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Whats the goal of the Church? I believe that Jesus revealed His
overarching strategy in Matthew 28:19-20. In this pivotal passage,
He declared,
Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you.
So, as Christians were not specifically out to manufacture Bible
scholars, singers, or even church attenders. Dont get me wrong.
These kinds actions are vital for the growth of the Church, but, by
themselves, they fall short of the goal. Jesus is telling us the goal
is to make disciples, plain and simple. When we begin to truly
develop disciples, then we will get everything else that we need.
So, what is a disciple?
The term "disciple" comes from the Greek word mathetes, which
means a pupil or an apprentice to a master craftsman. It refers to
one who is a learner and an adherent of truth. While there are
diverse perspectives on what a disciple is; most agree on the
essentials.
Discipleship Is
Replication
A. Introduction To Classes
i.
Introduction
To talk about
discipleship is
to clarify ones
relationship and
identity with God.
Even though
many people
faithfully attend
church - and
even serve,
many have not
established a
healthy identity
in their Heavenly Father. To say it another way they are
religious, but arent truly saved. Dont get me wrong, they may
have some affinity for Jesus and His Church, but they arent truly
sons of the Most High God.
I expect some that are listening to this today fall into this category.
You may push back against this suggestion. I get it. Most dont
want to see themselves away from God. Yet, many dont really
have a loving, life-giving, relationship with the Heavenly Father. I
dont say that to judge, I say it to clarify a great need and
opportunity. I want to invite all who are listening to this session to
step into their rightful places as sons and daughters.
Yet, there are also sons and daughters who dont know what it
truly means to live and function as one who is rightly related to
God. In this session I also want to invite those men and women to
rise up in their identity and find their place in the family of God. If
we are the children of God, we cannot keep living as if we were
orphans. There is so much more than what many Christians have
realized.
Key Relationships
Relationships matter. They
affect our lives in a number
of different ways. Why dont
you consider a few of the
key relationships that have
affected your life whether
they are good or bad? Then
write down a few of their
names of these people on
the lines below?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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Yet, one of the most deeply moving biblical depictions Ive found is
that of a father. While one could easily use the kingly metaphor or
other expressions, I find the image of Father preferable because it
reflects the deepest relationship and identity markers within
humanity. Through childhood experiences, people understand the
incredible power of fatherhood and family. Either you had a dad or
you didnt. And if you did, he was either good or bad. There is
something deeply primal about the notion of a father. It
reverberates in the very depths of our being.
Moreover, the Fatherhood of God is one of the most important
concepts in Scripture. While Fatherhood references are not as
strongly expressed in the Old Testament (presumably because of
the terms connection with pagan religions and some of the sexual
overtones associated with it), it is specifically used in a number of
passages:
There are also a number of passages where the term is not used,
but it is alluded to. These include: Exodus 4:22-23; Deuteronomy
1:31; 8:5; 14:1; Psalm 103:13; Jeremiah 31:20; Hosea 11:1-4;
Malachi 3:17.
The Fatherhood of God becomes much more pronounced with
Jesus in the New Testament. The terms Abba, or Father comes
forth from Jesus mouth some sixty-five times in Mathew, Mark, and
Luke and over one hundred times in John. So, the Fatherhood of
God is referenced over 165 times in the Gospels (compared to
only 15 times in the whole Old Testament).
See what great love the Father has lavished on us (1 John 3:1)
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father (2 John 1:3)
To those who have been called, who are loved in God the
Father (Jude 1:10)
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Sonship
There are all kinds of consequences to these decisions.
A. Curses Come Upon Humanity Because Of Our Choices
God didnt bring evil and destruction upon humanity. We
brought it upon ourselves. Through our acts of rebellion we
invited darkness to come and dwell with us. This was never
Gods intent for us.
