now where you're
26:54
going. But know that the things that... What
26:57
shapes the curriculum? Here is the Word of God.
27:01
It's the Word of God that shapes that curriculum.
27:05
So the fact that we have every, the growth is
27:09
important. So we just keep going and then we
27:11
grow together. And we say that discipleship is
27:14
not a one -off thing. It's not a one -off thing.
27:18
And when you come into union with Christ, know
27:21
that what follows, because he says making disciples,
27:25
right? What? happens is that you're taught the
27:28
Word of God, you come into the union, you come
27:31
into union and fellowship with God, and then
27:33
what happens is that you are now discipled. Meaning
27:35
that if a person is saved, they should be in
27:38
the church where they will be taught. And if
27:40
a person is saved, you should be part of a church
27:43
where you will be taught. Praise God. Either
27:47
which way, you have to be part of a church where
27:50
the teaching of God's Word comes to you. Regularly.
27:54
Consistent. Because we say it's a process. Meaning
27:57
that if you drop out of school, you don't learn.
28:02
Yeah, if there are people that will say, I'm
28:04
dropped out of school, you can still learn. Just
28:05
take your book and then study. Good luck with
28:07
that. There are people that do self. You know,
28:09
you can read a lot of things. You can have a
28:12
lot of information. But the practice of it, it's
28:15
in the same fellowship where you are able to
28:18
serve. which is very important. You serve in
28:21
a church. Several of us are serving in the media.
28:24
You are serving in the church, and that is part
28:26
of discipleship. Service is also part of discipleship.
28:29
We'll see that very shortly. Note that commitment
28:32
to training is not sweet. That whole commitment,
28:36
like it's really, you have to now walk. You know,
28:42
some people, they are very, you know, sir, I'm
28:45
introverted. You know, I really, I like my space.
28:50
Yeah, you came into God's space anyway. You came
28:53
into God's space and you still want your space.
28:55
It's His will, not your will. Praise God. So
28:58
many of us love our spaces, but for the sake
29:02
of the one who has called us, for the sake of
29:04
the union we have with the one who now has us,
29:07
we break away from certain things that are uncomfortable.
29:12
Praise God. Because certain things are necessary
29:15
for your growth. Certain things you don't like,
29:17
but you do them because you have to. Because
29:19
you're not doing them will affect some other
29:21
people. I used to use that a lot because it makes
29:24
the point very clear. You know that if you don't
29:28
brush your teeth, someone is going to be affected.
29:30
And that in itself is the motivation for doing
29:32
what you do. Because you have to wake up. If
29:34
you forget, you go back. Even if the boss is
29:38
waiting for you. Because you know that when you
29:41
step into that boss, something is going to happen
29:44
and it's not going to be good. Praise God. So
29:47
what we're going to start to do now is we're
29:49
going to look at certain attributes of a disciple.
29:53
Certain attributes of a disciple. And one of
29:56
them, I know that the overall attribute of a
30:00
disciple is that they have to be childlike. The
30:03
humility of a disciple has to be childlike. And
30:07
first on the list, I want you to write down that
30:09
a disciple is teachable. A disciple, It is teachable.
30:13
I want you to write that down. In fact, write
30:16
it in capital letters. If your style of writing
30:18
is small, I forgive you. Just continue in capital
30:20
letters. Say, a disciple is teachable. I want
30:23
you to say it. I am teachable. Say, as a disciple,
30:27
I am teachable. Lord, we don't learn things from
30:32
the streets. As God's children, we learn things
30:35
from his word. And when we are instructed...
30:40
To be childlike, not childish, because you can
30:43
be childish, and that is not good for you. Know
30:47
that the childlike is not meaning that you should
30:50
be a child, right? Saying that there's a character,
30:52
a characteristic of a child that you should adopt
30:54
that will aid you. And I want us to look at Matthew
30:58
18. Matthew 18. Matthew 18. The whole conversation
31:03
there from one, let's just look at three. So
31:06
I want you to write that down. You can read from
31:08
one to four or one to five. I want you to just
31:11
focus on the three. And this is Jesus Christ.
