Category Archives: Discipleship

Once again we were enriched by the insights of one another which our gracious Lord had opened up for us. We were imagining we were part of the audience among the circle of Jesus’ disciples in his discourse given for us in Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 7. Yes. The Word of God came to us as we travelled back 2000 years to listen to words that would never be out of date, would never pass away.

We met together eager to learn more of how the Lord expects us to order our behaviour today living in his kingdom, his gracious Good News rule, which totally and finally replaced the old Mosaic age system. Here are just a few of the gracious and helpful instructions we noticed.

First. Another serious warning against hypocrisy which can easily overtake us:  Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged . .  Over and again, for Jesus, hypocrisy is the pits. And let’s face it: we are totally incompetent in judging others.

Much more important to judge ourselves—yes?

So, avoid being judged by not judging others. Just stop the plague! Close your mouth before that negative attitude in your heart towards the other gets a chance to spill. You are not the Judge! The real Judge who judges righteously and without fear of favour is the same One who judges you! Leave it to the real Judge.

It’s so easy to see the speck that is in someone else’s eye, while there’s still that beam in your own eye. You simply cannot help anyone if there’s a beam is in your own eye.  What a hilarious comparison—we laughed with the crowd.

Don’t forget: with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you. Reminded us of that bit where we pray . . . forgive us in the same way we forgive others. Self-assessment is called for.

Only God can see that person’s heart, what motivates behaviour. Jesus is attacking the insane idea that we know better. We can easily see the faults in others because we are so familiar with them in ourselves.

But then Jesus warns us that we must also be discerning as we move among people: Don’t give that which is holy to the ‘dogs’, neither throw your pearls before the ‘pigs’, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.  What! Isn’t this judging others?

Well, ah, no. it’s being discerning. Take care—not everyone will appreciate what you say. Many will not be ready. We need discernment and wisdom—two promised spiritual gifts actually—see Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12.

When in doubt stop talking and pronouncing your solution—or worse, condemnation.

Instead, do more talking to the One who listens! To the One who commands: Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened. He only wants blessing for us. Why do we hesitate to adopt this lifestyle? Yes, lifestyle—keep on, don’t stop, be a God-botherer. Daily. This is what he wants. He is much more willing to give to us than we are to our kids: how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him!

Now there’s more about discernment (not judging).Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. By their fruits you will know them.  The test is in the fruit—what does their prophetic work produce in the hearers?

There are many who seem to want the title of ‘prophet’. Surely that is unnecessary and titles are even hateful to the Lord. It will be obvious, Jesus says by looking at the results. We are warned—they look harmless but are dangerous. The internet/YouTube is full of them. Be satisfied with earnestly seeking the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

Many today are prophets of doom and gloom. That simply produces fear, giving up and the nurturing of an escape mentality. All that nonsense about being ‘raptured’ to escape the tribulation—let’s believe that happened as Jesus predicted at the end of the Jewish age? Now we live under the awesome rule of the Son of God, seated at the right hand of ultimate power and authority—reigning until all his enemies are under his feet, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom! Confident that the earth shall be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea!   To be continued

The Word of the Lord came to us again as we met together a few days ago—once again we were kind-a joining the circle of Jesus’ disciples in his discourse given for us in Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 6.

The Lord told us so many ways how he expected us to order our behaviour living in his kingdom, his gracious Good News rule,  which since 66-70AD replaced the old Mosaic age system. He calls us to come and live in his new age of the Messiah, the New Covenant! Yes, we were discovering dynamic, motivating stuff.

He warned us severely to take care how we present ourselves to the world.

In chapter 5 we were given an extraordinary vision:  you’re the light of the world—you’re a city on a hill that cannot be hidden away! You’re a lamp that’s not put under something—wasted energy! No, you put it where everyone can see it! Our faith is a public affair. It isn’t to be hidden away in a religious ghetto.

But now he warns us that we must us beware of showing off our righteousness, like hypocrites who want to be noticed and admired and put on a pedestal. Motives are everything, hey? Our role is to present to others only HIS righteousness, the only way by which anyone may be accounted righteous before him.

The unrighteous, who Jesus has in his sights here, are in the streets and religious boxes, displaying their emptiness, their hollow-men, role-playing insincerities. Three favourite Jewish practices and three warnings are given: Truly I say to you, they have their reward, in full. Here—earthbound, adulation, audiences, control of others, pride, position, elite. No, that’s all they will get.

We must aim to hide not our light—the word of God—but we hide our giving, our prayings, our self-discipline and self-denying, and do these in secret and the Father, who sees in secret will reward.  He sees us! He sees our inward hearts, our hidden motives! Beware!

We learned together and shared that the power of our prayers lies not in big words, religious words, or many words, but in the confidence that he knows what we need already! So we begin to realise that everything lies in him and his grace and like any loving earthly dad he desires our friendship, our oneness with him and his desire for our love and his plans—so for God’s sake only, ask, seek, get knocking.

He showed us all the seven prayer points most important for us to use—the basis of all asking, seeking and knocking which has become known as the Lord’s Prayer. Actually, it’s the disciples’ prayer.

