-  “Delaware was one of the thirteen colonies participating in the American Revolution and on December 7, 1787, became the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, therefore becoming known as The First State.”   Delaware a fos una din cele 13 colonii care au participat in Revolutia Americana, iar in 7 decembrie 1787 a devenit primul stat  care a ratificat Constitutia Statelor Unite. Prin urmare, asa a devenit stiut ca Primul Stat.

 -  Origin of state name : “ Named for Thomas West, Baron De La Warr, colonial governor of Virginia; the name was first applied to the bay.”       Originea Numelui Statului:  A fost numit asa  pentru Thomas West, baronul De La Warr, guvernator colonial in Virginia. Numele a fost aplicat pentru prima data Golfului.” (City-data.com)

-  Nickname : The First State; also, the Diamond State.   (City-data.com)

Plan de Rugaciune – Delaware

IS GOD STILL GUIDING HIS PEOPLE TODAY?

“Why is it that when we speak to God we are said to be praying

but when God speaks to us we are said to be schizophrenic?”

Lily Tomlin, comedian

A couple of years ago my family was vacationing in Cancun, Mexico, and we took one full day to visit Escaret, a natural paradise, where we had the benefit of a very knowledgeable guide: He knew every inch of the forest, he knew where we should we go, he knew the answer to all of our questions, and was amazingly patient with us. Wouldn’t it be great if you could get a personal guide for other parts of your life besides exploring? Like if you’re dating, wouldn’t it be great if you could get a guide to walk you through the dating process? “No, not this one! Date that one!” Or if you must choose your career path, or the college, or your friends?  We make key decisions all the time. Bad ones are so damaging. Wouldn’t it be great if we had a reliable expert who could be our guide through all the twists and turns?

God Desires to Guide Us

The Bible says that our God desires to guide us. The Scriptures describe God as a Guide. He came to Abraham, “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you’.” (Genesis 12:1) – God guided Abraham.  Later, God guided Moses and the People of Israel: “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night”(Ex.13:21). In Proverbs 3:5-6 we are promised, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.”

The most famous psalm talks about this. Psalm 23: “The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul.” He knows just what I need. Our God is a Guide: He doesn’t leave His children, nor does He forsake them.  James 1:5 puts it like this: “Whoever among you lacks wisdom …. ”  Anybody  ever make a bad decision? You ever needed any wisdom? Anybody need any right now? “Whoever among you lacks wisdom, ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault.” Our God is a guiding God. But of all the facets of the greatness of God, the guidance of God can be the most confusing to people. How do we actually experience it?

Let’s look at a story in the Old Testament about a little boy named Samuel, a story that sheds light on our subject. The Lord called the young Samuel and he answered, “Here I am.” Twice Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up, and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening’”(1 Samuel 3). This is the beginning of his relationship with God. God was speaking to Samuel in this story. Samuel knew he was being addressed. He did not know it was God. He actually had to learn how to recognize God was speaking to him. In other words, it’s possible for God to speak to someone and for that person to know something is going on, but they don’t know it’s God. All believers must undergo a process a learning to discern the voice of God.

What Is Communication?

Let’s think for a minute: What does it mean to communicate with someone? It’s quite a miraculous thing we’re able to do! We take it for granted. People can communicate. It’s essential to community, to communing. Communication is simply guiding somebody else’s thoughts. In his excellent treatment of this subject,  Hearing God, Dallas Willard explains: When someone is communicating with you, all they’re doing is causing you to think certain thoughts you would not otherwise be thinking. Those thoughts are going on in your head. They’re your thoughts, but somebody else is prompting them. That’s communication. Because we’re finite creatures, we have to use finite means to guide each other’s thoughts. So we make sounds. I’m doing that right now, and because you’re sitting here for this talk, you are having thoughts you would not otherwise be having, right? Thoughts like, “When will this be over?” We make sounds, or we write symbols down on a piece of paper. When people look at those symbols, they prompt thoughts. That is communication.

