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Do you struggle to accept Jesus on his terms rather than your own? Do you feel you've stopped learning more about Jesus? In today's sermon, Reverend Daniel preaches on what it means to follow Jesus and how to embrace him as our teacher.

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Good morning, Church. This morning's reading is taken from the book of 1 John, chapter 1, verses 1 to 3. 1 John chapter 1 verses 1 to 3. The word of life verse 1. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life. Verse 2, the life was made manifest, and we have seen it and testified to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us. That which we have seen and heard, we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us. And indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and the Fifth Son Jesus Christ. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

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Indeed, it's a great joy for us to gather together as a family of God. And every first week of the month, we will focus the theme on discipleship so that together as a church we will move on in this area in which I think God is calling us to rise up to be disciples for Him. On our first thematic series on discipleship in January, we look at the five marks of discipleship that addresses the gap in the discipleship. And I shared uh five marks of or areas which are lack in our discipleship. Firstly, every member ministry. Are we fully engaged in serving God? Secondly, the disciplined life. Do we discipline ourselves to deepen our relationship with Jesus? Thirdly, embracing Jesus and his lordship in our hearts, homes, and workplaces, our attitudes, our thoughts, our desires, our relationships and decisions. In a word, is Jesus Lord over all our lives? Fourthly, knowing God, what God wills and desires through knowing Scripture. Are we shaped and formed by Scripture as our plumb line of truth? And fifthly, sharing our faith actively. Are we bubbling over with the words of Jesus? So those are big areas, right, which we have gone through as very key significant areas or checks in terms of discipleship. Then on the second month, the second uh thematic series on discipleship, I shared on some of the roots and causes, the root causes that have created the superficial state of discipleship and how we can deal with them by focusing on personal discipling through mentoring. And as a follow-up to this, on the 10th of May, I invite all of us who are keen to uh explore the role of mentoring in discipleship to sign up for the discipleship uh intergenerational mentoring course because it will give us tools and handles to understand what is the biblical basis of mentoring, and following that, we will be able to uh bring us deeper for those of us who really desire to go deeper into mentoring someone, there'll be channels for us to do so. So, on our third thematic series on discipleship, Pastor Richard shared on why Jesus invested in a core group of disciples and how the intent of discipleship is both to internalize Jesus' life and mission and to multiply that in others too. Today, on our fourth thematic series on discipleship, we'll be looking at the model of Jesus, how he prepared and powered his disciples in bringing them to himself. I would like to look at this in two parts. Firstly, following Jesus, and secondly, embracing Jesus as our teacher or as our rabbi. Following Jesus and embracing Jesus as our teacher or our rabbi. So both, we will see later, that both are interlinked. We cannot say that we follow Jesus and yet not embrace him as our teacher. We will first need to note as we begin that Jesus' model of discipleship, his preparatory model is only possible because Jesus Himself came to become man. Because he became man, so it is possible for us to be like him, become like him in some aspects. So the reading by Rolin reminded us that Jesus was the one the apostles have heard of, have seen with their eyes, they have touched with their hands, and this life, the person of Jesus, was made manifest, and the apostles testified to have seen and heard this Jesus. So with that, let us begin with a word of prayer. Father, we thank you for the great joy, Lord, that all around the world you are calling us to be your disciples, and you are waking, you are looking for the day that many more of us will be activated as your disciples in these last days, in these end times, that we will stop playing church, that we'll get serious about our discipleship, and even how radical it is in the times that we live today to follow you fully. And despite all the challenges it may be to ourselves, Lord, we pray, help us to count the cost and to follow Jesus all the way. So, Lord, we pray and ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen. So the first uh part of my sharing, following Jesus. I like to center ourselves on Mark 1.17, where Jesus was calling, he was calling the first disciples, and he said to them, follow me, and I will make you become fishes of men. A disciple, according to Mark 1.17, is one who follows Jesus. So we can't say today that we are disciple of Jesus if we do not follow him, right? If we just come on Sundays just to attend a service, a religious service, and disconnect our life from the reality of following Jesus each day, then it's hard to say that we are truly his disciples. A disciple will always be where Jesus is and where he is working, he has called us to be. So a disciple is one who follows Jesus and they become fishes of men. The verb here uh which Jesus uses here, I will make you become, is a long, long sentence, but it carries the idea of