We learned where true treasure lies—not in what we possess, but what we give up, place in his hands. That’s where will be our heart as well.

And then this bombshell: You cant serve two masters. You will end up hating one and loving the other. He is emphatic: You can’t serve God and mammon (riches, things, this world). Fence sitting’s uncomfortable.

You really have to seek first the Kingdom of Heaven AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS and all you really want will be yours. . . so there is no need to be anxious. If God so arrays the flowers and herbs of the field which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace as fast fuel, wont he do MUCH MORE for you, you little-faiths?

Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own! We often waste a lot of time and energy over issues that are yet to occur, or may never happen. 

Let’s accept it: he said stop hoping for trouble free days in this life. That is a stupid hope.

Do you know if you will be around tomorrow?

Trust me, He says.

The Word of the Lord came to us as we met together recently—as we joined the circle of disciples in Jesus’ discourse in Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 5.

The Lord told us so many ways he expected his people—us included—how to order our  lives in his kingdom, his good news rule,  which replaced the old Mosaic age system. Come and live in the new age of the Messiah, the New Covenant! Yes, we were discovering dynamic, head rockin stuff.

We staggered at the new standards of behaviour he expects from us–the highest of standards and expectations of Jesus for his disciples culminating in the amazing demand :  You must be perfect!

We then saw how different his new world order is compared to the old. Over and over he shows what the ancients had laid down and then surprised everyone who heard him with the repeated revolutionary phrase But I say unto you!

We saw how total are his commands for life under his government. Everything seemed counter intuitive, indeed impossible for his listeners and for us today –blessed the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the gentle, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those persecuted for righteousness’ sake . . .  

We were bowled over by commands like when opposed, to rejoice and be glad (literally jump up and down) for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

What? Were we hearing correctly? Yep.

We reflected on our failures and those of Christendom in general. We began to feel despair and a growing sense of giving up following such demands. How is this all possible? He piles it on.

He’s come to fulfil the old law and the Prophets, though sounds like he’s abolishing them. He spells them out clearly, authoritatively. No question.

Pheew!

Some of us after hearing his majestic, firm but gentle, persuasive words, even began to feel condemnation and guilt. Every time I hear Jesus I feel condemned. Never expected this.  Pulls the rug from under my feet.

Then he reminded us of the immeasurable grace of God given us in this new age of Christ with us and the inbuilt power of the Holy Spirit to bear these good fruits within us. We began to catch a glimpse of the long range view Jesus was seeing for us all—we would have his Spirit here on earth and then be together with him in the kingdom of his Father! Forever. We don’t have to water down his words. We must not!

But, as we looked further into his words of love and grace and his open arms to follow him, obey him, we realised that there is NO condemnation as we find ourselves in him, in his embrace and his ‘easy yoke’ (Matthew 11:28-30). We saw that these words are given without any condemnation, but with grace abounding!

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

This life so beautiful, the Way so precious, nothing is worth standing in the way of it! Not even if you are the best Aussie Rugby player and stand to forfeit your $4m contract with RU! You would rather sever this from your life than miss this grand Good News and the joy that awaits and a transformed existence!

It’s all about a relationship. Not a religion.

Life is all about relationship with one another. Where does this come from? This is because we are created, designed in the likeness of our Creator, of the Lord God. “Let us make man in our own image!” We are designed for a relationship with God.

It is about relationship with the Father of Jesus of Nazareth who was killed because he dared to reveal his relationship with God—My Father. Killed by his own people, treated as rubbish, by whom the world and everything that exists was made. 

And he wants you and me to welcome him, to receive him. With open arms.

Friendship with God for us.

For Jesus has done what it took to bring us reconciliation with God by his sacrifice.

Done.

Some preachers are critical of those who speak of “receiving Jesus”. For example, they might say “no, you don’t receive Jesus because he is in heaven”.

They may say this as if it is a certainty, an absolute.

But they are only half right.

In their rush to be theology perfect—which is impossible— or to drive home some favourite doctrine, they almost forget that he is also “with us even until the end of the world” and that his Father and himself “will come and make our home in us”.

Did you get the force of that?

Now we must be very careful that in our efforts to maintain a certain dogmatic position that we do not reduce the gospel and its power to only one way of expression. The New Testament authors use a variety of expressions for what is an inexpressible and glorious salvation and eternal life in Jesus.

Let’s consider the following passages in the “gospels” where the Lord Jesus spoke of various people “receiving him”.

 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” Gospel of Matthew (10:40)

“Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.” Gospel of Mark (9:37) and Gospel of Luke (9:48)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” Gospel of John (13:20)

And what about this . . .

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” Gospel of John (1:12-13)

So if you receive Jesus, just look at what wonderful new start you have in him, with him, in relationship with him, in friendship with him, in union with him and with the Father. Your chance to leave behind brokenness and embrace wholeness, belonging, forgiveness and peace.

God with us, actually.

Paul wrote “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him”. (Colossians 2:6)

Receive him, ask him. And he will receive you.