In the last lesson I taught you about the Greek word that Jesus chose to use describing the type of organization he was building, which we call the church. The word Jesus chose to use was ekklesia. Ekklesia is a word that was used to describe the ruling assembly of citizens in the Grecian democracy to govern its city-states. The Greek and Roman versions of the ekklesia appeared in different forms and sizes; the assemblies were not a one size fits all.
In like manner, there are no cookie cutters when it comes to establishing the ekklesia that Jesus is building, but he has given us a tremendous amount of flexibility.
As we progress into this section I am going to recommend thinking outside of the box. The traditional model of Christianity is on a rapid decline in America and it’s going to become increasingly irrelevant, outdated and ineffective in reaching a post Christian society.
The ekklesia or a ruling assembly of citizens could be as small as two or three gathered anywhere in the world. It only took 2 or 3 citizens for the ekklesia to be considered a local expression of Rome. Even though geography separated them from the capital of the empire and the emperor, their coming together as fellow citizens automatically brought the power and presence of the Roman ruling authority into their midst. This was indeed the Roman ekklesia in a microcosm. In like manner, the kingdom of God created the church and works through the church.
Jesus said that his ekklesia could be as small as 2 or 3 which represents a microcosm of the larger community.
He said where 2 or 3 come together under the authority of his name then He would literally be in their midst. Paul taught us this same truth in many of his epistles. In the book of Ephesians chapter 1 verses 22 thru 23 it says Jesus is head over all things to the church, which is his body. We are joined to his heavenly reign by his blood, we are identified with his name through water baptism and we are infused with His very life by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I want to share with you the last words that Jesus spoke before He ascended to the right hand of the Father, to begin His heavenly rule. Jesus said: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
In this present evil age, in which Satan is the god, we are called to take the authority of Christ and through the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom to enter the very gates of hell setting captives free.
Jesus instructed the disciples to preach the gospel of the kingdom. When he sent out the Twelve, he said, ‘as you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near’, the Seventy-two were sent out with similar instructions. In acts chapter 8 verse 12 we see that Philip went to Samaria preaching good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. Then in Acts chapter 28 Paul went to Rome and preached first to the Jews, then to the Gentiles, the kingdom of God. The teaching of the kingdom is also found in the writings of Peter, James, John and the writer of Hebrews.
As the ekklesia or as I like to call it the community of the faithful goes forth preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit: people will be delivered from the oppression of the devil. Entering the kingdom is simple, yet very demanding. The basic demand of the kingdom is a response to man’s will. Men must receive it. They must yield to it. God’s kingdom does not ask us to find in ourselves the righteousness that it demands, God will give us the righteousness of His kingdom. God’s kingdom does not ask us to create the life that it requires, God’s kingdom will give us that life. God’s kingdom does not set up a standard and say, when you achieve this standard of righteousness, you may enter the kingdom.
God’s kingdom makes one demand: Repent! Turn! Decide! It’s why the first foundational doctrine that I taught you in this school of discipleship was repentance from dead works. You cannot work your way into the kingdom, you simply have to surrender your life.
The demand of the kingdom is not only repentance, but it’s also a life of discipleship. If you will look through the gospels and then the book of Acts, you will see that those who make up the community of the faithful are called disciples. It’s not hard to notice in the gospels and book of Acts the emphasis laid upon being disciples.
The word disciple and disciples is mentioned around 272 times while the word church is mentioned only around 21 times in these same books. Let's put the emphasis where the Bible puts the emphasis and rediscover the focus of being a devoted disciple of Christ. If there is one thing that I want to stress about discipleship, it’s that discipleship is fulfilling the Great Commission.
The Great Commission is the primary mission we need to be focused upon and disciples are the vehicles by which this great task has been given to fulfill. Making disciples means more than just leading people to a conversion of faith in Christ, but includes teaching them to observe all that Jesus commanded.
