by Overseer Prophet Daniel Powell Sr.
If we are not taught how to be disciples, then we cannot be leaders in the kingdom of God.
A disciple:
— Is a personal follower of Jesus Christ.
— Is a student of a teacher or a leader.
— Is one that believes in Jesus Christ and seeks to follow Him.
We started in Matthew 5:1 and discussed the beatitudes. Here we see two different people: the multitude of people who were not the disciples and the disciples of Jesus Christ.
What it takes to be a True Disciple
We have to make up our minds if we are the multitude of people or disciples of Jesus Christ. The multitudes never came to Christ, they were just there, but the disciples came to Him. You will rarely see God work miracles in the life of His disciples because they walked with Him. As you read the bible, you will see Christ working miracles, healing, and deliverance in the multitude's lives, but you will see Him teaching the disciples.
Jesus was teaching the disciples, but His eyes were on the multitudes.
The disciples walked close to Christ, and the multitudes did not. The bible says the disciples came for the teaching. Jesus was teaching the disciples the Beatitudes, but He was working miracles in the multitudes.
Matthew 8:16 tells us that when the disciples saw Jesus Christ, they worshipped Him, but some doubted Him.
One spirit that fights the disciples is doubt.
Preaching makes you happy. Teaching makes you grow. We can only teach what we have been taught, not what other leaders have taught.
We need the multitudes, and disciples have to learn how to treat the multitudes when they come, so miracles, signs, and wonders can occur.
Luke 14:25, whenever Jesus went out, the great multitudes were with Him. Disciples should be at a place where they don't always need someone to bring Christ to heal or deliver them. They should be at a level where they can pray and communicate with the Lord himself and ask for healing and deliverance.
We have to know that Jesus Christ's attention has to be focused on the great multitudes.
There are two things disciples will go through:
1. Rejection
2. Suffering
When God says we must hate our spouse, our family, our children, our life, it means to put Christ first in our lives.
It is going to cost something to become true disciples of Jesus Christ:
— your husband
— your wife
— your children
— your own life
We cannot put anyone first, only Jesus Christ as disciples. Those who fear their family's disapproval or persecution will not come to Jesus.
The multitudes did not put down their nets and follow Christ because they feared their family's rejection. Sometimes we will fear our family's disapproval of putting the Lord first in our life. This is what stops a lot of people from coming to Christ.
It's hard for leaders, upcoming leaders, and even members of the church to deal with the disapproval of their loved ones, but their disapproval should not make us stop serving Christ. It should make us press on, go harder, and praise Him!
"Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." (Luke 9:23-24 NKJV)
This is the cost of discipleship:
1. Have a desire first to come after Christ
2. Deny yourself
3. Take up your cross daily
4. Follow Him
5. Then lose your life for Christ's sake (don't lose the life God has delivered you from and try to go back and get it)
John 6:47-66, we see the disciples followed Christ, but they were still in their flesh because they complained and didn't understand the spiritual things of Christ. They thought Jesus wanted them to eat His flesh and drink His blood naturally.
When we get offended and start complaining about the word of God, we are in our flesh. The Spirit gives life, and the flesh profits nothing. A disciple's flesh has to die.
The word tells us there are some disciples that doubted, complained, got offended, and don't understand because they were looking at Jesus in the flesh. When you operate in the flesh, you'll see people's flesh. When you are in the Spirit, you'll see in the Lord.
Verse 65 "And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more."
Make sure you are granted to come to the Father by Christ. The bible said they backslid and went back and never walked with Christ because they followed Him with the wrong spirit; they doubted Him from the beginning.
As we grow in Christ, know that we will have others reject and disapprove of our life in Jesus Christ.
Scripture Readings
Matthew 5:1-2
Matthew 4:23-25
Matthew 28:16-20
Luke 14:25-27
Luke 9:23-27
John 6:47-66
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About Us
Heaven to Earth Worship Center, Tampa Florida was founded in 2016 and has grown tremendously in these last four years of being open. Moving steadily and forwardly under the leadership of Overseer Prophet Daniel Powell Sr. and his wife Prophetess Esther Powell. Our church has done so much for Tampa, Florida. From our Annual Huge Back to School Giveaway Events, Feeding Tampa Bay Food Giveaways, Holiday Giveaways, and Vacation Bible School. We have a Food Pantry open for the community. We have a Women’s Outreach Ministry, Youth Ministry, HEWC Feed The Hungry Ministry, Hospitality Ministry and more. HEWC has had two recent marriages within the last year. The Lord has ordained 12 licensed ministers in our ministry. And in just three years, the Lord has blessed over 10 members (and counting) with brand new vehicles. We receive countless emails and text messages of testimonies of prophecies coming to past. Our Overseers and Coverings are blessed to be under the Head Apostle Kathy Kinchen. This Ministry has prospered in so many ways, and we have much more in store!
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