My Pulpit Message Notes: DISCIPLESHIP IN THE CHURCH

DISCIPLESHIP IN THE CHURCH

My Pulpit Message Notes are transcribed from the sermon preached at the Nairobi Baptist Church (NBC) Ngong Road on Sunday 5th March, 2023. Preacher - Reverend J.F.K. Mensah. Topic: Discipleship in the Church.

My Background

I come from a very Ghanaian Roman Catholic home. My father’s big brother was the paramount chief of our cluster of villages for 60 years. By big brother’s son has been the chief for over 20 years now. My big brother has been a Roman Catholic priest for over 40 years and my big sister was a Roman Catholic nun of over 37 and half years. Sometimes we go to church six times on one Sunday. I have never seen a day when my daddy didn’t wake us up by 4.00am to pray or march us to pray before sleeping. Tat’s how I grew up.

So by age ten I was what the Catholics call a mass boy / server and by age 18 my feet were washed as one of the apostles of Jesus Christ in the Catholic church.

My Challenges

But I had some very serious moral challenges. One was girls. Whenever I saw a beautiful girl, my heart grew. So by age ten I slept with my own half sister. By age 12 three of us brothers, same father slept with the same girl the same day and I was the third. I knew my two brothers had gone ahead, but I went on all the same.

The second problem I had was stealing. My father was a shopkeeper. He had shops and my mother divorced my father before I was four years old and I grew up to see my father with six wives. So whenever any of the stepmothers was tired of me I was posted to another one and I tell people I have a postgraduate degree in living with stepmothers. Since there was nobody in the house to speak for me I chose to steal. I stole anything from the shop; money, provision etc.

I said I wasn’t even stealing, I was just taking because it was my father’s property anyway until one day, one of my big brothers stole from the shop and showed me where he kept his stolen items and I went and stole what he stole and of course he caught me and gave me a nickname.

The third problem I had was masturbation. I picked it up in our high school when I was ten years and a friend took me out to study and he did it before me. I had never seen anybody living like that and when I complained, he said, 'you are a small boy. You are in a boys boarding school, if you don’t know about masturbation you don’t know anything.' So when I went back to the dormitory, I practiced it, it worked and it became a ‘new bicycle’. I masturbated every single day, secondary school form three, four and five, until I was doing it in the classroom. In Ghana that time we had Form six.

The Turnaround

My father never allowed any of us to go to a non Roman Catholic school, but for the sixth form, he said we could go anywhere we wanted. And for the first time I found myself in one of the oldest schools in Ghana and it was non Catholic. And the pastor invited the whole school and we were addressed by a pastor who was a former druggist because he had heard some of the students were on drugs, Indian hemp etc.

As this pastor spoke, for the first time in my life, I felt somebody was telling me, ‘you have to change’. You must understand that I have never smoked, I have never drunk alcohol. I tasted it, but I didn’t like. And here was this man showing us the marks on his arm where he used hypodermic syringe and I was just feeling convicted.

So when he made the altar call for those who wanted to give their lives to Jesus Christ, I refused. I refused because I was a Roman Catholic. I refused because I was a house prefect and a sixth former and how could I go forward to accept Jesus Christ? I refused because my big brother was then in the seminary in the same city.

But God being so good to me, my roommate called Sammy, he started changing. He stopped coming for my lectures on how to chase girls, he started reading his Bible in the dormitory, he went out to pray in the washroom because there was no place to hide. And as he prayed the Holy Spirit fell on him, he started speaking in tongues. Form five boys and sixth formers we rushed to see him, when we saw it was God, we all ran away.

The next day I asked him, “Sammy, what’s happening to you? He said, “Like what? I said, you are changing. He said the preacher said those who wanted to give their lives to Jesus should come forward. I went, I raised my hands and said, “Lord Jesus, I am a sinner and you came to die for my sins. Today, I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Come into my heart, forgive me my sins.” And when he prayed, the preacher started praying for them and he fell down and started weeping.

“You fell, you wept?” I asked. I knew Sammy. I was doing maths, physics, chemistry and general paper with him. I was in every lecture with him and was in the same dormitory with him. He was not a rogue. If something like that happened to him, there was something in Christianity I have never experienced. I have been to church all my life. So I told him, I also want to change and he said sure.

He asked me to raise my hands and say after him, "Lord Jesus…" He prayed for me. I didn’t fall down, I didn’t weep. At first I thought my sins were too many for God to forgive me and he said, “Let us go to the Scripture Union and I followed him.

At the Scripture Union meeting I met young men, who were leading prayers, quoting Bible verses. I didn’t know where John 3:16 was. They were calling on prayer topics, I could never lead anything like that and this were my juniors and some of them speaking in tongues. I couldn’t even cough.

I told myself, “ This Bible, I must read it”. That was the beginning of my journey. I started reading the Bible in the dining hall, the dormitory, the lecture halls, at the sports field, everywhere. Within two weeks, God visited me. The Spirit of God came upon me and the first thing that left me was masturbation. And I stand here to say that Jesus permanently changes lives. This year is my 50th year, I have never gone back to masturbation.

The second thing that left was the stealing. I took the rest of the money back to my daddy and confessed and I went in the shop and never stole again. My father has been dead for over 38 years, God is my witness, I never stole again from the shop.

The third and the most difficult was the girls. I had some very new girlfriends when I gave my life to Christ. It took me about one year of wrestling because at school, I could be a saint, but at home, I just could not resist the girls and I would pray to Jesus, but I would fall. But after just about a year, we had a Scripture Union camp and the last day of that Camp, we had a preacher who spoke as if he knew me, like someone had told him about me. That day I made a decision to be water baptised and that was it.

