{"id":13455,"date":"2021-06-26T04:04:21","date_gmt":"2021-06-26T01:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?p=13455"},"modified":"2021-06-26T04:04:21","modified_gmt":"2021-06-26T01:04:21","slug":"bring-discipleship-back-acts-217-38","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/bring-discipleship-back-acts-217-38\/","title":{"rendered":"Bring Discipleship Back | Acts 2:17-38"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>What is missing in churches today? Where is the unseen hole? Simply put, we are missing true gospel centered discipleship. Without discipleship the church can still have an outward attraction and all the looks of activity but they will be empty and meaningless because in the end it will not take you to any meaningful place spiritually. Discipleship is the engine of the church and if we want our churches to grow in a meaningful gospel centered way then we must focus our attention on this core aspect of church life.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FTGT_S02E03.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fbring-discipleship-back-acts-217-38%2F#mode-Light&border-000000&progress-000000\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"165\" frameborder=\"0\" id=\"blubrryplayer-3\" class=\"blubrryplayer\" title=\"Blubrry Podcast Player\"><\/iframe><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/TGT_S02E03.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?powerpress_pinw=13455-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/TGT_S02E03.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"TGT_S02E03.mp3\">Download<\/a> (Duration: 45:10 &#8212; 33.5MB) | <a href=\"#\" class=\"powerpress_link_e\" title=\"Embed\" onclick=\"return powerpress_show_embed('13455-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Embed<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_embed_box\" id=\"powerpress_embed_13455-podcast\" style=\"display: none;\"><input id=\"powerpress_embed_13455-podcast_t\" type=\"text\" value=\"&lt;iframe src=&quot;https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FTGT_S02E03.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fbring-discipleship-back-acts-217-38%2F#mode-Light&amp;border-000000&amp;progress-000000&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;165&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; id=&quot;blubrryplayer-4&quot; class=&quot;blubrryplayer&quot; title=&quot;Blubrry Podcast Player&quot;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;\" onclick=\"javascript: this.select();\" onfocus=\"javascript: this.select();\" style=\"width: 70%;\" readOnly><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribebyemail.com\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe by Email\" rel=\"nofollow\">Email<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ah7REotuKBo?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<h1>Sermon notes:<\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the contemporary church were a ship it would no doubt be a modern cruise ship with the finest restaurants and entertainment. I would boast many decks filled with fun activities for her guests, luxurious staterooms, and guest services that meet your every whim. Yes, it would be a magnificent sight that would attract many.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It would be tall and long with a wide berth and yet there would be something missing. It would have no engine, or at least if it did have an engine it would be far underpowered and equipped to safely propell the massive ship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The truth is that people don\u2019t go on cruises because they have researched the sea worthiness of the vessel and know that the engine is quite powerful enough to get them through any storm, and that it is regularly maintained and fully functioning. No, people go on cruises because of the promise of free food, fun activities, and a chance to indulge themselves with few limitations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sadly many churches have begun to take on a cruise ship esque spirit about themselves. Too many churches today are driving not by the engine of the gospel of Jesus Christ but by anything and everything else. All that can be seen is invested in heavily, and all that is unseen is abandoned because it would help you to get more feet across your gangplank.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In order to find out practically what discipleship looks like I want to turn your attention to the example of the Apostle Paul in the church in Ephesus. In our text today we see one of the clearest descriptions of a discipleship ministry. So let&#8217;s let God&#8217;s Word inform us and instruct us about how we should disciple.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this text we read about Paul&#8217;s second visit to Ephesus. Not long before, in chapter 19, we read how he lived with them for 3 years. During these 3 years, he diligently served them through the teaching of the Word and the preaching of the Gospel. Then he went on to Greece, where he spent several months. Finally he decided to return to Jerusalem and on the way he wanted to stop by Ephesus to meet their elders one last time before going to Jerusalem.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[Act 20:17-38 NIV]\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: &#8220;You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. 22 &#8220;And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me&#8211;the task of testifying to the good news of God&#8217;s grace. 25 &#8220;Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. 32 &#8220;Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone&#8217;s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: &#8216;It is more blessed to give than to receive.&#8217; &#8221; 36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This text gives us a living example of what Paul&#8217;s discipleship looked like. We also see the negative side of what happens when there is no discipleship and when there is false teaching. Paul warns that there will be fierce wolves who will not spare the flock.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Without biblical, faithful, and prolonged discipleship, the church sooner or later enters a fog of obscurity when it comes to Biblical truth. In this dangerous fog she can easily lose her bearings and cease to see Christ in front her. Without a clear direction and without Christ at the head she loses her gospel passion and desire to continue forward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The consequences of a lack of discipleship are very serious, although sometimes they are not immediately obvious. Often churches continue to move forward by inertia alone. It can be seen that in Ephesus Paul was very worried about this. But the church cannot coast along for many years, sooner or later the inertia ends and then what will happen?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the church comes to the end of its gospel inertia we will inevitably see certain steps that lead the church away from the gospel itself and from Christ. It happens slowly and imperceptibly at first but it does happen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The departure of sound Bible teaching and the emergence of motivational sermons, popular philosophy, superficial teachings, and minor doctrines in its place.