CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP - PART 4 ? - by Leland Earls

CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP - Part 4 - by Leland Earls

[posted by Joel Jones with permission from Word of Life Fellowship (see www.wordoflifefellowship.com for contact info. with Kevin Earls who has stewardship of the late Leland Earls' writings.
See also www.firstloveministry.com for more online publishings of Leland Earls writings.]

This is the second part in a study on "Discipleship". The term "disciple" appears in the New Testament about 250 times, the term "believer" about 12 times, and the term "Christian" only 3 times. So we can see the importance that Jesus and the early church placed on discipleship.

In part one, we saw that a "disciple" is a pupil or learner -- one who has placed himself under the tutelage of another, to be disciplined in a way of life. It was understood by those who had accepted Jesus as their Messiah and Savior in the life of the early church that they were the followers of THE WAY, and the followers of Christ were frequently referred to as a part of this "way" (Acts 9:2, 19:9, 23, 22:4, 24:14, 22). We saw in our last study that accepting Jesus as our Savior is only the "entrance gate" into Kingdom citizenship. But to ENTER INTO and BENEFIT from the greater blessings and rewards of that Kingdom, discipleship is a necessity. "Eternal life" is a free gift (Rom. 6:23), received by faith (Ephes. 2:8), and implies nothing more than the restoration of that which Adam lost on this earth. Beyond that, the Lord has great "vistas" of "sonship" responsibility, blessings, authority, and glory that are so vast in scope that the average Christian has but faint conception, or even a gross misconception. As I continue this study on "Discipleship", I think you will realize that this teaching complements and "fits" right into the lessons I have been giving on the "overcoming life" called "Names of Tribes on Gates of Pearl." It will be incorporated into those lessons when finished and put together into booklet form.

In the last study, I presented first (1) The Perspective of Discipleship; then (2) The Position of Discipleship; and then I was in the midst of presenting (3) The Purposes of Discipleship, of which there are several. I had presented the following purposes of Discipleship based on Jesus' words in Mt. 11:29 (1) To get "yoked up" to Jesus Christ, even as He was "yoked" to the Father, that we might become "meek" even as He was "meek"; (2) To "learn of Christ" by diligently studying His Word -- the Scriptures. We saw that such "learning" necessitated the quality of "humility", even as Jesus was "humble" (lowly in heart). We also saw that that the New Testament links humility with the "grace" of God (James 4:6, I Pet. 5:5). It is only through God's supernatural grace (favor) that we are given the "spirit of wisdom and revelation in the (full) knowledge of Christ" (Ephes. 1:17) that we might understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45).

There are many aspects of humility, but there were three that I said I wanted to emphasize: (1) Our willingness to be "teachable"; (2) Our desperate need; and (3) Honesty. Last time I partially covered the first: "a teachable spirit". I said that there were three hindrances to most people, even Christians, to being truly teachable. I commented on the first: (1) Too much secular (humanistic) education; and I will now proceed to the second: (2) Too much religious tradition. Someone has said that "tradition sticks worse than sin". Jesus found it impossible to "get truth" into the heads of the vast majority of the religious leaders of His day because they were "bound" by their false religious traditions. Perceiving their total unwillingness to abandon their traditions, and "hear" the Word of God, He castigated them severely as we read in Mark 7:7-8, 13: "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the traditions of men. . . making the Word of God of none effect through your traditions." Even Jesus' own disciples, who were committed to Him, were so tradition-bound, that Jesus had extreme difficulty in getting them to understand that HIS Kingdom was NOT to be after the carnal, materialistic, even militaristic-conquering Kingdom, with a "swashbuckler" kind of Messiah, after the fashion of their great "hero-king" David, who was a great military leader, conquering all their enemies and establishing an outward kingdom of great "pomp and splendor". The disciples were sure, after seeing the demonstrations of His mighty miracle-working power, that Jesus would, in time, take up the sword, rally the multitudes, drive out the Romans, and restore the Davidic throne, taking the "scepter" of rulership, and sitting down on an earthly throne in Jerusalem,. This is why Peter had the audacity to rebuke Jesus for saying that He was going to Jerusalem to DIE (Mt. 16:21-23), for Peter's traditional concept of the Kingdom had no place for a dead Messiah.

It is beyond the scope of this study to deal at length with the intriguing issue of Jesus' teaching anew of His disciples through much patience, repetition, even sharp rebuke at times, etc., but simply to make the point that their traditional religious concepts had to be changed, and that was no easy task, even for the very Son of God, As a matter of fact, it was not until after Jesus was raised from the dead, that the disciples began to recall many of the truths that He taught, enabling them to understand that He came to establish a spiritual Kingdom, which first had to take "root" in the human heart (through the power of divine regeneration --being "born anew" from above by the Spirit -- John 3: 3-6) before it could be manifested outwardly in ever widening circles of influence.

