Good Morning Brothers,
What is a disciple? Jesus was very clear in John 8:31-32 as to what constitutes a disciple.
John 8:31-32
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Do you know there are Believers who love the Lord, but they are not disciples? I know, this sounds harsh, but it is truth. I was with a Brother for lunch this past Thursday, and he said, “I don’t know how any one professing to be a Believer cannot fall in love with the Word of God. The more time I spend in it, the more time I want to spend in it.” Praise God for this Brother!! God is going to use this Brother to do BIG things for His Kingdom on this earth. And I can’t wait to see it happen. I’ll be skipping down the road praising God for His goodness.
Paul teaches us in II Timothy 2:15:
Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
Any Believer who does not study the Word of God does not receive God’s approval. This is no different than if you ask your son to wash the car for you, and he leaves several missed spots of dirt on the car when finished. Would this meet with your approval? Of course not. You not approving of his wash job has nothing to do with how much you love him and what you would do for him. This doesn’t change.
God loves Believers dearly, and God wants the very best for them. God will not force His Word on anyone – including Believers. God gave man free will. We are made in the image and likeness of God. A Believer cannot understand and have “the very best” until he “continues in God’s Word, studying and rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” Note, Paul says “rightly dividing.” This means the Word can also be “wrongly divided.” And, this is what has happened and continues in much of the church. A good part, but not all, of the church has salvation and eternity down. But they have no concept of God’s best beyond this.
What is God’s best for Believers? There are many verses we could quote, but there is one which encapsulates “God’s best” very concisely and forcefully.
III John 2
Beloved, I wish [will] above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Since we know all scripture is given by inspiration of God (II Timothy 3:16), this is God speaking to us. God wants all Believers to be prosperous in all areas of their earthly lives and in great health. But how does this occur in our lives? How do we ensure our businesses are always growing and very profitable, our family relationships are always great and solid, we are always delivered from every trial, we have favor in everything we do, everything we do prospers, and we are always in great health? Great question, right! It is the second part of III John 2: “even as thy soul propereth.” “Mayest prosper and be in health” applies to our physical state on this earth. “Even as thy soul prospereth” pertains to our spiritual life.
How does your soul prospereth? Through the Word of God. When you study and meditate on God’s Word, it becomes seed to your heart (heart and mind are the soul). Hearing the Word over and over through study, meditating, preaching, teaching, etc., turns the seed into faith (Romans 10:17). Faith turns into declaration, and declaration turns into physical manifestation. Now, you have God’s best. This is why Jesus said to the Jewish Believers in John 8:32, “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Free from what? From the spirit of bondage of the wrongly divided Word (Romans 8:15). Wrongly taught Word keeps Believers in bondage. Rightly divided Word frees Believers to experience God’s best right here, right now – NOT WAIT TILL HEAVEN. We have a responsibility to teach and bring into existence God’s Kingdom on this earth.
This could go on and on. To wrap it up, I challenge you to study this. Remember we are told in James 1:22, “Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” You must study. If you don’t study, you will not experience God’s best. You’ll constantly cry out for miracles rather than walking in THE BLESSING each day. If you have areas of your life you are not experiencing victory in, it generally is a knowledge problem.
I’ll finish with this. II Peter I:2-3 tells us:
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us unto glory and virtue:
If you want everything that constitutes grace and peace (you should study both of these words to truly understand what they mean) multiplied to you, you will only get it “through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.” And, where is the ONLY place you can get this – from the WORD. Note in verse 3 is says “all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” Life is “physical” and godliness is “spiritual.” We’ve been given ALL THINGS to be successful in this physical and spiritual life. How? “Through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue (recommend studying both glory and virtue to see what they really mean).”
Blessings to all my Brothers.
Larry