A Certain Disciple

I'm going to ask you to turn to the Acts of the Apostles in chapter 9, please. Acts in chapter 9. Acts in chapter 9 and verse number 10. And there was a certain disciple of Damascus named Ananias, and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias.

And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straighton and inquire in the house of Judas. For one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he prayeth.

And it was seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem. And here he hath authority from the chief priest, the divine fool, that call on my name.

But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and the kings, and the children of Israel, and so on. And verse number 17, and Ananias went his way, entered into the house, and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, I think that those are touching words, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, has sent me that thou mightest receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost. Now down to the latter part of the chapter, please.

And verse number 36, verse 36, now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tobiah. Whatever way you want to pronounce it, which by interpretation is called Dorcas, that's the one I'm going to stick with. This woman was full of good works and honesty, which she did.

And it came to pass in those days that when she was sick and died, whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber for as much as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber, and all the widows stood by him, weeping, and showing the coats and the garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them.

But Peter put them all forth and kneeled down and prayed. He turned to him, to the body, said, Titipha, arise. And she opened her eyes.

When she saw Peter, she sat up, and he gave his hand, I gave her his hand and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints, widows presented her alive. And it was known through all Joppa that many believed in the Lord, and it came to pass that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon at the hand. Now, over to chapter 16 and verse 1. Chapter 16, verse 1. Then came he to Derbe and Lystra, and behold, a certain disciple, which was there named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed, but his father was a Greek.

Now, what links these three passages together, that is the first part of chapter 9 and the latter part of chapter 9 with me, and Acts chapter 16, is one little expression. There's only, there's many disciples in your Bible, many disciples. Only three of them.

You with me? Only three are called a certain disciple. In other words, a distinguishing title for a particular disciple. And that is Ananias, and his sister Dorcas, and as we've been hearing from Brother Clive, Timotheus in chapter 16, a certain disciple.

I want to speak very simply on what makes a disciple. Secondly, what marks a disciple, what motivates a disciple, and what matures a disciple. These are things that describe a disciple.

Now, I know that the different terms and titles that are used and names to mark God's people as brethren, Christians, disciples, apostles, all have their own meaning in their context. But I think it's very simple to say this, that a disciple really is one who learns, okay? Remember, they came to the Lord as disciples, and He sent them forth as apostles. The word apostle, and apostles is used more than disciples.

And disciples is used more than Christians. But I would put it very simply, if you wanted a way at least to help me. It's learning as disciples.

Learning as disciples. It's living as Christians. But it's laboring as apostles.

Invariably, whenever you find the apostles, they're active in labor. Okay, so, again, one more time, just for those that maybe can't write as fast as I speak. It's learning as disciples.

Living as Christians. And laboring as apostles. That's why in Luke chapter 6, in verse number 13, it says, And from there, of course, He was going to send them forth.

All right, first of all, what makes a disciple? What makes a disciple? It has to be the new birth. It has to be the new birth. There is no doubt at any time in anyone's mind that an apostle, a disciple, a Christian, is one that has had the new birth.

So what makes that disciple, originally, is the new birth. So, I don't like to say whether you like it or not, you're a disciple here today. But you are a disciple.

But you know what is open to you and to me? Is whether you want to be a certain disciple. What the context is really telling us is that these were people. These were people who God's people couldn't do without.

I mean, think of a man like Ananias will come to Him. No wonder he's called a certain, certain disciple. In other words, there was a distinguishing feature about this man that we're going to learn in a few minutes that made him that certain disciple.

Come to this. Dorcas. Okay, here she is.

There's all kinds, I'm sure, of sisters, all kinds of fellow believers. But what made her a certain disciple? Come on. Other people could sew.

I had a sister, she thought she could sew. One time she was making my father, please don't tell her this. Her son allows a meeting this afternoon.

But she was making him a scarf. And he would sit at the breakfast table with it half around his neck and the needles hanging down. And my brother Tim and I mocked him.

It was a ridiculous little thing. He said it kept him warm. Well, it looked like it.

Hey, you know what he said to me? He says, word what you've made for me. Now that ended it. Okay.

That, we're done. So, she made it. But notice, you know, anybody else, I shouldn't say anybody else, Dorcas dies, you say, that's life.

It's over. Call the undertaker. We'll get looked after.

Life's got to go on. No, no, no. Life is not going to go on without Dorcas.

