Are you a disciple? Are you prepared for the storms of life?
Matthew 7:24–27, NIV, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Do you see the key to being prepared? It's by being wise and building our lives on a solid foundation of God's Truth. In other words, it's by being His disciples. The disciple that is obedient and daily lives his life according to God's Word will be prepared when the storms come and will survive them, the ones who aren't real disciples, who aren't walking daily in Him, will be surprised by the storms of life and be defeated by them.
Why do I say that the key is being a disciple? If you read the first sentence of that passage again you'll see that is the definition of a true disciple. A disciple of Jesus is someone who doesn't just "read their bible", but who puts what they read/study into practice.
Let's see what Jesus says about being His disciple since that's what we're concerned with.
John 8:31–32, NIV, To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
In this passage Jesus say those who "hold" to His teachings are really His disciples, as opposed to those who simply hear them and believe them. The word "hold" means to "abide" or "remain" or a more modern way of saying it would be to say "continue " in the teachings. Also, the word translated "teachings" is also translated "Word", meaning the scriptures of course..
Luke 14:26–27, NIV, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:33, NIV, In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
Matthew 16:24, NIV, Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
In the above passages Jesus tells us that anyone that wants to be His disciple must always put Him first above everyone and everything else in their lives. He doesn't say that we have to do this on Sundays, but every moment of every day. Jesus and His Will must come before everything and everyone else, including ourselves. That's the part most people forget about. Our own desires, wills, wants, needs, etc must be in second place to those of Jesus. If we don't do that, then we're not His disciples.
Matthew 10:24–25, NIV, “A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.
This is again showing that we must submit to Him.
John 13:35, NIV, By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Jesus also tells us that one of the fruits of discipleship that others will see is our love for each other, for all others who are saved.
John 15:8, NIV, This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Jesus tells us that disciples will bear fruit, the more the better and it's that fruit that proves we're disciples. Therefore anyone who claims to be a disciple who's life doesn't show it, isn't telling the truth.
Mark 9:30–31, NIV, They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples.
John 16:13–14, NIV, But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
I included the above because it shows that Jesus teaches His disciples and we know that He tells us that once He ascended that the Holy Spirit would be the one teaching all those who follow Him. So another mark of a disciple would be their relationship with the Lord and the fact that they're constantly being taught by Him.
Mark 16:20, NIV, Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
2 Corinthians 5:19–20, NIV, ...And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
These passages show that disciples share what they know with others, both with believers & unbelievers and that the Lord actually works with us when we do this.
John 13:13–16, NIV, “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
Finally Jesus tells us that His disciples are to serve others, not Lord it over others.
Many years ago when I looked around at all the people who called themselves "Christians", I knew that something was wrong with them but I didn't know what it was. But their lives sure didn't look anything at all like the lives of the disciples or early Christians. (I was an ancient history buff so I'd studied that too) The vast majority of Christians today simply didn't have the supernatural "power" that the early Christians did. I knew the Bible said that God didn't change, so I figured the fault then had to be with the people today. Something was wrong with us, but what???
I finally realized that most people today who say they are Christians, don't put Christ first. They don't study His Word and they don't live it. They don't hunger and thirst for His Word, in fact if they spend 15 minutes a day reading it they're doing better then most, and that's a very sad commentary. They pray when they want something from Him and then get mad and throw a tantrum if they don't get it, even though they're being disobedient to Him. It's like they think God "owes" them or something. They don't really love Him, because they don't really know Him, they just know about Him. Some of them are actors, pretending to live a Christian life but when the storms come they fall so the storms show them for what they really are.
So that's the difference between Christians today and the disciples and the early Christians. The early Christians were imbued with the power of the Holy Spirit because they weren't "just believers". They were disciples. Maybe the church has preached too much about "believing" and not enough about "following". I don't know but perhaps that is what many of the storms of life are about right now during these end times; to separate the wheat from the chaff and to let those who really are saved know that it's time to show it. Jesus constantly stresses that we have to obey, we have to do what He says, not "just believe".
Luke 11:28, NIV, He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
In fact they must have had problems with some people "just believing" even back then because James specifically says that when people think that's all they have to do, they're deceiving themselves.
James 1:22–25, NIV, Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
Please don't think that I'm saying we need works to be saved, that's not at all what I'm saying. Works are what naturally occur because someone is saved, they don't precede salvation. So we believe to be saved, but those who truly believe are going to obey and that fact will be evident in their lives by their works and their fruit. See what I mean?
