The word ‘Christian’ has become a word that is taken so lightly. We hear it in the lyrics of today’s music. We see it on t-shirts, bumper stickers, and it seems most everyone today is a ‘Christian.’ The word, “Christian” only appears twice in the New Testament while the word, “Christians” appears once. If the Holy Bible scarcely uses the word, why do we use it so much? Well, like most of ‘today’s Christianity’ we totally over emphasize things. We have somehow created a ‘Christianity’ that does not resemble the New Testament at all. Today we have ‘pastors’ and ‘apostles’ and ‘leaders’ pulling the strings and making things happen that we have come to know as ‘church’ and ‘Christianity.’ Now, oh course, these people will hurriedly say, “I’m not in charge, the Holy Spirit is.” The truth of the matter is men are in charge of most of what we see today regardless of what ‘words’ come out of their mouths. The word, Christian, was first used by the people to describe those who were like Christ or those who followed Christ. No doubt used as a slam against them. We never see Paul or any person used of God referring to themselves as ‘Christians.’ “And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” Acts 11:26. Notice, THEY WERE CALLED CHRISTIANS. Not that they would have denied being one if someone had asked them; but we never read where they announced it either. They realized what the term meant. To say, “I am like Jesus” is a huge confession. Am I really like Christ? Are you really like Christ? Are any of us really like Him? Think about it. A lot of people truly think they are Christian IF they go to church, pay tithe, give offerings, and do good through out the week. Some think, if we memorize scriptures, fast often, pray so much time each day, witness to people, and attend church, this will let my light shine. When in reality the early church never performed any of these things. As a matter of fact, the first church didn’t even have a Bible, but yet they preached the Word (Acts 8:4). Sure they prayed at times and fasted at times and other things too. But the mistake that many make is to think that if we build some type of repetition, we will become more like Christ. The more I do, the better I become. This dear friend is a ‘spiritual-treadmill’ that will usually lead to burn out. We never find where the early church told anyone to DO these things. Yet they shook the world without Christian TV, Christian radio, Gospel tracks, church buildings, classes, men’s groups, ladies groups, youth groups, networks, books, revivals, seminars or even a Bible. True, some of these things are somewhat effective. We must ask ourselves the question, are we doing something wrong? However, there are lots of good things and lots of good people are a part of the institutional church system. But, we must ask ourselves this; did Jesus or Paul go from town to town encouraging people to memorize verses and fast twice a week? Jesus did teach His disciples to pray (Matt. 6) but we never find where they actually did it this way. They never repeated the model prayer, nor is it recorded that they purposely used it as a model. To be like Christ, surely is an ‘inward’ Christ likeness…the nature of the Son of God producing His life in us. Christ did not come to make us better people. He came to destroy who we are and raise up a person with His nature in them. We can do all the right things…read, pray, fast, witness, give, and still NOT be a true disciple of the Lord. A true disciple will encounter hardships and difficulties mixed with times of uncertainty and sore displeasure. His heart will be tried and tested and pruned over and over. God may grant him many material things, but they won’t be his focus at all. For he knows they will all surly pass. He will experience the loss of his own life, but the grace of God will be there to strengthen him. Yes, this is the true disciple. One who presses on after the will and call of God. He may fast, pray, give, and memorize scriptures, but they won’t be his focus either. Only Christ and Christ alone will be the apple of his eye and the true desire of his heart. Truly, Christ is found through death and the surrender of all things. Christ will allow the true disciple to, at particular seasons, sore with the eagles. He will feel the life of God rustling through his feathers. His death has brought life and life to others! He will gaze down to those who struggle and will encourage them to press on and to keep Christ as the focus. For the true disciple knows this ‘soaring’ will be short lived and the Father will call him back down again for more lessons about life and winning Christ. Discipleship is in the heart of the man or woman who is sincere and determined to follow Christ. The wisdom of God chose twelve men to follow the living Christ. Discipleship is never meant to be experienced alone, but with others who are denying themselves along with you. These twelve men heard and saw things that no one else on earth experienced. Day after day the word of Christ would pierce their hearts and leave them stripped totally naked. Not with harshness, but in truth as a brother. At any given time they could have left their crosses, but they had found love; they had found life! Love that would tell them the way it really was. Not watered down or compromising; but in truth and in love. I can imagine some of the ‘behind the scenes’ talks of the disciples. I’m sure at times they wondered where this guy came from and who does He think He is? Still they stayed where He had called them, in the furnace of affliction.
