The Cost Of Discipleship. RCCG SOD Year Three

There are certain facts you need to know. The devil knows very well that if you cannot get a trunk, then you can get the branches. For example, as it is written in John 15:5, where Jesus said:

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing”.

He said that if I cannot get a vine, I can get the branches. Not only that, it is also a fact that the Lord decreed that the first and foremost thing that the disciple should do is to cast out devils. In Mark 16:16, the Bible says:

“And these signs shall follow them that believe: in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues”.

The first thing the Lord said is that they will cast out devils. The Lord decreed in John 14:12,

“Verily, verily I say unto you, he who believes in me, the works that I do , he will do also; and greater works than these he will do…”.

And what he said is settled. He said the “The work that I did, you shall do, and greater work that He did, we will do. All you need to do is believe that you will be able to do these things. And the devil knows that in 1 John 3:8 it is written:

“For this purpose the son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil…”

Now, within three years, he did a lot of destruction to the works of the devil. And when he was going, He said, ” You my disciples, what I did to the devil, you will do it, and you will do more”.

Of course, the devil will then be a fool to fold his arms and allow himself to be totally destroyed. Whatever you want to say about the devil, never call him a fool. Because he is not a fool. I mean, according to Ezekiel 28:12, the Bible says he is full of wisdom. In Ephesians 6:11, the Bible talks about the wiles of the devil.

I mean, he is not a fool. He knows that the disciple is going to destroy him. So he says, it is alright, before you destroy me, I think I have to do something. According to John 10:1,0 which says:

“The thief cometh not, but to steal, and to kill and to destroy: I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly”.

So the devil loves to do that one normally to anyone. Whether you are a disciple or not, he wants to steal from you. He wants to kill, he wants to destroy. But when he now comes to the disciples, he deliberately lo0ks for the disciples to destroy them.

Methodically, he searches for the disciples for total destruction. And he does this as if it is a form of self-defence.

In 1 Peter 5:8, the Bible tells us what we should do and what the devil is trying to do. The Bible says:

“Be Sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”.

This is what the devil does. And to devour means to wipe out completely because the devil has learned from experience. When he dealt with Samson, and he removed his eyes, if he had known that Samson would be restored by God, he would have destroyed Samson immediately.

So from that moment, he has learned his lesson. Rather than let the disciple live, he would rather destroy him completely.

This is where the cost of discipleship comes in. If you read 1 Peter 5:8-9, you will see what being a disciple of Jesus Christ will cost:

“He said be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour, whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished your brethren that are in the world”.

WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT BEING A DISCIPLE WILL COST YOU?

#1 Constant Soberness

You cannot even smell something that you will say is not too bad. You are not even allowed to touch certain things that other people would say are not too bad.

I will want to read Ephesians 5:1-4 and Ephesians 4:29, The Bible says the disciple cannot even joke as the people of the world joke.

Children of God have things to say that will cause them to laugh but that would be impure. There must be no trace of worldliness and no trace of sin in their joking. Rather than that, they should remain quiet.

#2 Constant vigilance

The second one is constant vigilance. He said Be sober, be vigilant. That is verse 8. There, sobriety is the first thing. Vigilance is the second thing.

Now, where we say be vigilant, many people know that the price of safety is constant vigilance. According to 1 Thess. 5:17, the Bible makes it abundantly clear that the disciple cannot even relax for a moment. He says Pray without ceasing!. That means there is no time when you will stop praying.

#3 Constant resistance

You are to resist the devil steadfastly, it is there in verse nine, It said,

“Whom resist steadfast in faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world”.

In other words, there must be constant resistance against the devil. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:27. “Neither give place to the devil”.

You must not give the devil an inch. Resist him steadfastly, it is a do or die battle. Dont give him a chance.

#4 Constant Holiness

If you are going to resist the devil constantly, that means you must live a life of constant holiness, because according to Hebrews 12:4, you are to resist sin, even to the death.

As a matter of fact, when we talk of resisting the devil, the most important thing is resisting sin. Because when you don’t sin, then the devil can’t catch you. The matter is settled when you don’t sin.