I guess the difference is in thinking that salvation is like those things you check saying you "agree" (believe) with the license agreement when you install a new program on your computer. You check the box saying you agree and the program is installed and you're done. You don't have to do anything else, think about the agreement ever again, or anything. But salvation isn't like that. Yes, belief is the requirement, but when you really believe, you're going to do more then just put a check mark in the box. See what scripture says? (I'll put it in 3 different translations so we can be sure to get the meaning)
Romans 10:8–11, NIV, But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
Romans 10:8–11, KJV 1900, But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Romans 10:8–11, ESV, But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Matthew 7:24–27, NIV, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Do you see the key to being prepared? It's by being wise and building our lives on a solid foundation of God's Truth. In other words, it's by being His disciples. The disciple that is obedient and daily lives his life according to God's Word will be prepared when the storms come and will survive them, the ones who aren't real disciples, who aren't walking daily in Him, will be surprised by the storms of life and be defeated by them.
Why do I say that the key is being a disciple? If you read the first sentence of that passage again you'll see that is the definition of a true disciple. A disciple of Jesus is someone who doesn't just "read their bible", but who puts what they read/study into practice.
Let's see what Jesus says about being His disciple since that's what we're concerned with.
John 8:31–32, NIV, To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
In this passage Jesus say those who "hold" to His teachings are really His disciples, as opposed to those who simply hear them and believe them. The word "hold" means to "abide" or "remain" or a more modern way of saying it would be to say "continue " in the teachings. Also, the word translated "teachings" is also translated "Word", meaning the scriptures of course..
Luke 14:26–27, NIV, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:33, NIV, In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
Matthew 16:24, NIV, Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
In the above passages Jesus tells us that anyone that wants to be His disciple must always put Him first above everyone and everything else in their lives. He doesn't say that we have to do this on Sundays, but every moment of every day. Jesus and His Will must come before everything and everyone else, including ourselves. That's the part most people forget about. Our own desires, wills, wants, needs, etc must be in second place to those of Jesus. If we don't do that, then we're not His disciples.
Matthew 10:24–25, NIV, “A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.
This is again showing that we must submit to Him.
John 13:35, NIV, By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Jesus also tells us that one of the fruits of discipleship that others will see is our love for each other, for all others who are saved.
John 15:8, NIV, This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Jesus tells us that disciples will bear fruit, the more the better and it's that fruit that proves we're disciples. Therefore anyone who claims to be a disciple who's life doesn't show it, isn't telling the truth.
Mark 9:30–31, NIV, They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples.
John 16:13–14, NIV, But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
I included the above because it shows that Jesus teaches His disciples and we know that He tells us that once He ascended that the Holy Spirit would be the one teaching all those who follow Him. So another mark of a disciple would be their relationship with the Lord and the fact that they're constantly being taught by Him.
Mark 16:20, NIV, Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
2 Corinthians 5:19–20, NIV, ...And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
These passages show that disciples share what they know with others, both with believers & unbelievers and that the Lord actually works with us when we do this.
John 13:13–16, NIV, “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
Finally Jesus tells us that His disciples are to serve others, not Lord it over others.
Many years ago when I looked around at all the people who called themselves "Christians", I knew that something was wrong with them but I didn't know what it was. But their lives sure didn't look anything at all like the lives of the disciples or early Christians. (I was an ancient history buff so I'd studied that too) The vast majority of Christians today simply didn't have the supernatural "power" that the early Christians did. I knew the Bible said that God didn't change, so I figured the fault then had to be with the people today. Something was wrong with us, but what???
I finally realized that most people today who say they are Christians, don't put Christ first. They don't study His Word and they don't live it. They don't hunger and thirst for His Word, in fact if they spend 15 minutes a day reading it they're doing better then most, and that's a very sad commentary. They pray when they want something from Him and then get mad and throw a tantrum if they don't get it, even though they're being disobedient to Him. It's like they think God "owes" them or something. They don't really love Him, because they don't really know Him, they just know about Him. Some of them are actors, pretending to live a Christian life but when the storms come they fall so the storms show them for what they really are.
So that's the difference between Christians today and the disciples and the early Christians. The early Christians were imbued with the power of the Holy Spirit because they weren't "just believers". They were disciples. Maybe the church has preached too much about "believing" and not enough about "following". I don't know but perhaps that is what many of the storms of life are about right now during these end times; to separate the wheat from the chaff and to let those who really are saved know that it's time to show it. Jesus constantly stresses that we have to obey, we have to do what He says, not "just believe".
