Concept Discipleship

UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT AND CONDITIONS FOR DISCIPLESHIP Page 100

(b) Did their separation stop their discipleship relationship? How did
they sustain the relationship? Heb.13:16(KJV), 1Tim 1:1 -2,
2Tim.4-.l-9.

There came a stage in their relationship when Timothy became
matured enough to handle ministry. He was to oversee certain local
churches on behalf of Paul and that brought a physical separation. Yet
they continued relating through correspondence. Paul still taught and
counseled him through letters. They continued this way until Paul
finally died.

Discipleship is a life long relationship even though with the growth
and ministerial exposure of the disciple the regularity of physical
interaction may reduces.

Other Discipleship Relationships

1. THE LEVITES: Ex. 32:19-29
You will note here that this is the beginning of the call of the

Levities. Later on in life, the Levites became the Priests that God used
to stand in the gap between Him and the children of Israel. From this
scripture, all Israel had committed sin, including the Levites.
However because of their sin, God then gave a new call and you will
soon see that it is not any other call but a call unto discipleship.

Moses said, "who is on the Lord's side? Let him come unto
me" can you see that the call was not by force. He did not compel
anybody to come. Again that call is to individuals who are willing. He
said "who is" (not who are') or the Lord's side? Let him (not 'let
them') come unto me. That should confirm to you that the call unto
discipleship is not by force. It is voluntary. It is personal. You must
deliberately and voluntarily and personally respond to it if you desire
so to do. It is also a call unto individuals not unto crowds. And the
Levites responded that way. No two people are allowed to answer it
for themselves together. Each person

UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT AND CONDITIONS FOR DISCIPLESHIP Page 101

Has to respond as an individual to the voice of the Lord in that
respect. Even though all the people of Israel are God’s people, God
needed to make that call to know those who are actually His. It is the
same call God is extending to 111 us who profess to be His people
today.

Then you will discover that the steps unto discipleship (the
conditions for discipleship,) are also given here mil Scripture in verse
27.

"Put every man his sword by his side and go in and out from

gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his

companion, and every man his neighbour".
Can you see something? That order is still to be obeyed by
individuals. Note the use of the phrase "every man" in that verse.
And each of the Levites did according to that order. You may wonder
why God wants disciples, why He made that call to the children of
Israel... In Num. 8:23-2 6, it was the Levities that God made use of, as
Priests in Israel. In Ex.32, the Levites had accepted to be on the Lord's
side and to stand apart from every other person and cut off every
relationship that will hinder them from being with the Lord.
Therefore, when the time came for God to appoint people into service,
He only chose those that were with Him. He did not choose the tribe
of Dan or any other tribe because when the call came for 'who is on
the Lord's side', they stood afar off. So you can see that God will
choose only people who have responded to the call unto discipleship
for His use.

(2) DAVID: 1 Sam. 16:4-13.
From this scripture, God needed a man to be anointed as king in

the place of Saul. So He sent Samuel to Jesse in Bethlehem to anoint
one of his sons. What did you notice in that scripture? As soon as
Samuel arrived there, everybody started trembling. They were not
used to that kind of thing. So Samuel told them to sanctify themselves
and come with

UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT AND CONDITIONS FOR DISCIPLESHIP Page 102

him to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and called
them to the sacrifice. Can you see that? Why did he need to sanctify
them before they can appear before the Lord? It means they were not
living right. Yet, despite all the emergency sanctification, God did not
choose any of them to be king.

After seven of the eight sons of Jesse had been presented before
the Lord and the Lord refused them, Samuel asked if those were all
his sons. It was then they remembered David. That means he was
looked upon as an insignificant person in the family.

They forgot him on the field when God asked Jesse to present
all his sons.

But there is a secret about the life of David that you need to see.
When Jesse sent and brought him in, the Lord said to Samuel, "arise,
anoint him; for this is he." Can you see that something was omitted
in his case before he could appear before the Lord? The Lord did not
say 'arise, sanctify him, anoint him; for this is he.' He had no need
to go through the process of sanctification. That means that this boy
had been with God all the time. He had been in constant fellowship
with God. God knew him and so He sent Samuel right from Ramah to
go to Bethlehem where David was, to anoint him. God knew his
location. The Lord knew David and called him a man after his heart (1
Sam. 13:13-14). Before he was anointed, he did not need any special
sanctification to make him acceptable before God. He was not coming
from a prayer meeting or fellowship that day, but from the field where
he was taking care of sheep. Yet he was there in fellowship with the
Lord. He was a disciple.

A disciple is a man who is able to go with Jesus at all times and
in all places, and anywhere you put a disciple, he-will still be with
Jesus. He is yoked together with Jesus.

David was a small boy in the bush, yet the Lord testified that he
was man after His own heart. When they sent for him, you

UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT AND CONDITIONS FOR DISCIPLESHIP Page 103

can imagine how dirty his legs and clothes might have been, but
internally, he was clean, a man approved by God for noble use.

But today we have people who look externally clean with
proper dressing. They look wonderful and spiritual outwardly but
there is rottenness inside their lives. There is wickedness, evil
thought, bitterness, quarrelling and all manner of things. That is not
the kind of person God will use. Such people would need emergency
cleansing before they can even appear before God. David was not like
that he was with the Lord all the time. His song always was "The
Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want." He was a disciple and
when it was time for God to use somebody, David was chosen.

The call unto discipleship is mandatory for you if you desire
that God should number you among His own people, the people He
can use anytime. You must be willing to answer His call to be with
the Lord and learn of him as his apprentice.

