BUY THE TRUTH

WBS.006

DISCIPLESHIP 101

THE FIRST LESSON IN DISCIPLESHIP - III

Proverbs 23:23  Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

Let’s recap what we have covered so far.

1.  We must choose to take upon ourselves the Master’s yoke.  Within the yoke, we forfeit all right to our own life and to self-determination.  We become the servant of the Master, and our lives are devoted to the performance of his will.

2.  As a disciple we are purposed to become like the Master in all respects.   The first attribute that he wants us to learn of him is that he is meek and lowly in heart.

3.  Meekness is power under control.  It is being content to be under the control of another; the resignation of our will to his.  We can be useful to the Master’s Kingdom only when our resistance to his will has been harnessed.

4.  Lowliness of heart is the firm conviction that you are no better than anyone else.  If pride exists, lowliness of heart does not.  If you seek to be noticed, if you feel the need to protect your image, if you need to make people think you are something special, your life is focused on you; and you do not see others as you ought.  This will forever limit your usefulness to the Master.  One must be at peace without and within.  This is the first lesson of discipleship unto Messiah.

Genuine discipleship is not marked or graded by the pursuit of training certificates or college degrees.  Accrual of information is necessary, but that is not an end unto itself.  When the Master says we must learn of him meekness and lowliness of heart, he was not referring merely to learning and believing the information presented in this and the last posting. 

1 Corinthians 8:2  And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

The Scripture, and all that is within it, serves a variety of purposes.  Paul told Timothy that “All scripture is given by inspiration of Elohim, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16).  Such purposes can be gleaned by reading the words on the page and taken to heart.  Messiah said that the Scripture testifies of him; and that is the purpose that provides the change that takes place on the inside of man. 

Discipleship is concerned about both the regulation of the outward behavior and the inward man of the heart.  We see this in the first command to learn Messiah’s meekness and lowliness of heart.  Contemporary Christianity appears almost completely content with the former, allowing the heart to retain every imaginable negative attitude and pride as long as it is not demonstrated outwardly.  I attained a position of respect and leadership in the church and held that place for many years.  I was able to display the most spiritual deportment and attitudes required of the Christian culture; but inside, like the Pharisees, I was full of dead men’s bones---self-will, pride, ego, etc.  Mostly, this was due to my lack of lowliness of heart.  Though I could teach on any subject, knew the Scriptures better than most, ministered in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, I had not learned the first lesson of discipleship in the way that it mattered.  I knew it with my mind, academically; but I had no revelation of it.  That is what we need to discuss in this lesson, today.

Some people refer to this as the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge.  I prefer to contrast it as academic understanding versus revelation. The question is, how do you move from a doctrinal understanding of a matter to actually possessing the revelation of it?   Even the simplest and most obvious of biblical truths is subject to this contrast. 

The quick answer to the question is, “The Father must reveal it to you.”  That is the bottom line; and we cannot force the Father’s hand to do anything.  He does not work for us.  We serve Him.  Since we cannot make revelation happen, we must look at how to facilitate it, how to provide the Father with an invitation such that He would be inclined to provide us with the revelation we desire.

Romans 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against Elohim: for it is not subject to the law of Elohim, neither indeed can be.
8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please Elohim.

A mind focused on self is the enemy of the Father.  Such a mind may earnestly desire doctrine, and to the extent study is devoted to that pursuit, doctrine may be obtained; but it is not a mind that is qualified to receive revelation.

James 4:6  …Elohim resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

This word “resisteth” in the Greek, is a military term meaning, “to be set in opposition against as to an enemy of war.”  The praise of men does not attain the grace of IAUE.  Any such attitude of heart that causes the Father to be our enemy is not an attitude that qualifies us for revelation.

A verse well known to the Christian community is:

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Who can know it, indeed?  Many years ago, the Father showed me a way to help understand my own heart.  It is a strategy that forces one to be honest with himself.  It can bypass the instinctive lies we tell ourselves in order to maintain our own self-image within acceptable parameters.  I call it “The Lists.”  I would encourage you to try this exercise as a step toward qualifying yourself for revelation.

On a sheet of paper draw three columns.  The headings of these three columns should be:

1.    Whatever is in your life (thoughts, attitudes, actions) that you KNOW is displeasing to the Father.   This is a list of sins you allow in your life.  It is usually fairly easy to compile this list, because if you have any sensitivity at all to the Spirit, He has already spoken to you on these matters.

2.    Whatever is currently in your life that you would resist if the Father required it of you.  This can include almost anything:  your comfort, your job, your home, your family, foods you enjoy, liberties you enjoy, your possessions.  This list helps identify things in your life that you enjoy, things for which you have any particular attachment. It could be the beverage you prefer to drink, a particular food you would not want to be without, an object that holds sentimental value, places you go, things you do, the music you listen to, the TV shows you watch, the movies you attend, etc. Think of things you love, appreciate, are fond of, hold dear, enjoy.  Any of these things that would be a problem releasing were it required of you goes on this list.  A person who belongs to the Master does not have the privilege of holding to anything if the Master should require it.  (I had to include such things as my enjoyment of popcorn or bread.  Yes, even the most innocuous things can be on this list if you know you would have difficulty giving them up if required.)

