FUNDAMENTALS
OF DISCIPLESHIP
Philippians
2:13 For it is Elohim which worketh in you both to will and to
do of his good pleasure.
Last
week’s focus was on the following passage:
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Christianity produces minds
that are content with the knowledge that one’s eternity is resolved as a result
of praying a single prayer. Anything and everything they do after that prayer
is up to them to choose to do or not to do; because the eternal outcome is
unaffected by their choice. This necessarily
keeps the will of man as the master of his life.
The gospel produces hearts
that yearn for the King and for his Father.
It bows the knee to one who has the right to rule in all matters and
makes servants of everyone who heeds his command to repent. The gospel makes the will of IAUE the preeminent
focus and concern in every aspect of life.
Believers have little concern about knowing the will of IAUE. They bury themselves in the religious culture
of Christianity; and they learn to enjoy the fellowship of like-minded believers; because the group mentality
numbs their minds against the absolutely dead-certain knowledge within their hearts that they need
to repent and come under the authority of the Master.
I remember an event in my life over forty years ago when in my study of
the Scriptures I began to see more and more things that disagreed with the
theology of the Baptist church, which was my family heritage. I became very uncomfortable with the insights
being revealed to me. Then I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit ask me, “Are you going to stand before six million
Baptists in the day of Judgment, or are you going to stand before Me?” It was in that very moment that I vowed never
again to protect myself against any revelation of Truth that caused me to stand
alone from the masses. Then the Holy
Spirit told me, “If the masses believe
something, there is something wrong with it. The Scripture says to ‘buy the
truth, and sell it not,’ and the masses are not paying the price to possess the
Truth; consequently, what the masses believe is either part truth and part lie,
or all lie.” In the past forty
years, I have seen the integrity of that word demonstrated over and over again. Interestingly, the world would have us think
that the more people believe a given thing, the more liable it is to be
true. “All those people can’t possibly
be wrong…could they?” Look at what the
Master says:
Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate:
for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and
many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and
narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Notice in these verses that neither the broad way nor the narrow way may
be walked without a choice first being made of going through one gate or the
other. In this passage, the Master is
not talking about the general masses of the “lost” going down the broad way to
destruction. He is referring to those who have made a choice to enter the gate that gives access to the broad
way because they believed (or want to believe) it was the correct gate to enter in order to arrive
at the destination called “Life.”
Notice also that the motivation for choosing that gate is “Because strait (narrow, difficult to pass through) is the gate, and narrow (troubled, afflicted and compressed) is the way, which leadeth to life.” The Master also says, “and
few there be that find
it.” This is because the many are
not looking for such a path to walk. The
broad path is much more appealing to their senses; which is why they choose it. They keep their own will intact; and deceive
themselves that they are headed in the right direction. The right direction, however, removes their
own will, and replaces it with a heart to do the Father’s will; which results
in a life that is filled with hardship and difficulty; but it is the only path
that leads to Life. Following the masses
is like being a lemming who marches over the cliff to its death, because all of
these other lemmings could not possibly be going the wrong direction.
John 16:1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh,
that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth Elohim service.
2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live piously in Messiah
Yahushua shall suffer persecution.
Romans 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of IAUE, and
joint-heirs with Messiah; if so be that we suffer with
him, that we may be also glorified together.
Philippians 1:29 For unto you
it is given in the behalf of Messiah, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
2 Thessalonians 1:5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of
Elohim, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of Elohim, for which ye
also suffer:
2 Timothy 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he
also will deny us:
The path that leads unto Life is not easy on the
flesh; but it is liberating to the heart and soul. The gospel prepares the
heart of the disciple to embrace anything that obedience to the will of the
Master might bring into his/her life. Suffering
for his name’s sake is a badge of glory.
Acts
5:41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing
that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
If you are seeking a pleasant life in this world,
with the least amount of hardship or difficulty possible, a life with as much
ease as can be arranged, then your mind is focused upon doing your own will. You are conflicted and a double-minded man (who may expect nothing from IAUE James 1:5-8). The mind set upon obedience to the Master has no place for
contemplating the kind of life they want to have, now. The wants of the disciple are whatever the
Master wants for him/her.
Philippians
2:13 For it is Elohim which worketh in you both to will and to
do of his good pleasure.
When our hearts are properly resigned to His
authority and purposed to do His will, He works within us both to WANT to do
His will and to empower us to DO His will.
Whose will is in control? Whose will is determining the decisions being
made in your life? Until you have made up your mind on this issue, you will
remain a double-minded person; and
your “beliefs” will simply comprise the tenets of your religion. You will find all of your acts of so-called
obedience to be nothing more than what you have acquiesced to do after your own
will has evaluated the options. Prayer
will be merely a practice of going through the motions of uttering faithless
requests to Elohim. Discipleship awaits
the believer. It is only a life of repentance away.
Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance
of the will of IAUE.