3. ELIJAH AND ELISHA 1Kgs. 19:16-21; 2 Kgs. 3:11; 2:1-25.
(a) Elisha was an Israelite, one of the people of God even before he
answered the call unto discipleship. So apart from being born-again,
you still need to take the definite step to become a disciple of Jesus
(IKgs. 19:16).

(b) Elisha took a definite step to become Elijah's apprentice. He did
away with all that may hinder him from making discipleship a reality
in his life (1 Kgs. 19:21).

(c.) He left his own personal program and ambition in order to follow
this program of God for his life. Even though he was A large scale
farmer, he humbled himself to become an Ordinary servant of Elijah
just for God's purpose to be fulfilled In his life (IKgs.19:21;
2Kgs.3;11). What is God asking you to give up in order for His
purpose to be fulfilled in your life?

d) He was a man of one focus; He became what God wanted him
to be; he became a prophet after Elijah.

UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT AND CONDITIONS FOR DISCIPLESHIP Page 104

(4) JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES
Matt. 4:18-22; Mk.3:13-19; Matt. 5:1-2; 8:23-27; 9:9, 10; 16:13-19;
17:1-13; 28:19-20.

(a) Each of Jesus' disciples started by first deciding to follow Him.
They were born-again (Matt.4:18-25). In Vs. 25, large crowds
followed Him also apart from those who later became his disciples.

(b) After being born-again, following Jesus with the crowd, each
disciple came to a point where he took definite steps to become his
disciple (Mark 3:13-19).

(c) Each of the disciples abandoned his own life program and
business to become Jesus' apprentice e.g. Peter left fishing,
Matthew left tax collection.

(d) They endured hardships. They followed Jesus both in favourable
and unfavourable conditions. They left parents, wives and loved
ones to follow Jesus, and they suffered rebukes, hunger, storms and
other hardships with Him (John 4:1-8; Matt. 8:23-27).

(e) They obeyed the Master without questioning (Matt.21:l-6, Matt.
26:17-19; Acts 1:4-5, 12-14).

(f) They were eventually commissioned and empowered for service.
(Matt. 28:19-20; Acts: 2:1 -4).

(g) Appointment unto Kingdom service is through discipleship. (Acts.
1:14-26)

By the time Jesus left, the disciples were a hundred and twenty
in number, with eleven apostles among them (Judas Iscariot had
died). When there was need to fulfill the ' scriptures and replace Judas
Iscariot with another man as

UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT AND CONDITIONS FOR DISCIPLESHIP Page 105

one of the twelve apostles, you can see the qualification that such a
person must have (vs. 21 and 22). It is that the person must have
companied with them all the time that Jesus went in and out among
them. Not a truant and one that came for one month and then went
away for three months. He must be a man who has been with Jesus
when he went out or came in, in time of need and in times of plenty,
when there was hope and when there appeared to be no hope, when
the condition was favourable and when it was not. It is only from
among this kind of people that God can appoint anyone to be a
servant to do anything for him. No man should expect any
appointment unto God's service except he has been with the Lord.

So they said it is only a man who had companied with them all
the time that Jesus was with them, right from the baptism of John till
He was taken up from them. Can you see the condition for God's
appointment unto service? For you to be used by God, you must have
been with Him all the time. We have seen it from biblical pattern that
God only uses men that He has dealt with and trained, men chosen
by Him.

Conclusion
Discipleship is God's method of raising men. He may choose to

raise a disciple directly by Himself or use human vessels (more
matured disciples) as. His delegated authority to make disciples for
Him. Joshua and Timothy were examples of such disciples raised by
men chosen by God. They humbled and denied themselves of their
personal ambitions and families in order to become servants of God
so that God's purpose for their lives may be fulfilled. They grew in
discipleship and entered into God's call upon their lives. As long as
they and their human disciplers were alive the relationship continued.
If you must become what God wants you to be, the conditions must be
fulfilled. Hear what the Master says Lk.9:23-24; Lk. 14:26, Heb. 12:

-

UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT AND CONDITIONS FOR DISCIPLESHIP Page 106

"If any man will come after Me let him deny himself, and take
up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whosoever would save
his life shall lose it; but whosoever will lose his life for My
sake, the same shall save it".
“…If any man come to Me and hate not his father, and
mother, and wife, and children and brethren and sisters, yea,
and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple..."
Therefore
"... let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth easily
beset us, and let us run the race that is set before us."
God bless you!

UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT AND CONDITIONS FOR DISCIPLESHIP Page 107

1. From this Bible study, we saw
that becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ is
a definite step that must be taken if at all
we must be conformed to the image of
Jesus Christ. We saw the Biblical
examples of people who had to take
definite steps to make this decision a
reality.
What steps have you decided to take to
make discipleship a reality in your own
life? Share with us how the Lord, through
a discipler; who your discipler is.

2. (a) Discuss confidentially with us, what inspires you about.' your
human discipler. What are his strong points of influence f upon your
life?

(b) Since how long have been in this relationship with him/ her? What
has been your experience of following a man in order to follow the
LORD?

3. (a) Since he/she is still growing, what conflict do you find in
submitting to his counsel and instructions?

(b) How did you cope? How do you reconcile his voice with the
LORD'S voice each time?

4. (a) What have you personally been doing to encourage your
discipleship relationship with your discipler to grow and to go on?

(b) What aspect of his own life has presently rubbed on you?

107