DELIGHT IN IAUE

WBS.010

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

DELIGHT IN IAUE

Psalm 37:4  Delight thyself also in IAUE: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5  Commit thy way unto IAUE; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

This is our third lesson under the heading, “Fundamentals of Discipleship.”  Let’s quickly recap our first two.

1. The Right Attitude -  “I will bless IAUE at all times.  His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”  If we maintain this attitude, we are forced to evaluate all of the circumstances and events that occur in our life aware that IAUE is intimately involved in our life; and if He is, then the fleshly, self-focused perceptions we have been naturally inclined to engage no longer have place in our thinking.

You find out you were not invited to a party; but the rest of your friends were invited. 

-  Fleshly response:  “I am insulted.  Did they think I wouldn’t find out I was excluded?”   

-  Right attitude response:  “Thank you Father.  You always know where I should be and what I should be doing at all times.  Thank you for not allowing me this option that might have tempted me to go where you do not need me.  You are so good to me all the time.”

Your car breaks down while you are driving to work.

-  Fleshly response:  “Why did this have to happen to me?  This is going to cost me a lot of money to fix; and I am going to be very late getting to work.”

-  Right attitude response:  “Father, help me to be sensitive to what you are wanting to effect by this temporary inconvenience.  Perhaps the tow truck driver needs the money to take care of a need in his family; or my boss needs an opportunity to recognize how much value I bring to his business?  Maybe you just protected me from an accident just two blocks away.  Whatever it is, I know it is for good; and I thank you.”

If your first response to inconveniences or hardships focuses on yourself, you need to submit yourself to IAUE for instruction until you learn to bless Him at all times.  Paul said that IAUE “worketh all things according to the counsel of His own will” (Eph 1:22).  This being true; we may have confidence that everything that happens in our life has been secured to work within the Father’s will for our lives.  How can we not praise Him, then…in all things?  In the same epistle, Paul instructs that we should be “giving thanks always for all things unto Elohim and the Father in the name of our Master Yahushua Messiah.”  This attitude is absolutely a fundamental to being a disciple.  

2.  Bought with a Price – “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify Elohim in your body, and in your spirit, which are Elohim’s.”  This concept is integral to all that you will learn in your discipleship to Messiah.  If you think that you have retained your right to determine the course of your life, make your own decisions, do whatever appeals to you, you have bought into a religious culture.  You have not bowed your knee to the Master; because true faith is not the receiving of a free gift; it is in the rejection of your own life to become enslaved to the Master.  We, who are men and women of faith, are the purchased possession of Messiah.  He died to buy us out of the slave market of bondage to sin; that He might present us blameless to his Father.  He does not do that by leading a rabble of independent people in the general direction of his Father; but by training and orchestrating disciples who, responding to his every command, function as a single body.

With these two fundamentals in place, the way we read and understand Scripture will change.  For decades, it has been very popular to look at the Scriptures as an “owner’s manual” for how man can obtain a better life for himself.   You find “promises” made by IAUE and then hold Him to it; as though He works for us.  Case in point:

Psalm 37:4  Delight thyself also in IAUE: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5  Commit thy way unto IAUE; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

For much of the current “church,” this verse is like a pot of gold.  They read it like this:

“Go through the outward motions of looking like you are really committed to IAUE; act like He is your chief joy in life; and it is better if you can make others actually believe it is true.  When you have done that, IAUE becomes your genie in a bottle; and whatever you want, He will give it to you.”  They quote this verse in prayer when they tell Him what they want Him to give them to make sure He realizes He is on the hook for doing what He promised. 

This kind of thinking betrays the lack of repentance, the lack of servanthood, and the utter misunderstanding of what Messiah died to produce in us.  This is the thinking that permeates contemporary Christianity; and the sad thing is, pride and ego is so pervasive that it does not permit an honest self evaluation.