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The vanishing of personal discipleship among church members. The church becomes nothing more than a comfortable place to meet with friends.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The sermon loses its central place in worship. Instead of it, various entertainment elements, music, theater,\u00a0 and anything else, just not the preaching of God&#8217;s Word.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Withdrawal of personal and public evangelism and appeals to repentance<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Compromises in core doctrine.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acceptance of non-biblical doctrine.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The fall of biblical morality and the justification of different types of sin.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ignoring the importance of discipleship and biblical teaching is a slippery and dangerous descent from God&#8217;s word and from Christ.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Paul describes this fall also in 1 Tim when he writes to young Timothy, who was a pastor in Ephesus.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[1Ti 1:3-6 NIV] 3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God&#8217;s work&#8211;which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We can say that 1 and 2 Timothy are commentaries on Acts 20.17-36<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A little further we see the result of a failure in biblical discipleship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[1Ti 1:7, 19-20 NIV] 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. &#8230; 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are two reasons for shipwrecks: one is a navigation error, the other is a mechanical error. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Paul tells young Timothy that there are also two reasons why people are shipwrecked by faith: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first is doctrinal error, and the second is moral failure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfaithfulness to Christ in teaching always produces unfaithfulness to Christ in conduct.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And we can also say the opposite!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we persist in unbiblical behavior, sooner or later we will change our teaching so that it does not condemn, but justifies our sin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therefore, when we talk about discipleship, we mean both.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><b>Biblical discipleship is the combination of teaching and behavior, practice and doctrine. <\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One should not be without the other. We can know all doctrines, all catechism, all theological terms, but if our life does not conform to these doctrines, we cannot be faithful to Christ and we will be shipwrecked by faith.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Paul also encourages Timothy to maintain a clear conscience and<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">strive for righteousness, exercise yourself in godliness. These are not empty words, Paul was an example of faithfulness to Timothy. He writes in <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acts 20.26 \u201cThat I am clean of the blood of all\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In order that we do not depart from Christ and remain faithful to Him and His Word, we must participate in the process of discipleship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let&#8217;s look at a few characteristics of biblical discipleship from the life of the Apostle Paul in Acts 20.17-32<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Biblical discipleship requires presence<\/span><\/h1>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">18 When they arrived, he said to them: &#8220;You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the context of quarantine we especially need these verses. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Personal physical presence is vital to Biblical discipleship.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only when we are together can we know each other<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why did God decide to send his Son to us? His presence was important.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through personal contact we become real people.<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are no Christian stars in discipleship.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One big problem is that teaching in the church never reaches down into our daily personal life.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We stand far from the preacher and nod our heads, he does not know what happened this morning, he does not know what you are fighting, he does not know your personal life.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is not criticism of the preacher, we need these sermons! We also need the personal presence of our brothers and sisters in our lives.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Paul publicly and personally discipled at Ephesus<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[Act 20:20 NIV] 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This group of elders was a narrow circle of people with whom Paul spent more time personally.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Biblical discipleship requires teaching<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it may seem obvious, we must mention it. Teaching is central to the church, mission, evangelism, and ministry.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&#8217;s amazing how much Paul talks about doctrine in this little epistle to the elders in Ephesians.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20.20 \u201cI did not hesitate to preach &#8230; I taught house to house<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20.21 I declared .. repentance<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20.27 To proclaim to you the whole will of God<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20.31 I never stopped warning you\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He speaks of direct teaching 7 times! He reminds, he declares, and he warns them. He did it publicly and personally. He knew that without sound doctrine, the spiritual life of the church would quickly dissipate like steam. Therefore, we see how diligently Paul taught them, giving them a solid foundation on which the church could grow further if they continued in this teaching.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But for this, they must also teach and not only, they must protect people from wolves who come from within that will teach false doctrine. A church without a teacher is open to all winds of doctrine, the cunning of men.