God is my witness. I stayed eight years before marrying. No girls. I was engaged to my wife for four and half years, through university, no kissing, no lolly gagging, lip sucking etc. We never even embraced except the day when I was ordained as a pastor and this is my 44th year as an ordained pastor. There is no smell of my having any involvement with any lady. I stand here and challenge anybody in the world, if it is not Jesus, who changed me?

I can testify that the confession experience is real and permanent. I am a witness, that Jesus changes lives permanently.

My Christian Journey

Many people have asked me, 50 years being a born again Christian, what are the most important things to you?

1. Christlikeness

Personally I have come to see that Christlikeness is God’s priority. In Romans 8:29 (NIV), Scripture says,

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

In eternity past, heaven decided that all human beings should be like Jesus Christ.

In 1 John 3:1-3 (NIV)

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”

2 Corinthians 3:18 “NKJV

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Galatians 4:19 “19

My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you,”

Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV)

“ Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

1 John 2:6

“Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”

1 Peter 2:21-22

“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NKJV)

“Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”

Colossians 1:27-28

“To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: [i]which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 4:11-15

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ”.

Many church members think it is only the pastor and his wife who need to be like Jesus. It is wrong. You are to be like Jesus.

God in eternity past, wants you and me to be like Jesus. He chose you and predestined and gave all the resources for you to be like Christ.

Ephesians 1:3 says

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,”

Ephesians 5:25-27

“ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing,”

Many church members think that it is only the pastor and the elders who need to be like Jesus. What a mistake!

And the more I read the Bible, the more I tell myself, we need to get this message to the whole church. Every church member has to wake up. God’s standard cannot be lowered for Nairobi Baptist Church. On that day when we meet Jesus, you are not meeting Him as NBC. When we see Jesus, we shall be like Him.

When we sleep angry, you don’t wake up patient. When you sleep a thief, you don’t wake up with integrity. Therefore, anyway you are not at the time of your death, you cannot be at the time of your resurrection. I challenge any theologian who has a contrary view. If you are not changed now, resurrection cannot change you.

2. Preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ

In Matthew 24:6,7,14 Jesus says in the last days there will be wars, rumours of wars, kingdom will rise up against kingdom, nation against nation, famine, pestilences, earthquakes.

Russia against Ukraine and Turkey earthquake, famines in Uganda and Kenya, but the end is not yet. In verse 14 He says, this gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world and witness to all the nations, then shall the end come.

Matthew 24:14 (NIV)

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

The end of this world is hinged on the preaching of the gospel. In Mark 13:10 Jesus said, this gospel must first be preached among all nations.

Mark 16:15-16

“15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

In Matthew 28:18-20

“ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Acts 1:8, He said,

“8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be [c]witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts the earth.”

Acts 4:12

“12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 17:30-31

“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world…”

2 Peter 3:9

“9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

1 Timothy 2:4-6 he says,

God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people.”

1 John 5:11-12

“11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

Current State of World Evangelism

It’s 2,000 years since Jesus and His apostles told us these things. But as of now, 28 per cent of the world has not heard about Jesus. 40 per cent have heard, but not taken a decision. Only 32 per cent has decided for Christ, but out to the 32 per cent, 12 per cent are genuine Christ followers, but the rest, 20 per cent are what we call nominal Christians and it includes Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons etc.

87 out of 100 Buddhists Muslims and Hindus have never seen a practicing Christ follower their whole life; no church, no missionary, no pastor, no Bible.

Mauritania is 99 per cent Muslim. Libya is 99.6 per cent Muslim, West Sahara is 100 per cent Muslim, Morocco is 98 per cent Muslim, Tunisia is 98 per cent Muslim, Algeria is 97 per cent Muslim, Niger is 97 per cent Muslim, Mali is 92 per cent Muslim, Gambia is 95 per cent Muslim, Senegal is 92 per cent Muslim, Sierra Leone is 60 per cent Muslim. It is true Nigeria has more Christians than Kenya, but they are 50 per cent Muslim with 218 million still counting.

From the top of Ghana, upwards, North Africa has over 200 million muslims. Most of them have never come across a practising Christian. I was there with my wife for four years. You ask why am I worried? Because Kenya as at now 38,000 Sub Sahara are coming to Jesus everyday and it has been happening for the past 20 years. The locus of evangelical Christianity has moved to Africa. It was with Europe for 1100 years and they sent missionaries.

If you come to Ghana, we can show you their graves. Over 128 missionaries died before the first protestant church was planted. Average age - 26. They come four of them, three are dead from malaria, the fourth one writes home saying, I am the last one in the team, I’ve also gotten malaria, please send more. And this young Europeans get up, some with their coffin saying, we will go to Africa and they came and died to bring us the gospel.

Now Nairobi is the County with one of the highest evangelical pentecostal Christians in the whole world. Can Kenyans sit down at such a time as this when we need you more than ever? How can I keep quiet? I have told God, I want to die to see this work finished. If this work is not finished, why should I die?

It is true the Bible says Revelation 14:13 “13 Ten I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

What am I resting for? I am not afraid to die. It is a useless death if multitudes have not heard the gospel. I know so much. I have so much grace. Jesus blood has bought me from so much. What am I doing? I can’t sit down. Others can, but not me. Heaven will never forgive me If I just bask in the glory of the fact that I am a born again Christian and saved? What is that?

Today I want to appeal to you as Kenyans, heaven has given Africa an opportunity which no continent has ever had. The whole history of the generation of human beings on earth, no continent has become majority Christian in one century. It has never happened before.

But despite our weaknesses, our being a dark continent, the slavery and mismanagement, illiteracy, witchdoctors etc, heaven has turned to Africa. Can we sleep at such a time like this?