Category: Disciple

Our Sword in Spiritual Combat!

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Bible Believing, Christian, Disciple, Faith, Follow Jesus, God’s Word, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Reflecting Christ, Righteousness, Share God’s WordLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE Studied: Matthew 4

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Matt 4:3-4 (NLT)

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

If I was a carpenter, it would be important that I know carpentry so that I could use that knowledge to perform the best work possible for my clients. Being a banker would require that you know all the many banking regulations so that you stay within the guidelines of the law. Being the Son of God, it was important that Jesus not only knew the Scripture but also practiced, and obeyed it. As followers of Christ, it is important that we also know the Scripture and obey it. In fact, Ephesians 6:17 says that God’s Word is a sword to use in spiritual combat. Anytime we are challenged in our faith, tempted to do something we are not comfortable with because we know that it doesn’t line up with our spiritual upbringing or understanding, then we are in spiritual combat. I would dare say that for most Christians, especially those who are out in the working world, that we face spiritual combat each and every day. Here we are taught how to defend ourselves! Most of us will probably attest to the fact that we are poor at memorizing Scripture. I believe that as we do our part and stay in the Word daily, much like the carpenter or banker would have to do to stay on op of their regulations/trades, then we will gain the confidence and familiarity with our textbook to protect us in spiritual combat. Jesus did it, and as His follower I must also do it, God being my helper!

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Lord Jesus, You have shown us in Your Word that Your Word is very powerful, not only as a guide for our everyday journey, but also a sword that we can and should use in our everyday challenges that we face in this world against Satan and his foes. Please help me to stay connected with Your Word in such meaningful ways that It will be effective and useful in all circumstances of my life. Please protect me from the evil one and guide me in Your path every day so that I may follow in Your footsteps and do Your will.

Be One Who Shares His/Her Faith

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Disciple, Evangelism, Heaven, Obedience, Share God’s Word, Work Til Jesus Comes1 Comment

A Quality of a Mature, Reproducing Disciple of Jesus Christ

What am I doing to actively fulfill my life mission of sharing Christ?

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Acts 20:24, 1:8, Matt. 18:18–20

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

  1. Acts 20:24 ~ But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
  2. Acts 1:8 ~ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
  3. Matthew 18:18-20 ~ Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven. Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven. For wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My followers) in (into) My name, there I AM in the midst of them.

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

  1. Each of us are given gifts, and an assignment by God to use those gifts for His glory. Oh that I may be like Paul and dedicate myself so much towards the assignment that God has given to me so that His work may be accomplished through me in my realm of influence. To God be the glory for all that He might accomplish through even me. I know that God don’t need any of us to do His work, but knowing that He placed me here for a purpose, I pray that He could use me constructively so that His kingdom would benefit.
  2. In this verse I can see clearly where the power comes from that will help me to accomplish the work that God has placed me here to do.
  3. These verses are an excellent reminder about how important it is for God’s people to be of one mind and one purpose, both with each other and with God’s Book of Instruction, because we are told that it is important for us to know if those things that we agree on are already approved by Him. Conversely, if we find something unlawful or improper, then there must be evidence in God’s Word that the matter is improper or unlawful in heaven. If followers of the same God and the same Book of Instructions (the Bible) were of the same mind, we would obviously see fewer denominations, fewer arguments over religious things, and a body of believers who are truly on fire for God, winning the lost like never before. Disagreements among us in the church has an unfortunate effect on the lost, as they want to see and be a part of something different to what they are seeing in their corner of the world. They want to see folk who are Christ-like. They want to be a part of a church on fire for God, not busy arguing over every little thing, like so many churches today. Let us be of one mind and one purpose. Get self out of the way and let God rule and win the credit for all that is accomplished!

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father I thank You for the gifts that You have blessed me with. I know that often I might say that I am of little value to the kingdom, but I am reminded that You have placed me here for a purpose. Please help me to allow Your work to be accomplished through me. Please help me to be a clean vessel through which You can work. Being reminded of the need for unity and oneness in purpose, please help me to do my part in working with other believers so that together we may be an influence to those in need of a Savior, and not a hindrance or a stumbling block. May You receive honor and glory out of all that I may say or do and may the lost see You in all that I might say or do. Please bless my efforts today to be a true and living representative of Yours. Please bless our efforts this week through Noah’s Fall Festival. May there be opportunities for us to witness for You so that others may come to know You as Lord and Savior. May Your kingdom be richer from the results of our efforts this week.

