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.”]

Call To Discipleship - Parts 1, 2, and 3 - by Leland Earls

[This article is posted with permission from Word of Life Fellowship, Shelton, WA.
To contact the owners of the copyright, who also have more writings of J. Leland Earls, please visit www.wordoflifefellowship.com.
More online articles by Leland Earls are availbable at www.firstloveministry.com ]




CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP - BY LELAND EARLS

This may be one of the most important articles you will ever read. Most of the material is not new. Most Christians have been exposed to such teaching. However, I want to present what I believe to be a "fresh perspective", which I hope will be helpful to you.
As we take a Scriptural look at this subject, the following outline will be followed:
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1. The Perspective of Discipleship.
2. The Position of Discipleship.
3. The Purposes of Discipleship.
4. The Priorities of Discipleship.
5. The Proofs of Discipleship
6. The Prize of Discipleship
7. The Placement of Discipleship
8. The Posture of Discipleship

THE PERSPECTIVE OF DISCIPLESHIP

First, we want to view discipleship from the perspective of the importance that Jesus placed upon it, in relation to other truths that He taught. Jesus began his ministry in the flesh by calling disciples (Mt. 4: 17-24), and ended His ministry by commanding these disciples to "go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age." (Mt. 28:19-20.) Notice, that He did not tell them to just make converts - to get people saved, but rather to "make disciples", and to teach them all He had commanded. The Greek word for disciple means a "learner" or "pupil"; one who has placed himself under another to be taught and disciplined by him in a WAY OF LIFE. I will say more about this later, but let me make it clear right now, that there is no Scriptural grounds for being a disciple of anyone except Jesus Christ. We are not to be disciples of men.

In Mark’s account of the great commission, Jesus is simply quoted as saying, “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 15). Tragically, this "gospel" word, which in the original Greek means "good news" or "glad tidings", has been limited by the traditions of the churches to just the message of initial salvation. But what "gospel" did Jesus preach? It is repeatedly stated that He preached the "good news" of the KINGDOM of God (and / or "heaven"). (Mt. 4:17, 23, Mark 1:14, Luke 4:43). Surely, the "good news" of the Kingdom of God is more than that there is an "entrance gate" (initial salvation! Oh the MAGNITUDE of the TRUTH which Jesus taught concerning the KINGDOM-RULE of God for this earth, for the here and now, and for the future. Beloved, can we begin to comprehend the magnitude and greatness of the Kingdom Jesus came to present and to demonstrate, and all of the "good news" that characterizes ALL of it, not just the "gospel" of an entrance gate (initial salvation). I cannot go into detail here or document with Scripture, because the subject is too vast. But to summarize briefly: what about the ineffable beauty and glory of, the KING of this Kingdom, whom to know is to LOVE, and which, in time, begins to so captivate the "lover" so that only infinite wisdom could possibly comprehend the extent to which that love would SACRIFICE for the King, the interests of the Kingdom, and the ultimate welfare of ALL (or every last one) of its citizens.

But lest we get things out of their proper order, what about the LOVE of the KING (who "begat" His love IN us), and His ULTIMATE; and ABSOLUTE sacrifice on the cross, whereby He bore the full weight of man's sin with incredible suffering, but also sealed an everlasting covenant (Heb. 13:20-21) which ESTABLISHED His KINGDOM of LOVE (He has no other kingdom, for He accepts only those who are willingly obedient out of love), and also made available to every citizen all the INCREDIBLE BENEFITS OF THAT KINGDOM. And, beloved, ALL of the blessings, rights, privileges, authority, power, purposes, responsibilities, sonship, future destinies, as well as present day provisions - yes, even miracles, whenever necessary. What a glorious "gospel" (good news) of the KINGDOM we have to declare and to be a part of. Let's take a look at what Paul says.

After rebuking the Corinthians for their sectarian preferences for certain preachers, and likely different aspects of truth they were emphasizing, Paul shows the foolishness of such "picking" and "choosing"; for, he declares: "Therefore let no man glory (boast) in men. For ALL THINGS are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; ALL are yours; and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's" (I Cor. 3:2l-23).
A very important distinction needs to be made here, however. As citizens of God's Kingdom, what is ours legally or positionally, must become our experientially (actually become a part of our experience, incorporated into our lives as a "living reality", so that we can say that we "possess" it). This takes time, and also depends upon the degree of our diligence, and the eagerness of our response to God and the truth of His Word. This is where Discipleship comes in. But before I further develop that theme, I want to illustrate from two other perspectives the difference between positional truth and experiential truth.

Suppose that a young man came from another country to the United States as a legal immigrant with a view to becoming a citizen. He rents an apartment in New York and in due time, after completing the requirements, he becomes a citizen of this great country. But because of language barrier (he doesn't put forth the effort to learn English very well), as well as fear of venturing out and a desire to be left alone, other than frequenting the stores to secure the necessities of life, he never goes beyond two or three blocks of his apartment, having secured employment in a store within that area. He spends the rest of his life never experiencing the wonders of the great city of New York, let alone "taking in" the vast "richness" of the beauty and glory of all 50 states of the country that he is now a citizen of, even though he has the "right" and "privilege" to travel where he pleases. Contrast this man with another immigrant becoming a citizen of this country in his youth. But his desire and "drive" is entirely different. He diligently studies the English language, goes to school and gets a good education, which lead to a well paying job. On his week-ends and vacations, he travels as much as possible and "takes in" much of his new country. He diligently seeks to please his employer and rapidly advances in his company, making more money, having more time off and traveling to more parts of the country. After accumulating considerable wealth, he is able to retire early and spend many years traveling to virtually every state to enjoy the beauties, wonders and blessings of this great country. Now consider: legally, both of these citizens live exactly the same" "positional rights" or "standing" in this country. But how vastly different is their experience. Potentially, of both it could be said of the vast expanse and "treasures beautiful" of this country: ALL THINGS ARE YOURS. But one is just content to be a citizen and incorporate very little into his experience. But the other, through a life-time of diligent effort and application takes the potential and turns it into actual experience, vastly "enriching" himself with what this country has to offer.

Now keep in mind the above is only meant to be an illustration. I'm not trying to get you interested in the natural things of this life or nation. But spiritually there is a parallel. Few Christians have grasped the great spiritual potential that is theirs to claim, "press into" and incorporate into their experience as they grow in their knowledge of Christ and "go deeper" INTO Him in a personal and intimate love relationship. But it will never happen without a commitment to DISCIPLESHIP, which will become clear as we progress in this study. But let me illustrate further the difference between what is ours positionally (and potentially), be cause of our citizenship in God's Kingdom, and what can become ours personally (in experience).

After God had brought Abraham into the land of Canaan, He said to him: "Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever" (Gen. 13:14-15). But then God gave Abraham a command as follows: "Arise, walk through the land in the length of it, and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee" (Gen. 13:17)"It was one thing for Abraham to view from a distance the land that God promised as a part of the covenant position which was his. It was quite another thing for him to put forth the effort to walk throughout that land and make it a part of his personal experience. After the commandment to "walk through it", we read in Gen. 13:18: "then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord." As Abram continued to move through the land, every place he went, he built an altar unto the Lord, which speaks to us of a fresh dedication to the will of God. And we need to realize that our personal possession of our FULL "inheritance in Christ" can only become a reality through a daily "ALTAR experience" (see Rom. 12:1).

Later, when Abraham's seed was ready to actually take possession of the promised land, God re-emphasized the same truth as portrayed through Abraham. Speaking to Joshua, who was to lead the people in, He said: "go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses" (Josh. 1:2-3; see also Deut. 11:24). Although the land was theirs by covenant right, only that portion which they were willing to go in and take and put their foot upon would become their personal possession. This not only requires time and effort, it required WARFARE against the inhabitants of the land. Although God promised to fight for them and drive out the inhabitants of the land before them, they still had to be willing to "take up the sword" and do battle, so that God could defeat the enemy THROUGH them. He also said that he would not drive out the enemy all at once, but rather He declared: "By little and little, I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land" (Ex. 23:30). The lesson for us is that we do not possess our inheritance in Christ all at once, but gradually, as we are1 willing to take our commitment to Christ seriously and become His disciples, as we shall see later.