Because we are finite creatures, we have to use finite means to guide each other’s thoughts. But God is infinite, and among other things, this means God can guide your thoughts directly. He doesn’t have to use sounds. He doesn’t have to use symbols. He can; but He doesn’t have to. He has direct access to your mind. He can simply guide a thought without using any other means at all. But now part of what this means is it’s possible for God to guide a thought in my mind, but I may not know it is God doing that. Something like this is what happened to little Samuel. He didn’t know. Eli helped him with this. This is what some has called the “ministry of Eli” – helping someone to discern when God may be speaking or guiding in their life. Prayer is not just me talking with God. If God wants to, God can also talk back. To commune, to be in community, involves communication. Jesus says about his people: “When he [the Good Shepherd] has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” To have a personal relationship with God means I must be open to the possibility that the Spirit of God is prompting me, guiding me.

Often the Spirit of God will prompt us with ideas. A thought will come to write somebody a note or encourage somebody who feels alone or serve somebody who is in need or confront somebody who is going down a wrong path. Or, out of a blue sky you might get a prompting to call someone, and you did, only to find out that s/he felt miserable and was contemplating some evil thoughts, even suicide, but now s/he was refreshed by your [divine] intervention as you both went out for a coffee and s/he benefitted from your ministry. When those thoughts come, the main thing is not to say, “Hey, God is speaking to me.” What is important is that you actually do what the prompting is. It may be that you have been obeying those kinds of thoughts and serving God your whole life long, while never identifying that that is God’s voice. The main issue is not that you say it’s God’s voice. The main issue is that you actually respond with obedience.

Prerequisites to Hearing God’s Voice

1. Salvation. In our attempt to understand how God speaks to us and guide us we MUST understand that we are enabled to hearing God’s voice only by partaking into the life of God, a life of loving relationship with the King and the other members of His Kingdom. Jesus left no exception from this condition when He declared, “He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” (John 8:47) In order for us to belong to God we must first be born again, and enabled to walk in the light and the truth of the new life. Answering to Pilate, Jesus said, “I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” (John 18:37)

2. Receptivity. Only our communion with God provides the appropriate context for communication between us and Him! It is not enough to be sharing in the life of God; the second fundamental requisite is to be “in tune” with God! The fact that we are not hearing, doesn’t mean that God is not speaking to us! Think of all the Radio or TV waves that are passing through our bodies and brains right, messages that a correctly tuned receiver can transform the waves in images and sounds. God speaks to us all the time, but we are not attuned to the voice of God!

3. Are We Ready Vessels? We all need to do some honest soul-searching: What kind of vessel is my life, my heart, my mind? Paul tells his disciple Timothy, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” (2 Tim. 2:21).

4. Are We Ready to Be in Business with God? We pray, “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed by thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done!” Are we devoted to the glory of God and for the advancement of His Kingdom? If our lives are not devoted to the will of God, He might still speak to us, even use us if we are strategically placed. Let’s face it clearly: What are we living for? If we are not living for God and His purposes, His voice will always be an unwelcome intrusion into our plans.

RECEPTION OF GOD’S VOICE

John 10:2-5, 27 “The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice…My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

We concluded that a first pre-requisite for human beings to hearing God’s voice was to be transferred from the realm of spiritual deadness to the Kingdom and Family of God through salvation. Human beings were once alive to God, and Adam and Eve were capable to be responsive and interactive with the Creator: they lived in a conversational relationship with God, a communion that was daily renewed. Their disobedience cut them off from the realm of Spirit as they became spiritually dead (Gen 2:17).  They continued to live biologically, but they became non-responsive to an interactive relationship with God. It would be necessary for them to be conferred a new level of life through “being born from above” (John 3:3) in order to be able to respond toward Him and act within the realm of the Spirit. One must become a “sheep” in order to be enabled to hear the voice of the Shepherd.

