Dear Father,
16 However, they did not all heed the good News; for Isaiah says, “ Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
18 But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have;
30 He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
31 “ Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. Matt 12
2. In order to know Christ through serving His people, a true disciple shows unconditional physical and Spiritual love to the people of God.
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for youfrom the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Mesomething to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ Matt 25
3. In order to know Christ, a true disciple follows in the footsteps of Christ to suffer for His sake and to seek no revenge but to entrust himself to the righteous Judge.
21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.I Peter 2
4. In order to know Christ, a true disciple prays in secluded places and preaches the Gospel.
35 In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. 36 Simon and his companions searched for Him;37 they found Him, and *said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” 38 He *said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” 39 And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.Mark 1
We praise You that Your glory brings joy to our souls. We praise You that the effects of Your righteousness are pleasing in our sight. Please forgive me for not being bold with your grace and Truth in the presence of Your people and I ask that You would give me inner confidence to show Your love unconditionally and faithfully. Thank You for causing us to love Your Truth and glory so that we may be received as Your children and followers of Christ. What I must write now is new to me, Lord, and I pray that You would give me grace and correctness in presenting a description of a true disciple. Teach us that a true disciple is a believer of Christ who lives to know the Master rather than to obtain any other earthly and demonic state. And warn us of the final state of all who do not love Truth and glory.
In Jesus Christ's Name,
Amen
Theme Song: He Giveth More Grace
65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve,“You do not want to go away also, do you?” 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal Life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”John 6
65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve,“You do not want to go away also, do you?” 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal Life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”John 6
God's purpose in this letter is to help us understand the nature of a true disciple. In the past week God has made known more of this eternal Truth through His Word and confirmed by encouragement that I received from a few people and some circumstances. At the present time, it seems an impossibility to me to be able to write what I am trusting Him to write next. But if it is His will He will give me the words and clarity to present this Truth. I feel that I must keep this writing brief (briefer than it may be if explained extensively) so as not to become lost in the ocean of the manifold wisdom of God. This writing flows out from the previous two letters. I commit my spirit into His hands and proclaim and Jesus Christ is my Lord, God, and Savior.
First, I will describe that Christ is the full manifestation of the Father's glory to the world. Second, the Father has complete authority over the response of human hearts to His glory. He will harden the hearts of some such that in their final state they utterly detest the glory of God in the midst of the lake of fire. He will enable others to come to Him by granting them faith to understand the glory of God and to be filled with love for the eternal Life of knowing Christ. Thirdly, His true disciples are now present in the world to show the glory of God to the inhabitants of the world through their love and unity in Christ. The chosen ones will always be drawn to the Truth as the Spirit removes their veil of ignorance and unbelief. In the end, God's glory will be revealed to all mankind and some will still hate It. Thus, everyone in hell will have committed the unforgivable sin of hating the revealed glory of God.
UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD OVER THE RESPONSES OF OUR SOULS TO HIS GLORY AND UNDERSTANDING OF TRUE DISCIPLESHIP ARE VERY CLOSELY TIED TOGETHER
(see verse above: John 6: 65-69).
“Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Is 40
I. Christ is the Full Revelation of the Glory of God to the World
Christ was sent into the world as the "radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the Word of His power" (Heb 1:3). Christ Himself is the Word of God who has come to the earth in the flesh. The chosen disciples of Christ who were alive at the time of Christ's ministry saw this glory of God that was revealed in the nature of the Son of God. Christ revealed the glory of the Father by accomplishing the work that His Father had given Him to do (John 17:4). His Father had sent Him to do the work of obedience and perfect submission to Himself. He was to live a life of reverent submission throughout each moment of His earthly life in which He was tempted in every way as we are yet without sin. His miracles revealed His glory. After He turned water into wine, the disciple John states "This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him" (John 2:11). His Words were spoken with authority and brought judgment onto all those who did not believe and Life for all who were chosen and granted eternal Life. He obeyed His Father unto death on the cross where He bore the sins of the world and was risen to life again for the justification of all His people. He came to present the "Light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the Image of God" (2 Cor 4:4). His Life on earth was full of grace and Truth. Of His fullness, the people of God were granted grace upon grace. Though no one had ever seen God, the One and only Son of God has explained Him to the world. The Son of God has explained to the world that the heavenly Father is full of love, Light, Truth, and grace. Christ is the true Light in the world. Yet until the Spirit had worked to remove the veil of unbelief and ignorance from mankind, though the Light was in the world, the people of the created world did not comprehend the Light of Christ. He came to the very people whom He had created and these people did not receive Him until the veil was removed from the chosen ones (see John 1). Thus, every act, Word, and thought of Jesus Christ during every moment of His Life on this earth leading up to and in consummation of His death, resurrection, and ascension presented to the world the complete glory of God. The people of the world required the Spirit's removing of the veil of unbelief and ignorance to behold the glory of God seen in Christ. And the people of the world are completely responsible for their response to the glory of God for It has been revealed to all of them in Christ.