This very matter of "inheritance" illustrates further positional and experiential truth as we apply it to the Christian who has been born into the family or Kingdom of God. Consider a natural family. Any child born into that family immediately has certain legal or positional rights (inheritance) just by being in the family. As he grows, he is able to begin to actually experience increased measures of that "inheritance" as he is able to enjoy and benefit from the things his parents provide for him, know and experience their love and care, and as he gradually broadens his scope and number of activities which "enrich" his life. In addition through growth and knowledge, he is required to assume greater responsibilities as a part of enjoying his inheritance. Eventually, along with any other children in the family, he is destined to be a joint-heir of all that his parents have to offer. Actually, from the point of "positional truth", he is a "joint-heir" the moment he is born into the family; but he will not actually experience the FULLness of it until time, growth, experience and responsibility have come to pass in his life.
Since the Jewish customs of inheritance in Bible days differed somewhat from ours, let me briefly outline the process required of a Jewish boy. When a Jewish boy reached the age of 12 (some say 13), a special religious ceremony was held for him. Through this ceremony, the boy is recognized as beginning his adult life, has reached the age of accountability whereby he becomes accountable for his own actions. At this time he entered the business of his father as an apprentice so that he might learn his life's occupation. At the age of 20, he entered the military service of his country and was subject to call to battle whenever necessary. At the age of 30, having been released from active military duty, the Jewish man reaches the age of full maturity. It is usually in his 30th year that he goes into business for himself, no longer working with his father. And at the age of 40, he should be able to enjoy the fruits of his labors. It was at the age of 30, when it was time for him to launch out on his own, that the father gave him his portion of the family inheritance. It was not at the time of the death of the parents that the inheritance was divided up, as is our custom. We can see this Jewish custom in the story of the "prodigal son" as given in Luke 15:11-32. In vs. 12, one of the sons says: "Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me." And the Father divided his wealth between them. (NAS Bible). At that time the Father obviously did not know what the son was going to do with his portion. He probably thought the son was eager to get started "on his own" to make his living.

It is interested to note that this practice was followed by the Heavenly Father's dealing with His own Son, Jesus. Jesus did not leave his natural family to "launch out on His own" until He was 30 years old. It was at that time (with the Heavenly Father's approval - "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Mt. 3:17). The portion of the "inheritance" given to him to accomplish the "work" he was to do on the earth "was the "Spirit without measure" (John 3:34), leading to the "Spirit-powered ministry" (Luke 4:14), which enabled Him to "finish the work" which the Father had given Him to do (John 17:4). When He performed His first miracle at Cana of Galilee, we read that He "manifested forth his glory" (John 2:11). He was not only the Divine Son of the Heavenly Father, but He was also humanities FIRST "manifested (unveiled) son", walking in the pristine glory of restored immortality which was lost by the first man, Adam, This "manifest sonship" was later raised to a higher level when His physical body was GLORIFIED (after His death for our sins, and AT the time of His resurrection).

When a Jewish man, at the age of 30, was given his portion of the family inheritance, he became a "joint-heir" with His father, being officially PLACED by the father in his FULL inheritance. What had been his legally and positionally even at his birth, was now his experientially. But between the two were years of learning, discipline, growing experiences, and incorporating truth into his life. With this natural illustration in mind, I want to comment on a portion of Paul's writings in Romans, chap. 8, as we consider our spiritual inheritance "in Christ", (Be patient, for all of this preparatory "perspective" will eventually lead us to understand the importance of DISCIPLESHIP). The following is taken from Rom. 8:16-19: "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God; and if children, then heirs: heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; IF so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature (all creation) waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God."

First, notice that we are "children", which is translated from the Greek word teknon (which means "a child" - as produced). This would indicate one spiritually immature - yet, as Paul says, "an heir" (positionally and potentially). But then in the last verse, Paul speaks of the expectation (future) manifestation of the "sons" of God. The Greek word translated "sons" is huios, which is usually used to denote a matured son. And such, Paul says, are to be "manifested" (unveiled or revealed). This "manifestation" would correspond in our illustration of the Jewish custom when the age of 30 had been reached and the Father was ready to "reveal" to his friends and neighbors, and other family members, that a certain son was ready to assume the status of full manhood, receive his portion of the family inheritance, and be officially "placed" in the presence of those called to witness the occasion in the position of full "joint-heir" in the family.

But take note that Paul places a qualification between being "children" and "manifested sons": he says, "IF so be that we SUFFER WITH HIM (Christ)". The word "suffer" is a translation of the Greek word sumpascho. The "sum" part is a preposition which denotes "union" - "together with" (in association or companionship), and can also connote the idea of "completeness". The rest of the word means to "experience a sensation or impression" (sometimes painful). It is the same word that is used of Jesus in Heb. 5:9, where it says the He "learned obedience by the things which he suffered." The English word "suffer", as we use it today conveys a too "narrow" and "specific" meaning to give us the full, meaning of the Greek word, which simply indicates any or all of the impressions or sensations (mental, emotional or physical) which make up an experience or all the experiences of life. This is one of the drawbacks of using the King James Version, which was translated in 1611 A.D. In any "living language", over a period of time, words tend to change their meaning. However, the Greek word does convey the idea that these experiences can be painful; thus implying "suffering" (either to the "inner man" of the heart or to the physical body). It's like a child growing up who must go through many experiences to come to maturity. For various reasons (which you can obviously figure out), some of those experiences are going to be painful and involve some suffering.

With the above explanation, go back and read again the passage from Rom. 8:16-19, and I believe you will better understand the qualification stated by Paul for those who aspire to be among the "manifested sons" who will be "glorified together" with Christ to "reign" with Him, namely: "IF SO BE THAT WE SUFFER WITH HIM" (8:17). Just as Jesus placed Himself under the instruction and discipline of the Father, that He might learn to be obedient in every situation and experience to the Father's will, so must we place ourselves under the instruction and discipline of Christ for the same reason. This is the essence of DISCIPLESHIP as we shall see. Another pertinent scripture is found in Heb. 2:10 where we read: "For it became him (Jesus), for whom are all things, and by whom are all things in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." The Greek word translated "sufferings" here is pathema; it is slightly different than the other word we ware discussing, but is similar and can be traced back to the same root: it means "something undergone (possibly a hardship or pain; or an emotion or influence.). But again, we are dealing with the varied experiences of life. The Greek word translated "perfect" in this passage is telos, and indicates the reaching of a set goal, and can thus be variously Translated "complete", "finish", "conclusion", "mature", "perfect" -- as indicating the "ultimate" arrived at. If you will read the rest of Heb., chap. 2, you will see that Jesus was, through the experiences of his life, being prepared for that ultimate "role" He was to fulfill as a "merciful and faithful HIGH PRIEST". . . for in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted" (Heb.2:17-18). But, remember, that as a KING-PRIEST ("High Priest"), He is not to fulfill this "role" or "function" ALONE in the coming Kingdom, there are those who are going to rule as "kings" and "priests" WITH Him (Rev. 1:6, 5:10). That is why Heb. 2:10 says that He must "bring many sons to glory" (the same glory that He has). Notice that it is sons (huios), that He will bring to glory; not "children" (teknon).

There is one other word that I must bring to your attention before going to Jesus specific teaching on Discipleship. It is the Greek word huiothesia, translated several times in the King James Version as "adoption". The Greek work means "the placing as a son". It has nothing to do with "adoption" as we use that English word in our day. According to the Scriptures, we are "born" into the family and kingdom of God; not "adopted". John 3:3-7 & I Pet. 1:23. The problem comes from not understanding Jewish customs. The "thesia" part of that Greek word comes from another Greek derivation which can mean to "appoint", "commit" or "ordain", "give", or "set forth". We are dealing here again with that specific time when the son of a Jewish father reaches the point in his life (around the age of 30), when the Father, usually in a special ceremony, "apoints" to that son his portion of the family estate or inheritance, and "places" him in the position of a FULL joint-heir in the family. With this understanding, then Rom. 8:23 makes sense: "And not only they, but ourselves also, which 'have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." Notice that this "placing as a son" is something that we are "waiting" for; and it comes only when it is time for the "redemption" (and glorification) of the physical body. Then the "joint-heirship" with Christ will become a reality in the experience of those who qualify. I will not take time to deal with the other passages where this Greek word huiothesia appears. Just one more remark. I am sure that when Paul uses the expression "we", he was not thinking of anyone less than a born-again, spirit-baptized, sanctified, cleansed, maturing and "overcoming" Christian -- namely the 100-fold category. I believe I can prove this by other references in Paul's writings, but that is beyond our scope in this particular study. Great confusion comes from not recognizing the different categories of Christians, and our foundation for this is provided in the teachings of Jesus, although I believe such are alluded to in Paul's writings IF we first get the right understanding from Jesus' teachings. Great confusion has also come from trying to build foundational doctrine from the writings of Paul. The foundation must come from the very words of Jesus. Writings beyond that provide amplification and additional insight.

