Words from the Lord are in red italics.
Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross [daily] and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it. - Matthew 16:24-25
Do you believe that discipleship is about spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ? Although a common thread of discipleship is telling others about Jesus, it is only the beginning.
Following Christ requires a disciple to create disciples and is predicated on living as a disciple.
You must eat His bread first before you share it with others.
Many ministries have misinterpreted the good news and propagated misinformation about discipleship, believing they are doing God’s work. Bible teachings, study groups, and social gatherings are not activities that create disciples.
Is there anything greater on earth than to do God's will and win souls for Christ so they can experience the fullness of heaven?
You must persist in your walk with Christ, in spirit, in righteousness, to be His disciple.
To “win souls,” you must create disciples.
Talking about Jesus, praying with people, and having them say a prayer does not constitute winning souls!
All must receive Me in spirit to walk in righteousness. Receiving Me does not come from saying words, but by listening to Me in your heart, taking Me in, hearing My words.
Connecting their hearts to Jesus in spirit begins their race. They must start to hear Him, and He must be their teacher.
After that? Exhort them in His ways, for He is their guide, and they must deny themselves and follow Him.
Who has walked in power like Me in the last 2,000 years? Healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons, and parted the waves? Who among you is like Me? Some have My disposition, but My disciples walk in power.
The time is near when, once again, My disciples will walk the land.
Let His words sink in. There has not been disciples, as He defines “disciples”, since the time of biblical Acts.
Who among us will be His next disciples?
Who are those who will lay down their lives for Him and act in righteousness, wholly for Him?
Give all for Me or perish; there is no part way. Lay your life down and be saved. Separate from this world and be wholly for Me.
When Jesus walked the earth, He showed us what it meant to be a disciple. He separated Himself from the world and laid down His life, even while He walked in the flesh.
He listened to the Father and obeyed the Father’s commandments in all that He did. Then, He told us we must do the same to have eternal life.
I am calling out; who will hear Me? Where are My disciples in these last days? Who are the chosen few? Will you rise up and defeat the enemy? All will be done in My name. Rise up, conquer the enemy, and create disciples.
The call of the original disciples was not only meant for those times. Their commitment to Christ is how we are supposed to live today and how we need to live to be His disciples.
Initially, those disciples followed Jesus in the natural.
But after He ascended and they received the Holy Spirit, they continued their relationship with Jesus in spirit, talking, listening, and obeying in spirit. Their goal was to win souls for the Father by first creating more disciples like themselves, spreading the “good news” of Jesus’s victory over sin and resurrection, as the Son of God was undoubtedly part of that effort.
My disciples are waiting on instructions, instructions to create more disciples, but they do not know what to do. Give them the training and I will perfect Myself within them.
Christ is reaffirming that He will have disciples once again. You may believe that no one can live up to the call of being a disciple. But isn’t a matter of difficulty, it’s a matter of knowing what to do, doing it, and understanding that Christ will perfect Himself within you along the way. In Him, all things are possible.
Do not quarrel with yourself; your mind is set on Me, or it is not. Your soul longeth for Me, or it does not. Your heart dwells on Me or it does not. You are set apart for Me, or you are not. Which are you in these last days? Are you mine or not? So look inwardly and not on your affairs.
Jesus is looking for intimacy with us, a fully committed relationship. He is looking for followers who genuinely desire Him with an undivided heart, who separate themselves from this world for Him, who want to talk with Him, who hear what He has to say, who do the things He says, all out of love for Him. Jesus wants you to live from within, through Him, so He can guide your steps in righteousness and order your life.
His message to those seeking Him: It is all of Me or none of Me.
He rules all things, orders all things. It is through Him that all things are done. It is through Him that we lay waste to the shadow and enter into the light.
Those who decide to become disciples of Jesus stop living for themselves and start living for Him and through Him. This is what He means when He said to follow Him. It’s not your belief, faith, or religious activities that matter to Him; it’s your loving relationship with Him and your obedience to Him.
Abandon ideas of foolishness and follow Me. It is easy to follow Me, lay down your life for Me, and listen to Me. Deny yourself and focus on Me in all things.
My yolk is easy; I carry the burdens of the world.
The path of a disciple may seem difficult at first, but it is made easy through Christ. True freedom is to focus on Him in all things. He gave us all that we need to be successful, including His grace, mercy, blood, and the Holy Spirit.