a change in nature. It is a becoming something or someone, a change in nature, an entry into a new condition to become something. Let me repeat again when Jesus said, I will make you become, he's implying a change in nature, an entry into a new condition. That means that before we know Jesus, we never thought that we want to be fishers of man. We never thought we would even want to consider uh vocari or full-time ministry, or we never even thought that God can use us in the marketplace, wherever he places us, to be his disciple, living up his purpose. But when we answer the call to follow Jesus, something changes in us, something, there's a new desire to uh be alert to spiritual things. There's a new desire and a new uh change of heart that God does in us. So fundamentally, discipleship is what God does in us more than what we actually do. Because God has changed our nature, He has done something in us, we become desirous to become fishes of man. There's a desire that rises within us to want to care for someone, or the compassion we feel for a brother or sister, or the help that we render to the church, the service we do out of uh sacrifice, out of uh uh our own personal cause, all this happens because something happens within us. There's a change in nature, and there's an entry into a new condition. We become fishes of man. So as we follow Jesus, I pray that we will experience continually a change in our human nature, that what is impossible becomes possible, and we start to become fishes of man. And we see that many times. You know, uh many who uh become pastors, you know, those of those who are more extrovert, those who are by nature uh more action-oriented, will tend to be able to grow, to become more reflective, to sit down and put spirit work into uh uh doing a teaching or preparing a sermon. So God does something in us. And and those who are more introverted will learn to submit their lives to God and to reach out to others in a very in a way that will be so much unlike their personality. So this is how God works. You know, He doesn't just work within our limitations, but if we are His disciples, He takes us beyond our limitations to where all of us can become. So this is the potential of discipleship. It's never static. We are always becoming something or someone, and God wants us to keep following Him on this journey of discipleship. So discipleship can also be understood as a growing understanding of the implications of following Jesus and becoming fishers of man. I like to just zoom in a bit more on Mark's gospel and how this is played out in the idea, the concept of discipleship as following Jesus on the way. It's always on the way. Jesus is in uh busy engaging in ministry, and as we follow Jesus on the way to the cross, we glean lessons in discipleship. So discipleship in Mark is about following Jesus on the way to the cross. The disciples are on a journey with Jesus, a journey of learning, of seeing Jesus in action, imitating him, seeing how he does ministry, and being sent out by him to do ministry. By following Jesus, it is significant for the disciples then to understand who Jesus is, his identity, and particularly as the suffering Messiah. So this is very much different from our present day, which is, of course, we cannot return to first century context of discipleship. But of course, now uh when we talk about having the call of God or Vukare that is coming up, we we think about some form of uh training, and we all go through uh uh seminary, and I'm I'm so glad I never found it a cemetery. Yeah, I found it uh a joy, and you know, uh kindled my love for learning, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time in uh seminary, right? But for all of us, not all of us will enjoy that time, right? Some is some find it very unbearable to spend time uh plowing through resources and books and writing papers, but to me it was such a joy. So uh so in a formal process now, uh, because in our world today, we need to go through some kind of uh academic rigor along with practical ministry. So, not just academic rigor uh but also practical ministry. That's why Bokare is so useful because we are saying go for a retreat, and after that, spend a year, test it out, be involved, engage in ministry, and see how, as you engage, God will reveal himself to you, more of himself and his purpose to your life. So, discipleship in the first century is very different. There's no school to attend, but it is about imitation, it's about following Jesus on the road, seeing him work, and imitating his actions and having the faith to launch out to do what he does. So, in uh the discipleship section, uh, this from Mark 8, 22 to 10.52. We won't go into detail, but it is being known in the Gospel of Mark as the discipleship section, Mark chapter 8, verse 22 to 1052. Jesus was on his way to the cross and he predicted his death and resurrection three times. And each prediction is followed by an illustration of how the disciples couldn't comprehend what he was saying. And then Jesus began to teach them on the true nature of discipleship three times and reminding them that Jesus had to suffer on the cross, die and die on the cross and be raised again. He taught them that the nature of discipleship is to deny yourself, to take up your cross, and to be a servant that suffers in order for others to be saved. So at the heart of discipleship in Mark is this is the ability to see Jesus clearly and to follow him on the way to the cross. So if we are not able to see Jesus clearly, then we are unable to follow him towards the cross. So we see that uh in terms of the two responses in in Mark chapter 10 verse 36 and Mark chapter 10 verse 