31:14
He said, Assuredly, I say to you, unless you
31:18
are converted and become as little children,
31:22
you will by no means enter the kingdom. Know
31:27
that he's saying this at the point of entry,
31:29
meaning that your attitude should be that of
31:32
a child, meaning that your attitude you should
31:34
carry because a child has certain character or
31:39
characteristics or certain traits that you can
31:42
look and you say, this is a child. One of them
31:44
is that a child is dependent. A child is dependent,
31:48
a child is trusting, and a child is eager to
31:52
learn. A child is dependent. A child is trusting
31:56
and a child is eager to learn. And a child is
32:00
not self -sufficient. A child cannot just wake
32:02
up one morning because he has 200 tele, says,
32:06
Daddy, Mommy, I'm now a man, I'm now a woman,
32:09
I will leave your house. The question is, how
32:12
long will you survive with that amount of money?
32:14
Knowing that what Jesus Christ is saying here
32:17
is that the attitude of a child is what gets
32:20
you into the kingdom and the attitude of a child
32:23
is what... Helps you to grow even in the kingdom.
32:27
The attitude of a child is what helps you to
32:30
receive. Because the child is very believing.
32:33
And if you look at the child, you even lie to
32:36
the child, the child still believes you. Because
32:38
your auntie or your uncle, and you will not lie
32:41
to them. Praise God. I was saying, when I was
32:46
teaching one time, I said, you know this thing
32:48
about value. The child... sometimes doesn't understand
32:51
value. So you can give them two 10 tele and one
32:53
100 tele and say, choose one. But nowadays, they're
32:57
very smart. They will take everything. They will
32:59
take everything. They will say, uncle, all. But
33:03
when you give two and one, not that the child
33:06
will say two is more than one, because the child,
33:08
they're just like, this is two, this is one.
33:11
Obviously, it makes sense. It's a no -brainer.
33:14
But you that is looking at the value, what 100
33:17
tele will buy you is against what 20 tele will
33:18
buy you. You're a lot smarter. That's why they
33:21
don't play those games with adults. They play
33:22
with children. And you want to pay attention
33:24
to the kind of children you play with. There
33:26
are certain children that you don't want to look
33:28
at some of them in church. Praise God. Praise
33:31
God. Know that it's the attitude of learning
33:34
and growing. Because a child has to. And that
33:39
is something that we should adopt. Because if
33:41
you want to learn, you have to be childlike.
33:45
You have to be trusting. You have to be believing.
33:48
You don't want to have a sense of self -sufficiency.
33:51
You want to have God's sufficiency, which is
33:54
that you are dependent on God and you're dependent
33:56
on the systems He has placed around you for your
33:59
growth. You know, when you take for granted the
34:02
systems that God has placed to sustain you, you
34:07
will just have a dream or have a brilliant idea.
34:11
And then you wake up one morning and act on that
34:13
dream and that idea. And the end result is that
34:16
the end result is not good. Praise God. So it
34:20
means that you, and the beautiful thing about
34:23
the kingdom that we're in is that even though
34:26
you're big or you're small, we're still referred
34:28
to as children of God, right? Because you cannot,
34:32
you cannot grow out of, you cannot grow out of
34:35
being God's child. You cannot, you can never
34:38
stop being God's child. And the growth, your
34:42
growth doesn't change it. Praise God. Your growth
34:45
doesn't change you. You know when you say, God,
34:48
don't call me, no, no, no, I'm no longer a child
34:50
anymore. I'm no longer a child. I mean, I mean,
34:53
yeah, your son, your son, you say, okay, man,
34:58
now. You say, man, oh God. You see, man, you
35:03
have to go low. Praise God. Yeah, in reality,
35:07
you have to go low as a child. Praise God. And
35:10
we see, we see this very exemplified in the life
35:13
of Samuel. I want us to go to 1 Samuel 3, verse
35:16
9. And I want you to read the book of Samuel,
35:20
I mean that chapter, 1 Samuel 3. But just for
35:25
this, I want us to see an example. 1 Samuel 3,
35:28
9. It says, Therefore Eli said to Samuel, Go,
35:32
lie down, and it shall be that if he calls you,
35:36
that you must say, Speak, Lord, for your servant
35:40
hears. So Samuel went. lay down in his place.