When the Scripture commands us to delight in IAUE, it means we are to come to know IAUE as intimately as possible so we might know and understand His attributes, and the way He is and wants to be toward us.  Like David said in an early Psalm:

Psalm 34:8  O taste and see that IAUE is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

When we pursue IAUE to know Him as He is, and we discover who He is, what He is, and how He is, we will discover that He is good; and He will become our greatest delight and our chiefest joy; and in everything we say and do we will seek to find as its purest objective the pleasing of Him.   Now, once we are at that place where we truly delight in IAUE; just what do you think the desires of our heart are going to be?  Do you really think they are going to be for a better job, better house, better car, better anything that is selfishly motivated?  No.  The desires which He will bring to pass are the desires that demonstrate our delight in Him…in other words, the desires of our heart will be the objectives of His will. 

Footnote:  If you have questions, or would like to interact regarding any of the posts in this blog, please feel free to email me: kaprion@gmail.com

BOUGHT WITH A PRICE

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FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

BOUGHT WITH A PRICE

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.

For decades, it has been in vogue to ask “What is the Spirit saying to the churches?”  It is true that there have been documentable waves of kindred messages that have swept simultaneously through the churches.  One in particular, I noticed reappearing every five years.  “Repent.”  The churches heard the Spirit speaking a call to repent, and they thought it was a call to take the gospel to the lost.  It wasn’t.  It was a call to repent…for the church to repent.

The reason the church persistently fails to understand the Spirit’s message to repent is due to its degradation of the gospel message.  As we have seen in a prior lesson, the gospel is a call to repent in preparation of the coming Kingdom.  The gospel is a command, not an invitation. The message preached, today, tells the lost, “God loves you.  He gave His Son to die for you.  He wants you to ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to accept His Son as your personal Lord and Savior.”  Even today, I have watched a variety of televised religious broadcasts and every one of them emphasizes that “God loves you.”

This message is not the gospel.  It is also not true.   Today’s gospel says, “God hates the sin but loves the sinner.”  The Scripture says:

Psalm 5:5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

The only book of the New Testament where we actually see the gospel being proclaimed is the Book of Acts; and guess what?  Not once is the word “love” found in the entire Book of Acts.  If proclaiming the love of Elohim is such an integral part of the gospel message to the world, one would expect to find mention of it repeatedly throughout the Book of Acts…but not once is it found there.  The reason we do not see “love” mentioned in this lone history book of the church age, but we find it over 80 times in Paul’s epistles (letters written to disciples), is because it is the children’s bread.  The treasures that belong to the children of Elohim belong to the children of Elohim.  The message to those who are not yet born of Elohim is “repent.” 

Why is this so critical?  When a person enters the “Christian culture” by accepting an invitation to be loved and forgiven by Elohim, and to be promised an eternity with Him, he is given the impression that it is all about him.  It produces a sense of self-importance; and he is given no reason to repent or to cease having confidence in his own flesh.  With this traditional message he is lead to believe he is eternally secure in his heavenly destination; and that his sins are all forgiven past, present and future, that he can never do anything ever again that is not automatically forgiven; he need never obey the Master in any aspect of life.  It would not be unlike my offering to hire you for a job; and telling you that you will always be well-paid, you can never be fired; and you can never be penalized for a poor work product or for how many hours you work, or if you even show up for work at all.  The only thing that would motivate you to do a good job would be your own sense of right and wrong.   My sense of right and wrong in your employment performance would not be the deciding factor.  I would have given all the power to you, to do as you please.

When a person responds to the true gospel, the command to repent, he understands that it is all about Elohim; and that there is nothing within himself upon which to have confidence.  In fact, to respond to the command to repent necessitates the end of self-importance, self-reliance, self-determination, etc. 

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.

The contemporary gospel message produces “believers” who are free to do as they please. The true gospel produces “disciples” who know they are no longer their own; they have been purchased by the blood of Yahushua Messiah.  They have acknowledged that they have been the enemies of IAUE, and that they deserved the punishment that was received in their place by Messiah.  Their lives are now the property of the buyer.  If one does not want to lose his life to obey the will of another, he simply refuses to repent and remains the enemy of IAUE.  Alternatively, he can accept the free invitation that is preached by contemporary ministries and become a believer and join the Christian culture.

