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![THE CHALLENGE
… and lo
myself I saw” [1]
-](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/graciousjesus74discipleship-230221144849-0316044d/85/Gracious-Jesus-74-Discipleship-pptx-12-320.jpg)
![THE CHALLENGE
Paul confesses in Romans 7
19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the
very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing
I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which
dwells in me. 21 I find then the principle that evil is present in
me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur
with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different
law in [p]the members of my body, waging war against
the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of
sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am!
Who will set me free from the body of this death?25 Thanks
be to God who does this through Jesus Christ our Lord!](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/graciousjesus74discipleship-230221144849-0316044d/85/Gracious-Jesus-74-Discipleship-pptx-13-320.jpg)
![CHRISTIANITY IS “CHRIST IN YOU”
Christianity is:
• Not a vague abstraction but a wonderful
affection.
• Not a tiresome argument but a tremendous
friendship.
• Not an intricate uninspired philosophy but an
inspired and thrilling love.
• Not a drudging at the grindstone of a dingy
routine morality but “Christ in you, the hope of
glory” [2]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/graciousjesus74discipleship-230221144849-0316044d/85/Gracious-Jesus-74-Discipleship-pptx-25-320.jpg)
Uploaded byDr. Bella Pillai
Gracious Jesus 74 Discipleship.pptx
This document outlines key concepts in discipleship from Matthew's perspective, with parallels in other Gospels. It discusses that discipleship requires denying oneself and taking up one's cross daily to follow Jesus. The greatest challenge is overcoming one's own sinful nature. Though the path of discipleship involves suffering, it leads to an eternal crown of glory. True success is found by losing one's life for Jesus, not gaining worldly achievements. The document aims to spur discussion on living a cross-centered life as a disciple of Christ.
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Gracious Jesus 74 Discipleship.pptx
- 1.
- 2. GRACIOUS JESUS (MATTHEW’S PERSPECTIVEWITH GOSPEL PARALLELS) 1. Presenting the King (Matt 1-4) 2. Winning Attitudes (Matt 5:1-12) 3. Kingdom Lifestyle – Part 1 (Matt 5:13- 48) 4. Kingdom Lifestyle – Part 2 (Matt 6) 5. Kingdom Lifestyle – Part 3 (Matt 7) 6. The King’s Touch (Matt 8) 7. The King Calls (Matt 9) 8. The King Commissions (Matt 10) 9. Wisdom and Greatness (Matt 11) 10. Servant Leadership (Matt 12) 11. Hidden Wisdom (Matt 13:1-43) 12. Hidden Treasures (Matt 13:44-14) 13. Gates of Heaven and Hell (Matt 15-17:9) 14. Winning Others Over (Matt 17:10- 18:35) 15. Kingdom Values, Kingdom Wealth (Matt 20) 16. The Royal Entry (Matt 21) 17. The Chosen Few (Matt 22) 18. The King’s Glorious Coming (Matt 24:1-44) 19. The Final Reckoning (Matt 24:45 – 25:46) 20. The King’s last days (Matt 26) 21. The King Conquers (Matt 27)
- 3. GATES OF HELLAND HEAVEN (MATT 15:1-17:9) 68. Empty Traditions 69. Persistent faith 70. Compelled by Compassion 71. Viral Influences 72. Keys to the Kingdom 73. Death Prediction 74. Discipleship 75. A glimpse of glory
- 4. Matt 16.24-28; Mark8.34-9.1; Luke 9.23-27; John 12.25 Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. 28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” DISCIPLESHIP
- 5. DISCIPLESHIP Mark 8:34 Thenhe called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” 9:1 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”
- 6. DISCIPLESHIP John 12:25 Anyonewho loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
- 7. IN HIS STEPS InHis One of the first times I walked in the snow, it wasn’t as easy as I thought. I was then so grateful for those footprints of those who’ve gone before. They made it so much easier to take this walk. I prayed that I too will make footprints that will make it easy for those who come behind me.
- 8. DISCIPLESHIP The Condition The Challenge TheCross The Crown In His
- 9. THE CONDITION “If anyonedesires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me”. Luke 9:23 In His
- 10. THE CHALLENGE Who isour greatest enemy?
