Chapter 1 A Consecrated Life - Far Eastern Bible College

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Chapter 9 The Challenge to Consecration: Forsake All and Follow Christ Text: Luke 5:1-11 “. . . present your bodies . . .which is your reasonable service” (Rom 12:1). This passage of Scripture records one of the earliest miracles that Jesus performed here on earth: the miracle of the draught of fishes. This is the third recorded miracle in the earthly ministry of Christ. It took place when Jesus was starting His first preaching tour in Galilee. And it was an important event, because it was then that four of the closest disciples of Jesus—that is, Peter, James, John and Andrew—were called by Him to full-time discipleship. Before this event, these four already knew Jesus through the testimony of John the Baptist, and they had started to spend some time with the Lord. But up until then, they were only part-time followers since they still attended to their own fishing business. This miracle of the draught of fishes then became the turning point in their lives, the time when these four men forsook all that they had to become full-time followers of Christ. They literally abandoned their fishing business, their boats and fishing nets. They gave up all that they had, just to give themselves fully to following Christ. What a turning point that was for them. Have you ever come to such a turning point in your life? 98 A Consecrated Life
My own turning point took place in 1983, when the Lord convicted me to forsake the pursuit of a career in medicine at the National University of Singapore, to serve Him in the full-time ministry. This conviction did not come overnight. It was a conviction that persisted and bothered me for over a year in the midst of my studies. At first I tried to avoid it, because it seemed too drastic a step to take, after all the time and effort that I had put in, and I was also afraid of how friends and family would react if I were to go into full-time service. Nevertheless in December 1983, I could not escape from it anymore and took time to pray about it. And finally with full assurance that this is what God wanted me to do with my life, I stepped out in faith. And I will never forget that turning point. Whenever I feel attracted back to the pursuits of the world I look at that turning point, and say, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.” And my resolve to continue serving the Lord is very much strengthened. It is my prayer that the Lord will somehow use this book to bring someone to such a turning point. We can see how important this event of Luke 5:1–11 became to these four disciples of Christ mentioned in our text because they were reminded of it again about three years later as recorded in John 21. By that time, Jesus had died on the cross and resurrected from the dead. And the disciples of Christ went back to fishing. In verses 3–7, we observe how similar this event was to the one where the disciples were called to follow Him: Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, . . .. Then they all came to shore and met with the Lord. Forsake All and Follow Christ 99
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Far Eastern Bible College Press Sin
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Contents Foreword..................
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Foreword A Consecrated Life—Roman
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Chapter 1 A Consecrated Life Text:
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God rather than our bodies? After a
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elong to him. He has to bear the lo
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from now on. It means living only t
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are afraid of embarrassment, and of
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Chapter 2 The Motivation for Consec
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people, but being mocked, insulted
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cross, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthan
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how can it ever be possible to feel
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suggested. It was done by the Roman
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permission to give Jesus a proper b
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Truly we must be greatly amazed tha
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was a church leader named Stephen.
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I. Busy in Doing Whatever the Lord
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Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Ari
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As Philip came nearer the carriage
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go around boasting to others about
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Abraham showed that he was willing
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life. It was not a static faith or
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There was no law in Canaan to prote
Page 49 and 50: Lord be proud to reveal Himself to
Page 51 and 52: honest to ask yourself, “Do I hav
Page 53 and 54: Chapter 5 Hindrances to Consecratio
Page 55 and 56: leaving behind any will and his chi
Page 57 and 58: But then something quite unexpected
Page 59 and 60: How frail your life is! The news is
Page 61 and 62: three generations. All the wealth t
Page 63 and 64: III. Be Rich Toward God, and Not to
Page 65 and 66: Chapter 6 The Objective Of Consecra
Page 67 and 68: Another person whose life was wonde
Page 69 and 70: II. Renew Your Mind and Conscience
Page 71 and 72: 5:16 says, “Walk in the Spirit, a
Page 73 and 74: We must maintain the desire in our
Page 75 and 76: To Be Like Him What can it mean to
Page 77 and 78: Through this Book, God has made kno
Page 79 and 80: 9. Does it come from or have the po
Page 81 and 82: from this then I must follow Him. T
Page 83 and 84: your feet; ye also ought to wash on
Page 85 and 86: But after he graduates four things
Page 87 and 88: straight furrow he must concentrate
Page 89 and 90: that we want to observe in the pass
Page 91 and 92: The reason why Basanio succeeded wh
Page 93 and 94: where Christians never faced persec
Page 95 and 96: Having seen what the motivation for
Page 97 and 98: What this passage prophesies is tha
Page 99: to even live for Christ, how then c
Page 103 and 104: partners had sailed back to shore e
Page 105 and 106: elievers are sometimes reluctant to
Page 107 and 108: If God calls you today to forsake a
Page 109 and 110: III. The Grace We Have Received fro
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Chapter 1 A Consecrated Life - Far Eastern Bible College

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