If you are perceptive, you no doubt already know the point I now want to make. Is human nature any different today than it was in Jesus' day? Are people any less "bound" by religious traditions today than in the day that Jesus almost vainly sought to penetrate the "tradition-clogged" minds of those to whom He was sent? I doubt that we need to argue that our multitudinous denominations, sects, and religious organizations of various kinds, with many divergent beliefs, attest to the fact that we are as "tradition-bound" as the generation to which Jesus came.

Yes, religious tradition, which can vary from outright falsehood and error to a mixture of truth and error, can definitely be a hindrance to having a "teachable spirit". It has been my experience that those who make the most rapid advance in truth and vital, spirit-quickened, realities are those who have had no church background or religious training of any "kind. This is because their minds were not "cluttered" with a lot of things to unlearn. It is a fact, that the hardest part of learning is the task of unlearning that which has become so entrenched in the human mind. I speak from personal experience! I won't belabor the details, but how I praise the Lord that because of a hunger for truth from my youth, and because of the willingness (by God's grace) to make the sacrifices necessary to "loose" myself from the necessity of having to "conform" to the indoctrination received through 7 years of schooling to be accepted for pastoral ministry within a certain religious group, I am now (and have been for a number of years) FREE to sit at the "feet of Jesus" and learn from Him, as He "quickens" His Word by the Holy Spirit. What a JOY to seek and "fall in LOVE" with TRUTH -- to become literally "ecstatic" with God's wondrous plan for man and this earth -- to literally BEHOLD how ALL "facets" of His planning and working FIT TOGETHER in a SYMPHONY of "beauty" that both staggers and elates the mind, and causes one's heart to bow in humble awe and adoration before our indescribably wonderful heavenly Father, and His glorious Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Finally, I want to mention a third factor that hinders a "teachable spirit". It is simply "carnality" within the human heart, which is, again, directly related to pride. People just hate to admit that they have been wrong. I can't give all the possible reasons for this, but I'm sure you are well acquainted with the innate stubbornness of human nature which automatically tends to resist change in traditional habit-patterns of thinking and acting. Some may not want to "lose face" with friends, relatives, or those with whom they are associated. Some may love the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:43). Among pastors and other church officials, peer pressure is a powerful force, as the tendency is to "thrive" on the honor given and received from one another. In the light of this, Jesus profound statements in John 5:41 & 44: "I do not receive honor from men. . . How can you believe, when you receive honor from one another, and do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?”, become a serious warning. Another factor among church leaders is security of position. Jewish religious leaders rejected Jesus, not so much for what He taught (although that was a significant consideration) but because of their fear of losing their coveted positions which gave them their security. Listen to their fears: "If we let Him (Jesus) go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation" (John 11:48)

Another factor relating to carnality that hinders "teachableness" is the fact that most people believe what they want to, based upon the kind of life they want to live. Someone has said that "a person's morality dictates their theology." God help such! They are deceived and blinded by their own selfish pride! Whether "high society" or "low society", people tend to "gravitate" to that which "suits their style". Man are church members, but not even saved. Some are saved, but in the "baby", "carnal" state described by Paul in I Cor. 3:1-3. And there they "stagnate" -- pretty much left to "do their own thing". Fed a little "milk" once a week (or less, if their attendance is not regular), they become a spectacle of "anemia" and much of the time a disgrace to the cause of Christ. As a whole, the church has committed "high treason" against the HEAD (Jesus Christ) in not carrying out His commission to "MAKE DISCIPLES". When we come to the parts in this study where I deal with the "priorities of discipleship" and the "proofs of discipleship", the GRAVITY of this situation will become more apparent. Christians have not been challenged! They have been pampered! Generally (this is not a wholesale indictment -- there are notable exceptions) "men of the cloth" have been more interested in promoting their reputation, building their churches (in size and numbers), pleasing their denominational superiors, climbing the "ladder" of success to larger and better paid pulpits, and seeking to please men (Gal. 1:1), than in PROMOTING THE INTERESTS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. In the pulpits there are too many "PARROTS" and not enough "PROPHETS”!