She is unlike the king in the Old Testament that died without being desired. Those saints couldn't imagine a life without Dorcas. Sisters, let me address you this afternoon.

Are you a certain disciple? Can the testimony of the assembly of which you form a part imagine going on without you? Is your consistency, your faithfulness to the word of God, your silence, your submission to the word of God such that that testimony couldn't imagine going on without you? We have sisters among us like that today. Do you know why? Do you know how I know? That's why we got testimonies. That's why we still have assemblies today.

Well, I know the benefit. Wait a minute. We're dealing with the sisters.

Here's two men. I mean, they didn't have to. They're going for Peter.

Peter, if you can do anything, we can't imagine the work going on without Dorcas. We come to Timotheus, a man to whom hardly is there a man to whom more was written than to Timothy. How many words do you read that he spoke? Don't read them.

But he is a certain disciple. Timothy fulfilled something in a ministry that was given to him that nobody else could fill. He was a certain disciple.

I would love it. I don't know. Wait a minute now.

It's not fair for you to ask yourself if you're a certain disciple. Let me ask the brother. Okay? I go to where you are a partner in an assembly.

I say, are there any certain disciples here? What would you say if it was here? Sure, there's some that come to your mind. You see that brother there? A young brother over here that I know well that Scott will speak about this morning. A certain disciple.

Let me ask you that are here today. Would you like to be a certain disciple? It's within your power. It is open to you today.

A disciple, yes. Chosen as such. Remember Acts chapter 2. There were souls.

Then they became disciples. Then they were apostles. So there was a progression.

Not always do you have that progression in the Word of God. But you do there. So this is something that is open to you today.

To be a certain disciple. Don't be a certain individual. We have certain individuals.

If there's any complaining to be done. They'll do it. They'll do it.

Brother John McCopey who I've labored a lot with. The one who used to plow snow at the gospel hall. They did it for nothing.

Their dad had the boys go down. They plowed apartment buildings. There was a brother there.

His brother was never plowed properly. And when his dad wasn't around. Because he knew he couldn't get away with it.

John went to him with the keys to the snow plow in the truck. And said, brother, why don't you plow next snow storm? Well he said, I don't know how to operate it. Well he says, you're telling me how to do it? Isn't that just the way it goes? Isn't that just the way it goes? A certain individual.

A certain disciple. I would love that everybody here. Particularly the younger people here today.

Hey this is open to you dear. To be a certain disciple. You can kind of bounce through life and say well I go to gospel hall.

That's where my parents go. And they kind of expect me to go. Or from conviction from this word you can make up your mind.

I want to be one of the three. Okay. What's it say? We're two or three.

Gathered together in my name. I don't mean that. I don't believe it necessarily constitutes the commencement of a testimony.

Or maybe even the reducing to such. But let those three be certain disciples. Go to the last of your bible.

No longer there's three. We're down to one now. It's an overcomer.

I'll guarantee you that overcomer in his day or her day. Are certain disciples. We have them.

We're very grateful for them. I grew up under their ministry. I sat at their feet.

I didn't always agree with them. Because I didn't think they were that smart. And the older I got I found out how smart they were.

And how stupid I was. Certain disciple. Going to go in for it? You've wasted your time coming to this conference if you're not going to leave determined to be a certain disciple.

You say I'm too old. Really? Where do we cut that off? You haven't started yet? I think it's time for you to get going. Me too.

I have to turn this on myself. A certain disciple. Very quickly.

Let's just go back. First of all, I've covered what makes the disciple. Okay? What makes him.

Secondly, I want to know what marks the disciple. What marked this man and Ananias? You know the first thing that marks them when you read the passage? Readiness. Readiness.

I mean, it doesn't seem that the Spirit of God is... There's only one man that could really fulfill this. Can you imagine a man that's going to give us half of the New Testament? Are you going to send anybody to see him? I don't think so. Here was a man selected by the Lord Himself to see a man that only God could have saved.

Saul of Tarsus. Couldn't send anybody. But here's a man that's marked by readiness.

That's what marks a certain disciple. He's ready. We live in a busy age.

They say if you want to get something done in the assembly, find the busiest man that's there or the busiest sister, and they'll do it. Invariably, that's true. Readiness.

Are you an individual that's ready? They call you and say, you know, we've got some chairs to move. Whatever, whatever. You're ready.

No matter what it is, you're ready. It's lovely to have that. I mean, we call up... I know believers right now back where I come from, but it wouldn't matter which.

