 What does it mean to be a disciple? Who is a disciple? What is a snapshot of a disciple? If you are taking notes write this down, and I like my points always to have the same starting letter Just one of the it's a 10th gift of the Holy Spirit That was discovered way later after apostles passed away. I'm just kidding by the way. It's a joke The first mark of a disciple is his diet They feed on the scriptures The second snapshot of a disciple is a devotion is they follow the Holy Spirit The third one is discipline is they forsake sin The fourth one is discipleship is they fish for souls and they also feed lands or in other words they disciple others I'm gonna read The verse mark chapter 1 verse 17 and verse 18 then Jesus said to them follow me And I will make you fishers of men Immediately they left their nets and followed him. I want you to see the three F's in there follow forsake and fish follow forsake and fish Before I break those things down. I would like you read one more verse John chapter 8 verse 31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed If you are taking notes write this down disciple feeds on the holy scriptures So disciple feeds on the holy scriptures It's very difficult to be led by the Holy Spirit if you are led by horoscopes It's very difficult now Believers can feed you know on whatever they want to feed on because they their mark is they believe in Jesus What makes somebody a disciple Jesus says if you abide in my word? What does that look like? It's what for some of us looks like being on Fox news When you abide in it you have the app you follow the news every day you read stuff every day You live in it and then you get possessed with the political spirit Because everything is about politics So a disciple is not somebody who feeds on Fox news Disciple is not somebody who feeds on CNN Disciple Jesus says if you abide in my word Some Christians have become disciples of Republican Party Instead of Jesus Christ because it's not his word. They're like well, I read it But I really need to see what is new in the world There is nothing new in the world people are killing each other people are gossiping people are hating each other and there's nothing new there But what we see in God's word is new life and the Bible says at this Cycle so the first mark of disciple is he feeds not he reads he feeds on God's word It's more than reading God's word He feeds on it as Christians we don't read the Bible to learn the Bible we read the Bible to learn obedience Hebrews chapter 5 verse 8 it says the following though he was a son Yet he learned obedience through the things that he suffered The Bible is not given to us to learn. It was given to us to live The word of God is not given so you and I can get a degree so you and I can be disciples The word of God is not given to us to improve our knowledge box and fill it with information It was to improve our life our life and our love and to improve our life Because you can go to college and learn how to manage somebody's hedge fund and not know how to manage your attitude You can go to university and learn how to fix cars, but you will not know how to fix your mouth You can go to college and learn how to fix somebody's teeth and have three marriages Because colleges teach you a skill Bible teaches you life It teaches you relationships. It teaches you finances. It teaches you how to run your mouth properly It teaches you how to run your finances properly. It gives you something to live by not just something to learn It's very important that we understand that the reason why is because Jesus says in Matthew chapter 28 verse 19 He says this go into all the world make disciples of all nations Baptize them in the water in the name of the Father Son and the Holy Spirit and then he says this he says teach them To observe all the things I taught you I want you to notice what he did not say he did not say teach them to learn What I taught you He did not say teach them so that they know what I taught you We don't learn to fill our head with knowledge We learn so that we can apply it and live it most Christians are educated beyond their level of obedience Beyond the level of obedience the moment you overfeed Physically and you don't exercise what you put into the body it leads to obesity There is such a thing in the Western world called spiritual obesity It's when you read it to learn instead of obey We go to colleges and you learn six years of university or Bible colleges and everything But the problem is that person's life is empty void of the fruit that gives and the power of the Holy Spirit Because the Bible is not given to increase our information But to produce transformation in our life If you abide in my word Jesus didn't say if you memorize it I believe in memorizing the Bible Jesus did not say if you don't lose the streaks on the you version Bible app I'm committed to the streaks on the you version Bible app Jesus did not say if you read it and know it in Hebrew and in Greek He said if you practice it if you do it He rebuked people by saying if you just go James I think is the one who said if you only read but you don't do what it says You're like a person who went to the