Making Spiritual Progress (Volume Three): Making Spiritual Progress, #9

MAKING SPIRITUAL PROGRESS (VOLUME THREE)

Fellowship in the Body of Christ—One

MAKING SPIRITUAL PROGRESS

BOOK 9

ZACHARIAS TANEE FOMUM

Copyright © 2008 by Zacharias Tanee Fomum

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible, the British Edition.

Published by

A division of the Book Ministry of Christian Missionary Fellowship International

[email protected]

CONTENTS

Preface

1. The Basics of Disciple-Making—1

2. The Need For Spiritual Experience

3. The Basics of Disciple-Making—2

4. Membership in The Body of Christ—1

5. The Foundation of The Church of The Lord Jesus Christ

6. Membership in The Body of Christ—2

7. Relationships in The Body

8. Fellowship in The Body of Christ

Back Matters

PREFACE

The contents of this book are a part of the teaching ministry of the church in Yaoundé between 1985 and 1986. The massages in the present form have been copied from cassette recordings.

This volume carries a total of eight messages. We pray that as you read them, you may be blessed and enter into deep fellowship both with the Lord and with His people.

13 th July 2008.

Zacharias Tanee Fomum

P. O. Box 6090

Yaoundé - Cameroon

1

THE BASICS OF DISCIPLE-MAKING—1

CONDITIONS FOR BEING A DISCIPLE OF THE LORD JESUS

In the Bible there are basically nine conditions for anyone who wants to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. We shall briefly outline them as follows:

A supreme love for the Lord: The Bible says, "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5). In other words, you are to love the Lord with all your spirit, soul and body.

A supreme love for all the brethren: The Bible says, Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5: 25-27). The Lord loved the church. His command to us is, A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35).

A separation from family: The Lord Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s foes will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" (Matthew 10:34-37). To be a disciple, you must separate yourself from all these other loves, so that you may love the Lord and love Him alone. After you have thus separated yourself to love the Lord and Him alone, you will, under His direction and leadership, love father, mother, wife, husband, children, sisters, brother, etc., because of the Lord and with love that has been reinforced by the Lord. You will not just love any of them by natural inclination, but out of love put into your heart by the Lord. In loving them out of the love that has been poured into your heart by the Lord, you will love them even when they hate, persecute and do anything against you. To love them with a love that originates in, and is controlled by the Lord Jesus means that you will do to them and for them only what the Lord Jesus approves; only what will help them to become more like Jesus.

Separation from the Self: Jesus said, If any one comes to me and does not hate… even his own life, he cannot be my disciple (Luke 14: 26). No one can become a disciple and continue as one who does not actively put his self-seeking life to death on a daily, nay, and hourly and minute by minute basis. The self-life is manifested in self-justification, self-determination, self-advertisement, self-congratulation, self-love, etc. The Lord says, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Matthew 16: 24).

Bearing the cross: The Lord Jesus said, "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:27). Personal cross-bearing is the pathway of suffering. This is suffering for Christ and for the gospel. The Lord Jesus bore His cross and died on it. He suffered. The disciple of the Lord Jesus is called to walk the same path.

Renouncing all: The Lord Jesus said, "So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33). Each one came into the world naked. Each one shall leave the world naked. Any heart that is attached to any worldly possession has missed the mark.

Continuing in the Word: The way to ensure that one continues to go on, on the way of discipleship is through continuing in the Word. The Lord Jesus said, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free" (John 8:31-32). To continue in the word presupposes that one has already started in the Word. He has started loving, studying, memorising, and above all, obeying the Word. When a person has started this process, he must continue. When he stops loving, studying, memorising and obeying the Word, he backslides.

Bearing fruit: The Lord Jesus said, "By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples" (John 15:8). Fruit, much fruit is the natural consequence of being a disciple and continuing as a disciple. The one who obeys the Lord in everything will spontaneously bear much fruit. He does not set out to bear fruit. He sets out to obey the Lord in everything and out of that obedience comes spontaneous fruit.

Departure from all sin: Anyone who is knowingly practising some sin, be it small or big, has failed the test of discipleship. The Apostle John said, "He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning" (1 John 3:8). He further proclaimed, "No one born of God commits sin; for God’s nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God" (1 John 3:9). If you are still deliberately committing sin in any area of your life, be it small or big, you are of the devil. You are not a disciple. To become one, you must forsake all sin and make an unreserved commitment to Jesus Christ.

THE COMMAND TO MAKE DISCIPLES

The Bible says,

And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age’ (Matthew 28:18-20).

In the gospel according to Mark we read,

Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they sat at table; and he said unto them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned’ (Mark 16: 14-16).

THE DISCIPLE-MAKER’S CONDITIONS

If someone comes and tells you, I am a disciple of the Lord Jesus. Teach me to observe all that the Lord has commanded; make me into a disciple and into a maker of disciples, what do you do?

It is presumed