Pastor Wayne Cordeiro & Pastor Richard Waialeale
November 1, 2020 - W2044

"The Gift of Discipleship/Discipline" 

Uncommon Gifts Strangely Wrapped

Pastor Wayne Cordeiro & Pastor Richard Waialeale

October 31 & November 1, 2020

Aloha & Welcome, New Hope--Anywhere and Everywhere!  We are continuing our series, "Uncommon Gifts Strangely Wrapped," and today's message is "The Gift of Discipleship." But, first, let’s listen to an encouraging message from our senior pastor Wayne Cordeiro on the upcoming Presidential election. The U.S. President exerts considerable influence on the National and International communities.  

PASTOR WAYNE CORDEIRO:  Aloha, New Hope! In a few days, on November 3, America will make her voice known in choosing our leaders for the next four years--and we must choose wisely, so let me challenge you on two fronts:    

First Front: Action

We are citizens of Heaven and we have the assignment and the privilege to vote--to influence the world in which we live towards good and godliness.  Those who stay away from the polls because they don’t want to choose between the lesser of two evils--fail their assignment! Unless the express name of Jesus Christ is on the ballot, we will always be choosing between fallen men and women--sinners and imperfect people.

When the Israelites were sent into Babylon as captives in 586 BC, God instructed them in Jeremiah 29:7 NIV: "Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

In other words, seek for the best welfare of the land in which we live.  In this season, America (Hawaii included) by our votes can influence the land in which we are called.  This is a very important election because the ideals, values, and founding principles that brought our country and our church to this moment and influence are tottering and have become increasingly insecure.  Those principles need careful scrutiny and attention to restore us to what God once used to make us strong.  The leaders we elect for the next phase in human history have inherited the responsibility to help sort out confusion and help us to clarify who we are. We are at a critical point.  We will either advance forward or slump backwards, not in technology or in our innovation, but in the very values that have undergirded us and gave our nation sustainability.  We need leaders who offer the greatest possibility for aligning our nation’s governing principles back to God’s standards.  We must do our part and vote wisely.

The Second Front: Our Faith  

We know that God holds all things in His hands--He is sovereign.  We do not control the outcome of this election, He does. God is on the Eternal Throne, no matter who is on the temporal one.  In the end, we accept His result. Let that embolden us as a people of God to double up on our intentionality, to double down on our efforts to win people to Christ to advance the Gospel, and to proclaim the name of Jesus every way we can, through preaching, ministry, radio, television, in groups or with individuals. We must trust His sovereignty. We have seen God work through good leaders and bad, through King David and Cyrus the Great of Persia, who wasn’t a believer but allowed the Israelites to return to their homeland after the Babylonian captivity. God is still God and we are unafraid.  We will put our hands to the plow and serve God.  Throughout history, men and the plans of men have come and gone; but His calling on our lives will never change. Let’s do our part and trust in the sovereignty of God as we double down in fulfilling the purposes of God in this generation as the Church of the Living God.  God bless you this and every weekend as we serve the King of Kings who has all things in His hands!

PASTOR RICHARD WAIALEALE:

Oswald Chambers said, “Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person, our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Gift of Discipleship is engaging. Discipleship is like learning a new language.  It is developed through observation: hearing, watching, and emulating what is said and done.  It’s an Uncommon Gift Strangely Wrapped that requires time and energy to unwrap, access, and enjoy like relationships, talent, and ability.  Responsible evangelism will always be our cause; and ongoing discipleship will always be part of the core value of the ministry of New Hope Oahu.

2 Peter 1:8 NLT says: "The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." In other words, make every effort to add to your faith: goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, mutual affection, and love, then you can be an effective witness.  The primary purpose of Jesus coming into this world was to establish the kingdom of God. In the Christian world, discipleship is the process of making us become like Jesus--into His image! 

