First Things First
Hello my precious Beloved Family!
My hearts desire for you is that you are deeply and passionately experiencing the true and coming realities of this Great Awakening of which we have been blessed to be an intricate part.
The development of these things from the Father’s heart for our world come with a weightiness for those of us who have committed ourselves to the high truths of the King and His Kingdom. There are so many necessary components to this new course for humanity that you and I will need to have deep reverence for. This is why you have heard the language of, “discipleship,” leap from my heart and lips so often over the many years of proclaiming this message of the Finished Work of the Cross. It is getting more and more tangible everyday, and I can sense the urgency of Heaven on this committed identity. It is of great value to the Kingdom for one to authentically and honestly declare that they are a disciple.
I have been meditating on this quite often as of late because it is the disciples that changed the world. Obviously, all of the believers were absolutely entwined with that process, but it was impassioned and guided by those deeply submitted and faithful few that the Great Commission was first declared unto. From that rag-tag group of unqualified and unlikely eleven who struggled with ignorance, contention, carnality, and immaturity… billions of people have been radically changed and continue to be changed still.
The reason the vast majority of believers shy away from and even avoid authentic discipleship is because it is challenging, uncomfortable, and contrary to society’s narrative of living for one’s self. I get it… the Father gets it… but it does not change the Spiritual reality of what needs to be done for this world to experience what our Lord and Savior purchased in His own precious blood. It is such an impossible size and dynamic calling that the only way it could be accomplished is through the indwelling presence of the comforting Holy Spirit. He is the assigned, Divine person who makes the scriptures come alive and creates the opportunity for our hearts to be softened to the leadership of others that are gifted to us from the Lord.
I would like to challenge all of us to look at how this took on actionability in the scriptures; to allow our belief systems to be challenged and changed. I would like to point out just a few for us to meditate on together:
Mark 3:13-14
And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth [unto him] whom he would: and they came unto him. And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach.
One of my favorite parts of this is the phrase, “that they should be WITH Him.” This is a VITAL part of discipleship. There is no short cut, no microwave, no drive-through version of this legitimate requirement for being a person that the Lord can depend upon. This is why I am so fervent about presiding over a CULTURE of Koinonia here at Beloved. The average church does not have a zealous passion for fellowship and unity like we have. I do not say this arrogantly, but humbly because it was the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in my eyes. In the lives of the people that I have been honored to disciple, lead, and develop, it is a perceptible reality that the ones who are truly and submissively willing to just be in the place of training, there are amazing things that take place organically.
The simple definition of a disciple is a, “trained one, who is being trained… a learned one who is learning… a matured one who is maturing…” It is an eternal process that is willingly allowed to grow and grow through intimacy, correction, revelation, transparency, and excitement. It is not a meeting… a moment… something to mull over… or a church service. It is a committed life and heart that will exit the trajectory they are on and chart a whole new, unknown, and somewhat tenuous path. But that golden road has a TON of adventure, blessing, and joy!
The next verse, fifteen, is what many folks get their spiritual juices excited about:
And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils
This is what many want to see in their lives: the actual powerful displays of God’s divinity playing out in their lives. We all desire to see the miraculous manifest in our circumstances, our families, our finances, our health, and our region. This has been a leading impetus in my life for many decades. Yet, verse fifteen FOLLOWS verse fourteen. Being WITH Him, and the ones He has placed in my life (our life) is the necessary precursor to the miraculous fruit of verse fifteen. This cannot be bypassed. These twelve had to forsake all and follow after Him. Jesus was an, “all or nothing,” kinda leader. Not to take away from the ones that come, but rather to add massive benefits to them!
Beloved, I pray that you are fanatically yielded to the still small voice of your Good Shepherd who wants to ALWAYS lead you beside still waters and into green pastures. It is the focus of my life and ministry. I have not always been perfect at it, but I have been committed and faithful to it and ALL the other ways are ignorant, comparatively. Take it from a guy who has messed up nearly everything he could… The Best Is Yet To Come!
I love you ALL greatly!
Steve