One Who Worships Daily

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christian, Disciple, WorshipLeave a comment

A Quality of a Mature, Reproducing Disciple of Jesus Christ

How can I surrender my whole heart/life as worship?

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Rom. 12:1–2, Psalm 27:6, 95:6–7

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

  1. Romans 12:1-2 ~ And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
  2. Psalm 26:6 ~ Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music.
  3. Psalm 95:6-7 ~ Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today!

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

  1. God showers down such blessings upon us each day, and without reservation for how we may have acted with a brother, or even said to a sister. Therefore Paul is teaching us to give back our whole selves to God, and as we do we truly worship Him through our unselfishness, giving, emptying ourselves of this world and placing those sinful natures and desires at His feet, while seeking to be refilled with His holiness, grace and mercy. As we surrender ourselves wholeheartedly in this way, we learn of God’s will for our life which is ultimately the desire of every Christian.
  2. I believe as Christians we have a hope that in accepting Jesus as Lord, praising His name each and every day and living a life in close relationship to Him, that we would one day be rewarded by the King of kings with a glorious place at His feet together with many others on which we had an influence. Therefore we should dedicate ourselves to exactly that while we still have breath, praising His name each and every day!

Be One Who Serves Others

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Chosen by God, Christian, Disciple, Love God, Obedience, Servants of GodLeave a comment

A Quality of a Mature, Reproducing Disciple of Jesus Christ

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Eph. 4:11–13, Rom. 12:3–8, 1 Cor. 12:7-11

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

  1. Ephesians 4:11-13 ~ Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers, so that his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong. This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him.
  2. Romans 12:3-8 ~ I realize how kind God has been to me, and so I tell each of you not to think you are better than you really are. Use good sense and measure yourself by the amount of faith that God has given you. A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. That’s how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another. God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have. If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully.
  3. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 ~ The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others. Some of us can speak with wisdom, while others can speak with knowledge, but these gifts come from the same Spirit. To others the Spirit has given great faith or the power to heal the sick or the power to work mighty miracles. Some of us are prophets, and some of us recognize when God’s Spirit is present. Others can speak different kinds of languages, and still others can tell what these languages mean. But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us.

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

  1. What a pity that today many of us expect all of these gifts to be in the pastor, so we sit back and expect him to do his thing, while we relax and sometimes soak it up, sometimes just be entertained, often just grumble about what he should have done differently, etc, etc. God knows what He is doing. The Word says that God has given these gifts to some so that His body of believers (the church) will learn, serve and grow strong. When we talk about having ‘weak’ churches that are falling apart, perhaps we are not recognizing the gift of God in the people that surround us, or perhaps not allowing them to exercise their gifts. I believe that this passage teaches us that this method will continue until the church becomes completely like Christ – in other words until Jesus comes, because if there is ever a chance that we might become perfect, there will be new members joining us who will need to learn all about this. My logical brain would say that we should be looking among us to see who may be gifted in the areas mentioned, and then make sure that they are given opportunity to exercise those gifts for the strengthening and growing of the body at large.
  2. There are times that we may start to feel proud if we feel like God has gifted us as indicated in Ephesians, however in this passage from Romans we are reminded that we should measure ourselves according to the faith that God has given to us. Any talent that we possess is a gift from God to be used for His glory and for edifying His church. Conversely, we should be careful not to sit back thinking that we have no usefulness in the kingdom at all, but we should recognize where our source of strength/talent/ability lies and for what purposes it should be used. As we recognize this, and give God His true place in all that we have become, He will be able to use us to help achieve His work among this lost and dying world.
  3. I realize that this study is much longer than my normal ‘Nuggets’ but I believe that it is virtually overwhelming as God has shown in His Word how important it is for us to recognize/acknowledge the gifts given to us by Him, and then use those gifts for His glorification through the local church. I believe that any who say that they have no gift probably displays the unfortunate gift of lying, because God didn’t make junk, so when He said in His Word that He has given each of us a special way of serving others, I believe that gift must be used. I am challenged today to look within and ensure that I am using all the gifts that God has blessed me with, for His glory and for the strengthening and uplifting of the church. I can’t hardly imagine the ‘buzz’ that will fill our church if visitors came and saw our folk actively serving in one capacity or another because they felt like God had gifted them, and that they want to use that gift for the benefit of God and others in the church. Wow, I’m talking about a great big fire of excitement would be evident, and the church will grow by leaps and bounds!!