mirror and looked at it But for God how your face looked and you walked away being the same My wife has a dog His name is Jacko. He just broke a thousand followers on Instagram. It was a huge celebration for him a Few times during the week when my wife would leave to do some activities. She would give me a command Very simple command feed Jacko two words This happened this week now imagine my wife left she coming back. She came back and she said did you Feed Jacko and I said well, I memorized what you told me It's feed Jacko. In fact, I even learned it in Russian but Kermit Jacko By the way, I even learned it in Spanish alimentar Jacko. I I got a small group going on how to feed Jacko. I really I memorized it In fact, I even put it on the sticky note because it really gives me a lot of pleasure Reading what you told me She would look at me. She says well, that is awesome. Did you feed him? Oh, no, no, I didn't feed him I just I learned the words that you gave me See when God gives us a word, it's not only so we can memorize it Get a Bible study group so we can discuss how to apply it. God wants us to do it Love your neighbor is not something you need to memorize. You just need to love your neighbor To forgive your enemies is not just something you need to learn in different languages and post on Instagram You just need to forgive your neighbor at disciple is not somebody who studies the word so that they could know the word They study the word so they can live the word That is the difference what makes somebody a disciple is they no longer see this as just food that feeds them a Mirror that tells them who they are that this is not just a seed that produces fruit in their life It's not just a sword against the devil It's not just a hammer to break the spiritual opposition, but this becomes something that they obey Have you been? educated beyond your obedience Do you need to maybe slow down on the amount that you read and raise up the amount that you do of this word Disciple is not someone who loves the word is someone who loves the Lord. I Don't see in the Bible. God commending us to love the Bible But the Bible commends us to love God people say I love my Bible. That is awesome. Do you love God? Because Pharisees love the Bible too and when God showed up they killed him don't fall in love with the Bible Bible is given to you so you fall in love with God and the disciple is somebody who uses the Bible to fall in love with God Please don't understand. I'm not saying you should hate your Bible. Love you of course love your Bible Find a good version find a really nice one color it make it beautiful make it nice Please fall in love with your Bible But never at the expense of falling in love with God because the first commandment is thou shall not love your King James Version Bible The first commandment is thou shall not love you version Bible and all the things that you can do on it The first commandment is thou shall love the Lord your God and it's not even the second commandment That thou shall love your Bible the second commandment is thou shall love the person you currently dislike your neighbor My friend, this is a challenge to all of us the Bible You know what before I got married me and my wife lived in the in the different city in Vancouver, Washington And we were separated by three and a half hour drive an iPhone just came up during that pretty much season of our life and I remember I got my wife and an iPhone I had an iPhone and we text we started to text a lot In fact before I met her my text messages a month were about 700 to 800 a month the first month that I met her my text message went from 700 to 9,000 It wasn't because I discovered text messaging It was because and it wasn't because I fell in love with SMS It's because I fell in love with the person and texting was the way we expressed our love to each other I was not in love with the iPhone. I was in love with Lana my friend God's word is a text message God lives in there you live in here and he sends a text message every single day and God wants you to open it God wants you to communicate to him through his word, but please understand do not miss the point. It's not about texting It's about lover and his name is Jesus Christ. Disciple loves the Lord more than he loves the word because somebody say amen number two Disciple follows the Holy Spirit so number one He feeds on the Holy Scriptures so that he can live the Holy Scriptures and the second one is the he follows the Holy Spirit We've read in here follow me and I will make you the fishers of men Jesus says in John chapter 14 verse 16 I will pray the father and he will give you another Helper that he may abide with you forever. Can somebody say another? another in Greek means alos There is two different words for another in Greek The one that is talking about is alos and the other one is heretos Heretos means another kind like for example You are fixing a car and the wrench didn't fit and you telling your friend say could you give me another? wrench meaning it's a total different kind Alos means the same kind you're eating a sandwich and you order and say can I get another sandwich meaning the same one That I just had