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. John 15
II. God's Sovereignty over the Response of Souls to His Glory
This glory of God manifested in Jesus Christ is revealed to all mankind at some point. "Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together" (Is 40:5). Those who lived before Christ have also seen the glory of Christ. "For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea;2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. (I Cor 10)" And we will discuss in the fourth section (IV) that the followers of Christ who live after the ascension of Christ are filled with the Spirit of God and reflect the glory of God to the people of the world. Many of us have wondered if there are people who have never heard the Gospel or how the opportunity to receive the Gospel will be granted to those who live in exile or in remote unreached places. Of this we may be sure: God promises that His glory will be revealed to all people. And we know that unless the Spirit had removed the veil, the glory could never be revealed to someone. Thus the choice to believe in Christ is very discrete and the Gospel is always very clearly presented to every person while they still have chance to obey the Gospel. The just God has chosen to reveal His glory in Christ to each person.
18 But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have;
“ Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the world.” Romans 10
And their words to the ends of the world.” Romans 10
Though all will have beheld the grace, Truth, and love seen in the essence of the revealed glory of God shown in the Gospel of Christ, some will choose to reject the Truth and others will choose to receive Him. God has chosen to enable some to come to Him for "no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father (John 6:65)". The chosen ones are those who listen to His Voice and love His glory as It is revealed to them. Others have been and will be hardened so that they refuse to love the Truth even after seeing the grace and love of the glorified Christ. "So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. " (Rom 9:18) There are some whom God will "give over to the sinful desires of their hearts" (Rom 1:24). These are those who hate God's glory as it is revealed to them. God is fully sovereign over the souls of mankind. He is the Keeper: the "Guardian and Overseer" (I Peter 2:25) of the souls of the chosen one. He keeps them, refines them, and disciplines them so that they may behold the glory of God, love the Truth, obey His commands, and be saved. But for those who are devoted to destruction, the sovereign God keeps their hearts hardened to the Truth. He prevents them from seeing His glory at certain times by keeping the veil of ignorance and unbelief over their eyes during their hardness of heart (Eph 4:18). To these who are marked for destruction, He closes their eyes and ears so that they cannot return and be forgiven. For example, the miracles which occurred in Chorazin and Bethsaida revealed the glory of God to these people and yet they did not repent. If the same miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon, these people would have repented. But both groups were marked for destruction and God has kept both groups for judgment (Matt 11:21-22). God has ordained the timing and the extent of the revelations of His glory such that those who are chosen will love the Truth and be saved and those who are devoted to destruction will hate the Truth and be damned.
11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, 12 so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.”Mark 4
Our flesh may be filled with the notion that God is unjust or unmerciful to not enable everyone to come to Him since He has the authority and power to do so if He desired to. Christ states that "39 This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6) The Father has chosen those whom He loves to be given to His Son and we have His promise that none of these people will be lost. But our human minds often ask "Father, why did You not choose some for eternal Life? Why did You choose to keep some for destruction?" And we know that we do not understand the entirety of God's manifold wisdom and knowledge. However, there are two pieces of Truth which will be of comfort to us (and have caused my heart to rest in Him in my considering of His authority over the responses of our souls to His glory).
1. God in very nature is just, loving, merciful, and gracious. Of this we can be sure. And in His perfect justice all of us should have been damned apart from Christ's sacrifice. Even if God sent all of to hell and gave us the punishment that we deserved, He would still be perfectly just, perfectly loving, perfectly gracious, and perfectly merciful. God is glorified even before the world began. In the abundance of the riches of His grace and kindness He has chosen to save some. It is a great marvel that He would choose to save even one person. His love and justice are excellent even if His wrath had remained on all of us for not loving His revealed glory and Truth.
2. God's love, grace, mercy, and compassion are infinite. We have fallen far short of His glorious loving kindness and compassion. Thus, we can never put forth more mercy and tenderness than God. So if we felt in our subconscious pondering that we were more inclined to show compassion than God is, we have deceived ourselves and we have double confirmation that our minds are clouded from understanding His eternal Truth and need to be washed with His Words.
III. The God Hater
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. 2 Thess 2
The glory of God in Christ has been presented to all people, and yet, those marked for destruction will be drawn further into wickedness as It is revealed. For as the glory of God is manifested to them, they will choose their wicked passions over the glory of the love and grace of God. This is the pivotal damning choice: the preference for wickedness over the revealed grace and all-satisfying love of God. Though each person, male and female, was made in the Image of God, the God-hater exchanges the "their glory for the glory of an ox that eats grass" (Ps 106:20) and exchanges "the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man". They have loved the "glory" of man, their own "glory" (i.e. shame), more than the glory of God. And they are damned because they have rejected the glory of God, not because it was not revealed to them and they had no knowledge of His goodness, but because after seeing the goodness of God, they have hated God. They have exchanged the Truth of God for a lie and worshiped the created things. Because of their wickedness and rejection of His glory, God gave them over to the hardness of their wicked hearts so that they "would receive in themselves the due penalty of their error" (Romans 1:27). In their hardened state, they have hated the glory of God. They loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. For those who do evil hate the Light and are afraid to come into the Light for fear that their deeds will be exposed (John 3). In the face of the Truth of the wrath of God against the wicked, the God-hater continues to follow the vileness of his heart. He hates the glory of God and has fallen completely in love with his own shame. (See Romans 1:21-32)
And although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. (Romans 1:32)
The God-hater will experience in themselves the penalty for their wickedness and eventually they will reside in torment in the hell fires. Consider the scribes who attributed the glorious work of Christ in His healings and casting out of demons to the devil. They saw the awe-striking power of God, and held onto their pride rather than to love the "Holy One of God". After beholding and experiencing the terrible judgments of the Lord, the God-hater will not repent. How thoroughly have they hated God!
20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues,did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;21 and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts. Rev 9
Their hearts remain in hatred towards the glory of God. We often have a false image of unbelievers in hell as if there are some people there accidentally...as though they never heard the Gospel clearly or that they simply did not understand that Christ is the only way or they did not have the privilege of being around good believers...but we know that from the bottomless pit, no one will love God. No one will long for the glorious love and grace of God. They will remain in perfect hatred towards God. God's just wrath against those who reject His Son is not unjustly exorbitant or out of proportion to the offense of the damned person. For the damned person has eventually seen the glory of God and rejected It. He has continued to love his own wickedness. He has committed the unforgivable sin in his final state for he has seen the glory of God in Christ and rejected It through his insulting of the Spirit of grace. Just prior to Christ's description of the unforgivable sin He states "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters". And in this sequence of Christ's Words we find the crux of the God-hater: the God-hater does not love the glory of God revealed in the grace and Truth of Jesus Christ. Thus, even when the Spirit reveals the glory of God to him at the preordained time, he will hate and refuse Him and continue to perform wickedness. And everyone whose name is not written in the Lamb's Book of Life will be thrown into the Lake of Fire because he has perfectly hated the glory of God revealed in the grace and Truth of Christ.
31 “ Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. Matt 12
IV. The True Disciple
In view of the nature of the God-hater, we are given a deeper understanding of the nature of a true disciple of Christ. Just as the God-hater refuses to come into the Light and rejects the glory of God, the true disciple comes to the Light and comes to love the Truth revealed in the glory of God shown through Christ and His Gospel. The Father enables the true disciples to receive Him and in so doing to be granted the right to become His children because they have believed in His Name. He has granted them a new birth, "not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13). He has been born again by the Spirit who removed their veil of unbelief and ignorance at some point after hearing the Word of the Gospel. Now that the true disciple is born again, he is able to see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3). After Jesus has ascended into heaven and was seated at the right hand of the Father, God has chosen to reveal His glory through the true disciples of Christ who possess the indwelling Holy Spirit. The true disciple is hidden in Christ and daily carries around in His body the death of Christ so that the Life of Christ will be revealed.
34 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 35 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the Gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? 37 For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 9
After Christ gave His teaching on the authority of His Father over the souls of men, "no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father" (John 6:65), many of his disciples left him. May we not leave Him as we comprehend this kind of authority that the heavenly Father rightfully has! Then Jesus asked His disciples "You do not want to go away also, do you?” (John 6:67) and 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have Words of eternal Life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” Dear saints, do we have the same attitude as Peter, a true disciple of Christ, had? Did Peter stand firm in his faith at every point? Did he not falter in his denial of Christ? And did not his Good Shepherd keep his soul for all eternity and work in him so that his love for the Shepherd increased and was renewed as Peter was restored in repentance? Peter had been marked out for eternal Life. The Spirit had planted in him a desire and longing for Christ. And though he faltered at certain points, the Holy Spirit in him was a guarantee and a deposit guaranteeing what is to come. The love for God and the knowledge of Christ as the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life, the only hope, and the only TRUE AGAPE characterizes a true disciple. A true disciple desires nothing from his discipleship than Christ Himself. He follows Christ for no other reason than to know Christ. He does not follow Christ to find fulfillment in his earthly purpose. He does not follow Christ for material gain. He does not follow Christ to be honored, respected, or "loved" by the other people in the world. He does not follow Christ to satisfy his self-righteousness. The true disciple follows Christ because he knows that there is no one else to whom he may go for the Words of eternal Life. The true disciple has believed in the Gospel and seen the glory of God in Christ. He knows that Christ is the Holy One of God. The true disciple's heart cries "I will follow You because You are my only hope. I will follow You because I MUST KNOW YOU! You are my Life, my joy, my peace. THERE IS NO TRUE LOVE OUTSIDE OF YOU! I will obey You because I believe in You. I will trust in You because I want to see more of Your glory. I will be a fisher of men because I want to see the power of Your Word..."
True discipleship is rarely characterized by a defined earthly realm, sphere, or place. For the disciples walk in the footsteps of Christ who had no place to lay his head. Though God places them for certain periods of time in various places of influence, the place and the form of ministry is never the essence of the purpose of the disciple. Rather, the underlying desire to know Christ is the purpose of the disciple. Regardless of the earthly professions, place of residence, and pattern of life, true disciples exist to know their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Whatever they do is so that God may be glorified and that they may know Christ in it. As the true disciples walk in the footsteps of Christ and know Him, the Kingdom of God is in their midst and the glory of Christ, the Image of God, is put on display for the world in order that the Master may reap a harvest of souls to join the Kingdom. And the joy of the disciples in their knowledge of Christ increases as they bear this fruit. But the root of this joy is in the increased knowledge of the goodness of Christ.