Luke 11:28, NIV, He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
In fact they must have had problems with some people "just believing" even back then because James specifically says that when people think that's all they have to do, they're deceiving themselves.
James 1:22–25, NIV, Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
Please don't think that I'm saying we need works to be saved, that's not at all what I'm saying. Works are what naturally occur because someone is saved, they don't precede salvation. So we believe to be saved, but those who truly believe are going to obey and that fact will be evident in their lives by their works and their fruit. See what I mean?
I guess the difference is in thinking that salvation is like those things you check saying you "agree" (believe) with the license agreement when you install a new program on your computer. You check the box saying you agree and the program is installed and you're done. You don't have to do anything else, think about the agreement ever again, or anything. But salvation isn't like that. Yes, belief is the requirement, but when you really believe, you're going to do more then just put a check mark in the box. See what scripture says? (I'll put it in 3 different translations so we can be sure to get the meaning)
Romans 10:8–11, NIV, But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
Romans 10:8–11, KJV 1900, But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Romans 10:8–11, ESV, But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Re: Are you a disciple? Are you prepared for the storms of life?
Cindy, can you please explain this a bit further...."Works are what naturally occur because
someone is saved, they don't precede salvation. So we believe to be
saved, but those who truly believe are going to obey and that fact will
be evident in their lives by their works and their fruit. See what I
mean?"
I mean, I think I am understanding....but am not sure. I believe and trust in out Lord and I have been saved and all, but what exactly is meant by works/fruit? |
Re: Are you a disciple? Are you prepared for the storms of life?
I know JJ just asked an important question that I also would like
to hear what you have to say and I have one as well. I understand that
reading and studying the Bible, everyday, is very important thing to do
daily and applyling what we learned, because if we dont apply, then what
have we learned. What about witnessing, fellowship, ? Isn't this
consider a part of fruits/ works?
|
Re: Are you a disciple? Are you prepared for the storms of life?
your works come from your salvation, your not earning your salvation.
you do what God says because you love him! |
Re: Are you a disciple? Are you prepared for the storms of life?
First let me say thank you to all who
checked this out and are participating! I was so surprised this morning
to see that someone had!
Quote:
James 2:14–17, NIV, What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. OK, let's put what James says in a scenario for us. I know you're saved JJ, so let's say that I come to your house to visit and you can see that I'm very hungry and obviously haven't eaten for some time and my clothes are pretty worn out. (I'm using you and me in this because James is talking to someone who is saved and you are, and he's talking about a brother or sister in Christ-or another person who is saved, and I am too) Ok, so we're visiting and I admit that I'm hungry. Now you don't have much, but you do have enough for your own lunch at least. Being saved, and having the love of God in your heart, knowing the Lord wants us to help each other, what are you going to do? Are you going to sympathize with me and say, "gee, I'm sorry you're having such a rough time...it seems like everyone is these days!" and then offer to pray for me, and after our visit, send me on my way? Or would you share your lunch with me and even perhaps say that same thing and offer to pray? There's no doubt in my mind that you'd share your lunch with me and you'd probably try and find some other food for me too! I know you would because that's what the Holy Spirit would be telling you to do and your heart would be overflowing with love for me and wanting to help me. :hug: Now someone who isn't saved wouldn't have a problem telling me they were sorry for my problems but gee, everyone's having a tough time and they'd let me leave with nothing to eat. Yet those same people might very well tell you, "oh I believe Jesus is God and died for my sins!" but they're not saved. James puts it like this: James 2:19, NIV, You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. So you see, for someone to simply "believe" something isn't enough. "Just" believing would be like having "head knowledge" without the "heart knowledge". It would be second hand, like knowing about God but actually knowing Him and having a relationship with Him. See what I mean? Again let's look at how James explains it: (keep in mind that the word "faith" could also be translated "belief") James 2:20–26, NIV, You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. Let's bring it down to the physical level to make it a bit easier. This reminds me of when my middle son was about 3 years old. Someone had been breaking windows in the apartment building we lived in and my children had heard me talking about it and asked me questions about it. I explained that someone was being very bad by throwing rocks at the windows and making them break. Later that day, sure enough, another window was broken. My 3 year old came to me and told me he did it. I was shocked and asked him if he had broken the others too. He said No, he hadn't but he had thrown the rock at this one because even though he figured the rock probably would break it, he "believed" it would break it, he wanted to check to make sure! :duh: Before he threw the rock, his belief that the rock would break the window was second hand. He promised he wouldn't do it again though because now he "really knew" it would break a window. Now his belief was "heart knowledge" instead of just "head knowledge" so now his deeds would reflect that belief. After that incident he never broke another window and I knew by his deeds that he really believed. See what I mean?