Discipleship or Spiritual Parroting?
I have a friend who has a parrot. This parrot, like many, can repeat certain words or phrases. You could say, “Pretty bird” fifteen or twenty times (or some other phrase) and it would say it back very clearly. It still amazes me to hear a real animal talk! Many Christians today are the exact same way. We have heard the same phrases over and over. We have heard the same verses quoted over and over. We have heard the same teachings over and over. And soon, if we aren’t very careful, like the parrot, we’ll start repeating them without knowing the deep, valuable, true meaning. We have all the right answers, it seems. We know what to say and when to say it. We know all the catchy clichés in the ‘church’ today. This friends is not discipleship. So many times we hear of this. Like fads they sweep through certain congregations. One person will coin a catchy word or phrase and before long, most are saying. This is what I call, “Spiritual Parroting.” When Paul said to the believers at Corinth to ‘speak the same thing’ I really DON’T think this is was what he was referring to (1 Cor. 1:10). He is talking about sharing the same heart. Keep in mind; Paul was speaking to a community of believers who lived in the same location. He goes on to say, “…and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” Paul isn’t referring to a ‘good church service’ here, even though they did meet amongst themselves. When people share the same heart (Acts 4:32) they speak the same thing. It should be ‘DISCIPLESHIP NOT SPIRITUAL PARROTING’. I could find twelve men to teach and to spend time with. I could teach them how to pray and how to study and how to witness and so forth. And, true, maybe we could get pretty close to each other. But this in itself isn’t being a true follower or disciple of the Lord; even though it might be Bible based. Do we realize how easy it is to ‘eat’ someone else’s insight? Do we realize how easy it is to be a ‘disciple’ of MAN and not of Christ?
The Great Famine in Samara
In 2 Kings 6, we read about a horrible famine in the land of Samaria. People were eating ‘Ass’s heads’ and ‘Dove’s dung’ and even eating their ‘own children.’ Today we can see the ‘spiritual parallel’ to what’s going on. There isn’t much ‘meat’ on the head of a donkey. They would eat its ‘EYES’ ‘TONGUE’ and its ‘BRAINS’. People are still doing to it today. Were eating the ‘INSIGHT, WORDS, AND REVELATION’ of people all the time. Because we are in a ‘famine’ of hearing the true Word of the Lord, people are eating this up. This dear soul isn’t discipleship. We can swallow the insight and revelation of someone very easily. We are eating their words, thinking it’s the Word of God! They were also eating ‘DOVE’S DUNG.’ The DUNG of an animal is PROOF that it has BEEN THERE. Ask any hunter today. A good hunter will actually look for the ‘droppings.’ They know by this that THEY HAVE BEEN THERE. Today, we are still eating DOVE’S DUNG. We hear so much talk about WHAT GOD USED TO DO. We study the old revivals and somehow think that if we do what they did, we can have what they had. We spend much energy on WHAT GOD USED TO DO! God wants to do a new thing! Sure we can read about the old men of God and appreciate what they did and praise God for what He did. However, we should never try to copy them or convince the people of God that we need to DO WHAT THEY DID. No! We should only follow what the Spirit of God is saying to us today. If it parallels with ‘what used to be’ than so be it. We can’t make it happen. We can’t spend all our time looking back to what GOD did 200 years ago. Eating DOVE’S DUNG will eventually kill you. Next, they were eating their own babies. This is so true today. The next generation is being destroyed by our ‘religious’ mind-sets and practices. We have also fed them ASS’S HEAD and DOVE’S DUNG and they are sure to die! Look around you at this generation of kids. Even ‘so called’ youth groups are living as close to the world as they can get. Sure there are some good teens out there. But we have fed them a bunch of stuff that has caused them to be malnourished in Christ. They are being devoured and eaten up and they don’t even know it. Most copy the world’s looks, dress, and music. And the sad thing is that they do it in Jesus’ name! There’s as much sex and divorce in the church as there is in the world. We are still eating our babies! A lot of today’s youth are so plugged in the system of the world. Like a helpless fly in the spider’s web, he’s got them! Not long ago I was teaching my son about this very thing. While sitting in our automobile, I programmed a ‘rock station’ and a ‘Christian station’ in my stereo. While the music was playing I switched the stations back and forth for him to listen. I asked him ‘which is which.’ He had no idea! He couldn’t’ tell the difference between the two. I’m not writing to BASH MUSIC, only to show you what’s going on today. Today’s ‘Christianity’ has done much damage to what Christ actually came to establish on the earth. Where is the Holy Nation of God? Where is His true body? The truth is, we are in a famine and most can’t discern the difference.