35:46
So Samuel did not assume. Samuel heard and ran
35:52
to Eli. Samuel heard and ran to Eli. The call
35:57
was from God to Samuel, but note that Samuel
36:01
submitted to Eli's guidance. Samuel submitted
36:06
to Eli's guidance. You are here and you are in
36:09
church. You want to submit. to the guidance of
36:12
your pastors. You want to submit to the guidance
36:15
of your teacher because it's important for your
36:17
growth. He did not assume that he knew God's
36:20
voice. He did not assume he had learned from
36:24
Eli to respond to the voice of God. He says,
36:29
when you hear the voice, he says, speak for your
36:33
servant hears. And what typically happens in
36:36
this day and age is that, you know, now we have
36:39
an opportunity to go online, And then it's very
36:43
beautiful because you can listen to a pastor
36:45
online. And some people will say, my pastors
36:47
are online, which is not a problem. You can have
36:50
your pastors online. But asides having the pastors
36:52
online, you know, when you have a, you know,
36:55
it's uncomfortable because now the pastor online
36:58
cannot talk to you. He cannot, you know, he can
37:01
give you a prophetic word, right? But he cannot
37:04
talk to you. We can't, because remember, we said
37:07
something that is practical. It's practical.
37:10
The things around it is very practical and you
37:13
can't do it remotely. You can't do it virtually.
37:17
You have to do it by showing up in church. You
37:22
have to do it by serving. And you don't want
37:26
to fall to anybody that comes and then you say,
37:31
oh, my pastor is in. And then you are attending
37:34
a church, local church, and it just shows your...
37:40
It reveals a bit of pride. It reveals, I don't
37:43
know how to scale it now. There's a pride and
37:46
there's a lack of submission because you are
37:47
meant to be submitted to the church you attend.
37:50
When you go to that church, that now becomes
37:53
your church and then you submit to the activities
37:56
there. There's something about when you are doing
37:58
two things. You know, it used to be very interesting
38:01
when you're part of a church and then... it becomes
38:05
monotonous because over in your church, in your
38:07
country, you're fasting, you're, you're, you'll
38:10
just be doing, it's not looking like, it looks
38:13
like the God you're serving is like, the God
38:15
of that end is different, is different from the
38:17
God in this end and you're just, you, you will
38:20
be frustrated in your service because now you'll
38:23
just be, you know, for some people, they get
38:25
capacity, man, oh God. You just see that they
38:27
are, because they, You want to understand that
38:30
if you're here, you want to take the activities
38:32
they were doing here seriously. You know, some
38:33
people say, they say, we're doing Book of the
38:35
Month. They say, no, there's a book I'm reading
38:37
from my church. That is, you yourself, you know
38:39
that that is rebellion. You are just, you are,
38:42
you are just outrightly, and the point is, if
38:44
you check, they're not even doing the one from
38:46
the other two because the church, the other church
38:48
cannot confirm. People are very smart. And then
38:50
they think that the pastors that are leading
38:52
them don't have experience. They were foolish.
38:54
We've been doing this for a while. Praise God.
38:57
So, know that the second part is being, The B
38:59
part, a disciple rejects pride. I alluded to
39:05
it. A disciple rejects pride. I want you to write
39:08
that in capital letters as well. A disciple rejects
39:12
pride. I want you to see something in the life
39:14
of David. In Psalms 131. Psalms 131. Media team,
39:21
please help me. Psalms 131, verse 1 and 2. Psalms
39:26
131, it says, Lord, my heart is not haughty.
39:31
That is another word for pride, prideful. Nor
39:34
my eyes lofty. That's a lot of T. Neither do
39:38
I concern myself with great matters, nor with
39:42
things too profound for me, too. It says, surely
39:48
I have calmed and quieted my soul like a weaned
39:53
child with his mother. Like a weaned child is
39:57
my soul within me. Praise God. This is David
40:02
that is a king, he's a warrior, he's a psalmist.
40:06
He has a lot of things to be prideful about.
40:10
Some of us have not attained, we have not attained
40:14
the status of this man called King David. We
40:19
have not attained that status, but yet there's
40:22
something in us. That makes us feel like we have
40:25
arrived. That we have seen it all. That we know
40:27
it all. And we have it all. Praise God. But this
40:32
king remains constantly and continually dependent
40:35
on God. David is someone that has fought many
40:39
battles. But anytime he wants to go to war, he
40:43
will still seek God's face on whether to or not
40:47
to go. He's someone that can say, I know how
40:50
this works. You see them? I will take them down.
