HIS HEART SONG Part 21
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HIS HEART SONG…Part 21 “Radical Discipleship….the ONLY Way”
The bride has grown from an immature maiden that was concerned with only her desires and her wishes ….into a beautiful masterpiece, mature, and sealed with the very fire of God.
She now knows WHO she is in Christ because she knows WHOSE she is!
She lives her life in radical OBEDIENCE to Him…she shows us that in the previous verses when He asked her to set Him like a seal upon her heart and arms…He asked her to let every thought or decision she made to be made with Him…let Him have CONTROL of her mind, will, and emotions… let everything you do be done in Him…get His approval before you move or act..
She must have said a DEFINITELY YES to this urgent request…or we wouldn’t have the rest of this chapter!!!
The next two verses are such a beautiful thing…we see the bride interceding for “her sister”…which means she is interceding for the ones in Christ that are still immature in their faith…she is interceding for THE CHURCH!
Let’s read both of the verses…then dissect them…
Song of Songs 8:8-9 “We have a little sister, and she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister in the day when she is spoken for? If she is a wall, we will build upon her a battlement of silver; and if she is a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar.”
Remember now…the bride has just had that SEAL OF LOVE renewed in her heart…
So she is ever so aware of what the desires are of her Beloved….to love Him and love others…
She is concerned about the others that are still babies in Christ. They belong to Him…but the maturity hasn’t happened yet in her “little sister”/
Notice also that she says “WE have a little sister”…not “I” but “we”….everything she does now is with HIM…all ministry that happens, happens with HIM right there with her
She is working TOGETHER, WITH Him
She knows that He loves their little sister just as much as He loves her…He LONGS for her…He LONGS for her to mature also
Another thing that she understood….she understood that the immature believers are HER RESPONSIBILITY!!!!!
EX: Joann and Sam…they have “got this”…they have a heart to see the immature believers, the young or new believers, grow in the things of God…so much so, that they developed a class especially for them in order to get some very basic TRUTH into them… It’s OUR JOB as the bride to disciple young believers to guide them and to encourage them…
DID YOU KNOW…that if you consider yourself a “mature” believer…then, when you come to church…you should act like one!???....What I mean is… come in the door LOOKING for new believers or guests….talk to them and visit with them…encourage them…pray with them…get to know them and where they are in their walk with Jesus…it’s not a time for us to sit around in our little groups of people we know and have known for a million years….we have GOT to see beyond that….actually, if the SEAL is on your heart and arm…then you will WANT to reach out to others!
If we don’t reach out to these “young ones”….they get very discouraged very fast…they get all caught up in peer pressure and all kind of other messes….EX: they go and hang out with their drug buddies again….they go find their “old” friends who want nothing more than to see them fail at living for Jesus
Did you notice that she said the little sister was FLAT!!!!....NO BREASTS!!!!
Remember that BREASTS symbolize FAITH and LOVE….and she apparently has ‘none of the above’!....that is a very dangerous thing…to be FLAT…in a world that wants your destruction!
Little Sister is just a spiritual babe! There is no way she is even KINDA capable of nourishing anyone else…she is so caught up in her own issues… she is totally focused on HERSELF… Don’t you know that the bride remembers when she was at that stage??!!! When it was all about “her” and what she desired….
She is not mad or offended at the little sister…she truly has a heart for her and wants to help her!
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
She is interceding for her little sister, the Church, by asking for her Beloved’s help. She says “What shall WE do for OUR sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?”
She has a deep desire to help these younger Christians…she knows that there are many things that are pulling on them, wanting their attention… from old friends, to movies, to hobbies, to money, jobs, all kinds of things……..but the bride feels RESPONSIBLE for them….she is acting like a mother hen…or like a PASTOR or a PARENT would act….
A very important sign as to whether you are a mature believer or not is: ARE YOU CONCERNED WITH OTHERS????...do you really care about the spiritual conditions of others….it’s not enough for YOU to ‘go deep’…you have to bring others with you!!!!
We are supposed to partner with Jesus in caring for these young believers… so that they will be ready “when they are spoken for”…on their WEDDING DAY… As she intercedes for her little sister…she talks about two possibilities…she is trying to determine if she is a WALL or a DOOR
Song of Songs 8:9 “If she is a WALL, we will build upon her a battlement of silver; and if she is a DOOR, we will enclose her with boards of cedar.”
She is trying to figure out what her little sister’s spiritual gifting is…a WALL or a DOOR
We all have gifting…
Ephesians 4:15-16 “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
Did you know that Titus even tells us what we are supposed to teach other believers…?
Titus 2:1-10 What Must Be Taught to Various Groups 1”You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self- controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. 6Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. 9Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, 10and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. “ So…here we find our mature bride asking her Beloved for DISCERNMENT as to what the gifting is of the little sister so that she can begin to teach and train her to use her gifts…
NOTICE THIS: It has taken the last 8 chapters for our bride to become mature enough to take this task on….8 chapters of learning and growing and failing and growing some more before she was mature enough to take on the task of nurturing other believers…
There is something to this maturity thing…only when you are SEALED with the FIRE OF LOVE are you really ready for this step.
