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The Be.Attitudes of Following Jesus Series - Part 1A: Practicing the Way - Apprentice to Jesus | Andy Yeoh · Generations Church

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  Hey, you welcome to the Generation's Church podcast. We pray you will be
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  blessed by this message. Today I made a word of God both encouraged and
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  challenge you to be all God purpose you to be. Now, let's dive
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  right in. This series is called the b Attitudes of Following Jesus. So
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  cool, the b Attitudes of Following Jesus. So if if this whole thing
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  is to be summarized in the one word, it's called the Discipleship series.
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  That's it. It's just that sometimes we use the word discipleship and we talk
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  to ten different Christians, and ten different Christians will have ten different ideas about
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  what discipleship really is. That's why. That's one of the reasons why we're
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  doing this series. Okay, it's called the b Attitudes of Following Jesus.
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  Now Part one. Today we start part one and I've entitled Part one practicing
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  the Way or in other words, Apprentice to Jesus. I don't know why,
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  but let long long titles, so forgive me, but here we go.
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  Part one is this single way or in other words, apprentice to Jesus.
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  Remember, words have meaning. All these words are carefully chosen. So
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  let's start discipleship. We have attempted to define it in a very simple way
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  in this church before, and this is this. Discipleship is known as the
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  process. It's not an event, it's not just a destination. It's a
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  process. Somebody say, a process. What process is? It is a
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  process of becoming like Jesus, meaning to say, the more we do discipleship
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  the right way, the more we'll become like Jesus. It's simple enough to
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  understand. Discipleship is the process of becoming like Jesus, not your pastor not
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  the brand, not the church like Jesus. Amen, let's carry on.
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  If I were to break it down and make it more specific, it is
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  the intentional, not by chance. It doesn't happen just because you came to
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  judge today. This process is intentional. It is relational. It is designed
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  to be done in community. Okay, So without going into it further now,
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  maybe later on, I'm going to say that discipleship is designed to be
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  done in community, so therefore it is not possible to be just you and
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  Jesus. More on that later. Okay. It's the intentional, relational process
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  or journey. It is a journey of becoming more like Jesus every day.
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  Amen. In other words, if I were to put it in one phrase,
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  discipleship is following Jesus, following over Okay, so next life. So
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  the be editudes of following Jesus. I'm referring to the bees and the attitudes
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  of discipleship, and I'll explain that as we go along. Okay, the
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  b editors refers to the pa and the attitudes of this process called following Jesus,
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  Amen, or in other words, next light, it's called practicing the
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  way. Now this is not my original idea, adding and I'm not going
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  to present it like it's my own. Found it in a book. The
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  book is called Plicing the Way by this guy called John mac commer all around
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  the world. Now it's one of the most popular Christian writers. But he
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  wrote on this thing called practicing the Way. So these terms I borrow from
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  him because it makes complete sense to me to describe discipleship this way. Practicing
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  the way. Me being me and us being us Malaysians. We we like
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  to take something and then we make it our own. Right. We take
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  like pasta and then we put carry inside. So I'm going to take John
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  Ma's comma pasta and put some carry in it. Okay, Okay. So
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  John macommer describes the goal of disappo as three things. Be with Jesus,
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  become like Jesus, and do as he did. Okay, here's the career
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  in generations. We have also described our goals as a church for people,
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  which is these three things to belong, to, believe, and become.
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  Okay. Now, when we see these three vers this way, there is
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  a step to it. We see that people who start belonging first, we
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  don't expect them to behave or to already be all perfect before they come to
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  church. They can just come as they are, and we give them a
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  place to belong, and as they're part of the community, they will start
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  to believe and become all. Right. Now, if I were to stretch
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  this further and put more details into it, as I repackage this, it
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  will sound like this belong in community, believe in Christ, and become like
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  Christ. That's our general goal in generations, want people to belong in community
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  and in community they will believe in Christ and start becoming like Christ. Amen.