Repentance does not come easily to a believer.  There is too much doctrinal interference.  Like the illustration above regarding the job without boundaries, Christians must have a reason to do what is right; because what is pleasing to the flesh is more desirable than the sacrifice of obedience to another’s will.  When they believe they are secure in their “salvation,” there must be a powerful motive to overcome the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes and the pride of live (1 John 2:16).  They often find themselves living a “balanced life.”  They give occasion to sin for awhile; then compensate with spiritual activities until they no longer feel the guilt and conviction of their sins.  This is acceptable living for most Christians; and despite the occasional sermon that contradicts such living, even the ministers live this way.  It is the natural by-product of accepting an invitation, of embracing the Christian culture without genuine repentance.

Disciples are borne of repentance.  Obedience to the Master is their expectation.  The thought of disobedience activates the fear of IAUE, and that fear overrides the desire to disobey.  Disciples understand they have been bought with a price and their lives no longer belong to themselves.  This consciousness of being owned by Elohim must permeate one’s life. 

A question I have asked many Bible study groups through the years illustrates this concept.  I pose the option of two job offers.  One job pays $75,000.00/year in an office with a view.  It comes with vacation time, and medical benefits.  A second job pays $35,000.00/year in a cubicle. It has little vacation time and no benefits.  The question is, “Which job do you take?”  Invariably, everyone chooses the higher paying job.  That is a perfectly acceptable answer for a believer; but it is the wrong answer for a disciple.  A disciple’s answer is, “Whichever job the Master tells me to take.”  When you truly understand that your life is no longer yours to control, you understand that even a job which will “better your life” is not yours to choose independently of the direction of your Master.

I have heard some react almost violently to my explanation of this scenario.  They dispute the idea that Elohim would not want them to have the better job.  It is then that I tell them that the person who will respond to the gospel only from YOU works in the next cubicle in the lesser paying job.  If you take the higher paying job, you essentially condemn the worker at the other job site.  Alternatively, the higher paying job might be for a company that will cease to exist in six months.  You don’t know that, but the Master does.  Additionally, the lower paying job might be in a position that would propel you into a position that exceeds the value of the other job.  The point is, we do not know best how to direct our lives.  We do not have the information that is available to Elohim. 

If we recognize that we have been bought with a price and are no longer our own; we belong to another; we will learn the wisdom of obedience to the Master in ALL things.  This is a fundamental of genuine discipleship.

THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

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FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

Psalm 34:1 I will bless IAUE at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Discipleship---What is it?  How do you know it when you see it?  A genuine disciple of anything/anyone is someone who studies what they teach, learns it to the best of their abilities, endeavors to reproduce in their own lives what they see and admire in their “master,” and attempts to pass on the joy of their relationship and experience with their master to others.  It changes the way they talk.

Consider anyone you have ever known who has become truly enamored with someone or something.  It is all they watch, study, learn, and talk about.  Sometimes you wish they would just shut up or at least talk about something else for a change.  The problem is, they have given themselves wholly to that thing or person, and it has become all consuming.  They would find discussing almost anything else a matter of insignificance, and even find it perplexing that you are not equally fascinated. 

A boy with his first girlfriend talks of nothing else but her.  All of his life’s experiences are now seen as through her eyes.  A techno-nerd with the latest “gizmo” or the next advance in computer technology is consumed by it and it is all he can talk about.  Both of them have a new vocabulary that distinguishes them from the “ordinary” person, and unless you are one of the “extraordinary,” their speech only demonstrates to you something you do not have.   

A disciple of Messiah is wholly given to Him.  He esteems every word from his lips.  He watches the way the Master moves, the way he acts, the way he reacts, the things he does, the things he doesn’t do, in order to evaluate and understand the nature of his life in action, in order to learn and to absorb every single bit of it; and he cannot keep from speaking of it.  It pours out like an over-filled glass.  “His cup runneth over.”