Now discipleship is one of those words that can bring several images or pictures to your mind when it’s mentioned. A lot of people look at it as an archaic word with no relevance to our modern culture. Images of a lone monk in the desert are conjured up or some guy out on a street corner preaching. To some the word is associated with the spiritual abuse of authoritarian control. I think for many in the modern church there is just a simple lack of understanding concerning the subject. We must embrace the 'terminology of discipleship', because it’s the pathway Christ Himself laid out for us to follow.
Discipleship is more than just a teaching for me it’s a lifestyle. I am convinced from the Bible that there are no alternatives to following Jesus except as one of His disciples. I’m speaking to you out of my personal journey and walk over the last 35 years as one. So let me tell you a few things that discipleship is not.
Number one discipleship is not following a certain man, church or organization.
The call to discipleship is first of all a call to follow Christ. It’s a commitment to be in relationship with Him above all else. The hit Christian film 'Jesus Revolution', which was released in early 2023, showed the history of the Jesus movement that started on the West Coast in California. A lot of good things came out of that movement. However, one of the negative legacies that came out of the Jesus movement was popularly termed the 'Discipleship Movement' or 'Shepherding Movement' of the 1970's.
In this movement there was a strong emphasis laid on being a disciple. However, within this system of teaching, being a disciple had an over emphasis of submitting your life to a certain man, a certain church or a certain organization. It was a reaction to the free for all of the Hippie Movement, but it brought great harm causing the faith of many to be shipwreck. Many of the concepts of this movement are reinvented from time to time in the church. This lies in the fact that there is a fine balance between true accountability and authoritarian control.
If we are wise, we will learn from history or else we will repeat history and make the same mistakes as those who have gone before us.
Over the last few years, I’ve seen these errors reappear in what’s being called the New Apostolic Reformation. Now I’m not saying all who are part of this movement display these character traits. I am telling you that as someone who has been a part of such a system there are many hidden dangers. The most obvious is that if our allegiance to God is based upon a certain man, a certain church or a certain organization what happens when they are not there? What do we do if the man dies? What do we do if the church splits? What do we do if the organization dissolves? What about if the leadership becomes immoral, starts to teach false doctrine or becomes spiritually abusive?
The reason I am asking such questions is because they are real possibilities and I’ve experienced each one of them. I have also witnessed people who had no strong foundational understanding of their individual walk with Christ, fall away from Him, because they were built into a man-centered gospel.
Number two discipleship is not regularly attending meetings.
Regular fellowship with others and having sound relationships built around Christ is essential if we want to fulfill our mission. However, in many people's understanding, being a consistent attendee of church is equivalent to being a disciple. This could not be further from the truth. A disciple is a faithful follower of Christ not a faithful follower of meetings. It’s estimated that the fastest church growth going on in the world is China right now. Do you think the Chinese Christian's identity is a building, a meeting or Christ? I can answer that for you because the church outside of government control which are State sanctioned churches is illegal in China.
In 2001 it was estimated that the Communist government destroyed over 1,700 churches. Prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics house church leaders were being put into jail and church buildings were destroyed. In 2022 the Communist government was engaged in the demolition of numerous churches across the country and persecution against believers outside of government-controlled churches is accelerating since COVID. It was reported that they were fabricating criminal charges to detain, arrest and sentence believers in an effort to suppress the expansion of the gospel. The Chinese Christians realize that their identity is Jesus and wherever they assemble together the ekklesia is present with Jesus as the head.
The ekklesia in America must get a hold of this same truth. I am not talking about a church without any leaders since to fulfill mission we must have some type of leadership structure.
Please listen to me. I’m not telling you that persecution is suddenly coming to America, but at the same time don’t think it can’t happen here. We are increasingly living in a post-Christian America and we are going through our own Cultural Revolution where things could change rapidly. Systematic persecution is not something American believers have ever had to face, but the scriptures are clear that taking up our cross can also mean physical death.
Do you know with the current trends going on in America today some sort of governmental persecution is looking like a possibility in the future?
