Luke 9:57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”
62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Throughout the gospels, Jesus made it very clear about the costs of following Him. He indicated that there would be costs to discipleship and admonished people to count the cost before embarking one the road to serving the King and His cause. In particular, the gospel of Luke brings out an interesting succession of three individuals.
The Uncertainty of the Journey
The first came unsolicited; “I will follow you wherever you go”. Jesus’ reply to him was in essence, “This is the choice that you are about to make, now here is the cost of the lifestyle that you are about to adopt - the lack of permanence in residence; which is figurative of uncertainty.
Following after Him entails a preparedness to find oneself in uncertainty. When God moves you from place to place, you will have to make do with what you are given. There are times where you will find yourself in various situations that you will not know what to do, some of them will be life-threatening, dangerous, etc. Are you prepared for that?” You have got to have faith that He will see you through every circumstance of your life!
The Offensive Point of the Gospel
The second was an invitation from Jesus, and this becomes for us, a strong realisation of Kingdom principles, that when the King says to “follow Me”, it really means that every other reason not to, or to delay the follow-through becomes unacceptable excuse. And Jesus brought out the closest of relationships to illustrate what it really meant by unacceptable. The funeral of a loved one and in particular, a father, is just about the most intimate of relationships, but yet Jesus said, “Let the dead go bury their own dead”.
This is where offences start to set in for many who will eventually fall away, and is indeed, the distinguishing factor between those who will make it and those will not. The same happened in John 6 when Jesus preached about eating of His flesh and drinking of His blood (of course He meant it symbolically) and those disciples (yes He had more than 12 disciples) who did not understand Him got offended and left.
There will be at some point of your journey towards pursuing Him where you will be faced with an offence or what I would term as the “offensive point of the gospel” that will test you in a severe manner. Its purpose is to sift out the dross that makes the silver impure and to show you what you have lacked in all that you professed when you answered the call to “follow Him”.
Offences of the gospel (not any other offence, but the offence of the gospel) draw us into a spiritual crisis where we find ourselves at the threshold of making difficult choices. The crux of the test lies in the core of what we value most, and for the most part, God wants every idol removed from our lives. Anything that He puts a finger to that becomes a sore point for us places us at the threshold of offence; it can be a relationship, a sinful lifestyle, a career, a pet doctrine, unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred, and even what God has said that we find difficult to comprehend and accept. This is where we find ourselves at the place where we choose to love Him more than anything else, and never allowing anything else to take the place of Him being the object of our affection and desire.
Looking back
The third individual seemed to be saying everything that was politically right. “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Prima facie, this seemed like a valid and filial piety statement, but again, Jesus challenged that individual in his call in a manner that brought offence, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
The word used here for “looking” is one of the few Greek words that describe the type or manner of looking. The word “blepo” means to behold. In other words, when we “look back”, we start to take a voluntary observation of what has passed us. Like Lot’s wife, we become fixated on what God has already removed us from; it could again, mean anything as mentioned in the previous point (relationships, sin, etc.). The fact of the matter is that if we do not align ourselves to what He is thinking and doing, we find ourselves at the threshold of the offence point of the gospel.
Even John the Baptist, hailed by Jesus as the greatest person who ever lived, was caught at the very threshold of the offensive point of the gospel when he was imprisoned. Wanting John to end well, Jesus told John’s disciples to inform John that the lame walked, the lepers cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead raised because the Jesus was indeed the son of God who came to show the world who the Father is, and in summary, “blessed is the one who is not offended by Me” (Luke 7:23).
Dear friend, following God does not just “cost you something”, it costs you everything. What does it really mean to give up everything for the “pearl of great price”? Well, Jesus made it clear - be prepared for uncertainty (which really means, to trust Him fully), not be offended by Him (which really means, to align ourselves to what He is thinking, and not allow ourselves to be disappointed by what Jesus has or has not done/said, to set into our hearts), not looking back (keep your eyes focused on what He is doing and moving you towards).
Jason
Spent three hours at a birthday party in worship - totally unexpected but when that atmosphere of worship comes upon hearts that are just so hungry for Him, it takes us all into His throne room to lavish our love upon Him. Simply fantastic and awesome… Let our King be lifted high!