You can tell a lot about the measure of a person’s discipleship to Yahushua by the words he/she speaks.  Worldly speech and common emotion-driven reactions to things in life only reveal that they have nothing different than you have and clearly are not learning from the one who is meek and lowly in heart.  It is when the words do not match the person’s experience that something beyond the ordinary is revealed; and which demonstrates the distinguishing mark of genuine discipleship.  When insults, abuse, mistreatment, burdens, hardships, afflictions, wrongful attitudes assail and the words from your mouth are blessing and praise to IAUE (not through gritted teeth), your life demands others to take note that you have been with Elohim.  Remember Paul and Silas in jail in Philippi, having had their backs opened with stripes?  At midnight they sang and gave praise to Elohim.  The manifestation of the life of the Master within them was responsible for the divine rescue of the jailer and his entire household (Acts 16).

When one blesses IAUE at all times; and His praise is continually in his mouth, there is no opportunity to speak evil of another, to criticize or to complain, or to “speak one’s mind” about something that is deemed insulting or demeaning.  When even in those circumstances, blessing and praise comes out of the mouth, genuine discipleship is revealed; and the fragrance of the joy of the Kingdom of Elohim disseminates like bait to a world of fishes.

2 Corinthians 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of Elohim, and not of us.

What flows out of our lives naturally by the Spirit is perceived by the world as something extra-human.  Our lives, the way we live them, are expected to be understood as manifesting something of the divine.  Our lives are not supposed to be lived just like everyone else’s, and the only difference between us and those without the Master is what we believe; and one of the most “sure-fired” ways for this to be evident is when blessing and praise of IAUE are continually in our mouth.

It is fairly easy to implement this as a matter of practice; because it is something you can “do” as opposed to something you must “be.”  Remember the law could regulate only the outward behavior---something you could do.  It could not regulate the inner man of the heart---something you must be.  It is appropriate to implement into our lives something we have learned while still in pursuit of the “revelation” of that truth…to behave in accordance with doctrine learned while awaiting the revelation of the Spirit that makes such behavior the natural manifestation of the life borne within. 

In other words, practice this.  Become mentally conscious of your words.  When occasion arises (and it will, frequently) to speak negatively about someone, to criticize someone, to complain about your job, your car, your finances, your spouse, your children, your friends, your life in general, praise IAUE instead.  Give no occasion for flesh-driven speech to pass through your lips.  This is something you can consciously do.  At first, you may see it as just an experiment on your part; but the longer you regulate your speech in this manner, the more revelation will come to you bringing you life, such that blessing and praise will become natural to express what the Master has done on the inside of you.

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.

We have been bought with a price. We are no longer our own.  One died for us so that we who live would no longer live for ourselves; but would live for the one who died for us.  That is the great exchange of the disciple’s life.

Philippians 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

It is critical that we understand that as a disciple, we do not have the liberty of exercising even our own thought life as we please.  We are completely and utterly the Master’s possession.  Thoughts that wander off into fleshly regions, whether that be of “the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16), or thoughts of resentment, anger, frustration, haughtiness, etc., are unacceptable to the Master.  Such thoughts are symptoms of subversion.  Yes, allowing such a thought life to exist, to contemplate our own plans, our own attitudes, our own objectives, is to develop rebellion against the King and his kingdom.  No man can serve two masters.

2 Corinthians 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of Elohim, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Messiah;

Romans 8:6   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 that is not brought into captivity to the obedience to the Master is a mind that is an enemy to the kingdom; because, ultimately, it does not recognize the authority of the King, nor his right to rule over you.   It is imperative that “believers” realize that they have not simply received a free gift and are awaiting the date upon which it may be collected…pie in the sky bye and bye.  If we have “accepted” Messiah, we have embraced a King; and if a King, then we become His servant in every meaning of the word.

Like “the Lists” in a previous lesson, endeavoring to bless IAUE at all times; and letting His praise continually be in our mouths, will be very self-revealing.  It will demonstrate to ourselves how much of our heart really belongs to the Master, and how thoroughly (or not) our knee is bowed to his authority.  These are important lessons to be learned early in our adventure as disciples of Yahushua Messiah.