Those of Mine will desire Me with their whole heart. They will want to talk with Me, hear what I have to say, and want to do the things I say. Not just out of obedience but out of love for Me. The rituals and signs are end caps as to how you must live to be Mine. I am instructing you down a path, and they must follow Me down their path as well. Disciples work together in this way, through Me, as My body, suffering together in spirit for My sake without regard to their natural lives. Don’t be mistaken, I must be known to them, and they known to Me, as all must go through Me to inherit the Kingdom of life.
Christ defines the characteristics and behavior of His disciples. Inheriting the Kingdom of life requires you to desire Him in truth above all else and to live for Him. You must be known to Him, and He must be known to you; there is no other way.
A disciple of Mine spreads My love, heeds My warnings, takes up My cross, bears witness to My name, cares for My sheep with tenderheartedness and compassion, lifts up those who stumble and cares for those in need, puts out wickedness and denies the flesh, is armored and prepared, listens to Me and is filled with the Holy Spirit, is subjugate to My will, thinks no evil and speaks no evil, is pure of heart and strong like a bruised reed, meek, does not seek self but is concerned for others, prepares the way of the Lord, feeds My sheep and gives them shelter, lives entirely in Me, reaps where he did not sow, understands glory and puts out perverse nature.
A disciple forgives and forgets, as does the Father. He is relentless in his pursuit of God and holiness. Righteousness is his path, and glory is his desire for the Father. War is in his mind and the expanse of the kingdom. There is no folly in his heart for the sin of this world. He is pure of heart and of sight. The wonders of the Lord consume him, but he is not blinded by them, for he knows the reverence of the Lord. Trust is in Yahweh, for there is no other God. Absolution of mind and spirit is he.
Understand that discipleship is a way of life, His way.
He does not require you to be like other apostles; He requires you to be like Him. He wants you as Himself, a beacon of light to the world. You can only live as a disciple if you have the single mind of Christ.
A disciple stands on the shoreline of His eternal water of life. A beacon of light to the lost, drawing them to the water. Disciples always stay close to the water, firmly planted, drawing life from the water. To live is to be the bride of Christ.
A disciple stands on the shoreline as a beacon of light. He does not wait until others come and then turns on his light. He first shines his light so that others may come and drink from the living waters. I will bring others before you, but you must shine your light and act in righteousness beforehand. You must put down sin and walk My way.
You must accept that you are of the spirit and deny your flesh. Be of one mind, one purpose, one soul. Do not stray from the path, do not look back, do not compromise to the flesh but be of one mind with Me. Be of one purpose to serve the Lord your God and be of one soul of My following, My people. Eat out of My hand.
Now is the time to try men’s souls; they cannot be fragmented, I demand all. It is all of Me or none of Me. Men will be tested; they must choose all of Me to be counted in My kingdom. Arise o’ nation of Yahweh, arise unto Me. Take up thine torch and shine, for the glory of the Lord awaits those who go forth in the name of the Lord and conquer the enemy. Win souls for the kingdom or perish.
Winning souls for the kingdom is pleasing to the Father and is not optional for eternal life.
Hear His words; how important is conquering the enemy in winning souls!
Obedience brings forth prosperity. The keys of the kingdom are given to those who are Mine, who seek Me with their whole heart and dedicate themselves to Me—the promise of a father to his son, of the king to His kingdom. Go forth and let the enemy be scattered this day. Avoid perverse thought; be righteous unto Me.
Calamity awaits those who deny the Lord. Speak, and it shall be done. Arise and go forth and let My enemies be scattered to the wind from which they came. I am the Lord, and I keep My promises to My people.
You may believe that His promises, like a prosperous life and supernatural guidance, apply to you if you have faith in Him as your savior. Know that the promises of the Kingdom only apply to those who are His people, those who dedicate themselves to Him in truth. The same is true for His covering of Sin; the blood works when you obey His will.
After they are set apart, they must be still and listen to Me in order to walk with Me in spirit and for the world to part for them. In Me is order; outside of Me is chaos. I am the light within, knowing all things.
Life in the natural, as pleasant to the flesh as it may seem sometimes, is chaos, creating an atmosphere of sin that longs to keep you a slave to this world. When you are set apart for Him and walk with Him as His disciple, listening and being led by Him, He will order your steps before you in righteousness.
Next up: Part 8: War the Enemy