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Biblical discipleship requires consistency<\/span><\/h1>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20.18 \u201cFrom the first day &#8230; whole time\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20.31 \u201cFor three years, day and night &#8230; taught\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here we clearly see how much Paul devoted to himself to regularly and persistently teach people the Word of God. Consistency in the Word and doctrine is an indispensable quality of a faithful elder and faithful Christian. This means day after day he will not stop following the Scriptures and teaching others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If we follow the whims of man, if we only study from time to time, we cannot be faithful to Christ. Like any serious work, faithfulness in teaching requires constancy from us and will not prove effective if we are constantly starting, stopping, changing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[1Ti 4:16 NIV] 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Biblical discipleship requires hard work<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20.19 \u201cWorking for the Lord\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have you noticed that the trend in media is toward shorter clips and superficial content. People are mainly interested in watching a 15 second clips on tik tok of someone scaring their girlfriend or pranking a stranger. Short, provocative, content will always be more attractive but it will never produce beneficial results.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it comes to discipleship there are thousands of provocative, entertaining, spiritual clips, and gimmicks that will never produce spiritual maturity. Paul warns Timothy of the fables, the philosophies of man. These false teachings and sometimes simply superficial teachings will attract a crowd but they won&#8217;t cultivate christian maturity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But real discipleship is hard work! Real discipleship is 80% unseen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you see a Christian who has been faithful to Christ for many years, who shines with God&#8217;s love, and who not only knows Scripture, but lives by it, you see only a small tip of the iceberg. He is deep because he has spent hundreds, not a thousand hours alone with God and his Word.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[2Ti 2:15-16 NIV] 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 16 Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5. Biblical discipleship requires humility<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20.19 \u201cWith great humility\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Humility is the soft quality of the soil of my heart before God. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a heart tilled by the plow of true repentance<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Without humility, the Word itself does not penetrate into my heart.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Without humility, I do not see how this teaching touches me and convicts me.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Without humility, my attempts to teach others will be rejected when they see that this teaching has not yet touched my heart.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[1Ti 6:3-4 NIV] 3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Humility is necessary because true discipleship requires me to sacrifice my time and my energy for another. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discipleship ministries is about investing your life into another with the knowledge that you may get no personal benefits from all your work. That takes humility! <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discipleship requires humility because without it I will not point the other person to Christ but rather to my own success. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discipleship requires humility because without it Christ&#8217; love and character can not shine through me. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discipleship requires humility when I realize that I have no power to change the life of the person I am discipling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A prideful person can not be successful in discipleship ministries because he will eventually find it exhausting, pointless, and that it doesn&#8217;t help him reach his personal desires.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6. Biblical discipleship requires patience<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Patience is imperative for Discipleship! Patience tells us there will be bumps in the road and we shouldn&#8217;t give up too soon. Patience testifies to our future hope in God&#8217;s power to save fully. Patience is a good example to the person we are discipling. We see this quality clearly in Paul. Wherever he was, regardless of the conditions around him, he always preached God&#8217;s Word and His kingdom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, our faithfulness is always tested against a backdrop of difficulty and temptation. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being faithful to Christ in clear and good weather says nothing about our faith and the strength of our teaching. In the cave, where there are roaring lions, there we will see the state of our faith<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7. Biblical discipleship requires attentiveness<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20.28 Keep watch over yourselves and the flock<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20.29 savage wolves will come in\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20.31 So be on your guard<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Satan often attacks the flock when we sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bible discipleship implies that there will be attacks, and we must always be prepared. When we have regular meetings and accountability, it helps us a lot to stay awake.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conclusion<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discipleship is extremely important to every member of the church and especially important to the elders of the church.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For this there must be time together, teaching publicly and personally, There must be constancy, there must be work, there must be humility.<\/span><\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FTGT_S02E03.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fbring-discipleship-back-acts-217-38%2F#mode-Light&border-000000&progress-000000\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"165\" frameborder=\"0\" id=\"blubrryplayer-1\" class=\"blubrryplayer\" title=\"Blubrry Podcast Player\"><\/iframe><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/TGT_S02E03.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?powerpress_pinw=13455-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/TGT_S02E03.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"TGT_S02E03.mp3\">Download<\/a> (Duration: 45:10 &#8212; 33.5MB) | <a href=\"#\" class=\"powerpress_link_e\" title=\"Embed\" onclick=\"return powerpress_show_embed('13455-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Embed<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_embed_box\" id=\"powerpress_embed_13455-podcast\" style=\"display: none;\"><input id=\"powerpress_embed_13455-podcast_t\" type=\"text\" value=\"&lt;iframe src=&quot;https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FTGT_S02E03.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fbring-discipleship-back-acts-217-38%2F#mode-Light&amp;border-000000&amp;progress-000000&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;165&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; id=&quot;blubrryplayer-2&quot; class=&quot;blubrryplayer&quot; title=&quot;Blubrry Podcast Player&quot;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;\" onclick=\"javascript: this.select();\" onfocus=\"javascript: this.select();\" style=\"width: 70%;\" readOnly><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribebyemail.com\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe by Email\" rel=\"nofollow\">Email<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p><!