Discipleship and DiscipleSheep

The Good Shepherd’s Disciple‘ship’ and Disciple‘sheep’
John 10

Ps Renny Khoo

28 May 2017

Shepherds refer any leaders leading any group.

The Lord as shepherd over Isrealites and they are often referred as flocks.

2 Metaphors 1 Statement

Use of metaphor by Jesus to teach truth

1) “I am the Door” 10:1-10 (Psalm 118:19-20)
Door a legitimate passageway. The sheepfold an enclosure made of rocks, with a door. The Shepherd would guard the flock(s) at night.

Door is the legitimate passageway.
Exclusive and inclusive door.

Exclusive - Jesus as the only door / gate.

Inclusive - Whoever enters through that door shall be saved.

Video illustration on recognizing voice of Shepherd in farm in Norway

The thieves and robbers would have to climb over the wall and enter the fold through deception. False shepherds can only steal. Jesus comes to bless, benefit and satisfy the daily needs of the sheep (v10). Jesus gives life to sheep.

Twice Jesus said – “I am the door; only He makes it possible for the sheep to enter through the door. Not only have life but abundant life. An exclusive door. Today in pluralistic society, often Christians are said to be narrow minded. All roads lead to Rome? Christianity is about a living relationship, not simply religion. A crude illustration about  5-6 holes in our body. Yes, door is exclusive but also an inclusive door; v9 states WHOEVER enters. The choice is for us today - either we receive or reject Jesus in our lives.

2) I am the good shepherd 10:11-21

Dies for the sheep - not as martyr but as subsitiude 

Knows the sheep - know everyone by name, Christianity is not a religion but a relationship with God.

Brings other sheep into the flock - 

Takes up His lie again - 

God's hands upon my life could mean two things - 

Favour in our life as blessed

Teaching through down experiences 

“I am the Good Shepherd” 10:11-21
Contrasting himself to false shepherds, He called them “thieves and robbers (bandits),” now he described them as “hirelings.” Jesus the GOOD Shepherd.

i) He dies for the sheep 10:11-13
Five times, Jesus affirmed the sacrificial nature of His death (v 11, 15, 17-18). Not martyr but a substitute.

ii) He knows the sheep 10:14-15
An intimate relationship between God and His people (John 17:3). He knew Simon (John 1:42) and Zaccheus (Luke 19:5). He knows each sheep and it's nature. Jesus knew the disciples personally. Jesus loved His own (John 13:1).

iii) He brings other sheep into the flock 10:16
Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He died for a lost world, and His desire is that His people would reach a lost world with the message of eternal life.

iv) He takes up His life again 10:17-21
His voluntary death was followed by His victorious resurrection. We can have a living relationship with Him.

3) “I am the Son of God” 10:22-42

“I and the Father are one” in 10:30. He is speaking about unity, not identity. John 10:36 is also crucial because it gives a double affirmation on the deity of Christ. First, the Father sanctified (set apart) the Son and sent Him into the world, and second, Jesus stated boldly, “I am the Son of God.”

Jesus invited them to believe, if only on the basis of His miracles (10:37-38). If they would believe His miracles, then they would know the Father, and that would open the way for them to know the Son and believe on Him. It was simply a matter of examining the evidence honestly and being willing to accept the truth.

Fully and wholeheartedly following Jesus

Two very important messages from our Good Shepherd

Disciple Ship
Don’t sit on the fence. Enter through the Door.
BCCM logo and start from Kudat

Let us also be Carriers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. v16 is an exhortation to go and bring other sheep. Who are the other sheep that God is calling you to bring into the sheep fold. What are their names? May we catch a new passion.

Disciple Sheep
Judith Fain- Shepherding in Israel is a wonderful metaphor for discipleship. In many countries, sheep spend their lives in fenced-in pastures where they spend most of their time grazing and milling about. Many Christians seem to think that the great commission is a matter of getting sheep “into the pen” —inviting people to accept Christ, the high point of their spiritual lives. In Israel, however, where grass has difficulty growing in the arid soil, sheep must know their shepherd, following him obediently from pasture to pasture. There, shepherding is a much more active task.

illustration of Fain's observations about the three flocks merging and then separating

It is not so much the “pen” we inhabit, but the shepherd we follow. Some sheep come running as soon as their shepherd calls, but some struggle to obey his lead, going astray whenever temptation strikes. It takes a lot more energy to follow a wandering shepherd than to be cooped up in a pen!

