What Is True Discipleship All About?

"What is true discipleship all about? Most believe it is "teaching you how to work for God", but what it really SHOULD BE is, teaching you who you are in Christ, and who Christ is in YOU"!

Many churches I have noticed, have things all mixed up when it comes to teaching true discipleship to the believer, according to the bible. Through their mis-guided teachings, they (the believers) can be taught a variety of things that ultimately will do no more than put an individual on a "performance treadmill" of sorts. The believer will come to think that they must constantly "perform" to both "prove" themselves to their fellow brother and sisters in Christ, and ultimately, keep God's Acceptance of them. How utterly ridiculous!

Here's what I've encountered in many instances with different people I have met:

The "lost" man is totally working for God simply to get something in return and is committing and re-committing to God constantly...That same person will then "get saved" and then brings along that same understanding trying desperately to gain God's acceptance. They constantly seek to "re-dedicate" their lives to God in different areas because of the mindset of "billy-goat forgiveness", which means, "I know I'm forgiven ----- BUT"! You're from being a new born baby in Christ, to a "works" orientation. Ultimately, if correct understanding is not obtained, they fall flat on their face and "reject" the experience. In "their mind", they are being rejected by God!

Paul's goal, which should be our goal also, as projected from The Word of God, is to realize who we are in Jesus and who He is in us, so we can walk in a "Newness of Life"! Paul goal was that he wants us to realize our "completeness" in Christ! According to God's Word, from the moment we accept Jesus into our lives, the Holy Spirit makes us "brand new creations"! God has "totally forgiven" us! We are made "totally" righteous by, and only by, Jesus Christ! We are forever "reconciled" through Jesus! We are totally "redeemed" by Jesus Christ! We are "TOTALLY Sanctified" by Jesus Christ! We are "Totally Justified" by Jesus Christ! We are now, and forever, a part of the body of Christ, through Jesus Christ! We are a citizen of heaven, once and for all, through Jesus Christ! We have, once and for all, eternal life, and we are "totally" LOVED by God, now and always, despite our imperfections! What great gifts! And Notice! It's ALL Jesus!

What good does it do to be "made perfect" if we cannot see it! The results can be defeat in our true knowledge about our "Identity In Christ". Most problems within the Christian World and our churches today is our error in interpreting who we are in Christ... The "Old Covenant" is the law... The "New Covenant" is the Grace of God...

Hebrews 8:12 says, "12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

We are a totally forgiven person. We don't get forgiven anymore, we are a totally forgiven being! Sins and lawless acts won't be remembered anymore. If they won't be remembered anymore, it's because you have been forgiven. That's one of the things Christ did for us on the cross. So if we truly are "redeemed" (which we most definitely are), it would be ignorant of us to ask to be "re-forgiven" everyday!

Hebrews 6:10 says, "10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them."

Errors in many churches today include improperly instructing us who we are in Christ and why there are good works within the church. If we are already saved, it only makes good sense to be thanking God for the forgiveness you already have, especially when you just "blew it".

Once we realize that in our hearts, it's like getting "saved" all over again! The burden is truly "light", as Jesus said it would be. It literally sets you "free" within yourself! You no longer spend your days seeking and re-seeking that which you already have. You can then focus on the things at hand: Learning about God and fulfilling His plans for your life! Amen! What Freedom! Glory to The Most High! Praise Be Unto His Mighty And Loving Name!

If they had had confession booths back in Paul's time, Paul would have been addressing such things as those and also going to the alter over and over again constantly "re-seeking" forgiveness! As a child of God, asking forgiveness was never a part of being forgiven. Christ initiated our forgiveness on the cross when He said, "Father, forgive them. For they know not what they do." It's not a case of getting "more forgiveness"... Christ initiated that on the cross, that it (the forgiveness of our sins) should now be known as our "inheritance".

Without really realizing it, we have been taught to be self-centered instead of "Christ-Centered". We have turned our issue of salvation from "What God Did", to "What WE Do" in order to obtain and keep it! The truth is, salvation never had anything to do with what "we" did, but it has everything to do with what "God" did! Amen!

There is no peace "of" God, until there is peace "with" God. There is peace in knowing "It Is Finished"! It's exciting! Our "Identity In Christ" is what determines where we ought to be living. In the Prodigal's son, he was with the pigs. Why did he return home? Because he was his fathers son. The pigs stayed in the pig-pen!

What Should Our "Focus" Be?

We have brought many things into the church today from the world. Our "pre-occupation" should be on "Christ" and "God's Salvation". We tend to lose our "saltiness" (our purpose in life) because of distraction...

The legalist will ask, "Ok. if this is so, what's going to keep you from going on and sinning? Aren't you saying we have a license to sin?" Quickly let me say, the lost person has never had a problem sinning. They do quite well with or without a license. But what does a "born-again" believer have to say about it? Let's see what the Apostle Paul says:

Romans 6:15-18:
"Slaves To Righteousness"

15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

What is sin in God's eyes? That which is not of faith is sin. Jesus said that sin is, "the worlds unbelief in Me". In Romans 6:15-18, are we going to continue in our unbelief in Jesus because of Grace? By no means! I offer myself to Him to control my life, by the One who made me.

A Christian is one who has been restored to true humanity, transferred from darkness into light. We should desire to "present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice". In doing so, we willingly become a "slave" to God, saying, "Lord, I am here for You to use me to do Your will". We yield to God. (Normal Christian Living)

We can also choose unrighteous living as a lifestyle, although The Holy Spirit would be relentless in the heart of the believer. God created man to be controlled (dependent, lead, instructed) by "something". It is our choice as to what will control us. If we aren't controlled, lead, instructed (a slave) by God (born-again believer), then we will be a slave to unrighteousness in living (lost sinner). In Romans 6:15-18, Paul is saying what a dumb question! Should I continue to walk in unbelief instead of the instruction of God?

To teach that after you have accepted Christ into your life, that God's Grace is a "license to sin", is a slap in the face to God that is within you! Some say itintentionally, some simply do not know any better. But regardless of why people say this, the outcome is the same... A "slap" to jesus Christ.

satan works on the desires of the flesh. Sometimes satan plays on those desires and heads us down the wrong path. On that path, we as believers, discover at some point, that it is a lie. It is the knowledge of that Truth that brings us back to who we are in Christ. That is what redemption is all about. Why would we want to "return to our vomit"?

And what's the key to being successful in our walk with God? We, as Christians, have been freed from the judgment of the law, but it doesn't stop there. We have now been called to "live by The Spirit Of God". What all does that entail? Well, that's another subject that will be coming forth here in my blogs, God willing... Look for it!

In summary, break out of the confines of the "box" so many try to put God in, and try to have the guts to read His Word and see what is really there even when it gets... INCREDIBLE! Enjoy the Freedom and Liberty you have in Christ, and may all God has planned for your life be fulfilled!

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