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

I am filled to overflowing from this study this morning oh Lord! To recognize that You not only loved me enough to sacrifice Your only Son to die on a cruel cross so that I may have eternal life, and now to study and be reminded that You have also given me special gifts/talents to use in Your service, is nothing short of amazing, glorious, unbelievable, exciting, filled with anticipation, yet humbling to know that I have such an awesome Savior! Please help me to constantly be reminded of the gifts that You have blessed me with and help me to always use them for building up Your kingdom. If I am not at liberty to use these gifts in the work of my local church, then I ask that You direct me to a place where You know that my gifts and God given abilities could be best utilized. May You reign, and may Your servant use the gifts You have blessed me with for the furthering of Your kingdom here on this earth.

Be One Who Lives Biblically

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Disciple, Follow Jesus, Obedience1 Comment

What am I doing to know and put into practice the teachings of the Bible?

A Quality of a Mature, Reproducing Disciple of Jesus Christ

SCRIPTURE

Studied: 2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Peter 1:3–8

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

  1. 2 Timothy 3:16 ~ Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action)
  2. 2 Peter 1:3-8 ~ By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

  1. Although in the scriptures we note that the books were written by prophets and apostles, such as the book of Timothy being written by Paul, we must be reminded that the scriptures are God breathed and inspired. They are delivered to us as words from Christ. This tells me that they are of super importance and required my very candid attention and sincere obedience. I have personally found that reading the scriptures help me to conform to the character and image of Christ, and as I strive to be a ‘Christian’ (little Christ), then conforming to the scriptures is my heart’s desire. However, just as this is helpful in my training, I am convinced that the scripture should be the primary tool that I use in instructing others – teaching.
  2. I especially like the first sentence that tells me that here comes some qualities that God has showed on us as Christians so that we can live a Godly life. Then in the last sentence it tells me why it is so important for me to follow what was just instructed – because it will help me to be more productive and useful in my knowledge of Jesus Christ. Wow, this really sums it up for living a biblically sound life after the image and character of our Lord Jesus Christ. The ‘meat’ in between is something that we can and should meditate and grow on daily, and I found that the Amplified Bible translation explain those best: “For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence), and in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety), and in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love. For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).“

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, You have spoken very clearly in Your Word this morning. Please help me to stay so in tuned with Your Word that my every step will be led by Your Holy Spirit and compliant with Your instructions. I believe that this is necessary to live a biblically correct life and one that is pleasing to You. I believe that as Your Word is entrenched in me and practiced in my everyday life, others will be influenced to know the Savior that I love and adore. May You receive honor and glory from my daily walk, dear God.

Be One Who Fellowships with Believers

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Disciple, Encourage, Love, Motivate, WorksLeave a comment

A Quality of a Mature, Reproducing Disciple of Jesus Christ

 

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Hebrews 10:24–25, Ephesians 2:19-22

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

  1. Hebrews 10:24-25 ~ Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
  2. Ephesians 2:19-22 ~ That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

  1. I see two things in these two verses that speak to my heart this morning:
    1. Motivate One Another – Often we are so busy talking to our friends about someone that I find this idea of ‘Motivating One Another to Acts of Love and Good Works’ to be such an excellent, life-changing idea. Not only will that help me to do something positive and constructive, but it will be extremely difficult for me to backbite, or belittle someone that I am trying hard to motivate in the manner described here.
    2. Encourage One Another – If someone (another disciple) was to come alongside me and encourage/motivate me in a manner described above, especially when I was feeling down and out and out of touch with the body of Christ, I believe that it would get me back on the right track. I believe that one reason the writer chose to recognize the point about neglecting to meet together is because when we are out of fellowship with other Christians, we find it difficult to meet together with them for worship. Instead of us jumping to conclusions about why they are not in church, perhaps if we chose to encourage them and motivate them to a healthy relationship with God and His people then they might see that our hearts are in the right place and that we truly want to see them on fire for God.
  2. Some of us came to Christ from very different, sometimes very opposite backgrounds. In these verses we are taught that God is using us all in building the kingdom. Wow, this is so powerful! When we consider that God is using us, and He is using that brother or sister that we work alongside of in Sunday School, or at Fall Festival or at any function, to fit together into building His temple, why would we not do all within our power to get along with that person, and to motivate that person into love and good works? In our marriage we would do this in order to build a strong and stable marriage, all the more we should be doing this on a daily basis to build a strong and stable kingdom and to show a lost world that we are Christians by our love and good works.