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  So now to throw in more discipposite Korean disciposhi. Therefore, for us
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  is is one who belongs to Jesus. You already belong to him, you're
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  his and as you belong to him, you will believe in him. So
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  there's a disciple, okay. And they will do these three things. They
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  will be with Jesus, become like Jesus pretty much his words, right,
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  John's words. But I make him to a bila, behave like Jesus,
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  because behaves to act, think, feel, do as Jesus. So far,
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  so good. Diciple shape is one who belongs to Jesus, who believes
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  in Jesus, and they do these three things, they be with Jesus,
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  they become like Jesus, and they behave like Jesus. In other words,
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  the behavior to do as Jesus did. All right, let's move on.
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  Let's move on. Okay. So see often right when we come to when
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  we think of disciple ship or anything basically in life, we tend to think
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  of life and even processes like how to make a cake, or how to
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  run the marathon or how to build a bit whatever. Right, We tend
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  to think in in linear terms. Step one, finish step one, and
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  then step two finish that and then step three. Okay, Now it helps
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  when we are Brown by time and space, which we are right. We
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  live in time and space. There's only so much time, there's in it
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  so much space. So that's why we are always wired to think of everything
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  in time and space terms step one, step two. So we we also
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  tend to think about discipleship that we're like, oh, what do I do
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  first? Must at convert first? Or disciposition starts before I convert or after.
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  That's where we get a little bit mess up when we apply time and
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  space concepts to something that's eternal. Okay, in the Kingdom of God,
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  is not always linear, not always that one step to set three, not
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  always linear in not in the line least, because God himself is not bound
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  by time and space. Therefore he doesn't necessarily think, act, or create
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  under those limitations following so far. In other words, when we say discipleship,
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  we think one, two three. When Jesus says the sipoship, it
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  may not be one to three. If it's is three twenty. To him
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  who's able to do exceed far more abundantly than all we ask or think them
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  is a let me give you a different application to the scripture. We always
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  think of this as a miracle scripture breakthrough right, but basically telling us God
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  things differently. We think one, two, three, we do this first,
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  and this then this got things above and beyond that. Amen. Okay,
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  so we see this in different right. Now. Remember we talked about
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  being centered set in this church. Still remember that. Okay, for those
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  of you are new, we are desided we're gonna be a center set church,
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  not a bounded set of fuzzy set. Let me quickly explain. A
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  bounded set is the main question to ask is are you in the set or
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  are you out? For example, it's a mathematical concept. For example,
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  all even numbers are in the set. Therefore all odd numbers are outside the
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  set. So for example, some churches my my function away. If you're
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  a church member, then we baptize you, or you get this come for
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  your church gam or you get this T shirt free or whatever. Okay,
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  it's a in or out. We find that to be sometimes unhelpful because the
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  kinot got doesn't work that way, and some people react to that. Some
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  churches react to that and then they become fuzzy. Said, oh, let's
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  have no rules, because no, we got to be judgmental. We accept
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  everybody. Then they become no rules, no right, no wrong, They
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  become fuzzy. That's also not helpful. We want to be centered set.
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  The main question in the center set community is which direction are you moving in?
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  Are you moving towards all away? Amen? So in this church we
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  believe that as a pea, as long as people are moving towards Jesus,
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  that's the direction we want to move in. Some of us are one meter
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  from Jesus very close, Saint almost Summer, one kilometer away, very far.
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  But we don't judge them because we are both moving the same direction.
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  Amen, Centered said, which direction are we moving in? So as we
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  look at the three things of this apposit bach Jesus believe like Jesus become by
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  Jesus. I've purposely put it. Not in the line, It's in the
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  circle, right it all. It's all touching each other. Everything is happening
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  at the same time. You get me. So those who belong to Jesus
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  or believe in Jesus is moving towards Jesus. You see that. You see
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  the error, okay, And it starts with just to understanding. It starts
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  with one thing, to be with Jesus. This relates to last week's message,
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  and I'll explain as we go along. But it's at the court,
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  at the core of excipleship, at the court of a Christians, a Christians
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  life is we just want to be in Jesus, be with God. It's
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  not step one to step two because as you are becoming like Jesus, the
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  heart of it is to be with Jesus. You see how the concept works
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  now, It's not step subt for you. It is everything happening. It's
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  a process, a journey. Amen, some days of trying so hard to
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  become like Jesus, behave like him, but then you find it yourself you
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  need to just retreat and just be with Him and not do anything all at
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  the same time, you are not retreating, you are not going backwards.
