THE LIFE OF A DISCIPLE

  


By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi 

"All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need."Acts of the Apostles 4:32‭-‬35 NLT

  The disciple of Jesus Christ is sold out to him and lives to glorify Jesus Christ. Whenever disadvantaged members of society join the church their welfare becomes part of the disciple's responsibilities. This includes feeding ,clothing ,transportation to and from church meetings , medical care , school fees until they are able to find sound footing . 

    The early church gave money to the disciples to carry out these responsibilities  and whenever the resources were not enough  disciples are expected to work or engage in business to support the work of ministry ( 2Thess3:6-10) .The bible says "Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow."Matthew 5:42 NLT and.  “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” Luke 3:11 NLT

  Disciples ensure the equitable distribution of available resources amongst believers. Those in government  are to make provisions for the security of God's people while ensuring prompt payments of complete salaries, job benefits  and  creation of welfare schemes for the poor.. The scriptures says  "And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need."Acts of the Apostles 2:44‭-‬45 NLT. Poverty in a country is an indication of the promotion of man-made religion and not discipleship. Religious leaders are to be held accountable for the poverty in the land because of their selfishness. 

 Disciples of Jesus Christ are always at the forefront of the fight against corruption ( Acts5). Corruption results in poverty and hinders the spread of the gospel. Some persons hate God and the church because of the poverty caused by corruption under the watchful eyes of religious leaders many of whom are beneficiaries of the corrupt system. The church holds the key to end corruption by enforcement of church discipline ( 1Cor.5)

   A disciple must be able to adapt to hardship . Satan frustrates disciples by starving them financially through selfish church members whose heart are sold to him by their love for money . At such times the bible says  " Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 2:3 NLT ( 2Cor 11:23-28) The disciples must also be willing to lay down his or her life for the love of God and humanity .(Acts 21;13, Phil1:20)

   Discipleship requires an unalloyed continuance in God's word ( John 8:31) and enthusiasm with unswerving zeal  for the course of spreading the gospel .( Eccl 9:10, Rev. 3:15, Gal. 4:18) 

   Discipleship comes with persecution , The bible says "  Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." 2 Timothy 3:12 NLT

 Suffering for Christ is a privilege " For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him." Philippians 1:29 NLT

  Discipleship comes with benefits . They are the chosen of the lord (Matt22:14) and honoured of the heavenly father (John12:26b)  They shall be given power over nations (Rev.2:26-28) . A disciple is a man or woman of great faith for signs and wonders .

Prayer : Heavenly father forgive me of my sins against you I believe Jesus Christ died and was raised again for my salvation I receive  him as lord and saviour and receive the Holy Ghost and power to make progress in the face of  strong challenges in Jesus name. 

 +2348035536911, +2348098536911 email michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BREAK EVIL FAMILY PATTERNS

Image
 By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi  Titus 1:12 -14 "One of themselves,   even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians   are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.  This  witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply,  that they may be sound in the faith;  Not giving  heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of  men, that turn from the truth."       The church in Crete was in disarray and the apostle assigned Titus to go and put things in order . On investigation it was discovered the church suffered from a vicious cycle of evil family  patterns. They were not enjoying the fruits of the salvation experience . An example of evil family patterns is that of King David who defiled Uriah's wife ,murdered him and his son Absalom murdered his brother Amnon (2Sam13) dethroned him and defiled his concubines openly (2Samuel16). His son Amnon defiled his sister Tamar (2Sam.13) and so on yet David was the anointed of the Lord....
Read more

COMMON CAUSES OF DISUNITY.

Image
 By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi "Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following."Acts 20:30 NLT   "An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin." Proverbs 29:22 NLTBible        Disunity is defined as : disagreement and conflict within a group. It is the greatest hindrance to the promotion of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Disunity creates an avenue for Satan to promote sin.       The causes of disunity are not farfetched ,they include : Unhealthy Crave for power or self- promotion. Whenever there is an unhealthy pursuit of influence in a family or group it results in resistance. Self-promotion gives birth to unfair practices and injustices. In Numbers 12: 1-15  Moses' sister Miriam and Aaron rebelled against him desiring to rule by force and in Numbers 16 :1-35 Korah led an insurrection against Moses desiring to be part of leadership. In both cases ,God wa...
Read more

CONSEQUENCES OF LACK OF FAITH

Image
By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi " Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God." Hebrews 3:12 NLTBible  ' Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”John 20:27 NLTBible     Faith is the guarantee of the manifestation an unseen reality . It is the reason behind the hope we have in God and the fulfilment of his promises. It is the substance ( title deed) of things hoped for ,the evidence of things not seen (Hebrew 11:1) .The Bible warns against not having faith in God. Lack of faith is equal to calling God a liar and untrustworthy. This type of reasoning turns us into enemy's of God.    The gospel is so much under attack by the activities of faithless religionists . They plan to replace the holy scripture with humanistic dogma. The danger in this is the relative...
Read more