3.    Whatever is currently NOT in your life that you would resist if the Father required it be brought into your life.  This list is possibly the most difficult to compile because it is about things that are not currently a function of your life.  They represent changes to your life; a different job, a different home, a change of wardrobe, adding to your family, allowing a new or modified relationship.  It may include that thing you say you will never do, or would never want to do, like move to Alaska or be a missionary in Africa. Think of things you would not want in your life, things you hate, things that would be unpleasant or "go against the grain" of your personal preferences, your likes and dislikes. There is potentially no limit to what could populate this list; but if you enter this task with a true desire to be pleasing to the Father, you will be made to know what goes on this list. 

I can assure you that the Holy Spirit will work with you intimately to draw up these lists if you really want to weed out every vestige of resistance to the Father’s will. The Father knows your areas of resistance better than you do.  A sincere pursuit of this project will be very rewarding.

Once you are satisfied that your lists are as complete as the Holy Spirit wants them to be (which means it may only be as complete as He knows you can handle the first time), then go through the lists and strike off each item when you have found the grace to no longer resist the Father’s will in that matter.  This is not accepting that these things ARE the Father's will for you.  It is arriving at the place where IF they were to become the Father's will you would not resist obeying Him. When you are enabled to strike off the last item on the list your life will change. 

If you approach the lists with pride in your heart, you may be like someone I suggested do the lists.  He thought about it for five minutes and couldn’t think of anything to go on any of the lists.  As well as I knew him, I could have populated the lists for him, and they would not have been small lists.   His pride would not permit him to disclose even to himself that he was full of resistance to the Father’s will.  It was because he had a specific objective he wanted to accomplish in his life, and if he took this project seriously, he knew it would mean the death of his personal dream.

A disciple may have only one dream; and that is to do the will of Elohim.  Once this becomes the purpose of our heart, our lives invite the voice of the Spirit.  We become candidates for revelation.   We are instructed to “buy the truth and sell it not.”  There is always a price to be paid to receive the revelation of Elohim.  The first price to be paid is the resistance we would raise up against the logical consequences of what the Father would reveal.

THE FIRST LESSON IN DISCIPLESHIP - II

WBS.005

DISCIPLESHIP 101

THE FIRST LESSON IN DISCIPLESHIP - II

Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Last week’s study established the case for genuine discipleship beginning when a person chooses Yahushua Messiah to be his Master, and voluntarily submits to take upon himself His yoke, knowing that once inside the yoke, 1) he is no longer his own person, 2) he belongs to the Master, 3) his life is resolved to serve only the Master’s will, because 4) there is no freedom inside the yoke to pursue his own will.  Another term for this transaction is ”repentance,” the first legitimate response to the gospel.  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

It is important to realize that the Master’s yoke is a double yoke.  Messiah is not holding the reins.  He is in the other side of the yoke.  The Greek word for “yoke” is derived from the word meaning “to join.”  Yahushua invites us to join him in the yoke that he had already chosen for himself.  If you will recall, throughout the record of his life, he said that he came to do the Father’s will.  The works that he did were the Father’s works.  He did nothing without the Father first revealing to him what to do.  He did always the things that pleased the Father.  In fact, the only place in the Scripture where the will of Yahushua is ever exposed was in the Garden before his crucifixion when he asked if there was another way that he could accomplish the redemption of man.  Even facing a horrible and humiliating death he said, “Not my will, but thine be done.”  Yahushua relinquished the right of self-rule, of self-determination, to be mastered by Elohim, and to learn of Him…to become like Him in every way.  In the last meeting with his disciples, he told Philip, “He that has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).  So, when Yahushua invites us to take his yoke, he is inviting us to join him in the yoke he wears, to let him teach us how to be like the one he is like; to do the will of the one whose will he performs…to become the servants of Elohim.

Once we have chosen to join Yahushua in his yoke, the learning begins.  Discipleship is about becoming like the Master in every possible way.  The first thing the Master instructs us to learn of him is that he is meek and lowly in heart.  Looking around at the masses in the church world, would you have guessed this was lesson #1?  Do you think the world looks at professing Christians and observes this as the most obvious characteristic of those who profess to know the Master?  The truth is this attribute is contrary to the way of contemporary Christianity. Its glaring absence is one of the reasons why “the few” sit in the pews on Sunday and feel like they cannot breath…like a fish out of water.  Church is an alien environment to the yoked life.