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  You're part of the process as a whole. Which part of the circle or
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  which part of the journey will be a better word, Which part of the
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  journey might you be at right now? So I'm gonna give you a framework
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  for part one. This is part one. This is what we're thinking about.
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  We're answering these questions. What is discipleship? The show answer is it's
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  a process, it's not an event. It's not a program. It's not
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  a project, it's a process. Number two, process of what that process
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  is a process of becoming like Jesus. Okay, we're gonna address these matters.
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  Number three, what do you call this process? Well, we're choosing
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  to call it practicing the way or being an apprentice to Jesus or discipleship.
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  Okay. Number four, why is it important to apprentice under Jesus Because we're
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  all already disciples or something. The question is whether it's Jesus or not.
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  Well explained that. Number five, how do we do this? Well,
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  we need to be intentional with the process. It does not happen automatically or
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  inevitably. It is something that has to be intentional. You have a part
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  to play. Amen. And finally, what does this process look like?
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  We've already mentioned it. Just now be with Jesus, Become like Jesus,
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  behave like Jesus. Amen, let's give it the first one. What is
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  this type of ship? And the answer that I say, it's a process.
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  So friends, let's begin with the invitation of Jesus to disciple shape because
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  it's Jesus who started this whole thing, right, it is him who first
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  said, come follow me. And before he left earth, he told us
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  to do the same to others, make disciples do what he did. So
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  let's start with the invitation of Jesus to discipleship. It was. It was
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  not to convert to a new religion called Christianity. Jesus when he said follow
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  me, he's not saying come join a new religion. This is better.
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  No, no, no. He never used the word religion, and he
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  never used the word Christianity. Okay, let's address what it is not.
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  When Jesus said come follow me, it is not asking people to convert into
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  a new religion or to something called Christianity. Number two, His primary invitation
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  was what come follow me. Discipleship is following Jesus. I know I threw
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  a lot of words already. They're all interchangeable and all intersecting. Discipleship is
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  a process by suppose of what following Jesus. So this is discipleship now.
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  But it's basically the twenty times in twelve different conversations that Jesus it follow me.
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  Basically this to illustrate, not one time Jesus said convert, get saved.
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  Say this in this prayer, come to the author, call, raise
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  your hand you know what I'm saying, feel about. I'm not saying any
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  of those things are bad. I'm just saying, if we are to understand
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  the scuppership correctly, we must understand what it is not first. And just
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  because it is not not not, that doesn't mean it's bad. Not saying
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  prayer is bad soh in college band, just saying let's not let's learn to
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  different shiit those things. Twenty times Jesus said come follow me in twelve different
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  conversations. This is just the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, look, and
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  John okay, cool, And this invitation to follow me. When Jesus said
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  come follow me, it was an invitation to apprentice somebody's apprentice. It's an
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  invitation to apprentice under Jesus into whole new way of life. That's what Jesus
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  is inviting you to do. So, if this is, if this is
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  our basis from now on two years from now, when I say hey,
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  are you a disciple, I'm not saying have you joined the class. I'm
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  not saying do you dress like us? You know what I'm saying, I'm
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  asking you, have you been following Jesus and living a new way of life?
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  And this new way of life is what Jesus calls the Kingdom of God.
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  That means there's a kingdom, and you are not the king. Jesus
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  is the king, so he rules and we live by his rules and he
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  reigns. Amen. That means what you do with your time and money,
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  for example, this is actually not really up to you. It shouldn't be
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  if you're a disciple. So when Jesus said come follow me, he's saying,
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  leave your current or all way of life and join me and learn this
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  new way of life called the Kingdom of God while you're on earth. Amen.