so Jesus is saying to his disciples. He says the father will send you another just like me Comforter so what disciples had with Jesus you can have with the Holy Spirit Disciples lived walked talked and Fellowship with Jesus every day of their life and Jesus saying another meaning exactly like me except Available to every person on the planet of the earth is going to come at Disciple is not just somebody who speaks in tongues. They live they follow the Holy Spirit the same way disciples follow Jesus My friend we live in an era that is no different than the era Disciples lived in because we have an access to someone another who is with us, but it's our choice to follow Because when Jesus was on this earth not everybody followed Some admired some only got healed by him some got delivered by him, but there was some They be they became disciples the second mark of a disciple of Jesus Christ is not only that they live the word of God They follow the person of the Holy Spirit They understand the Holy Spirit is not tongues. He's not power. He's nuts But I'm as the shadow about a Honda the Holy Spirit is not you know shaking and baking the Holy Spirit is not oil The Holy Spirit is not miracles Holy Spirit is a person and he is to me what disciples were Jesus was to the disciples I can know him intimately. I can talk to him. I can be led by him. I can hear his voice I can say good morning Holy Spirit. I can say good evening Holy Spirit I have the same relationship disciples had with Jesus with another Jesus the Holy Spirit so a Disciple is somebody who intimately knows and follows the Holy Spirit disciples were not perfect when they follow Jesus Nor will you be when you follow the Holy Spirit, but after following you will be perfected You will be changed now the secret here is Holy Spirit wants to be to you what Jesus was to the disciples Listen to this very carefully Holy Spirit wants to be to you what Jesus was to the disciples Every believer hears the Holy Spirit, but it takes a disciple to heed the Holy Spirit What does it mean to actually? Follow where he's going. Have you ever followed somebody on the road? How many of you know it means keeping up with them How many of you know that means sometimes speeding sometimes? slowing down It's making sure nobody gets in between of you and if they do you pray that spirit On my way get behind me Mazda Get behind me Honda. Why because I am following that person That's exactly what following the Holy Spirit is Sometimes a little offense gets between you and the Holy Spirit and you got to drive that thing out You got to come in closer Hong Kong a little bit. Come on. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get up. Get behind me double Why I got a follow. I'm following the Holy Spirit I'm trying to keep it close My I'm reading a Michael Ianus's book on the Holy Spirit this week listening to the audio and he shared a story where Holy Spirit spoke to him one time this one person left his church Started their own church and in the dream God comes in the dream to Michael Ianus and he shares with him How the person who left the church is currently struggling financially and they cannot pay rent He even like got the amount that he needs to that this person is struggling and God told him in the dream to pay The person who left this church their rent So he woke up and he got so excited That God spoke to him in a dream and even gave him the numbers and who is struggling with what he called that person They didn't pick up the call then they called him back and they said How did you know that we were struggling? He said in fact when you call the first time I was on the phone with our utility company because we can't pay rent. We can't pay for our utilities This is incredible. This is crazy and Michael Ianus got so happy that God spoke that he forgot to pay their bill It was three days later The God is like I didn't tell you about their problem so that you can get happy that you heard my voice They need money He's like, oh, yeah, that's right My friend Disciple is not somebody who gets happy that God spoke The sample is somebody who acts on what he said And so we the problem with us is that we fall in love with God's voice and many of us We are not following God's leading Because when you follow the Holy Spirit, this is where the secret and the key ingredients is I love what Jesus said In John chapter 15 verse 14. He says you are my friends if you do whatever I commend you Last year when I was in London and we had a Couldn't sleep the first night because of the jet lag and this scripture was reading the scripture during the night and I got this revelation It's a very interesting revelation where obedience to the Holy Spirit is the key to friendship with him Obedience to the Holy Spirit is the key to friendship with him now. I have friends and you have friends I am pretty sure none of your friendships is based on this verse if you do what I say We are truly friends indeed Your friend would be like, excuse me Where did you get the definition for that kind of friendship? No What do you mean? That's not friendship. That's dictatorship. That's that's like being a boss and an employee No, but Jesus is using