But thank God there is a "stir" in the land. Increasing numbers of people are becoming dissatisfied with the fact that they are not being FED; nor taught how to get into the Word and "feed themselves." There is a tremendous HUNGER for LIVING TRUTH -- "fresh bread from the ovens of God". God is shedding forth His light as never before, and those who want reality, and their lives to be changed, are coming to that light (see John 3:19-21). More "seekers" are discovering that ONLY Christ and His "living Word" can satisfy the desires of the heart. You can find a measure of fulfillment in personal relationships and mater¬ial things, but truly satisfying and ULTIMATE fulfillment can ONLY come through finding your "delight" in a personal, living relationship to Jesus Christ. He will give you every desire of your heart when you start "delighting" yourself in Him (Ps. 37:4), for He will even change some of your desires. If you are unhappy, I can guarantee that you are trying to find fulfillment in someone or something other than the Lord Himself. And that fulfillment cannot be complete without coming to know Him more intimately through His 3 and His Spirit. Jesus said, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit (quickened) and they are LIFE" (John 6:63). Studying the Word of God is like a treasure-hunt. Col. 2:3 declares that in Christ "are HID ALL THE TREASURES OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE." "Hid" -- yes, but READY TO BE REVEALED to YOU when you take your discipleship seriously enough to search and "dig" into the Word. Ah, beloved, the "gems" that you will "uncover" will delight your heart as they "sparkle" in the "sunlight" of GOD' S LOVE FOR YOU. You will also rejoice in articles and studies written and sent out by "scribes" instructed in the things of the Kingdom of God who are able to bring out of God's "storehouse" TREASURES NEW and OLD (Mt. 13:52). Do I hear any JOY-SHOUTS? When they come you might have to explain to your neighbor; wouldn't that be great!

Now back to "humility" -- the KEY to "learning of (from) Jesus". I said I wanted to impress upon you three important aspects of humility. I just finished the first: a teachable spirit, and also commented on three hindrances to having a teachable spirit: too much secular (humanistic) education, too much religious tradition, and too much carnality within the heart. The second important aspect of "humility" that I want to emphasize is: "our desperate need". Before focusing in on our desperate need to "learn of Jesus", I will make a few general remarks. A "proud" person usually feels self-sufficient -- he is so often "blind" to desperate needs in his spiritual life. And who among us can say that we have no pride? I remember the story of some Christians who were kneeling in prayer at the altar preceding a church service. A young man was praying over and over again, "Lord, keep me humble". His words were over-heard by an older and much wiser sister in the Lord who was kneeling next to him. She leaned over and whispered in his ear: "Young men, you should be praying, 'Lord, make me humble'; for when you pray, 'Lord, keep me humble', you are assuming that you are already fully humble." You and I know that no matter how much we seek to humble ourselves before the Lord, there are still areas of pride that we are not aware of. Therefore God has to take us through experiences that humble us. Every one of you can remember experiences that caused you to think to yourself, even to confess to someone: "what an humbling experience that was"!

As we said before, pride "blinds"; but humility causes us to "see" our desperate need. I am deliberately using the word "desperate" because I believe our need is that serious. We have a desperate need to "learn of" (and "from") Jesus, if we are not to remain "stagnant" or even "regress" in our Christian life. Only as we continue to learn, grow, overcome, incorporate and apply the principles of the Kingdom of Christ can we reap the blessings and benefits that God has for us, as well as preparing ourselves for "usefulness" in the Kingdom, both now and in the age to come. We are now determining our FUTURE DESTINY AND GLORY (beyond just "salvation") by what we do with the time and opportunities we have. We need to get our minds and hearts "saturated" with the Spirit-quickened -- "living" WORD OF GOD. How else can God "write" His spiritual LAWS upon our minds and hearts, which is the essence and purpose of the "New Covenant" -- see Heb. 8:10, 10:16.

All through the Bible there is a parallel between the natural and the spiritual. As a matter of fact, all natural things are TYPES of spiritual truths and realities. God made them that way to help get simple truths through our stupid heads. So I will take some very simple natural illustrations to help us to see our desperate need to "get INTO the Word of God", and "get the Word of God INTO us." I know this will seem elementary to some of you, but bear with me while I get this point across for those who NEED it. It doesn't take long for you to go without food to realize that you are hungry, and if are without food for many days, you are very much aware of your desperate need to feed your body in order to live. When you receive Christ and are "born anew" within, NEW LIFE, and a "new creation" has begun WITHIN you by the power of the Divine Life-seed of Christ. That new life needs to grow and develop -- changing you from within into the very likeness of Jesus Christ -- from glory to glory (II Cor. 5:17, 3:18). That new life needs to be FED with the WORD OF GOD. There is the "milk" of the Word for new "babes" in Christ to grow by; there is the "bread" of the Word to BUILD spiritual strength and character; there is the "meat" of the Word in order to MATURE and progress DEEPER into Christ and develop that WISDOM which will enhance your usefulness in His service (see I Pet. 2:2, John 6:32-35, 48. I Cor. 3:2, Heb. 5:13-14). The WORD is also said to be "sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb (Ps. 19:10), because it truly delights the heart. Jeremiah said, "Thy words were found, and I did EAT them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart '" (Jer. 15:16).

