Today, we would be considering something I believe is very important for us as believers and a necessity for us as disciples and disciplers in the kingdom of Christ. So, our focus is: The Crux of Discipleship and we will be looking at the book of John 12:20-26. He Bible says:

 

“Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. ²¹ Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”²² Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. ²³ But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. ²⁴ Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. ²⁵ He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”

 

May the Lord bless the reading of His word in our hearts in Jesus’ name. Something happened in verse 20 that became a foundation for what we eventually saw in the subsequent verses. In verse 20, the Bible says “Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship” and one thing you must not miss from that is that a certain people came to worship and out of them were certain Greeks. So, this matter, the people that came seeking to see Jesus, were a fraction of a people that came to worship and this already suggest to us to us that these were not unbelievers in God, these were not Atheists, nor the Pagans, these were a people, who had in some manners a form of godliness.

 

They knew who God was to a point they were even willing to come that far to worship Him. So, we could say these were worshippers of God. Another way we could put it is these were servants of God. And so, this message was brought about because a people who seems to know God to a good degree, a people who seems to know God to a reasonable degree, perceived a need in their lives that was not attended to, by the things that were around them at such a time.

 

Don’t forget, before they could be in search for Jesus, they must have been in need of Jesus. Do we agree? These were worshipers of God; these were people who knew God to a degree. But they came to a point that they told themselves: “it is not enough for us to just worship, we need to know whom we are worshipping.” “How can we know whom we are worshipping?” There is Jesus whom is said to be the son of God. So, if you want to know God and you can’t find God, yet you are able to find the one who is called the son of God, then you can conclude that if you can know such then you can know God. And so, Bible says they came and said “We seek Jesus.” And I’m sure is going to happen in our time, and its already happening, a time when men and women are not comfortable with religion, a time when men and women are not just satisfied with praying and fasting, but they want an experience with God as a person.

 

I’m sure they knew that Jesus was the son of a carpenter as a human, I’m sure they knew there were high priests and priests in those days, they knew the Sadducees and the Pharisees, they knew if they needed to know the Lord, they knew who to go to. So, they were not men and women in search for head knowledge. When we were concluding the Leadership Fellowship the other day, we were led into a prayer that was meant to move us away from intellectualism to the experience of God. Do we still remember? So, these were men who knew where to go to for knowledge of the law. They didn’t go to such places at that moment in their lives.

 

So, it means there is a time in your life when all those things don’t really matter anymore. The things that some people cram and boast in the flesh, Apostle Paul says, “knowledge puffs up.” The things that men cram and then they use as a basis to either keep people in a religion or in a sect, there is a time those things don’t work anymore and men then begin a serious, a deliberate search to meet God. I told my wife yesterday something that is my goal. I told her my current goal is either ‘A’ or ‘B’. When I told her she was confused, and then I repeated it again the confusion did not go, but she came to a point that she accepted my desire for it.

 

I told my wife, “at this point in my life there are two things I’m looking for. I’m looking for God to take me to Himself, or God to come down to me.” There are two things I want, either of these: “It’s either I’m taken up to heaven to meet God and I can encounter His glory, or the heaven is brought to me so I can see the glory of God.” So you understand? There must be a time in your life that you are not satisfy with “dem say, dem say.” Certain people sat that and concocted some things and you crammed it and you want to pattern your life after it. It could get you to a good degree or progress, but it may not get you into your inheritance.

 

You remember the Bible that says “there remains yet rest for the people of God.” You could think you are experiencing rest, but yet, there remain a rest for the people of God. That rest cannot be guaranteed in religion, it cannot be guaranteed in the things you just crammed. It must be the rest that you have in God because of your personal relationship and the experience of God. They said they want to see Jesus, don’t forget these people could settle for what men tell them about Jesus. But they opted to see Jesus. Now let’s move on the purpose of our discussion.

 

As soon as Jesus knew a people were in search of Him, He said, (see verse 23) “But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. ²⁴ Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” I believe God is in search of this same situation, a situation where with one, God is able to reproduce multitude and you will see why we are considering that verse, when we are looking at the CRUX OF DISCIPLESHIP. What is the central point, what is discipleship all about, that’s the goal of our consideration? “Except a grain of wheat”, I don’t know who is here seated or listening that is like a grain of wheat, that must fall down and die so that he can reproduce much more.