THE POSITION OF DISCIPLESHIP

We do not become a disciple of Christ in order to become a Christian, or in order to "get saved". Salvation precedes Discipleship. Neither do we take Scriptures that are dealing with Discipleship and try to make them applicable to salvation as many do. For the sake of this study, I am using the word "salvation" in the sense of our initial receiving of Christ as our Savior with the resultant gift of eternal life for the soul. That which Jesus referred to as being "born from above" (John 3:3), and expressed in his words in John 5:24: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death to life." In John 4:10, Jesus calls it the GIFT of God, and makes clear that this gift IS "everlasting life". I need not go into the many scriptures which show that this "eternal life" for the soul is the present possession of all who have truly repented and sincerely believed with their heart in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and their Savior.

I point out the foregoing only because some teach "salvation" as on on-going process; such as, we have been saved from the guilt and penalty of sin, we are being saved from the power and defilement of sin (as well as being saved or delivered from many problems, both inner and outer, that hinder the progress of our "Christian walk", and we shall eventually be saved from the very presence of sin. I believe there is merit in this approach, but for my purposes in this article, I am seeking to emphasize Christ's call to DISCIPLE-SHIP as context in which to portray our need to progress and grow in our Christian commitment and experience IF we are to receive the greater benefits of Christ's Kingdom; even as I pointed out earlier, the "gospel" (good news) of the Kingdom involves far more than just the message of the GIFT of eternal life for the soul, which is just the "entrance gate".

I want now to focus your attention on a KEY scripture which, I believe, presents Christ's two-fold call or invitation: first to SALVATION, and then, secondly to DISCIPLESHIP. The scripture is found in Mt. 11: 28-30. For the sake of illustration I will divide the Scripture as follows:

SALVATION
“Come unto me, all that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mt. 11:28)


DISCIPLESHIP
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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt. 11:29-30)

Notice that there are two distinct invitations and two promises of "rest". The first "rest" Jesus promises to ''give" would certainly relate to those who come to Him laden with their great burden of sin and guilt, receiving from Him that which He is willing to give: forgiveness of all their sins and the gift of eternal life. Thus the first invitation is to come to Him for salvation. The second "rest" is that which He will enable those who respond to "find", providing they fulfill the conditions. The first condition is to "take my yoke upon you", and the second is "learn of me". Now, immediately following, Jesus states two things about Himself which are parallel to the two requirements He gives. Let me "pair" them as follows to show what I mean.

“Take my yoke upon you” … “I am meek.”

“Learn of me”… “I am lowly in heart.”

There is no way we can understand these statements of Jesus about Himself unless we see them in terms of His relationship to His Heavenly Father. Thus, Jesus is asking us to relate ourselves to Him, in the same way that He is related to the Heavenly Father. I will explain what I mean by this, but I want to unfold it under the next section as we discuss the purposes of Discipleship.

THE PURPOSES OF DISCIPLESHIP

(1) The first purpose of Discipleship is to "get yoked up" to Jesus Christ, even as He is "yoked" to the Father. This will enable Him to work the quality of "meekness" in us, even as He is "meek". What is "meek”? Some translations use the words "mild" or "gentle"; but I believe it means far more than that. I think most of you are aware that a "yoke" is the "brace" that "ties" two animals together in such a way that makes it imperative for them to move and work AS ONE; making a "team"; as a "yoke of oxen". To "take Jesus' yoke" means that you give up your "right" to any independent action on your own -- you are committed to the will of Jesus Christ and His will alone. It means also that you "yield" to the Lord all other so-called "self rights" which the carnal nature in each of us instinctively wants to "exercise" the "rights" to be self-assertive, to be selfishly ambitious, to take offense, to "get even", to retaliate, to take things into our own hands, to get carnally angry and "lash out" at someone (in word or deed), to always justify ourselves and blame someone else, to "put someone else down", to try to promote ourselves, to get resentful or bitter, to try to promote ourselves in the eyes of others, etc. etc. (you can add to the list). The reason for this is that our "yoking up" with Christ is NOT a "yoking of equals". Jesus did NOT say "let's get yoked together." He said, "you TAKE MY YOKE upon you". He Is the Lord (master -- boss), and we are His servant, or more accurately, His "love-slaves". Although we are "workers together with Him" (II Cor. 6:1), Only He initiates the work or "spiritual activity". We cease from our "labours" (Heb. 4:10) and enter into HIS. We desire and seek to function ONLY in those ministries and / or gifts He has ordained for us. He is our KING and He takes good care of us as citizens of His Kingdom. He is our leader, provider, advocate, lawyer, manager, judge, rewarder, promoter, and/or anything else that we need. That is why we come out of the kingdom of darkness (and Satan) and surrender our stupid, carnal "rights", and receive from Jesus, our King, whatever "rights" (and privileges), coupled with the necessary authority and power, to enable us to truly blessed and productive citizens of His kingdom. Hallelujah! This is a part of the "gospel" (good news) of the Kingdom that I mentioned earlier in this article.

The truly "meek" person has learned the secret of total YIELDING and TRUSTING. "Meekness' is NOT "weakness"; it is rather "STRENGTH UNDER CONTROL". Like the animal whose self-will has been "broken" (not the "spirit" -- inner "drive" or "vital force"), and yields to the "yoke" (as the oxen) or to the "bit and bridle; saddle or harness" depending on use (as the horse), and then waits for and responds to the command of the owner (master). What a beautiful sight is a horse hitched to a carriage, standing at attention, waiting for his master; head erect, neck arched, nostrils expanded -- with maybe a "snort" or two, as the head shakes the mien a little; muscles "rippling" with strength; yet, not a movement forward until the master arrives, takes his place in the seat, picks up the reins, and gives the command. That is a picture "strength under control."

Jesus was the perfect pattern of meekness throughout His life. However, from the time that He allowed Himself to be taken "captive" in the garden until He "dismissed" His Spirit on the cross, His "meekness" was severely put to the test. For at any time He had the power to instantly vanquish His "captors" and set Himself free. Even on the cross, He could have exercised the power to dislodge Himself from the spices which held Him, instantly heal His body and go free. But Jesus was unequivocally "yoked" to the Father's will, even .obedient unto the death of the cross (Phil. 2:8), that He refused to exercise His "right" NOT to die. Since He had never sinned He was not subject to death and did not have to die -- no fault was found in Him (Luke 23:4, 14). He refused to exercise that which we carnal humans think is a "right" -- to retaliate again His tormentors and crucifiers. A scripture which so beautifully expresses this is found in I Pet. 2:23. Quoting from the Amplified version: "When He was reviled and Insulted, He did not revile or offer insult in return; when He was abused and suffered, He made no threats [of vengeance]; but He trusted [Himself and everything] to Him Who judges fairly." Dozens of examples and scriptures could be given to illustrate throughout His life and ministry that Jesus was truly speaking the truth when He said "I am meek" (Mt. 11:29), but I will quote just one scripture: "Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise" (John 5:19). He "couldn’t" do anything independent of the Father because of His COMMITMENT to be "yoked" to the Father's will. His total yielding of any "rights" of His own, and His total TRUST that the Father would "espouse His cause" in everything -- that was His "meekness" -- STRENGTH UNDER CONTROL.

