Cost of Discipleship Pt 42 - The meek shall inherit the earth- this is truth.

Chapter 6 - The Beatitudes

Mat_5:5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Bonhoeffer- 'This community of strangers possesses no inherent right of its own to protect its members in the world, nor do they claim such rights, for they are meek, they renounce every right of their own and live for the sake of Jesus Christ. When reproached they hold their peace; when treated with violence they endure it patiently; when men drive them from their presence they yield their ground. They will not go to law to defend their rights, or make a scene when they suffer injustice, nor do they insist on their legal rights. They are determined to leave their right to God alone-- non cupidi vindictae, as the ancient Church paraphrased it. Their right is in the will of their Lord--that and no more.

They show by every word and gesture they do not belong to this earth.

But Jesus says: "They shall inherit the earth."

Those who now possess it by violence and injustice shall lose it, and those who here have utterly renounced it, who were meek to the point of the cross, shall rule the new earth. '

My thoughts- Bonhoeffer said- 'They show by every word and gesture they do not belong to this earth.'  Is this true for you?

I've remarked before how difficult it is to tell a Christian from a non-Christian in our world today and how that HAS to be because of Satan. It's true, isn't it? Why isn't it VERY visible by actions alone? 

No, we don't mark ourselves as monks wearing robes and shaving our heads. We don't put on a nun's habit, we don't don a priest's collar, we aren't wrapped up in old fashioned clothes like Quakers and Amish, we wear every day clothing common to most.  Are we supposed to make ourselves look conspicuously like what we imagine our Savior wants us to look like? Were the disciples of Christ's day told to look a certain way so they stand out as being Christ's? I don't think so. Our ACTIONS speak for us, not our clothing, not our specific haircuts, not the special shoes we wear, not the buttons on our hats, or the logos on our shirts.  We can wear something special. We can put on a certain- 'I'm Christian' garb, but it means NOTHING. The priest behind the collar can call Himself Christian but if he's a drunkard, an abuser, he is FAR from being truly Christ's in his actions.  Clothing means little in the GRAND scheme of things. It truly is by our WORDS and our GESTURES we reveal ourselves to others.

All too often we fall far short from what we ourselves hope to be as we claim Christ as our Savior. This knowledge of our own shortcomings are GIFTS from God, allowing us to seek His forgiveness, His help in comprehending His plan for us, as HE changes us.

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

By the Spirit of the Lord.

Our gestures, our every word matters.   We might think they don't, it's easy to think they don't but they do. 

If we belong to this world it'll show.

Mat_5:5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

This is God's truth.

The meek not necessarily the soft-spoken, mousy person people tend to immediately think of when they hear the word, meek.  The meek, the humble, those who recognize their existence as CREATURES, created, and do NOT even begin to take on the airs of one who owes their existence to mere chance.  The meek, understanding that our Savior has TOLD us, He has given us instructions on how He wants us to live in Him, through Him!  Those instructions aren't to be ignored. WE must live by Him and as we do, we will be meek, we will be humble as HE is.

All through His grace may we be HIS, and as HIS, meek.

In HIS LOVE, always in HIS LOVE.

Cost of Discipleship Pt 41 Blessed are the poor, blessed are those who mourn

Chapter 6 - The Beatitudes

Bonhoeffer-'The aim of this beatitude is to bring all who hear it to decision and salvation.'

'The disciples are called 'Blessed' because they have obeyed the call of Jesus, and the people as a whole because they are heirs of the promise. But will they now claim their heritage by believing in Jesus Christ and his word? Or will they fall into apostasy by refusing to accept him? That is the question which still remains to be answered.'

My thoughts- This is truth for us, a question for us. Will we hear? Will be believe? Or will we refuse?

Mat_5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Bonhoeffer- 'Privation is the lot of the disciples in every sphere of their lives. They are the "poor"  tout court

Luk 6:20  And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

They have no security, no possessions to call their own, not even a foot of earth to call their home, no earthly society to claim their absolute allegiance. Nay more, they have no spiritual power, experience or knowledge to afford them consolation or security. For his sake they have lost it all. In following him they lost even their own selves, and everything that could make them rich.'

