Welcome to the InTouch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Thursday, September 28th.

If you wonder how you can best serve the Lord in a consistent way, it always starts at the same place.

Let's learn about the Disciples Fellowship and the wrap-up of the series called to be a Disciple.

Now we've talked about the badge of discipleship being law.

We talked about the price of discipleship.

We've talked about the detachment of discipleship, the disciple in the world, the disciple in the Word.

We've talked about many facets of discipleship, the ministry of the disciples, of committing to faithful men, those truths that have been committed to us, that they in turn might commit the same faithful truths to others.

We said that a disciple is one who has accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, yielded to Jesus Christ as Lord, and one through whom Jesus Christ is making Himself available.

And transforming the lives of others out there whose lives we are touching.

A reproduction of the life of Christ within us in the life of someone else.

Now when you think about discipleship and what's involved in it, as you read the Scriptures, there are so many facets of it that are here that most of us have never discovered.

And in reading this third chapter of Mark, there's a little phrase here that is the heart and the core of the effectiveness in any life of discipleship and it's in verse 14.

The Lord Jesus Christ having escaped the throngs because they were about to crush him, wanting to be healed and to be strengthened and so forth.

The Scripture says in verse 14, and he ordained 12, that they should be with him and that he might send them forth to preach.

Now the key that says something about discipleship that probably you've not thought about, and that is that he ordained 12 that they should be with him.

Now what is he talking about? He's simply referring to his fellowship with those 12 apostles and their fellowship with him.

Fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ is absolutely essential if discipleship is to be effective.

Now the 32nd chapter of Genesis is an account of Jacob, along with the Lord wrestling with him, and I think the promise that God gave to Jacob is the promise he gives to every single one of his children who will believe him and obey him.

Genesis chapter 32, you remember? In verse 24, that Jacob was left alone and they are wrestled, a man with him all night long to the breaking of the day.

And he just refused to let God go until he blessed him and notice if he will in verse 28, God said to him,

James shall know what will be called Jacob, but Israel, for as the Prince has dialed power with God and with men and you, Jacob, have prevailed.

Now where did he get his power with God? Where did he get his power with men? He didn't get that running up and down the land.

...