You call up, yeah, sure, what do you want done? Well, I say, what are you doing? No, what do you want done? What are you doing? And the one brother in particular I'm thinking of just now, he says, what do you want help with? He's there. Readiness. Notice what he says.

I know the words am here are supplied. But he calls out Ananias and he says, I am here. I am here.

But he didn't know what the task was yet, okay? God is going to tell him by the Spirit what the task is. He said, behold, I am here, Lord. Now the Lord starts to tell him.

It's a little bit like the prophet Isaiah. He was ready to go in chapter six until he found out what it was going to be like. Then he had second thoughts about it.

Sometimes we're ready to go until we find out, until the story is finished about what all needs to be done, then we have second thoughts about it. I'm not accusing him necessarily having thoughts about it, but it tells me something else about the man besides being readiness. Marked by readiness, alertness.

Alertness, brethren. You know what that means? A song. Oh, who's he? Oh, oh, no, sir.

Here's a man that was in touch and in tune with what's going on. I'm shocked at times. Going into an area, maybe there's whatever's going on, gospel readings, you say, any meetings in the area? No, not that I know of.

There's meetings going on 20 miles down the road, didn't know about them. Now that doesn't happen often. But let me ask, are you alert, brethren, to what's going on in the assembly? Does it really bother you, sister? Are you alert? Is there a readiness? You may have nothing in the oven, and our sisters do it constantly.

I grew up in that kind of a home. We tried to live that way. And there would be nothing particular on, and we were just maybe wanting.

Got a little lazy and wanted to take a day off. If somebody's there, you've got a choice. You can dart around the place and hope somebody else invites them, or you can go and say, do you have a place to go for dinner? Alertness.

I could go through the scriptures, show you men that were in touch with the work, in touch with what's going on. Be that kind of a certain disciple. Be alert.

Okay? That's why the apostle says, Awake, O thou that sleepest. Brethren, at times we're sleeping on the job. Readiness and alertness.

Here he is, and he's ready to go. Just unlike, just the opposite of the men. Remember the men that said, Lord, I'll follow you, but suffer me first? That's not readiness.

If I have to, you know, I'll go. You know what the Lord saw beyond that? Then the plan doesn't go on. No, I will go, but suffer me first? Never make it.

Suffer me first to go and beg for wealth to the men that aren't in my house? Doesn't work. The house will talk you out of it. Come on, you were saved from homes.

You know better than I do. You went back to tell them that this is what your plans were for your life. They'd do the best to talk you out of it.

That's why the Lord says, No man, having put his hand to the plow, looking back is fit for the kingdom. So what marks a disciple as we see it in Ananias? Readiness. You say, well, you know, we have a pretty structured home.

I think I do too. In fact, I'm sometimes charged with being a little too structured. But that structure gets to the point where I can't upset it for God's people or for the sake of the unconverted if something's wrong.

I have no idea what this man's day was, but here was a man ready to do it. But now he says, Lord, he said, you know, I just heard a few things about this man, what he's done. And no, says the Lord, that doesn't matter.

That doesn't change it, okay? So there was not only an alert, but there was a willingness. Okay, I could be very alert to a thing, and there could be a measure of readiness. But not willingness.

Willingness. Let me ask you, do you believe in this willing today? Like the brethren have no reservations, no hesitation to come to you and say, would you mind doing this? They know you love to do it. Don't you love those kind of, make it easier for your elder brother, would you brother? Just make it a little easier, okay? And just be that kind of a person.

Offer your services, even if they don't need you. What's wrong with causing, brethren, can I help you here? That's the certain disciple we're talking about. This isn't rocket science.

It's only something I've enjoyed in the last week or two. It's really come to me. Three that are called certain disciples, and I don't want you to forget it.

I want you to live it. That the overseers of where you form a power, say, hey, I'm changing that man since he went to the Ankeny Conference in the ministry that he heard. Not just mine, but you've come back a certain disciple.

There's an alertness, okay? There's not only that, there's a readiness, and there's a willingness. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? You know, that's this convert. That's this Saul of Tarsus.

And this is the man that God will use, this man by the name of Adonais. You know, there's another disciple that we read about, Enos, and he's called an old disciple. What's he doing? What's an old disciple doing? Can I say something without sounding too critical or too hard? Why is it, brethren, sisters, 75% of the entertaining done among God's people is done by the old people? The old line is, well, you know, we're just in this cramped apartment.

