Lena's Discipleship Journalin' to Luke 9 Today

Lena’s Discipleship Journalin’

Jesus
Called, together-
The apostles- means ones who go give the message as kingdom ambassadors. They’ve grown and matured and are obedient to be changed with the idea of being a living example, as being subjected under continuous scrutiny with the purpose of being an open example. They live in such a way, both privately and openly as to model day to day life in kingdom form.
Jesus Gave to these who have counted this and accepted the responsibility:
Power
Authority
To Cast out demons
To Heal disease
To Sent others like them out to tell the gospel message & heal diseases
So they obediently in response to His call went out to do what He’d purposed for them to do and be in the earth, where they’d serve Him well.
Then they returned to Give God an account of their journey, to lay before the Lord the plusses and minuses, for further discipleship sake, and also to be readied to pick up any other imminent future assignments.
He showed them that when people follow after you, welcome them to do so. God made people to copy, it is the best way to teach. We want people to follow us as we follow Christ and even if we make mistakes, they can watch how we pick ourselves up and go on again, by living example.
Those who follow us will need to be fed.
(If in growing naturally we eat physical food. Then also growing spiritually, we need spiritual food- Today as a disciple, I offer you this spiritual food, you have the choice to take or leave it. Everyday we choose to take in more of Him or leave it for later. Manna left for later disappeared. Partake today from a disciple to start with, then someday you will also grow enough to give spiritual nourishment to others.)
Studying along with reading the word, like this today, is discipleship. You go from a casual relationship with the Lord to a deeper knowledge of Him and the intimacy of the relationship grows and increases in us, so our desires become His as we know more of His will and plans.
Jesus turned to those who said they loved Him, to those who said they were following Him, those who walked with Him, learned of Him, daily- “You, feed them!” You prepare yourself in whatever way it can be properly organized. Submitting to whatever it takes and finding a way to be a feeder to whoever will come and eat. Following Him we’d see He took whatever anyone would allow Him to have;
Looked to heaven
Asked God’s blessings (Giving thanks for a people who would sit down to eat spiritual food).
Broke bread (expounded on the word for further understanding and fellowship sake)
Keep giving to those who truly are disciples
Those who eat will have as much as they need to be filled full.
Those who won’t eat often, won’t ever feel full, but rather have many, many more questions and still feel so empty, and so unfulfilled.
Those who ate, had as much as they wanted, there was no lack at all.
The more word we eat, the more revelation of Him will come to us. We’ll see Him as He truly is. He’ll become our personal Master, rather than some religious figure who died for the whole world.
Who do those around us say He is? Who do we personally say He is? Is He Christ to us? Christ means His anointing changes us, from bound to sin beings to freewill beings who choose His ways. Christ means He has the reigns of my life, cause I let Him tell me what to do. I’m submitted, not resistant. I resist only the rebellious nature of sin and satan who is mad that I switched Lords.
So many say Jesus is their Lord, but just tell them something to do, that is in line w/ God’s word and watch out whether rebellion or submission arises. Is he Christ to you personally? Can He tell you to walk away from a bad attitude, or do something you’ve been doing a different way? Can He count on you for anything? Are you a vital part of a local church body submitted to men as unto God? That’s a sign of Lordship. Are you accountable? Correctable? Instuctible? If not, you may know Him as Savior, but He’s not Christ to you. To You He might just be that prophet we hardly regard or some historical figure of a man, but not Lord of me now. Lordship of Christ looks like this:
"If any of you wants to be My follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow Me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for Me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process?
There were passers-by who said to Jesus, "I will follow you no matter where you go."
But when it came down to counting the cost, they would not really follow after Him as a disciple would, as a son would, as a friend would. It would take a commitment, a lifestyle change too. It would mean less of how I am and even maybe wanted to be, to the increase of the more of You, Lord in My life. My life not being my own, but being given over in surrender to Your life’s service, as a prisoner of Your great and awesome love.
Jesus would suffer. Would you follow a suffering man, if you were the next one to suffer also? Jesus would be betrayed, would you also follow into the trap of betrayal of and from those you will get very close to and begin to greatly love as your spend your life nurturing them? If you can and will do that without self protecting reactions or self preservation responses, or grudging reciprocation, THEN you ARE a follower of Christ. You forgive and continue to love the betrayer even unto the point of dying in their place that they might be able to be saved if they so ever choose. If the people you are sent to minister to decide to disregard you or your life filled words, how do you react?
He said to another person, "Come, be my disciple." The man agreed, but he said, "Lord, first let me return home and bury my father." Jesus replied, "Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead. Your duty is to go and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God." Another said, "Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family." But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God."
The key word in all of this is “first”. Jesus said - Seek FIRST the kingdom of God and all others things will be added. The things we all seek first are what are most important to us, they are what we love and serve, and live for. Can’t say one thing and do another. Just can’t. The world may tell you that you can, but it is a lie and a deception. God sees it all, you can’t say, “well in my heart it is such and so” What is in your heart abundantly overflows out into the actions of life. God’s sees what we do, that tells Him what or who we believe in.
If we choose reading magazines, books, internet searches, articles, etc before reading His word, we show Him what we follow.
If we choose the dictates of our own flesh before the commitment to Him in the form of assembling with the body to share, serve, be encouraged, etc, He sees what is more important to us. You can’t say church or Bible Study is important, you have to show it is. If you schedule appointments during designated church meetings or corporate assembly times, you show what is more important.
Like muscles, without exercise, you atrophy, very quickly. It does not take much separation from the body or the word to spiritually atrophy. The enemy knows this so he uses priorities, tiredness, discouragement, distractions etc to atrophy us on purpose.
So we need to know this and do something about it on purpose. Change those appointments to not conflict with assemblings.
That’s how disciples think and live. They guard what is of High priority, to their Lord, whom they serve.
If they know doing something on that day will tire them too much and they won’t end up getting there or going even if they are tired, assembling no matter what, then they reschedule for a day they can really rest giving no place to enemies, no place to complacency and dis-prioritization. They set up their priorities to make God first, rather than fitting Him in if it works out.
Ever think how God feels when we schedule our stuff first and then say we are too tired for Him? Most would say, aw he understands and knows I love Him. STOP that, you’re being lied to,. Read the word here. He asked someone to follow him and they asked if they could do something else first, he answered, sure go do that, but pretty much when ever you are don;e I’ll have gone on. That is what God is doing now, going on. He is. Yes, He does understand, but he leaves us behind to what we want first. We hurt and offend the heart of God, yet He loves and draws us anyway, until the day we die. But we miss so much, because the enemy tells us to stay casual and He’ll understand!