40:55
He can take pride in his abilities or in himself
40:58
to be able to do that. And he has the men to
41:02
help him to do it. But he is the one saying,
41:05
or he's the one you can tell and see the posture
41:08
of this man called David. His humility, his humility.
41:13
And this is the same man. And just since we're
41:16
on David, let's just go to 1 Samuel 22 verse
41:19
2. 1 Samuel 22, verse 2. I want us to see something.
41:23
It says, and everyone who was in distress, let
41:26
me wait for us. 1 Samuel 22, verse 2. It says,
41:29
and everyone who was in distress, everyone who
41:33
was in debt, and everyone who was discontented
41:38
gathered to him. Him there is David. So he became
41:42
captain over them, and there were about 400 men
41:47
with him. This is a man that all these people
41:52
came to him. And I want you to see something.
41:54
They are distressed. They were in debt. They
41:59
were discontented. And all these people are people
42:01
that came around him. And I want us to notice
42:04
that it's this same group of people that stayed
42:07
with him to the point where in 2 Samuel 23. I
42:11
want you to write it down. We'll not really go
42:13
there. But you just go there and read the first
42:15
verse. 2 Samuel 23. 8 to 39. You can write it
42:21
down, but you read it. 2 Samuel. 2 Samuel 23.
42:25
8 to 39. It says, these are the names of the
42:30
mighty men whom David had. And the list goes
42:34
on and on and on down to the 39. And this man
42:40
became mighty men. This man hanged around him.
42:43
This man was trained by him. This man grew. Because
42:48
they submitted themselves to him. Praise God.
42:52
They submitted themselves to him. So if you're
42:55
prideful, and by the way, he picked them up when
42:58
they were nothing. Or they came to him when they
43:00
were nothing. Meaning that anything they are,
43:02
if you notice, I think one time I was looking,
43:04
I was like, David said he was thirsty. And this
43:07
man, because of the fact that this man had done
43:10
a lot for them, they were able to, regardless
43:13
of the... The challenge, they went in broke and
43:16
when they got the water, he said he cannot and
43:19
he didn't go ahead to drink it. Note that David
43:23
is an example of someone who has a lot, but yet
43:27
still humbles himself and is not prideful. And
43:31
note that there's something about pride. When
43:33
you allow pride foster in your heart, you will
43:36
lose out on a lot. You will lose out on opportunities
43:40
to grow. You lose an opportunity to learn. You
43:43
lose an opportunity to be blessed and to bless
43:46
others. Praise God. And we, in 1 Corinthians
43:50
8, 1 and 2, 1 Corinthians 8, 1 and 2, I want
43:55
us to look at it. We see that pride, knowledge,
43:57
can puff up. You know, when you start knowing
44:01
some Hebrew and some Greek, start knowing certain
44:04
things, you have a tendency to feel like, I have
44:07
arrived. I didn't know it, now I know it. Apostle
44:11
Paul speaking here, he says, now concerning the
44:13
things offered to idols, we know that we all
44:17
have knowledge. We know that we all have knowledge.
44:21
He says, knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.
44:25
Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. I want
44:27
you to go to 2. It says, and if anyone thinks
44:30
he knows anything, if anyone thinks he knows
44:33
anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to
44:37
know. He knows nothing yet as he ought to know.
44:41
So know that in all of your knowledge, in all
44:44
of the learning and the acquiring, you want to
44:47
know that what truly edifies your neighbor is
44:50
love. Because your knowledge mixed with love
44:53
is what blesses your neighbor. You don't allow
44:56
it. You don't see yourself. Because in your quest
45:01
or in your display of these things, you want
45:04
to ensure that you're doing it anchored on. And
45:07
you're doing it the way Christ. We'll do it.
45:09
You're doing it the way Christ will do it. Let's
45:12
look at the third part, which is a disciple submits
45:15
to authority. A disciple submits to authority.
45:18
That's the third part. A disciple submits to
45:21
authority. I think we'll do that and then we'll
45:23
close. A disciple submits to authority. I want
45:26
you to say it again. I submit to authority. I
45:29
submit to authority. I want you to write it in
45:31
capital letter. A disciple submits to authority.