My thoughts- This is truth. They have no POSSESSIONS, can you even imagine having NO possessions?  Look around you wherever you are right now and take stock of the possessions you see just where you sit. Can you imagine having none of them? 

Mat_5:4  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

'With each beatitude the gulf is widened between the disciples and the people, their call to come forth from the people becomes increasingly manifest. By "mourning" Jesus, of course, means doing without what the world calls peace and prosperity: He means refusing to be in tune with the world or to accommodate oneself to its standards. Such men mourn for the world, for its guilt, its fate and its fortune. While the world keeps holiday they stand aside, and while the world sings, "Gather ye rose-buds while ye may," they mourn. They see that for all the jollity on board, the ship is beginning to sink. The world dreams of progress, of power and of the future, but the disciples mediate on the end, the last judgment, and the coming of the kingdom. To such heights the world cannot rise. And so the disciples are strangers in the world, unwelcome guests and disturbers of the peace. No wonder the world rejects them!

Nobody loves his fellow-men better than a disciple, nobody understands his fellowmen better than the Christian fellowship, and that very love impels them to stand aside and mourn.

They simply bear the suffering which comes their way as they try to follow Jesus Christ, and bear it for his sake. Sorrow cannot tire them or wear them down, it cannot embitter them or cause them to break down under the strain; far from it, for they bear their sorrow in the strength of him who bears them up, who bore the whole suffering of the world upon the cross. They stand as the bearers of sorrow in the fellowship of the Crucified; they stand as strangers in the world in the power of him who was such a stranger to the world that it crucified him. This is their comfort, or better still, this Man is their comfort, the Comforter. The community of strangers find their comfort in the cross, they are comforted by being cast upon the place where the Comforter of Israel awaits them. Thus do they find their true home with their crucified Lord, both here and in eternity.'

My thoughts-

'...that very love impels them to stand aside and mourn.'

Mourning.

Have you ever mourned for someone?  Most of us have.  Yet how often do we mourn for those we don't know, those who aren't close to us? To mourn for the world, this sort of mourning is something that cannot be borne without Christ. This sort of suffering can crush us if we didn't have Christ to bear us up.

This world we live in is incredibly evil.  Pick up a newspaper, go to a news website, spend just a half hour reading the world news and the reasons for mourning are numerous.

We have to find comfort in the cross, it's the only place we can from comfort. The cross promises us salvation, it gives us HOPE outside of the existence we have in this world! If it weren't for the cross, if it weren't for our SAVIOR, we truly would have no reason for living at all whatsoever, not recognizing the evil in the world and the pain of existence.

Satan wants us to despair and will do ALL he can to bring us to despairing.

As we mourn we must trust, we must find our hope in Christ.

How can we NOT mourn when we witness the evil running rampant everywhere? 

We can harden our hearts- it is a choice we have available to us. By the grace of God we will NOT harden our hearts! Through HIS mercy and love we will NOT grow hardened to the evil, but mourn for all those who choose to live in evil over Christ and His love!

Please LORD, help us to understand the blessing in mourning, knowing the pain of mourning reveals the evil that in turns reveals the blessing of SALVATION in Christ our Savior who died so we do not have to despair of the evil all around us, consuming so many. Please Lord, help us who are poor and are mourning, help us to understand Your TRUTH in the blessings.

By Your GRACE, Your LOVE!

The Cost of Discipleship Pt 40 - Called to leave all

Chapter 6 - The Beatitudes

Mat 5:1  And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

Mat 5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 5:4  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Mat 5:5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Mat 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Mat 5:7  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Mat 5:8  Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Mat 5:9  Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Mat 5:10  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 5:11  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Mat 5:12  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Bonhoeffer- 'Jesus sees his disciples. They have publicly left the crowd to join him. He has called them, every one, and they have renounced everything at his call. Now they are living in want and privation, the poorest of the poor, the sorest afflicted, and the hungriest of the hungry. They have only him, and with him they have nothing, literally nothing in the world, but everything with and through God.'

