What is the Cost of Discipleship....

In our society, a reprobate theology is being put forward that says you can be a Christian and never have to worry about being committed. There are some that think you can be a Christian and not even be a disciple. 

Beginning in Luke 9:57, the Lord is speaking about discipleship and its cost. He says this: “And as they were going along the road, someone said to Him, ‘I’ll follow You wherever You go.’  And Jesus said, ‘The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’  And He said to another, ‘Follow Me.’  But he said, ‘Permit me first to go and bury my father.’  But He said to him, ‘Allow the dead to bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the Kingdom of God.’ And another also said, ‘I will follow You, Lord, but first permit me to say goodbye to those at home.’  But Jesus said to him, ‘Not one after putting his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the Kingdom of Heaven.’” 

What is a disciple?  Is it something different than a Christian?  It’s clear in the Bible that Jesus calls men to follow Him.  Discipleship is more than just being a studious learner in a Bible study group and attending praise and worship on Sunday or being a timely volunteer. Its more than having a 'personal' relationship with Christ (He's my Jesus); its about going out into all the world proclaiming His name and making disciples of Christ through the Gospel of Christ.  Its following Him to the point where you would go as far as death out of love for Him.  

The call that Jesus gave was a call to follow Him, its a call to submission, a call to obedience.  It was never a whimsical plea as to make some kind of momentary decision to acquire forgiveness and peace and heaven, and then go on living anyway you wanted.  

Discipleship is this: Follow Jesus. How do you do that? Do as He did: proclaim the Gospel, forgive, love and believe... Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." John 6:29. God who is the Creator of all things seen and unseen. 

In Matthew, chapter 10:32, “Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will confess him before My Father who is heaven.  But whosoever shall deny Me before men, I will deny before My Father who is in heaven.  Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword.  I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.  He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.  He who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it.”
 
A Christian is a disciple and every Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ.  Some of us are following more faithfully than others, but every true believer has committed himself or herself to follow Jesus Christ which is first and foremost to share the Gospel.  

We do not believe that you can be a follower of Jesus and not be a real Christian.  But, we suppose that you could follow along without having a changed heart, and say, “Lord, Lord,” and He would say, “I never knew you.”  

We don’t follow perfectly, but we don’t follow out of our own will and our own flesh; we follow because God in His sovereign grace transformed us into followers; a  working grace in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is how we are called to make disciples! In Mark 16:15, He said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”  Matthew says make disciples, Mark says preach the gospel because they’re one and the same.  “And he who has believed and been baptized shall be saved.” ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ ~ Luke 24:47.

So believer, disciple, Christian ... spread the Gospel going out into all the world and make disciples.

Looking again at Luke 9:57, "As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 

Know this... Christ first gave the call; he said to him, Follow me. Religion teaches us to be kind and good, to show piety at home, and to honor our parents; but we must not make these an excuse for neglecting our duty to God. Our willingness to follow Christ, means we have to forgo worldly concerns.

You see, No one can do any kind of business in a proper manner, if he is attending to other things. Those who begin with the work of God, must resolve to go on, or they will make nothing of it. Looking back, leads to drawing back, and drawing back is to perdition. Only the one who endures to the end shall be saved... giving up all for His sake and never looking back.  

Its the Gospel that makes disciples... we who have been transformed by the Gospel introduce others for it is the Word of God "the Gospel' which makes disciples. We make disciples by introducing the Good News which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Being a Christian means being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Jesus calls us to go out and make disciples; tell people the Gospel of Jesus Christ "the Good News" that which is Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ our Redeemer...

In 1 Timothy 2: 15, we are told that a woman is saved by childbearing if she remains in faith, love, holiness and self control. For the last three blog posts, we have discussed this as the most important role for women.

But, what if a woman, or if a man and woman together as parents, decide for an abortion, or even just think about abortion as a means to get out of their Godly role in this fallen world, can they be forgiven? Yes, if we seek to be forgiven.

Jesus Christ died for the sinner! He bore our iniquity on the cross. Jesus Christ can forgive all sin no matter how terrible as long as the sinner confesses his/her sin. We must come to Christ in all humility and repent and ask for Him for forgiveness. 

We should never think we can hide our sin for it is known to Him. So, don't hide it.  Confess your sin and be forgiven, and receive salvation. 

Jesus Christ is our redeemer! He paid it all and for that sacrifice we should be humble, fearful knowing that He is an awesome God. So great is His love that we can be afraid of such powerful love and never think we are undeserving of it.

Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. Now hold on to your freedom and don't ever become slaves of the Law again ~ Galatians 5:1.

Galatians 5:1-6 we come to understand that Christ will not be the Savior of any who will not own and rely upon him as their only Savior. Let us take heed to the warnings and persuasions of the apostle to steadfastness in the doctrine and liberty of the gospel. All true Christians, being taught by the Holy Spirit, wait for eternal life, the reward of righteousness, and the object of their hope, as the gift of God by faith in Christ; and not for the sake of their own works. 

The Jewish convert might observe the ceremonies or assert his liberty, the Gentile might disregard them or might attend to them, provided he did not depend upon them. No outward privileges or profession will avail to acceptance with God, without sincere faith in our Lord Jesus. 

True faith is a working grace; it works by love to God, and to our brethren. May we be of the number of those who, through the Spirit, wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. The danger of old was not in things of no consequence in themselves, as many forms and observances now are. But without faith working by love, all else is worthless, and compared with it other things are of small value. Matthew Henry

Women are Saved in Childbearing ~ Part III

Satan has stolen the mother/child sanctity for his own plan in this fallen world. He draws us away from the worship of God and makes it into the worship of the creation rather than the Creator. Even after the Fall, Eve understood that though she participated in creation (giving birth to a human being) she knew that was only possible through the Lord God.

Oh how sad that we have fallen further into Satan's tactic by worshiping the creation, the woman first and putting the child second. Satan has caused women to think of themselves first as a 'goddesses' in control of their own bodies who can do what they please with their body. Satan has a long term plan in this which is to discard the child altogether. And, don't we see that happening.

1 Timothy 2:15 God reminds women that childbearing is the most important role for women in this fallen world in terms of their salvation. This scripture along with all the other scriptures we pointed in the last blog reminds women who is in control of their bodies and their purpose here in this fallen world.

Reading Psalm 139: 13-16 ~ For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be. 

We live, move and have our being in Him ~ Acts 17:28

1 Corinthians 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it.

Ephesians 1:22
And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church,

Ephesians 1:23
which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 2:21
In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

Ephesians 4:16
From Him the whole body is fitted and held together by every supporting ligament; and as each individual part does its work, the body grows and builds itself up in love.

Colossians 1:18
And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.

Colossians 2:18-19...a man is puffed up without basis by his unspiritual mind, and he loses connection to the head, from whom the whole body, supported and knit together by its joints and ligaments, grows as God causes it to grow.

Yes, we are not just a body of flesh that 'evolved' from a single cell in a pond, we are  spiritual beings inasmuch as we have a real body of flesh that houses the spirit. And, bringing more human beings into this fallen world (through a man and woman as husband and wife and her childbearing) reconnects us with the Creator and His Will which according to His design is necessary for overcoming this fallen world.

Women are Saved in Childbearing ~ Part II

Women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty ~ 1 Timothy 2:15.

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.” ~ Genesis 4:1

The angel of the LORD also said to her: "You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery ~ Genesis 16:11.

And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. So she laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?” And the LORD asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really bear a child when I am old?’…~ Genesis 18:11-13.

Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him ~ Genesis 21:2.

Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant ~ Genesis 25:21

We can find further understanding of 1 Timothy 2:15 in the Word of God that concerns women who were like Sarah in that they were concerned that they might not ever have a child. There was Hannah and Elizabeth the mother of  John the Baptist and we can include Rachael as well. When Rachel saw that she was not bearing any children for Jacob, she envied her sister. “Give me children, or I will die!” she said to Jacob ~ Genesis 30:1.

There were many women in the Bible who conceived and bore a child and through that experience came to know the meaning of their womanhood (as a created being now in a fallen world) which is found in motherhood and its holiness; and so, they in that revelation believed in the Creator and sought from Him either of these or all: mercy and compassion and salvation: Hagar, Rebecca, Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas who gave birth to a son, and the mother of Samson i.e.

Now, there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children. The Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son [Samson] ~ Judges 13:2-3.

Mary's Song, "For the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is His name" ~ Luke 1:49. What does Mary's song mean and in context of the previous scriptures?

It is very good for those who have the work of grace begun in their souls, to communicate one to another. On Mary's arrival, Elisabeth was conscious of the approach of her who was to be the mother of the great Redeemer. At the same time she was filled with the Holy Ghost, and under his influence declared that Mary and her expected child were most blessed and happy, as peculiarly honored of and dear to the Most High God.