True discipleship begins with learning in what way Messiah is meek and lowly in heart.  Meekness is regarded as a weakness in today’s society.  A meek person is perceived to be timid, shy, a pushover.  This is not the scriptural form of meekness.  True meekness is “power under control.”  What is the first purpose of a yoke?  It is to harness the power of the beast.  A stallion is full of strength and self-will.  Freedom and independence runs through its veins.  It is unruly and undisciplined; but once it has been captured (drawn by the revelation of the Truth), broken (brought to repentance) and yoked (submitted to the mastery of another), the stallion’s strength can become harnessed and useful to its master.  Like the stallion, when we join the yoke of the Master, our independence and self-will must be forfeited before we can become useful.

Picture a man sitting at the bar in a cafe who is accosted by another man who is out to pick a fight.  He is pushed then challenged to do something about it.  The man, however, simply gets up and walks out of the café.  He appears to be cowardly to all who are watching the event unfold; but our man, unknown to all in the café, is a third degree black belt martial artist who knows it would take mere seconds to subdue the bully.  He has no need to assert or to demonstrate his superior position; and he is willing to appear to be a coward in order to spare the bully. This is an example of scriptural “meekness” (power under control).  Like the harnessed stallion, he no longer has the freedom to prove himself.  He belongs to another; and he is okay with this.

You may envision several other examples of this.  The thing to observe is your own heart’s reaction to such scenarios.  Do you feel you would be at peace with others thinking you a coward?  Would your inner man be screaming to prove you could beat up the bully very easily?  True meekness has no such inner screaming.  There is as much peace within the meek when he walks away as there is before the bully ever showed up.  Why is this?  It is because the yoked life is not about us?  It is no longer our desire to protect our own image, defend ourselves or stand up for our own selfish interests.  The yoked life is about being harnessed by another, and He is capable of defending Himself.

Meekness is the attribute that Messiah would teach us so the yoke does not sit uncomfortably upon our shoulder. It is in our resistance to the yoke that we feel it at all.  The meek is content to be under the control of another.  The meek knows that when life is no longer about himself, he is actually liberated from all responsibilities except one---doing the will of the Master.  Everything else is the Master’s responsibility.

The second attribute of Messiah a disciple is to learn of him is lowliness of heart.  One may feel he has gotten a handle on meekness, not allowing any circumstances to rile or agitate, and all the while feeling quite proud about his success.  This is why meekness and lowliness of heart go hand in hand.  Being quiet on the outside is not the same as being quiet on the inside.  The outward expression of meekness without lowliness of heart is not unlike keeping the law without experiencing the objective of the law.

A man could refrain from committing adultery and thus keep the law; but keeping the law alone could not prevent man’s heart from desiring another woman.  A man could refrain from stealing and thus keep the law; but the law alone could not prevent the man from desiring another man’s possessions.  The law could only regulate outward behavior.  It had no power to control the inner man of the heart.  Meekness by itself does not affect the attitude of the heart; thus a lowly heart provides the balance required to become like Messiah.

What is lowliness of heart?  Literally, it means a bowed or lowered head.  It refers to the conviction that one is not better than any other person.  I remember, years ago, reading:

Philippians 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 

I put my bible down and spoke out loud, “How can I do that when I am better than some?”  I remember comparing myself with many who refuse to study the Scriptures, with those who have no passion for IAUE, with those who have never ministered supernaturally in Messiah’s name.  I was able to come up with all sorts of reasons why this verse seemed unreasonable to me.  Then the Spirit sent me to:

2 Cor 10:12  For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

and

1 Cor 3:7   So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but Elohim that giveth the increase.

Painfully, I learned that I am nothing special.  No matter what I may have learned, it was all revealed by the Father.  No matter what giftings I had, they were all given to me by the Father.  No matter what experiences I have had, they were permitted by the Father.  Even those who walk in abject darkness are only different from me because they have not yet received the Father’s enlightenment.  This experience was my introduction to lowliness of heart.  It wasn’t an easy lesson to learn; but it was imperative in order to progress in my walk in the Spirit.

Meekness without lowliness of heart is like being satisfied with doctrine without the revelation of the Truth; being satisfied with the commercial without purchasing the product.  The pursuit of meekness will manifest your need for lowliness of heart, like dross surfacing exposing your pride.  Pride is the evidence of the importance of self; and self-importance is the enemy of the yoked life.

So, that is the initial play.  If you want to pursue genuine discipleship, you must earnestly seek the face of Messiah to let him teach you how HE is meek and lowly in heart.  He will surely do it.  It is not within my skill-set to “reveal” this to anyone.  I can only present the information, market the product.  To acquire the product, one must go to the Master and pay the price for the Truth.

THE FIRST LESSON IN DISCIPLESHIP - 1

WBS.004

DISCIPLESHIP 101

THE FIRST LESSON IN DISCIPLESHIP -  I

Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

A person who embraces the teaching of one and passes that instruction on to others is called a disciple.  That which we call “the Great Commission” (Matthew 28:19-20) charged the apostles with the responsibility of making disciples.  Today, however, the church seems content only to make believers.

Discipleship is predicated upon a relationship.  A disciple is known by the master he obeys.  No master---no discipleship. The masses of church-goers are divided into three primary camps:

1.    Those who attend church and never open a Bible and never attend a Bible study.  They basically warm a pew on Sunday and that is the sum total of their “Christian” experience.

2.    Those who attend church at every meeting opportunity available.  They genuinely pay attention to the sermon, surround themselves with friends comprised of members of their church; and they spend at least a few minutes reading the Scriptures on their own during the week.

3.    Those who attend church regularly and who aggressively study the Scriptures.  They may have special teachers they follow on television or in camp meetings and conventions.  They may focus on a particular venue of teachers, i.e., faith teachers, healing ministers, evangelical preachers, and Bible study teachers.

Do you notice what is missing from these three categories?  Where is the one who is known by his servanthood to Master Yahushua?  All three of the above categories of church-goers are “believers.”  They all subscribe to the Christian message and “culture,” but none would appear to have bowed their knees to a master.  Even the most aggressive student of the Scriptures is content to learn from multiple sources, retaining total control of his own life. 

When one chooses to learn a form of martial arts, one willingly takes on a master; and without resistance, obeys everything the master says to do because the objective is to become as proficient as the master at what he knows and what he does.  The instruction of the master is not questioned because a student does not necessarily understand the reasons behind the instruction until he has matured under his master’s teaching. I am reminded of a scene in the movie, The Karate Kid.  The aging master told his young student to wax his cars.  He showed him how to rub in the wax with a clock-wise circular motion with the right hand, then remove the wax to a fine polished shine with a counter-clockwise circular motion with the left hand.  “Wax on.  Wax off.”  The student did this begrudgingly thinking his master was taking advantage of him.  After waxing the cars, the master showed him that those two moves with his hands were fundamental in karate, and the exercise had provided him with the muscle memory to begin to develop the skill. 

Until one embraces a master, one may not be called a disciple.  Simply studying martial arts or any subject matter on one’s own, even if one has a singular source for information does not make one a disciple. 

Enter…the yoke.

Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

A yoke is an implement used to harness a beast and remove from it the option of self-will in order to accomplish a task that is desired by the owner of the yoke.  Notice that this yoke is forced upon no one.  Messiah said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me.”  It is for you to choose Messiah to be your Master and you to be his servant; and to willingly take his yoke upon you.  Once inside the yoke, you are no longer your own.  You no longer have the right of self-determination.  Your life is given to fulfill the purpose of the one holding the reins. 

2 Corinthians 5:14  For the love of Messiah constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
15  And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

1 Corinthians 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify Elohim in your body, and in your spirit, which are Elohim’s.

1 Corinthians 7:23  Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

1 Peter 4:1 Forasmuch then as Messiah hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of Elohim.

The truth of the gospel is that Messiah paid the penalty for our sins.  He died for us, in our place.  We can recognize that he has purchased us with his blood and embrace his yoke, now, and become his disciple and live the remainder of our life as his possession; or we can reject his yoke and merely believe in what he has done for us, and live our lives according to our own will. 

Knowing Messiah’s call to take up his yoke and learn of him and refusing to succumb to it comes with a price.

Acts 9:5, 26:14 "…it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks."

This was the Master’s message to Paul on the road to Damascus. The "pricks" refers to boards that were placed upon a plow behind the horse, mule or donkey that was yoked into the plow.  The boards had nails driven through them so that the sharp points (the pricks) extended through the side facing the animal.  When the animal would kick in resistance to pulling the plow, its hooves would strike against the pricks which would inflict pain.  It was a simple device installed to overcome the animal's rebellion against performing the task for which it was yoked.

Once one embraces the yoke of the Master, there is no more provision for resistance against the will of the Master without experiencing his discipline.  All such rebellious exercise only hurts us and diminishes our reward. Messiah explained this taking up his yoke in another way:

Matthew 16:24 Then said Yahushua unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

26  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

27  For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

Crucifixion was a statement.  It was a death penalty that communicated the guilty one was cursed of Elohim.  He was unworthy even to be put to death within the city.  When we take up the cross to come after Yahushua, we acknowledge the justness of the Father’s condemnation and sentence of death upon our natural lives.  It serves as ample motivation to “deny” ourself the luxury of following our own will.

Taking upon the yoke of Yahushua establishes the discipleship relationship.  The student bows to his Master and accepts servanthood as the cost of learning from the Master.  So, what is the first lesson of discipleship?

Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

The first thing we are to learn when we come under the yoke of Messiah is his meek and lowly heart.  This we will discuss next time.