Here you go Part 3 of the study of Ecclesiology. The Principles of Discipleship Part 1. (The Call of a Disciple.)

1. ECCLESIOLOGY
(Principles of Discipleship-Part 1)
The Call of discipleship
By : Servant of the Cross
The Living Spring

2. Principles of Discipleship
Principles of Discipleship
• Last week in our study of the Church, we learned
Jesus had a very focused Purpose Statement for
the Church.
Is Connaught Chapel a Purpose Conscious
church?
Are you Purpose Conscious?
The Living Spring

3. Principles of Discipleship
Principles of Discipleship
• The Great Commandment.
Jesus summarized the entire Old Testament, all the law,
and all the prophets in one purpose statement.
And Jesus says to Connaught Chapel:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and
greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love
your neighbor as yourself.’[b] . Mt 22:37-39
The Living Spring

4. Principle of Discipleships
Principle of Discipleships
• The Great Commission.
He gave Connaught Chapel the great commission which
is just as focused.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the
very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20a
19
Thus, a good motto for our Assembly would be,
"Worshipping God,…Loving people,...Making Disciples."
The Living Spring

5. Principle of Discipleships
Principle of Discipleships
• The Four Aspects of Discipleship.
1. The Call of Discipleship
You are called unto the fellowship of His Son. (1 Cor.1:9)
2. The Goal of Discipleship
Follow me…and I will make you fishers of men. (Matt 4:19)
3. The Cost of Discipleship .
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let
him first deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. (Matt. 16:24)
4. The Relationship of Discipleship.
And when He had called unto Him His twelve disciples He gave
them power. (Matt. 10:10)
The Living Spring

6. Principle of Discipleships
Principle of Discipleships
1. The Call of a Disciple .
In both the Greek and Latin the word is translated as
‘learner ‘ or ‘scholar.’ In all cases discipleship implies
that the learner not only accepts the views of the
master but also practices them.
Dietrich Bonheoffer said, “When Christ calls a man
He bids him come and die.”
Gordon McDonald said, “True Discipleship is an all
out commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Living Spring

7. Principle of Discipleships
Principle of Discipleships
• The Call of Discipleship.
1. By Whom are we call?
2. From What are we call?
3. To what are we call?.
The Living Spring

8. Principle of Discipleships
Principle of Discipleships
• By Whom are we Call?
The most important thing about being a disciple is the person or
thing we are following. The Bible speaks of the disciples of Moses,
John, and the Pharisees.
We become followers of Jesus because we desire to become like
Him. The whole goal of our faith is to be like him.
Jesus, however, made a very revealing comment about what it
means to be His disciple.
“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is
perfectly trained will be like his teacher,” (Luke 6:40, nkjv).
The Living Spring

9. Principle of Discipleships
Principle of Discipleships
2. The true goal of discipleship.
It’s not to generate Bible scholars or evangelists, or counselors or
even leaders. The result of discipleship is someone who is like Jesus.
That’s a powerful thing. Consider the impact the early disciples had. It
wasn’t their Bible knowledge or their oratory skills that made them
stand out.
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they
were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took
note that these men had been with Jesus,” (Acts 4:13).
The apostle Paul, who devoted his life to equipping believers to be
followers of Jesus, embraced this. No wonder he wrote:
“Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ,” (1 Corinthians 11:1,
NASB).
The Living Spring

10. Principle of Discipleships
Principle of Discipleships
2. The true goal of discipleship.
No matter where people are engaged in the process of
discipleship, no matter what tools or techniques they use
to pass on spiritual truth, the goal is men and women who
become more and more like Jesus—and are able to pass
this character on to others and help them do the same.
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the
Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with
ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is
the Spirit,” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
The Living Spring

11. Principle of Discipleships
Principle of Discipleships
• a) Jesus Chooses People (Mathew 4:18-22)
v.18. He saw them.
v.19. He called them,
v.20. They followed Him.
• b) Jesus Draws People
If I be lifted up from the earth I will draws all men unto
me. (John 12:32)
There was attractiveness in Jesus that was unexplainable. When
He spoke great crowds were attracted to Him. They would walk for
miles and stay many days to hear Him speak.
The Living Spring

12. Principle of Discipleships
Principle of Discipleships
• Jesus Challenges People
Jesus Himself challenges us to make a decision. We either receive
Him or we reject Him! To His disciples He said, ‘put your nets back
down the water,’ to the young rich ruler, ‘sell all you have,’ to Peter,
‘Walk on the water’!
He not only calls us but He makes our callings possible. Heb.9:15
show that Jesus had to give His life in order that we might have an
eternal inheritance. He challenge is to be totally transformed.
Jesus had the ability to see the potential in His disciples’ lives.
(He didn’t just see fishermen, He saw what they could have become
by His teaching, love, power & grace.)
The Living Spring

13. Principle of Discipleships
Principle of Discipleships
• From What are we called.
Psalms 107 states that there are three things here that we are saved from.
a. Personal Insufficiency
Some wandered in desert wastelands. (v4)
b. Sin
Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in
iron chains. (v.10)
c. The Consequence of Sin
Some were fools and they had to suffer for it. (v17)
The Living Spring

14. Principle of Discipleships
Principle of Discipleships
• To What are we called.
a. Relationship
You are called unto the fellowship of His Son. (1 Cor.1:9)
b. Service
Follow me…and I will make you fishers of men. (Matt 4:19)
Jesus called His disciples to Himself, to relationship, but then
commissioned them to serve. It is the joy and the privilege of the
disciple to have a part in the work of the Master.
And when He had called unto Him His twelve disciples He gave them
power. (Matt. 10:10)
The Living Spring

15. Principle of Discipleships
Principle of Discipleships
• There are two major hindrances that discourage
service.
• Ambition
The disciples often asked Jesus who was the greatest.
They sought status rather than servanthood. The spirit of
this world is to seek status rather than servanthood.
The response of Jesus to his disciples’ wrangling of who
was the greatest, was to wrap a towel around His waist, get
a bowl of water, and wash their feet. This is the attitude we
should have, seeking to serve rather than seeking status.
The Living Spring

16. Principle of Discipleships
Principle of Discipleships
• There are two major hindrances that discourage
service.
Self-Pity
Lo we have left our homes and followed you. (Luke 18:28)
Self-pity will always be a hindrance to our service. When
we come to serve we must realized that we have foregone
our rights. We cannot demand conditions of service.
Note that in Gal.5:13 tells us that we are not only called to
serve Jesus but also one another.
The Living Spring

17. Principle of Discipleships
Principle of Discipleships
• There are two major hindrances that discourage
service.
Obedience
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we
love God, and keep his commandments. (1 john 5:2)
Jesus said not everyone who calls “Lord, Lord,” will enter
into the kingdom, but only those who do the will of the
father. In Matt.7:21 both the wise and the foolish men
heard the Word of the Lord. The fundamental difference
between them was that the man who built his house upon
the rock not only hear but obeyed.
The Living Spring

18. To Be Continue……………
ECCLESIOLOGY
(Principles of Discipleship-Part 2)
The Cost of discipleship
Watch out for Part 2 & Part 3 ……
By : Servant of the Cross
The Living Spring