Quote:
Matthew 7:15–20, NIV, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. So we see that people are the trees He's referring to here, just as in other places He talks about Him being the vine and we are the branches of that vine. As long as we remain in Him, we will bear fruit because He will cause that to happen. So now we need to know what kind of "fruit" to look for. Fruit on a tree is something we can see and from what Jesus said, fruit in our lives will also be something we can see. So let's take a look at what the fruit of the spirit is: Galatians 5:22–23, NIV, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. When we see these qualities in others, we can see that they are growing in their faith. The more the person grows in faith, the more these qualities will show up in their life. Now as for fellowship, the first fruit of the spirit mentioned is love and we know that when we are saved the Holy Spirit pours out His love into our hearts. When we are saved we begin to love God and His love fills us so that we begin to love others who are saved and even those who aren't. Eventually, the more we grow in our faith the more that love grows to include more and more people, even the "unlovable". But when we're first saved usually that love is for God and those we already love and others who are saved. When you love someone, you want to be with them don't you? Hence you spend time with God and you spend time with others who are saved--fellowship! As your faith grows you also begin to realize that you want others to know about your God and all He's done for you. Often at first because we've heard from those who are more mature in their faith, we realize that we "should" witness, before we feel it in our hearts. But again, the Lord has everything under control. The more we grow, the more spiritually mature we become, the more our love for both God and others grow till we do feel in our hearts that we must tell others about Him. As we again continue to grow the Lord then teaches us how to tell others and we begin witnessing from our spirits rather then from our heads. While there's nothing wrong with the various programs etc that teach people to witness to others, I'm afraid that many people are witnessing out of head knowledge and a feeling of "duty" rather then because the Lord has shed His love for the unsaved into their hearts and directed them to witness to others. When we do things God's Way, and in His timing, He will teach us what to do and what to say and even tell us who He wants us to talk to. More importantly when we do things His way, we'll be doing it in the power of the Holy Spirit and not out of our own power. We're much more likely to have success that way. I often think the Lord must look on us the way I used to look on my children when they were babies and trying to copy me...it was so cute lol, but they were doing it all wrong of course since they didn't know how to do those things yet lol and that's pretty much what we do when we try and do things out of duty rather then growing in our faith and doing them because we know the Lord has said it's time for us to be about doing that.
Quote:
I hope this helped and please, do feel free to ask for more clarification! |
Re: Are you a disciple? Are you prepared for the storms of life?
It's neat that you all were asking
about the fruit of the spirit yesterday because last night the Lord woke
me up to study some more and guess what He chose? It was about a
different subject in a way, or at least I thought it was to start with
lol, but it turned into this very subject of being a disciple and the
fruit of the spirit! :laughing: I just love how He works! So let me
share with you what He showed me last night.