Cursed is the ground because of you (Genesis
3:17)
if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not
carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am
giving you today, all these curses will come on you
and overtake you (Deuteronomy 28:15)
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today,
that I have set before you life and death, blessing and
curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your
offspring may live. (Deuteronomy 30:19)
B. All kinds of darkness and evil are being released through our
defiance of God
The list of this terrible outworking is quite long. Consider some
of what is going on in the hearts of the spiritually estranged.
The orphans are filled with:
Anxiety
Fear
Sickness and disease
Broken relationships
Loss of identity
People, whether religious or not, are often trying to fill an empty void
in their lives. They are not just gripped by darkness but with what we
could call an orphan spirit. They are trying to find meaning in areas
that cannot provide any real direction or help for them.
How much of this has been affecting you?
B. Meaning of Identification
There may another way to frame this
up. Since we are talking about identity,
we need to continue to build on this
metaphor. What would happen if we
truly began to identify with Jesus? What
if we grab hold of the fact that Jesus
identified with us so that we could
identify with Him?
This is an important aspect of
salvations appropriation that I havent
observed as clearly in the past. Quite simply salvation takes
place through our deep, gut-wrenching identification with
Jesus. As we identify with Him, we get an identity.
"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in
him we might become the righteousness of God." (2
Corinthians 5:21)
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VI.
Adoption
11
12
Declaration
It is incredibly important to
appropriate the truth of
what we are sharing about
Jesus great work in our
life. So I want you to pray
the following prayer out
loud right now:
I did not receive the
spirit of slavery to fall
back into fear. I have
received the spirit of
adoption. I am a son. I
have a loving Heavenly
Father!
Do you believe the truth of
that declaration? Is it
coming alive in your heart?
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Consider making this a
confession all week until it
comes alive in your heart.
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13
Faulty Identities
What are some of the
different things giving you
a sense of identity? Take
a moment and write
down some of these
things. Be honest!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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14
An Identity From
Jesus
As we are talking
about this, it is
important to come to
Jesus with an open
heart. We dont just
want to talk about
theological ideas, we
want to pray and seek
His face. We must
appropriate and
believe in His great
work.
Now, ask Jesus to
truly give you a sense
of identity and destiny.
Let Him invigorate
your heart, mind, and
emotions. Feel His
goodness and love
washing over you. You
are now being
positioned to be and
do so much more.
VIII.
15
16
Embracing A New
Identity
New identities often
require new ways of
operation and function.
To move forward in this
you cannot live, or even
think, like you did in the
past. You must now
reckon yourself dead to
sin and alive in Jesus.
You must change your
mind about the realities
of the past, which is
ironically the
foundational meaning of
the word repentance.
We must have our minds
renewed.
We cannot continue to
give lip service; saying
Our identity is in Jesus.
We must change what
we do to line up with that
fact. What is something
you can do to show that
realignment?
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You need to start building your life on what God is saying about
you. Embrace His design for your life. Believe what He is saying
about you. It is time to step into your true identity.
X. Conclusion
An important part of
discipleship is establishing a
healthy identity in Jesus. You
are never going to be able to
live in community or even
express the works of God the
way He wants for you until you
settle these foundational
issues. This is something that
is probably not going to be
settled in one teaching session.
You are going to have to continue to work on it. I want to invite
to reflect on these scriptures and prayerfully ask God to
examine your heart.
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and
know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive
way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm
139:23-24)
Later, in these sessions were going to be building on identity;
helping you learn how to live in community and more fully
embrace the works of the Kingdom. If you dont grasp the
gravity of this teaching, it will undermine your ability to
participate in the next two teachings.
Discipleship is an ongoing process. Remind yourself to go over
these concepts regularly to allow the Holy Spirit greater access.
As you do, your foundation will grow more and more firm in
Jesus. Discipleship is not just knowledge, it also involves action.
So lets be a people of action.
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J.D. King
World Revival Church
P.O. Box 11678
Kansas City, MO 64138
(877) 804-5433
jdking@wrckc.com
Worldrevivalchurch.com