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  And the words that he used was not saying praise, sit on the
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  chair, appear. He said practice. He used to word practice and used
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  the word way all over the Gospels over fifty times. Every time he describes
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  discipleship and follow me, he's using these words practice, way. And the
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  word way in the Greek is hold us. Hold Us is at word picture.
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  Okay, it means a way. It's like a road, a travel
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  way, a journey, or metaphorically it's a cause of conduct. See,
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  Jesus is inviting us to leave a new live a new way, and it's
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  also a way of a new way of thinking and feeling and deciding. The
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  word holders actually means road, but Jesus used the word metaphorically. Remember their
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  figurative meanings towards how do you get from arada manstrat tou subang. There is
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  a road, there's a particular way to get there, but you use this
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  road and you get there. So Jesus is saying, discipleship is literally a
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  process. You are not going to get it within your first one year of
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  Christianity because it takes practice. But you must stay on this way, stay
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  on this lane, stay on this path, and keep going the right direction,
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  and you keep practicing. Amen, everybody, Okay, so far so
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  it's a word hold us, when Jesus come follow me. It's the words
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  hold us, and it's a word picture this. He's referring to a new
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  way of life that you and I must follow in order to apprentice under Jesus
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  into what he calls the Kingdom of God. Amen, this way of life,
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  this way of life of a disciple, takes practice. If there's no
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  other reason you can think of to come to a gathering like a church or
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  a gigi or anything. Because we've heard it for a long time now,
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  that you know, going to church doesn't mean you're a Christian. Going to
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  stop up, That doesn't make you a lot You're going to make Donald don't
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  big man. Yeah, I get it, I get it. I don't
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  even come to church just for like some ten com moments reason. It's just
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  simply a it's practical. It makes sense because the way Jesus asked me to
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  live I need to practice. There's no way I can learn how to forgive
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  on another deal with conflicts unless there are other people that actually offends me and
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  insults me and stuff like that. I'm saying, this way of life takes
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  practice, and this practice is to be done in community. The way Jesus
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  showed us, he didn't pick one disciple, he picked twelve. Amen.
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  And by the way, everything has meaning. You know, there's usually a
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  group of disciples. And by the way, it's not just Jesus. Jesus
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  was not the only rabbi walking around on Jewish grounds those days. Before Jesus,
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  there were already rabbis. And rabbis usually have a group of students,
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  and usually a mono girl students. There's usually an older one. Peter was
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  the old one in the Jesus group. He's the only one who's married God
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  in law. He never mentionges why you need mention in law. So you
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  get it. You can want it at all. You got wife, and
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  the rest of the disciples were teenagers pretty much pretty much. Uh So there's
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  always see you can see the practicality the way you just set it up.
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  There's always a group community, there's always older ones to help the younger ones
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  and stuff like that. Well, we'll explore it further. Now. This
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  way all that takes practice. The word practice should suggest to you this Christian
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  life not about perfection in the way we think when the Bible uses the word
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  perfection is about maturity, not excellence. It is maturity. So since discipleship
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  is a process and it takes practice, the expectation is not that you be
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  perfect as soon as possible. But the expectation is this that we are persistent
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  and consistent. If we get off the road a little bit, it's okay,
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  we come back on the road, because it's about persisting on the path
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  and remain consistent. If you get off the path and go some other path,
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  that's where you go wrong. But if you're not perfect, sometimes I
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  all here somethings. I thought, that's okay. Jesus already assumed that.
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  Amen, the Sermon on the Mount Matthew five six. Many scholars, Christians
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  for us, for many decades now have been arguing, is this even a
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  realistic way of Can people live like that? Hah? You slap me on
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  the left, at least slapt me on the writer? Really can we live
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  like that? It sounds too perfect, too good to be true. But
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  if you read the Gospels carefully, Jesus actually suggests that this life, yeah,
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  I know, is high standard, but if you practice, you can
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  make it. He already assumes when he preached it her saying you must get
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  it right tomorrow. I'm saying this is something you will have to practice the
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  rest of your life, Amen, similar amount that that great life is just
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  inviting us to practice. He will get it wrong sometimes, but stay persistent,
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  Stay consistent, Amen. Hence the term practicing the way we are practicing
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  the ways of Jesus. That's discipleship. Nobody here whatever one day richa,
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  Okay, I'm not fifty five years old, I'm a disciple of Jesus.