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, this idea of Fellowshipping with Believers (other brothers and sisters who have the same Father – Jesus Christ) has taken on a whole new perspective as I was reminded about the content of these scripture verses. Please help me to dedicate myself daily to motivate my brother and my sister to acts of love and good works, and to encourage them to never neglect the opportunities we have to meet together in Your name. Thank You for reminding me that Your kingdom is much bigger than just me, so it is extremely important that I fit together with all those that have this common purpose and commitment. I acknowledge that I often have a desire to fellowship with other believers, please help me to take that desire to a whole new level as I look more to their needs and to encourage them in their walk for Christ. Father, I want to be just like You, and You were often accused for fellowshipping with those that were sometimes frowned upon by the self proclaimed ‘righteous’ of that day. Please help me to fellowship with any who You would direct me to for love, motivation and encouragement. Please send other disciples to my side, as You often do, to help keep me strong and on the right track for being effective in Your ministry.

Work ‘Til Jesus Comes

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Disciple, Obedience, Reaching the Lost, Share God’s Word, Work Til Jesus ComesLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Acts 1

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

Acts 1:20-21 ~ …It also says, “Let someone else have his job.” So we need someone else to help us tell others that Jesus has been raised from death.

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

In these verses Peter is quoting something from the book of Psalms, in reference to the job left vacant by Judas after he died. Today I will be attending the visitation of a saint who recently died. She and her husband have been active workers in the church ever since I could remember attending the local church. The question becomes, who will take her place? It is so easy for us to sit back and watch the work being done. It is so easy for us to quickly find excuses why we shouldn’t be busy about God’s work, and why we believe that God was not speaking to us when He said that “Now is the day of salvation” and that we should do all we can to spread the gospel and the love of Jesus. Am I doing all that I can in the work of the local church? Is there something else that God would have me do for His glory and edification?

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

I pray that God will raise up new workers for the local church and a new level of commitment. I pray that God will direct me to the work that He can most effectively achieve His purpose through what I might do. I pray for guidance not to accept ‘Positions’ just for the sake of seeing positions filled, but knowing that God will achieve His purpose through anything that I might commit to. I pray for those who have sat on the sidelines and watched others work diligently for the kingdom, that they will rise up and commit to the Master to work diligently until the day He calls them home. I pray that ‘

I Pledge Allegiance…

On By Ed AlgreenIn Allegiance to the Lamb, Bible Believing, Christian, Disciple, Obedience, Reaching the Lost, Righteousness, Thank You Jesus, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Acts 1

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

Acts 1:6-8 ~ While the apostles were still with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, are you now going to give Israel its own king again?” Jesus said to them, “You don’t need to know the time of those events that only the Father controls. But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.”

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Back when the apostles first received this command, we are to understand that this was a future statement intended not just for the apostles but for all on whom the Spirit of God falls. Later in Scripture we are taught that the Spirit comes upon all who seek forgiveness of sin and call upon the name of Jesus as Lord (Christians). The church as we know it today is made up of Christians, therefore the command that was given to the apostles and to all on whom the Spirit falls, is to tell everyone about Jesus. Are we successful in following that command today? I’m sure that we can easily look upon ourselves and quickly respond that we could be doing a whole lot more. However, it seems to me like Luke is telling us that to those on who the Holy Spirit falls, they will be given power, and they will then tell everyone about Jesus. So I believe that the question this morning is not how well are we doing at spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but more along the lines of, how is our relationship with the Father? Have you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior? If you have – are you maturing a relationship with Him and giving Him full reign of Your life so that His Holy Spirit might use you to tell everyone about His love and saving grace? To be a citizen of this country, one must swear allegiance to the country and could therefore become eligible to represent this country in battle. Have you sworn allegiance to the Maker of the Universe, the King of all kings, your Creator, so that through His Holy Spirit He might find you eligible to represent Him before a lost and dying world, a battle against the foes of this world?

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

In Your Word you have told us that You sometime use the ‘foolishness of preaching’ to reach the lost. In this passage You have shared through Luke that You will give us the power of Your Holy Spirit and use us (Christians) to share the love of Christ with a lost world. Father, I feel so unworthy of such an honor, but I dare not question You. Thank You for giving me the liberty of representing You to the lost. May I never be a stumbling block to the work of Your Holy Spirit. May I represent You well so that those that I speak to or have dealings with will witness the love of the Father, and have an uncontrollable desire to want to know You as Lord and Savior. Thank You for convicting me of my sin and finding me worthy to use as Your instrument in this wicked world.