 

Selfishness as never brought us any good, except you fall down and die, you are not able to reproduce your kind, and discipleship is about reproducing your kind. Now, let us see the subsequent verse. From verse 25, it says: “He who loves his life will lose it.” You can’t be a disciple until you have settled the matter of life and death. You are trying to guard your life and protect it, you are trying to keep it, you will lose it. But if you hate your life in this world, you will keep it then till eternal life.

 

Last verse, our focus. “If anyone serves Me” (any one, any apostle, any prophet, pastor, any Evangelist, any Bishop) serves me, because the title of being a servant of God is one that is everywhere in our generation. Everyone is almost so quick to say “I serve the lord, I’ m a servant of God.” If any man serves me, let him follow Me. Then the question we must ask is: why was Jesus not comfortable with service? Why was Jesus not satisfied with a people serving Him? Why was God not happy with a generation or a nation that does serve Him? What is God looking for in that “follow” that makes it like the next criteria for pleasing God? Now, is it possible that to serve God is easier than to follow God?

 

You remember the Bible verse that says “to obey is better than sacrifice.” What is the sacrifice, what is the obedience? Abram never saw God physically, yet He appeared to him and told him “get out of where you are, into a country that I will reveal to you” and Abraham departed, he didn’t offer any sacrifice. He departed in obedience. What is that in obedience that makes God to love it more than sacrifice? There is a place we love to read in Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 10, I just want us to see a few verses there before we continue. Hebrews 10:5-7. It says:

 

Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:

“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
⁶ In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
⁷ Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’ ”

 

Another version will say “I delight to do your will Oh God.” Behold I have come in volume of book written of me, everything that the Lord has commanded I have come to do it, everything the Lord has said I have come to fulfil it, I have come to obey the last order of my Lord. I have come, I have not come to offer sacrifices of fools, I have come to fulfil the will of God for my life. What is it about serving God and what is it about obeying Him? I’m sure we will remember that verse 26 that we read, John 12: 26, “if anyone”, he makes it open, man, woman, young girl, young boy, “if anyone serves me.” And you can see that the two words that we are focusing on, they are written in present continuous tense. Not if “anyone had served me or will serve me.” If anyone serves me, if this is your preoccupation. "You believe as a brother you have been called into the ministry; in addition to that your belief you must follow Me".

 

If you will please Me it goes beyond just serving Him. You wake up very early in the morning, you sleep very late in the night that’s sacrifice. It is not enough if you do not follow Me, it is not enough if you are always fasting when you do not follow Me. There is no instruction that I have given to you that you’ve followed, and yet you are busy and sweating. Men may celebrate sacrifices, service; God, honors your followership. Let us see Matthew 8:18-22, there is something for us to pick along the way. The Bible says:

 

“And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. ¹⁹ Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” ²⁰ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” ²¹ Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” ²² But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

 

Jesus said to those who think they have one thing or the other to handle before following Jesus, Jesus said to them “follow me” to show us that the following is so important. Everybody could form that they love you, but you must be able to discern, who among those who love me can obey me? That’s why when you read John, the time when Jesus was departing, the latter part and chapters of John, Jesus made a statement thus “if you love me, obey my commandments.” Let me show us briefly and in passing, the difference or another meaning of “if you love me, obey my commandment.” It is not enough for us to just say we love God, can we obey the commands, the instructions we receive? It is like the love is justified or substantiated by your obedience, your act.

 

How do you want to prove you love when you do not want to do what He has said? There is a point that I wanted to make there, and by the grace of God, I will still make it before the end so that we can see clearly and see more example on that love and then obeying the word. Because, for Jesus to make that profound statement with His disciples: “If you love me obey my commandments”, it shows that it is beyond you saying I love God, and you must understand that an average person that  is in the work of ministry is claiming or has claimed to have loved God and to love God. Passion can make you to do things.

 

“Serve me” is public, “follow me” is personal and I will explain that.  Usually, many people if not everyone, loves to be outside doing something for God because it brings you fame. Follow me is private and personal, because it takes place in the secret place. When your neighbor just cooked and you are supposed to fast according to the command of God on your life for that day, I want you and I to fellowship together and your neighbor just finished cooking fried rice, chicken and everything. As you came out by 7:30 they are done. Does anyone in your ministry worldwide, does anyone get to know what happens in the secret place, or what is happening in front of your house? No! Yet, that is a test of your faith.

