discipleship

Jesus said to the people who believed in Him,

    "You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings.

    "And you will know the truth, & the truth will set you free."

(John 8:31-32)



Jesus said we were disciples if we obey His teachings.

read that again - if we obey Him...

...not if we witness to everyone who moves.

...not if we embrace a conservative political viewpoint.

...not if we give our cast off clothing that we never liked to Goodwill or the Salvation Army.

...not if we go on a mission tourism trip to a tropical location for 6 days.

...not if we only read just the King James Version of the Bible.

...not if we equate the American Dream to be the same as a life of discipleship.


We are His disciple if we obey His teachings.

And how many of us know what He taught?

How many of us have bothered to read through all four of the gospels?

Yeah, if we're gonna obey His teachings, we'd better read all four of the gospels - fyi: that's Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John.

This doesn't mean we read a book, or books, about the teachings of Jesus that's written by some pop theologian or Christian TV personality that preaches to 20,000 people each week.

We actually have to read the first four books in the New Testament.

And remember, as we read Matthew, mark,Luke,&John, that being a disciple doesn't mean we get to treat Jesus' teachings like a smorgasbord...

     ...we don't get to pick & choose which of the teachings we intend to obey,

     ...not following the ones that are distasteful, inconvenient, embarrassing, put limitations our lifestyle, or in any way demean us or diminish our standing with our friends or the folks at work.


We are His disciples if we obey Him -that's the long & the short if it.


He also said that as a result, we'd know the truth, & as a result of knowing the truth, we would be set free.

Truth is defined as "a verifiable, indisputable fact".

And when we know the ultimate "verifiable, indisputable facts", we will free.

Isn't it therefore the next step to understand that Jesus is saying that His teachings are the ultimate, the "verifiable, indisputable fact",

     iow: the truth, & in knowing the truth, our lives are set free to be & do who & what we really are?



Think about all this today...