In the progress of God’s redemptive work in within us, communication advances into communion, and communion into union. In this spiritual progression, when believers attain the stage of union with Christ, they can say with Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20) and “For me, to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21). When communication between two people rises to the level of communion, there is a distinctness but profound sharing of thoughts, feelings, and objectives that make up our lives. When communion advances in union, the sense of “mine” and “yours” often times is absent! Think of the union between a husband and wife, which is the spiritual reflection of the Christ and His Bride! A true union of the two has no separate bank accounts, etc!

It is this union that elevates beyond communion that Paul speaks of when he says the redeemed “have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16), and when he exhorts all of us to “have the mind of Christ” (Phil 2:5). In His prayer as High Priestly Jesus intercessed with the Father, “I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one: I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me” (John 17:22-23).

I. GOD SPEAKS THROUGH THE BIBLE.

A. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The Bible is not only a source of God speaking generally to all people;  it is the guideline by which we believe all other possible messages from God must be judged.

Illustration: The seemingly “spiritual” young man who claimed having a deeply intimate relationship with God, with  a daily ‘closet-prayer’ who was “told” by God how much He loves Him despite his homosexuality…

B. The Bible is a major source of hearing God speak today.  I can’t number the times when I’ve been looking for an answer and God’s Holy Spirit has answered me concretely through pointing me to a particular passage of scripture that previously meant little to me. Or,  the times when I have just been reading scripture, not really looking for any particular answer, that the Holy Spirit made a word or phrase jump off the page. And all of the sudden I had new marching orders, a “fresh vision” even if just direction for the day.

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

II. GOD SPEAKS THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT

A. Jesus was God in the flesh and for 3 1/2 years He encouraged, taught and corrected His disciples. Prior to His leaving this earth, He promised that we would not be left with no one to speak to. He promised that the Holy Spirit would come and be to disciples just as Jesus had been, and encourager, a teacher, and a corrector.

How does God speak through the Holy Spirit? The best Biblical illustration comes from the Old Testament story about Elijah. Elijah was in a bad spiritual shape, was worn out physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He really needed to talk to God, rather, he needed God to speak to him. 1 Kings 19:11-13, “The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.  Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah’?” The NIV calls it “a gentle whisper,” KJV: “a still small voice.” This seems to be the Holy Spirit’s preferred way of speaking to believers.

However, there is a problem with the still small voice:  ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – It is characterized by the inability to sustain focused attention. This checklist rates the following behaviors which are present in most people with ADHD: 1) Distractibility. 2) Inattention.  3) Free flight of ideas (free associations to any other idea). 4) Impulsivity – Moodiness. 5) Insatiability.  6) Bursts of hot temper. 7) Hyperactivity.

III. GOD SPEAKS THROUGH PROPHECIES, DREAMS, AND VISIONS

A. Joel 2:28-29,  “Later, I will give my Spirit to everyone. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days I will even give my Spirit to my servants, both men and women.”

The spiritual given insights must be squared with the Scripture. A great deal of care must be taken in the understanding of our dreams and visions.

IV. GOD SPEAKS THROUGH EXPERIENCES

Illustration: A man was caught in a flood and ended up floating on the roof of his destroyed home. He prayed desperately for God’s help. In time a rescue team came by in a boat. “We’ve come to help you,” they shouted. “Get in our boat and you’ll be safe.” “No, God’s going to save me.” It grew dark and scary and the man prayed harder. The beat of a helicopter’s blades could be heard coming from the distance growing louder and louder, until they were thumping overhead. A bright light framed the house wreckage and the man. The loudspeaker boomed, “Take the rope, you’ll be safe.” “No, thanks,” the man shouted as he waved the helicopter away, “God’s going to save me.” Shortly thereafter, the roof disintegrated and the man drowned. He was grateful to arrive in heaven, but irritated that God hadn’t answered his prayers. When he stood before Jesus, he complained. “Why didn’t you save me as you promised that you would” “What do you mean” the Lord replied, “I sent a boat and a helicopter!”