 

A man or woman who disobeys God in the secret place, is a person who lacks true honor for God. “And if you honor me”, God says “I will honor you.” Don’t get carried away by men and women that honor God in the public. The true honor God is seeking takes place in the secret place. Following God is private and quietly done in the closed arears. For people who know that they will get little reward from the public by following God, they jettison the followership, but they give the impression by serving. So, you will see people who will never miss to attend fellowship meetings, but who will never be present, in the presence of God. They can even be leaders in the fellowship, leader in the church, until they lead the first song or lead the prayer, the service can never conclude, but they cannot do the same in their houses.

 

That vis why God is more interested in obedience. Obedience takes place anyhow, anywhere, any time. But service could be restricted to a place and a time and a season. If you are a servant of the king, you will never be asked to bring tea to the king every time and you can hardly, of course you take a tea to the king in the bedroom, but usually when the king is in the palace on the throne or maybe he is having dinner. Most great kings, the kind of dinner they have is not like our own dinner, they have it in public, what we call public is what they call private. If you are to present the cup to the king, you will still enjoy the fame, people knowing that you are the only person that gives the cup to the king and then you love it.

 

But the king, wakes up in the morning and says “there is something I want you to do. Every time you come into my presence, you are always like this, I don’t want you to be like this, I want you to now be like this, and to help you, I want you to go to one place you will have to learn something there for 3weeks, it will prepare you.” And then, all the person could do at the king’s offer was to grumble, thinking that the three weeks will be moments away from the public service because an average person cherishes the public service and would not even seek private personal experience with God just to satisfy the public service.

 

You want to be so much in front of your people, ministering to them, praying for them, preaching to them, to the extent that you can’t even have any moment away with God on a journey. Don’t forget, we are talking about “follow me.” As soon as Jesus got baptized by water, the Bible says He was led; and another word was “he followed the Holy Spirit into the wilderness.” The Holy Spirit said to Him “Jesus, let us go!” and they went. Now, that is obedience. When God appeared to Abraham and gave him an instruction, the Bible says “Abraham departed.” Do we understand obedience? Instructions are not for public ministry, they are for personal growth, and they are the basis for public manifestation.

 

Yet we as a church cherish public manifestation. We want the anointing to be so strong upon us in front of the people. We want to be able to speak in diverse tongues. We want to be able to pray and the dead rise up in our ministrations. But we do not cherish private moment with the Holy Spirit that is able to grow us to the point that God is able to use us in the public. No man, no woman, is famous for his prayer life in his room. I don’t know how many hours you pray; I don’t know your expressions or positions when you pray. I don’t see you in your secret place so I can’t respect you for what you do in your secret place. Do you know that? But if you think because I can’t respect him for it, it is not significant in your destiny, then even the public that you want me to respect you I won’t be able to respect you for too long because what will happen in public is that you will be faking it.

 

That’s why the Bible talks about a people who have some kinds of godliness but denied the power. You can’t fake the power you, can fake the appearance, but you can’t fake the power. Let us see what Jesus said in John 14:1-6. The Bible says:

 

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know.” ⁵ Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

 

So, if you have men or you are in me, you are in the way to my future, you are in the know of the truth that would guarantee the future, and you have the life that cam secure the future. So, Jesus gave us a clear picture, at the beginning He said “I go to the Father and I’m going to prepare a place for you.” The destiny is the Father. A people, who came where we just started with in John, to seek Jesus and we said these were worshippers of the Lord who came to a point in their lives that they knew if their lives must move forward, they needed something outside religion. They needed something that is intimate, something that is personal, they needed something they could hold on to in the face of challenges even in the face of prosperity.

 

They said “we seek Jesus” and Jesus again said “I’m going to the Father.” Now, the people who came to Jesus were worshippers of God who didn’t know God, neither did they know the ways of God, and so they came to Jesus, so that Jesus could show them the Father. And Jesus said to them “I am the way.” You are looking for the Father, you want to know the Father, you want to serve the Father. Don’t forget Jesus said “if any one serves me.” So, we have a natural tendency as a people to serve God, we just love to serve God. And if people can’t find God to serve, they serve anything else. People start serving themselves, they start serving their nations, they start serving anything. We love to serve as a people. Our problem is not to serve, our problem is to follow God. And so if you must serve God truly, it must be because you’ve been able to know Him, you have been able to get unto Him, and the way to get to Him, the way to live His life as a servant of His on the earth, is Christ Jesus.

