2007-01-12
Good Morning Cherished of God,
Every once in a awhile, the Holy Spirit directs me to take a parenthetical break from the main subject, which is Christ's Sermon on the Mount, for His reasons. Most of you know that I write these devotions ahead of the time that I send them for practical reasons. Right now, I'm writing this in the beginning of Dec. '06, a time when our own congregation is in its year emphasizing the servant outreach to people in need. A few years ago, I took a year-long course called MasterLife by Pastor Avery T. Willis, Jr. , a returned missionary who had spent many years in Indonesia and was the President of the Indonesian Baptist Seminary. He went on to take a responsible position on the Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. His strength has always been in the area of developing in-depth training in discipleship, and the MasterLife course has been translated into 50 languages and taken by untold millions the world over. At the end of this year of study, one is commissioned as a "Co-Laborer in Ministry."
One of the most powerful tools taught by MasterLife is its overview of the Christian life of study, prayer, service, and witness to the Gospel called the Disciple's Cross. The Holy Spirit directs me to share this with my readers in the context of the Sermon on the Mount [MT 5-7] series that I am writing. Begin by picturing a cross in your mind with Christ at the center where the two cross pieces meet. It might help to make a diagram on a piece of paper as you read these devotions about the Disciple's Cross. HE 3: 1-2, "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to Him that appointed Him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house." To bridge the gap between our experience with a man [Moses] who is honored for his service and the Son of God, the truth that Christ is greater than Moses is shown in this passage. It reveals why we should worship the Lord Jesus. For those who are true believers in Christ, we will see later that the moral and service bars are raised considerably, as is the reception of blessings. EPH 2: 20-22 helps us to understand God's work and relative relationships in the Body of Christ. "You, too, are built upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, the Cornerstone being Christ Jesus Himself. He is the One Who holds the whole building together and makes it grow into a sacred temple dedicated to the Lord. In union with Him you too are being built together with all the others into a place where God loves through His Spirit." The concept of this metaphor is stupendous in its importance to each of us.
Now let me return to Christ being at the center of the Disciple's Cross. JN 15: 5, "I am the Vine, and you are the branches. Whoever remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without Me." Because the concept of exactly Who Christ is doesn't come easily to people, the writers of the NT often use metaphors to make it easier to understand. JN 15: 1-17 uses the metaphor of a vineyard and its nurturing. It's a beautiful passage and one worth a review. We can't be good disciples of Christ who bear the fruits of the Spirit [GA 5: 22-23] or produce the fruits of service to others without a deep and abiding faith in Jesus Christ and willingness to serve Him using the talents God has given us. We know that if a branch of a grape plant is cut off from the vine, it will die. We also know that if the vine is tended well, it will live to produce much fruit. Such is the case of any person who desires to serve God through faith in Jesus Christ. In the next devotion or two, we will see how a life in Christ is described, using the metaphor of the Disciple's Cross.
The cross must have support, which is its longest leg [from the center to its bottom in your diagram]. The support upon which we must base our whole life is God's word, the Scriptures. Study of the word prepares us for everything we must be and all we must do. 2 TIM 3: 16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed." We are so blessed that God has not only told us, "Be holy, because I am holy" [LV 11: 44-45; LV 19: 2; 1 PET 1: 16], but that He has told us how to do this [JS 1: 8; PS 1: 1; MICAH 6: 8 and others]. Study of God's word with an open heart leads to gradual closure of the evil one's influence on it and an increase in the influence of the Holy Spirit. God does His part of the job by "inwardly transforming our hearts by the renewal of our mind. This is so we can know the will of God-what is pleasing and perfect to Him" [RO 12: 2]. What the word does is to free us, as is understood with JN 8: 31-32. "So Jesus said to those who believed in Him, 'If you obey My teaching, you are really My disciples; you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'" We are set free from the bondage of sin and given free rein to serve God following the example that Christ speaks about in His Sermon on the Mount and lives in His life and physical death on the cross. As we make our commitment to Christ and live righteously in Christ, God does His part in keeping his promise of EZK 36: 26-27. "I will give you a new heart and a new mind. I will take away your stubborn heart of stone and give you an obedient heart. I will put My Spirit in you and will see to it that you follow My laws and keep all the commands I have given you." Now we can see why study of the word with an open heart is so crucial to our lives as disciples who serve others.
PRAYER: O Lord, we are eager to honor Your desire as described in JER 31: 33-34, "The new covenant that I will make with the people of Israel will be this: I will put My law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. None of them will have to teach his fellow countryman to know the Lord, because all will know Me, from the least to the greatest. I will forgive their sins and I will no longer remember their wrongs. I, the Lord, have spoken." We stand before Your mighty throne to offer You our worship, adoration, thanks, and praise. For, Dearest Abba, You deserve all these things. We also submit to Your will and promise to seek You out and obey Your commands. PS 119: 10, 93-94, "With my whole heart heave I sought Thee: O let me not wander from Thy commandments...I will never neglect Your instructions, because by them You have kept me alive. I am Yours-save me! I have tried to obey Your commands." You stand at the center of our lives. No one can compare to You in the richness of the righteousness You teach us or in the great sacrifice You made on the cross-so we could be saved by the Father's grace and our faith in You. In JER 29: 11-13 You have made other promises, ones that impact our lives with motivation to serve and perception of Your presence in our lives. "I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you not to bring disaster, plans to give you the future for which you hope. Then you will call to Me. You will come and pray to Me, and I will answer you. You will seek Me, and you will find me because you will seek Me with all your heart." Thank You, Dear Father, for giving us Your word, prayer as an open channel to You, help in trouble, guidance and understanding by the Holy Spirit, unconditional love [agape], inspiration in doing Your work, grace when we never deserve it, and empowerment to live a life of righteousness even as Your "works in progress." In Christ's holy name, we pray. Amen.
It's not hard thing to guess that the Holy Spirit is leading me to continue writing about the Disciple's Cross next week. We will look at prayer, something Christ in His Sermon on the Mount spoke about with His eloquent lesson on how to pray, the Lord's Prayer [MT 6: 9-13]. Of course that is not all that is said in the Scriptures about this powerful tool to get God's will and work accomplished. As space permits, we will also look at witness and fellowship, the other parts of the life of a disciple. By the way, the word, "disciple" means "a student or follower," and the word "apostle" means a "called one." Christ is surely an Apostle, as He was called by God to be our Messiah and Savior. This will help to round out the picture that is the life of a true believer. Any person who believes in the Lord and is willing to repent of his sins can become a true believer. It must be understood from Christ's Parable of the Sower [MT 13: 1-9; 18-23], that the seed of faith in Him must be planted deeply in good soil and must be nurtured throughout the life of the plant that germinates. This is the core of what God means when He defines a true believer. HE 11: 6, "No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek Him." We must spend our lives living as He would want to find eternal and lasting happiness. This happiness can begin on earth by having obedient faith, trusting in God, and experiencing the joy of serving others.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn