“Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100:3 ESV)

You have been adopted!

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Rom. 8:15 ESV)

You were bought with a price

“You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.” (1 Cor. 7:23 NASB)

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (2 Cor. 6:19 ESV)

You can now live by faith in the Son of God

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:10 ESV)

Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s

“For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.” (Rom. 14:8 ESV)

 “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (NLT).” (2 Chron. 16:9 NLT)

The above passage tells us God is searching throughout the whole earth looking for those whose hearts are pure.

God cannot find a single one who is not corrupt

“God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!” (NLT). (Psalms 53:2-3 ESV)

We all fall short

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Rom. 3:23 ESV)

All creation is in sinful bondage

“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” (Rom. 8:20-22 ESV)

We have redemption by His blood

“… and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith..” (Rom. 3:23-24 ESV)

We have access by faith

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Rom. 5:1-2 ESV)

“Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” (Eph. 5:19 ESV)

Make a joyful noise to the Lord

“A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Col. 3:16 ESV)

Sing praises to Him

“Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!” (Psalm 105:2 ESV)

Sing with your spirit and your mind

“What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.” (1 Cor. 14:15

“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 behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:18-20 ESV

Discipleship: By definition, a disciple is a follower and learner of Jesus Christ. A Christian disciple is a person who accepts and assists in the spreading of the good news of Jesus Christ. Christian discipleship is the process by which disciples grow in the Lord Jesus Christ and are equipped by the Holy Spirit, to overcome the pressures and trials of this present life and become more and more Christlike. This process requires believers to respond to the Holy Spirit’s prompting to examine their thoughts, words and actions and compare them with the Word of God.

Devoted to the apostles’ teaching, breaking of bread, and prayers

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42 ESV)

Abide in His Word

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Faithfully teach others

“And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Tim. 2:2 ESV)

A warning

“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27 ESV)

Take up your cross daily

“And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23 ESV)

How all people will know you are His disciple

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34 ESV)

“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Prov. 18:24 ESV)

Two are better than one

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Eccles. 4:9-12)

One man sharpens another

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” (Prov. 27:17 ESV)

Choose your friends carefully

“Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare. Be not one of those who give pledges, who put up security for debts. If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?” (Prov. 22:24-27 ESV)

Friends encourage and build each other up

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thes. 5:11 ESV)

The sweetness of a friend comes from earnest counsel

“Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.” (Prov. 27:9 ESV)

You are Jesus’s friend when you do what He commands you

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:12-14 ESV)

Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God

“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4 ESV)

Jesus calls you friend because of what He has made known to you

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15 ESV)

“For it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning you to guard you carefully.” (Luke 4:10 KJV)

He will give angels charge concerning you

“For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:11 KJV)

Angels encamp around those who fear God

“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.” (Psalm 34:7 KJV)

Angels serve those who will inherit salvation  

“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Heb. 1:14 KJV)

Angels may look like ordinary strangers

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Heb. 13:2 ESV)

Many unseen angels may be around you

“Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:17 ESV)

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Col. 2:6-7 ESV)

Rooted and grounded in love

“That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:16-19 ESV)

With no root they withered away

“Yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.” (Matt. 13:21 ESV)

“But when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.” (Matt. 13:6 ESV)

Jesus is the root

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” (Rev. 22:16 ESV)

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater.” (Isa. 55:10 NIV)

“He provides rain for the earth; he sends water on the countryside.” (Job 5:10 NIV)

He shows kindness by giving you rain

“Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” (Acts 14:17 NIV)

“I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.” (Levit. 26:4 NIV)

He provides rain for both the righteous and the unrighteousness

“…so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matt. 5:45 NASB)

“Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you.” (Gen. 1:29 NASB)

Seeds sprout and grow

“He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.” (Mark 4:26-27 NIV

Man doesn’t understand the seed, but uses them

Jesus tells us in the above verse that the seed sprouts and grows, even though the man who is scattering the seed doesn’t know how. That is the same today. We still don’t understand how a seed actually works. We just know that it does and we have only learned how to cooperate with it. We’ve learned how to prepare the soil for it, plant it, water it and fertilize it, but we can’t actually create a seed ourselves. All seeds have to come from plants and every seed is a miracle! Inside every seed is everything it needs to reproduce the original plant it came from. A radish seed produces radish’s, a tomato seed produces tomatoes. Every time. A single little acorn seed, when planted in the ground, will grow up into a great and mighty tree just like the original one it came from! You can count on it, even though you don know how.

Seedtime and harvest will not cease

"While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease." (Gen. 8:22 NASB)

The Word of God is described as imperishable seed

“…for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” (2 Peter 1:23 NASB)

Therefore, sow bountifully and you will also reap bountifully!

“Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (2 Cor. 9:6 NASB)