First no one becomes a disciple of their own choosing. As we know, God calls us into fellowship with Him through salvation. So everyone that is saved, is actually called by God, personally! That's pretty neat when you think of it. I was going over again how Jesus called each of His disciples. If you recall the Gospel accounts, He saw each one as they were working at their normal jobs in their normal lives and simply said to them, "Come, follow me". Let's look at when He called Matthew for an example: Matthew 9:9, NIV, As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. What I love about it is how each of them immediately simply got up, walked away from their normal lives and followed Him. Wow! Can you even imagine it??? Remember Peter and the others? They were working with their fathers as fishermen, but when Jesus called, they left their fathers, their boats and went with Him; no excuses or "just a second let me put my boat away or give my dad this thing he'll need or say good bye to anyone etc; they just obeyed! I had to wonder if it was because Jesus was there in the flesh, so I went back and checked even the old testament: Abraham, Isaiah,Jeremiah, Moses etc. Most of them also immediately obeyed. There were a few however (and I bet you know which ones they are lol) that did try to give God excuses and reasons why they couldn't do what He was calling them to do immediately. I think the worst of the lot was Moses who came up with excuse after excuse. Interestingly though as we all know, God won out and Moses did eventually obey, although He did make God angry with all his excuses. God didn't let one single one of them go until they had obeyed Him. That to me was a relief and I think it shows how God is with us too even before we're saved. He keeps on us until we do submit to His call. There was something else that I bet we've all noticed about the people God calls. Strangely we tend to think of all those people, like Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Peter, John, Mark, Matthew, Luke, Paul, Stephen, and so very many others as though they're different from us. Like they're "special" and we couldn't be like them no matter how we tried. Yet every one of them was a perfectly average, normal human being, just like us. Most had little money, most had little education even. Sure some had more then others and there were a few like Paul that were scholars, but for the most part they were just average Joes that wouldn't have stood out in any crowd. What made them stand out though is that God called them. He made them different and of course He put their stories in His Word so we could learn from them. When we study their lives we see that each and every one of them changed when God called them. For some that change was instant and very dramatic, like with Paul, but for most the change, while instant, was gradual and became more and more obvious with time. In fact, that's even true of Paul. Although his initial change was so great that it was obvious to all, the changes God wrought inside him showed up more and more as time went on and he grew in his faith. So, what changed in all these people's lives when they answered God's call? The first thing that changed I think is their relationship with God. For each of them, God became more personal, closer to them and they to Him. He became their teacher as well as their confidant instead of just an impersonal God that they were supposed to somehow obey and work to please. This obviously happens with us when we are saved are obedient and become disciples. We start to hear from God, we feel the pull of the Holy Spirit to study His Word--we feel hungry for His Word like we can't get enough of it. As we study and talk to Him, we begin to realize that He is teaching us and that brings Him even closer to us and we begin to rely on Him more and more. Just like the people in the Bible, the more we learn from Him and about Him as we study, the more our love for Him grows too. Because our love for Him grows, this brings about the next change in us just as it did for each of them. The second change was that their relationship with others changed, just as ours does too. Remember when we're saved, God pours His love into our hearts. His love is different then ours in that He loved us when we were still His enemies--He didn't wait until we were lovable. He loves us without prejudice and knowing just how wretched we really are. It is His love that enables us to love others in the same way. Let's see what some of the scriptures say about this: Romans 5:5, NIV, And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 1 John 4:12, NIV, No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 2:5, NIV, But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him 1 John 4:16–19, NIV, And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. God gives us His love when we are saved and when we are obedient and become disciples, He teaches us and His love grows within us--first for Him and then for others as well. The more we mature in our faith the more this love grows. It is this love combined with what He teaches us about what He's already done for us that will eventually combine to cause us to want to tell others about Him. It is also this love that will show up in our daily lives. The more it grows the more we will be changed and the more the love of God will be evident as fruit in our lives because our relationship with others will change. We'll become more forgiving, more compassionate, more peaceful in ourselves as well as kinder, gentler, and have more self control. The next big change that occurred was a change in their worldview. Again this happens with us as well. We begin to see the world and the people in it in a different light then we did before we were saved. This again is something that can both happen suddenly and instantaneously as well as gradually. For most of us it's a gradual process that occurs as we grow in our faith. How can we be against abortion until we understand how God feels about children and how He feels about murder? How can we understand that divorce is a big deal as is living together with someone without the benefit of marriage until we understand how God feels about those things? How can we understand that we are to bless Israel and pray for her until we understand how God feels about Israel? For an example of how some of their world views changed, we can look at Peter. We know that the Jews weren't allowed to enter the home of a gentile or eat with one either. The Lord had impressed