It was said of Moses that He was "very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth" (Num. 12:3). This is why God could use him so greatly, and trust him to follow His directions in leading over two million people out of Egypt and through a forty year wilderness journey. But on one occasion, Moses lost his meekness. The people of Israel arrived at a certain place near the end of their wilderness journey and there was no water for them. They gathered against Moses and contended with him severely. Moses fell on his face before the Lord as he had done many times before to get the Lord's direction, and the Lord told him what to do. He was to gather the congregation together, and along with Aaron his brother, he was to hake the rod in his hand and speak to a certain rock and it would give forth water. The details are give in Numbers 20:l-l2, On a previous occasion, toward the beginning of their wilderness journey, when the congregation was in need of water, and they strove with Moses because of it, Moses was instructed by God to take the rod and strike a certain rock, causing waters to come forth (Exodus 17:1-6). On the second occasion, however, Moses evidently became more irritated by the people's "attack" on him (he had been the object of their "wrath" on many and varied occasions and circumstances throughout almost forty years), and for some reason he evidently felt he had a "right" to vent his uncontrolled anger on them. Gathering them before the rock, he "lashed out" at them with these words: "hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? Not only in anger did he imply that he and Aaron ("we") were going to produce the water (not giving glory to God), but his infuriated mind failed to recall God's specific instructions. Instead of "speaking" to the rock, Moses "lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice" (Num. 20:11).

Although God responded to Moses’ action by providing water for the people, He rebuked Moses with these words: "Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them" (Num. 20:12). It cost Moses dearly when he lost his meekness, failed to yield totally to the Lord's control, took things into his own hands, and acted "on his own" in disobedience to the command of the Lord, and by doing so "exalted" himself in the eyes of the people by implying that he (and Aaron) were going to produce the water.

To be a "Disciple" is to take Jesus' "yoke" upon us; to be so yielded, surrendered, committed and "united" with Him that we become "meek" -- totally under His control and will, as He was "meek" when upon this earth -- totally under the control and will of the Father. "Meekness" is listed as one of the "fruits" of the Spirit in Gal. 5:23. We don't become meek overnight. But by consistent submission to His "yoke" -- giving Him total "right of way" in our lives, this beautiful character quality will be developed in our lives. The Greek words translated "meek" and "meekness" are usually translated "gentle" and "gentleness" in the New American Standard, and some other modern English translations. Although this is an essential ingredient in meekness, I believe that if you will re-study this section on "taking Christ's yoke", and deeply ponder all of the ramifications, your understanding will be greatly deepened, and the impact on your life (if taken seriously) will be significant. Other New Testament Scriptures that you can study where "meekness" is mentioned are as follows: I Cor. 4:21, II Cor. 10:1, Gal. 5:23, 6:1, Eph. 4:2, Col. 3:42, I Tim. 6:11, II Tim. 2:25, Titus 3:2, Mt. 5:5, 21:5, I Pet. 3:4, James 1:21, 3:13, and II Pet. 3:15.

(2) The second purpose of Discipleship is given in Mt. 11:29 in the second statement Jesus made following the one we have been dealing with: "Take my yoke upon you, and LEARN of me." The parallel to this, as we have already noted is "for I am lowly of heart". The Greek word translated "lowly of heart" -- tapeinos, indicates one who is "abased or lowly (in circumstances or disposition)". Although variously translated in the New Testament, it is most often translated (taking the noun and verb forms together) by the English word "humble", or "to be humble" or "to humble oneself". The same Greek word, but combined with another word -- tapeinophrosune, is translated "humbleness of mind" or simply "humility". For the purpose of emphasizing Jesus' command to "learn of Him", I want to impress upon you three important aspects of humility: (1) our willingness to be teachable; (2) our desperate need; and (3) honesty -- the willingness to admit when we are in error in our thinking and beliefs and the willingness to change and adjust in our understanding.

Before elaborating on these, let me say that the only way we can LEARN of Christ Is by diligently studying His WORD -- the Scriptures. Jesus clearly distinguished between those who believed on Him and those who were His disciples. Quoting from John 8:31-32: "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.", I will come back to this scripture later, but right now I want to emphasize the importance, as we approach the climactic events of this age, and as the Lord is getting ready to manifest Himself through His people as never before, as a necessary part of our preparation, of setting aside things that are not important, and GETTING INTO THE WORD OF GOD (in study, meditation and prayer) CONSISTENTLY (daily, unless hindered by unusual circumstances). Probably the greatest contributing factor to most Christians spiritual "anemia" is the failure to consistently and prayerfully read and meditate on the WORD of God. You may have sincerely believed on Jesus for salvation; you may be "born again"; but according to the Scripture just quoted from John 8:31, if you are not "continuing" In Jesus' Word, you are NOT His disciple; neither will you reap the blessings and rewards of discipleship, one of the most important of which is given in John 8:32: "and ye shall know (by personal experience) the truth, and the truth shall make you free (from the "disease" of sin: its bondage and inevitable consequences; as well as the debilitating effects of an unrenewed mind -- fear, worry, depression, etc.). More on this later! The word "continue" which Jesus used in John 8:31 is a translation of the Greek word meno. It is used well over 100 times in the New Testament and is variously translated by the English words: "abide", "continue", "remain", "dwell" (for more information on this word and its implications in our spiritual life, order my booklet titled "Daily Abiding in Christ"; it has helped to uplift and liberate many lives, as indicated by many testimonies received). This word is used by Jesus in John 15:7 where He declares: "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." It should be obvious to us that if His words are going to "abide" (dwell, remain, continue) IN us, that we must spend considerable time consistently "continuing" (abiding, dwelling, remaining) IN the Word.

The Old Testament makes it clear that not only does God determine who rules nations, but that He uses those rulers to implement His will for the nations. When God uses the "head" of our nation to encourage the passage of legislation proclaiming 1983 as "The Year of the Bible", and then enthusiastically signs that proclamation into law before several thousand witnesses, using the occasion to give a stirring message calling the nation back to the Bible and the God of the Bible, I believe that God is using that as a prophetic voice to the people of this nation. God may be saying: "I am giving you an opportunity, before the greater judgments begin to fall upon the world, to see what you will do with MY WORD, and to what degree you will hear MY VOICE -- you who profess to be Christians. I have 'raised up a Standard' through the leader of your nation. Are you going to respond with a diligence in seeking ME and MY WAYS for yourself, your family, and everything you are involved in, with a fresh commitment and zeal --while there is yet time -- before forces of darkness and disruption begin to arise in greater intensity throughout the land, as they surely will? Or will you just 'sleep on', in careless indifference, until you are awakened by the spreading CRY of turmoil, riot, and strife in the streets, extreme economic crises, and the 'thunder' of WAR from external enemies, which will eventually spread destruction across the land? The degree in scope and intensity of such judgments will depend upon how the 'church in America' responds to hold high MY BANNER (the Bible -- My Word) NOW and in the months ahead. "

Now back to LEARNING from Jesus. The key is humility, even as Jesus said He was humble (lowly in heart). Jesus had to "humble" Himself in order to take on human flesh. Phil. 2:7-8 says that He "took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." While in the flesh, it says in Heb. 5:8 that He LEARNED obedience by the things which He "suffered" (experienced). I have already dealt with that Scripture, but I want to point out now that the Greek word translated "Learned" in the verse just quoted is exactly the same Greek word which is used when Jesus said "LEARN of me" (Mt. 11:29). Although the mighty Spirit (being) who indwelt the body of the one known as Jesus of Nazareth was the very Divine SON of the HIGHEST, yet in "lowering" Himself to take upon human flesh and LIVE as a human, He had to be "humble" enough to LEARN how the Father wanted Him to conduct Himself in every situation He faced: what He was to say, to do, and how He was to respond to every person (or persons) that crossed His path, that He called to follow Him, or that confronted Him in any way. Without such "humility" to LEARN OBEDIENCE in every situation, He could not have fulfilled the Father's will or finished HIS work (John 17:4).