#5 Constantly subdue the flesh

1 Cor. 9:25-27

“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now, they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air, But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest by any means , when I have preached to others, I myself should not be a castaway”.

Subdue the flesh. It has to be done constantly. The fact that you were victorious yesterday does not mean that there will be no battle to fight today. As a matter of fact, the more serious the battle of yesterday, today’s battle could be.

If you pass the primary six examination, nobody is going to give you the primary five exam next year. It will be from one examination and that would necessarily be tougher than that of primary six.

You have to constantly subdue the flesh. Brother, there will always be sisters who will bring immoral thoughts to your mind. Just looking at them will keep you thinking. Check yourself before you go far.

The moment you begin to indulge in immoral thinking, you can try, write it down. The day you begin to have immoral thoughts within you.

Very shortly, you are going to reap because the enemy will attack you. You are going to suffer a reverse.

The moment he begins to bring immoral thoughts, that is a dangerous signal. It means God wants to do something good for you, and the enemy wants to block the way.

Do not allow him; tell him to get behind you. If you resist him, he will fle,e and you will get your victory. This does not apply to brothers alone. The same is true of sisters.

#6 Drastic Surgical Operation

Sometimes, surgical operations may be necessary on allies of the enemy in your body. There are some allies of the devil who are constantly helping him get you into trouble. I am sure you know it yourself.

Matthew 5:29

“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee, for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell”.

Your best friend is the one talking here. If your right eye is going to get you into trouble, cut it off. In Matthew 5:30, He said:

“And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast from thee”.

There is an animal called the Grasscutter. Its hand is caught in a trap, and it tries to pull it out without success, and feels that it will soon be daylight, that the hunter will arrive to kill it, what does he do?

It will use its teeth to cut off its hand. It will cut off that part that is entrapped, so it can escape alive. We ought to be like the grasscutter. If your right hand is going to get you into trouble, cut it off.

I know a brother that God is using mightily in the ministry. There was a prophecy when he was engaged to a sister, the prophecy came and said, “Son, thou sayest the Lord, you are about to fornicate with the fellow you are going to marry”.

He said, “My father, if I fornicate, don’t spare me, as soon as I do it, strike me with leprosy”. Then the husband-to-be came to the sister, there was a prophecy that came that I am going to fornicate with you, and I have already told God that when I do it, He must strike me with leprosy.

The sister stayed away from him until they married because she didn’t want a leper husband.

Don’t joke with sin. If the right hand is going to cause you to sin, cut it off. If the enemy is running after you and you are about to get into your territory, and your leg is caught in barbed wire, and they are pulling you with the leg, and your friends are pulling you to their side, what will you do to that leg?

#7 Wearing your armour to bed

The cost of discipleship involves wearing your armour to bed. You do not put off your armour even when you go to sleep.

Ephesians 6:11

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”.

You are the one to put the whole armour on yourself.

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching there unto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints”.

In 1 Thess. 5:5-9, the Bible says,

“Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the nigh,t and they be drunken are drunken in the night.

But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ”.

The plan of God for you is total victory. But we must wear our armour to bed. There must be a time when we must leave our armour.

Even when you go to take a bath, you must go with our armour. In prayer over the water, I am going to take my bath. Some of you don’t do that.

What if that water is already poisoned? Some of you don’t pray before you eat. Oh, how can I pray over food prepared by my wife? Supposing that food has been poisoned by another person? How can there be danger in my house? You must be joking. Now we have agents of the devil around.

You see a disciple of Jesus Christ, and the devil knows you. He knows God has decreed you will destroy his work and himself. And he wants to destroy you before you can destroy him. Nobody can blame Satan for doing so. You must make sure he does not get you first.

Talk to God and say, “Father, I am in your hands, I will be your disciple till the end. I am not going to run, but Father give me the grace to be vigilant, to be sober, to remain serious, to pray without ceasing all days of my life, to remain holy and spotless so that the enemy will not be able to catch me”. Ask Him for help.

Action Point

PS: I know you might agree with some of the points raised in this article or disagree with some of the issues raised. Let me know your views about the topic discussed. We would appreciate it if you could drop your comment. Thanks in anticipation.

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