45:34
I am a disciple and I submit to authority. So
45:36
I want us to look at Hebrews. 13, 17. Hebrews
45:41
13, 17. Hebrews 13, 17. It reads, it says, obey
45:46
those who rule over you. The word, the rule there
45:50
is lead. Rule over you and be submissive for
45:55
they watch over, they watch out for your souls
45:59
as those who must give account. Let them do so
46:05
with joy and not with grief. for that would be
46:09
unprofitable for you. Say, for that will be unprofitable
46:14
for you. The word submissive, to be submissive,
46:19
the word to be submissive is H -Y -P -E -I -K
46:27
-O. H -Y -P -E -I -K -O. It's not hype, but it's
46:34
hupe. It's hupe. So not that accountability or
46:40
submitting to your leaders is something you don't
46:43
negotiate. It's non -negotiable. It's non -negotiable.
46:48
And we are committed to the things that we do.
46:50
What your response should be is that you return.
46:54
And it's the normal. It's normal. We are in a
46:57
world and in a place where people just wake up
47:00
and do what they like. But as a disciple, that
47:02
is not how you're afraid. As a disciple of God,
47:06
that is not. how you operate. Note that in the
47:09
situation that we just read, 1 Samuel 3 verse
47:13
9, Samuel did not look at Eli and said, I can't,
47:16
like, who are you? In fact, if you look at the
47:20
sons of Eli, the sons of Eli were not the perfect
47:25
example. Because you can say, look at yourself,
47:28
your children suffer. You know, you have very
47:31
reasonable things to throw at the man of God.
47:34
You know, some of us, we... Somebody does something
47:37
and then you just go, your pastors are not, your
47:39
pastors don't reply pastors online. But you feel
47:43
like responsibility is upon you now to speak
47:47
on behalf of God. You have got, it's a calling
47:51
upon your life to now come and then you'll be
47:54
typing under, this is heresy, false doctoring.
47:59
You'll be typing under and you'll be, in fact,
48:01
you'll say, sir, with all due respect, you'll
48:03
be typing. All the things you're typing underneath
48:06
comment sections. When you look at your pastors,
48:10
none of us go and with all due respect, man of
48:12
God, listen to what you're saying. The Greek
48:14
word is this, this, this, this, this. So with
48:17
these few points of mind, these things you have
48:19
said, you know, we don't do that here. So if
48:22
you are here and you are paying attention, you're
48:26
looking. at what your pastors are doing and you're
48:29
learning from your pastors. You don't do, that's,
48:31
you submit to authority and your submission to
48:33
authority will mean that you have regard for
48:36
your pastors and have regard for other people
48:38
that are pastors as well. You want to have that,
48:41
put that at the back of your mind because if
48:43
you're doing that to them, it's just a matter
48:45
of time you do that to us because you're practicing
48:49
for the day. When one pastor will tell you what
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you don't like and then you explode. And the
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words that you type is what you're going to give
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to us. Praise God. Know that Samuel had regard
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for Eli. And in his regard for Eli, he submitted.
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He submitted to Eli. And I want to bring to our
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attention something that is very key. If you
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are here in this church, submitting is not, sir,
49:16
I submit you. You know, some people, you know
49:19
how to bend down and say, sir. You know, some
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people will tell you I submit with words. Remember
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I tell you discipleship is practical. It's not
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just in the things you say, it's in the things
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you do. And we take note of the things you do
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and the things you don't do. And one of the things
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you don't do is you are a member of a cell and
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you will not be coming for the cell. Praise God.
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You will not be coming for the cell. You will
49:44
wait for us to find out that you're not in the
49:47
cell and start negotiating how we'll ask you.
49:50
about why you're not in cell and they will now
49:51
find out why you're not in cell. A person that
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understands leadership should notify the leader,
49:58
notify the pastor that they will not be available
50:00
for something. And you know, man of God, you
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know one thing I noticed that they do is that
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because they know that if they notify you, you
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will tell them, you will ask them questions that
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the leader will not ask them because the leader
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will say, okay, thank you. Thank you for notifying
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us. But because they know that if they ask the
50:16
pastor, the pastor will say, where are you going
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to? Or where are you going to be since you're
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not going to... You know, if you say, I'm writing
50:22
an exam, okay, good. Or I'm going to... You will
50:25
say, okay, there's a legitimate reason. But because
50:27
the leader cannot ask them of the legitimate
50:29
reason, so they will choose to... And the leader
50:31
will tell them, ask the pastor, they will say,
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I did. It's when you now ask the question, you
50:36
know, it just communicates that you actually
50:39
don't have... And some of us, we don't know.