51, in response to two different uh requests by James and John and blind Bartimus. So Jesus asked them in two instances the same question in Mark 10, 36 and Mark 10.51. What do you want me to do for you? So they were uh James and John were of course the disciples of Jesus. Blind Bartimus were just calling out to Jesus on the road, and the same question was posed to them, what do you want me to do for you? So as Jesus neared the near nearer near the cross, the response of James and John was uh appalling. Or rather, it seems that they completely misunderstood what following Jesus entails. They said, Grant us to sit one at your right side and one at your left in glory. So they wanted, they were thinking more about the seeds of honor and glory and the kingdom in which Jesus will usher in, a new age in which uh they will be part of the glorious few that will sit on his right and left. So totally opposite to what Jesus did when he said, I'm going to the cross. So um, so we are comforted that the disciples were hard of hearing and understanding, and I think a lot of us, you know, can identify, can take comfort that you know, sometimes we just don't get it. You know, after many times God has been speaking to us, we still don't get it. But that is fine because we have comfort to know that He will keep speaking to us until we understand. So we look at the request of blind Bathemus. Uh, he was calling to Jesus on the road, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. And the the request of blind Bartimus is this Rabbi or teacher, let me recover my sight. So significantly for blind Bartimus, he called out to Jesus, saying, Jesus, son of mercy, son of David, sorry, have mercy on me. And he said it correctly because he was calling out to Jesus and asking him uh to heal him of his blindness. So he called Jesus in a right way and uh in a in a so-called a right tone that invites a positive response for him. And Mark 10, 52 uh part B tells us that blind Bartimus followed Jesus on the way. On the way. These are the words, exact words being used. He followed Jesus on the way. So Mark, in some ways, portrays blind Bartimus as a prototype of the true disciple, someone who knows what to say, knows how to cry out to Jesus for mercy and receive his healing. This is in contrast with the spiritual blindness of the disciples, observable in their failure to accept the implications of the cross and of Jesus as the suffering uh Messiah, the anointed one that will have to suffer. So they had in mind the desire for honor uh in the last days when Jesus came, uh the seat of honor and glory. So the first implication for us today in my first point in following Jesus is this Do we see Jesus clearly in our discipleship to him? Do we see Jesus clearly in our discipleship to him? Do we see following Jesus as a way of the cross, which involves accepting Jesus on his terms and not on our own turf? How do you see Jesus is crucial? It's the crucial first question to discipleship, and we cannot get beyond this if we cannot answer this question. Who is Jesus to you? You know, can you just uh turn to your neighbor and and and ask them, who is Jesus to you? Who is Jesus to you? The tendency in our uh modern or postmodern world is to fashion Jesus according to our own making rather than to take him for what he is and for who he says he is. So Jesus is my savior, he's my healer, he's my prayer answerer, but is he your everything? Is he more precious than anything in your life? How about your health? Is he more precious to you than your health? Is he more precious to you than your possessions? Is he more precious to you than your ambitions and pursuits? How about your family? Is he more precious to you than your family? And this is particularly particularly sticky for our generation today. Is he more precious to you than your comfort and self interest? So, who is Jesus to you? Every generation of Christians have to answer this question for themselves. I have to, in the quiet moments of my time with Jesus. I need to wrestle with this question and ask myself deep down am I just a religious worker or who is Jesus to me? You know, who is Jesus to me? So the one of the hardest truths, but nevertheless, this is what Jesus Himself says. Because he knows that until and unless we love him above everything else in our lives, above our family, above our health, our possessions, our ambitions, our pursuits, our comfort and self-interest, we will never fully enter into the life of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Because he knows that oftentimes when any of these fails, we will collapse. What do you want me to pray for? You know, a lot of times when talk to my members or Christians, pray for good health. All of us say health is wealth, which is true. Health is wealth, but health is uh not everything. Cross my fingers when I say we all want to be good health, but God's plan for us is to prepare us for our eternal home. And we are living in a tent and our body will break down eventually. It's a matter of time, right? So is Jesus more precious to us than anything else? And I think this is a question that all of us are confronted with, just as how the disciples of old are were confronted with these questions. So in Luke 14, verse 25 to 27, one of the most challenging portions of scripture, Luke 14 verse 25 to 27. Now great crowds followed Jesus, accompanied him. Many people were falling, but we know that it's like a funnel. After a while, most people will fall by the wayside, you know, and in because it's hard teaching. Jesus, you are giving us a very hard teaching. How do I love you above everything else? And he turned to them, he turned to the