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  Done. That's not possible. For the rest of your life. You will
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  be in this practice, You'll be on this journey and as long as you
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  stay on a journey, you are good. Amen. So what's this process
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  called is the process of becoming like Jesus. Amen. So Jesus is the
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  way, right, and discipleship is what following Jesus the way. Therefore,
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  discipleship is following the way, and following is a process, is not an
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  event. It's not a destination. It's not a destiny, and it takes
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  practice. Every day you're practicing and becoming better and better at it. Therefore,
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  following Jesus is practicing the way or being an apprentice to Jesus, and
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  practicing the way is the process of becoming like Jesus. So discipleship is the
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  processing Jesus. Hope, I'm not confusing you, but let me give it
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  to you in a picture of form. I told you it's not linear,
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  right. So Jesus is the way, that's the call, and the whole
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  process is following the way, practicing the way, and that call being an
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  apprentice. Underlining it is this is whole process. Okay, let me show
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  you this, shret you this way. So Jesus is the way, is
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  the call? Right? Who are we following, who are trying trying to
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  become what is this whole thing? Jesus, he is the way, he
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  sees the head at the heart of it. But what we're doing with our
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  lives is we're trying to It's the process of becoming more like Jesus. Yes,
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  and it's also known as apprentice to Jesus. Yes. And what we're
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  doing is following, a practicing the way. It's three D. It's not
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  like if you do this, then your dam It's all happening. It's all
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  happening. And Jesus being the Way is in the very center of it,
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  in the very heart of it. Jesus is at the heart of what we're
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  trying to do and what we're trying to do. Oh, we're following,
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  we're practicing. Yeah, at the same time we are being his apprentice.
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  We're learning his skills and what he does. Yeah, it's it's a process.
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  It won't happen tomorrow, it won't be complete in twenty year's time.
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  Amen. This whole thing is a process. This whole thing is practice.
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  It's all one, it's three D. It's all happening at the same time.
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  I'm on a process. My wife irritates me, and I forgive.
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  Yesterday I didn't do so well. Today I do better. Yesterday I shot
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  better. Today I let her show me I know, and we kiss and
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  makeup. And it's a process all And why do I do that? Why?
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  Why? Why? Yesterday I shouted by her? And today I say
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  sorry because Jesus is at the call. He taught me that we must forgive.
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  It's all happening at the same time. I didn't sand yesterday because ILL
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  tell her yesterday, I know no more, no more Christian, and I
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  have to start from step one again. It's treatier. So Jesus says I
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  am the way. In fact, when he said I am the way,
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  it's the word us. He said, I am that path. I'm that
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  road you want to get to Malacca. I am the way. I the
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  way, the truth and the life. No one comes to their father,
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  No one becomes like the image you were created to become, and then you
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  lost it when you sinned. No one does that except through me. I
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  will show you how. So Jesus applied the word us hold us to himself.
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  So when he said follow me, and he said I'm the way,
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  he's saying I'm this is discipleship is follow me? And did you know that
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  followers of Jesus were subsequently called hotocytes in other words, Rody's the rod people.
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  Yeah, the way people are those of the way. This will if
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  if we live thousand years ago, we will not be called Christians. We
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  will be called Rody's. Oh you are the people of the way. Huh,
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  you know what I'm saying. In fact, it's what they describe themselves.