There are so many symbols of the Word of God taken from nature and from the types of the Old Testament, that it would take pages to deal with them all, so I am going to limit myself to just a couple more illustrations to get my point across -- the importance of "learning from Jesus" through HIS WORD, besides food, as illustrated above, the Word of God is likened to WATER (John 15:3, Ephes. 5:26). Now, beloved, if you are in your right faculties, no one has to tell you when your body has collected enough dirt and un-cleanness that you need to take a bath or shower. And how good it feels afterwards to feel clean and refreshed. Spiritually, as we read and meditate in the Word of God, it WASHES us WITHIN from the "filth" and "uncleanness" of this world. In the New Testament, the word "walk" is used to symbolize, the manner or way in which we LIVE our Christian life -- in thought, motive and conduct. We are instructed to "walk by faith, not by sight" (II Cor. 5:7), "walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4), "walk honestly, as in the day" (Rom. 13:13), "walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16, see also Rom. 8: 1,4), "walk in good works. . . for we are God's workmanship" (Ephes. 2:10), "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called" (Ephes. 4:1, see I Thess. 2:12, 4:7, II Thess. 2:14), "walk in love, as Christ loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice" (Ephes. 5:2), "walk circumspectly (carefully), not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephes. 5:15-16), "walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10) but continue to read vs. 11 on), "as therefore ye have received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving" (Col. 2:6-7), "walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how to answer every man" (Col. 4:5-6). "If we say that we have fellowship with him (Christ), and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin" (I John 1:6-7). "He that abideth in him (Christ) ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked" (I John 2:6). "And this is love, that we walk after his commandments" (III John 6) "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth;" III John 4).

I usually do not quote so many scriptures, but felt to set these before you, so that as you read and meditate on them you might grasp more clearly just how we are to "walk" (conduct our lives in thought, motive, word and deed) in this world. This may not be the study in "deeper truth" that you like to read, but I want to say emphatically that God is requiring us to get our lives in order In a practical way, and all the "deeper truths" that we study will avail nothing unless we learn to "walk" (LIVE and conduct our lives in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.
Getting back to the symbolism of the "washing" of the Word. In Bible days, people walked a lot, and their "footwear" usually consisted of open sandals which exposed their feet to a lot of dirt. It was customary when arriving home after considerable "walking", to wash ones feet upon entering the house. Or, if a person was invited to another's house for some occasion, it was customary to provide a basin of water and a towel so that the guest could wash his feet upon entering the house of the host. Or, if one was rich enough, he would provide a servant to wash the guest's feet. (Notice how inconsiderate Simon the Pharisee was to Jesus who was a guest in his house -- Luke 7:44). Now the spiritual truth that I want to emphasize is this: as we go about our daily activities, or engage in the business or job whereby we make a living, we inevitably have a certain amount of contact with this world and worldly people; and in doing so, a certain amount of the "dirt" (ungodly words and actions -- unkindness, lies, deceit, compromise, and 'rust plain carnal "filth") is "picked up" or "rubbed off" on you, affecting your mind and emotions, and thus "contaminating" your "daily WALK" with the Lord. Thus you desperately need to get by yourself to read and meditate in the WORD OF GOD (along with prayer) to let THE LORD "WASH YOUR FEET"!

The above is graphically symbolized by Jesus' action as recorded in John, chap. 13. I cannot here explain the symbolism of the whole story, which is so beautiful, but point out some important highlights. The scene was at the Passover supper which Jesus partook with his disciples before His death. In John 13:4-5, we read that Jesus "rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, girded himself about. Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded." Jesus "laying aside" His garments, is a symbolic picture of His voluntary sacrificial DEATH for us. When His Spirit "withdrew" on the cross, His "outer" or physical body was laid aside in the tomb, and His "inner" soul body was, according to Isa. 53:12: "poured out unto death" and went into "hades" (the unseen realm, for a soul-body cannot be seen by physical eyes). But Ps. 16:10 assures us that His soul was not to be left in "hades" ("sheol" is the O.T. word)--see also Acts 2:31. In John 13:1 we see that He "took up" His garments, symbolically portraying His Resurrection. Thus the symbolic picture shows us that His death and resurrection has made possible our cleansing. His blood cleanses our conscience from the guilt of sin, and His WORD ("quickened by the Sprit" -- even as His resurrection body was "quickened" or "made alive" by the Spirit) WASHES us from the contamination ("dirt") that gathers in our mental-emotional being through contact with this sinful world as we seek to live the Christian life in our "daily walk".