Discipleship is one of the most powerful and freeing gifts that allows us to cooperate with God, for Him to shape us into who He wants us to become. We cannot do this on our own. Oftentimes, the Bible talks of us as a lump of clay because God can shape and mold us into His masterpiece if we don’t hold anything back--it’s our choice! When Jesus took His life to the cross, He did not lose His life--He redeemed it! We must be willing to give God the whole lump, everything, or He cannot do what He has to do to redeem us and make us a masterpiece! 

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV says: "...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

God is taking the whole lump of clay and making it into a masterpiece; the process is called discipleship, the redeeming power of God. There are two main principles of discipleship: 

1. Discipleship Must Be Redeemed   

Redemption is transformation. We don’t lose our life; we surrender it.  A transformed life is a life of peace and joy, purpose and eternity. Jesus calls the kingdom of heaven the Pearl of Great Value and you are transformed by giving God everything you have.  

Matthew 13:45-46 NIV says: ⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."

2. This Gift Takes Training, Not Just Trying 

1 Timothy 4:7 NIV says: " Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly."

 The apostle Paul used athletic metaphors to get his point across and says in 1 Corinthians 9:25 NIV: "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." 

Spiritual growth and discipleship are not a matter of trying harder but coming to a place in our life where we will be committed to train consistently.  Training is integral for whatever we hope to accomplish in life, such as, running the 26.2-mile marathon, learning a new skill, playing a musical instrument, or doing anything significant.  If we are to be fruitful and serious in wanting to receive all that God has for us, we must enter into a lifetime of training. Here are three action points that will show how we train ourselves to seize our call:         

(1) Train by Repeating the Basics

John 15:8 NIV says: "This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

Committing to daily devotions is basic to the Christian life. It is training when no one is looking and a regimen that releases a freedom to choose the best things of God by learning His character and what He requires of us.  We grow spiritually and become more fruitful; receive His gifts with a greater appreciation; and learn to enjoy devotions by disciplining ourselves.  For example, I do my devotions in the morning because that’s when I’m at my best.  I make myself a cup of coffee and use my favorite Bible and computer, and now I’m ready to enjoy the things of God. Train by doing the basics and enjoying it! 

(2) Train by Being Accountable 

Romans 15:14 NIV says: " I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another."

In other words, we are competent to share with each other. Almost all professional athletes travel with a trainer. The best athletes in the world are the best because they’re able to be coached and trained.  Once they can no longer be coached and they stop training, they cease to be the best.  This is called accountability.  Here’s the key: We must allow people to speak into our life to coach, counsel, and teach us.  The value of being in a small group is that we have a life group, ohana, to keep each other accountable.  If you don’t belong to a small group, check out life groups online on our New Hope Oahu website.  

(3) Train Until the Inner Becomes the Outer

Galatians 4:19 NLT says: "Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives." 

We need to be metamorphosed, changed. We are a pain in the neck until Christ changes us. Any athlete from early on has an idea of what they want to be stamped in their heart and mind, and they train to reach that goal.  They train so that their inner desire transforms them into the person they want to be on the outside--just as a caterpillar is morphed into a beautiful butterfly. When it comes to our spiritual growth, God has created us with His image stamped inside of us, and the only way to get the inner “persona” developed into the outer person God intends, takes strict training. You must be coachable and teachable, as it takes time and energy to develop inner transformation.

The Gift of Discipleship is to cooperate with God as He shapes us into who He wants us to become. Jesus didn’t tell his friends to go into the world and make Christians; but to go into the world and make disciples! Author Dallas Willard writes: "The New Testament is a book about disciples, by disciples, for disciples." Simply put, discipleship is the means by which we learn to live a life Jesus offers us. Christianity was never meant to produce Christians--it was meant to produce disciples! God bless you, as you make a commitment to follow Jesus Christ.   

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 

1. What are the “basics” of your practice of faith?

2. How can you train with the basics to make your inner become your outer?

3. How are you being a teachable/coachable person every day?

4. How are you sharing The Gift of Discipleship with others?