Church, no time for neutrality. God calling us to follow Him fully and completely. In our spiritual pilgrimage, the Devil’s strategy is to draw disciples away from Christ fully. Key word is FULLY. The Devil, the thief will steal our time, and our vigor, make us tired, make us too busy, kill our energy and creativity so that we do not have time for God. We either rush through life or operate on an autopilot mode of just cruising along life’s journey, that this will eventually destroy our relationship with God. We end up listening to the voice of the world, our friends, and missed out listening to the voice of our Good Shepherd. Follow God superficially and not wholeheartedly. Worst, pseudo following.

May we ask God for fresh hunger and delight that we might follow God wholeheartedly.

Join a Connect Group!

Questions:
1) Share how Jesus is a good shepherd to you.

2) A sheep is expected to hear the voice of the shepherd. Share 2 distractions that is preventing you from hearing his voice.

3) How can we remain faithful in DiscipleSHIP - connect others to God?
OR
How can we remain faithful in DiscipleSHEEP - wholeheartedly following the Shepherd?

What would Jesus do ?

Title: What Would Jesus Do?
Text: John 7-9
Pr Joseph Tang

21 May 2017

The gospels tell us what the character of God is like. Jesus engages with the people he meets with signs and wonders. Yet many people including his brothers do not believe in him and many opposed him. What is Jesus response?

1) God sees the heart. 

What would Jesus do ? How would Jesus see things ? 

God responds to us according to what he sees in our heart. Man looks for outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart 1Sam.16:7.

a) God looks at the purity of our hearts. "Blessed are the pure on heart for they shall see God. Matt.5:8. We need to come to him clean, authentic, without mask or hidden agenda otherwise we will pass him by. Only those pure in heart sees God

b) God wants us to honor him. 
Jesus preached in his hometown but even his countrymen took him for granted with dishonor and unbelief. God is looking for those who honor his word, his presence, and those who worship him in spirit and in truth. If we don't he will pass us by and we will miss what he has in store for us. 

Do we honour Him ? Opposite of hobour is prideful 

2) God cannot be seized. 

We cannot manipulate God or make him a genie to do our bidding. We cannot compel him to bless what we have decided without considering his stand. We should follow Jesus stand at Gethsamene where he put God's agenda first. " Father if you are willing take this cup from me yet not as my will but your will be done" Luke 22:42. Don't ignore God's stand. Always prefer his agenda.

We try to manipulate God. We sometimes ignore God's teachings. 

We try to band God's arm. 

Questions

1) How do you know if your motive is right before God and others? 

2) Share a major obstacle in your obedience to God. 

3) Share about difficulties you experienced in living for Christ and how you can persevere.

Motherhood revived !

Title: Motherhood Revived! From Life to Life
Text: 2 Kings 4:8-37; 8:1-6
Ms Beh

The speaker admitted she still has many struggles as a mother and still has a long way to go and grow as a mother. Today's message is not only for biological mothers, but also for spiritual mothers and fathers too, because the same principles apply. Going through difficult times as a mother is normal and expected. But that is not where we start, because we have God who can bring new life and new hope into our lives. As a former nurse, the speaker had witnessed diseases draining away the lives of many ER patients in the past. In the same way, many challenges and struggles can drain away our life as a mother.

The Shunammite's Son Restored to Life 

V8 One day Elisha went to Shunem. And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat.

2 Kings 4:8-37 - God is gracious to revitalise motherhood with His life-giving power when we choose to put our faith and trust in him. If we look to God in the midst of our difficulties and struggles, we will see God's grace unfold and at work in our lives. 2 Kings Chapters 2 to 8 record a series of miracles that Elisha had performed in Israel in the midst of a spiritual decline. The northern kingdom of Israel had fallen away from God and worshiped Baal under the reign of King Ahab who changed the spiritual direction of Israel.