a different see most of us think friendship with Holy Spirit is based on fellowship It's based on obedience You can talk your ear off to the Holy Spirit and you can listen to his voice and everything But you will always remain the same if you don't follow him and keep up with his speed in your life He turns left you go left. He turns right you go right if he goes forward He speeds up you speed up so the key to the next level in the Holy Spirit is your obedience to the Holy Spirit So after you feed on God's word, you will begin to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit It will be still it will be quiet. It will be You will know that he's speaking and don't pray this prayer God speak to me Don't do that instead pray say God give me the strength when you speak to do God will speak. It's just he usually doesn't start with things you want to hear See most of us we think that when God will speak that means you'll know somebody's social security number Who is standing right beside you in Starbucks? See that's a gift of prophecy, but the speaking of God for your personal life It will not deal with people's numbers It will deal with things in your heart and in your life in your finances that sometimes will cost you something When I was younger, I even fasted say Lord speak to me, but personally I discovered this I stopped praying this a long time ago, and I said my prayer now Lord say give me strength when you do speak to act Because when God does speak I talk myself out of it. I Find excuse I overthink it and then this is what happens I minimize the voice and I said well, this is just me talking This is just me speaking and then because I minimize that it gets quieter the next time and the more you minimize it It gets more quiet until it gets so quiet It becomes mute the same way as your computer can stop producing music even though it's playing because you clicked on mute Every time you disobey the voice of the Holy Spirit it will get quieter quieter quieter quieter and you can Sweat scream for God to speak to you, but until you click Mute button meaning until you start obeying what he says you will not hear his voice more and more The same way as if you're following somebody on the highway You get further and further and further. What's what happens after about five minutes? You will stop seeing them It's not because they're not on the road. It's because the distance between you and them has gotten further and further and further in the beginning of this year as Our board we have a board and we have a bylaws in our church and part of the bylaws in the church is that every person on the board and a Pastor needs to have their taxes being done by a professional not by their uncle in Ukraine Or Mexico and so and so one of the things that and I abide I have a board We don't run the church. We run the church very structured and we have a people that oversee me And and so one of the things that I had to do this year is to go and do the taxes So when I went to do the taxes next thing that I realized is that they pulled up some things that Turns out that's the way taxes my taxes were done and somebody else didn't that were not done properly It saved me money, but it wasn't done properly and the person who did looked at it. They said, uh, Bro This is not good. And I was like, well, I arrested fine and I left and As I had a conversation with one person in the kitchen the Holy Spirit started to speak and he says you need to Go redo the taxes and pay whatever you need to pay and I said Lord, it's a government They're not good and the verse came to my mind. You shall pay Caesar And it says that before it says give to God He says you got the second part really good Vlad the first one. I said Lord, I can't give you all that money I just want to give it to the government and he says it's not about giving me. It's about obeying me But I'm gonna tell you something and then I wrote the check We didn't have that money right away and to pay for my or my mistakes or somebody else's mistakes I'm gonna tell you something. It was more painful to write the check to the government than the moments when me and my wife would empty our account and sometimes give two cars and in the proximity of two months Because when I give to God's kingdom, I know where it's going when they give to the government Let's just say that I have my my share of doubts And a Holy Spirit was convicted me. He said I said seek my kingdom and my righteousness You have to obey the voice of the Holy Spirit My friend, it's not about hearing Holy Spirit. It's about heeding the Holy Spirit this morning. I woke up In the moment, you know, I woke up some of you know that I have a Build a website since I stopped traveling have a website and an online school that is gonna start in about 30 days And and I sell, you know Books and ebooks on my website Partially is to cover the expenses of the website and some of the commitments that I made to our church giving financially And the moment I woke up. I wasn't thinking about it and I knew it was God It was the same way as I've heard God before I'm very careful when I say I heard God my pastor taught me never to use those words Flippingly But I