My thoughts-

It's true, the disciples left all they had, even if it wasn’t much, to follow Jesus who had NOTHING. Jesus wasn't offering them a life of prosperity, of wealth, of happiness, of freedom from want.  Jesus didn't have a place to sleep, let alone anything else.

Luk 9:57  And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

Luk 9:58  And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

Foxes have holes.

Birds have nests.

These animals have homes, Jesus did not.

Think about that for a moment, a long moment. It's easy for us to gloss over the fact that Jesus didn't have a home, but then we have to stop and think realizing He had HUMAN needs like we all do. He had to sleep, He had to eat, He had to use the bathroom, He had to bathe, He had to have clean clothes, didn't He? We talk about the homeless today with great pity because we can't really imagine being homeless. I have a sister who in her youth set out on her own with her husband and they had nothing. They left New York to go to Texas, hoping to find work and for a while they had to live out of their car, she still talks about that today many, many years later. She tells us she knows what it's like to have nothing, no possessions, no food, no real shelter with conveniences like a bath and toilet. This was an experience etched into her mind because it wasn't something pleasant at all it was great deprivation, and probably a bit of despair. I've never been homeless, by the grace of God. I've never gone more than a few meals in a row for lack of money or means to get food, by the grace of God. I may have worn, and still wear worn out clothes, but I've never had absolutely nothing but the clothes on my back. I've always had access to a bathroom (outside of various normal situations- being in a car etc) and all its facilities, by the grace of God. 

The disciples all had their lives situated.  Most of them were working when they were called to follow Jesus. They were working- earning a living, a means to pay/barter for whatever they needed. No, none were called from rich mansions, but they had their homes they went to every night, they had their families they mingled with every night, they had a life- none were mere nomads wandering about aimlessly here and there.  These men were called to leave every comfort however small or great that they knew, all in order to follow Jesus and Jesus didn't promise them comfort when He called them.

Mat 4:18  And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

Mat 4:19  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Mat 4:20  And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

Mat 4:21  And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

Mat 4:22  And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

Joh 1:43  The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.

Joh 1:44  Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

Joh 1:45  Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Joh 1:46  And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

Joh 1:47  Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

Joh 1:48  Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

Joh 1:49  Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

Joh 1:50  Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

Joh 1:51  And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

Mat 9:9  And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

Thomas- no mention of his calling.

James the son of Alphaeus- no mention of his calling.

Simon the Canaanite- no mention of his calling.

Thaddaeus- no mention of his calling.

Judas- no mention of his calling.

Jesus did NOT offer them material things.

If a man came up to you as you worked at your job and said, 'Follow me.'  What are the chances of your doing that? Slim to NONE, right? Of course they wouldn't be Jesus Christ the Son of God, you say.  And that's true, but Jesus didn't use special powers to compel them to follow Him. Jesus didn't hypnotize them, He didn't use any underhanded means to force them to leave all and follow Him. So, why did they go with Him?

They'd heard of John the Baptist.  The one who would go before Jesus.

Isa 40:3  The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Mat 3:1  In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

Mat 3:2  And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mat 3:3  For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Mat 3:5  Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan

Luk 7:24  And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

Luk 7:25  But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts.

Luk 7:26  But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.

Luk 7:27  This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Luk 7:28  For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

Luk 7:29  And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.

Luk 7:30  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.

Luk 7:31  And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?

Luk 7:32  They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.

Luk 7:33  For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.

Luk 7:34  The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!

Luk 7:35  But wisdom is justified of all her children.

John the Baptist was well known. John the Baptist was preparing the way for Jesus.  These disciples more than likely had at the very least heard of John the Baptist, if not personally through others that had. John had his own following, but John said this..

Joh 3:26  And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

Joh 3:27  John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

Joh 3:28  Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

Joh 3:29  He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

Joh 3:30  He must increase, but I must decrease.

Joh 3:31  He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

Joh 3:32  And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

Joh 3:33  He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.

Joh 3:34  For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

Joh 3:35  The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

Joh 3:36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

John said those words magnifying Jesus, testifying that Jesus would INCREASE, while he, John, decreased.