Many times God is shouting to us in our experiences, but we are so intent on just one option, that we fail to hear Him. We can be so fixed in our point of view that we cannot see what He is doing, or wanted to do, in and through us.

1. How much pain might we spare ourselves IF we were willing to consider that constant source of irritation might be a messenger of God sent to grab our attention? Paul, the apostle, helps us to see how God works through the experiences of our lives to accomplish HIS purposes. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

2. Are you struggling financially? Have you asked God IF He is trying to talk to you about your values, or your work habits, or your present occupation?

3. Are you prospering, enjoying a time of abundance? Have you considered that God is pouring out His blessings on you OR have you just congratulated yourself on your cleverness?

4. Understanding the right messages that God may sending to us through our day to day experiences requires discernment and prayer. Some of us are too quick to judge another’s circumstances. We think we know exactly what God is doing and we judge.

V. GOD SPEAKS THROUGH YOUR PASTOR : Spiritual shepherds are praying the same prayer: “God, give me a word for your people.” Many times it is a message that God has been teaching me. Sadly, though, too many people think that these messages are for the next guy, the real sinner.

By Romeo Pelle

Many of us have grown to love the theme of God’s guidance. Within Christian community, the teaching on the will of God and how to discover it continues to be one of the most popular subjects. Many of us grew up accustomed with the prayer line, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!” At many Christian Conferences the workshop that most people stay in line to sign up for is, “Knowing the Will of God.” My wife Rodica, a 5th Grade Sunday School Teacher recently surveyed her class and was surprised to see that even at this young age the theme of hearing God’s voice topped her students’ preferences!

Indeed, there is a deep thirst within that challenges us to desire and seek a personal, intimate relationship with God. The Bible is filled with examples of regular people like ourselves who experienced a close relationship with the Creator, a relationship that resembles more like a friendship or family tie. This is the reality and the beauty of the one-on-one relationship: God has created us for intimate friendship with Himself – both now and for the eternity ahead. God’s desire for intimacy with His children is well attested in the Scriptures: “Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.” (Exodus 29:45-46). “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent” (Ex. 33:11). Jesus said to His disciples, “You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:14).  “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God’.” (Revelation 21:3)

Busting Some Myths Regarding God’s Guidance

Myth 1: God only speaks to and guides the spiritual mature believers

Some Christians think God’s guidance is just for prophets or missionaries or pastors. A story that shows how false this myth is comes from the Old Testament Book of Numbers. There was a prophet named Balaam who was hired by the enemy of Israel, Midian, to curse Israel. Balaam is riding a donkey to go to Midian but God sends an angel to turn Balaam back to Israel. On the road, the donkey sees the angel of God blocking their path. Balaam doesn’t see it. So the donkey turns aside. Balaam beats the donkey to get her back on the road. This happens three times. This is in the Bible, Numbers 22. The donkey is reasoning with Balaam, not just speaking to him. God is speaking through a donkey. God can speak through anybody He chooses. He can speak through a donkey if He wants to. It’s not about spiritual greatness and maturity. God can speak to a little boy, like He did in the case of the young Samuel (1 Samuel 3). It is important to observe that it was a process for Samuel to learn to distinguish God’s voice!

Myth 2: If I’m always obedient to God’s Word, He will guide all my decisions, and I won’t have to make any decisions on my own.

As a parent, would it be a good thing if you would make every decision for a child’s whole life? Would you like it if for your whole child’s life you would say, “Wear these clothes. Take this class. Choose this major. Buy this house. Enter this job. Marry this person.” The normal answer would be NO! Because that would paralyze their development! As a parent, my main goal for my child is that he or she becomes a good and godly person, a person of wisdom and courage and grace and mercy and love and truth. Becoming a good person requires you to think things out, exercise judgment, sometimes make difficult choices in the face of uncertainty, and then take accountability and learn. That process is indispensable for the formation of a human being, and that means that many times in your life when you pray and ask for guidance, God’s response is going to be: “You choose.”  Because you’ll never grow if you don’t do that!