 

So, if you have Christ in you then you have the way to the Father, then if you have Christ in you, you have the truth that will secure your place with the Father. Yesterday we saw Psalm 103:7 and we will read it again, because as we are talking about ways, let us see the Scripture that supports that. The Bible says: “God made known His ways to Moses, His act to the children of Israel.” One of the things that I have realized is that God has ways, there are ways of God and there is the way to God. Bible says God made His own ways, the ways of God, made them known to Moses, and because Moses knew the ways of God, he became the meekest of all even though there was a time he killed somebody in the past.

 

So, Moses graduated from a murderer to the meekest man on the earth simply by the understanding, let us use the word, by the revelation of the ways of God. So, he came to know God. At the beginning he knew the ways of Pharaoh. He grew up has a prince in the palace of Pharaoh the King of Egypt, but that was not enough to produce the salvation of God. He tried to use the ways of the Egyptians to judge the people of Israel, and he became a fugitive and he was sent out of the city, out of the nation. Now under God while, being exposed in a secret place, in a personal and private experience, while being exposed to the principles of God, the ways of God, he grew up to become the meekest man on earth. At 120 when God was going to take him, his eyes were clear. God had to kill him, he didn’t die of old age, why? He Was exposed to the wisdom of God, the ways of God.

 

Bible says in Proverbs 14:12 to help us understand that while God has His ways, we also have our own ways. The Bible says in Proverbs 14:12: “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end, its future, its destination is the way of death [paraphrased]. Nothing summarizes it like a man, a woman that follows Satan. Jesus says “you want to get to the father eternal life, follow me.” Because the truth is, we actually follow ways. If you want to get out of your house to the market, you don’t jump over the roof, you don’t follow houses, you don’t follow structures, you follow what ways.

 

For every way, there is a destination. You don’t need to pray, once you identify a way and you follow it, you will get to the end of the way. So, there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end is death. The Bible says “death itself will be thrown in to the lake of fire”, death, will be killed. Satan, with death, both will be thrown into the lake of fire. And so, you must understand that if you do not follow Christ, you must then follow Satan. Christ will lead you into God. Christ will lead you into the life of God. Christ will lead you into the truth of God, Christ will lead you in the ways of God. But if you jettison Christ, then it is because you have embraced the world. You have embraced the spirit of the world; you have embraced the ruler of the world and will definitely do also to his own destiny.

 

If you follow me, I will lead you to my house, I can’t lead you to another person’s house because I do not have the keys to other people’s houses. I only have the keys to my own house, so if you follow me very well, two of us will enter into my house. That is the experience of any one that follow Satan. If you follow Satan, Satan will lead you to hell and it is in that hell that you will realize that it is not taken place for four terms. You know there are times when we are under bad Governance as a people and we begin to pray “Oh Lord let this government end.” What kind of prayers can you pray in hell? It is not four years; it is not single term or third term. It is perpetual term. Perpetual term of hardship, if Nigeria is hard for you, hell is harder, and if you follow Satan right now, he will lead you to where he rules, he will lead you to his bondage.

 

You see, there is no prison in this world that I’m aware of that does not have rulers. Even those who watch prison break knows that white people have rulers, there are presidents in prisons. Even cells in the police stations, they have presidents. So, when we talk about Satan been a ruler, it is because he has a prison, and there are so many mates with him and he rules over them.  And so, if you follow him, he will take you back to where he rules, the place of hardship, where people gnash their teeth, a place where there is perpetual thirst, and what happens, what brought you there is not hell itself; it is Satan the ruler of hell, that brought you there. Why? Because he can only take you to where he is going to.

 

Jesus said “I am going to prepare a place for you, and I will come to receive you to myself so that where I am, you may be there also.” That’s why Satan is taking people. He is gathering people across nations; he is gathering people across local government. People are involved in all manner of atrocities and they get killed and as soon as they die, they get into the hands of Satan. He has successfully transited them to eternal punishment and so, where he is there they will be also. Is that our desire? So, what is it that guarantees anyone of its destiny? It is following a way, serving does not guarantee a destiny. What will determine where I end is the path I choose. Am I following the right path or am I following the wrong path? If I follow left, it means I will end in the left destination. You don’t pray your destiny when you have taken a decision on your part, you must accept the path that you have followed or chosen and then follow it to the end.