The disciples knew there was something in the wind, so to speak. They'd more than likely heard about John, he'd been at his ministry in the wilderness for at least six months or so and word of him had to have spread, like the word of things strange and unusual, the things that are out of place, often do. No, they didn't have the internet to spread the news, but word of mouth worked just fine.  Afterall, John was baptizing and to baptize you had to have people to baptize. Those people didn't remain quiet about their baptism, John didn't remain quiet. He was calling on people to REPENT and be baptized, and it wasn't a whisper cry but a loud one.  With this strange baptizing man going about and then Jesus comes on the picture, Jesus whom John said this--

Joh 3:28  Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

Joh 3:29  He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

Joh 3:30  He must increase, but I must decrease.

--was now on the scene, and truly the way had been prepared for Him by John.  I imagine that the disciples had all heard of John's teachings about the one coming after Him so when Jesus came and told them to follow Him, they had to have been ready, they had to have been prepared for this in some manner because otherwise it would have been Jesus using a power of compulsion and Jesus would NEVER do that! NEVER.

Bottom line-  the disciples were told to follow and they left ALL to follow. They went with Jesus who had NOTHING material to offer them at all.  Come follow me and sleep outside wherever we can. Come follow me and we'll eat as opportunity provides. Come follow me and have no pay.  Come to this life of poverty and be RICHER than all spiritually.

The things that matter are HEAVENLY, not earthly, yet Satan has corrupted us to believe the opposite-worry about heaven later, and live for now.

Bonhoeffer- 'Jesus sees his disciples. They have publicly left the crowd to join him. He has called them, every one, and they have renounced everything at his call. Now they are living in want and privation, the poorest of the poor, the sorest afflicted, and the hungriest of the hungry. They have only him, and with him they have nothing, literally nothing in the world, but everything with and through God.'

How do we view our own discipleship?  Are we expecting to be called to a life of riches? A life of contentment? A life of ease even if it's not in what we'd call excess? Are we called to a life of self-denial no matter our wealth or lack thereof?

More tomorrow from this book by Bonhoeffer- The Cost of Discipleship.

All by the GRACE of our LORD and SAVIOR Jesus Christ and His LOVE.

Cost of Discipleship Pt 39 - God's Grace With Us

Chapter 5- Discipleship and the Individual

Today I want to review yesterday's study and hopefully by the grace of God, expound on it some more.

Bonhoeffer- 'This is the second way of becoming an individual--to be a follower of Christ in the midst of society among our own kith and kin and in the enjoyment of all our worldly wealth. But note that it is Abraham who is called to this manner of life. Abraham who had already known what it was to make a visible breach with the past, Abraham who in the New Testament became the example of faith.

We are easily tempted to generalize the possibility that was granted to Abraham, to understand it as a spiritual principle and without hesitation to apply it to ourselves. We would like to think that we had the same call to a Christian life, as a specially called follower of Christ who yet retrained the enjoyment of his worldly possessions.

Yet the outward breach is most certainly easier than the hidden one.

Unless we have learnt this from the Bible and from our experience, we are indeed deceiving ourselves.

We shall fall back on our direct relationships and forfeit our fellowship with Christ.

It is not for us to choose which way we shall follow.

That depends on the will of Christ.

But this at least is certain: in one way or the other we shall have to leave the immediacy of the world and become individuals, whether secretly or openly.

But the same Mediator who makes us individuals is also the founder of a new fellowship.

He stands in the centre between my neighbour and myself.

He divides, but he also unites.

Thus find the new and only real way to him-- the way which passes through the Mediator.'

Mar 10:28  Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.

Mar 10:29  And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,

Mar 10:30  But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

Mar 10:31  But many that are first shall be last; and the last first

*******

My thoughts-

Jesus said, There is no man that has left house, there is no man that has left brothers, there is no man that has left sisters, there is no man that has left father, there is no man that has left mother, there is no man that has left wife, there is no man that has left children, there is no man that has left lands-  FOR HIM, for HIS SAKE, and for the SAKE of the GOSPEL- the message of eternal life found only in Him- No man has left all that who will NOT receive an HUNDREDFOLD now in this time.

How do we equate with doing that and not receiving an hundredfold? Do we even really know? Is it possible that we are LEAVING all those things, or even some of those things, amiss? Selfishly? We do so much - with more self interest than Christ interest.