Let’s be Light and Life to a Dark and Dying World

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Disciple, Follow Jesus, Righteousness, Share God’s WordLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: 1 John 1 

OBSERVATION

1 John 1:5-6 ~ This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.

APPLICATION

John actually went very deep in this short chapter. When he described God as light, we should actually understand the difference between light and darkness to best catch the implication here. I will illustrate this in two columns to give a good picture:

In Light

In darkness

Truth – 1:6,8; 2:21

Falsehood – 1:6,8

Love – 3:21; 4:7-12

Hatred – 1:9; 3:13,15; 4:20

Righteousness – 1:9; 2:1,29; 3:7

Impurity – 1:7,9

Eternal Life – 1:2; 2:17,25

Fear – 4:18

Hope – 3:3

Sinfulness – 2:16

Purity – 1:7,9; 3:3

  

Confidence – 2:28; 3:31; 4:17

  

I believe that we can see more clearly that God is everything described under ‘Light’, and that He has no qualities listed under ‘Darkness’. John is saying to those of us that have a personal relationship with Jesus, that we are to walk in such a way that our character/life reflects only the qualities listed under ‘Light’, otherwise we are fooling ourselves and not practicing the truth. We are being a phony/hypocrite to a world that needs to see Jesus/Light in us, because in many cases this is the only Bible that they read. We (our character qualities) may be all the sinner may know or learn about Jesus. Let’s not be a stumbling block for the advancement of the kingdom!

PRAYER

Father, You know all about us. You know when we are about to fall and You know when we are down already. I want to represent all the qualities that You have shown me in Your Word that describe Your perfect character. You know already how difficult and challenging this is for Your children that live in a world where there is so much darkness, but I am assured today that You have the power to see Your child represent You well to the lost and dying of this world, and in order to do that I must be a great example of Yours each and every day. May I be guilty of reflecting Your characteristics today, especially to a world that will reflect so much of the character of ‘darkness’. I believe that it is clear in Your Word that You will not fellowship with ‘darkness’, I pray that I will walk in the ‘Light’, as You are the Light!

Being a ‘Disciple’ of Christ

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Born Again, Christian, Disciple, Follow Jesus, Obedience, Repentance, Righteousness, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Luke 14 

OBSERVATION

Luke 14:25-27 ~ Large crowds were walking along with Jesus, when he turned and said: You cannot be my disciple, unless you love me more than you love your father and mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot come with me unless you love me more than you love your own life. You cannot be my disciple unless you carry your own cross and come with me.

APPLICATION

We quite often use the word ‘disciple’, so this morning I did some research to understand fully what it means. The dictionary defines it as a follower of Christ. A theologian goes into more detail and describes the term by giving us 7 qualities of a mature, reproducing disciple of Jesus Christ:

Reflects Christ
What am I doing to be more like Christ?
Eph. 4:15, 2 Cor. 3:18, Gal. 5:22–23, Matt. 22:37–39

Fellowships with Believers
How can I develop relationships with God’s family?
Heb. 10:24–25, Eph. 2:19

Lives Biblically

What am I doing to know and put into practice
the teachings of the Bible?
2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Peter 1:3–8

Gives Sacrificially

How am I handling the resources God has
entrusted to me?
2 Cor. 9:6–9, Prov. 11:24–25

Serves Others

How can I further develop/discover my SHAPE
for ministry?
Eph. 4:11–13, Rom. 12:3–8, 1 Cor. 12

Worships Daily

How can I surrender my whole heart/life as worship?
Rom. 12:1–2, Psalm 27:6, 95:6–7

Shares Faith

What am I doing to actively fulfill my life mission
of sharing Christ?
Acts 20:24, 1:8, Matt. 18:18–20

As I reflected on this passage I thought how important it was when I got married for my wife to leave her family and give me her full devotion. Similarly I believe that Jesus is teaching that if we are to truly be His disciple, that we must dedicate ourselves fully to the task. When we give something our full undivided attention and dedication, we will succeed at it. When we decide to follow Jesus, it should not be because this is the only means into Heaven, although that is true. It should not be due to the fact that our mom or dad have always wanted that for their child, although that may be true also, but we should be willing to follow Jesus and be excited about what He has in store for us as individual children of the King. I think it is exciting to believe that Jesus has a personal desire for each of us individually, not because of anything that mom or dad may have done but because He loves me so much, and yes He loves you so much as well. Won’t you accept Him today and get to know Him personally, mature in Him daily through the qualities described to the left, then look for the blessings that He will give to you each and every day. He is an awesome Savior! He loves us so much and wants to show His love to us personally in ways that we will recognize and appreciate. He’s my King. Make Him yours today! Don’t know how?