on the Jews that they were to be separate from the world, just as He tells us to be, but they turned that into a set of rules instead of understanding the heart of the matter. God wanted all people to be saved though, not just the Jews, so He sent Peter a vision. Acts 10:27–29, NIV, Talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?” Because of this, Peter's worldview was changed as would be the worldview of all believers. Again, the more our love and knowledge of the Lord grows, the more our worldview changes. Finally, the last thing that changed for many of them was their profession. They went from being ordinary men and women, housekeepers, slaves, wives, husbands, fishermen, shepherds, tax collectors, doctors, farmers, etc to being fishers of men, prophets, missionaries, teachers, some even became Kings, but all in one way or another became leaders of others. People who were basically uneducated became great teachers of God's Word--and they didn't have to go to seminary to do it! People who had had others serving them all their lives, became servants to others so they could lead them to God. All their professions changed as they answered His call and were obedient to God. That last one really surprised me when I realized it too! If we study their lives though we see that while there's no way they could have done any of the things God asked of them before He called them and prepared them, every single one of them were successful in their new profession because God equipped them for it before sending them out. He does exactly the same thing with us. He calls us and when we are obedient, He teaches us and prepares us for our new life's work. Often we may not even realize that's what He's doing! I know I sure didn't realize it at first! When I did realize it, the first thing I did, after praying about it of course was call others that I considered "Godly" men and women and talked to them about it. I wanted confirmation of course. I did get confirmation but I was also discouraged from it by the people who should have been the ones to support me. When we look at the lives of others God called in the bible though, we see that the same thing happened to them. Those who were jealous or for any other number of reasons, tried to discourage them from doing what God had called them to do. As I mentioned before though, God doesn't let go of those He calls, regardless of how many excuses or "reason" they give Him. His Will will be done, period! Proverbs 19:21, NIV, Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Isaiah 14:24, NIV, The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand. So what does this all have to do with the fruit of the spirit? Look at that verse again: Galatians 5:22–23, NIV, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Can you see how as each of us was called by God and as we each grow in the love and knowledge of Him, that each of these characteristics become more and more a part of our personality? Each of these characteristics are things that grow within us as we grow in Him because they are each things that are part of the Lord's character which He is forming in us. As Paul said too, the most important one of all of these is love for it is the basis of all the others. The fruit of love is talking about both our love for God as well as our love for others. Jesus Himself tells us this as well: Matthew 22:37–40, NIV, Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” The more we grow the more we will fulfill God's law--not because we're obeying rules; not because we "have to" out of duty or fear of losing our salvation, but simply because we love Him. Amazingly even that isn't from ourselves, but a gift from God! He does it all for us! What an amazing God we serve! 2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV, And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. |
Re: Are you a disciple? Are you prepared for the storms of life?
After we are 'Saved' we become disciples of Jesus Christ, we
leave the old person behind and start anew.. it is a willingness to
follow Jesus in every way, including the way of the Cross.. we must
surrender our selfishness and lay down our lives for the needs of others
and help them in any way we can
Our lives are not our own anymore.. we live for Christ.. by doing His Will on the earth.. |
Re: Are you a disciple? Are you prepared for the storms of life?
Amen Marianne! And
we do it not because we "must", but out of love and gratitude for what
He's done for us already and what He's going to do for us.
The first principal of discipleship as you say is that we submit ourselves to Jesus. He chooses us and we choose to learn under His direction. That doesn't mean we won't experience persecution and trials. In fact it means the opposite, that we will suffer more because we will be becoming like Him. The world hated Him so much they killed Him (or tried to anyway) and therefore the more we become like Him, the more the unbelievers in this world are going to hate us too. Matthew 10:24–25, NIV, “A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household! So if we're loved by even unbelievers then we should probably examine ourselves as scripture says: 2 Corinthians 13:5, NIV, Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? . 1 Peter 4:12–14, NIV, Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. The great thing is that the more obedient we are, the more possible it becomes to triumph even during the suffering! Over and over we are told that we should "rejoice" or "count it all joy" when we suffer trials or persecution and that these things will cause us to grow in our faith so that we will be more like Jesus and make Him proud of us when He returns. We're also told of the marvelous rewards He will have for us then too. I've heard so many people put those down as though they weren't anything to even think about and yet that's exactly what the Lord wants us to do! He wants us to strive for those rewards! No of course there won't be any jealously or envy in Heaven! The whole point of the rewards though is to please Jesus, not ourselves! We're not winning a new TV, we're winning rewards that make HIM look good, not us! Let me quote here what I said about this on another thread:
Quote:
Not only that, but recently the Lord's made me aware of other kinds of "rewards" that He has for those who are obedient. I mean besides the crowns and things like that. You'll discover these other things when you study all that happens after the Tribulation--before the Millennium, during it and even after it. Many people say that there won't be "divisions" in heaven, and I can't speak to that yet, but I can tell you that there will be divisions during the Millennium, and that includes divisions between those who have been saved and those who are disciples. It's really exciting! let me share something I just saw in a couple of my commentaries about this: Revelation 19:7–8, NIV, Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Christ will reward us according to our faithfulness, and the rewards we receive will make up the “wedding gown.” Dr. Lehman Strauss writes, “Has it ever occurred to you … that at the marriage of the Bride to the Lamb, each of us will be wearing the wedding garment of our own making?” What a solemn thought! Wiersbe's expository outlines on the New Testament One of the false interpretations that has plagued the church is the concept that God treats all saints exactly alike. Instead, a literal interpretation of the Bible distinguishes different groups of saints, and here the bride is distinguished from those who are invited to the wedding supper. Instead of treating all alike, God indeed has a program for Israel as a nation and also for those in Israel who are saved. He also has a program for Gentiles in the Old Testament who come to faith in God. And in the New Testament He has a program for the church as still a different group of saints. Again in the Book of Revelation the Tribulation saints are distinguished from other previous groups. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Re 19:9) Again I'm not saying there will be jealousy or bad feelings in the Millennium or Heaven. There won't be! Everyone will get exactly what they've earned and we'll each know that and be comfortable with it. That doesn't mean however that we won't wish we ourselves had done more for the Lord while we were here. I'm sure though that the Lord won't allow us to dwell on that unduly, but especially initially the thought will be there. That's why I keep harping on this, because few teachers do and I want to see everyone here be able to just heap rewards on our Lord and make Him so very pleased... It thrills me to just think about it! You see, anything we do here to "earn" a reward, isn't actually done by us, but is done by the Lord through us, so He is the one who should be praised for all of it and ultimately that's exactly what will happen. That's why we're supposed to want those rewards because they are yet another form of "fruit" of the spirit--or I suppose you could say that they are the natural outcome of the fruit of the spirit in our lives. |
Re: Are you a disciple? Are you prepared for the storms of life?
I find that each new day that the Lord gives me on this earth.. is one more day to learn more about Him..
Quote:
It came to the point where I couldn't be around them anymore.. all I felt was darkness.. I thank Jesus for revealing this to me.. He gave me the opportunity to witness, to them.. and I knew He will take care of the rest.. I guess what I am trying to say here, is that I liked my friend to a certain extent.. but, it came to a point where I couldn't be around her anymore.. as it was dragging me down to her level.. and I knew, that as a Child of God.. I had to show her that I was different.. and no longer the person I use to be.. I was living for Jesus now.. and had to do His will on this earth.. she saw the change in me.. and asked me, where is the old Marianne?... I liked her better.. I told her I was a Christian and living my life for Jesus now.. slowly but surely she went out of my life.. |
Re: Are you a disciple? Are you prepared for the storms of life?
I know what you mean Marianne. I
think this is perhaps one of the most difficult lessons we have to
learn. I know it was for the Jews, they never did get what God tried to
teach them about being separate and what that meant. I've seen it in
my life in several different ways since being saved and learning what
God desires of us. It's still something I struggle with though at
times.
One way I've noticed this is if I go somewhere that I really don't belong, and I just act like myself, other people start feeling very uncomfortable. For example, when I met Bruce he used to hang out at the VFW or the Legion a lot because that's where his friends were. He didn't drink, he just drank coke, but he'd hang out with them. So when we started dating, he took me there. Without me saying anything or even changing my expression in any way, people would stop swearing and stop acting like idiots LOL. It would start out with them being their "normal" selves and swearing, then noticing me and they'd be apologizing all over the place. At first I thought it was just because I was a woman, but I looked around and there were a lot of women there, so that wasn't it. They had to sense there was something different about me deep down and they reacted to it. Of course what they were sensing was the Holy Spirit, although they didn't know that. Within about a year of meeting me, Bruce just stopped going there. The Lord had changed him too by then and he no longer fit in there any more then I had lol My neighbors are the same way as far as swearing and knowing there's something "different" about me that they react to. I don't think they know it's the Holy Spirit though. And this is where I feel I've failed God and am trying to do better at. Although I've often spoken about God with them, I've never clearly presented the Gospel to them so they could be saved. That really bothers me and I've been praying that the Lord will let me rectify that. But this is where the thing about separation comes in. What bothers me though is I think that if I'd been doing my job and telling them about the gospel from the very beginning that they'd probably already hate me. Since they don't, I know I haven't done a very good job of it. The thing is, I don't want to just go up and start preaching at them either. I want it to come from my heart, not my head. In other words, I don't want to do it, just to say that I have, I really do want them to be saved, or at the very least to have planted seeds. I've tried before to lead into it when they've brought up a problem, and I'll say something about how the Lord can handle whatever it is. I guess I just haven't been clear enough about it. I think what I'm going to have to do is literally practice with myself and make up conversations so I'll be ready and know what to say when the time comes. And of course I always pray that the Lord will give me His Word's to speak then too. |