great crowds and said, If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. So, of course, again, just to qualify, uh, I stand with all the commentators that say Jesus does not mean for you to go and hate your family now and to hate your life and commit suicide. He's not saying that. He's saying uh a lesser love. If you do not have a lesser love compared to the greatest love for Jesus, such that it's almost like a hate because you have to love Jesus the most. So he goes on to say, whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. And every age, every uh generation, we have to answer this. And I speak to, of course, those of us who are the older generation or who have been through the school of hard knocks have seen the goodness of God, you know, we need to give a reason why our younger generation needs to be a disciple of Jesus, you know, because we have tasted and see that when we put Jesus first in our life above everything that I mentioned earlier, we see our life work out well. Right? And one of the uh stories that I heard many decades ago was of a pastor when he was nearing his uh uh final stages of battle with uh colon cancer. So he was there and they have no children, so he and his wife they are very close. So, because I was a student then uh studying in the school, so I heard the the story of what happened. So he one day he woke up and he was the wife was beside him, he was suddenly like hugging the air, you know. So he was doing this, like he was doing this. So the wife was wondering, he's all the while in coma, and suddenly you rise and do this. Why are you trying? So she thought he wanted to hug her. So she kind of went between his arms, so he was still doing that. And then he uttered one uh uh phrase that I think up to today it still sticks with me. He said, You ought to love Jesus, you ought to love the one who loved you the most. And then he went back into uh coma we felt, and of course uh after a few days he passed on. So what what uh the wife uh of course learned was eventually she uh passed on uh also uh from cancer too. So but the whole journey was so arresting, you know. To think a man's last words if is if he has weight, then all of us should take heat from uh uh a warrior, uh pastor who has fought uh through cancer, and yet the bottom line of it all, you know, love the one who loves you most. And those of us who know him uh know that he's a very serious man, uh no nonsense. Uh he was uh the dean when I was uh studying in uh theological center for Asia. So he's always no nonsense, you know. Each time we we see him in his office, you know, just uh seldom smile, you know, just go by the book, everything. This is this, this is that, okay. You know, so yet uh such powerful words at the end of his life love, the one who loves you most. So even the closest of relationships, a husband and wife relationship, cannot be compared to love, to the love that Jesus has for us and that we need to have for Jesus. Let me just move on uh to my next point, my second and last point. Embracing Jesus as our teacher or as our rabbi. I'd like to use as an anchor uh verse from John 1, 38 to 39. Embracing Jesus as our teacher or as our rabbi. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, What are you seeking? And they said to him, Rabbi, which means teacher, where are you staying? He said to them, Come and you will see. So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him for that day, for it was about the 10th hour. So in these few verses from John 1, 38 to 39, the disciples were addressing Jesus and as rabbi, and by asking the question, uh, where are you staying? is indicative in the first century that they wanted more. Where are you staying? They wanted to uh enter into a kind of teacher-student relationship with Jesus. And this was very common in the time of Jesus. Uh scribes uh at that time were experts in the law of Moses, and and there were a lot of teachers, a lot of scribes end up to be rabbis or teachers, and to be selected by a rabbi in the time of Jesus was almost like winning a spiritual lottery. It's not easy that uh the rabbis during that time were select uh um candidates. So it's a rigorous process. So during the first century, during the time of Jesus, candidates would sacrifice everything to follow a great sage or a great teacher. So often by following a rabbi or teacher during in the first century, it was all or nothing. It's either you follow your teacher and rabbi fully or you don't follow at all. So in the time and age of Jesus, uh your loyalty to your rabbi is or your teacher exceeds all others, including one's loyalty to parents. And uh they will understand in the culture of the day because you follow your rabbi for a few years, learn certain skills, and then after that you carve out a livelihood. So it is everything during that time. So uh it takes a center stage. So uh there were studies made uh comparing Jesus' uh mode of teaching as a teacher and comparing it with the rabbis of the day or the scribes. So there are certain similarities and differences between Jesus and the rabbis. So, like the scribes or the rabbis of the day, Jesus also expected loyalty and total allegiance from his would-be disciples. You know, he would say, deny yourself, take up your cross, come follow me. And it's common during that time. It's for us today, is you know, I I first I heard someone once ask me this question uh when I was doing uh baptism course. Why the people then so stupid? Uh Jesus said, Follow me only they follow. They leave everything, drop everything and follow. It was common during that time, right? It was common, it was uh culturally accepted for people to just drop everything