How much more do we need the quality of humility to LEARN of (from) Jesus. The Scriptures promise that with humility comes the GRACE of God. "But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble" (James 4:6; see also I Pet. 5:5). Whatever we receive, from the Lord is a manifestation of His loving GRACE ("unmerited favor"). "Grace" not only indicates the "unmerited favor" of God extended to us because of what Jesus did for us, it also implies the Divine influence upon (and within) the human mind and heart to do supernaturally what we are incapable of because of our human limitations, doing for ourselves. With reference to our immediate subject -- learning from Jesus, it is impossible to rightly understand the teachings of Jesus (or any other Scripture) so that they become LIVING REALITY within us, unless our minds are supernaturally illuminated. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to the twelve who were gathered together, and at that time Luke 24:45 says: "then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures." It is now the function of the Holy Spirit to "take the things of Christ and reveal them to us" (John 16:14). In writing to the Ephesian Christians, Paul prays that "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the (Holy) spirit of wisdom and revelation in the (full) knowledge of him (Christ)." Eph. 1:17 -- see also John 6:63 & I Cor. 2:9-14. "It is the Spirit that quickeneth" (makes "alive" and "real") said Jesus, but even the Holy Spirit cannot reveal anything to us unless we have the quality of HUMILITY.
There are many aspects of that which we call "humility", but earlier I said I wanted to emphasize three; if we are to "learn of Jesus". First, a teachable spirit. Jesus links humility with the nature of a child (Mt. 18:4). We must become truly child-like in our approach to the Scriptures. There are three things that keep most people, even most Christians, from being truly teachable: (1) to much secular (humanistic) education; (2) too much religious tradition; and (3) too much carnality remaining in the heart -- most Christians believe what they want to, and I'll tell you why later.

First, with regard to "secular education", most people in this nation have gone through high school, and a great many have had some or much college education. Having been exposed to so much foolish "worldly wisdom" (see I Cor. 1:18-29), most heads are so filled with faulty concepts that it takes much time and "humility" to get the mind "open" to Scriptural concepts (which are usually so completely opposite to that which is learned from the world society. To help us understand, let me give you a factual illustration. During the 1960 presidential campaign, before the political parties had selected the respective candidates, there were three men running for the office who claimed to be "born again" Christians; John Anderson, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan. (The following is in no way a "judgment" on the claim to be "born again" -- only God knows; I personally hope that each one is a "born again" Christian). Because of the claim of each to be "born again", a group of concerned Christian citizens made a study of position or "stand" of each of these candidates on a number of important moral issues that are "festering" in the nation. The results of the study were published in a small brochure which I read. I don't have one at hand right now so I don't remember the exact number of issues the candidates were polled on, but it seems there were eight or more. The result, however, was rather dramatic. On every one of the moral issues, the "stand" of John Anderson and Jimmy Carter was exactly the same. On the other hand, the "stand" taken by Ronald Reagan was exactly the opposite of the other two candidates on every moral issue. Furthermore, the study showed that the positions taken by John Anderson and Jimmy Carter were identical to that advocated by the secular humanists. Whereas the position taken by Ronald Reagan was Biblically oriented on each moral issue. Just what influences shaped the thinking of these men, I cannot say. I do know that Ronald Reagan went to a Christian College, which might help to explain his Biblical perspective.

The above simply illustrates the fact that one can be a professing Christian and either not understand, or not be "open" to Biblical truths because of the mind has been so conditioned by the knowledge accumulated by secular education. Knowledge tends to inflate the ego (I Cor. 8:1). Strongly held opinions are not easily relinquished. Not many are willing to admit that they "know nothing yet as they ought to know" (I Cor. 8: 2). But DISCIPLESHIP demands a child-like spirit of humility which is teachable, so that the mind can be completely "renewed" or renovated (Rom. 12:2, Eph. 4:23, Col. 3:10).

[To be continued].

Call to Discipleship - Part 3 - by Leland Earls

CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP — Part 3 - by Leland Earls

[Reprinted by permission from Word of Life Fellowship, Shelton, Washington USA.
Visit www.wordoflifefelloship.com for more info about writings of the late Leland Earls. Also available are online copies of some of brother Earls' writings at www.firstloveministry.com ]

In the last article I was dealing with the quality of "humility" as the KEY to learning of (from) Jesus, as His disciple." God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace (to open our understanding) unto the humble." (James 4:6, I Pet. 5:5).

I indicated that I could not take the time to deal with all of the various aspects of humility, but that there were three that I wanted to emphasize with reference to our subject of "discipleship" - placing ourselves under the unconditional discipline of Jesus Christ in order to be taught of Him. The first was our willingness to be teachable. The second was the absolute necessity for us to recognize our desperate need to consistently study and meditate in the Word of God. The third, which I had not yet touched upon, is honesty The Word of God is like a like a sharp two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12). It "cuts", exposes, rebukes - revealing the very depths of the thoughts and motives of our hearts. If we are going to be faithful to our Master (Teacher) then we must honestly "face" the convicting and often embarrassing truth as it penetrates our inner being. This is not always easy. The evasive, deceitfulness of the human heart is declared to us in Jer. 17:9, It takes the grace of God to enable us to fully repent, change our attitudes, ask forgiveness of those we have wronged, make restitution, change our minds about errors and wrong concepts that we have held to, and constantly make the adjustments necessary if we are honestly willing to be taught of the Lord. According to Luke 8:15, the "seed" (Word of God) which fell on the "good ground", "are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit to perfection. "

In this section, I have been dealing with the purposes of discipleship. I have written on Nos. 1 & 2, which you can refer back to in the two preceding articles on this subject. I will now proceed to No. 3: "To be made WORTHY” of Jesus, that we may be prepared to dwell with Him in His Heavenly Kingdom." In Mark 8:34, we read these words of Jesus: "Whosoever will come AFTER me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (See also Mt. 10:38, where Jesus says: "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not WORTHY of me."). In these scriptures, Jesus is NOT dealing with the matter of initial salvation which is a free GIFT upon faith in Jesus Christ (John 5:24, 6:40. Rom. 6: 23: Eph. 2:8-9). Those acquainted with my writings know that "eternal life" is nothing more than the restoration of what Adam lost when he sinned - deathless life on this earth. Beyond that, there are specific requirements for those who aspire to be intimately associated WITH Jesus IN His Heavenly Kingdom IN the New Jerusalem to be a part of His RULING Bride and Household. I will limit my remarks here since you can read what I have written in other writings ("The Three Comings of Jesus", "The Gift and the Prize" in Manifested Sons No. I, and "Preparation for the Lord's Coming" - all available upon request).

Concerning the requirements that Jesus enunciates: “denying” oneself, taking up ones' cross, and following Him, I will deal with later in the section on "The Requirements of Discipleship". But I will remark briefly on Jesus' statement that those who fail to fulfill these requirements are not "worthy" of HIM. If preachers and Bible students had not been so "brainwashed" by Satanic traditions, they would know how to "rightly divide" (II Tim. 2:15) the Word of truth, and they would know when Jesus was speaking of salvation (based solely on faith in Him and "His merits" alone) and discipleship, the requirements of which are necessary to make us "worthy" to dwell in His immediate presence. The Greek word translated "worthy" in Mt. 10:38, means "deserving, comparable, or suitable", which indicates that there must be a sufficient purifying of our inner being from innate carnality, as well as partaking of and growing-into the nature and character of Jesus Christ that there will be a sufficient "comparableness" or "suitableness" of our natures that we will experience a complete harmony, unity, and totality of love. This comes through His work IN us.
At times, I have been in meetings of Christians where the Spirit of God has moved in such a profound way and the presence of the Lord was so real that it was awesome. It was a thrill to me. Yet through experience, I discovered that many Christians do not like such meetings; the presence of the Lord makes them feel very uneasy and uncomfortable, because their spiritual attunement, hunger and love for the Lord was so limited, they simply were not ready to get that close to the Lord's manifest presence. How then can we say that such Christians are ready to dwell with Christ in the New Jerusalem where the awesome holiness of His presence will be at least one thousand times as great as anyone has experienced on this earth?

