Discipleship: July 13, 2011

JULY 13 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY JULY 13, 2011.

DISCIPLESHIP

DEFINITION:

To teach or train; to convert into a disciple.

SCRIPTURE:

Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Mark 1: 17-18.

KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING:

We are convinced that one of the greatest needs today is training of those that believe in Jesus to be disciples of Jesus. One of the great problems in our world is that so many who believe in Jesus just sit back and feel they are living their faith but are doing nothing to reach out to their world and share their faith.

In the last several days we have had six emails from Nigeria, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Kenya and a second one from Nigeria. In each case there is a pastor or an evangelist who has stepped out to share his faith in public places, schools and on the street. They have no one to help disciple the converts and as a result they have requested us to help them develop a discipleship program to help them teach and train these new converts to be disciples of Jesus.

Look at the verses above and see what Jesus did. First Jesus called the men and asked them to follow Him. That is where it begins today. If you know Jesus and are not telling others about Him you need to respond to His call.

Many will say that they cannot respond because they are not financially able, not a good communicator, do not have many friends and the list of excuses goes on and on. Jesus called simple men. The disciples were not religious leaders of the day. They were not political leaders or powerful men. They were not of the priestly or ministerial profession and they were not students in schools of higher learning.

They were ordinary men, just like you and me, simple laypeople engaged in the affairs of life just like most of the laymen of their day. But God called them because they did have some special qualities that God wanted in His disciples.

They were industrious and hard working. They were visionary men looking for the Messiah and ready to follow Him. They were cooperative men. They were successful in whatever field they were in but also in their success were sacrificial and considerate. They were tough fishermen, tax collectors, business men and zealots who gave up everything to follow Jesus and be discipled by Him. What these ordinary men had in common was that they were willing to give their all to do what Jesus asked of them.

Please remember that Jesus is not content to be just our “fire insurance” saving us from eternal punishment and an eternity in hell. He first of all wants us to know who He is and then wants to connect with us on a deeper level so we can represent Him to the world we live in.

Knowing Jesus is not a religion about rules and regulations but a relationship in which you can find companionship, comfort, wisdom and reality. You will be so blessed when you trust Jesus to lead you into a life beyond rituals into a life of really knowing Him as your friend and companion who is with you always. Then you will know the wonderful joy of following Him as the disciples did.

We challenge you to start preparing today to be a disciple of Jesus and get to know and love Him better more and more each day.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in James 1:22.

But be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

PRAYER:

Thank You for saving me and giving me the joy of knowing that I will spend an eternity with You in heaven. Help me and my family to understand that to know Jesus is to love Jesus. Make us disciples that will live our lives honoring You and proclaiming Your gospel to a hurting world.