to follow uh a rabbi and teacher for a few years. Right? So Jesus too had hard uh sayings and requirements in terms in terms of loyalty and following him on the way. However, Jesus was unlike the scribes or the rabbis in quite a number of ways. Uh for the scribes and the rabbis, they only opened their application to all Jews, all male Jews, except women and sinners. Whereas Jesus handpicked his closest disciples, which included women and sinners. So a distinct difference between that, right, between them. So the disciples of the scribes learned from them seated at their feet. Right? So uh the picture of Jesus, Mary and Martha, when Jesus was, when it says uh Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus, it's almost like uh during that time Jesus was like a teacher sitting there uh and they were at their feet listening to Jesus. So this this was a picture of uh the scribes of those days. Uh some would even live with their with the scribes, uh would be disciples for and just living with them and to absorb their teaching. But Jesus was unlike them because he was a homeless itinerant with no place to lay his head. It seems that Jesus was everywhere, he accepted hospitality from anyone, and disciples had to live up, give up their own security to follow Jesus on the road, wherever he calls, wherever he will lead us to. When a trained disciple came of age, in a Jewish world, it's about 40 years old, then you're so-called you're of age, right? So a rabbi uh could ordain a would-be disciple by laying hands on the would-be disciple and ordain uh the disciple, and the new disciple becomes a rabbi, and he could pursue positions during that time in law, academics, or civil service. So it's an esteemed position. He could wear the long robe of a scholar and sit on Moses' seat, make binding judgments, decrees, teach, receive great honor, and occupy the best seats in public gatherings. Right? Whereas for Jesus, he was a master on the road. There was no formal ordination rather than uh just sending them out on a mission. He gave them no status or significance in the world. They derived no rights or recognition from the religious establishment. They were even to reject titles, uh, including rabbi, uh, and choose the lowest seats in public gatherings. They'll be scorned and humiliated, hated by everyone and persecuted in the world. Right? So not a very uh positive picture, but nevertheless, this is the picture, the contrast that we see uh in terms of uh a scribe. So a scribe during the time of Jesus was a very esteemed position. Once you reach the become a rabbi, it's an esteemed position of honor and prestige. Whereas for Jesus, it is just following him on the road, seeing him act, and imitating his actions. So, how did Jesus relate to his disciples as their teacher and rabbi? I just want to share with us one point, and this is this is how Jesus related to his disciples. He taught them who he is by engaging them in ministry. So, in other words, if you want to know who I am, engage in ministry as you serve, as you are involved in ministry, you will see me reveal who I am. You will see me reveal more of myself, but you cannot just uh again, it's very different from our time where we just sit in the uh in a lecture hall and listen to lectures. But whereas for Jesus, it is by engaging in ministry that you learn who God is, you learn to develop faith, you learn to uh uh exercise your faith to grow, right? And I just very quickly want to bring us through John chapter 6, verse 1 to 13. I won't, because of time, I won't read through the whole passage, but just want to show us glimpses of uh from John 6, chapter 6, 1 to 13, how uh Jesus taught his disciples about himself by engaging them in ministry. So this is Jesus' style of discipleship, being the master teacher. As you do, as you engage in ministry, then I will reveal myself to you. Right? So uh so in John chapter 6, 1 to 13, a long chapter, but it's a story of the feeding of the 5,000. So there are three things that Jesus did to engage his disciples in ministry. Firstly, he brought the disciples to a situation of need, right? In John chapter 6, verse 5 to 6, there were large crowds coming towards him, and Jesus said to one of his disciples, his disciple Philip, where are we to buy bread so that these people may eat? So Jesus said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. So he brought, he placed a situation of need into the disciple's hand. Philip, look at this situation. What will you do? Look at this large crowd, and we are in a wilderness area. How? How are we going to feed them? Right? So there's a situation of need. Secondly, Jesus gave the disciples an opportunity to respond, to exercise their faith. In other words, Jesus' way of teaching is for them to respond and to engage, right? It's not so so Philip and Andrew responded in turn. Philip said, 200 denarii worth of bread will not be enough for each of them to get a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, uh Simon Peter's brother, said to him, There's a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many? So both of their responses are very logical and very human. 