Setting: The ministry of Elisha against the backdrop of Israelite kings
- Ahab was the king that introduced Baal worship
- Thus, judgment was pronounced on Ahab and his household

*Unifying thread from 2 Kings chapters 2-8:
- obedience leads to blessings
- disobedience leads to curses such as: desert/famine: failure of crops, defeat: failure of military power, death: failure in life.

Outline
1. When we depend on our own strength and wisdom to nurture the next generation, motherhood leads to despondency and disillusion (4:8-17).

Self-sufficiency brings Despondency and Disillusion (2 Kings 4:8-17)

*Comfort in life has the potential to cultivate a self-reliant outlook (4:8-10)

*Self interest can lead to misuse and abuse of our God-given gifts and efforts (4:11-18).
- The promise DID NOT involve God
- The promise was a result of self- directed effort (observed by Gehazi and reported to Elisha).

When we depend on our own strength and wisdom to nurture the next generation, motherhood will lead to despondency and disillusion. When we raise children based on the influence of the world as to what is important, we will lose track of our priorities in raising children. When we take the future of our children and steer it in our own hands; when we set the course of their lives based on what we think is right, we are setting ourselves up for despondency and disappointment down the road. Children are gifts from God. They are like arrows in our hands; they are to be aimed and shot to the target, not our target but God's target.

2. When we lean upon God in endurance and trust, motherhood is revitalised and life giving (4:18-37; 8:1-6).
Reliance on God gives Revitalisation and Life

*Crises are God-ordained opportunitic moments that lead us from self-centredness to God (4:18-25a)
- The joy of motherhood was very quickly replaced by pain,
 heartache and suffering of the child's death (4:18-20)
- The crises in motherhood drives us to God (4:21-25a)
The turning point of the whole story comes in Verse 33 - "Elisha prayed to the Lord."

*God's grace in the midst of life's many sufferings is the beacon of life-giving hope (4:25b-38: 8:1-6)

Where do we go from here? 3 things to help us to navigate through motherhood, whether we are biological or spiritual mother.

God is not mentioned in the passage. 

32 When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. 33 He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the LORD. 

The turning point of this story was Elisha prayed to God. First time, God was involved in this story for the first time. 

A revived motherhood
Recognise the gifts and strength that have been given to us (e.g. biological mothers, spiritual mothers)

Realign our priorities in raising biological or spiritual children:
- What is important to God in this child?
- What is the priority in each season of life?

Rely on God and His wisdom and power for things that are within and beyond our human control.

Release the control.

Relationship as a path of suffering. "The deepest things that I have learned in my own life have come from the deepest suffering. Out of the deepest waters and the hottest fires have come the deepest things that I know about God..... I would add this that the greatest gifts of my life have also entailed the greatest suffering. The greatest gifts of my life for example have been marriage and motherhood. And let's never forget that if we don't ever want to suffer, we must be very careful never to love anything or anybody." - Elizabeth Elliot.

Our deepest experience as human beings revolves around relationships, especially family relationships. There will be times when our journey together as mothers and children, or as fathers and children, that we will bear scars and tears but all of these God can revive. Our scars can become marks of God's victory and God's grace in our lives when we centre our hope in Him. Our hope for the future is not in our children. Our hope for the future and for their future is in God. He alone can bring life.

Conclusion: As we struggle through the difficulties in raising children, choose to trust in God and believe in Him as the centre and the source of motherhood.

Questions

1. Share one joy and one challenge of motherhood. It can be your own joy/challenge or the joy/challenge of your mother in raising you.

2. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, how can we be a "mother" to someone? What are the roles and responsibilities of being a "mother" in this context?

3. Share with your Connect Group a breakthrough moment when you choose to trust in God in motherhood (or fatherhood).

Following Jesus all the way

Following Jesus all the way

John 6

7 May 2017

Ps Renny Khoo

John 6.66 Turning point - disciples leaving Jesus

The illustration of two sisters fighting over a pair of slippers and how they ‘handle’ the situation where both are satisfied with the outcome brings us too to the question of how we will handle questions or situations that challenges us in our Christian walk.

