This study was first taught on October 23, 2016

Topic: Before the Acts (2.3)_1Prophecy

(use the audio to study)

---

Background
So far, we have seen two of the four crucial things that must comprise proper discipleship before a person(s) being discipled, can be effectively used by the Holy Spirit to perform acts for God. The first is teaching the life, ministry, and doctrines of Christ to the new believer in Christ/discipled; and, the second is the demonstration of what has been taught by the teacher/discipler, for the discipled to see. The teaching is not structured in terms of duration and syllabus, rather, it is based on the capacity of each individual being discipled to assimilate and apply what is being taught; also, the demonstration is not choreographed or pre-arranged, rather, it is the response of the discipler to life’s challenges and circumstances in the course of everyday living.

There has to be interaction/relationship between the discipler and the discipled, so that the discipled can observe, first-hand, how the discipler handles various circumstances of life in humility, purity, and charity, as they arise in the course of daily living. Just as children learn by replicating what they have observed of their parents’ and older siblings’ mannerisms and responses to situations, so also, new believers in Christ/those being discipled, will pick up conducts, attitudes, and responses of the maturing and matured believers in Christ around them. Hence, every believer in Christ has a responsibility to imitate Christ in all things, lest he or she be in danger of leading “these little ones” astray!

The essence of Christian discipleship must be to raise disciples of Christ; not disciples of men, ministries, or denominations—Christ is the focus! So, the discipler must himself imitate Christ, so that the discipled can imitate Christ as they imitate him.

Scripture Text(s)
Ephesians 4:11-32; James 1:21-25
The main objective of discipleship is not the setting up of a ‘School of Discipleship’ where ‘disciples’ receive a certificate upon graduation; rather, it is so that disciples can live as Christ lived, here on earth—talk like Christ talked, walk like Christ walked, and do like Christ did! Our scripture texts bring out this essence—having been taught, and having seen the demonstration of how to live as Christ lived, the new believer in Christ/the person being discipled, must likewise live in like-manner!
For the discipled to be able to live as Christ lived, and before the new believer in Christ can work miracles, he or she must possess and manifest the nature of Christ, which is the result of what we know as “the fruit of the Spirit”, otherwise, he or she will, at best be, a well-taught bible student, with nothing more to show, than a ‘Certificate of Completion’—a case of “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof”! Indeed, it is only a person with the nature of Christ, who can truly live as Christ lived! Thus, we now discuss the third prong of proper discipleship—the new believer in Christ/the person being discipled must possess the nature of Christ in order to live like Christ. May the Holy Spirit guide us through this discussion, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
2 Peter 1:3-4; Romans 8:29; Ezekiel 36:25-27; Deuteronomy 30:6; Acts 7:51; Matthew 19:3-9; John 14:15-17; 1 Peter 1:2; John 15:1-8, 16; Romans 11:17; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:16-17, 19-25; Colossians 2:11-15; 1 John 3:4-10; Mark 7:18-23; Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 7:15-20; 12:33-37; Romans 6:1-18; 7:1-6; 8:1-4, 5-8, 9-10; John 12:24; Mark 4:26-29; Luke 8:5-8, 11-15; James 1:12-16; Romans 12:2; Galatians 6:14-15; Ephesians 4:25-33; Colossians 3:1ff.

Conclusion
Many believers in Christ, are today bringing reproach to the name of God among unbelievers, because of the way they are living among them (Romans 2:24; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 7:1). While they profess to be Christ’s, they live and exhibit non-Christ-like traits, yet God’s main goal is that all who believe in Christ, should live as Christ lived while He was here on earth, else, they will be cast forth as reprobates and undesirables before God!

It is thus crucial that believers in Christ, first become like Christ, before they can act like Christ. Becoming like Christ means that the nature of Christ is in the believer in Christ, otherwise he or she will be unable to act like Christ. The practice of living as Christ lived, is to be based on the prophecies and principles, stated in the bible concerning the Christ-like life of the New Testament believer! Thus, the operation required for the new believer to be able to act like Christ, is scripturally, one that requires a complete change of his or her nature—from the sinful human nature (the old man), to the divine nature (the new man)!

Indeed, only by crucifying the ‘flesh’ (the sinful human nature acquired at birth because of Adam’s sin) and its passions/desires/lusts, can the believer in Christ truly live like Christ lived! No matter how much a believer in Christ may try, he will fail to live like Christ, so long as the nature of Christ is not formed in him or her. Hence, he or she must be open and yielded to God’s spiritual operation through the Holy Spirit’s application of the cross of Christ (death to one’s own will and desires) to him or her. Thus, a believer in Christ is made to conform to the image of Christ, as he or she yields to the Holy Spirit, Who is in him or her, and he or she is able to receive (“put on”) the very life of Christ, to replace (after he or she has “put off”) the old life of sin!

---

Back to all Bible Study Outline List