Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 9:57-62 is about the Cost of Discipleship.
Luke 9:57
9:57. Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."
Our following to Christ must be increased as follows:
The practice of the following of bride is we must be active in the ministry of the building of perfect body of Christ. It starts from marriage, shepherding, inter-shepherding, until the Israelites and the Gentiles become one perfect body. We become the bride of God who is ready to greet when Jesus comes a second time as the king of kings or the heavenly bridegroom. It is the same as putting Jesus as the head.
The proof that we put Jesus as the head in our life is as follows:
God blesses us.
Luke 9:57-62 is about the Cost of Discipleship.
Luke 9:57
9:57. Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."
Our following to Christ must be increased as follows:
- The following of child to the father. We feel the love of God. But, there is a lost child.
- The following of sheep to the Shepherd. We feel the caring and protection from Good Shepherd. But, there is a lost sheep.
- The following of disciple to the teacher. We receive the true teaching word, so we can be purified. But, a disciple can be separated from the teacher.
- The following of body to the head or the one of bride to the Bridegroom. We follow Jesus wherever He goes. It is the same as the following of bride. We cannot be separated from Him forever.
The practice of the following of bride is we must be active in the ministry of the building of perfect body of Christ. It starts from marriage, shepherding, inter-shepherding, until the Israelites and the Gentiles become one perfect body. We become the bride of God who is ready to greet when Jesus comes a second time as the king of kings or the heavenly bridegroom. It is the same as putting Jesus as the head.
The proof that we put Jesus as the head in our life is as follows:
- Setting our mind on and seeking those things which are above more than physical ones.
Colossians 3:1-2
3:1. If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
3:2. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
It is the same as prioritizing the ministry to God more than anything in the world. Our heart and mind look toward unto Jesus who sits on the throne of heaven.
Matthew 6:31-33
6:31. "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
6:32. "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
6:33. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
We minister to God faithfully and truly. We surrender all to God.
The results are as follows:- There is no worry, but peace. Everything becomes easy and light, there is no more labor and heavy burden.
- We are taken care of by God, and everything will be added by Him. We live by the cross or God's great mercy.
- We are used in the revival of white horse, namely the one of the building of the perfect body of Christ.
Revelation 19:11
19:11. Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
If we are not used by God, we will be used by the Babylon, the great harlot, so we become wicked, unclean, up to perishing.
- There is no worry, but peace. Everything becomes easy and light, there is no more labor and heavy burden.
- Imitating the heart and mind of Jesus.
Philippians 2:5, 8
2:5. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
2:8. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
The heart and mind of Jesus are obedient to the point of death on the cross.
We follow the example of Jesus means we are obedient until our flesh does not sound anymore.
For example, Abraham obeyed God when he was ordered to present Isaac, his son.
The widow of Zarephath obeyed God when she was ordered to make bread for Elijah.
Genesis 6:5
6:5. Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
In fact, every intent of human's heart is evil and unclean. One cannot obey God, so it results in the wicked and unclean deed. One makes the heart of God grieved, the heart of parents sore, and the heart of the shepherd lament.
Consequently, he will be punished by God up to perishing.
1 Peter 3:20-21
3:20. who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.
3:21. There is also an antitype which now saves us--baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
We must experience the new birth through water baptism so we can obey God.
The water baptism is the renewal from evil and unclean heart and mind to obedient one until our flesh does not sound anymore.
It is the same as entering the ark of Noah.
Genesis 6:8
6:8. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
We live in the great mercy of God, so we are able to go through the difficulty of the world in the last days, up to the impossibility when antichrist reigns in the world for three and a half years.
We are able to go through the darkness of the world in the last days, so we can live in righteousness and holiness.
Just like it was, eight persons (four couples) were saved by entering the ark of Noah.
For us now, we keep the righteousness, holiness, and unity of the marriage until we experience the happiness from God up to the marriage supper of the Lamb. - The worship.
The connector of the head and body is the neck. It refers to the worship.
John 9:37-38
9:37. And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you."
9:38. Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him.
Worshipping God is the same as looking at Jesus, speaking with Him (confessing all of our sins and condition), calling His name, and stretching out our hand to Him. We totally trust and commit ourselves to God.
Numbers 6:25
6:25. The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;
God stretches out His great merciful hands to do the things as follows:- Taking away the impossibility. He finishes all problems in due time.
- Helping us from our failure and ruin. He gives us beautiful and successful future.
- Lifting us up and exalting us in due time.
1 Peter 5:6
5:6. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
We are lifted up from the fall in sin up to the peak of sin. We are purified and changed. It starts from being honest, until we are perfected when Jesus comes a second time. We sit together with Him on the throne of heaven.
- Taking away the impossibility. He finishes all problems in due time.
God blesses us.