Sermon par le Ps Philip Tse
Spiritual progress – From the Crowd to Disciple
1. Key marks of disciples of Christ
Disciples of Jesus Christ continuously work on the two greatest commandments of Jesus Christ.
Mark 12:30-31
(i) Love God with all the heart (spirit), with all the understanding (mind) with all the soul, and with all the strength (body).
(ii) Love oneself.
(iii) Love one’s neighbour.
2. How do we love God?
(i) By following Jesus as Saviour and Lord
Mat 16:24 “If anyone would come after me (disciple), let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me”.
– Through regular communication (prayers and worship) with Father God through Jesus.
– Denying ourselves by applying God’s will first at the expense of our own will.
– Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (virtues) (Mat 6:33).
(ii) Study the Bible: Actively read and obey/apply God’s Words persistently as basis for his actions.
Jean 8: 31 …Si vous demeurez dans ma parole, vous êtes vraiment mes disciples.
Luc 6: 46 Pourquoi m’appelez-vous Seigneur, Seigneur! et ne faites-vous pas ce que je dis?
47 Je vous montrerai à qui est semblable tout (1) homme qui vient à moi (disciple), (2) entend mes paroles, et (3) les met en pratique. 48 Il est semblable à un homme qui, bâtissant une maison, a creusé, creusé profondément et a posé le fondement sur le roc.
3. How do we love ourselves?
(i) Fear of God for our own good:
– Recognise and repent from personal sins and shortcomings for our personal salvation.
– Seek the grace and forgiveness from God to avoid his wrath
– Extend grace/forgiveness to other people.
– I am the first one to be harmed if I do not learn to forgive others – spiritual attack, negativity, anger, and bitterness, which affect my health and well-being.
(ii) Character transformation to Jesus likeness
Change my heart Oh God, make it ever true.
Change my heart Oh God, may I be like You.
You are the potter, I am the clay,
Mould me and make me, this is what I pray.
- We were created in the image of God (Gen 1:27) to reflect His character and purpose, and given authority over creation.
- Renewing of the mind with God’s viewpoint and rejecting worldly thinking.
- Seeking the power of the Holy Spirit in us.
3. Commitment to personal growth/edification to avoid destruction in bad times
Luc 6: 47 Je vous montrerai à qui est semblable tout (1) homme qui vient à moi (disciple), (2) entend mes paroles, et (3) les met en pratique. 48 Il est semblable à un homme qui, bâtissant une maison, a creusé, creusé profondément et a posé le fondement sur le roc. Une inondation est venue, et le torrent s’est jeté contre cette maison, sans pouvoir l’ébranler, parce qu’elle était bien bâtie.
4. How do we love our neighbours
(i) Fellowship with other believers (love one another): Actively participate in a community of faith (church/ cell group) and support each other.
Jean 13: 35 A ceci tous connaîtront que vous êtes mes disciples, si vous avez de l’amour les uns pour les autres.
Hébreux 10: 24 Veillons les uns sur les autres, pour nous exciter à la charité et aux bonnes œuvres.
25 N’abandonnons pas notre assemblée, comme c’est la coutume de quelques-uns ; mais exhortons-nous réciproquement, …
(ii) Share the Gospel: Actively tell others about Jesus and invite them to follow Him.
Matthieu 4: 19 “Follow Me (disciples), and I will make you fishers of men”.
Matthieu 28: 19 Allez, faites de toutes les nations des disciples, les baptisant au nom du Père, du Fils et du Saint Esprit,
20 et enseignez-leur à observer tout ce que je vous ai prescrit…
(iii) Serve others: Show God’s love (agape) through selfless acts of service to others, and spiritual gifts (visiting, sharing the gospel, healing, miracles) to encourage them to Jesus Christ.
1 Cor 9: 19 Car, bien que je sois libre à l’égard de tous, je me suis rendu le serviteur de tous, afin de gagner le plus grand nombre.
20 Avec les Juifs, j’ai été comme Juif, afin de gagner les Juifs; avec ceux qui sont sous la loi, comme sous la loi (quoique je ne sois pas moi-même sous la loi), afin de gagner ceux qui sont sous la loi; …
(iv) Fruit of the Spirit: Interacting with our neighbours by exhibiting qualities such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
SELF-ASSESSMENT
| SELF-ASSESSMENT: FROM THE CROWD TO DISCIPLE | Marks (1-5) | |
| A | LOVE GOD | |
| 1 | I communicate regularly with God through prayer and worship | |
| 2 | I give priority to God’s will in my life | |
| 3 | I seek first God’s kingdom and his virtues | |
| 4 | I read the Bible | |
| 5 | I apply God’s Words in the Bible | |
| B | LOVE OURSELVES | |
| 6 | I repent from my personal sins and shortcomings before God | |
| 7 | Just as God forgives me, I extend forgiveness to others | |
| 8 | I work towards the renewing of my mind with God’s viewpoint and rejecting worldly thinking | |
| 9 | I seek the power of the Holy Spirit | |
| 10 | I am constantly working on being a Christian of greater faith | |
| C | LOVE OUR NEIGHBOURS | |
| 11 | I attend church services regularly | |
| 12 | I attend cell groups regularly | |
| 13 | I share the Gospel | |
| 14 | I serve others to encourage them to Jesus Christ | |
| 15 | When interacting with difficult people, I can show the Fruit of the Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control |
1: Weakest; 5: Strongest
Below 30 points = I follow Jesus as a ‘Believer in the Crowd’. I need to work on my discipleship
From 31 to 45 points = I am in good progress from ‘Believer in the Crowd’ to a Disciple
Above 45 points = I am a disciple of Jesus and I aim to be a stronger disciple