Sometimes, the reality is, I don’t really want guidance. What I want is to be spared the anxiety that goes with freedom and choosing and being responsible. Part of God’s will for your life is that you grow into responsible, mature adults. There is no other way to learn except by choosing. When you choose, there is risk involved. With risk, sometimes you’ll experience failure. With failure you’ll feel pain. God does not offer guidance as a method of risk avoidance. God’s guidance is not about you reducing your anxiety in the face of choice. It’s about you becoming the person God intended you to be. That means very often God will say to you: “You choose: be wise, get good counsel, and I’ll be with you guiding through the process.”

Myth 3: God’s will is an inner and subjective card I can use to get my way

Most of us probably heard a story when somebody – could be a guy or a gal – would say to somebody of the opposite gender: “God told me you’re the person I’m meant to marry.” The best response to this is, “You tell God to tell me, and as soon as I hear from Him, I’ll get back to you.” Or you hear that a pastor at a church will leave to go to a larger church with more prestige and a higher salary. But he will never say, “I’m leaving to go to a bigger church with more prestige and a higher salary.” What he’ll say is, “I got … called.  I don’t want to go to that bigger church with more prestige and a higher salary. Personally, I’d rather stay here with you, but God called me, so what can I do?”

Some Christians can become hypocritical by using this “spiritual” language as they try to make themselves look more spiritual by adding to the normal course of decision-making phrases like, “The Lord called me to … “; “God spoke to me about going there;” “God put this burden on my heart” ; “God showed me this…” This kind of language can impress and often intimidate “regular” Christians. Our God is a guiding God. But of all the facets of the greatness of God, the guidance of God can be the most confusing to people.

Myth 4: There is nothing we can do to be guided by God

The Prophet Elijah was discouraged and needed guidance at one time in his life. The Lord led him to a place alone for 40 days. He was on a mountain, and some spectacular things happened. A great and powerful wind came down, but the text says the Lord was not in the wind. Then a strong earthquake occurred. The Bible says the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then a fire came. The text says the Lord was not in the fire. Elijah had to wait and wait and wait, and finally after the fire was a still, small voice.  There was the Lord. Not the big, spectacular, dramatic special effects, but a still small voice.

What is my role in finding God’s guidance? Listening. Of course reading Scripture is a primary way we listen to God. The Holy Spirit never leads us in a direction contrary to the teachings of Scripture. When you wonder, “How do I know if a prompting is of God?”,  part of what to recognize is that God’s guidance will never be in contradiction to the teaching of Scripture. The promptings of the Spirit are generally in line with the gifts the Spirit gives. If somebody says, “I want to sing in the choir,” but they have a terrible voice, that is probably not the Spirit leading them. The Spirit generally leads people in a direction of servanthood. If you find an idea, and it’s really all about your fulfillment and not about serving, there is good reason to question.

By Romeo Pelle

Bethesda 2010 Vacation Bible School will start July 12, 2010 and will be Monday through Thursday evenings from 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm, and Friday morning from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Snacks will be provided on Monday through Thursday and lunch (pizza) on Friday.

Gandhi a fost intrebat de un prieten apropiat, <Daca-l admiri pe Christos asa de mult de ce nu te faci crestin?> Gandhi a replicat, <Cind voi intilni un crestin care il urmeaza pe Christos, am sa iau in considerare aceasta.>

Fiecare crestin este chemat sa devina un urmas sau ucenic al lui Christos. El este Cel care a facut chemarea celor de atunci care erau in jurul lui: Mark 8:34 Apoi a chemat la El norodul împreunã cu ucenicii Sãi, si le -a zis: „Dacã voieste cineva sã vinã dupã Mine, sã se lepede de sine însusi, sã-si ia crucea, si sã Mã urmeze.” Luke 9:23 Apoi a zis tuturor: „Dacã voieste cineva sã vinã dupã Mine, sã se lepede de sine, sã-si ia crucea în fiecare zi, si sã Mã urmeze.>

