Lesson 14 Part 2
ST. PAUL SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP
“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ”
(I Corinthians 11:1)
(With Frank Eiklor and Walter Contreras)
THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP -
CRITERIA FOR TOTAL COMMITMENT
Lesson 14 (Part 2)
INTRODUCTION
There is a Book of Acts Church in the world today. It is found in regions of the world where Christians pay the price of persecution—and sometimes death—to be faithful to Jesus Christ. China, North Korea, Indonesia, Sudan, Arab countries like Saudi Arabia—all are places where to stand for Jesus is to risk suffering and death.
Yet it is the suffering church of the martyrs that feels sorry for us in the West. They know their God intimately and the cost of discipleship. Today, you and I may not have to die for Christ but are we willing to live for Him? The four gospels show us what Jesus means when He says, “Follow me!” I found 37 separate areas of life that He must rule if we are to be true followers of the Lord—not just lukewarm pretenders.
In Part 1, we shared the first 18 points. Following are 19 more. Ask the Holy Spirit for light as you look up the scriptures. Then trust Him for the power to apply God’s Word to your life.
- FEARS GOD MORE THAN MEN OR CIRCUMSTANCES - John 6:20; 14:27; 19:11
- SEES PEOPLE AS IF EACH WERE JESUS - Matthew 25:37-45; Mark 10:13-16
- HOLDS WORLD EVANGELISM AS A TOP PRIORITY - Matthew 9:36-38; 28:19,20; Mark 1:38; 5:18-20; 16:15; Luke 9:2; 10:2; 14:23; 24:45-48; John 1:41; 4:34,35; 9:4; 10:16
- REMAINS A HUMBLE SERVANT OF ALL - Matthew 20:25-28; 23:10-12; Mark 9:33-35; 10:42-45; Luke 9:46-48; 11:43,46; 17:10; 22:24-27; John 13:14,15
- USES GIFTS AND TALENTS FOR GOD’S GLORY - Matthew 25:14-19; Luke 19:12,13
- ATTACKS THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS WITH THE BELIEVER’S ROD OF SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY—(THE NAME OF JESUS) - Matthew 10:1,5-8; Mark 3:14,15; 16:17-20; Luke 10:17-20; John 14:12
- NURTURES A SIMPLICITY OF FAITH - Matthew 11:25; 21:21,22; Mark11:20-23; Luke 8:25; 10:21; 18:16,17
- GUARDS AGAINST CARELESSNESS AND NEGLECT - Matthew 24:42-51; 25:1-4; Luke 8:18; 12:45,46; 17:32; 21:34-36
- LEARNS NOT TO FOCUS ON NEGATIVE CIRCUMSTANCES - Matthew 14:15-20, John 6:9
- DEVELOPS LONG-RANGE ENDURANCE - Matthew 10:22; 24:12,13; Luke 21:19; 22:28-30; John 6:66-68
- ACCEPTS THE AGONY AND PERPLEXITY OF DISCIPLESHIP - Luke 2:34,35; 22:41-44; John 12:27,28; 16:33
- PREACHES UNPLEASANT TRUTHS - Matthew 14:3,4; Mark 6:12
- OBEYS MAN’S LAWS NOT IN CONFLICT WITH GOD’S WORD - Mark 12:17
- KEEPS TONGUE UNDER CONTROL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - Matthew 12:36,37; Luke 6:45
- DISCERNS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MERE HUMAN TRADITIONS AND THE COMMANDS OF GOD - Matthew 15:3-9; Mark 7:6-9
- CONFRONTS SIN IN OTHERS’ LIVES WITH COMPASSION AND FIRMNESS - Matthew 18:15-17; John 7:24
- RESISTS MAKING CLIQUES OR CLONES - Mark 9:38-40; Luke 9:49,50; 14:13,14
- GRASPS GOD’S PROPHETIC WARNINGS AND TEACHINGS - Matthew 24:25,33; Mark 13:29; Luke 18:31-34; 21:28
- FOLLOWS IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE MASTER - Matthew 10:24,25; Luke 2:52; 6:40; 20:21; John 2:17
Jesus said many would come in His name and deceive the hearts of the simple, sinful and proud. Eastern mysticism and meditation is a big thing in the gullible West. And one day a “world leader” will appear on the scene with the persuasion of a god and the heart of a devil. Jesus warns His children to know the Scriptures, live in obedience to the Father’s will, and stay alert to the signs of the times. They laugh no more. Now God’s description of how He will destroy the old earth and create a
new one makes perfect sense. The splitting of the atom turned many skeptics into believers.
After all, look what man himself is capable of doing with the atom and hydrogen bombs. Now
the fear is that nuclear weapons are being placed in the hands of madmen who wish to annihilate
their enemies. God has blessed man with incredible genius. We stand in awe as we watch men and women in a room full of computers and high-tech instruments guiding and landing spacecraft on distant planets. At that moment, we appear invincible. But then a mammoth tornado comes—or a terrifying hurricane—or rains that flood whole regions and never listen to our shouts to “Stop!”—or the shake that removes from under our feet any confidence or pride we carry, and leaves us numb with hardly enough breath to even utter the paralyzing word “EARTHQUAKE!”. And man is helpless in the face of it all! |
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