--powerpress_player-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is missing in churches today? Where is the unseen hole? Simply put, we are missing true gospel centered discipleship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[451,297],"tags":[81],"class_list":["post-13455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sermon","category-podcast","tag-discipleship","post_format-post-format-audio"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Copy-of-Copy-of-Uncomfortable-Questions-on-Love-and-Marraige-1.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3izZc-3v1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11435,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/evangelism-or-discipleship-season-5-episode-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":13455,"position":0},"title":"Evangelism or Discipleship? | Season 5 Episode 2","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"February 15, 2019","format":"audio","excerpt":"\u201cThere are different periods in the life of every church and now is one of those times when we just need to focus on strengthening the people who remain in our church rather than trying to share the gospel with unbelievers.\u201d Believe it or not, I\u2019ve heard something very similar\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Gospel Today&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Gospel Today","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/alexander-michl-724529-unsplash.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/alexander-michl-724529-unsplash.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/alexander-michl-724529-unsplash.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/alexander-michl-724529-unsplash.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/alexander-michl-724529-unsplash.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":257,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/living-in-tandem-practical-discipleship-for-contemporary-churches\/","url_meta":{"origin":13455,"position":1},"title":"Living in Tandem &#8211; Practical Discipleship for Contemporary Churches","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"December 29, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the theme for our upcoming pastors\u2019 conference in Kiev, Ukraine, February 10-11. Ron Berrus, director of missionary care for ABWE will be the keynote speaker for our conference. This will be the first time for us to do a general pastor\u2019s conference but we feel that need for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Updates&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Updates","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/updates\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2940,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/06-eight-fallacies-about-baptism-and-three-truths-podcast\/","url_meta":{"origin":13455,"position":2},"title":"#06 Eight Fallacies about Baptism and Three Truths -Podcast","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"August 16, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This Sunday our church will baptize 13 people and I'm excited! I've thought a lot about the significance of baptism as I prepare to preach. In this episode of Now is the Time I share with you 8 fallacies about baptism. I also talk about the importance of baptism and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Gospel Today&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Gospel Today","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/DSC00145.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/DSC00145.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/DSC00145.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1825,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/2-days-with-25-church-leaders\/","url_meta":{"origin":13455,"position":3},"title":"2 Days with 25 Church Leaders","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"December 16, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I have to say \"thank you!\"' to \u00a0all who were praying for us this past weekend. \u00a0Misha and I traveled to the city of Nickolaev, about 2 hours from Odessa. \u00a0We were invited to share the Good Soil evangelism and discipleship seminar with a group of church leaders from the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ministry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ministry","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/69.89.31.195\/~sukofami\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/DSC01713.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/69.89.31.195\/~sukofami\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/DSC01713.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/69.89.31.195\/~sukofami\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/DSC01713.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13672,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/praying-for-and-to-the-dead-the-gospel-today\/","url_meta":{"origin":13455,"position":4},"title":"Praying For And To The Dead | The Gospel Today","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"October 13, 2021","format":"video","excerpt":"The Orthodox Church teaches that praying for your dead loved ones helps their soul make the 40 day journey from earth to heaven where along the way they will encounter many devils and 20 testings that will purify their souls and prepare them for heaven. *Quick links 2:35 Visit to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Gospel Today&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Gospel Today","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/The-Gospel-Today-Video-Intro-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/The-Gospel-Today-Video-Intro-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/The-Gospel-Today-Video-Intro-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/The-Gospel-Today-Video-Intro-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/The-Gospel-Today-Video-Intro-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/The-Gospel-Today-Video-Intro-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":563,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/guests-from-jerusalem\/","url_meta":{"origin":13455,"position":5},"title":"Guests from Jerusalem","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"March 27, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a02 Firsts in 1 Month! Your prayers helped me finish teaching Basic Bible Doctrines class this month and now you can keep praying for those students as they work on their class projects.\u00a0 This was my first time to teach a CMI class in Russian, thus your prayers were much\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Video Updates&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Video Updates","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/video-updates\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13455"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13462,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13455\/revisions\/13462"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}