The nation of England has had hate crimes legislation for about 10 years and it has affected the lives of Christians in that nation. In 2009 Dale Hurd, a CBN reporter, documented the shift in England. He reported that in England doctors, nurses, adoptive parents, are deemed unfit because of their Christian beliefs. Christians are told not to speak about God in the workplace or they could be punished for offending homosexuals or Muslims.
The history of the church is a history of resistance against true believers.
In the Greek language the word witness and martyr are the same word. This may seem radical to you, but it’s simply part of the gospel. The biblical and historical record of the church is one of identifying with Christ in a hostile world. In the Western world persecution may not include physical torture, martyrdom or imprisonment as it did in Paul's day and for many believers in other parts of the world today. It’s quite possible that it will take the form of increasing marginalization as the mainstream of the surrounding culture moves in directions totally contradictory to the Bible.
In the same way that Daniel had to take a stand in Babylon against open idolatry causing discrimination against him, genuine Christians could be ostracized in nearly every aspect of Western society.
Major Western corporations are cooperating with Western governments and are establishing a technological society that has rejected God, empowered by the spirit of Babylon. The first three chapters of Revelation provide a curriculum for the body of Christ to live in enemy territory. Indeed, the whole book is designed as a manual for martyrdom and covers every crisis likely to be encountered by the community of the faithful in a corrupt culture. Suffering for Christ is not something to be feared, but it is a time to be a witness for Christ. It’s what I’ve been teaching you in this school of discipleship that each one of us are vessels by which Jesus is reaching the world.
Christianity is not sitting in a church service each Sunday morning looking at the back of someone's head. True Christianity is being joined to the head of the church and following him day by day wherever he leads.
It was the prayer that Paul prayed over the church in Ephesus. It’s what Paul taught in his letter to the Ephesians concerning the mystery of the church. Paul opens this letter praying for them. In Ephesians chapter 1 verses 16 thru 20 Paul says, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in you and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward you who believe.
To some discipleship seems like a radical concept. The word radical comes from the Latin word radix meaning the root of things. Radical discipleship is simply a call to return to biblical foundations. The gospel is a complete focus on being found in Christ who is our head with us being his body on this earth.
So, to be radical is to get down to the root of things, penetrating its essence and not being distracted by the many sidetracks. It’s the prayer that Paul prayed, that the eyes of our hearts would be opened to our true identity of being placed into Christ. Biblical foundations are at the root of discipleship since a disciple is one who has been instructed in the teachings of Jesus. However, the task of making disciples is great and varied, encompassing the entire body.
Each person needs to be equipped with a foundational understanding of the faith, yet discipleship also includes individualized training.
The ekklesia is pictured in scripture as a body. Although a body is one, it has many individual parts that must work together. It’s what I talked to you about in the last few lessons in regard to discovering, developing and expanding the real you so you can fulfill your part. Yes, we are all established on the same foundation, yet once that foundation has been laid, we need to focus on our specific part to play.
It is like when we go to school. At the grade school level, we all receive the same basics, yet when we are in University we focus upon our individual vocation. The gospel is intended to affect all aspects of our life and even society. It’s the responsibility of each member of the body of Christ to use their gifts wherever the Lord places them. It’s the breaking down of false ideas that separate the clergy from the laity, the sacred from the secular. A missional movement applies the gospel to all spheres of life recognizing God gives people grace to serve in areas of business, civil government, church leadership, media, family, education and the arts.
The body of Christ is multifaceted and we each should be using our gifts wherever our gift makes room for us.
Our job as believers is not to take over the various communities in our world, it is however, to penetrate them, to be present, to be salt and light. Everyone needs to be involved in making disciples since it’s the primary mission for us all. Whatever He has taught us we are to teach others. This does not only apply solely to Biblical knowledge, but goes over into all areas of life.