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We don't know because we have not been taught.
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So know that when this thing comes to you now,
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you understand that. Because when something happens
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to you, who do you call? The form of you. You
50:52
have your father's number. You have your mother's
50:54
number. You have your brother and your sister's
50:56
number. It is still your pastor you're going
50:58
to call and it's still that same person you don't
51:00
tell where you are going to. Praise God. You
51:02
see how it doesn't even... You yourself. Think
51:06
about it. Praise God. So very quickly, know that
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a disciple is not above correction. A disciple
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is not above correction. And any discipleship
51:16
where correction... It's not muted out. It's
51:18
no discipleship. Because anything you, any place
51:22
where anything goes, nothing grows. If anything,
51:25
you can just do anything you like. Just go. Even
51:29
in school, you don't do anything you like. You
51:31
can't just show up to the exam when you like.
51:33
In English university, 30 minutes after, sorry
51:36
will be your case. Praise God. I want us to see
51:40
something in Proverbs. Proverbs 12 verse 1. Proverbs
51:45
12 verse 1. Proverbs 12, verse 1. I'll read from
51:50
here. It says, Whoever loves instruction loves
51:53
knowledge. Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge.
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Proverbs 12, verse 1. Not 1, verse 1. Proverbs
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12, verse 1. I want us to read it together. Please,
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media, please, don't waste time. I don't have
52:04
time. Proverbs 12, verse 1. It says, Whoever
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loves... Let's read it together, please. Thank
52:09
you. Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge.
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But who hates... is what? Stupid. The word there
52:20
in the King James is brutish. It's a very interesting
52:25
word. And the Greek, the Hebrew word is ba, that's
52:30
B -A -A -R. I know some people will be taking
52:33
offense in the words to be like, how can they,
52:35
how can I be saying because I hate correction,
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stupid. The Greek word is alogos. Some of you
52:42
are familiar with logos. This one, logos, means
52:45
that there's no word. When you say, you know,
52:47
logos, when you put A in front of something,
52:49
it means that it's not that thing. It means that
52:52
you're unreasonable, you're irrational, you're
52:54
not paying attention to words. Because if you're
52:56
paying attention to words, there will be a result.
52:58
If you're paying attention to words, there will
53:00
be a result. So when someone says that you are
53:04
stupid, it's not an insult. You're just being
53:06
unreasonable. You know, when you're trying to
53:08
talk to somebody and the person is not hearing
53:09
what you're saying, it's... It doesn't, and if
53:13
you think that that word is not, let's look at
53:16
Acts 25, 27. Acts 25, 27. The same word is used,
53:21
but in the Greek now. There are logos, which
53:24
is the, Acts 25, 27. And this is, this is, for
53:29
it seems to me, for it seems to me unreasonable
53:32
to send a prisoner and not. and not to specify
53:38
the charges against him. That unreasonable there
53:41
is the word, alogos, which is the word that is
53:44
translated as stupid. Because he's saying that
53:47
I cannot, like it doesn't make any sense. It
53:50
doesn't make any sense that I will not, this
53:52
is speaking about, speaking of, that is Felix
53:55
now, I think it's Felix, yeah, Governor Felix
53:57
speaking to Agrippa and saying that it doesn't
54:00
make sense for me to send him without giving
54:03
a charge because the normal thing is... There's
54:05
a prisoner, there's a church. But now it's unreasonable.
54:08
I will just give us the other text of Scripture.
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I'll give us the other text of Scripture. There's
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2 Peter 2, verses 12, and Jude 10, verse 1. I
54:20
said Jude 10, verse 1. Jude 1, 10. Or Jude 10.
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2 Peter 2, verses 12. 2 Peter 2, verses 12, and
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Jude 10. It uses brutish beasts. You know, most
54:34
of the times when we say someone is stupid or
54:37
is an animal, use that for an animal because
54:39
the animal doesn't understand what you're saying.
54:41
There's no word. The animal doesn't get you.