heard the Lord say Give everything on your website for free and charge nothing And I was like, you know get behind me Satan, you know, because God can't be asking that that's your work You're working for it plus somebody needs to pay for the website I go upstairs and my Bible is open like this is equal chapter 34 and my eyes go on the verse it says Shepherds of Israel who feed themselves should not the shepherds feed the flock You eat the fat and clothe yourself with wool. You slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock Like never mind I go to my wife it was happened right here this morning and I said Maybe I really feel because in mind I have four tests that I do when I hear the voice of God First one is I need to find it in the word if it's not in a word It's not God because Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures don't contradict The second one is I look for peace right here. How do I feel? Do I feel tense? Do I feel peace and number three is I ask my wife What do you think and wives are way more sensitive to the Holy Spirit than men And so my wife would usually if it's from God she will confirm and if it's not from Lord She will say just wait about it and and number three is that number four is that you will give time You would give time and so and I made a decision and as of right now all the stuff on the website except the physical books Because they don't come for free for me is they've been changed for free Why am I sharing this not to brag it but to give an example when Holy Spirit leads you got to follow That's what disciple is He feeds and he follows stay close my goal is to stay as close to the Holy Spirit as I can possibly can I don't have certain gifts other people have my goal is to be the best version of me that God called me to be and to stay as Close to the Holy Spirit as I can he might not give me your number to read But I want him to lead my personal life my family my marriage and Holy Spirit might not give you the gift of prophecy But he will give you the gift of leading if you choose to follow him and his leading because somebody say a man and lastly Disciple so disciple feeds disciple follows and thirdly disciple for sakes That which hinders their follow Disciple for sakes that which hinders their follow Follow me and I will make you fishes of men in Matthew 16 24 it says if anyone desires to come after me let him deny himself take up his cross and follow me I would like to share something with you that I believe is gonna set some of you free Do not worry about discipline self-denial or The cross you need to carry. I don't see in the Bible Jesus inviting disciples to pick up their cross He invites them to follow him I don't see Jesus coming to the disciples and saying I want you to forsake your boats Abandon your families. He invites them to follow him So the goal of discipleship is not discipline its devotion and Once you follow you begin to realize certain things you can't keep with you Jesus didn't tell disciples abandon the boats. He just said follow me and as they were dragging the nets. They're like Ah, I don't think I can carry that your follow decides your forsake Your devotion will determine your discipline see as you follow your follow will begin to decide and dictate Hey, I don't think you can take that anymore. I don't think you can keep that relationship anymore I don't think you can talk to her like that anymore. I don't think you can spend money like that Why because you follow decides your forsake the goal is not for shake the goal is follow Are I supposed to be in Christ not the cross? Because as I follow Christ I will end up being on the cross, but it's not because I want to be a martyr It's because I'm a disciple I'm gonna read to you some quotes that some people think are said by Jesus to conquer yourself is the greater victory Than to conquer thousands in battle and in the church you will say amen He who is able he who is able He is able who thinks he is able praise God The wise are discipline and body speech and mind. They are well controlled indeed a discipline mind brings happiness No one can save us but ourselves No one and no one may we ourselves may walk in the path the person who masters himself through self-control and discipline is Truly undefeatable to enjoy good health to bring true happiness to one's family to bring peace to all one must first discipline and Control my own mind. You know who said that Buddha? Christianity is not about discipline. It never was Christianity is about devotion to the master and that the motion the moment the devotion grows It begins to create discipline Because you cannot follow without forsaking but you can forsake without following The world always you will see people in the gym going at four o'clock in the morning They are forsaking sleep. They are forsaking things, but they're not following Christ And so what the church has bought into many times is Hinduism and Buddhism We're simply it's all about discipline. It's all about if I just live right my friend That is not what Jesus is about for Jesus. It was always about follow me. I am the object of your worship I am the object of your follow. I am your aim. I am