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  The word Christian came later, the wrore Christian came later, and it
• 26:03
  is a word given by other people who are not Christians, who called those
• 26:06
  Christians Christians. But the disciples, then I am of the way. I'm
• 26:11
  already I followed the word that Jesus walked. Amen, these are some examples
• 26:15
  of the disciples calling themselves by this term. And asked him for letters to
• 26:22
  the synagogue. I don't ask us so that if he found any belonging to
• 26:25
  the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
• 26:29
  Paul, But this I confess to you that according to the way, which
• 26:33
  they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, building everything
• 26:37
  laid down by the law and return in the prophets. So thousands years ago,
• 26:44
  when there was no twelve Steps to discipleship, and there's no this program
• 26:48
  and the program and this Bible study. I'm not saying those things are wrong
• 26:51
  now. I'm just saying somewhere along the way pan unintended, Maybe, just
• 26:57
  maybe those of us who are called Christians today have lost the way unintended again,
• 27:04
  when originally the people who follow Jesus who go to church are known as
• 27:10
  people who lived that way, that new way of life called the Kingdom of
• 27:17
  God. You know what I'm saying, the way, So holdos. You
• 27:22
  know it's also used in the Book of Acts four separate times to refer to
• 27:26
  the church jesus early followers called the followers of the Way. So disciples follow
• 27:33
  us versus Christian what's the difference? What's the difference? Let's go quickly.
• 27:37
  Yeah, Christian is barely used in a New Testament, only three times,
• 27:41
  Disciples two hundred and sixty eight times. It's generally a negative words. It's
• 27:48
  a it's a slur, it's like an insult. I don't have to give
• 27:52
  examples because I don't know who off an if I give examples, But you
• 27:56
  know, you know, slurs, la insults, Christian itself literally means medimas
• 28:02
  Siah, little Christ. It's people trying to insult those days. People following
• 28:07
  and say, ay, you're trying to be like godlah. So Christians those
• 28:12
  days don't actually call himself Christians because it was an insulting word. It was
• 28:17
  later on in church history. After a while they realize, actually, you
• 28:22
  all are. That's what we want to be. We want to be a
• 28:25
  small versus of Christ. We want to be like Christ. So Christian,
• 28:30
  after all, it's not that bad word. It's a beautiful word. It's
• 28:33
  just that the word Christian now has so many different meanings, not all are
• 28:38
  good, and even among Christians, the word Christian may not necessarily mean what
• 28:45
  Jesus meant. So that's why we are doing this series. This series is
• 28:52
  not to say don't use the word Christian from now all. We're gonna call
• 28:53
  thesecipots of generations. No, no, no, that it's okay. Just
• 28:57
  this understand where the him from originally, when Jesus said follow me, and
• 29:06
  people who say yes to him, when they say yes, they're saying what
• 29:08
  no, Jesus, I will now live like you live. So if people
• 29:14
  slept you on the left and you let them sleep you on the right.
• 29:15
  I'll do that too, That's what I'll do. Amen. Okay, let's
• 29:21
  move on. So unlike Christian Disciples, you sixty eight times a new Testament.
• 29:27
  But there's a gap between cultural Christianity system Now culture Christianity. Christian Christianity
• 29:33
  is just a culture. It's just a way of life by a growth of
• 29:37
  people, and it may not mean what Jesus meant. So there is a
• 29:41
  gap between cultural Christianity meaning people who identify as a Christian. Now, there's
• 29:49
  there's no there's no greater than someone's saying these days are I identify as a
• 29:55
  chair? Because this this brings new meaning now because we live in a day
• 30:00
  it is where someone can actually say, I identify as a cat. Yes,
• 30:07
  we have read stories, real stories in America. Some girl or some
• 30:11
  girl I can I can't remember, identify as blind, perfectly has perfect side,
• 30:17
  but identify as blind. So ask the friend to pour poison as it
• 30:19
  on his eyes. And someone else identify as a lame perfect legs, but
• 30:27
  sits around the wheelchair all the time because I'm lame. I am lame.
• 30:32
  So if you see from that light right, like, really, what's the
• 30:36
  big deal if you identify as Christian, because the real challenge is discipleship.
• 30:45
  A Christian is not necessarily a disciple, but a disciple is necessarily a Christian.
