Lena's Discipleship Journalin' to Acts 1 Today

The author of Acts is Luke the Apostle, a medical Dr. by position and trade, a follower of Jesus.
I think sometimes we tend to stereotype Christian followers. We think thoughts like, if I didn’t have this job, or family life, or if I were a full time, paid, minister, I’d be a disciple. Can you imagine being a Dr., and being a disciple? It is NOT impossible. Discipleship is so much within the heart and mind of an individual. It’s not found in what we do, it’s who we are, in what we do. We can be doing almost anything for a career and be a disciple.
Order of priorities in any life deem how close of a relationship we have with God.
Everyone who ever works has some type of “down time”. The world says recreate/ It amazes me how well they choose the verbiage on that one, for God Himself said to re-create, it’s just not unto self, it’s unto Him. What are we re-creating? More of my like-kind? That’s what we’re created to do, but we have to ask am I personally reproducing more world-kind or more kingdom-kind.
The world wants men, women, and children to be its disciples. It teaches, trains, conditions, disciplines, and buys its way into the drawing of our souls, and since we only have so much capacity for so much input, we can become a disciple of the world very, very easily.
Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ are disciplined, because they decide to be, on purpose. It does not happen automatically to the chosen lucky ones. Those who followed Jesus left other priorities to follow Him. There was a high price to pay and a great cost of self involved, but anyone and everyone no matter what race, background or position, CAN be a disciple, if he really wants to!
That’s the key, how much does one want to? It shows in what we decide to spend our lives on, what we do for recreation, where we go when we have the time, etc. Our actions speak way louder than our words. We can do whatever we want to. What do we really want to do? How do we vacate? What do we spend our free time on?
We have an elder at our church who used to say this a lot. We have liberty to go and do just about anything we please, who decides? I do. So she said there’s a motto, “Others may, but (before God) I may not” It’s not like what I choose to do or not do in participation in kingdom life is making me more righteous or that that which I avoid is even sin. Yet if I choose a higher call, it could be like sin to me.
“Others may, but I may not.” Discipleship, the life of a self-disciplined one, a recruit who volunteers and follows is optional, and costs a great deal, but it is a higher call.
What exactly is the restoration of His kingdom? The disciples who followed Jesus wanted Him to physically overthrow the present day government. They wanted Him to tear down the religious fortresses of their day and He says to them, “Wait to receive the power!” They may have thought, wow Lord why do we get to be the ones who’ll build an army to overthrow the governments, and do it here and now without You!
Many times what man thinks and what God purposes and defines are not on the same page. We’ve got to get on the same page as God. With the Holy Spirit in us we can do that very thing! The establishment of His kingdom starts within individual people’s hearts. If it is not there first, then there is really no establishment. The root system is false. What better strategy than to have God reign from the inside out, talk about overthrowing a government. How about a self government change? WOW, THAT is what discipleship is ALL about!
Jesus said, go make Disciples. Go make self governors, who will allow the power of God to be established inside of their own hearts. They’ll allow God to do His will on the inside of their persons. They’ll allow God to tell them what they should do, They’ll allow God to think and live and move in them. There’ll be little Jesus’ throughout the whole earth, a recreation of Sons of God. That’s the plan, but who is willing to be overthrown? This kingdom only recruits volunteers, those who want to allow the overthrow for the overflow.
That’s not an easy consideration. Ya mean someone else will tell me what to do? I don’t like that. That’s why you are still not a disciple.
America, the land of the free…freewill exercise has been the kingdom of God’s worst enemy. God can use a people who’ve been under other’s rule more than people from an independent country. Those people know what it is to be used and to be made to serve, and in that they can recognize truth. We have too many choices allotted us and are purposely under the rule of no one but our own choosing. That is and has been so dangerous. It has veered generations straight towards hell, with its mouth wide open in welcoming reception.
What will it take for man to get into unity with God? Death of self will. Yielding, submission. All unpleasant words to the American vocabulary. There were 120 people in one place and they became unified, because God needed them to be for His purposes to come forth and manifest themselves in tangible human people! What did it take? What will it take for us? God is waiting, it’s our move! The move that’s on, is one for unity.
I’ve watched Christian people make stands. Let’s use Christian music as an example. One congregation uses one style, another uses a different style. They are both used for worship, but one won’t budge to worship as the other, why not? Is it not worship? Who chooses? Aha, that’s quite possibly the deal. If I choose it, I’ll worship to it, if another tells me what to worship with, I won’t budge. That is immaturity and will never bring us into unity.
Of the table of the Lord, Paul says, “I hear there are divisions among you, how can that be? ” (Amongst those who believe in the same God and are here to bring His manifestations) It’s as easy as a decision away, Why would I unify with different people? So God can have His way!
Have you received the Holy Spirit? It is the very beginning of receiving Christ as a person inside of each of us. If we have not received Him, we’ve only received 2 parts of the 3 part person of God. We’ve not obeyed Jesus in His co-mission. You can explain that away as much as you’d like, but the words says, “do not quench (reject) the Holy Spirit”. Not receiving Him, for whatever reason, is rejection of Him, In reception of Him is where the power of God meets up with humans and begins to unify us in love.
Do you speak about Christ freely? You are a fountain of God when you have His Spirit alive in you. Are you bold in Spirit? This is a very character trait of our Lord. If one of us won’t receive Him, allow Him to overthrow us and rule, someone will. God has a work to do, If I won’t engage in it, someone will. He’ll look until someone who believes and receives Him says, “Yes Lord, Amen”.