Paul’s prayer was that we would walk in our inheritance. Living the life of Christ is more than just knowing facts. The Greek word Paul used for knowledge literally means an experiential knowing which is about living life. The best way for you to teach someone to pray is to pray with them. The best way to show someone how to run a business is to let him or her work with you. Remember in Lesson 36: A Life of Obedience I taught you about the Pyramid of Learning and the different teaching styles.
Discipleship is not just about learning, but also about retaining, applying and multiplying that learning by giving it to others. The most effective learning is putting material into practice. It’s called the active teaching styles where knowledge retention accelerates.
It accelerates because the learner becomes actively involved in what they are learning. It starts moving from the head into the heart because if you are not applying what you are learning then it’s really not becoming a part of you. Practice makes perfect as the saying goes and it’s entirely true when it comes to learning. Learning retention rises to the level of 75% when you apply this method. I call this hands-on discipleship where a team leader or manager takes the role of coach or mentor.
The coach will explain how to perform a specific task, then observe their trainee performing it and provide constructive feedback. We can also pair a trainee with someone at the same level, but really good at a certain task. The trainee observes how job tasks are performed by their peer in a real-world setting and repeats the actions. However, the most effective method to make sure you are retaining what you have learned is to teach others.
If you can teach other people about your subject, it means that you understand it well and can easily recall it whenever you need to.
In the coming lessons in this school it is my goal to help you discover, develop and put into practical use the gifts that you have been given, so that you can use them to help others. Kingdom thinking is being willing to strip everything down to the bare basics so that you build according to the ways of God. John the Baptist, who was a preparer of the way, told us we can’t build on the faulty foundations of self-desire. Actually, he told us to rip up the old by the roots if necessary and burn it with fire. He was simply saying, if you want to build for the long term, you have to dig deep to get to what is real, which is not the shallow superficial hype that withers away in the heat of trials and difficulties. The truth is that fulfilling the will of God is going to take our complete focus.
To fulfill the will of God for your life you are going to have to fight spiritually, you are going to have to be willing to sacrifice and completely surrender your life. The root of discovering, developing and expanding the real you is to look inside yourself and dig deep. You will have to remove any barriers in your life that are keeping you from your true self. Isn't this what Jesus taught concerning the kingdom of God? In all the parables and pictures that Jesus used to describe the kingdom, He taught this idea of radical commitment.
Self-discovery is probably one of the greatest challenges we have in life. What am I called to do? What is my purpose? What are my gifts?
I think these are basic questions that each of us ask from time to time in searching for significance. At the same time, it’s what most people are missing in their lives and they simply wander through life with no purpose. If you look at most people who attend college, 44 percent change their majors between the second semester and graduation. At the same time a high percentage of graduates seldom work in their field of study. George Barna the church socialist has done studies indicating that only a small percentage of believers, around 20 percent, have identified their gifting's and consistently sought to use them in a practical way. The wisest man that ever-lived, Solomon, said that where there is no vision the people perish.
People with no vision will lose restraint and begin to live in the desires of the flesh where Satan will eat their lunch.
Now the first step to truly discovering our purpose and overcoming the desires of the flesh is taking up our cross. Jesus said, he who does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of Me. It’s the central theme of this whole school and what Paul was praying concerning the church in Ephesus. Paul knew that as earthen vessels made of the dust of the ground that we need the resurrection power of Christ. The cruciform life is to be no longer us living, but us living our lives by faith working through love. If Christ is to live and reign in me, I must count myself dead to self, dead to sin and dead to the world. This means that my life, my will, my ambitions, my desires, my dreams are all given to Christ.
Fulfillment in life only comes by laying down our lives.
Jesus himself said what will it profit you to gain the pleasures, success and fame of this world? You know it’s the testimony of many wealthy, famous and successful people to reach the top of the ladder yet singing the famous lyric: I Still Haven't Found What I Am Looking For. The reason for this is because Jesus said it’s only by losing our life that we find the true purpose of life. When we are willing to lay down our lives at the cross and do the will of God, we will discover the true purpose for our lives.