Jacob Tricked His Father
In Genesis 27 we read the account of Jacob tricking his own father in order to steal his brother’s blessing. Jacob, the trickster, with the help of his Mother, dressed up to look, feel, and to smell like his brother. Instead of loving his brother and wanting him to receive what was rightfully his, Jacob himself wanted it. Proverbs 16:18 states, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” There Jacob stood before his father, totally deceiving him. Making him think he was someone else. Who are you trying to be like? Are we dressing up to look like someone else? Do we try to quote scriptures like someone else? Do we try to speak or preach like someone else? Do we somehow think this is discipleship? One thing for sure, we can’t fool our Father. He knows the thoughts and the very intents of our hearts. We can try to look, feel, and even smell like someone in order to be blessed by the Lord, but it won’t work. This is not discipleship. I’ve heard people say over the years, “I wish I could be like him.” “I wish I could preach like that.” Paul says in Eph. 4:1 “that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called…” We are called to walk in lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;(Eph. 4:2). This doesn’t sound like brother Jacob does it? We must be totally honest before God. We must ‘be ourselves’ as we are being conformed like Jesus, and stop trying to fool our Father. It is so easy to copy or master some ‘man’ thinking that we are following the Lord. A true disciple will be like ‘Christ’ (Acts 11:26). We may not necessarily grow a beard or wear sandals, but we will possess the Lord’s nature. Christ never brought attention to His own outward appearance. He never dressed the disciples up to look like him. He simply displayed the life of the Father and thousands were attracted to it. To those that wanted it, it would cost them one thing…everything. He called men to lay down themselves and take up the cross they must bear to have it. We have somehow accepted a Gospel that teaches that Christ suffered so we can live! We have somehow accepted a Gospel that has no cross in it. I like what one old writer said, “Must Christ pass through seas of His own blood to win the crown, and are we to walk to heaven dryshod in silver slippers?” The jewels of a Christian are his afflictions. Our Master’s experience teaches us that suffering is necessary.” This is discipleship! The Captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering, (Heb. 5:8). What do we think ‘being a disciple’ is? What do we think ‘taking up your cross’ is? Christ Jesus is our example; for he is the ultimate disciple.
“Believer, lay hold of this thought in all times of agony.
Let the thought of Jesus strengthen you as you follow in His steps.
Find a sweet support in His sympathy; and remember that,
to suffer is an honorable thing—
to suffer for Christ is glory.
If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him.”
-Charles Spurgeon-
It’s been a pretty rough week for me. I’m finding the older I get, the more I don’t like ‘this flesh.’ Or, maybe I like it too much! The Spirit of Christ inside me FOR SURE don’t like it. The devil isn’t my real ememy. However, there are times he tries to stir up trouble and or cause some hardships. But my REAL BATTLE everyday, IS ME. The more I try to be a true friend to God, the more my flesh hates it. I get up every morning with the soul purpose and determination to hear Father and to see Father. I determine each morning to walk softly with Him and obey Him in what ever He says to do. BUT! It seems the more I try, the more my flesh gets in the way of this. Sadly to say, usually, my flesh wins. Not everytime, but usually. The biggest problem in my life is JAMES COATES. He wants to rule my life so baddly! His wants and his desires seem to surface most every day. I HATE IT! God kill me! May the Spirit of Christ KILL ME! My cross is so hard to bear! However, I must carry it every day or until He calls me home to His glorious community! My flesh hates His fire, the nails, and the heavy wood. My flesh hates it when others spit on me and laugh me to scorn. My flesh wants a ‘stirapome’ cross. Something soft and easy to carry. Something with a wheel on it so I won’t have to drag the thing! Not a heavy, rough, uncomfortable stake of death! But…that’s where He has called me. The reason my flesh hates this, is because it knows ‘the glory’ that will be revealed in and through me. James’ flesh knows what God will do. God will be seen IN ME…IN MY LIFE…IN MY ACTIONS…IN MY MOODS…IN MY HOME…IN MY COMMUNITY…IN MY THOUGHTS. This is what HELL fears…and this is what my flesh fears…LIFE THROUGH DEATH! There will be NO RESURRECTION until FIRST there is a DEATH…THE DEATH OF ME!
*Both start out new and without a scratch, but end up old, out of date, and worn out.