We get a house. We're going to entertain God's people in. Never happens.

Doesn't happen. I sat in a little apartment one time. Another preacher and I, God bless his faith, they had us.

And, you know, she was working. He was in the university. And he had something wrong with the cake.

So he had this stupidity and he was asking where the cake is. And she's trying to shut him up. And she is trying to kick him under the table because she's kicking me.

And she says, all right, she says. I messed up. But didn't change it.

Didn't change it. We still enjoyed the visit. She didn't say, well, that's it, no more.

No, they still kept entertaining in their little apartment. You do it in the little place. You do it in the big place.

You know, I'll tell you something else. You don't do it in the little place. God might not give you the big place.

I've lived in three different homes since in the work of the Lord. I'm not saying it bushy, but I'll say it from the platform again. If I can't use that for God's people, may it burn down.

Certain disciple. Willingness. Didn't matter what it was.

That's the kind of man that this man Ananias was. He was just so willing. So when it comes to discipleship, it's marked by agelessness.

Eagerness. You know, it's not like that. I guess, yeah, nobody else.

We're kind of small here. I guess nobody else to help us on. I'm trucking along.

Not at all. Don't you like people that are eager? Certain things like we're eager. You know we are.

Come on. Auction sale for farm equipment. Can't keep you in your bed.

If there's something you want there. I used to beg my dad to take. I said, dad didn't want the tape to ride.

My mom used to say, I'll take what. I don't want to say they're a nuisance. Yeah.

We were around trying to sit under every tractor seat we could find and tell dad to buy this and buy that and buy the other thing. Okay. That's amazing.

I remember going to him in tremendous snowstorms. You know something else I can remember him doing. I can remember him taking.

I'm dating myself a farm all day. I'm putting a chain on it and driving his wife and six children through the snow to meet him. And more than that, brother.

First one's there. You don't need that again, do you? The people that lived next street over, they couldn't. We used to ask dad about it.

He would never answer. We were bad boys, really. No wonder he's in heaven.

We used to say, hey dad, how come they can't make it in time? He said, that's all right. The man worked on the railroad. Had the best watch in the place.

Couldn't get there on time. Here's the man. Eagerness.

Okay. Agelessness. And more than that.

Selflessness. That's the one. Let me come now for the second one.

I didn't spend much time on Timothy. He's been well covered here. Timotheus.

A certain disciple. I want to come to this Dorcas. Right at the end of it.

It's interesting. You got a certain disciple at the beginning of the chapter. You got one at the end of the chapter.

So that will help you to remember where the two are. That we're speaking on this afternoon. A certain disciple.

What was she marked by? Yeah, readiness, alertness, willingness, eagerness. She was marked by kindness. Kindness.

Only one gospel hall I know has the verse on it. I think everyone could. I know we need Matthew 18 and 20.

But as you went out that hall, you read what he read at you. Therefore, shall all men know that you are my disciples. That you're kind one to another.

Here's a woman marked by kindness. I'm not sure of her resources. I'm not told.

I have reason to believe that what she made looked a little better than my sister's scarf. Okay? But what did she make? She made coats. You know what she was interested in? Let me apply it, okay? Don't take me down for a broad application.

She wanted to see the saints kept warm. Because you can't do anything with cold believers. She was interested in the warmth of the believers.

And she made them coats and made these garments to keep them warm. I may be pushing it. I've never read it.

But why did God make Adam coats of skins? Why? Couldn't he just make a sacrifice and say, why do you make them coats of skin? Why would God do that? Let me just tell you something I've enjoyed. You know, we read it very quickly. Adam comes in the garden and he sins.

No, no, no. There's passage of time there, brother. You know what happened with Adam? He got cold.

Here's a man that enjoyed a fellowship with God that nobody after this moment has enjoyed. I believe that sin came for one of many reasons. The man got distant from God and he got cold.

And now he's open to listen to another voice. And that's the voice of the usurper. As a result, sin coming into the world and God makes him coats of skins.

Here's a woman with her hands would make these things. And here's these, this isn't just a, you know, they're not just eulogizing somebody and putting on a show here. This is genuine.

This is real. They literally come and they're broken hearted. This woman is sick, this Dorcas, and she has died.

We need our Dorcas back. Listen, brothers and sisters, she would never had her life back if testimony could have gone on without her. That's why she got it back.