your God I am the one you follow not discipline not self-control not sinless life Jesus Come on somebody come on somebody give God some praise For those of you who struggle with discipline stop with discipline Focus on Christ Let Christ decide your discipline Let follow decide your forsake Please understand this message as I'm speaking with you. It's challenging for me too because by nature I am more disciplined and this is not in a proud way than average people Just and a lot of times I get convicted because the Lord was rebuking me He says you're having an affair with me by cheating on me with discipline It's just part of my personality. I'm just more distance just run I wake up earlier and everything and it's easy to think I am a disciple because I'm disciplined You're not I'm not Because you can be a disciple of Buddha if you're disciplined But to be a disciple of Jesus means you're in love with a master and that love Let people to be burned at the stakes That love caused people to forsake boats and ships and not because they were trying to be disciplined They just tried to be close And so don't focus on being disciplined my friend focus on being close and I'm gonna promise you you'll be more disciplined You will know what to do with You will have more self-control because the fruit of the Holy Spirit is self-control, but please understand It's not a fruit of your effort. It's the fruit of the Holy Spirit Let me say your eyes are on the Holy Spirit Your eyes are on the master disciples who look to Jesus and because they follow Jesus They said this can't go that can't go that's flowing me down. That's too heavy That relationship is too heavy. This attitude is too heavy. This habit is too difficult I can't follow and drag this. I gotta forsake my net. I gotta forsake this I gotta forsake that why because I want to follow I want to run after the Lord because Jesus is my aim I want to keep up with Jesus. I want to stay near Jesus. I want to stay in love with Jesus I will die if I have to I will give my life Above all my face somebody give God some praise Come on every hand raised right now as they come over right now we commit your life to Jesus right now God is raising up an army of disciples God is raising up an army of disciples. You will be in love with Jesus not in love with prayer Not in love with the Bible, but in love with Jesus not in love with church attendance But in love with Jesus not in love with who will feed on his word Who will follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and who will live a discipline life Because they live following Jesus If you struggled with discipline, I just want to release you right now And I just want to tell you the listen discipline is not your struggle Following maybe is your struggle get close redefine discipline for you as a Christian Say I want to live closer to Jesus. I don't want to just be more disciplined Discipline is not bad being disciplined in your eating in exercising in your money spending is good But discipleship is not about discipline. It's about devotion to the master. It's about burning with love for Jesus It's about loving him more than your life. It's about loving him more than your money It's about loving Jesus more than your family. It's about loving Jesus more than yourself It's about even if he needs to to go and die for Jesus Even if he needs to to be to live for Jesus because Jesus those who run the race They leave their step they look to Jesus the author and the finisher of their faith They don't look to themselves. They look to Jesus Precious Holy Spirit we welcome you right now precious Holy Spirit. We ask you that you will fill us with the heart of Jesus We ask you that you redirect our attention to Jesus right now in Jesus name I want you to say this with me say oh Holy Spirit redirect my focus to Jesus I surrender my life to Jesus. I want to feed on his word. I Want to follow his spirit What he says I want to do and I want to be devoted. I Want to see discipline as a result of Me seeing Jesus Every eye closed every head bowed if you're in this room today, and you have not given your life to the Lord Maybe you have not committed your life to Jesus Maybe you have now repented of your sins and placed your trust in the saving blood of Jesus Christ I would like to give you that opportunity Maybe you're watching us on life ship, and you don't know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior Would you give me the opportunity today to lead you to that relationship as we celebrate the Father's Day? Maybe you've never had a physical father. God wants to be your father He wants to be your father All you got to do is repent of your sin place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior And the Holy Spirit will come and live in you. God will take the heart of stone and give you the heart of flesh And God will start a new relationship with you. You will have a church as your family If you would like to make the decision today pray this prayer out loud with me say Lord Jesus. I am a sinner please forgive me of all my sin and Wash me with your precious blood. I Surrender my whole life to you Come and live in me And be my Savior in Jesus name