- 11. THE CHALLENGE “An enemyI had whose face I stoutly strove to know For hard he dogged my steps unseen wherever I did go My plans he balked my aim he foiled he blocked my onward way When for some lofty goal I toiled he grimly said to me Nay One night I seized him and held him fast, from him the veil did draw I looked upon his face at last…
- 12. THE CHALLENGE … andlo myself I saw” [1] -
- 13. THE CHALLENGE Paul confessesin Romans 7 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in [p]the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?25 Thanks be to God who does this through Jesus Christ our Lord!
- 14. BE DISCIPLES THE CHALLENGE I’vehad more trouble with DL Moody than I’ve had with any man alive – DL Moody
- 15. BE DISCIPLES THE CHALLENGE Christis not interested in what I do. He is interested in who I am in my personal space with him
- 16. THE CHALLENGE “A wholenew generation of Christians has come up believing that it is possible to accept Christ without forsaking the world.” AW Tozer.
- 17. THE CROSS Jesus statedthe power of the cross in John 12:32,33“32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” 33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.”
- 18. THE CROWN Paul’s joyand crown: 1 Thess 2:19“For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?” In His
- 19. THE CROWN 1 Corinthians9:25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. In His
- 20. WORLDLY SUCCESS “I wanted toget a glimpse of the real world of cinema, which is the other side from my line of work. To me, the world of money is unreal – Raghuram Rajan”. .."because he needed to take a break".
- 21. WORLDLY SUCCESS Nothing fails like success– Mahesh Bhatt – Film Producer
- 22. THE CROWN For whosoeverwill save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Matt 16:25 In His
- 23. THE CROWN He isno fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. Jim Elliot - Martyr
- 24. “WILL NOT TASTE DEATH” Jesusmentions that there are some who will not taste death before they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom. This appears to refer to the second coming. There are several interpretations. One thought is that one of the disciples possibly John, did not die (though he almost was martyred more than once) but was taken up to heaven like Moses and Elijah. This verse will remain a question. The key takeaway is that a disciple will experienced unnamed privileges.
- 25. CHRISTIANITY IS “CHRISTIN YOU” Christianity is: • Not a vague abstraction but a wonderful affection. • Not a tiresome argument but a tremendous friendship. • Not an intricate uninspired philosophy but an inspired and thrilling love. • Not a drudging at the grindstone of a dingy routine morality but “Christ in you, the hope of glory” [2]
- 26. DISCUSSION 1. In ourdaily lives what does the “cross” include? Give examples. 2. What are some “daily” challenges we face in taking up the cross? How can we overcome them? 3. What drives and motivates us to continue on the way of the cross?
- 27. REFERENCES 1. Dr. JohnMaxwell (Developing the leader within you) 2. “Gates of New Life” by – James
Editor's Notes
- #4 13 The Gall and the Glory 68. Empty Traditions: Matt 15:1-20; Mark 7.1-23; Luke 11.37-41; 6.39 69. Persistent faith Matt 15:22-28; Mark 7.24-30 70. Compelled by Compassion Matt 15.29-39; Mark 7:31-8:10 71. The Bread that Spreads Matt 16:5-12; Mark 8.14-21; Luke 12:1 72. Peter’s Perception: Matt 16.13-20; Mark 8.27-30; Luke 9.18-21; John 6.67-71 73. Death Prediction Matt 16.21-23; 17.22-23; 20.17-19; Mark 8:31-33; Mark 9.30-32; Mark 10.32-34;Luke 9:22, 43b-45; 18.31-34 74. Discipleship Matt 16.24-28; Mark 8.34-9.1; Luke 9.23-27; John 12.25 75. A glimpse of glory Matt 17.1-9; Mark 9.2-10; Luke 9.28-36
- #5 Luke mentions take up the cross “daily”
- #8 Walking in the snow A few years back when I was in Dallas, the city was experiencing a snowfall which was an extremely rare occurance for Dallas. That threw everyone off track as people in that area are just not equipped to handle snow. Most services shut down and we were told by our customer to operate from our hotel itself. As I looked out of the window everything looked so beautiful with soft white snow covering everything. I had a strong urge to go out and take a walk in the snow. It was several feet deep. I also needed to pick something up from the convenience store which was around half a km. away. I went to my colleagues and said “hey, why don’t you join me for a walk in the snow?” They said “what?..oo we’ve never done that before”. I said “that’s precisely why you need to try it?” They passed After much deliberation, I decided to venture out, alone, though I was barely equipped for it. I stepped out, and took a few steps. I realized that this exercise was going to be as simple and fun as it appeared. Beneath layers of soft snow there was this threatening layer of hard slippery ice. Though the distance was short, I realized that the journey was going to be long and slippery, with many falls. I, assured myself that even if I fell, first of all there was no one to see me fall (there was hardly anyone out there), and secondly, I would be falling on soft snow. I decided to go on. When I actually got down to walking more than slipping, I encountered a few spots where someone had walked before. Those areas were really easy as I just had to step into their footprints and walk in them. Every time I reached a spot where a found footprints, I said “God bless the person who left these footprints”. .and then a fresh perspective of what Christ had done swam before my eyes. I realized that in life’s journey, had done. He had walked a path no one else could walk and left his prints so that it was easy for us to walk in. I lifted up my eyes and told God, “I want to walk in the snow for you for the rest of my life and create footprints making it easy for those who come behind me”. That is discipleship. Walking in Christ’s footprints and making footprints for others to walk in. It may be lonely and slippery, but the destination is sure and it is the best journey you could ever possibly take. So, how exactly do we walk in his steps?