54:44
That's why you use... And there are animals you
54:46
can train, there are animals you can't. Animals
54:48
you can train, there are animals you can't. It's
54:49
just difficult to train because they don't really
54:51
get it. They don't really understand. And we
54:53
are not animals. We are able to understand and
54:56
we are designed to. Know what it is and do what
55:01
is instructed of us. And it's very important
55:03
that we know that some King Saul, that's King
55:07
Saul, not Saul in the, that's Paul that became
55:11
Saul, at some point in time thought that activity
55:14
equates instruction. Just doing stuff equates
55:18
instruction. Know that in your submission, you
55:21
want to submit to the instruction given, not
55:24
an idea of what you feel like. Because at some
55:27
point in time, he was instructed to do certain
55:29
things. He did what he thought was. And Saul
55:34
admonishes him. And he says, obedience is better
55:37
than sacrifice. And he says, for rebellion is
55:39
as serious. I read from the first Psalm of 15
55:42
verse 23. He says, for rebellion is as serious
55:47
as the sin of divination, which is fortune telling.
55:50
And disobedience is as serious as false religion
55:54
and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word
55:57
of God, of the Lord, he has also rejected you
56:01
as king. I want you to understand something very
56:03
quickly. It wasn't that God rejected Saul. God
56:07
rejected him as king. Because for him to be king,
56:12
he has to listen to what God says and then instruct
56:16
the people. Remember we saw David. David is very
56:20
different from Saul in that... when God says
56:22
he's the man after my own heart, is that he listens
56:25
to what God says and does what God does, what
56:28
God instructs. But in Saul's case, very different.
56:32
He was rejected by God, but like he wasn't rejected
56:37
by God, but rather rejected to be king over Israel.
56:41
What this means is that you can be rejected,
56:44
like you might not be fit for a position, right,
56:47
in church, but it doesn't make you a non -believer.
56:50
Praise God. What this means is that because of
56:52
certain things or because you don't follow instruction,
56:54
you might not be fit for certain things, but
56:57
it doesn't make you an unbeliever. It means that
56:58
first and foremost, you are a child of God. That
57:01
is more important. And in your being a child,
57:04
you want to learn and grow. And because of maturity
57:07
and everything, you will be given responsibility.
57:09
So I want us to understand that when we see certain
57:12
things or when we are given certain instruction,
57:15
know that correction is what anybody that corrects
57:19
you wants you to grow. Anybody that will correct
57:21
you wants the best for you. Because if, you know,
57:24
you have those friends that will say, yes, sir.
57:26
They'll tell you anything you want to do. They
57:27
just, they're the oh yes. And you don't even
57:30
learn anything around those sets of people. So
57:32
I want you to just come to that place where I
57:35
will end with what I started with, which is,
57:37
I want you to examine yourself with the questions
57:40
I asked at the beginning. Do you learn like a
57:42
child? Are you humble enough to learn as a child?
57:46
And learning as a child means that you will take
57:47
notes. You prioritize what is being spoken to
57:51
you. And do you serve like Jesus does? Do you
57:54
go out of your way to be sacrificial in your
57:56
service? And do you prioritize God's kingdom?
57:59
Are you committed to the things of God? Are you
58:02
committed to the things? And discipleship is
58:04
not automatic. It requires intentional submission.
58:08
It requires intentional submission. And know
58:11
that we want to, in this season, choose discipleship
58:15
so that we can effectively manifest the kingdom
58:17
of God. I want us to end with this. I affirm
58:20
that I am teachable. I stay teachable without
58:25
pride in my heart. I lead others by serving and
58:30
I serve diligently. I submit to authority. I
58:34
am not rebellious. I don't frustrate the efforts
58:37
of my leaders and my pastors. I prioritize discipleships
58:43
and the activities of the kingdom over everything
58:46
else. I am a disciple. their disciples, others.
58:49
I want you to pray these things over your life.
58:51
I want you to open your mouth and just pray.
58:55
We appreciate you being here today. We hope you
58:58
carry this word with you throughout your week.
59:01
Don't forget to check the show notes for additional
59:03
insights. Stay connected with us through our
59:06
website or follow us on social media. If you
59:10
are encouraged, share this message with someone
59:12
you care about. Until next time, stay blessed.