When Jesus came to Peter, his response was: "Thou shalt never wash my feet". But Jesus reply was: "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me" (John 13:8). Now in verse 10, a beautiful truth is brought out that is not conveyed in the English translation because of a lack of distinction in two Greek words. I will quote the verse, inserting the Greek words according to their meaning: "Jesus saith to him, He that is washed (Gr. louo: meaning to bathe the whole person) needeth not save to wash (Gr. nipto: meaning to cleanse a part of the body -- the hands, face, or feet) his feet, but is clean every whit." When Jesus uses the first word "washed" (Gr. louo) it symbolizes our initial "regeneration" or "new birth" by the incorruptible seed of the Word of God (John 3:3, I Pet. 1:23). An apt description of this is given in Titus 3:5: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." The word for "washing" in this verse is loutron -- meaning "a bath", and comes from louo, which is the same word that Jesus used in John 3:10 when He said, "he that is washed (louo) needeth not save to wash (nipto) his feet." In other words, our initial "washing of regeneration", or "new birth", when "eternal life" is engrafted into our soul through the glorified life-seed of Jesus (see James 1:21, I Pet. 1:23), does not need to be repeated.

However, the symbolic drama which Jesus portrayed in John 13, was to demonstrate the absolute necessity of letting the Lord cleanse the "feet"(Christian "walk") of every one who has received the initial "bath of the new birth" (which is the way the Amplified Version renders Titus 3:5). The cleansing of our "walk" must be a continuous experience, for daily we "pick up" the "dirt" (mental -- emotional impressions) from the world which need to be "washed away" by meditation in the Word of God.

The distinguishing of the two different Greek words used in the John 13 "drama" helps us to understand an important truth with reference to our relationship to Jesus and our future destiny. When Jesus responded to Peter's refusal to let Him wash his feet, Jesus did NOT use the word louo which we have seen refers to our initial "regeneration" and GIFT of "eternal LIFE". But He used the Greek word nip to, when He said to Peter: "If I wash (nipto) thee not, thou hast no part with me" (John 13:8). Now listen carefully, for this is simply something most Christians do not understand. It is possible to have received Jesus as our SAVIOR, and have been "born anew"; yet that, in itself, DOES NOT QUALIFY us to be a part of that "elect" BODY, "called, chosen, and faithful" (Rev. 17:14) who will be intimately associated WITH HIM in His heavenly Kingdom GLORY to REIGN with Him.

Salvation is just the FIRST STEP. Beyond that there must be a DEEP CLEANSING of the heart of the bondage of all carnality. Only the pure(ified) in heart shall see God (Mt. 5:8). Without holiness (separation from sin and uncleanness) no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). So when Jesus said to Peter, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me", He was NOT dealing with the matter of salvation. In the symbolic drama of John i3, Peter represents a ''saved person", but who must sub¬mit to the continual "washing" by Jesus (THE WORD) of his "feet" (Christian walk) if he aspires to have a part WITH JESUS in His "ruling retinue" of "overcoming" sons and daughters.
After washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus said: "Ye call me Master (Teacher) and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him" (John 13:13-16), I personally do not believe that Jesus, by these words, was establishing an ordinance for the church of literal foot washing. I have no objection to literal foot-washing for those who believe that they should practice it. However, I believe the KEY to the John 13 passage is that Jesus was portraying by symbolic (or "parabolic") drama the basic truth of "inner cleansing" which I have been seeking to convey. Now, in the passage just quoted, Jesus says that WE should follow His example. Perhaps generally speaking, we could say that He was admonishing us to see our need to humble ourselves to serve one another in ANY menial task or way. If our Lord was so willing to humble Himself, we are certainly not greater than our Lord. But more specifically, I believe He was saying that we should have enough concern for one another's spiritual welfare that we are willing to "humble" ourselves, and take the time and effort to HELP one another with the spiritual problems, temptations, concerns, and perplexities involved in our "daily walk" for the Lord. And especially ministering relevant and meaningful SCRIPTURE verses that will help to bring "release" and "cleaning" to heart and mind. This, I believe, is the true "washing of one another's "feet".

