WBS.040
FUNDAMENTALS
OF DISCIPLESHIP
A KINGDOM HEART - X
Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.
Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance IAUE winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Our last post ended
with this comment:
When one considers the contrast between the “real” gospel, and the message that passes for the gospel in the contemporary church, it is apparent that this is the greatest hindrance to genuine discipleship. One message is intended to make disciples; the other message is intended to make believers. The focus of the message is what makes the difference. Let’s examine this more closely.
The book of Acts is the only New Testament record of the gospel message actually being presented to the lost. All of the epistles of Paul, James, Peter and John are messages written to people who have already responded to the gospel. They are instructive, corrective and disciplinary; but you cannot find the gospel message in any of them; and yet this is exactly where the contemporary “gospel” message is derived. I call this the “epistle-based gospel” which is actually no gospel at all. Crafted largely from Paul’s letter to the Romans, it explains that we are sinners fallen from the glory of Elohim; and that Elohim demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners he sent Messiah to die for us. It states that the wages of sin is death; but the gift of Elohim is life in Messiah; and all we have to do is to believe in our heart that Elohim raised Messiah from the dead, and to confess with our mouth that Messiah is our “Lord and savior” and we will receive salvation. The hearer has no idea what it means for Messiah to be “Lord” (Master); and he has no concept of what Scriptural salvation is. The one who responds to this false gospel believes that Messiah’s Lordship means he is the one who has all authority in Heaven and earth; but that does not translate specifically to Messiah having authority over his entire life. His concept of salvation is that he gets to go to Heaven when he dies.
This message is preached in thousands upon thousands of churches every Sunday morning in an endeavor to make more believers out of non-believers (who generally do not go to church in the first place, so they are not even there to hear the message). The churches are filled with “believers” who have responded to this message; and yet nowhere in the book of Acts is this message to be found. This message is what the Master would refer to as “the children’s bread.” It is information for the family. It is not what is presented to those not yet in the family. This message is not intended to change your life; but to educate it. The product of the “epistle-based gospel” is a believer, not a disciple. A person may believe without acting on anything he believes. The objective of discipleship is obedience, learning and becoming like the Master. Of course believing is necessary before one may become a disciple; but believing is not the objective of the gospel; it is merely the precursor to repentance.
Luke 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Messiah to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
This was the parting message of Yahushua to his disciples. They were to preach repentance and remission of sins, to baptize and to teach the disciples to be obedient to his command. Have you ever noticed in this passage in Matthew, often referred to as “the Great Commission,” that it is the command of a King expecting the people to obey him, and not a philosopher’s request to try to convince people of a new way of thinking about life or the world or the afterlife?
What is the message preached in the book of Acts?
Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that Elohim hath made the same Yahushua, whom ye have crucified, both Master and Messiah.
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Yahushua Messiah for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The first message ever preached in the “church age” was an explanation that Yahushua was the Messiah and that the proper response to him was repentance. Baptism was commanded as a response to their repentance as a ritual of discipleship demonstrating the separation of one’s former life from the life that is now embraced as a follower of Messiah.
Acts 8:5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Messiah unto them.
12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of Elohim, and the name of Yahushua Messiah, they were baptized, both men and women.
When it says that Philip “preached Messiah unto them,” this was what one did when a king ascended to a throne. His name was proclaimed throughout the domain so all would know who the king was and to whom their allegiance and obedience belonged. When they submitted to baptism, they were shedding their allegiance and obedience to Caesar, and forsaking all, were dedicating themselves to the service of Yahushua as their Master. It was potentially a life or death action for them. Their repentance brought them under the authority of a different Master.
Acts 10:42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of IAUE to be the Judge of quick and dead.
43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified Elohim, saying, Then hath IAUE also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
When Peter was called to go to Caesarea, to the household of Cornelius, the Roman centurion, he recalled for them the historical events regarding Yahushua which they all knew. Then he testified that Messiah was ordained by IAUE to be the Judge of all. Hearing this, the Holy Spirit came upon Cornelius and his family and friends gathered there. Seeing this occur, Peter baptized them as new disciples of Messiah. When he returned to Jerusalem and was called before James, the pastor of the church in Jerusalem, James’ response to the events was to recognize that IAUE had granted the Gentiles “repentance unto life.”
Acts
17:30 And the
times of this ignorance IAUE
winked at; but now commandeth
all men every where to repent:
31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will
judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he
hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.In Athens, Paul addressed the city’s judges, and the teachers of various philosophies and their followers, explaining to them about the altar they had dedicated to “the Unknown God.” He told them the name of that unknown deity, and with authority expressed his command that, NOW, all men everywhere must repent; because a day is coming when the one whom He has ordained will judge all men.
Nowhere in the book of Acts is anyone lead in a simple prayer of accepting Messiah as their “Lord and Savior.” No, the gospel message is far more severe than that. It costs your life to answer the true gospel. It requires that you forsake your life and come under the authority of Yahushua Messiah. Only to those who have turned from their life as they have known it, with all of its privileges and allegiances and culture, to come under the authority of Yahushua as their Master, and have demonstrated their repentance through baptism, do the messages in the epistles of the New Testament have any relevance. Without repentance, there is no sufficient foundation upon which to build the instruction of the epistles. The result will simply be the accrual of knowledge…more things for the believer to believe. They will not provide the pavement for the paths of obedience that they are intended to do.
James 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one Elohim; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Belief alone will not profit a man. Belief is only the precursor to obedience.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of IAUE:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Messiah Yahushua unto good works, which Elohim hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Faith without works is dead. We are saved by grace. We are not saved by faith. Faith puts us in the place to receive grace. Grace is the power Elohim gives to us that enables us to do His will. We were created for this purpose…to do good works…to do the will of IAUE Elohim. Belief alone does not respond to IAUE’s grace.
A message that only requires us to believe will never put us in the place of obedience to IAUE’s will. It is the message of repentance that brings us unto a King, and which will produce within us the humble submission to his authority. Only then, can the grace of Elohim find a respondent chord within our hearts.
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