You know a lot of people have the idea that to truly be a disciple you have to give up everything and become a missionary in a foreign county. Now the call to be a disciple will mean that you will be a witness for Christ, however every disciple will be uniquely gifted. In the ekklesia only certain people are called and gifted to minister in a country or culture not their own. We are each called to reach others in our sphere of influence with the good news. This will mean getting out of our comfort zone and being a missionary. The word missionary simply means 'sent one' and every disciple has been sent or commissioned to help in fulfilling the Great Commission.
Disciples are called to forsake all and follow Christ, however the call to sell everything you have and give it to the poor is not a call given to everyone.
Jesus instructed the young rich ruler in Matthew chapter 16 verse 21 to sell all his goods and give to the poor. Jesus was showing this young man what was keeping him from fulfilling the will of God. No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Jesus never said don’t have money, but he did say don’t let money have you. He was telling us that our priorities need to be following him first, because if money is our first priority, then all of our decisions will follow what we have put first. This man had a sincere desire to serve and please God, however Jesus perceived he had a barrier which kept him from a full commitment to the kingdom.
Jesus basically told this young man that his wealth was a barrier standing in his way, keeping him from being free to follow him.
He may instruct you by the Holy Spirit to do the same, but this does not make it a Biblical command for all to qualify as Christ disciple. In Acts chapter 2 and 4 we see similar activity. At the birth of the church in Jerusalem it says that all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. What we need to understand in this text is context.
This was a specific situation, at a specific time, in a specific place, which required such activity, so that the church in Jerusalem could survive under tremendous pressure and persecution.
Many of the 3,000 in Acts 2 and then 5,000 in Acts 4 who had recently been saved in Jerusalem were visitors from other places without any jobs. At the same time, the apostles were Galileans and outsiders to Jerusalem. The apostles and many of the believers were not only outsiders, but also considered rebels by the ruling authority and not accepted within Jerusalem culture. This put them into a situation where many were not able to work for a living, therefore those who had extra provisions like land or houses would sell them and they would distribute to each, as any had a need.
The communal giving and living of the Jerusalem church in the book of Acts is not a rule or pattern for all church life nor is it a test for true discipleship.
These disciples were moved by the Holy Spirit in a specific situation to help one another during a difficult time. As you read through the rest of the next 30 years of the book of Acts you never see this same type of activity happen again. I’m not saying this type of activity is wrong or that it will never need to take place again. It’s possible that in certain geographical locations for believers to simply survive they may need to experience a similar type of sacrificial giving and communal living. Regardless if this type of activity is ever necessary again the church is to be a community of believers that needs to love, work and share our resources together having a mindset of teamwork.
Teamwork is about relationships and in Lesson 34: Relationships I taught you the importance of the different relationships that we have in life. Jesus taught us that relationships will greatly affect our ability to follow him.
The demand of the kingdom rearranges relationships.
In Matthew chapter 10 verse 37 Jesus said that He came to bring a sword upon the earth which can sometimes cut across relationships in our lives. Jesus said, he who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
Jesus was not talking about mistreating our family members. He was in no way giving us a reason for treating our parents without honor or not caring for our children. He was saying that He is to be Lord of our lives and that reality will realign relationships. He is our head and our relationship with him must be more important to us than even our closest human relationships. It's not that we must sever the bonds of family that are so important, but that we must always put our commitment to Christ first. Jesus is our leader and He comes first.
All human relationships must be brought under the Lordship of Christ because what happens in your life is tremendously affected by those close relationships.
Relationships are vital for building the church, but can also be one of your greatest struggles to move forward. It’s important that we establish the right relationships in our lives so that we have the people in our lives that help us to accomplish the will of God. Look at your own life right now and examine it to see if you have any relationships that need to be rearranged. When we allow Jesus to rearrange our relationships and give Him the priority in our lives: then we will bear more fruit for the kingdom of God because the entire purpose of discipleship is that we bear fruit.