Economist - CEO turnover rose in last decade
“Healing, miracles, power and the manifestations of God are not the whole gospel… But then again, the gospel is not whole without them.” Bill Johnson
God made it clear about the importance of communion and living by His presence through the structure of the tablenacle (subsequently translated into the Temple of God) and the Ark of the Covenant. Within the Ark were items that included the tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the pot of manna. The tablets represented the law and the principles of the Kingdom being reflected here on earth, the manna reminded people of God’s provision, while the rod pointed to the power of God, bringing or awakening life where there is none.
These items speak of Principles (10 commandments), Provision (manna) and Power (Aaron’s rod), and the lid upon which the mercy seat was constructed was where the Presence of God rested. It is important to know that His presence is above and on top of His principles, provision and power. God’s intention behind the design of the Ark was simply to symbolically inform us not to exalt His principles, provision or power above His presence.
In this sense, it is not helpful for us to form a standard that revolves around the goodness of God that we have experienced in the past (in terms of principles and provision) or from great men and women of God (manifesting the power). When we think about the names of spiritual giants or ministries that have gone before us and set them as our benchmark instead of an impetus to spur us onto build upon what they have established, we exalt power above presence, and begin to pursue the wrong things.
Now don’t get me wrong. This is not to say that we throw God’s principles, provision and power out of the window. They are important.
Principles
When we learn to live by principles, we become mindful of certain values espoused by the world that is to come and is already fast phasing in, and that if we want to experience God’s goodness, it has to come first and foremost by living by the principles of the Kingdom. Once we delink ourselves from or abdicate our responsibility in living by the principles of the kingdom, we shortchange ourselves and run into a spiritual and physical deficit.
Just by doing what God has spoken, you will experience the benefits of obedience, and this applies whether you are a believer or not. For example, when we tithe, God clearly opens the windows of heaven for us and pours out a blessing that our storehouses will not have room enough to contain it. Did you know that if pre-believers were to apply this principle, they would also be blessed?
By dipping himself into the Jordan river at the command of the prophet Elisha, the leprous Syrian general Naaman got healed. Likewise with the Egyptians during the days of Moses, had an Egyptian accidentally overheard what Moses told the Israelites about painting the doorposts with lamb’s blood and had followed through with the exact act, did you know that that person’s household would be spared the agony of the death of the firstborn?
As children of God, knowing and practicing these Kingdom principles gives us as much access to the benefits as anyone else who obeys. Though important for empowered living and experiencing certain levels of breakthroughs, principles are merely a glimpse of the “more” of what we can experience in God. God’s desire is not that we merely practice His principles, but that we live by His presence daily.
Provision
Living by His provision means that we do not worry about what we will eat or drink, for He knows what we need. However, Jesus made it clear that “man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”.
To receive His word entails us drawing near to hear what He has to say. So while He longs to provide for our every need, His desire is not that we live by the mere satisfaction of our needs, but by the satisfaction through His abiding presence. “Draw near to Me as I draw near to you.”
Power
While the Lord guides His church towards the reconciliation of His power within the Body of Christ, it is important for us not to allow ourselves to live from His power but from His presence. His power is not necessarily a manifestation of His presence because He can “send His word to heal disease”, as seen in the healing of the centurion’s servant. But when He shows up, you are guaranteed that His power will be manifested.
It is also important that we do not seek Him just so that we can “continue to do the kingdom’s work effectively”. Whenever we hear such noble statements been made, it is actually “mercenary-talk” or, to put it crudely as Bill Johnson, to be “intimate for one’s profession” (with regards to spiritual prostitution; being intimate with God so that you can manifest His power for ministry).
Dear friend, true intimate lovers of His presence allow their love relationship with God to “leak” His power to be a blessing to the world around them, so let’s learn to live from His presence daily!
Jason
True intimate lovers of His presence allow their love relationship with God to “leak” His power to be a blessing to the world around them.
