This study was first taught on October 2, 2016

Topic: Before the Acts (2.2)

(use the audio to study)

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Background
In looking at the things that must precede the acts of the Holy Spirit through one who has believed in Christ, we noted the absolute essentiality of discipleship. Proper discipleship must be the bedrock and goal of every believer in Christ, for we saw that unless the proper foundation of the doctrines of Christ are taught to new believers in Christ, they will not be able to withstand the very real challenges of life and the trials and tribulations that always visit a believer in Christ. Indeed, through the ages, disciples were strengthened in faith through tough circumstances and persecution. And like the Lord Jesus said, those who are wise will build their lives upon the bedrock of His teachings, the foundation of which is called “the first principles of the oracles of God”—repentance from dead works and faith toward God, and, the doctrines of baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Other teachings must necessarily include, the life and ministry of Christ (including His suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension), as well as, His teachings as contained in the gospels, some of which are; The teachings on the Mount (Matthew 5—7), The parables of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 13; 25), The Discourse at the first Communion meeting (John 13—16), and lots more. Teaching the doctrines of a church apart from what is in the bible, and the biographies of a denomination’s founder or a church’s pastor, are not to be taken as doctrines of Christ, for they do not edify the individual, even though they may give him knowledge.

Proper discipleship must not be a programmed event with a strict time-frame/syllabus; rather, it must be fluid, adapted to each individual’s capacity to assimilate and apply what has been taught, and, must be based on interaction/relationship of the discipler and the discipled. Let us not be like the people who lived in the days before the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, which saw years of digging for gold, causing a shift in the earth, with devastating consequences for lives and property. The pursuit of unrighteous Mammon in the name of prosperity, which is the result of not having a firm, tested, tried and proven foundation—Christ—, will eventually result in a ‘Christianity’ that is not of Christ, and that cannot endure in the face of economic, social, and moral decline!

Scripture Text(s)
Acts 20:18-21
When Paul was leaving Europe at the end of what is commonly known as his Third Missionary Journey, he met with the leaders of the church in Ephesus, and declared his manner of service or ministry, as stated in our scripture text—how he lived among them (not away from them); how he served them and the Lord in humility (not in pride, arrogance, or lording it over them); how he faced and overcame much opposition and persecution; and, how he taught them from the foundation of Christian doctrine, even on to maturity.

Having seen the first prong of our four-pronged approach to discipleship—teaching new believers the life, ministry, and teachings of Christ—we now turn to the second prong.
It is one thing to teach new believers in Christ, the life, ministry, and teachings of Christ; it is a completely different thing for these new believers to see the manifestation of these teachings in everyday life application. Hence, the second prong of discipleship is that new believers need to see their teachers/leaders, as well as other mature believers in Christ, living out the life of Christ, engaging in the ministry of Christ, and practically demonstrating the teachings of Christ in everyday living. It is our prayer that the Holy Spirit will open our eyes to behold truth in our study today, Amen.
James 3:1; Matthew 11:28-30; John 13:12-17; Luke 11:1; 1 Peter 2:18ff (21); 1 Corinthians 4:9-17; 11:1; Philippians 3:17-20; 1 Timothy 4:12; 1 Peter 5:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7; Matthew 5:14-16; Luke 14:34-35; Titus 1:16; 2 Timothy 3:5-7; 1 Timothy 3:1-7, 8-13; 2:8, 9; Titus 2:1, 2, 3-8, 9-10; 3:1-8.

Conclusion
Every discipleship programme must necessarily include a practical demonstration of what is being taught. Such a demonstration cannot be choreographed—they must be the result of the response of the discipler to life’s challenges and tribulations and persecution. It is therefore foolhardy to be praying for conditions to change, when in reality, the condition came about so that the discipler can manifest, through practical demonstration, what he has been teaching from the word of God.

Many new believers have turned away from following Christ, when they saw the hypocrisy of their teachers/leaders. Every believer in Christ must, therefore, recognize the unique position he/she occupies, in the sense that new believers in Christ everywhere, are looking at them—and it is what they see that they will replicate. Children generally learn by ‘catching’ or ‘picking up’ attitudes and mannerisms that they see of their parents and older siblings (Luke 17:1-4; 1 Corinthians 11:18-19).

Therefore, we who are teachers/leaders, and, those of us who are mature in Christ, must recognize our very unique place in the family/household of God (the Church). We are the ones that the new believers look up to for the practical demonstration of living the Christian life. We must thus, be ready to endure hardness, rather than seek an easy way out of life’s challenges; and, we must pray always, for, and in, all things as a mark of our faith/trust in God; even as we manifest the humility, purity, and charity of Christ at all times!

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