John 6: 66 “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.”

As we have decided to follow Jesus, there will be many situation and temptation and many may find it easier to leave and not follow Jesus. It is in these situations when we learn to handle the challenges post will we be able to continue to follow Jesus.

John 6 recorded two accounts that the disciples faced which is considered as challenging situations.Capernaum to Bethsaida is a short trip on the lake - Sea of Galilee. On that day / night, there was a strong wind.

1. Tough situation John 6: 3 - 21

 a.     Impossible task

 When Jesus decided to take time to rest and pray in Bethsaida a little way from Capernaum, the multitudes followed him and Jesus seeing their needs had compassion and decided to minister to them. As the day went into the late evening, the multitudes were still present and there were no nearby convenient stores for them to address their physical needs. Jesus being aware of this asked the disciples to feed them. The disciples were at a lost to address the multitude needs as it will cost much to do so (eight months’ pay) and they do not have the financial means nor resources nearby. It was an impossible task. In the midst of all this, Philip was able to find a boy who has 2 fish and 5 loaves which was meant for his lunch. This meagre resource was multiplied by Jesus to feed the multitude of 5 thousand.

The lesson learnt is that Jesus is able to multiply whatever resource that we have to meet our unsurmountable task/ need that is before us. In the area of church ministry, the little that we can give and offer matters to the work of the Kingdom of God. It is in God’s hands the multiplication of our little that we offer happens and it affects people lives. 

b.     Unpredicted storm 

 What supposed to be a routine trip to pick up Jesus in the shores of Capernaum became life threatening when a storm met them in the sea of Galilee. Even the disciples of Jesus encounters storms in their lives but Jesus came to them when the disciples were afraid and were struggling to control the boat in the midst of the storm. Likewise, for us in the midst of our struggles with a death threat, relational breakdown, fragmented relationship, financial struggle, a wayward child or just generally in a tough position, we press in until the Lord say “it is I, do not be afraid” John 6: 20. Push by the strong wind and hard press, anxious of the days ahead, take comfort as we strain at our oars of life, we must ask and welcome Jesus to come on board. As He comes on board, He will take charge to bring to conclusion our life struggles.

 2. Trying questions 6. 22 to 71

a.     What should I do to be saved
 Jesus was asked “Is it by good works we can be saved?”

Jesus answered that it is not by one’s works but in believing in whom God had sent, which was Him, Jesus. Other religion may claim otherwise but Jesus claim was exclusive for it is only through Jesus we find God the Father.

b.     Who should I believe

 Up till the feeding of the five thousand, they only saw Jesus as the prophet Moses in Deuteronomy 18 where another   prophet will be raise like Moses but cannot understand Jesus as the Son of God as in Isaiah 61.

c.      What sign or work is God performing

 Despite the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000 they still wanted more sign for in their mind Jesus is still a prophet who like Moses gave manna to feed the people. However, Jesus corrected them in John 6: 32, 33 by teaching them that the manna came from God, the Father and now He has given Jesus, the bread of God who comes from heaven to give life to the world. Jesus was declaring that He is the living bread v51 and whoever who eat this bread and drink of this blood, he will have no life. At that time, the Jews did not understand but Jesus was referring to His death on the cross. It is a wonder for through the Son of Man our guilt is removed, our search for truth satisfied, our security made complete and we can live a life based on hope.

Conclusion

Tough situations are not without reason, but we must be prepared to grow stronger

Trying questions are not without answers but we must be prepared to search for the truth. Many are unwilling to accept the above and chose not to continue to follow Jesus as in John 6: 61. But the 12 stayed on for they have come to believe the Jesus has the words of eternal life, they believe he is the holy one of God and they followed Him all the way.

The challenge for us is that in our journey, we too will have to make a commitment to Jesus to follow all the way and not just believing of his existence or what he has done. His presence is always with us for he is a good shepherd and he will guide us and hold our hand be it in the mountain or in the valley, high or low time, in good or tough situation, with answers or searching for it, in confronting tough situation or embracing trying questions, we press on to hear the God’s voice say “it is I, do not be afraid”.

Questions :-