One of the most abused scriptures in the New Testament is I John 3:2 "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." Most fundamentalist Christians teach that when we are translated (or "raptured" as they call it), that by some "magic button", not only will our bodies be changed to be like Jesus glorious body, but that at the same time our "inner being" will suddenly be changed into the "likeness" of Jesus in all of the perfection of His character qualities. All one has to do is to read the verse immediately following the one quoted above and such stupid fantasies can be dispatched to the pit where they belong, for I John 3:3 says: "and every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." What need is there for us to submit ourselves to getting purified here and now, in this life, if this will at once suddenly in the instant that we are translated to be with Jesus? The expression that we at once shall be "like Him" when we shall see Him, refers to the change that will take in our physical body, for we shall have a body like unto His, even as Paul says in Phil. 3:21.

Both Peter and Paul liken the physical body to a "tabernacle", "building", or "house" in which our spirit and soul lives. Now tell me, if you move from one house into another one, does that act in itself suddenly change YOU (morally or spiritually)? NO, beloved, if we have the HOPE of having our bodies changed into the likeness of Christ's glorious body, then the cleansing and purging, the growing and changing into the image of Christ and the testings and provings that are so necessary to prepare us, must take place here and now - in this life. We read in James 1:12: "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation (trials - testings); for when he is tried (successfully), he shall receive the CROWN of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that LOVE Him." This scripture obviously has both a special qualification and a special promise. The "crown of life" is certainly something more than just the "gift of eternal life" (Rom. 6:23). A "crown" is associated with a "prize" (I Cor. 9:24-27, Phil. 3:l4) - that of "winning" Christ, to become a part of His "elect" Bride or Household. The "crown of life" or "life CROWNED", could refer to the GLORIFIED BODY which all who "rule" with Christ shall receive (Phil. 3:21).

Jesus solemn admonition that "he that taketh not his cross, and followeth not after me, is not worthy of me" (Mt. 10:38) is in perfect harmony with His revelation to the churches as given to John the apostle in the last book of the New Testament. In Rev. 3:4-5, He makes mention of certain ones in the church of Sardis: "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment." Surely there were many saved (born again) Christians in the church at Sardis, but Jesus makes it clear that only a few out of that church would "walk with Him in white; for they are worthy." And to add emphasis to this fact, He immediately follows with the added truth that such are those who "overcome". He explains that these are "worthy" because they have not "defiled" their "garments". To "defile" means to soil.

This brings up a whole new subject which is too vast to cover in this discipleship study. “Their garments” refers to the inner soul garment which each person has. Paul makes it clear in I Thess. 5:23, that we humans are composed of spirit, soul and body. Your "spirit" is the real "you", which has been "formed" or "fathered" by God out of His own "substance", for God is SPIRIT (see Zech. 12:1, Heb. 12: 9, John 4:25). But God has provided "clothes" for us, just as you provide clothes for your children. Your physical body is your "outer" garment, and your soul is your "inner" garment. Just as when you put on your clothes, I can see your outer garments, but I cannot see your under-garments or under-wear, it is a "picture" of the way that God has made us. I can see your physical body (or garment), but I cannot see your soul body (or garment). This is because the "atomic structure" of the soul is much more "highly attenuated" in its composition - its vibrational "pitch" is on a much higher level of existence, and the "visual waves" it emanates are not within the range of the physical eyes. Because of its "highly diffused" substance, the soul occupies the same space as the physical body, and is an exact replica of the physical body.

The soul is under the same sentence of death as the physical body. God declared through the prophet Ezekiel that "the soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezek. 18:4). The people had evidence for hundreds of years that the physical body was subject to death because of sin, but they needed to know that they had a "soul" which also was subject to death because of sin. Jesus confirmed this perspective in His teaching by stating in Mt. 16:26, "what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul." And also His warning in Mt. 10:28: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." And other scriptures are clear that the soul must be saved (from death) - see James 5:20, Heb. 10:39. To "save" means to "preserve".

There is so much more that needs to be said on this subject, and I hate to leave you "dangling" - so to speak, but I don't want to get too far off of our immediate subject of "discipleship". I must, however go back to Rev. 3:4-5, and clarify further the matter of our "worthiness" to be a part of the "elect" company who will "walk with Jesus in white". We have already noted that such are "worthy" because they have not "defiled their garments" (their inner "soul garments"). To grasp the significance of Jesus' words, we must understand that the Scriptures teach that the "desire nature" (with its emotions and feelings) functions through the soul. Because of the inherited fallen Adamic nature, the corrupted soul-desires become a "driving force" which dominate and "usurp" the authority and ruling power (will) of the human spirit, and use the physical body as the "instrument" to carry out and "fulfill" sinful propensities. Such soul-desires which lead to sin, rebellion, lust, covetousness, etc., then "defile" it - cause it to become "dirty" and unclean. Christ's redemptive sacrifice for us has not only made provision for the soul to be saved (preserved from death), but also for the soul to be purified (I Pet. 1:22), or cleansed. This not only means forgiveness of sins (the "fruit" of our sin nature), but also the cleansing or purging of the soul of that sin nature's dominance or "drive" towards sin. James says that God not only forgives our sins, but also cleanses us from ALL unrighteousness (James 1:9); that is, IF we are aware of God’s provision (and submit ourselves to it) for such "freedom" through cleansing by the truth of God's Word (John 8:31-32, 36) and the fire of God's Spirit (Mt. 3:11). This does not mean "sinless perfection" in the sense that one so "cleansed" cannot sin, for God never nullifies our power of free will to choose as we please.
Jesus' words in Rev. 3:4 indicate that there were those in Sardis who had received a deep cleansing unto purity of heart and holiness of life, but afterwards "defiled their garments". "Cleansing" by the power of God's truth and His baptismal fire*

[*Note: I have dealt with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in a booklet titled "A New and Living Way" (available on request), so I will not go into further detail here. But it is very important to note that the first words ever spoken about Jesus by John the Baptist, who was to prepare "the WAY" of the Lord, were: "he that cometh after me is mightier than I ... he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire (Mt. 3:11). And the last words that Jesus Himself spoke to His disciples were: "tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" (Lk. 24:49, Acts 1:8). So to be His disciples requires that we ask, seek, even "knock" if necessary until we experience this "immersion" in the "fire" of His Spirit, to purge the inner "dross" and empower for victory (Lk. 11:9-13).]

from the innate "bondage" to sin does not make one suddenly a mature Christian. Much progress and growth towards maturity and perfection must still take place. Neither does it automatically remove all "faults" and "weaknesses" which are common to our strictly human nature. We must still diligently seek to "overcome" all that the Lord exposes and shows us that is not pleasing to Him. Thus it is possible for a "cleansed" one to "fall short" or fail the Lord in various ways; even to momentarily sin in thought, word, attitude or deed. But such inadvertent (not willful) failings are quickly taken to the Lord and confessed, and His forgiveness restores precious fellowship. I John 1:8-10.

Jesus words in Rev. 3:4-5, however, indicate that "inner garments" which have been made "white" can once again be "defiled". Last time, in part 2 of this study, I commented on our Christian "walk" and the need to have Jesus "wash our feet" every day from the "surface" contaminations which we pickup from the inevitable "rubbing shoulders" with the people of the world in our daily activities. Thus we must continually exercise our will in seeking the Lord, abiding in His Word, and letting Him cleanse us from "surface" contaminations, for Satan has many devices and "wiles" (Ephes. 6:11) to try to entice us to once again "awaken" mental-emotional desires and attitudes which can lead to sinful actions - in word and/or deed. If we are again so "enticed" and begin to "take pleasure" in that which is displeasing to the Lord, then the "dirt" of this world (the "lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes (covetousness), and the pride of life (self-importance and self-exaltation)" - I John 2:16, can begin to pollute and "defile" our inner soul garment - and such can disqualify us from being among those who will "walk with Jesus in white". Even though saved, we would fall again into the category of a carnal Christian, and become subject to the chastening dealings of God.

