Discipleship 1 – A life in the Kingdom

The aim of this devotional study is to reflect on the nature and call of discipleship.

Scripture

Mark 1:14-20

14  Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15  and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

16  And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

17  Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

19  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. 20  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

Observations

Mark records Jesus first message and the calling of his first disciples in this text. “Gospel” means “good news”.

1. With which words does Mark summarize the core message of Jesus? [hint: verse 14]
2. Consider Jesus’ message in verse 15.What do you understand with each of these phrases?
   1. “The time is fulfilled,
   2. the kingdom of God
   3. is at hand.
   4. Repent,
   5. believe in the gospel.”
3. Now put Jesus’ message (verse 15) in your own words.
4. What repeated word do you notice Mark inserts in the calling and response of the first disciples of Jesus. [verses 17-20]
   1. Can you see it? [hint: verses 18 and 20]
   2. What feeling does this word bring to Jesus’ call to a life of discipleship?
   3. How does this word [and its implied meaning] correlate with his message [verse 15]?

Application and prayer

Jesus’ core message was to announce “God is in charge now!  Turn from your own ways and believe this good news!”  And that is his call to discipleship – a life devoted to living in obedience to God.

1. Reflect on the phrase “Believe in the Good News – that God is in charge!”
   1. Do you believe that it is always better to please God than to please yourself? Does your life reflect that?
   2. Why – in this life, here on earth – would it be good news that God is in charge of a city?
   3. Jesus call to discipleship in the Kingdom was very personal [he said elsewhere “the Kingdom of God is within”. Why is better for me that God is in charge or my life / that God rules over my decisions?
2. Consider your own life.
   1. Have you ever devoted your life in obedience to God and his kingdom? If it is your intention, do so now in prayer.
   2. In which areas are your life under the reign of God?
   3. In which areas are your life not under the reign of God? Bring it in prayer to God now, and ask Him for grace to reign in every aspect of your life.

Five Fold Ministry 4

The aim of this devotional study is to grow in understanding and appreciation of the gift of the evangelist.

Scripture

Acts 8:1-16

1  And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.  2  Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3  But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

4  Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.  5  Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.  6  And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did.

7  For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.  8  So there was much joy in that city.

9  But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great.  10  They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11  And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.  12  But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13  Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.

14  Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15  who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16  for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Observation

Note: Philip was one of the first seven deacons appointed by the apostles (Acts 6:5), and is elsewhere explicitly called “Philip the evangelist who was one of the seven” (Acts 21:8).  This account above follows directly after the execution of Stephen, the first Christian martyr.

1. Philip went to “evangelize” (share the “evangeli” or “good news” or “gospel”) in Samaria.
   1. What accompanied the spreading of the gospel? (verses 6-7, 13)
   2. What was the “good news” Philip preached? (verse 12)
   3. What was the result of the preaching of the gospel by Philip the evangelist? (verses 8, 12-13)
   4. What did the church leaders do after the good reception of the gospel by Philip’s preaching? (verses 14-16)

Reflection

1. What is the natural ministry inclination of an evangelist?
2. What do you suspect would be the natural frustration of the evangelist with a local church?
3. If Jesus “gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry…” what do you think should the evangelists equip the members in the local church to do?
4. Considering the text above, what is the church’s relationship and responsibility to the evangelist and his/her gift?

Application and prayer

1. Have you been equipped by an evangelistic ministry to share your testimony and share the gospel conviction and power? If not – decide to today to “be equipped for the work of the ministry!” Ask your church leaders to help and pray that God will lead you to be equipped to share his gospel.
2. Do you have evangelists functioning in your local church? If you know them, ask the Lord for more grace and boldness and a platform to teach and inspire in the church. If you do not know any, pray to the Lord for these gifts to raise or add these gifts in your church.
3. Lastly, ask the Lord to infuse you with boldness and passion to share the good news of Jesus where you go today. Whom will you share it with?

Setting the captives free 3

The Aim of this devotional study is to discover the relationship between the preaching of the gospel and deliverance from demonic activity,

Scripture

Mark 1:39

39  And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Mark 3:13-15

13  And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14  And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach  15  and have authority to cast out demons.

Mark 16:15-20

15  And he said to [the 11 disciples], “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17  And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18  they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

19  So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20  And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

Observation

These three sections from Mark is selected which summarized the ministry of Christ according to Mark, and the appointment of the 12 apostles and then the Great Commission before his ascension.