Marvelous thing when you think of it. We've lost lovely believers. And I'm like you, I wonder how we ever make it.

How will that testimony ever do? And I have to admit to you that some of them languish to this day because of that loss. But, you know, on the other hand, there's been those that have stepped into philharmonics. And God has blessed them.

They could, nobody could, there would only be one Dorcas. Okay, there could be others that make coats and somebody that could come in and do this and do that. Only one Dorcas.

You know, when that young man fell out the window, you know, did you imagine sitting there and saying, downstairs, I'm like, what do you expect sitting on the side of a window, bald face. You're not going to fall inside the building, you're going to fall out. When the Apostle Paul saw that man, he saw a future in that man that that testimony couldn't live without.

And he went down and he picked him up. Make sure you do that, brethren, sisters. Somebody has a fall, do all you can to pick them up.

We have a man that I'm breaking bread with back home right now. Lovely brother. This should be an encouragement to you.

He's been away for 25 years. He is now back in the Assembly Fellowship. Breaking bread after 25 years.

That's a long time. I have to confess that Maureen McCandless gave up on him. I thought, we'll never see Tim Lyons in our circle again.

We'll never see Tim Lyons at conferences again. He's at the conferences, he's in the fellowship. Pray that his wife will come back to the fellowship.

Pat, lovely girl, she hasn't come back in yet. He got about as far down the road as you can imagine. Very successful real estate man.

Made all kinds of money. Lost it all. Through a lot of things.

He's been recovered. He's been restored. He's been brought back right into that Assembly Fellowship.

It's a delight to hear him on the board today, Maureen. Breaking bread. You know what he said? I asked him one time.

I said, Tim, what did you miss most about the Assembly? The whole fellowship was safe. There were things we enjoyed together. You know what I miss the most? The breaking of bread.

Sunday morning would come around sometimes, and I'd think, I know what the Christians are doing, and I know what I should be doing and I'm not doing that. No wonder. I got a bit there when he, I was there when the Sunday morning was received.

He gave out the first hymn. And I thought, it's a little, maybe it's a little too soon, just a little too here. He couldn't hold his seat.

And the Christians could hardly hold their tears back as we meet together, saying, Brethren, let us join your blessed Jesus Christ, our righteousness. What a change. What a recovery.

But here's this woman, Dorcas. First of all, there was the passion for Dorcas. You know, it's interesting.

She went for the prayer. They were poor. Widows in these days did not have, maybe they supported society that we do today.

But, there was a passion. There was prayer for her. Peter, well, there was praise, of course, for her.

There was a passion for her. There was a prayer for Dorcas. I think it is Matthew Henry that has this note which is very good.

He says, it's interesting. He says, when Peter prays, he's not looking at Dorcas. He's not taking up with the problem.

After he's finished praying, he then turns to Dorcas and sees the result of his prayer. And he goes on to say, in his commentary, don't get so occupied that you're missing what God can do. And then you're able to turn and look at the blessing he's brought about.

So, there's not only a praise for her, not only a passion for her, there's not only a prayer for her, but there was the presentation of Dorcas. It says, he presented her alive. Alive.

Sometimes there's those brothers, in the assembly, you want to pinch them and say, hey, are you there? Okay, are we okay? Presented her alive. Can you imagine those people that were standing back there and literally weeping their hearts out because they really believe she's going to come back. The man I just mentioned, I admit to you, I didn't, I didn't think I'd ever see you back.

Kind of encouraged me at the funeral two weeks ago, another brother with the same first name as I have, we were very close friends, an overseer in the assembly, big help to our boys. He's been away for 20 years. It kind of rebuked me as I looked at him, shook hands, because it's impossible he'd ever see you back.

There are those undoubtedly that believe they see Dorcas back. And Peter comes in and he prays and as a result of it, he is able to present her alive. Lastly, the persuasion of Dorcas.

This had such a testimony. There's no one to her, all Joppa. I mean, many believed in the Lord Jesus.

Did they see it? No, they didn't see it. They'd come up by hearing of that by the word of God. So, just as I close, let it remain in my mind you, what's open to you today, to be a certain disciple, brethren or sisters.

It will be marked by a willingness, an eagerness, a readiness to do what? What he would hated to do and there would be no regrets. Whatever you social honor, business honor you might climb in life, nothing equals being a certain disciple. Go in for it.

It's rewarding for the coming day. We'll see what will happen.