Aside from avoiding unnecessary contact with the world and worldly people, the most important thing for the "purged" Christian, who wants to remain "sanctified" (wholly separated unto the Lord) unto holiness (purity), is to avoid about 90% of all TELEVISION - for the majority of the programs bring the pollution and filth of the world right into your living room. You cannot "feed" your mental-emotional being on such "garbage" and not run the risk of getting seriously defiled within.
I want to focus your attention again on the words of Jesus in Mt. 10:38: "and he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." One thing to "follow after" means is to pursue. According to Webster's dictionary the definition of "pursue" is "to follow with a view to overtake; to chase; to seek; to use measures to obtain; to go in pursuit; to proceed along, with a view to some end or object." Think of this definition in terms of a young man (or woman) who has become acquainted with the one they believe is the one they want to "win" as a life companion. And with eventual marriage in mind, they go about to "pursue" that person in line with the definition of that word that I have quoted above. Read it again, and try to grasp the parallel between a young persons' pursuit of the object of their affection for a life partner, and our need to pursue Christ to "win" Him if we hope to be a part of His heavenly Bride or Household to be His partner in companionship and love. We must pursue Him with all or our hearts. Does not a young person who is ' pursuing ' the one they desire spend as much time as they can with them, find out all they can about them, seek to pi ease them in every way they can, express their love to them, be willing to forsake all fanner family ties to be joined to them? Does Christ require any less of us if we want to be joined to Him in intimate bliss?

Even though we can receive the free gift of eternal life from Him, 'Christ Himself must be "won" as illustrated above, and this perspective is confirmed by Paul in Phil. 3:7-8: "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge (full or intimate knowledge) of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suf¬fered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may WIN Christ." In vs. 14, Paul relates this "winning" of Christ with the "prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Salvation is a gift - not a prize; but certainly Christ Himself is the greatest "prize" one could give his or her ALL to WIN.

Look with me again at Mt. 16:24: "If any man will come AFTER me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." To "come after" Jesus can mean to "come" (or arrive) at a later time. Notice Jesus' words in John 13:36: "Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Wither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. Here Jesus is using the "follow me" to indicate the actual, and eventual, personal arrival of Jesus' disciples to be where He was going. Jesus had told his disciples that He was leaving them to return to the Father, but they could not "follow Him" in that journey at that time, but they would AFTERwards (at a later time). Just a few statements later, in John 14:2-3, Jesus said: "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I AM, there ye may be also." Ordinarily this promise is automatically applied to all Christians. But a careful examination of this and other scriptures that we have been considering, makes it clear that Jesus promise is applicable only to disciples; those who deny self, take up their cross, and follow Him - those who truly desire and commit themselves to "go after Him" - not only to "pursue" Him with all their hearts, but to go (or "be taken") to where Jesus is AFTER Him (at a later time). Later, when I deal with the requirements of discipleship more specifically, these truths will come into clearer focus.

Continuing this section on the purposes of discipleship, No. 4 is indicated by Jesus in Lk. 6:40: "The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master." The Amplified version reads: "A pupil is not superior to his teacher, but every one [when he is] completely trained - readjusted, restored, set to rights and perfected - will be like his teacher. Discipleship is for the purpose of "perfecting" us AS our Teacher - becoming LIKE Him. There are two Greek works translated "perfect" in the New Testament. One is teleios, which implies a goal reached, that which is complete or finished, and relating to God's goal for his children, the word can be translated "mature" or "perfect" (in the sense of the finished work God has purposed to accomplish in our lives in terms of a certain measure of growth which He had previously determined - see Phil. 1:6). This word is used by Jesus in Mt. 5:48: "You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect [that is, grow into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], (Amplified version).
The Greek word which is used in Lk. 6:40, however, is katartizo, and although it is translated "perfect" several times in the New Testament in the King James version, its meaning is more accurately definition is, "to thoroughly furnish, to equip, to adjust, to repair, to restore, to mend (it is used in medical language of setting a bone or joint); also used in classical Greek for refitting a ship." Teleios is the Greek word which points towards the ultimate goal to which God is bringing us - full maturity in Christ; whereas katartizo characterizes the means to that end or goal - that is, the day by day adjustments, changes, repairs (from the damages of sin), mendings (from hurts and offenses), restoring (in broken relationships), furnishing and equipping for battles against Satan and for service for the Lord - that we might learn by experience and thus progress in growing spiritually, etc. Praise the Lord! Only discipleship to Jesus Christ can "equip" us with the spiritual "tools" to bring about the necessary changes and adjustments in our lives that will enable Him to bring us to the ultimate goal of spiritual maturity.

A passage which relates to this matter, and which I believe has been greatly misunderstood, is Mt. 19:16-22. A young man asked Jesus: "what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” Jesus answered him in accordance with that which was necessary for salvation at that time - the keeping of the Iaw. This was before Jesus had provided a "more perfect way" by His death and resurrection. Those who lived under the law were saved by acceptably (in the sight of God) keeping the law. Study Ezek., chap. 18. Any sins which were done in ignorance or inadvertently, were atoned for (covered) by the blood of the sacrificial animals (see Lev. 17:11, Lev., chaps. 4-6).

When Jesus quoted the commandments of the law as the requirement for eternal life, the young man said, "All these things have I kept from my youth up" (Mt. 19:20). He had met the requirements that Jesus enunciated (according to the law) and thus could be assured he was saved (provided he continued to keep the commandments of the law and did not turn to wickedness, as clearly explained in Ezek. chap. 18). But there was something in the young man's heart which yearned for something more. So he said to Jesus, “What lack I yet?" Jesus said unto him, "IF thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." However, Mt. 19:22 says that "when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions." When Jesus spoke these words to the young man, contrary to what some teach, He was NOT giving him further requirements for salvation. He would have been dishonest to do so. Jesus was born under the law covenant, lived un¬der the law, and that law covenant was not terminated until the cross (Col. 2:14), Heb. 7:19 says that the law could make nothing (no person) perfect. God is not just interested in the salvation (preservation of our souls). He has purposed our growth unto perfection (maturity). Salvation is just the beginning - as a new born babe in God's sight. When we are saved we still LACK MUCH (to put it mildly!) So when the young man said, "What lack I yet?” Jesus answered him in terms of DISCIPLESHIP - one of the purposes of which, as I have been setting before you - is to bring us to perfection (full maturity in Christ). I will develop this more fully when I discuss the requirements of discipleship.

The final purpose of discipleship that I will deal with (No. 5) is that we might come to know intimately the person of Christ, and the principles of His Kingdom. I am dealing with these together, because it is impossible to separate the person of Christ from what He taught (Kingdom principles for living - here and now). And to really know Christ and to love Him is to want to please Him and keep His commandments.

As I have repeatedly taught, just being saved is not enough to be prepared to be intimately associated with Jesus in His Heavenly Kingdom in the New Jerusalem. When Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me", He first meant to come to know Him personally in an intimate, loving way. The word "know" was used by the Hebrews as an "idiom" to express the most intimate relationship that a man and woman could have in the marriage union (see Gen. 4:1, 17, Lk. 1:34, Mt. 1:25). So when Jesus uses such expressions as, "I know you not" (Mt. 25:12), or "I never knew you" (Mt. 7:23), I do not believe He was saying that they were not "saved". But He was indicating that either through carelessness or indifference, or through being so busy working for Him, they had neglected to take the time to develop an intimate relationship and fellowship with Him, to where loving Him and pleasing Him becomes the paramount issue of one's life.

We come into a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ when we are truly "born again". But this initial "knowing" of Him is immature and must be cultivated and developed. An increased "intimate "knowing" of Jesus come through consistent study and meditation in His Word - until it becomes Spirit (quickened) and LIFE to us (see John 6:63) - that our minds might be "renewed" and our lives "transformed" (Rom. 12:2), and we become more "attuned" to His nature. Knowing Him also involves cultivating a "prayer life" whereby we commune and fellowship with Him; experiencing His "working" in our lives by His Spirit, increasingly drawing us to Himself as He "proves" His love to us over and over again.

There is just one more thing that I want to mention in these brief comments on "knowing" Him. Satan tempts us to draw us away from the Lord, but God tests or proves us in order to draw us closer to Him. So our reaction in times of trial is so important - that we might learn to TRUST Him implicitly, knowing that everything that He allows to happen to us is only for our good. And IF our heart is truly SET on increasingly knowing Him, as was the apostle Paul's (Phil. 3:8, 10), then that trial (of whatever nature it may be) can SOLIDFY our relationship with the Lord and INCREASE our "knowing" of Him.

