When you hear the word perfect, the word that comes to mind is an image or a thing without error, without blemish, without complain, without any spot or stain. Perfection talks about a state of being perfect. You can't complain, there is nothing to add, it's just alright. So we want to look at discipleship at this state, the perfect picture of discipleship.
One of the things we readily understand as students of the word, is that throughout the Scripture, we see a story of a people and God on a journey. From Genesis to Revelation, is a story of a journey of a people and God. Different people at different instances. But God is the centre piece of that journey from Genesis to Revelation. So, the Bible chronicles discipleship.
The whole of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation chronicles discipleship at different phases at different levels. Different stages and levels of discipleship, are chronicled in the Bible. But we are going to start from where discipleship started from. Jesus said to the Pharisees, when they asked Him a question, and He saw the perverseness that have occurred through history and He told them, "in the beginning it was not so." So an error has taken place, imperfection has set in, something has happened along the line that has distorted the perfect picture of that thing.
And Jesus said in the beginning it was not so, that means the picture was perfect in the beginning, something had happened along the line that have corrupted and perverted the picture. And that is why we will go back to the beginning and see from the beginning what was so. Let us start by looking at the picture from the beginning in Genesis 2:19-20. We want to look at the picture from the beginning.
Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
I just want us to read those two Scriptures and reflect back from the beginning in Genesis chapter 1 down to chapter two, how God created the heavens and the earth and God started calling things that are not as though they were. So, God initiated a process, created things, and named them. If you look through Genesis 1 you will see instances where God would call the waters that gather together as seas, and the dry land He would call them earth. So, God was the first initiator of names.
Nobody had named anything before God. So God was the first personality that named anything. Now we could see in verse 19 to 20 that we read, how God created the beast of the field out of the ground and He brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. The personality that first called anything, was God. Then God brought what He had created that He did not name, that He could have named, He brought them to Adam to see what he will name them. If you see that statement you will see that there is something in that statement that looks silent. God will not ask Adam to do something that God has not shown him. God will not tell Adam to do something he has not seen God do, because that will mean He is generating the knowledge himself. It is from his own resource that he is producing what he is doing.
But you will see there is a silence of the process that led God to have confidence in Adam. Because if you see that statement; "to see what he will call them." So it's like a practical. I taught you, I want to see now whether you understood or you can do what I have thought you. So there is a silence in the process between God and Adam there had been a relationship such that Adam had seen God do what God is asking him to do. And you will see in that verse 19 it says "to see what he will call them and whatever Adam called each living creature that was its name."
So, Adam passed, so from the beginning we can see a picture of a perfect discipleship that took place between God and Adam. I want us to see Genesis 3:8 there is something I want us to notice from there, so that we will understand that something had been going on that produced what we saw in Genesis chapter 2 verse 19. Genesis 3:8 says "And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"
Meaning that God was not doing this for the first time, this was not the first time that God will come to the garden, in the cool of the day to fellowship with Adam. So prior to Genesis 2:19, this have been a usual consistent occurrence, where God will come in the cool of the day to fellowship with Adam. And what happens when God fellowships with Adam? Is it that God looks at Adams face, and Adam looks at God's face, and they gist? No! There is a transference of nature, knowledge, and grace that goes on between God and Adam.
Listen to Podcast: The Perfect Picture of Discipleship
And that is why God was looking for him, He said where are you? So it was not an August visit. God did not suddenly just come, and Adam didn't say God I didn't know you were coming, because see his response, he said in verse 10. "So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." This To tell us that he recognized Gods voice because God has always been talking with him."I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."
Before he was not hiding himself, when God will come down like that, Adam would come before God and he would have fellowship with God. This is the perfect picture of discipleship where God, the discipler; comes and man is not afraid to be in the presence of God. Man does not hide away from the presence of God. There is a one on one contact between man and God. So there is a discipler who has His way, He usually comes down in the cool of the day, so there is a particular pattern, a particular way in which the discipler disciples. There is a discipler, His ways and then there is a communion, a fellowship between the discipler and the disciple. Which is God the discipler, and the disciple being man.
And the outcome of this discipleship is that man can do what God can do. That's why in Genesis chapter two verse 19, God brought to Adam the beast of the field, the living creatures to see what he will name them, and whatever he named them so was their name forever and ever. So Adam was now able, to do what God had been doing. Adam is now able to do what he had seen God do.
So the perfect picture of discipleship is that there is God, who has His way and I want us to note that; because we are going to see that in the book of psalms where the Bible makes us to understand that throughout the Scripture this same perfect picture as doing the will of God has not changed. Talking about God let me read it from verse Psalm 103:6 "The LORD executes righteousness And justice for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel."
So God discipled Moses, and it says His act to the children of Israel. Disciples are those that knows the ways of the discipler. People that know the act are not disciples. They are the multitudes. The children of Israel were the multitude the beneficiaries of the grace of God but they were not disciples of God, because it was Moses that knew the way and we are also going to establish that by looking at Exodus 33:13. "Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people."
That is the passion of disciples, that is Moses speaking to God, show me now your way that I may know you and that I may find grace in your sight and consider that this nation is your people. Show me now your way, disciples are passionate about the way of the discipler because if you don't know His way, you can't know Him. And His way is so important and that is why Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life no one comes to the Father, no one can be discipled by the father except through me." No one can become the Father's disciple except through Me because I Am the way. And Moses is saying here that show me the way. God had a plan to disciple a nation called Israel, but this nation said no, we don't want to be directly discipled by you, God.