I’m halfway through my 54th year in life and I can tell you as someone who has walked these truths out for the last 35 years it takes time, hard work, consistency and perseverance to fulfill God’s desires for your life. In this world as believers, we are going against the grain, but it’s walking through the hardships of life that spiritual growth takes place. Jesus talked about fruit when he talked about discipleship and He is still looking for fruit.
In Acts chapter 14 verse 22 The apostle Paul encouraged the disciples to continue in faith and told them that it’s through much tribulation that we enter into the kingdom of God. The word tribulation means pressure and in this world, you are going to have a lot of pressure thrown at you so that you do not continue moving forward in your faith. The wilderness is a training ground where our faith learns to grow.
The wilderness is where the turbulence or the pressures of life try to break up our walk of faith. It’s only as we press on to maturity that Christ within us matures and grows.
Just like we grow physically, our spiritual man grows and develops in stages. We are born into the family of God, but discipleship is about maturing in our faith.
I John 2:12 talks about children, young men and fathers. John says, I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. If you look at this text, you see a progression that we go through in the process of discipleship.
Children understand forgiveness of sins. It’s the foundation of our faith and our feet must be securely established in the cross. Young men learn to overcome through the word of God abiding strongly in their hearts. Fathers are those who have matured in their faith because they are firmly grounded in their identity of forgiveness and have learned to consistently overcome the evil one.
Fathers are not trying to be something because they know him who is from the beginning and have come to the place where they are helping others learn how to practice their faith.
Salvation is holistic which includes the whole man. God has us on a path of restoration so that we can walk in a partnership with Him. Now the maturing process in our walk of faith is what I call the salvation of the soul and it’s the process of discipleship. James 1:21 tells us the pathway of walking with God and that’s the pathway of humility.
Humility is the key to transformation and spiritual growth.
Let me take you back to the book of Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 thru 10 Paul says by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.
Good works is submitting to the grace of God and using our gifts to fulfill the will of God. Jesus said, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies it remains alone, but if it dies it bears much fruit. When wheat bears fruit it produces grains and becomes hunched over due to the weight. The fruit of wheat bows in humility.
The cross was a fatal blow to the power of the devil, but the final victory is not yet complete.
There are now two kingdoms on earth - of God and Satan, good and evil, light and darkness. They are both growing side by side. The kingdoms will not continue together.
Jesus said that the wheat and tares will be separated at the time of harvest, which is the end of the age. The wheat are the sons of the kingdom and the tares are the sons of the evil one.
The difference between wheat and tares in their infancy is indistinguishable. However, once wheat begins to produce fruit and matures, it bows down which is a picture of the humility that the sons of the kingdom display. The tares on the other hand remain standing straight with insolent pride, unbelief and refusal to surrender.
You see, the wheat bows down because of the weight of the fruit it’s bearing. It bows down to present its offering to the Master and its fruit is a sacrifice of obedience.
It’s the same principle that Jesus taught in John chapter 15 verse 5 where he said whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. Now I can do a lot of things without Christ, but I can do nothing of eternal value without His Spirit working through me. Abiding in Christ is what separates the wheat from the tares. He went on to say in verse 8 that by this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. It’s what Paul was saying when he said that we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.
Discipleship is about growing in grace daily offering up our spiritual sacrifices in humility of heart.
It’s pressing on to know Him through the pressures of life. It’s about bearing the fruit of love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. It’s about discovering, developing and expanding the gifts he has given us. It’s embracing Christ's sufferings, paying the price to be one of his disciples and practically living out the cruciform life of Christ in us in an increasingly hostile world.
If you enjoyed this lesson, then please subscribe to my YouTube channel, Foundation Publications, so I can reach more people and you will be notified when I post more videos. Please share this information with your friends on any social media platforms that you may use.
Next Lesson: Lesson 39: The Yoke Of The King
Comments