• 30:52
  Here's the real challenge, right, Jesus called the discipleship is more than
• 30:56
  just conversion. And I want to be careful. I'm not saying our conversion
• 31:00
  is not important. The moment where you say I want to follow, it's
• 31:03
  all important. But look, so there's a gap. Historical and cultural shifts
• 31:10
  have led to a version of Christianity where the discipleship is optional, and so
• 31:15
  it's created a two tier church with many identifying as Christians but not living the
• 31:22
  way as disciples. And this gap is partly due and I'm a fault too
• 31:30
  because I've done it partly due to the way the Gospel has been presented.
• 31:37
  We say things like being a Christian is easy, It's easy to follow Christ
• 31:41
  Again, it has to have context. It's easy because Jesus down the cross.
• 31:45
  Sure, but it's hardly easy. Like I mean, you have to
• 31:51
  do things. I forgive your wife every day. You have to do things
• 31:56
  I tell the truth, you do do things like sevis Nah, No,
• 32:01
  it's it's it's partly due over centuries how the gospel is presented, and once
• 32:08
  upon a time, I think, because people are not comforting fast enough,
• 32:13
  eventually said to have rallies and there were mass conversions. So hundreds of people
• 32:19
  get saved at the one time, which is a good thing, but it
• 32:22
  created a new problem how to disciple. So don't look, just don't look,
• 32:28
  or oh, we know what since five hundred you got safe. I
• 32:30
  can't discapple you one, you know what, come up with a manual.
• 32:34
  We come with a mini book or something and hand you all one book.
• 32:37
  And then so over time this becomes a classroom, a book or like you
• 32:44
  know, you know, you know what easier you just follow Mela. Whatever
• 32:49
  I do, you do, Okay, whatever I whatever I wear, you
• 32:52
  wear, whatever I eat, you eat. This is we had no pople
• 32:55
  Christians. He had no choice because people were getting saved by the thousands and
• 33:00
  no time to figure out how. So we created this, We maybe unintentionally
• 33:05
  created this cultural Christianity. Just get safe coming to the church membership. You
• 33:09
  look, hed feel look, had come on, wear this T shirt.
• 33:14
  And it's not that we intended it. It's just more and more true discipleship
• 33:19
  gets behind the mind further and further, and after a while we can't tell
• 33:25
  the difference anymore. We think the version we have is disciple shaped. When
• 33:30
  Jesus saying, no, it's a new way, completely different way of life
• 33:37
  called the King of God, and I am the way. No I Jesus,
• 33:44
  Amen, so Christian. The word Christian is generally is like someone who
• 33:50
  is who goes to church, sing some songs, give money. But a
• 33:54
  disciple is so much more than that. Amen. Jesus is not calling us
• 33:59
  to be come more like the church or more like the culture, but more
• 34:02
  like Christ, you know, in Malaysia to have his text like this.
• 34:08
  But in America of people identify themselves as Christians and again identify it's such a
• 34:16
  such a loser these days that identify as a flag. Therefore I am a
• 34:22
  flag. Respect me whatever, Raise me up. Okay, of America identify
• 34:30
  as Christians. But if they study their lives, only four percent measure up
• 34:36
  to the life of a disciple gap seventy four percent. The word gets saved,
• 34:43
  gets safe. It's not a bad word, it's not, but it's
• 34:47
  just not how Jesus and the Bible writers thought it was. Language never used
• 34:54
  by Jesus or the New Testament writers, because they don't think of salvation solely
• 35:00
  in the past tense get saved, I'm saved now. What you will not
• 35:08
  hear Paul say I got saved on the road to Damascus. Why he just
• 35:16
  doesn't think that way. So the words doesn't come out that way. You
• 35:20
  can saying it just doesn't in Paul's mind. Salvation is wider than just that
• 35:28
  one occasion. Salvation isn't just a one off event. It's not thought off
• 35:35
  in the past tense. Salvation is both a starting point and an ongoing reality
• 35:43
  and process. We are saved and being saved or some I use the word
• 35:47
  scentified, or it might use a more normal day to day word practice.