200 denarii is about eight months' wages during that time, and then definitely uh it's true. It would not be enough for everyone. Five barley loaves and two fish is a tiny meal for the poor, right? Uh the poor usually can only afford uh the lowest grade of bread, which is barley loaves, and two fish is we shouldn't think of like how we eat the fish, like a steamboat, the gooper kind of fish. It's probably those kind of diced fish, right? So, what can you do with five barley loaves and two diced fish? What can you do? Right? So, uh so of course the disciples say, What are they for so many? You know, it will not be enough. So uh, nevertheless, Jesus gave them a response, uh, opportunity to respond and to exercise their faith in him. Jesus then taught them a truth uh that was new to them. Jesus, of course, the story goes that Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, distributed to those who were seated, and they gathered as much as they wanted. Uh and there were 12 baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. So we see the lavishness of the supply, as much as they wanted. Five loaves, barley loaves and two small fish, yet it provided uh a lavishness in terms of the supply. There were child baskets with fragments. So Jesus engaged the disciples in ministry, involved them, asked them questions, and taught them the truth in action about divine provision. In other words, the disciples saw in action that this Jesus is not a it's not just uh a Jesus who works in a human, uh human way, human logical way, but he's able to bring about divine provision. Uh he's able to multiply the five loaves, barley loaves and two fish to provide supernaturally to meet real human need. So I believe the disciples were like, wow, Jesus, the offering of a poor, what the poor eats from a boy I offer to you, and you multiply it many times, supernaturally. I'm sure their faith in Jesus would have grown many times over, right? So, church, we cannot be a disciple of Jesus and be content to be a pure warmer. We grow best when we are engaging in some form of ministry and service to Jesus. So as we do so, God will reveal more of Himself to us. Sometimes we discover more of ourselves and our gifts as we engage in ministry. So many times uh not all of us have the privilege of going through uh that kind of training, but uh there was uh a time in my life, uh I think in 2013, where I was uh I was with YWAM. I intended the DTS. Uh that was during the time of the late David Newbow. I was still in YCCA that time. So um yeah, so one of the training or methods of discipleship in YWAM for those of us who are YWAMers, is to do and then we learn. So we are just thrust out in a new context, and then we exercise ministry and then we reflect on it and learn what is God saying, what is God teaching us. And I think that model somehow, if we can grasp it and apply it in church life, I think, or even in our own lives, I think it's a good model for us to adopt, right? Because sometimes in Singapore, we always think that we need to be perfect, we need to have this, this, this level of ability before we can do that, that, that, right? You know, all the certification that we must go through, then we are authorized to do certain functions. Of course, it regulations and regulatory requirements have its place. But in the kingdom of God, there's also a place for us to exercise faith and trust Him. And uh sometimes through that, through doing, sometimes uh I remember sometimes our teammates do affirm certain things about us, and in fact, certain gifts that we do not know that is inherent in us can be observable by others. So this again team ministry where you know we mutually support and encourage one another. So to embrace Jesus as our teacher, as our rabbi, we need to follow him where he is working. Jesus is always on the road. To be a disciple of Jesus, there's no fixed formula or curriculum to follow Jesus. I wish I can give you a curriculum, say step one, do this, step two, do that, or go through Master Life, or go through uh discipleship essentials, and then you graduate and you'll be a disciple. But following Jesus is following him all the way on the road and following him into the areas in which he's working and asking him, Lord, what are you leading me into? Where are you working? How can I be a part of what you are doing? So let me close with this. Following Jesus and embracing Jesus as our teacher and our rabbi is actually one and the same thing. We cannot follow Jesus and yet not embrace him as our teacher or rabbi. The two things that we are required to do, to respond to, firstly, to accept Jesus on his terms, not on our own turf. It's not about ourselves, but it's about loving Jesus above everything else. And as we do that, as we say, despite in spite of, Lord, I know my inclination is to put my family above you. My inclination is to put my own interests, my own comfort above you. Uh some of us don't like change. We say, uh, I don't like change, you know, but sometimes these are all the little things that we need to lay aside in order to follow Jesus. So accept Jesus on his terms, not on our own turf. Secondly, as we do that, then engage in ministry to learn more about Jesus. You know, there's always room for you to serve, not only in church, but in the marketplace, wherever God has placed you, in your workplaces. You are a disciple right where you are, not just only in church, but wherever God is calling you in the marketplace, you are a light for God, you are the sort of the world. You are the light of the world, you are the sort of the earth. So discipleship happens there, in the church and in the marketplace. So my prayer this morning is that in looking at Jesus' model of discipleship, is what is really following Jesus on the road. It's about accepting Jesus on his terms, it's about engaging in ministry, and as we do so, we learn more about him. Right? So the Lord help us as we yield our lives more and more to Jesus.

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We pray that you've been ministered to by the Word of God today. If you'd like to know more about Egypt Christian Church, please visit our website at yccanglican.com. Have a blessed day.