Disciple Moses let him come and talk to us, but that is not the perfect picture of discipleship. "Many of us are still walking in the imperfect picture of discipleship. Let God talk to my pastor and my pastor will speak to me. Let God talk to my general overseer and my general overseer can give me the word for the year. When God wants to talk to you face to face." Because that is the perfect picture of discipleship and that is the yearning in the heart of God for every of His child. No father wants to father a child indirectly, no father wants to father a child by proxy. If you are my son, then you must be with me. Because that is the perfect picture of God from the beginning. That's why when Adam lost the perfect picture of discipleship, God did everything to make sure that He brings us back into the perfect picture. Why did Jesus come to die? So that you and I would have access to discipled by God, directly.
That's why the Bible says the veil of the temple was torn into two so that there can be open access, so that God will now be the direct discipler, there won't be the open court, the inner court the holy place, and the holiest of holies. God did not want barrier, He does not want an intermediary, God does not want a third party. God does not want a situation where there is a retailer before it comes to the consumer. No! That's not the chain of discipleship. There is a perfect picture and God is concerned about that perfect picture. That perfect picture is what Jesus came to die for. So that all of us will return back to the original image, the original picture.
Hebrews 12 just for us to see what the children of Israel did. Hebrews 12:18-19. "For you have not come to the mountain, Talking about what happened there in Exodus 33:13. For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest." Because that's what happened in exodus 33:13, when the glory of the Lord covered the mountain, they ran away. They all ran back to their tents. And they started looking at the mountain from far, they started pushing Moses to go. This your God, go and meet Him, we will remain here, whatever He tells you, come and tell us.
And that is the same picture, we think we are not still there, many believers have gone back to that model. And God is saying no this is what Jesus died for. So, that the perfect picture can come back to you, you have direct access to God. You can go to God yourself and say Lord I had a dream and I am not comfortable with it, explain it to me. That's where God wants us to come back to. The perfect picture of discipleship is the model He wants us to follow. And you will see when Jesus came the Bible says "He is the express image of the invisible God." He came to do exactly what God did in Genesis 2. I want us to see Mark chapter 3, so that it doesn't look as if we are just quoting the Old Testament.
Mark 3:13 "And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons." Is there any distortion between Genesis 2:19-20 and what is here? God created Adam in His image and His likeness, put him in the garden, to have fellowship with him. Communion with him and God will come in the cool of the day and come and fellowship with Adam face to face, share with him, show him how things are done, show him His ways and have fellowship with him. Then he will start to practice.
The same thing Jesus did, He said He called them to Himself, not to give them farm work, or ask them to throw javelin, but to be with Him. To show them how things are done in the kingdom. To show them the way of the Father, no wonder when Thomas said show us the Father and we will be OK. He said have I been with you for so long and you are still saying show me the Father. That is all I have been doing from day one. Showing you the Father so that what I see the Father do that I do, you can also do it.
The Scripture said that He might send them out to preach so that they can go and practice. The end of discipleship is that you might do what God is doing on the earth. Discipleship is not to store knowledge, it is not to feel good, it doesn't stop there, the perfect picture of discipleship is that you might go out to preach. That He might send you out to preach. The same perfect picture from the beginning. Jesus replicated the same picture. The Bible says and God brought the living creatures to Adam.
So, God is the one that gave him the assignment. Adam didn't cook it up, and the Bible says to see what he will name it. To see how he will practice what we have been engaging. And it says and whatsoever he called them, so was their name. The Bible says and Jesus sent them out two by two to where He had desired to go and they went, those that had been with Him, fellowshipped with Him, those that He has shown His ways to.
And they went out to practice and the devil was subject to them. Because the devil was subject to Jesus, they saw it happen and they did it. Peter was there when Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead and Peter was able to raise Dorcas from the dead. The same thing Jesus did. That is discipleship. A discipler succeeds over a disciple when a disciple can do what the discipler can do. Discipleship is not complete until the disciple can do what the discipler can do. And that is why the joy of Jesus is that each and every one of us that are called by His name on the earth will do what they see Him do. That's why He said what you see me do you will do and greater works than this you do because I go to the Father, the discipler of all. He said but you will not be as orphans, the Holy Spirit will still disciple you and He will lead you into all truth, He will show you the way.
Then you will be able to do all. Enough of giving people an improper, and imperfect picture of discipleship. This is the perfect picture of God from the beginning. There is a cry in the heart of God for the church that we come to this point. Many believers in the church are like Adam, God coming down and He is asking, where are you? I want to disciple you, but where are you? I can't find you. Because many people are hiding away from God. They want intermediaries, they feel God is too fearful, God is too hard, it's not true, He is your Father. There is no where you run to on the face of the earth that God won't locate you. So the best thing is to allow Him, because after Adam decided to go and hide, didn't he come out? He did!
Give God your time, allow Him to disciple you, there is a dimension of God for your life. You can only receive it directly from Him. Many of us desire to be like some people, we admire their grace. If you follow them, the best you will be is to be a photocopy of that person. There is a dimension of God for your life, and until God disciples you into that dimension you can't become the original. That's why the best person that you need as a discipler is God in Christ Jesus.
That is why the Bible makes us to understand that God has given Christ Jesus as a mould for us that we all grow into the fullness of the stature of Christ so that all of us can be discipled by Him. God is so interested in personally discipling us. The children of Israel only knew the acts of God, they only saw manner, the how of the manner they don't know. They only had the ten commandments, the spirit of the commandments they didn't have. That's why the Bible says "the letter kills but the Spirit gives life." Anything that is transferred is not original, it starts loosing substance and value and God wants to impact you directly, you are made in His image and likeness, He wants to pour into you Himself so that what He is doing in heaven, His will in heaven, you can make it happen on the earth.
That's God's desire for every of His child, He does not want to be your Father by proxy. He wants to Father you directly and I pray the Lord will help us in the name of Jesus, that we will not miss out of the perfect picture of discipleship.
Amen!