Se pare ca ceva s-a schimbat de cind Isus a rostit aceasta chemare cu doua mii de ani in urma. Multi dintre noi am ajuns sa fim multumiti sa ne numim <Crestini> fara sa ne gindim prea mult la implicatiile urmarii Domnului Isus. Rezultatul este c a miscarea crestina este diluata si multi crestini platesc scump prin pierderea satisfactiei personale, a implinirii ca si crestin si mai ales se pierde impactul crestinismului asupra lumii.

Aceasta nu inseamna negarea lui Christos sau ca am facut lucruri oribile. De fapt multi avem un cod de comportare si ritual religios crestin. Problema este ca multi crestini de nume prezinta doar o mascarada a lui Christos. Cind necrestinii ajung in contact cu acest tablou distorsionat ei sunt confuji si dezorientati intre ceea ce este prezentat din Scriptura si Crestinismul contemporan.

Citeste continuarea aici

Tot Planul de Rugaciune il gasiti accesand link-ul acesta: http://www.scribd.com/full/30614599?access_key=key-y932tfd0ba5rq9czpxw

- ” Origin of state name: The name California originates from the Spanish conquistadors, taken from “Las Serges de Esplandian,” a Spanish romance written about 1510 which describes an imaginary island; an earthly paradise ”      Este argumentat faptul ca este statul cel mai difersificat din punct de vedere geografic . In California gasim cel mai inalta altitudine din cele 48 de state (Mount Whitney) si de asemenea si cea mai joasa altitudine din America de Nord , care sunt la o distanta de numai 150 de mile una de cealalta. (statesymbolsusa.

Toate informatiile le gasiti aici:  www.scribd.com/doc/28065043/Plan-de-Rugaciune-California

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE JESUS’ DISCIPLE?

The short answer to the above question is, “It takes all of you!” This is probably the reason why our Lord Jesus often times cooled off the enthusiasm of potential candidates for discipleship by urging them to consider its costs (Matthew 19:16-22, Luke 9:57-62).”  If one truly desires to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, it is imperative that s/he first heeds the words of our Lord and counts the cost of discipleship. A church that does not teach the principles of discipleship is doomed to lose her spiritual influence in society and to become a spiritual nursery filled with immature Christians

What is the meaning of  the word “disciple”? The Greek term  μαθητὰς (matheitas) refers generally to any “student,” “pupil,” “apprentice,” or “adherent,” as opposed to a “teacher” (Libronix Digital Library System). In the New Testament times it was most often associated with people who were devoted followers of a great religious leader or teacher of philosophy, such as Saul of Tarsus was an example of a Jewish boy who had left his home in Tarsus to study Torah under Gamaliel, a renowned Rabbi in Jerusalem (Act 5:34).

Jesus Christ took time and clearly explained to His disciples what it takes to become one of His disciples. To be a disciple of our Lord demands that Jesus becomes the most important thing in our life. From one perspective, discipleship centers upon the issue of dependence and submission. From a different vantage point discipleship entails a complete rearrangement of our priorities.

After analyzing what the New Testament teaches about discipleship, we must conclude that the Lord Jesus clearly defined the following requirements of becoming His disciple:

1. The disciple of Jesus Christ must be a new spiritual creature and a citizen of God’s Kingdom. The first condition of discipleship is that one has already become the recipient of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. There is no discipleship without salvation. Jesus metaphorically explained this: “No one sews a patch of un-shrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved” (Matthew 9:16-17). Without the miracle of the new birth, no one can completely devote him/herself to Christ.