Are we striving to leave these things in hopes for receiving that hundredfold? That would be striving amiss, wouldn't it? We have to live for CHRIST, only for CHRIST. All our works, all our actions, all our leavings mean nothing if they aren't by Christ's will.

It goes along these lines- Jas_4:3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

God knows our hearts, we can't fool Him for a second. 

Bonhoeffer talks here of a SPECIAL servant, Abraham. He had the faith necessary to be truly God's. He heard and he obeyed God.

We tend to want to put people like Abraham upon pedestals, imagining them to be something more than merely human with human faults like our own. As if perhaps they had some magical power that we don't have, power than enabled them to be God's. They didn't have any magical power at all. They had this…
 

Gen 6:8  But Noah found GRACE in the eyes of the LORD.

Gen 6:9  These are the generations of Noah: Noah was A JUST MAN and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

1Co 15:10  But by the GRACE of God I am what I am: and his GRACE which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the GRACE of God which was with me.

Exo 33:12  And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found GRACE in my sight.

Exo 33:13  Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found GRACE in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find GRACE in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

Psa 84:11  For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give GRACE and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Psa 84:12  O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

Psa 145:20  The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.

Tit 2:11  For the GRACE of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Tit 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Tit 3:7  That being justified by his GRACE, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of GRACE, that we may obtain mercy, and find GRACE to help in time of need.

These men found grace.

These men LOOKED OUTSIDE OF THEMSELVES FOR SALVATION!

To be Christ's true disciples we have to be willing to give up everything if we are called to do so. And truly it is being called to do so that matters, not us doing it thinking we will be rewarded for it.  God has to convict the hearts of His followers, if we presume to give up everything and put on sackcloth and ashes it could all be in vain because we are not following the path God desires of us.

And yes, we are now all asking how do we know what God calls us to? What if we don't even spiritually hear a call to do anything at all? 

We HAVE GOD'S WORD.  We have to read God's word and know this ultimately--

Joh_17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

Jesus prayed to the Father that we wouldn't be taken out of the world, but that we would be kept from evil!

We are all called to shun evil. Over and over our Savior tells us that we are called to LOVE not to the strife of the world. We are NOT to promote evil in any way from the smallest bit to the greatest. We are to REPENT of any evil and seek to follow Christ in all things.

Bonhoeffer said this--

'Yet the outward breach is most certainly easier than the hidden one.

Unless we have learnt this from the Bible and from our experience, we are indeed deceiving ourselves.

We shall fall back on our direct relationships and forfeit our fellowship with Christ.

It is not for us to choose which way we shall follow.

That depends on the will of Christ.

But this at least is certain: in one way or the other we shall have to leave the immediacy of the world and become individuals, whether secretly or openly.

But the same Mediator who makes us individuals is also the founder of a new fellowship.

He stands in the centre between my neighbour and myself.

He divides, but he also unites.

Thus find the new and only real way to him-- the way which passes through the Mediator.'

To don that sackcloth and ashes and to live a visible life of self-denial is easier because to live as Christ's with all the temptations of the flesh around us is a much harder walk, and I imagine few are called to that walk fully as Abraham was.  How much easier it is not to have to deal with the temptation of tremendous wealth.  Even as a person struggles horrifically with their poverty it is an easier walk than rightly using tremendous wealth.  Also, our outward actions are easier than our internal struggles, true?

If we do fall back on our OLD ways, we are in a lot of trouble. I brought these verses up yesterday-

Luk 11:24  When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.

Luk 11:25  And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.

Luk 11:26  Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

Truth!

We do NOT want our last state to be worse than our first state!  We cannot deceive ourselves have to recognize what it truly means to be a disciple of Christ's- THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP-COSTLY GRACE!

We truly do have to take steps, to take actions, to actively choose our path, not simply sit back and let come what may. We have a hand in our lives!  We have to sacrifice self and if that means giving up things and people, it has to be done. We cannot be ATTACHED to this world or anything in it. Our attachment has to be CHRIST and all other things through HIM.  Our love for our husbands, wives, children, fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters all has to be a love that comes from CHRIST. We cannot put our love of ANYTHING or ANYONE before the LOVE of CHRIST.

