29/03/2015 - PRIVILEGES OF BEING A DISCIPLE

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He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  Matthew 13:11-12

The disciples of Jesus are the only ones who can know the truth. Someone may spend hours praying, asking God to show him the way, but if he doesn’t become a disciple of Jesus, he will never find salvation, which is Christ himself. It’s clear in the Scriptures and it won’t change. He who rejects the Word of God and the rebirth through water and the Spirit will not even see the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus said that kings, priests, prophets and others who served the Lord with integrity of heart desired to know the mysteries of the kingdom, but they could not. However, there are people who exchange the teachings of the Most High for a few silver coins, as Judas Iscariot did (Matthew 26:14-15); for loving the world, as did Demas (II Timothy 4:10), and for a lie, as did Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-10). What is the eternal destiny of those people? Were their choices worth it?

Those who have heard God’s voice and converted but don’t abide in the words of Jesus are not qualified to know or to enjoy the holy mysteries. The woes they will go through in this life or when they leave for eternity will be great. The punishment of those who despise the Word after being born again will be worse than that of those who heard the Gospel message and rejected it.

In the spiritual life one of the secrets is to keep the ministry of the Lord. If the saved fulfill them, they will receive more. So by not wasting the opportunities given by the Most High, the Christian is blessed. The more assignments they receive from the Almighty and accomplish them, the more they will get. Now, those who haven’t received more from God should examine themselves to check whether they have accomplished the mission they’ve been assigned.

We can infer from the promise we are studying, uttered by Jesus’ lips, that the Lord doesn’t take His eyes from the ones He assigns with a mission. By fulfilling their task they receive even more, and therefore they have it in abundance. This promise works for all who have some ability to do God’s work. God rewards everyone who is dedicated to accomplish what He has commanded.

He who despises what they were taught act very badly; after all, the Most High cast His eyes upon their life and did what was necessary for them to get rid of the evil attacks. The Lord also pointed out the problems that would befall them. However, in their foolishness, they opted not to believe in God. As a result, even what they think they have will be taken from them. The right thing to do is to always be obedient.

The conclusion is that it’s worth being a disciple of the Master. Those who hold fast to what has been given to them are accepted. For them, there’s plenty of enlightenment, protection and help from the Most High. So, believe and obey all the orders that you have received from the Lord.

In Christ with love,

R. R. Soares