?@ARBernard: “It is not complicated. Input determines output. You reap what you sow. Nothing in, nothing out. Little in, little out. I think you have the idea”
Brilliant strategy by Burberry in inverting the strategy triangle and putting the onus on the bottom of the pyramid to come up with creative ideas.
“If the enemy works hard to create a counterfeit, then the original must be of great value. Only things of eternal consequence are worth the devil’s attention. For that reason, I get encouraged when I see areas of danger, like the prophetic. My solution is to find people of like mind to work with, realize the danger involved in our common pursuit, and stay humble and accountable in our pursuit of the authentic.” Bill Johnson
When God said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Deut 8:3)”, He was not just pointing to the written Bible which is authoritative and applicable to us today as it was with the people during Biblical times, but to fresh revelation that He is speaking.
The word “proceeds” comes from the Hebrew word “motsa” which means “going forth continually”, and the continual procession of God’s Word builds upon what has been previously established. God does not cancel out His Word; He simply builds on it. Jesus Himself spoke of God’s law and said that He did not come to destroy or demolish the law, but to fulfil it (Matthew 5:17). The word for “fulfil” comes from the Greek word “pleroo” which means “to furnish, to complete”.
The imagery given by “pleroo” is that of a “levelling up of something which is hollow”, and it is exactly what a construction project is like, where the ground is dug for the structural foundations to be laid and the building is subsequently built from that foundation. Such is the intent of God’s revelation.
Perhaps one of the most straightforward verses on this matter would be from Revelations 21:5a”And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”” The Greek word used for “new” in this context does not mean something that is entirely and radically new, but something that is new in season, likely a freshly instated form of what was previously established.
When the adulterous woman was brought before Him, she was already condemned because of her sin, regardless of whether the people followed through with stoning her or not. To Jesus, stoning her was not the point, as He came to seek and save that which is lost. He came into the world not to condemn it but to save it. The Word of God establishes clearly that the wages of sin is death; that did not change the outcome for the woman who was already headed for judgment. Jesus simply presented a truth that was superior to and superseded judgment, and that was grace - where sin abounds, grace abounds even more.
When He said, “I no longer call you servants, but friends”, it did not mean that we would now cease to serve Him. He built on the truth that we do serve Him but the truth of friendship and the intimacy of our relationship with Him superseded the perspective of servanthood and instead of serving for favour, we now serve from favour.
When He gave the Word for people to “rest”, He deliberately instituted it within the 10 commandments such that they would have to incorporate it within their lifestyle. When the religious leaders established man-made laws around the command to “rest”, Jesus addressed the fact that the Sabbath (which literally means “rest”) was made for man and not man for the Sabbath, He was saying that whatever that was instituted by religion would not bring rest but instead, a burden which yoked people to a state of “un-rest”. To “rest” means “not do any employed gainful work”. This definition has never changed and never will.
Likewise, when it comes to establishing His house, He will take the approach of building upon what He has built in the past. The key to building generationally is for us to identify what He has established previously and to seek fresh revelation on how we can continue building upon those areas. Let’s seek the Lord and contend earnestly for revelation from which we can build His house!
Jason
Dr A R Bernard on spouses growing in a marriage -
What happens if husband and wife are not equally yoked; they?re on different spiritual levels?
Whoever is the more mature must pray for guidance on how to help the other one grow. And also understand that where a person is mature in the knowledge of God and have skills in the Word, maybe the spouse is more mature in other areas, has skills in other areas. So there must be that appreciation.
Also?without getting into a marriage seminar?there is no model for marriage. There?s no one-size-fits-all model for marriage. Every person is uniquely different. We can learn from other models what works for us as a couple. Often we try to fit every marriage relationship into that one model and it doesn?t work. If the husband is an introvert and the wife is an extrovert, the tendency is for the wife to try to fit the husband into the model??We gotta pray together every morning at 6am, we gotta go and visit Christians!??when all he wants to do is be home with the kids, and she thinks he?s not spiritual. That?s why it?s important that the church doesn?t give models to the church that are unrealistic. But you do give them tools. When Israel went into the Promised Land, they weren?t mature, but they had all the tools to mature. The church, we give all the tools to be successful in what they do.