Bonhoeffer's words-  'Thus find the new and only real way to him-- the way which passes through the Mediator'

Every relationship that exists for us MUST Go through CHRIST FIRST!

It might be shocking to take stock of our lives and ask if we are truly putting Christ before the things and the people in it.

Truth-  ALL things must be viewed in the light of CHRIST, all things, not just things we pick and choose.

By the GRACE of God may we live as just before Him, through Him, for Him, in Him as wholly HIS.

In HIS LOVE ALWAYS!

Cost of Discipleship Pt 38 - Outward or Hidden?

Chapter 5- Discipleship and the Individual

Bonhoeffer- 'This is the second way of becoming an individual--to be a follower of Christ in the midst of society among our own kith and kin and in the enjoyment of all our worldly wealth. But note that it is Abraham who is called to this manner of life. Abraham who had already known what it was to make a visible breach with the past, Abraham who in the New Testament became the example of faith. We are easily tempted to generalize the possibility that was granted to Abraham, to understand it as a spiritual principle and without hesitation to apply it to ourselves. We would like to think that we had the same call to a Christian life, as a specially called follower of Christ who yet retrained the enjoyment of his worldly possessions. Yet the outward breach is most certainly easier than the hidden one. Unless we have learnt this from the Bible and from our experience, we are indeed deceiving ourselves. We shall fall back on our direct relationship s and forfeit our fellowship with Christ.

It is not for us to choose which way we shall follow. That depends on the will of Christ. But this at least is certain: in one way or the other we shall have to leave the immediacy of the world and become individuals, whether secretly or openly.

But the same Mediator who makes us individuals is also the founder of a new fellowship. He stands in the centre between my neighbour and myself. He divides, but he also unites. Thus find the new and only real way to him-- the way which passes through the Mediator.'

Mar 10:28  Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.

Mar 10:29  And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,

Mar 10:30  But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

Mar 10:31  But many that are first shall be last; and the last first

My thoughts-

Remember this…

Luk 11:24  When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.

Luk 11:25  And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.

Luk 11:26  Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

Bonhoeffer- 'Yet the outward breach is most certainly easier than the hidden one. Unless we have learnt this from the Bible and from our experience, we are indeed deceiving ourselves. We shall fall back on our direct relationship s and forfeit our fellowship with Christ.'

True?

Being a monk, being a nun, being a priest, a pastor, a minister, being one who outwardly takes on the 'trappings' of being a Godly person- a follower of Christ- truly is EASIER than being a Christ follower surrounded by the world, expected to be as the world. One excuses the monk, the nun, the priest, the pastor, the minister, and so on - they say- they are men/women of God and of course they are NOT expected to be of the world. People make exceptions for those who outwardly walk the walk of a Christ follower. The person who doesn't wear the garb of a Christ follower isn't expected to be a Christ follower. Being a hidden follower and separating one self from the world seems all but impossible.

Because this needs much more discussion and attention, we're going to continue it tomorrow by the GRACE and MERCY of God.

We need to understand what it truly means to be a follower of Christ, not just a follower of a false Christ. If we want delusions, we will be given them. If we would rather believe a lie, we will be allowed to live a lie. If deception suits us because the truth is too difficult to bear, we will be allowed to be deceived. If we want truth God will give us truth! By the grace of our LORD we will know the truth and LIVE the truth.

Please LORD help us to know the truth and only Your truth, living that truth in YOU.

Cost of Discipleship- Are we His?

Chapter 5- Discipleship and the Individual

Bonhoeffer- 'This breach with all our immediate relationship is inescapable. It may take the form of an external breach with family or nation; in that case we shall be called upon to bear visibly the reproach of Christ, the odium generis humani.

Or it may be a hidden and secret breach.  But even then we must always be ready to come out into the open. In the last resort it makes no difference whether the breach be secret or open.