1. What pattern to you seen in these three texts? What – according to Mark – accompanies the preaching of the gospel?
2. Why would the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom of God be accompanied by the casting out of demons? (hint: think clashing of kingdoms)

Application

1. In Mark 16:17 Jesus promised his disciples “These signs will follow those who believe… in my name they will cast our demons…” Have you ever experienced the fulfilment of this promise?

• If you have – where and how? When last?
• If not – why not? Do you believe that demons exist? And do you believe that in Christ you have authority to cast them out?

2. According to Mark the casting out of demons accompany the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God – the reign of God and victory of Christ. When last have you shared that gospel with someone?  With whom will you share it this week?

Prayer

Jesus sent his disciples to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God to everyone, and promised that signs will follow – including deliverance from demon-oppression and possession.  Pray to God for boldness to preach that gospel to see the captives set free!

Fellowship of the saints 2 – fellowship with God in Christ

The aim of the module is to grow in understanding and habitual practice of Biblical Fellowship.  (Recommended read for overview of the module: True Christian Fellowship)

Scripture

Philippians 1:1-30 [ESV]

1  Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: 2  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3  I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4  always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5  because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

7  It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of [God’s] grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8  For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

9  And it is my prayer [to God] that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10  so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

12  I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13  so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14  And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. 15  Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16  The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17  The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18  What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Yes, and I will rejoice, 19  for I know that through your prayers [to God] and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20  as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22  If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23  I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.  24  But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25  Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26  so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

27  Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28  and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29  For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30  engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Observations

1. As we study our fellowship (sharing) with God, mark every reference in Philippians 1 to God, Jesus Christ or God’s Spirit. And write down whether this reference is an objective reality or subjective experience (i.e. do we share in God in this instance through our activity, or passively)

(If you are not pressed for time, do this with Chapter 1-4)

Application

1. Looking at Paul’s relationship with God through Christ and His Spirit in Philippians only,
   1. In which do you fellowship / share in God today without any effort on my part (i.e. objective reality) such as “being saints in Christ Jesus”?
   2. In which ways can you fellowship with God today through my activity (i.e. subjective experience) such as “prayer” etc?

Prayer

Paul mentions the prayer that he prays for this congregation (1:9-11).  Take a few minutes and pray this prayer in your own words for your small group or Bible Study friends.

Fellowship of the Saints: Partnership in the Gospel

The aim of this devotional Bible Study is to grow in understanding and habitual practice of Biblical Fellowship.  Perhaps a good read to give a overview of the subject is this brief article on True Christian Fellowship.

Scripture

Read Philippians chapter 1 and Philippians chapter 4 (A literal translation such as ESV or NKJ is recommended)

Philippians 1:1-30 [ESV]

1  Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: 2  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3  I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4  always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5  because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

7  It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8  For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

9  And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10  so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

12  I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13  so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14  And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. 15  Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16  The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17  The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18  What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Yes, and I will rejoice, 19  for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20  as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22  If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23  I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.  24  But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25  Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26  so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

27  Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28  and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29  For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30  engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Philippians 4:1-20 [ESV]

1  Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. 2  I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3  Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

4  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.  5  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9  What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me–practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

10  I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11  Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

14  Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.  15  And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16  Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17  Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.

18  I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19  And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20  To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Observations

1. Write down the four or five big events or thoughts that Paul is writing about in these two chapters. (one word per thought)
2. It is clear that he had a special place in his heart for this congregation. Look at each of the following verses and write down how Paul defines their relationship.
   1. Phil 1:5
   2. Phil 1:7
   3. Phil 1:27
   4. Phil 4:3
   5. Phil 4:10-11, 14-15, 18
3. Again looking at the verses above (and perhaps noting the sending and receiving of Timothy and Epaphroditus in 2:19-30) how did Paul and the congregation in Philippi have relationship, or as he says “partnership in the gospel”?

Application

1. How does this “partnership in the gospel” challenge you today in the following relationships?
   1. Your relationship with Christ?
   2. Your relationship with your local church?
   3. Your relationship with the world around you (neighbours, co-workers, family)?
   4. Your relationship towards missions and missionaries?
2. What do you need to adjust in one or more of these relationships to follow the example of Paul or the Philippians?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you were sent by the Father to save this world.  Thank you for your selfless sacrifice and example in obedience.  Again I affirm my partnership with You as part of Your church for the spreading and witness of Your Gospel.  Strengthen me with boldness and friends to “partner in the gospel” in a practical way.  Let your Kingdom come in and through me today!