The Way of Discipleship and key for spiritual growth.

The Bible showed us how discipleship started. In Matthew 4:18-20. Jesus found Peter and Andrew
fishing and called them. He told them Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they
straightway left their nets and followed him. In Mark 1:16-20, the bible says Jesus was walking in the
sea of Galilee and saw two brethren Simon and Andrew casting their nets into the sea and he told them
follow me, and I will make you fishers of men and they straightway left their nets and followed him. In
the book of Luke Luke 5:1-11.

Jesus called them to follow Him and they did just that. To follow Jesus, they had to decide to follow Him.
This meant leaving their nets and following Him. The initial decision in discipleship has a positive and
negative aspects. The negative aspect of the initial decision in discipleship was leaving their nets, and
the positive side was following Jesus. Every person, to be a disciple of Jesus, must leave something to be
able to follow Him. If you are already a disciple of Jesus, what did you leave to follow Him? If you are not
a disciple of Jesus, what would you have to leave to follow him?

My word of encouragement this morning is Congratulations! If you’ve chosen to live as a disciple of

Jesus because you’ve made the most important decision imaginable. But you may be wondering, what
does it mean to be a disciple? You might have heard many meanings of who a disciple is. In simple terms,
a disciple of Jesus is someone who has chosen to follow Jesus. What I want us to go back home with as
we navigate these passages is that the disciples heard something and they responded according to what
they heard in obedience. They heard something and they responded by going out and sharing all that
the Lord Jesus Christ has commanded them.

So, again who is a disciple? A disciple is the “One who hears, obeys, and shares Jesus’ commands.”

Matthew 28:19-20
19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even
unto the end of the world. Amen.

Over the past weeks, we have heard teachings from the pastor and the brethren who have shared the
word on spiritual growth, spiritual roots, and the heart condition, you are the one going to set the limit
on how God is going to use you. All this is summarized in the fact that we need to grow both as a person
and assembly.

Ecclesiastes 9:11-12
11
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the
battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of
understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to
them all. 12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an
evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men
snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
The preacher is giving us wisdom here and he uses 5 areas of results. What he is teaching us is that there
are times in a man’s life even though you put these forces together, there come moments, where it
would look like something, can just happen to you and abort the potential of all these things working
and lasting in your life.

The first thing we can learn today is that the preacher before he talked about tragedy, he opens us to a
very powerful principle. He lists a list of 5 levels and 5 kinds of results, and various effects, and he
connects them with their causes. That means under normal circumstances when you have a race what
you need is speed, under normal circumstances when you are in a war or battle what you need is
strength. Under normal circumstances when you are hungry what you need is wisdom. Under normal
circumstances, if you want to be rich, what you need is understanding. And then he says the most
outspoken quality that attracts favour is skills. He is not discouraging us just because tragedy can come.
He is just giving us information that something can abort these things and he then opens us to another
kind of knowledge but under normal circumstances, if you don’t have speed, you will fail in a race, if you
are not strong you will lose battles, if you don’t have wisdom, you will lack bread, if you don’t have
understanding riches will be far from you and if you don’t have skills favour will be far from you. Speed,
strength, wisdom, understanding, skills.

Solomon was not a weak man; we all know his story but he is telling us these 5 elements must be
captured in your life. Speed, strength, wisdom, understanding, skills. Have you been able to make use
of the time you have to grow spiritually? Do you have the physical, and mental strength to sustain
yourself to be able to walk your Christian life?

Mark 10:17-22

Rich, Young, Ruler.

17
And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him,
and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18 And Jesus said
unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19 Thou
knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear
false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20 And he answered and said unto
him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him,
and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give
to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow
me. 22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

This was a gentleman who came to Jesus. The bible called him a rich young ruler. So, a gentleman who
is simply identified, as a rich young ruler. 3 very important descriptions. The bible said this young man
was number 1. Rich, based on what we have studied rich also means wise. Number 2 Ruler, the bible
says he was a ruler, which means he had influence that the government acknowledged because with
wisdom also comes promotion. Number 3. Young. Let’s pause for a second, the word rich and young
hardly go together because it takes time to make lasting wealth. If the bible just stopped there rich and
young, we should already respect him. How did he dominate time, who mentored him to be able to be
successful in such a quick time very young and on top of that, he was a ruler. The principle of rulership
is that you must be faithful according to the bible you remember the parable of the talents, their reward
was that he gave kingdoms to rule. A rich young ruler. Rich through wisdom and understanding, young
with dominion over time and ruler that means favour was on his side. For most people, this is what they
covet, rich, young and leaders. They want to get rich as quickly as possible.

important characteristics

Humility and a student

Let's see a few things about this gentleman man apart from being rich and young. We see that he was
humble because how can you be a ruler, rich and come to kneel before Jesus? And on top of that, he
was intelligent and responsible. He didn't come to Jesus to give him eternal life he asked what should I
do. He called Jesus master which shows that he was a learner with all the success he commanded, only
a student will call his teacher master. This young man has conquered life in this physical realm and now
he wanted to conquer the spiritual realm he realised that he needed to grow spiritually. Good Master,
what must I do to inherit eternal life?

Flaws in discipleship – the heart condition

Jesus tested him against the law and the man has already conquered it all his life he has followed the
commandments this man in the eyes of human beings is the perfect man, the perfect brother. The
problem starts here in verse 21. Jesus did not tell him straight away his problem, he commended him
first of all that he has done well because speed was on his side, strength, wisdom, understanding, and
favour. Having all these results and he still has something he lacks. This man if Jesus was to tell him his
problem directly, he would not have believed it, so, Jesus said I am going to use a test to reveal to you
what was your problem. The test was: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and
thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

This young man who stood before Jesus was not a person but a representation of a generation. This is
our generation that was standing before Jesus, he was telling us our problem. One thing thou lackest.
Two principal tests Jesus gave him, sell all you have and give the money to the poor and come follow
me. The Bible says he was sad and went away grieved. Come, be a disciple of Jesus, sad and went away
grieved, come you have to follow the pastor, sad and went away grieved.

What exactly was Jesus trying to examine in this man?

1. The heart condition - there was something about the heart of this young man, the heart of our
generation. The reason why the young man felt pain was that his heart was connected to his
wealth, his heart connected to his studies, his heart connected to his job, his heart connected
to this dying world. Our generation is the Rich, Young, Ruler. Remember when we started those
who were called to be disciples had to leave everything they had and come follow him. This
generation has a problem of following. Young generation you have done well but one thing thou
lackest. Young generation your heart condition. I understand that you are excellent.

Key points:

▪ The way disciples were called.

▪ A disciple is the one who follows Jesus Christ.
▪ A disciple is the one who hears, obey and shares Jesus’ commands.
▪ Key for spiritual growth (speed, strength, wisdom, understanding, favour) – discipleship
▪ Rich, Young, Ruler – representation of our generation, excellent but lack one thing.