17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10
20 Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed;21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” Luke 17
The nature of life for a true disciple persists throughout any earthly occupations that God has placed in his life. It is not as though there are some Christians who are too occupied with their earthly occupation to be a disciple of Christ. Rather, all who profess Christ are called to bear all the characteristics of a true disciple through obedience to the commands of their Master. They will, in fact, do so with eagerness because the love of their Savior has gripped their hearts for all eternity. They will not bear with the state of the mind and heart that is given over to anything other than their aim to bring glory to God and to know Christ in the process. Though they work heartily unto the Lord in their occupations, their hearts are "set on pilgrimage" and they are blessed because they "go from strength to strength" and they will appear before God in Zion one Day (Ps 84). They are disciples at the very same time that they live their daily lives on earth. What does the disciple do? He walks in obedience to the Spirit of God in him and the Word of Christ. We will now list some characteristics of true disciples. The motive in the true disciple behind his walking in this manner is always to know Christ:
The nature of life for a true disciple persists throughout any earthly occupations that God has placed in his life. It is not as though there are some Christians who are too occupied with their earthly occupation to be a disciple of Christ. Rather, all who profess Christ are called to bear all the characteristics of a true disciple through obedience to the commands of their Master. They will, in fact, do so with eagerness because the love of their Savior has gripped their hearts for all eternity. They will not bear with the state of the mind and heart that is given over to anything other than their aim to bring glory to God and to know Christ in the process. Though they work heartily unto the Lord in their occupations, their hearts are "set on pilgrimage" and they are blessed because they "go from strength to strength" and they will appear before God in Zion one Day (Ps 84). They are disciples at the very same time that they live their daily lives on earth. What does the disciple do? He walks in obedience to the Spirit of God in him and the Word of Christ. We will now list some characteristics of true disciples. The motive in the true disciple behind his walking in this manner is always to know Christ:
1. In order to know Christ, a true disciple takes great pain to deny the flesh and remove the things in his life which entice him into sin.
45 If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, 46 where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] 47 If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, 48 where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9
45 If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, 46 where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] 47 If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, 48 where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for youfrom the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Mesomething to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ Matt 25
3. In order to know Christ, a true disciple follows in the footsteps of Christ to suffer for His sake and to seek no revenge but to entrust himself to the righteous Judge.
21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.I Peter 2
4. In order to know Christ, a true disciple prays in secluded places and preaches the Gospel.
35 In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. 36 Simon and his companions searched for Him;37 they found Him, and *said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” 38 He *said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” 39 And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.Mark 1
5. In order to know Christ, a true disciple teaches all people the Word of God and does not hide the glory of God but lets It be known to everyone.
12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “ We have never seen anything like this.”13 And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.Mark 2
12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “ We have never seen anything like this.”13 And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.Mark 2
6. In order to know Christ and be called His family member, a true disciple does the will of God.
31 Then His mother and His brothers *arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they *said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.”33 Answering them, He *said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” 34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He *said, “ Behold My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”Mark 3
31 Then His mother and His brothers *arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they *said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.”33 Answering them, He *said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” 34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He *said, “ Behold My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”Mark 3
7. In order to know Christ, a true disciple has a humble lifestyle and preaches the Gospel of repentance and casts out demons wherever he goes.
7 And He *summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; 8 and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— 9 but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” 10 And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. 11 Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there,shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” 12 They went out and preached that men should repent. 13 And they were casting out many demons andwere anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.Mark 6
8. In order to know Christ and inherit eternal Life, a true disciple leaves behind earthly wealth, possessions, and family.
28 Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”Mark 10
7 And He *summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; 8 and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— 9 but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” 10 And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. 11 Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there,shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” 12 They went out and preached that men should repent. 13 And they were casting out many demons andwere anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.Mark 6
8. In order to know Christ and inherit eternal Life, a true disciple leaves behind earthly wealth, possessions, and family.
28 Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”Mark 10
9. In order to know Christ and share in the fellowship of His sufferings, a true disciple serves and lays his life down as a living sacrifice.
41 Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”Mark 10
41 Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”Mark 10
10. In order to know Christ, a true disciple seeks the perfect unity of God's people in the Presence of God for the revelation of His glory to the world.
22 The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. John 17
Excellent Exhortation for Daughters of God:
I strongly encourage every woman to hear this message "The Powerful Influence of a Godly woman" by Kay Arthur. She speaks by the Spirit of God and you will be blessed and convicted to hear this message.
Personal Note: You may have noticed that I have started using verses from the New American Standard Bible. I had been using NIV because it is what I was familiar with but have been encouraged by many others whom I trust in the Lord to use a Word-for-Word translation.
Confession: I am praying that God makes me bolder in His love with you all in person. Many times when I see you, I do not have immediate words to say and I am sorry about this. With these types of thoughts that you read in these letters in the past year in my mind you can imagine that casual talk has been difficult for me. God has been helping me and I feel more confident than last year. I am praying that God gives me wisdom, confidence, and love to communicate His love in person with every believer. Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. (Prov 29:25).
"Love Forever in Christ, Preethi"
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