Abraham is an example of both. He had to leave his friends and his father's house because Christ came between him and his own. On this occasion the breach was evident. Abraham became a stranger and a sojourner in order to gain the promised land. This was his first call. Later on he was called by God to offer his own son Isaac as a sacrifice. Christ had come between the father of faith and the child of promise. This time the direct relationship not only of flesh and blood, but also of the spirit, must be broken. Abraham must learn that the promise does not depend on Isaac, but on God alone. No one else hears this call of God, not even the servants who accompanied Abraham to  Mount Moriah. Once again, as when he left his father's house, Abraham becomes an individual, a lonely and solitary figure. He accepts the call as it comes; he will not shirt it or "spiritualize" it. He takes God at his word and is ready to obey. Against every direct claim upon him, whether natural, ethical or religious, he will be obedient to the Word of God.  By his willingness to sacrifice Isaac, he shows that he is prepared to come out into the open with the breach which he had already made secretly, and to do so for the sake of the Mediator. And at that very moment all that he had surrendered was given back to him. He receives back his son. God shows him a better sacrifice which will take the place of Isaac. The tables are completely turned, Abraham receives Isaac back, but henceforth he will have his son in quite a new way-- through the MEDIATOR and for the MEDIATOR'S sake. Since he had shown himself ready to obey God literally, he is now allowed to possess Isaac though he had him not-- to possess him through Jesus Christ.

Christ has stepped between Father and Son.

Abraham left all and followed Christ.

Outwardly the picture is unchanged but the old is passed away, and behold all things are new.

Everything has had to pass through Christ.'

My thoughts--

Truth.

2Co_5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new

This is truth. Our Lord's truth.

We think somehow we can escape it and keep our old selves. We often find the old self striving very hard to return, to take its former place in our lives. But once we are Christ's, having accepted the gift He has offered to us, nothing CAN ever be truly as it once was.  Our old nature can return, but it doesn't return us to a former life- not completely. Even if to ALL outward appearances we've reverted to our old ways, we have in our lives the undeniable truth that we chose Christ and we were born again every day after that as we chose the new life in Christ.  If we STOP choosing to be born again daily in Christ, that's when our old nature begins to journey back to us- sometimes quickly, other times very slowly.  That fact remains though that we once KNEW and LIVED truth.  Will this give us the right to salvation in Christ? No. A person who is born again in Christ must be born again daily in Christ, not just once. We must pick up our cross daily, remember?

Luk_9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Daily taking action by taking up the cross of the Christian life.

If we refuse to take up that cross, we are refusing Christ, and when someone refuses Christ they can't hope that they are still His and following His will.

Bonhoeffer speaks truth when He says- 'Everything has had to pass through Christ.'  That is truth, and everything still has to pass through Christ in our lives.  EVERYTHING, not just a few things, not just the things WE deem okay to pass through Him. EVERYTHING.

If we don't want something in our lives to pass through Christ, then what is that telling us? It's telling us that we are trying to live a double life with two masters- Self and Christ.  And we already read yesterday that we cannot serve two masters. 

Satan has a great scheme going when He teaches people the religion of Self and Christ.  He has hundreds, thousands, maybe even tens of thousands or more preachers who are preaching this false religion all the while passing it off as Christ's true way. 

We have to be willing to have EVERY aspect of our lives pass through Christ, holding NOTHING back.  And Christ has to be first in our lives, and all things after Him.

We cannot put ourselves first, though Satan will do all he can to make sure that happens.

Whether in secret or openly- we are called to put CHRIST FIRST.

Even if it ultimately means choosing Christ over our beloved family, friends, work, recreation, He must be first. If we can't put Him first we seriously have to question our true relationship with Christ.

Do we want to hear Him call us to Him, to meet Him in the air? 

Or will we stand among those crying out that we are His, while He just shakes His head and says He never knew us?

Are we His?

By His grace, by His love and mercy, through His righteousness, may we be HIS and all that means.

Cost of Discipleship Pt 36 Christ above all

Chapter 5- Discipleship and the Individual

Bonhoeffer- 'Of course, there are plenty of gods who offer men direct access, and the world naturally uses every means in its power to retain its direct hold on men, but that is the very reason why it is so bitterly opposed to Christ, the Mediator.'

The world is AGAINST Jesus Christ.

Many would cry out against this, but it's truth.