But HOW can we do this unless we KNOW THE WORD OF GOD! This is why I have been seeking to impress upon you that aspect of "humility" which enables us to see our desperate need to "learn of Jesus" and get HIS WORD into our minds and hearts."If ye continue (abide, remain, live) in my word: then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32).

(to be continued)

CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP – Part 6 - by Leland Earls

CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP – Part 6 - by Leland Earls

[This article is posted by Joel Jones with permission from Word of Life Fellowship, Shelton, WA.

To contact the owners of the copyright to the writings of the late Leland Earls, please visit www.wordoflifefellowship.com where several writings are available online.

More online articles by Leland Earls are availbable at www.firstloveministry.com ]

In the last part of our study, I was dealing with the "proofs" of Discipleship. I will quote one scripture I was dealing with again, because there are some further thoughts I want to share in its application. In John 13:34-35, we read: "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."

I pointed out that the word for "love" here is the Greek word agape, which always indicates the Divine kind of love which is unconditional. It is based primarily on an act of the will, not on "feelings". It is a word of action -- the willingness to do good (even to sacrifice) for the well-being of another, regardless of how one may "feel "towards that person. It is a self less, sacrificial act of giving simply because of the value of the object loved, with no motive of receiving in return.
Jesus based this love on His own example, for He commanded them to love (proving their discipleship) "as I have loved you." I pointed out last time that this expression of love was based on what Jesus did before His supreme act of love in dying for them on the cross, so just how did He show this agape love towards His disciples while He was living with them?

I answered this in part in the last issue by saying that I believed it was expressed, by His unconditional commitment to His disciples. Refer back to what I wrote in "Part 5" of this series of studies. Essentially, my point was that in spite of all that Jesus had to "put up" with in the problems, inconsistencies, unbelief, hardness of heart, etc., of these men, (which would "try" the patience and commitment of even the Son of God). He never wavered in His loyalty to them or ever used any occasion to "cut off or "break fellowship" with them. Even Peter's betrayal was used by Jesus as a "living lesson" in agape love as He restored Peter to fellowship; and even cemented a stronger relationship between them than ever before (read John, chap. 21).

The thing that disturbs me is that Jesus said that the proof of our discipleship is that we would love one another AS (with the same kind of unconditional commitment) He loved them. Yet I find that most Christians do not have that kind of love commitment, that refuses to let any misunderstanding, offense, difference of opinion or doctrine, personal irritation or rivalry, etc., break the bond of agape love and fellowship between them. On the contrary, it seems that most Christians tend to "break fellowship" as a regular practice over offenses or differences which are far less drastic than anything experienced between Jesus and His "erratic", hard-headed disciples. Yet Jesus' unconditional love surmounted all personal difficulties and "cemented together" a relationship between Himself and His disciples that made it possible for these men, even after Jesus had finished His work and ascended to the Father, to confront the world with a unity of love that demonstrated a gospel witness with power and world-shaking results.

When Christians, for various reasons already mentioned, are tempted to "break fellowship" -- or even worse, as often happens, end up in quarrels, debates, strife, anger and enmities, a choice has to be made: go "the way of the flesh" and divide, with no further fellowship possible; or take seriously discipleship to Jesus Christ and obey His Word in Mt. 5:23-24, 18:15-17, with a view to understanding, forgiveness and reconciliation. When offences arise, as they surely will (Mt. 18:7), one can choose to ignore Jesus' agape love of unconditional commitment and "break fellowship!' or we can choose to follow the path that Jesus gave us by His example and "build a bridge" to a stronger relationship than ever existed before.
Pondering the matter of proving our discipleship by loving one another as He loved His disciples, besides the demonstration of His unconditional commitment to them, I believe a further demonstration of this love was his willingness to serve His disciples. On one occasion He said to them: "I am among you as he that serveth.” (Lk. 22:27). Then in Mt. 20:25-28, He exhorted His disciples regarding serving one another as the only path to greatness, and then declared, "just as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
Since the gospel accounts are very brief and give only "sketchy" details of Jesus' day to day relationship with His disciples, we don't know all of the ways Jesus may have served His disciples. But if we are to take His words seriously, then He must have ever been seeking ways in which to be a servant to them. We certainly can't limit such "service" to just the one classic example of His washing the disciples feet as recorded in John, chap. 13. I'm sure His service to them was a daily matter throughout their sojourn together.

If we are truly Jesus' disciples, then the proof will be a "servant's spirit" to all of our brethren in Christ. Any spirit of self-promotion, self-ambition: wanting to draw others to ourselves to get whatever recognition, praise, support, etc., that we desire; or "using" others for our benefit in any way, is certainly contrary to the spirit of "service", and seriously lacking in understanding of what it means to be a Disciple of Jesus Christ Beloved, I have only "scratched the surface" in this presentation, but I hope you can begin to perceive that Discipleship to Jesus Christ is not an option for those who would be changed from self-centered, immature, offense-prone, irresponsible spiritual babes and children, to a complete re-orientation of one's inner and outer life around a Christ-centered "passionate" pursuit of following Him all the way (regardless of the cost) as Teacher and Lord, seeking to please the Father in all things and growing into maturing SONS: who seek first the Kingdom, live for others, and become responsible, trustworthy, loyal and faithful "candidates" for the "elect" company who shall be "called higher" to RULE WITH Christ in His Kingdom GLORY.

One more thought on the perspective of our love to others -- as Jesus loved. Only two places in the Sermon on the Mount is the word "son" used. One of the fundamental attitudes given inn Mt. 5:1-11, which must BEcome an integrated part of the character of those being "disciplined by Jesus Christ is declared as follows: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God." Here the Lord indicates that those who are maturing into "sonship" have grown out of the spiritually infantile state of fighting, quarrelling, taking offense, getting mad, separating, etc., and have become active peace-makers: forgiving, apologizing, making amends, fostering harmony, seeking solutions, obeying Mt. 5:23-24, 18:15, 21-22, Gal. 6:1-2, "building bridges", and acting as a reconciling force wherever necessary, that harmony, peace and unity may prevail among brethren at all times wherever possible„ And the place where such peacemaking must begin and be practiced at all times is the home. Then extending out to others. How about you? Are you actively putting into practice this "mark" of growing sonship?

The other place in the Sermon on the Mount where the Greek huios ("son") is used is found in Mt. 5:44-45. I commented on this passage in Part 5 of this study so will not repeat here. It is quite obvious, however, as we ponder the emphasis that Jesus' makes in these passages, is that the goal of Discipleship --"sonship" (spiritual maturity) is irrevocable connected to how we relate to others with agape love; learning to fulfill Jesus' commandment that "ye love another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." Both in Mt. 5:9 and 45, the King James version has wrongly translated the Greek huios as "children". The Greek word for "children" is teknon and is correctly translated as such in the King James version in Mt. 7:11. Remember, as you meditate on these passages, that the focus of Jesus' teachings, as well as that of the whole New Testament, is that it is SONS who shall be "brought to glory" (Heb. 2:10), not spiritual babes and children.

THE PRIZE OF DISCIPLESHIP

This brings us to the next point of our study: the ultimate "prize" which awaits those who have "given their all" to Jesus Christ, to be disciplined by Him as their absolute Teacher and Lord. I had previously indicated that Peter had raised the question: "Lo, we have left all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?" (Mt. 19:28). Jesus answer to them, as recorded in Lk. 22:28-30 assured them that they would be WITH Him in HIS KINGDOM, sharing His intimate fellowship and rulership: "Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones -judging the twelve tribes of Israel." I had commented previously on Jesus' similar words as recorded in Mt. 19:27-29, and His "veiled reference to the 100 fold catagory of "overcoming" Christians. Certainly the "twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Rev. 21:14) will have a special place of authority and relationship to Jesus, "judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Mt. 19:28), but ALL of the 100 fold catagory of Christians will also be "called up higher" to "rule with Christ" in His Kingdom Glory.

Jesus made it clear in Mt. 4:1-20 that His Word-seed produces three categories of Christians (4:20); the 30 fold, 60 fold and 100 fold. The same three groupings are given in a different parable form in Mark 4:26-29 as "first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." Now stop to think You do not go out to your garden and pull up new "blades", freshly sprung up, or even green or half-filled "ears", but only that which is ripe (the "full grain in the ear"). Do you think that God acts any less intelligently than man!

Only the 100-fold (full -- mature -- grain in the ear) Christians will ever go UP to be lift-up out of that which is earth-bound, and to function in the "freedom" of glorified bodies. The 30-fold ("blade") and 60-fold ("ear") Christians will be "left in the earth" (or brought back through resurrection) in order to continue to "ripen" (mature) during or after the millennium. These will have immortal physical bodies: living in perpetual youth and health, but still earth-bound. Sometime after the millennium or beyond, they will have the opportunity to have their physical bodies changed to glorified bodies.

