THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP - How Then Should We Live? - By God's Word - Part 1

Our world today, as we know it, is in such a chaotic and ungodly mess, and as someone said, “Going to hell in a hand basket.” A few Christian leaders have been bold enough to speak out and willing to lay the blame at the foot of Church. This is very sad but true, that the western Church has become “lukewarm” in its faith and zeal for Christ and doesn’t seek out the “down and outer,” but seeks out only the “up and outer” to witness to and befriend. It is neither “hot nor cold,” thinks it is rich and doesn’t need anything; not knowing that true riches is a zealous, genuine faith that has been tested by God’s fire of discipline, which results in being clothed with His “Robe of Righteous” (Rev.3:14-22). They plan social programs to draw in the crowd instead of planning days set aside for prayer, fasting, repenting and for revival, renewal and a fresh filling and anointing of the Holy Spirit. How sad, even when these rare times are planned very few will take part – they are too busy or unconcerned. Are we part of the real Church or the Laodicean church? The contemporary Church here in America so often compromise God’s principles and is willing to “go along to get along,” and is willing to overlook, excuse, and even sometimes condone blatant sins, instead of confronting and calling them out and practicing the discipline of Matthew 18. The western Church has lost its broken heart for the lost. It’s “heart” has become hard by refusing to “hear what the Spirit has said and is saying to the Church, and repent,” (Rev.2:7, 11, 17, 29; ch.3:6, 13, 22). It is too busy to meet together and pray. It has become too full of pride to repent, even when God has told us, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked way, then I will hear them from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their land” (II Chronicles 7:14). It is no wonder our families, our churches, our government and our nation are in such disrepair, and even destroyed, in some cases. It is because the Church has permitted Satan to “steal, kill and destroy” our devotion to God and for His rightful and essential priority of first place in our lives. Satan wants to “steal” our testimony to the world by subtly persuading us to become Pharisees (hypocrites), claiming to be “Christian,” but living just like the world. There’s an old saying that speaks to this which says, “Your actions speak so loud that I can’t hear what you are saying.” The world may not recognize it, but it is hungry for Truth, for meaning to life, for joy, peace and hope. They don’t realize it but they are looking for Jesus. The true Church of Jesus Christ, the alive, moving, righteous Church has the only answer to the needs of this crying world. If this “sleeping Giant” would only wake up, shake itself, eat the Word, drink the “new wine,” and go forth revitalized and restored to newness of life, and have a new zeal to tell the world that Jesus is the only answer to their hunger and thirst, by living a faith-filled, overcoming, loving lifestyle before them, and as Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words”. John wrote, “Let us not love in Word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (I Jn.3:18). In light of all of this “mess,” Francis Schaeffer” wrote a book with the answers to, How Then Should We Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture. His brief answer is: “By the divine power that is within us.” The Word of God, II Peter:1:3 says, “His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that are requisite and suited to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him Who called us by and to his own glory and excellence.” My version is that God’s power (the Holy Spirit living within all believers) has given us all things we need to walk a godly life through the knowledge of Him Who has called us to His excellence. Jude 1:24 reiterates this thought, “He is able to keep us from falling and present us blameless in triumphal joy before the presence of His glory with unspeakable delight.” The Holy Spirit that lives within all believers gives us the power and ability to live triumphantly. The key to be able to live this triumphant life is to “be” and continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit. God’s Word tells us “how to” live this triumphant life with the Spirit’s power. The first step is to keep ourselves pure, faithful and committed. Paul tells us, as he told the Colossians in 2:6-7, “As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so regulate your lives and conduct yourselves in union with and conformity to Him. Have the roots of your being firmly and deeply planted in Him, fixed and founded in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving” (Amp.), and “The just shall live by faith” (Heb.10:38). Solomon tells us in the fourth chapter that to live and have a successful life we must (1) obey God, (2) get the principle thing - godly wisdom and understanding, prize it and embrace it and it will give you a crown of glory, (3) avoid the way of evil men, turn from it and pass on, (4) above all you guard, guard your heart with all vigilance for out of it flow the springs of life, (5) put away dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you, (6) let your eyes look right on with fixed purpose, (7) and consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be ordered aright. Turn not aside to the left or the right; remove your foot from evil. The first Psalm, verses 1-3, gives us the key instructions how to “guard our hearts” as we live in this chaotic world. This Psalm promises we’ll be happy, fortunate, prosperous and enviable if we do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly (following their advice, their plans and purposes), nor stand submissive and inactive in the path where sinners walk, nor sit down, relax and rest where the scornful and the mockers gather. But our delight and desire must be in the law of the Lord, and on His law (precepts, instructions and teachings) we must habitually meditate on day and night. Then we will be like a tree firmly planted and tended by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything we do will prosper and come to maturity. We hide God’s Word in our hearts by reading, studying, meditating then acting on Its truths, as it says in this scripture. We also must guard our hearts by sincerely asking the Lord to “search our hearts to see if there is any hurtful way in us, and to lead us into the way that is everlasting,” as David prayed in Psalm 139. When God shows us any hurtful (sinful) way we have (any way that would hurt us or others), we must then “confess it and turn from it, and God will cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). We can walk clean and pure before Him if we follow these instructions. They say the human mind is like a computer. If you put good data in good data will come out, or garbage in, garbage out. “As a man thinks in his heart so is he” (Prov.23:7). We become what we let our minds dwell on. Philippians 4:8 tells us how to “guard our hearts” with our thought-life. Sow a thought, reap an act. Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. So we are to “fix our minds on whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and whatever is kind and gracious. If there is any virtue or excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh these things and fix your minds on them”(Phil.4:8), then we won’t reap any undesirable acts, habits or characters. Refuse the negative, enticing, condemning and destructive thoughts Satan loves to put in our minds to depress us and pull us down. When these thoughts come “submit yourself to God, resist the devil and stand firm against him and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). You can resist the devil by quoting scripture to him like Jesus did when He was tempted (Matt.4:1-11). Satan can’t withstand the Truth – God’s Word. We are told in II Cor. 10:5b “to lead every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ.” This is why we must “hide God’s Word in our hearts so that we will not fall into sin” (Ps.119:11). “God’s Word speaks and is alive and full of power, making it active, operative, energizing, and effective; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life and the immortal spirit, and of joints and marrow of the deepest parts of our nature, exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart” (Hebrew 4:12). Put on all your spiritual armor every day (Eph.5:11-19), and sharpen your “sword of the Spirit” (your only offensive weapon) – God’s Word, by reading, meditation, study, memorizing and then obeying the Truth therein. It is the answer for us, individually and the Church, to know “How Then Should We Live?” It is by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.