They are against the TRUE MEDIATOR JESUS CHRIST.  They are for the IMPOSTER Jesus Christ who is NOT a mediator at all but someone whose name they use while having none of the power of our Savior.

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof…

A form of godliness, but NO POWER.

You can't have the power of Christ to salvation if you are not believing in the true Mediator Jesus Christ.

The power you might think you have is a false power, a lie, deceit.

Bonhoeffer said- 'The world NATURALLY uses every means in it power to retain its direct hold on men.' 

Do you have anything that has a 'hold' on you?

Do you have anything that you'd like to be rid of but just can't seem to get rid of it? Those sins that so easily beset us, perhaps? 

Satan will use EVERYTHING to snare us.

Satan wants to retain his hold on us.

Satan does NOT want us to even imagine we have a Mediator in Jesus Christ.  Satan wants us brought to DESPAIR- hopelessly caught up in all that would keep us from God, from God's love, from eternal life in Christ!

Bonhoeffer: 'The call of Christ brings us as individuals face to face with the Mediator. The call of Jesus teaches us that our relation to the world has been built on an illusion.

Between father and son, husband and wife, the individual and the nation, stands Christ the Mediator, whether they are able to recognize him or not.'

My thoughts-

Christ is our REALITY.

The reality of Christ is something many don't have. 

Christ has to be more real to us than anything or anybody else.

When Christ isn't real to us we choose to let other things, and other people come between us and Christ, we put those other things and other people first.  Satan LOVES when we regulate our Savior to such a status as putting Him behind all others.

So how can we read this--

Luk 14:26  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

-- and NOT comprehend that it's truth?

HATE your father.

HATE your mother.

HATE your wife.

HATE your children.

HATE your brothers.

HATE your sisters.

HATE your own life.

Hate?

Jesus is LOVE so how can He tell us to hate when the commandments themselves tell us to LOVE!?

Bonhoeffer-'Christ stands between us and we can only get in touch with our neighbours through him. That is why intercession is the most promising way to reach our neighbours, and corporate prayer offered in the name of Christ  the purest form of fellowship.  We cannot rightly acknowledge the gifts of God unless we acknowledge the Mediator for whose sake alone they are given to us. There can be no genuine thanksgiving for the blessings of nation, family, history, and nature without that heart-felt penitence which gives the glory to Christ alone above all else. There can be no real attachment to the given creation, no genuine responsibility in the world unless we recognize the breach which already separates us from it. There can be no genuine love of the world except the love wherewith God loved it in Jesus Christ.

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Yes, but we must also remember that … Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. '

My thoughts-

We cannot be disciples, true disciples without Jesus being our all in all FIRST and FOREMOST and through HIM we can LOVE as we need to LOVE.  Our love without it being Christ's love isn't love at all, not really. 

Mat 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Mat 10:37  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Truth.

The hate spoken of here is not the hate we imagine- the despising selfishly.  The hate spoken of here is like the hate of Leah.

Gen 29:30  And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

Gen 29:31  And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.

Rachel was loved more by Jacob than Leah was loved.

If we LOVE any one more than Jesus we aren't LOVING them, because only our Savior can give us true LOVE to love others with.

Many people throughout history have had to leave family and friends for God, ultimately for their own good, ultimately for some meaning they'll have that good in eternal life with love, with God!

A Christian martyr thousands of years ago,  a Christian martyr today both murdered for Christ when they could have kept from being murdered by denying Christ. They put Christ first because they KNEW that He is LOVE above all else and NOTHING could come between them and the love of CHRIST, nothing!

Do YOU love Christ that much?! Do YOU?!

Maybe we aren't going to be called to give up our family, friends, the things we love, but maybe we will be.

Our Savior must be our all in all! ALL by HIS GRACE,LOVE, and MERCY. All through HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS! 

Please Lord, help us to love You as we need to love You.

Satan will try everything to keep us from this love, this real love of Christ, but God is stronger than Satan, God has defeated Satan and Christ has the power to give us the power to LOVE above all that Satan would have us not love, and Satan does NOT want us to love Christ above any.

By YOUR LOVE LORD, by YOUR LOVE!