Jesus called disciples because He had a "calling" (vocation) for them to be prepared for (to be WITH Him as co-rulers over this earth and its inhabitants in the coming Kingdom age.) Likewise, Jesus apprehended the apostle Paul, not only to preach salvation to the gentiles, but also to explain to these saved gentiles this "calling" (which he termed a "mystery", "which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men" (Eph0 3:1-11), that the Gentiles, along with the Jews are to be formulated by God's grace into a "new organism" (body), to be "raised up" to "sit" (and "rule") with Christ "in the heavenlies" (in the atmospheric envelope surrounding our earth -- with headquarters in the New Jerusalem which will be lowered into our upper atmosphere). Thus in the "ages to come" (Ephes. 2:7, 3:10) the Lord will be demonstrating His wisdom, and the riches of his grace through these "elect" ones who will be helping Him to "shepherd" the nations.

It is God's desire and challenge for all saved to heed this "calling". Unfortunately, however, even as Jesus declared, "many (saved) are called, but few are chosen ("elect"). Why? Because it requires "diligence", as emphasized by Peter's epistle: "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election (choice) sure; for if ye do these things (read all of II Pet., chap. 1), ye shall never fall ("stumble" or "fall short" of the "calling") -- II Pet. 1:10.
A careful study of Paul's writings makes it clear that he clearly understood the difference between salvation and "the calling". In II Tim. he tells us that God "hath saved us, AND called us with an holy calling" (II Tim. 1:9). He tells us clearly to what we are called in I Thess. 2:12: "That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory." Inheritance in that Kingdom of GLORY (functioning: in "glorified bodies" like unto Jesus -- Phil. 3:21), cannot be ours just because we are saved, but because we are willing to submit to the "call" and requirements of Discipleship to Jesus Christ. Paul uses the term "the PRIZE of the high calling" (Phil. 3:14), for which he said that he had "suffered the loss of all things" that he might WIN Christ and His kingdom GLORY (Phil. 3:8) founded on Jesus' words. Jesus did not use the word "prize", but he implied the same thing by the use of such expressions as "reward in heaven" and "treasures in heaven. For example, in one of the beatitudes, Jesus said: "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven. "It seems reasonable to assume that only those living a life of dedicated discipleship would run the risk of being so persecuted. A "reward" is not a gift (as salvation is), but definitely points to the "heavenly prize" for those who put forth a conscientious and zealous effort to fulfill the commands of Jesus and to conform their inner life to the principles of kingdom truth and righteousness.

Another expression Jesus used is "treasure in heaven". In Mt. 6:19-21, Jesus admonishes: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Did you ever consider the question: "how does a person who has been saved lay up treasure in heaven? I want to show this by a passage referred to before in a previous study, but I think it best answers this question. In Mt. 19:16-22, Jesus dealt with a young man concerning the question of how to obtain eternal life. Having settled that issue according to the requirements of the Law covenant, which was still in force at that time, the young man then indicated his desire to do more in His relation to God, and asked, "what lack I yet"? Jesus answered him in terms of the goal of discipleship (SONSHIP) and said: "If you wish to be perfect (complete, spiritually mature), go sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven, and come follow me."

First, we need to note that "treasures in heaven" is something beyond "eternal life" -- that "life", whether received through the old Law covenant (provisionally), or through the new covenant of grace (in positive possession), "Eternal life" ("age-less", or "age-resistant life") is a life that can be lived right here on earth (when the full kingdom is ready to be manifested) in a resurrected or changed immortal body -- and will be by all saved under the old covenant, and by most saved under the new covenant -- simply because most Christians have not been taught what is required to gain that "higher calling" of "treasure in heaven" (the heavenly, glorified, kingdom realm where Jesus and His "elect" will rule over this earth.)

Jesus' answer to the young man was essentially the same as we shared under the section on the "Priorities of Discipleship" -- that the "heavenly treasure" ("prize", "reward") can only be attained by "forsaking all (undue attachment to anything) for Jesus", by investing the priorities of our lives in totally giving ("title to") ALL that we have and are to Jesus, and centering all the focus of our lives on loving and pleasing Him above everyone and everything else.

After pondering this matter, in this section on the "Prize of Discipleship", I think I can do no better than to reprint an article I called "The Gift and the Prize" which was first printed in the "Manifested Sons" booklet #1, although it was first written over twenty five years ago Those of you who have read this article will benefit by re-reading it, and I know there are many on the mailing list who have never read it. May God bless and add to your understanding.

[Note: Leland Earls’ original mailing of this “Part 6” of “Call to Discipleship” was indeed followed, at this point in the document, by “The Gift and the Prize.”]