2. The disciple of Jesus Christ must daily crucify his/her own self. Informing His disciples about the events leading Him to the cross, Jesus emphatically told them that every true disciple must also bear a cross. “And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Taking up our cross daily describes our willingness to lay aside all self-seeking and ego-centric ambitions: It means that our utmost desire and ambition is not to satisfy ourselves, but to please our Savior and Lord.  It means that Jesus, not ourselves or anyone else in this universe, is the object of our supreme worship and affection. Pleasing Him is the driving motivation of our lives, of our activities, and of our choices. Jesus didn’t mince words: “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27).

3. The disciple of Jesus Christ must pursue the teachings of the Kingdom of God as taught by Christ. By definition, a disciple is a student and a follower of his master. A disciple of Christ must strive to learn, understand, and apply the principles of the Kingdom. We can only live according to what we know: the more we know Christ’s teaching and character, the more we can emulate His lifestyle and character. Philippians 2:5 exhorts us to “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” A disciple is called to embrace the mind, the attitudes, the purposes, and the destiny of his/her Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

4. The disciple of Jesus Christ must place Jesus above those dearest to him/her. The fourth requirement Jesus underscored is that our love for Him must have priority over any other human being: “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, … he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). This verse doesn’t mean that we, as disciples of Christ, cannot love God and our family at the same time. The Bible clearly teaches our obligations to our husbands, wives and children (see Ephesians 5:22-25; 1 Timothy 4:8). What Jesus means is that our love for Him must have primacy over any other affection and our bond to Him more inseparable than to anything else.

Exegetically, these words don’t have the same punch in our American society as they delivered back then and still do in certain countries nowadays. For instance, in Muslim or Hindus communities the new converts are confronted with the ultimatum to choose between Jesus and family, and many Christians have been totally disowned and disinherited because of their faith in Christ, the Savior, and many have paid the ultimate price when they proclaimed their allegiance to the Lord Jesus (see Voice of the Martyrs, http://www.persecution.com/).

Our relationship to Christ must have priority not only over family members; our union with Him must take priority over all forms of human relationship. Being a true disciple of Jesus Christ will often times lead to enmity with the surrounding world. Jesus did not hide this reality: “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore, the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus clearly warned His followers of the dangerous outcomes of their decision: “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher, and the slave as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!” (Matthew 10:24-25). Against this background, Jesus warns of the possibility that some disciples would be asked to pay with their own lives: “Anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:38-39).

5. The disciple of Jesus Christ must place his/her devotion to Christ above material possessions. After Jesus taught about the true riches, He declared, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). Rich and affluent people of the world clearly have a problem with this condition of discipleship, but so do most of us that are the citizens of the most affluent nation in the world, The United States of America, especially when Jesus adds, “So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions”(Luke 14:33).

This simply means Christ’s disciples must love God more than they love money and what it can buy. However, this doesn’t mean that the Bible teaches that one can become a Christian only after disposing of all his or her material possessions; most likely it refers to the attitude towards material possessions: “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:24, NKJV, italics mine). Paul explains: “The love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang” (1 Timothy 6:10). He continued to instruct those who were rich in material things to be rich in good works, and not to trust in the uncertainty of riches (1 Timothy 6:17-19). In the life of a disciple of Christ nothing must compete with his/her devotion to and dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

6. A disciple of Jesus Christ must be fruitful and multiply him/herself. Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:24-25). Like our Master, who died and through His resurrection reproduced His life in us, we also must reproduce ourselves in others and produce disciples of Christ. This is the heart of the Great Commission: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Only a disciple who died to himself and to this world is capacitated to reproduce himself in others!

What does it take to be a disciple of Lord Jesus Christ? A “disciple of Christ” is someone who has been called first to intimately know Christ and His salvation, then to daily pick up his cross and follow Him by placing his devotion to Christ above any other human, above any material possession, and any other philosophy. Following his Master, the disciple is becoming more and more like Him, emulating Christ’s thinking, feeling, and living. In obedience, Christ’s disciple embraces the goal to disciple others, from every nation, understanding that the Great Commission is Christ’s commandment, not suggestion!