- #9Â So, how exactly do we walk in his steps?
- #10 Following Christ is a choice..has to start with desire..let him deny himself denial.. implies that the desire has to be all consuming..take up his cross daily..it is a 24*7 commitment..this does not mean we leave our responsibilities and professions. Jesus himself lived a regular life as carpenter for a large part of his life…it simply means that once we take this decision, once we make this choice…everything we think, everything we say, everything we do has to be aligned with his commandments. This decision involves a complete change in the way we view our professions, our position, our posessions…they are no longer ours but whatever we have belongs to Christ..he is the owner and we have it on loan.
- #13Â I am the biggest enemy of myself. We often tend to give Satan more credit than he deserves for ruining our lives. Satan can only provide consulting services. It is we who make the choice as to whether to fall for his schemes or not.
- #14Â The big problem that Paul and all of us face is that while in our minds we are completely aligned to Christ and crucify our body, in reality, our body starts wiggling out of the cross. While in our mind we bury our carnal self, in our body keeps popping out of the grave. There is this huge conflict between what we want to do and what we actually are doing.
- #15 When I was setting my goals for 2014 and praying about what God wanted me to do, the message I got from God was that the one thing He wanted was that I go several notches up in my personal relationship with him…in terms of how much I have truly surrendered in all aspect of my life.
- #17 God is not interested in my work, he is interested in my walk with him. In the current season 4 of – koffee with karan – when Alia Bhatt who she wanted to marry among the other “students of the year stars” she promptly responds “I want to marry one and date the other”. We as Christians say we belong to God but want to flirt with the world..
- #18 We often try to align God with their desires rather than aligning ourself with God’s desires. In the OT we see the Israelites constantly craving for things – the bible records that God gave in to their cravings but sent them leanness of soul – leanness of soul is a condition where they were never satisfied. When we surrender all to Christ, he gives us prosperity of soul, and even if we have a little we enjoy it far more. We are satisfied and contented. Are we ready to deny ourself take up the cross and follow him? Are we really ready to be his disciples? Are we Ready to have a desire, an all consuming desire him to follow in his steps 24*7?
- #19Â John 3:14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
- #20 Just as Christ’s biggest joy is to have eternal fellowship with those whose for whom he gave his life. Our biggest joy and reward is to fellowship in heaven with those for whom we have labored in this life.
- #21Â Discipleship involves discipline. Hard discipline. Unlike any other journey we may undertake on this earth, the rewards are truly infinite in the journey of discipleship.
- #22 Raghuram rajan, top economist, slayer of inflation, saviour of the rupee And in the “real world of cinema”, the famous producer Mahesh Bhatt in his interview in koffee with karan talks of facing the dizzying heights of success and facing the loneliness of success saying “Nothing fails like success – Mahesh Bhatt”. Paul, on the other hand has a clear driving purpose when he says “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain.”
- #23Â Mahesh Bhatt talks of the loneliness of success.
- #24 When we surrender our lives, that is when we truly find life – abundant life (in this world), eternal life! (after) God is a jealous God –He has given his all for us.. he doesn’t want a part of us, he doesn’t even want a large chunk of us. He wants all of us all the time…
- #25 Jim Elliot. Peter: “No Lord”