 

Bible says there is a way that seems right. It is always “seeming” right. The corruption that men and women chose in our generation, the dishonesty that has become the order of the day, the “make it quick, become quick syndrome” will lead you to a destiny. Nobody can pray you away from that destiny. Since you were personally involved in making the decision, you will personally experience the destiny. There is a way that seems right, it is only at the end that people know the consequences of their decisions. And in those moments, it is always too late to reverse their decisions. When Satan thought within himself that he should take over the throne of God, Bible says he drew a third of the host of heaven. Do you know the implication of that? He took his time to execute his thoughts and once he was done, he was chased away. If you read Revelation, you would see that the same thing that happened is going to happen.

 

If Satan is hearing this message, don’t worry, he will still not get it because the things of God are really foolishness to him. He has his own wisdom that is corrupted. Now, it is in Revelation how he will end, but can he escape it? No! he can’t because he has chosen that path. There is nothing you want to quote in the Bible that Satan is not aware of it, he cannot escape it. If you take the path that leads to your house, you will get there. That is what is happening to Satan. Satan thought he will succeed; it was only Michael that chased him away from heaven. The Bible says he came to the earth with great wrath. He is angry with us and his only joy is that we can be where he is also.

 

Far be it from you and I, that we end up where he is. Satan knows he is doomed, so he wants more people to be doomed also. Because he is evil, because he is wicked, because he is heartless, because he doesn’t love. So whatever punishment God will meet on him, he wants many people to share it. That does not remove the pain from him. But he wants more people to enjoy the pain. And so, he is doing everything possible to lure more men and women into his own end. He is the only that God created that end for, but he wants as many people as possible to join him there. Imagine a man, a woman who goes to prison and comes back, hardened than before, and he is now doing everything and now forms a group. That is exactly what Satan is doing.

 

So, the devil came to Jesus, he was throwing carrots at him and hiding the stick. He asked Jesus to bow to him so that he could give Him all the kingdoms of this world. If Jesus had bowed and he gave Him the kingdom, what then does he have left? So, he was lying to Jesus. That is how Satan lies to people every day. When Satan is promising to give us something, he is only lying. Don’t forget, bowing is a process. Physically, you don’t bow in the twinkle of an eye, you bow over time. There are times you are going down, and your heart too must follow it. It is when you get to the end of the bowing that the punishment follows. For example, if you sleep with another man’s wife or husband, or one steals money, you will not be punished until one has committed the act. The people that are locked up in prisons today did not get caught when they didn’t do it, it was after they had done it.

 

I believe the Lord has send a message to us. Don’t allow the devil to lure you. Every temptation that comes to you is an attempt to join the devil where is he is. He has a destiny already. When you listen to the word of God through Jesus, it will take you to God. Every time you obey Jesus, through the word of God and the leadership of the Holy Spirit, don’t forget, Jesus said I am sending you the comforter, and so, the comforter is called the Spirit of Christ. As Jesus left, the Spirit of Christ came. So, we have always been enjoying the company of Christ in our lives. So, if Jesus speaks to you and you do it, if you pattern your life after the order of Christ Jesus, where God is, that is where you will be. That is why Jesus said “as I am, so are you on this earth.”

 

If Christ rules over the nations, He gives you access over the same rulership. Jesus said at a point in John that the ruler of this world is coming, but he has nothing in me. But it is for your sake. Everything he wanted to give me, I rejected. His temptations, his lies and all his gimmicks. The devil came to Him and said “if you are the son of God indeed, fall down, do this and that.” Jesus said the ruler of this world did not find anything in me. When I was in Bible school, I encountered a lot. Some people to me then didn’t look to me like God called them into the ministry. But what I saw them do was what Satan does, preparing men of God for kingdom service. You believe God, you follow God, you won’t get angry easily, these people will put God to test in your life, you just leave them to God and remain faithful and committed.

 

So, Satan must be used to execute the judgment. It was our fathers that sinned and they yielded to Satan and so, if the judgment is going to come upon Satan, Jesus needed to do it and Satan happens to be the one who would also execute it. Bible says "If they had known, they would not have crucified the king of glory". Colossians shows us how He disarmed them; He made a public show of them. There were things written against us and contrary to us. Everything that Satan has planned that will happen to you; Jesus clearing them off by His blood, He made a public show of Satan and they did not know. Satan thought he was doing the right thing by prosecuting Jesus; but if had known the end of his own life, he would not have crucified the king of glory because that has become the bane of his defeat since then.

 

God must be honored in our lives. We must choose whom we will follow. Anybody can serve God; only true disciples follow. One said “I will follow you, but let me go and bury my father first.” So, it means followership can be difficult, but you must do it.

 

Amen!

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Gboyega ADEDEJI!

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