Mary, animated by Elisabeth's address, and being also under the influence of the Holy Ghost, broke out into joy, admiration, and gratitude. She knew herself to be a sinner who needed a Savior, and that she could no otherwise rejoice in God than as interested in his salvation through the promised Messiah. 

Those who see their need of Christ, and are desirous of righteousness and life in him, he fills with good things, with the best things; and they are abundantly satisfied with the blessings he gives. He will satisfy the desires of the poor in spirit who long for spiritual blessings, while the self-sufficient shall be sent empty away. Matthew Henry

Women are Saved by Childbearing ~ Part I

1 Timothy 2:15 

New Living Translation
But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.

English Standard Version
Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

Berean Study Bible
Women, however, will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

New American Standard Bible
But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.

King James Bible
Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

Yes, the 'if' clause comes second in 1 Timothy 2:15. This does not devalue the emphasis on the first part of the statement which is written in present future tense. Yes, God sent His Son because He so loved the world John 3:16. If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved ~ Romans 10:9. 

But, women have a great responsibility in their role in this fallen world which they were a part of bring down. We are to bring children into this role as our role in this fallen world in order to overcome this world. So... in regards to our body - Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness ~ Romans 6:13
   
In Timothy, we are understand that we as women bear the punishment and stigma of Eve's deception and fall. We are saved or 'freed' from that stigma by raising godly children and living our lives in a godly way. Child bearing is an important aspect of our salvation! ~ Elizabeth George

Happy Mother's Day ~ Ruth at the feet of Boaz...

At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman!

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I am your servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, for you are a kinsman-redeemer. ”

Then Boaz said, “May the LORD bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now do not be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you whatever you request, since all my fellow townspeople know that you are a woman of noble character ~ Ruth 3:8-11.

This story of Ruth and Boaz is meant to illustrate the most important prophetic event... that of Mary submitting to the Lord. It was through her submission that God became incarnate. Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ (God incarnate) who became our Redeemer. The bread of life, the light of the world.

This was only was made possible out of Mary's submission and complete trust in the Lord God. Its not the kind of 'submission' that most people (women) think of. It is about obeying the hierarchy of God in this fallen world so that His Will be done, not ours! 

Sadly, not many women seek to do the Will of God. They want to live according to their own idea of righteousness, control their own bodies, lives, and even change their sex...Women need to ask themselves today, am I doing God's Will?

Thank God that Mary answered that call (a woman that was called blessed among women); yes, Mary was a godly woman! 

"In a loud voice she [Elizabeth to Mary] exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!" Luke 1:42

Thank your mother this weekend for hearing the call to God's design for this fallen world. "Women, however, will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control" ~ 1 Timothy 2:15.



*Above print is by Marc Chagall ~ Ruth at the Feet of Boaz! 1960

In Christ, we lack no good thing...

In the Bible, the poor are often understood to be God's chosen people because they are poor... and they are His chosen because they are poor in spirit. But, we are not to assume that the 'poor' are the righteous in that being poor is both a virtue and noble. Jesus never said that the rich cannot be born again. Abraham was rich land owner and so was Job...

Yes, its harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom because he often puts his mind on the material things of his life. But even a poor man can be just as materialistic... just by looking for someone else to bail them out or to blame for their poverty.

When you look at the world, often people in dire straits get themselves there through sin: drugs, alcohol, greed, and ignorance. If being poor was the means by which God intended for us to be saved then why send His Son to die for us... God could just saved all the poor as they perished in this fallen world... since they were already righteous.

So, how are we to understand the book of James? A Warning against Favoritism ~ James 2:1-3, My brothers, as you hold out your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you lavish attention on the man in fine clothes and say, “Here is a seat of honor,” but say to the poor man “You must stand,” or, “Sit at my feet,”…

You see, every man in this fallen world is born poor in spirit. A man must be born again, born in the spirit. Given that truth, The poor can be any one or all of these: healthy, wealthy, unhealthy, or impoverished...

In James 2, by pointing the rich man being given the better seat, we suppose that he has the 'better spirit' when in fact he may not. But, he may as well. Showing no favoritism means to suppose that all are poor in spirit, because that is the truth in a fallen world and why God sent His Son to save it.

Of course, we are never to overlook anyone we see suffering in spiritual poverty and when someone is in need of food and clothes, those who are already born again in the Spirit, will gladly give to them what is needed so that the person receiving will also become born again in Christ Jesus. 

And certainly for all brothers and sisters in Christ (born again), it is a 'no brainer' that we reach out to them when they lack a necessity (food/clothes) reminding and encouraging them that in Christ they lack no good thing.