The Path to Discipleship II

Rev Peter Tsukahira
24-08-2019

Luke 6:46-48 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Builders and Foundations
46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and [a]acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who [b]dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the [c]torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

The path of a disciple is a path of human action and achievement. Those real results become a fruit of your life.

Because we have the power of the Holy Spirit and revelation of the truth, we need to be men and women of action.

Eg. David. (1 Samuel 17) In those days, warfare was up close and personal. Goliath was six cubits and a span. He was almost four metres tall, twice the height of a normal man. His shield was so big that it took another warrior to carry it. He was armed with a sword and a spear.

David's weapon was a leather sling that he could project. David had faith and it gave him courage. He was a man of the Spirit. He had a plan and he was really good at what he did. Distance was at his side. David knew that the shorter this fight is, the better. He had to win the fight and he had to win it fast. Goliath had armour. There was only one place that David could hit and it was a tiny target. Before the battle, he went to the creek and chose five stones. He selected those five smooth stones. He knew how those stones were going to curve. There was a lot of skill and planning before he went to battle.

We plan, we execute, we observe the results and we evaluate. And we do it again and again and again.

This was a life or death decision for David. He ran towards Goliath from the start. This was part of his plan. Goliath was an experienced warrior himself. Immediately his shield comes up, he plants his feet and his spear goes back. He's watching David move. For that moment, his head is up and he's completely still. David looks him in his eye and BAM! And the fight is over. Don't think it was by accident. It was probably the grace of God that stone curved just right.

As disciples, we've got to plan and start taking actions and evaluate the results.

That fight established David as a leader and eventually he became a king.

Psalm 139:13 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
13 For You formed my [a]inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.

David realised he himself was not an accident. God designed him for this life.

Psalm 139:16 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

He realised in his spirit that God had already planned it. That's the amazing God that we serve. He is taking actions in our lives. As disciples, we align our decisions and actions to His decisions and actions to produce the results that He has already planned for all of us. Without these actions, our faith is useless.

James 2:17 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is [a]dead, being by itself.

It is one thing to believe; it is another thing to believe and do. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world but faith without action is dead.

James 2:20 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

James 2:24 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

The decisions and actions we make completes the circle. The right things for us to do has been planned already by God.

Ephesians 2:10 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

That's why we focus on the call to discipleship. Jesus invested in people He knew best so that when they made decisions and actions, they produced fruit.

Luke 10:25-37 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
25 And a [a]lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? [b]How does it read to you?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” 29 But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

The Good Samaritan
30 Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and [c]beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 On the next day he took out two [d]denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ 36 Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” 37 And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do [e]the same.”

The lawyer wanted to know how he could get on the path to heaven.

Jesus chose one commandment from Deuteronomy and one commandment from Leviticus. In Matthew 22, Jesus quotes these same two commandments.

Matthew 22:36-40 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and [a]foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus said, "Do this." (Luke 10:28)

Jesus then tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan to teach heavenly truth to this young man. (Luke 10:30-37)

Jerusalem is 700 metres above sea level. Jericho is 400 metres below sea level. It was a lonely and dangerous walk. The man encountered some criminals and bandits. And a kohen or cohen (the Hebrew word for "priest") saw his body. If he touched the body and it's a dead body, he would be unclean for the next seven days. Along came another priest, a Levite. Then came a Samaritan. Samaritans only believed parts of the Bible is inspired. They were considered as a sect and disliked by the Jews and mistrusted. Jesus also does not agree with the doctrine of the Samaritans. (John 4:4–26) The Samaritan sees the body and immediately has compassion.

Jesus says, "Go and do the same." He said, "Now, take action." Jesus says it is not just what you believe but also what you do.

Becoming a disciple and making a disciple doesn't come by accident. Invest in those people so that when the time comes, they can go out and beat the giants. You have to overcome some challenges and break some boundaries. The Samaritan broke the ethnic barrier. He broke the religious barrier, the traditional barrier and the cultural barrier.

You don't start a work until the leader emerges. Our job is to discern and pray and ask who is the person to you and what is my duty in the lives of these people? Teach them, correct them and bring them to your side. We need to be disciples and we need to make disciples. That's how disciples get made.

The Parable of the Samaritan teaches us to look down. The priest and Levite looked up. They had spiritualised and turned their calling into a religious obligation. You need to look down to know your neighbour. To be effective in ministry, you have to begin to look down and look the people in the eye. The apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are for the equipping of the saints. After a while it becomes habitual and it becomes DNA.

Seek the Lord. Ask the Lord. How can we be a family? How can we be a church? Then we become people of faith and action. God gives us the spirit of love and sound mind to bear fruit.

RELATED:
BLINK THEOLOGY (ROMANS 9-11)

THE CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP (I)

THE PATH TO DISCIPLESHIP (II)

THE POWER OF DISCIPLESHIP (III)

THE SHAPE OF THE MOVEMENT OF GOD AND THE FOUNDATIONAL NATURE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

FINDING YOUR GIFT AND DESTINY IN GOD'S KINGDOM