Thursday, 10 May 2007

• Currently Reading Ministry Mutiny: A Youth Leader Fable By Greg Stier see related

  The "D" Word...

  So here it is the 14 qualities of a Disciple...now this is not the end all and be all of the qualities, there are plenty more but the main things that a disciple of Christ is are listed here, so get out your Bibles and your note books because you are going to want to get a hold of this...this is good preaching stuff right here :P

  Matthew 28:16-20

  Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

  So we are going to use this scripture as our starting point seeing as it is one of the most commonly used scriptures use for discipleship, evangelism...the great commission... get ready because the first 3 are listed here:

  1) v19: They are water Baptized - This is a command that Jesus gave, that He followed, and that the disciples of Christ followed. It is the outward showing of the inward act, and a declairation of the disciples commitement to Christ. In otherwords it phyiscally draws the line in the sand.

  2) v20a: They are taught, obey and teach the ways of Jesus - This point in itself is a series of sermons :P

  3) v20b: They are marked by Jesus - Those who are not christians and even those that are, can tell when someone has genuinly been with Jesus. The true disciple is marked by Jesus, they have been branded and everything they do shows it. An example of this is like when Peter and John where brought before the Jewish Counsel and they where confused by their boldness, and they also precieved that they had been with Jesus.

  Mark 16:15-18

  And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

  I want to make a note here that while there are really 6 points in this passage I am purposly leaving out "they preach or speak the gospel" as it is mentioned later on in the list. So get ready for the next 5 points of what marks a disciple...

  4) v.17: Signs follow them (God backs up their words)

  5) v17: They have spiritual authority (they will cast out demons)

  6) v17: They are able to communicate with God on His level (speaking in tongues)

  7) v18: They have supernatural protection - Now in saying this I am not saying that the disciple will not experience hardhips or sufferings, or even death, because Jesus infact promises us that these type of things will happen to us. What I am saying here that on a general rule you have supernatural protection, you are not going to die unless your job on this planet is done, so if you are poisned in your drink without you knowing of it, it won't harm you, and the part of the snakes reminds me of Paul when he was bit by the snake after being shipwreaked.

  8) v18: They heal the sick - Jesus gave us the same authority He had been given, and if He healed out of compassion, we should be doing the same, after all Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

  Isaiah 49:6

  Indeed He says, 'It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.' "

  9) A disciple is one who tells others about Jesus - Need I say more? Evangelism is a must for any believer because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the revealed word of God. This is the only way faith comes, experience strengthens faith and adds to it, but it does not come by sight, if it did, then people would be getting saved all the time around us with no talking. But only when the Gospel is preached do people get saved. Our lives still need to be an example and we need to live the gospel, but this is so we do not disqualify ourselves by what we do when it doesn't line up with what we are saying.

  Luke 24:47

  and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

  10) They preach the Gospel in the name of Jesus.

  Acts 1:8,14

  But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me...These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers...

  11) Has the Power of the Holy Spirit (is baptized in the Holy Spirit)

  12) Live in Unity with tother disciples

  13) Prays Continually (Makes a daily appointment with Jesus and keeps it)

  Romans 6:3-4

  Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

  14) Stops the things that they know are holding them back in their relationship with Christ.

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