It is clear from the Word that it is only mature grain (from which the "chaff" has been removed) is to be gathered into the "barn" of Jesus' Heavenly Kingdom (Mt. 13:30). Jesus made it clear that there are three categories of Christians - 30, 60 and 100 fold (Mt. 13:8). The same three groups are indicated in a different parabolic illustration in Mark 4:26-29 by three stages of growth - the blade, the ear, and the full grain in the ear. A wheat farmer does not go out and harvest and gather into his barn green blades, or unripe, partially filled ears, but only the full ripe grain - and that only after the "chaff" has been removed by threshing.

Among all the other things that our precious Lord Jesus is to us, we must realize that He is also the "Thresher". In Mt. 3:12, John the Baptist characterizes Him in the following words: "His winnowing fan (shovel, fork) is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear out and clean His threshing floor, and gather and store His wheat in His bam; but the chaff will He burn up with fire that cannot be put out" (Amplified version). The "chaff" is not a part of the wheat, but that which surrounds. Chaff is a type of the world; symbolizing the fact that the world surrounds us, but is not to be a part of us. However, for our spiritual development unto maturity, it takes the temptations and tests from the world around us; that's why the Lord leaves us in the world after we are saved - it is the "crucible" in which the Lord allows the "fiery trials" to prove and strengthen our faith, and to help "purify" us as gold (see I Pet. 1:7, 4:12). Jesus prayed of His disciples, "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." (John 17:15; see also John I5:I9). In John 16:33, Jesus gives us the assurance that we can have victory over all of the evil influences of the world: "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." His victory is OUR victory - if we will just believe and receive it by faith - and completely submit our will to His (see I John 5:4), for "greater is he (Christ) that is in you, that he (Satan) that is in the world" (I John 4:4).

When those who are represented by the "full grain in the ear" (Mark 4:28-29) are ready to be translated into the heavenly realm, then they shall be completely removed from the "chaff" of this world. However, even now the Lord is "working" on us on His "threshing floor" - for He wants every evil influence of the world to be nulli¬fied in our lives. He wants us to be totally separated ("in spirit") from the present world-system ruled by Satan (see II Cor. 6:14-7:1). Therefore, even now, He is putting us through "threshing floor" experiences of testings and provings to separate us UNTO HIMSELF, and AWAY from all "chaff" of this world.

Mt. 3:12 says that the Lord will "burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." I believe this takes place during the tribulation period - especially the final "vials of wrath". For at that time this world's system ruled by Satan will be completely destroyed. Also at that time, He will "thoroughly purge His floor" (that is, take His church through the tribulation period - all except the “firstfruits" - in order to cleanse and purify it, that it might be ready to be presented to Him "a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Ephes. 5:27). Ordinarily, Christians think only negatively about the tribulation. But let me SHOCK you! The tribulation period will be God's great act of mercy to the church, when multitudes who have been blinded by the traditions of men will "awaken to the truth", and have the opportunity to GET READY to meet their Lord and be a part of that "elect company" who will be translated to the glorified estate at the tribulation's close.

Now for a few final comments on this fifth purpose of discipleship: to increasingly know the person of Christ, and to understand (in order to implement in our lives - both within and without (in action), the principles of His Kingdom. Jesus came as a KING, proclaiming (preaching) the "good news” of that Kingdom. He manifested the nature of that Kingdom by spending untold hours virtually every day in ministering to the needs of the people - in healings, deliverances, miracles - that He might lay a foundation for FAITH in Himself. But also, almost daily, He spend untold hours TEACHING the PRINCIPLES of His Kingdom - which cannot be separated from His PERSON - for they reflect the LIFE-STYLE that He Himself LIVED. These "principles" (of life) are the spiritual and moral TRUTH-laws that are in constant operation for our benefit and blessing IF we align our lives with them in thought, motive, word and deed. They may be expressed as immutable "cause and effect" truth as "blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Mt. 5:7) and "give, and it shall be given unto you.” (Lk. 6:38), or given as a commandment such as "a new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you" (John 13:34), or "as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise" (Lk. 6:31); but regardless of the form of expression, that are ABSOLUTES for living - eternal "verities'' - as unchangeable as God Himself. If we are true disciples, we will study and meditate on every axiom for living that Jesus taught, diligently seeking to apply its every facet - that "joy-bells" may ring, as we actually experience these Truth-laws working for our blessing and ultimate good.

Before I comment further on the above, I want to include in this section a quotation that I believe helps to confirm my perspective, explained earlier, that the "soul" is actually an "inner body-covering" for the human spirit. The same life forces that develop the fetus within the mother's womb also generate within that fetus this fine spun, highly attenuated duplicate of the physical body. For the person whose soul has been saved (preserved from death), that soul serve as a functioning vehicle for the spirit in the heavenly realms after the death of the physical body, and also maintains the personal identity of that person who has lived on this earth. For the unsaved, the soul (after the death of the physical body) gradually loses its cohesiveness, causing its disintegrating (death). This process is pictured by type in the Bible by the disease of leprosy. We read in I Pet. 3:19 of "spirits in prison", because they were "denuded" - having lost both their physical and soul garments. But in Rev. 6:9 we read of "souls under the altar" in heaven - saved persons clothed in their soul garments, or bodies.

The following is taken from "Caught Up Into Paradise" by Richard E. Eby, D.O., physician and surgeon, published by Fleming H. Revell Co., Old Tappan, N.J. Dr. Eby had an accident and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. I don't remember how long he was dead, but God miraculously restored him to life. While his body was dead, he was taken to paradise and describes a portion of his experience as follows:
''Aside from the complete absence of pain and the total presence of peace (neither of which I had ever known on earth), I looked like me, felt like me, reacted like me. I was me. I simply suddenly had shed the old body and was now living in this fantastic cloud-like body! Being a physician, first instinct was to inspect my new body, and I instantly admired it. It was mine alright. After 60 years in the old one, it was easy to see that the new body was me. I was the same size, the same shape, as the person I had seen in the mirror for years. I was clothed in a translucent flowing gown, pure white, but transparent to my gaze. In amazement, I could see through my body and noted the gorgeously white flowers behind and beneath me. This seemed perfectly normal, yet thrillingly novel. My feet were easy to see. No bifocals needed. There were no bones or vessels or organs. No blood. I noticed the absence of genitals. The abdomen and chest were organless and transparent to my gaze, though translucent to my peripheral vision. There was no air to breath, no blood to pump, no food to digest or eliminate. This was not a carnal body of organs, mortal and temporary."

Note that he observed that the body he had in paradise was exactly like the physical body he had on earth, but without the organs necessary for a purely physical existence. Although "cloud-like" in substance, it was a real, identifiable body. Note also that this body he describes was not the glorified physical body which Christians will eventually receive - either through translation or resurrection. The glorified physical body will be a much more powerful and versatile body or "vehicle" than the soul body. A glorified body can function both in the heavenly realms and on the earth. This was demonstrated by Jesus after His resurrection, for in His glorified body He was able to remain invisible in the vicinity of the earth for 40 days (Acts 1:3); yet also "manifest" (appear) many times to individuals and groups (I Cor. I5:5-7). When causing His body to manifest in the physical realm, He could be seen, touched, and even eat food (Lk. 24:36-43). He emphasized that His manifest physical body had flesh and bones (Lk. 24:39), whereas the body that Dr. Eby had in paradise did not have any bones. A soul-body cannot manifest in the physical realm. It is only for the use and functioning (unto progress in God's plan) in the realms of paradise, until the "outer garment" (the physical body) is restored in the resurrection as the primary "functioning vehicle" for the human spirit.

I'm going to conclude for this time with this page, so have to leave this subject for now. But I will continue it in some future study for Jesus had other things to say about the distinction between spirit, soul and body, even what happens finally in the "lake of fire" (Gr. - "gehenna"), for those who are unsaved. You might read Mt. 10:28 and Mark 9:43-38 and meditate on them. In the latter scripture, what is the "worm" (figuratively speaking) that "dies not" in "hell fire"? Jesus was primarily a teacher, and He wants dedicated disciples (pupils). Are you one?