The Way of Discipleship: The Christian Way, #3

By Zacharias Tanee Fomum

In this book, The Way of Discipleship, we set forth the terms of discipleship as the Lord meant them to be. We know very clearly that Jesus never intended to have converts. He has always wanted disciples. We set forth these truths not from a superior position of those who have "arrived" but from the position of committed students in the School of Discipleship.
This book goes out with prayer that the Lord Jesus will use its message to transform converts into disciples

• Language: English
• Publisher: Books4revival
• Release date: Apr 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781311116833

Zacharias Tanee Fomum

For FREE books from Zacharias Tanee Fomum: https://books.bookfunnel.com/ztf-free-ebooks. Professor Zacharias Tanee FOMUM was a man of uncommon spirituality, a leading voice for revival, a workaholic, a prophet-teacher, and a world-shaping spiritual genius. He was a bestselling Christian author (with over 350 books, over 10 million copies in circulation in over 100 languages) and a professor of Organic Chemistry (with over 160 published scientific works of high distinction (earning him the award of a Doctor of Science degree from the University of Durham, Great Britain). His books and the millions of people he influenced in more than 40 years of Christian ministry continue to impact the world with the Gospel today. He founded Christian Missionary Fellowship International (CMFI), a missionary movement that has planted churches in more than 120 nations on all continents. He believed in a life of simplicity and with the support and dedication of his wife and their seven children, his all—time, money, heart, and soul— was dedicated to spreading the Gospel. He carried out exploits for God through the making of disciples for Christ, planting of churches, building spiritual leaders according to the model of the Bible, and serving the body of Christ, especially as a teacher on prayer. Learn more and read exclusive excerpts at: https://ztfomum.org

Book preview

The Way of Discipleship

THE WAY OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE CHRISTIAN WAY

BOOK 3

ZACHARIAS TANEE FOMUM

ZTF Books Online

Copyright © 1982 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, the Bible quotations in this book are 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

[e-mail]

CONTENTS

Preface

1. Introduction

2. The Conditions for Becoming and for Continuing as a Disciple

3. A Total Separation

4. Renunciation

5. Continuation in the Word

6. Fruit-Bearing

7. The Upward Call of God and By-ways

Back Matters

PREFACE

This book is the third in the Christian Way series. The books in this series are:

The Way Of Life

The Way Of Obedience

The Way Of Discipleship

The Way Of Sanctification

The Way Of Christian Character

The Way Of Spiritual Power

The Way Of Christian Service

The Way Of Spiritual Warfare

The Way Of Suffering For Christ

The Way Of Victorious Praying

The Way Of Overcomers

The Way Of Spiritual Encouragement

The Way Of Loving The Lord

In this book, The Way of Discipleship, we set forth the terms of discipleship as the Lord meant them to be. We know very clearly that Jesus never intended to have converts. He has always wanted disciples. We set forth these truths not from a superior position of those who have arrived but from the position of committed students in the School of Discipleship.

This book goes out with prayer that the Lord Jesus will use its message to transform converts into disciples

Yaoundé, 26th December, 1982.

Zacharias Tanee Fomum,

1

INTRODUCTION

JESUS IS LORD

The Bible says,

Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).

....That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation to the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power in us who believe, according to the working of His great might which He accomplished in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and made Him sit at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come; and He has put all things under His feet and has made Him the head over all things for the church (Ephesians 1:17-22).

The Lordship of Jesus extends over the whole of creation without exceptions. The winds obeyed His voice; trees heard Him and submitted to His authority without question. Demons obeyed Him. Diseases departed at His command. He is Lord over principalities and powers. Even the prince of darkness himself recognized the Lordship of Christ. The Lord is still obeyed today.

Jesus is Lord of the church. Even if there are those who resist His authority and will only bow to Him in the future, the Lord expects that His authority be felt most fully in the church. The Church must bow to the Lordship of Jesus. This concerns you and me.

THE FATHER WANTS ALL ADOPTED CHILDREN TO CONFORM TO THE BEGOTTEN SON

The Bible says,

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that He might be the first born among many brethren. And those whom He predestined He also called; and those whom He called He also justified; and those whom He justified He also glorified (Romans 8:29-30).

"But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that He, for whom and by whom all things exists, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering. For He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin. That is why He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying,

I will put my trust in Him And again, Here am I, and the children God has given me (Hebrews 2:9-13).

The begotten Son obeyed the Father in everything. The Bible says,

And being found in human form He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on the cross (Philippians 2:8).

In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to Him who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard for His godly fear. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered; and being made perfect He became the source of eternal salvation to all who OBEY HIM (Hebrews 5:7-9).

The Lord Jesus conformed to the Father by rendering Him absolute obedience. All who would conform to the Lord Jesus will have to render Him absolute obedience.

JESUS IS QUALIFIED TO MAKE DISCIPLES

The Lord Jesus is most qualified to make disciples of the sons of men. First of all He knows our every saturation from personal experience. The Bible says,

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:14-15).

He will not make any demands on us that He himself did not exert on Himself. He will not allow a single tear that He cannot wipe away.

SIN HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DISCIPLESHIP

In inviting people to consider the cost of discipleship, the Lord Jesus nowhere invites them to consider whether or not they will stop sinning. This nowhere comes in. Is it surprising? No! When a person receives Jesus as his Savior, he knows that this Savior Jesus, saves from sin. To come to Jesus and receive salvation and yet go back and live in sin is a contradiction in terms. The Bible says,

Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity (2 Timothy 2:19).

Unless you have said a final farewell to all known acts of sin in your life, do not bother to call Jesus Lord for He is not your Lord.

A BASIC CHOICE: TWO CLASSES OF PEOPLE

The Lord Jesus opened the possibility to those who are truly born again to become His disciples if they so desired. By doing so, He divided all true believers into two classes:

Disciple and

Non disciples

So, there is a basic choice. He put it very plainly in the following clear statements:

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:26).

Whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:33).

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

If you continue in my Word, you are truly my disciple (John 8:31).

We shall look carefully at the conditions for becoming a disciple, the continuation in the school of discipleship and the practical outworking of discipleship.

2

THE CONDITIONS FOR BECOMING AND FOR CONTINUING AS A DISCIPLE

1. A SUPREME LOVE FOR THE LORD JESUS

Jesus in His right as God must be loved. The Lord said to the children of Israel,

"You shall love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, and with ALL your soul, and with ALL your might. And those words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you lie down, and when you rise. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the