• 35:53
  Once you're safe, you keep practicing what saved means. There's a scripture?
• 36:00
  Why would that says this? Therefore, my believer, as you have always
• 36:02
  obeyed, So now, not only as in my presence, but much more
• 36:06
  in my absence, work out your own salvation. Have you ever been to
• 36:09
  a gym to work out? I mean you can only work out what's already
• 36:15
  there. For example, if some strange reason you lost a hand or something,
• 36:21
  you lost a limb, left hand. You can go through the gym
• 36:22
  and work out a left limb. You can't work it's gone. You can
• 36:27
  work out a muscle that's there and you make it stronger. You must have
• 36:30
  salvation. Then you work that out like a muscle and make it stronger.
• 36:37
  That's discipleship. Amen. It's unfortunately over time there's this two tier church.
• 36:43
  Christians not necessary disciples, but then their disciples who are necessary Christians. Now
• 36:50
  it's not better or worse. It's not like, oh, in this if
• 36:54
  fifty percent of you are not disciples are, then you are bad. You're
• 36:58
  the lesser Christian. It's it's not that you still get a heaven. I
• 37:01
  think conservation is purely based on the grace of God. Whether you do don't
• 37:07
  do it doesn't matter. But you're missing out on this earth and missing out
• 37:14
  if we don't live as a disciple. Have you read C. S.
• 37:15
  Lewis the screw Tip letters. Screwtape is the master demon, and then there's
• 37:20
  a worm would, which is that the apprentice demon, and Screwtape is trying
• 37:23
  to train worm Wood in the art of human deception. And there's this part
• 37:30
  where he wrote this letter to one Win and said there one would there is
• 37:32
  no because a lot of people were getting saved. Worm Wood was getting worried.
• 37:37
  So he wrote the woman and said, there's no need to despair.
• 37:38
  Hundreds of these adult converts have been reclaimed after after a brief surgeon in the
• 37:43
  enemies camp, and are now with us. All the habits of the patient
• 37:47
  the Christian, both mental and bodily, are still in our favor. In
• 37:52
  other words, so what if they're converted, Their habits are still the same.
• 37:59
  So what if they have a new identity now, They still behave the
• 38:01
  same So, dear demon, don't worry. All their habits are still in
• 38:07
  our favor. Dangerous So it's important that we don't just have a cognitive informational
• 38:17
  knowledge superficial change. It's like changing your name or even your religion in your
• 38:27
  ic. You put it in it says Christian, but lifestyle is still the
• 38:31
  same. See if we get salvation wrong, you get the Gospel of Jesus
• 38:37
  wrong, then we get discappleship wrong, or we just don't get it at
• 38:38
  all. This is pretty important. This is very important. Of course,
• 38:44
  we don't throw away the baby out with the bath water. Conversion is good.
• 38:49
  We all can remember our conversion moment. How God touched us, how
• 38:52
  God moved our hearts, how God draw drew us to him. That's very
• 38:57
  beautiful and important. But that's discipleship in itself. Amen. Discipleship is new
• 39:05
  life. Salvation is the beginning of this new life that Jesus called us.
• 39:10
  Two. Amen, there's the metaphor that the Gospel of John us us.
• 39:15
  Every time he talks about salvation, it's life. Jesus calls it life.
• 39:20
  Not being safe, he calls it life. Being born again or born from
• 39:27
  a work is the beginning of a whole new life cycle of becoming a whole
• 39:31
  new person over decades and decades, every day we're being this new person.
• 39:40
  That's discipleship. Amen. So question, are we truly accepting Jesus's invitation and
• 39:47
  being disciples being apprenticed to Jesus. Thank you for joining us. We trust
• 39:55
  you have been blessed by the Word of God. If you like what if
• 39:59
  you experienced, please subscribe and share it with your friends on social media.
• 40:02
  Do taggers at generations my. For more information, check us out on bit
• 40:07
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