HE has to be your ONE and ONLY before you are really able and equipped to mentor others…
That may seem a little RADICAL of a statement to make…but there is a Scripture that says…
1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." EX: Pretend that I am a new Christian…I am excited about my new life, I want to tell everyone about Jesus and what He has done for me….all of these things are WONDERFUL and GOOD…..BUT…unless I am being mentored by someone who is wiser and more mature…what ends up happening (a lot of the time) is that “me” the new Christian continues to hang out with their “old crowd”, hanging with people who are impure in their lives, who have opinions that don’t line up with the Word…and because there hasn’t been any “testing of their faith to develop perseverance” ….I would end up reverting back to ‘old ways and old habits’…all the while, thinking that I am helping others…when I’m being sucked right back in to the old life
AN F.Y.I. SIDENOTE…..If you are a new or baby Christian and for some reason there is a reason that you have to associate with the “old crowd”… then by all means…ONLY do it if you are taking someone along that is SEALED! Someone that is much more mature than you are…after all, even Jesus sent out the disciples TWO BY TWO…do not even attempt it alone
The bride is MATURE now…she knows that this is what can happen and she wants to help her LITTLE SISTER mature so that she is strong in her faith, so that she grows breasts of FAITH and LOVE!
Young believers need to grow spiritually….they have to watch others who are deeply in love with the Lord…Satan loves nothing more than to derail young believers…
The Bride is saying that she will work with Jesus in response to whatever the call is on the little sister’s life…she goes on to say… “…if she is a WALL, WE will build upon her a BATTLEMENT of silver…”
If she is a WALL…..that means, she is a WATCHMAN…a protector to protect the people from the enemy. ..she would be on the lookout for the schemes so that even the subtle attacks that the enemy sends would be revealed. There are lots of pressures if you are a WALL…when the enemy shoots off his fiery darts, the WALL protects.
If you are a WALL…then your foundation better be extremely SOLID! She must be very careful what she builds on her foundation.
Not only is it our responsibility to TELL new believers how to do this…but to also SHOW them how by being a LIVING EXAMPLE….we have to show how to praise and pray and study the Word and how to be kind when others are mean to them…and, as this next verse tells us, we gotta show them ‘how to depart from iniquity’ (meaning how to turn from evil!)
2 Timothy 2:19 “Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows them that are his. And, Let everyone that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
Check out the wording she used…she said “WE WILL BUILD”…meaning she realized that it was HER JOB to work with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to build this battlement…..it would be God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit ministering THROUGH HER
It’s just what happened in 1 Corinthians… 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
It’s all about GOD receiving all the glory when you are mentoring someone…it is definitely not about us…He works THROUGH us…
How do we know what to show them?...we look to our example…JESUS!!! He showed us how to follow the orders of His Father…He loves His Father and was so happy to OBEY Him...Jesus was SUBMISSIVE to His Father… that’s a HUGE thing that we need to TEACH and SHOW new believers…
Just like it says in 1 Peter…
1 Peter 5:6-11 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
So……………….according to these verses..we need to TEACH and SHOW new believers how to walk humbly, casting our cares on Him, being self- controlled and alert, resisting the enemy while standing firm, and be aware that we WILL suffer as we stand for Him (do you know how MUCH it would help new believers to KNOW that they WILL have to suffer in ways…it’s not all roses and gumdrops!!!!)
How many “little sisters” are out there watching us!!!???....do they see any fruit from our lives…do they hear us speak out the Word to defeat the enemy?....WHAT ARE THEY SEEING!!!???
A BATTLEMENT OF SILVER….a battlement is ‘cut-outs’ built on top of a wall with openings in it for looking out for the enemy and for defending against the enemy (SHOW PIC)
She is asking if she is to be a battlement…which would be a ministry of protection to others…
Battlements were made of stone, not silver…but here, they were to be made of SILVER…symbolizing REDEMPTION
How can the bride help this battlement to be built????....by spending TIME with the little sister, by praying specific Scriptures over her, by doing spiritual warfare over her, by allowing her to see what a mature believer acts like and talks like and does…by simply living out her life in Jesus and praying that the little sister will IMITATE her!
Can you see how IMPORTANT it is to live out what you say you believe!!!???...others are watching and learning from every little thing you do and say! O MY!!! Others are watching how you react to situations, how you react to what other people say about you, they are watching to see if you are kind or ugly to that person….do you worship?...do you pray?....do you help others?.....
The SILVER that symbolizes REDEMPTION…the little sister must be TAUGHT to never forget that her whole spiritual foundation is based on this SILVER! (remember the bride said “WE must build”)
1 Corinthians 3:11 “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ”
She must be taught that every action, and attitude, and every decision that she makes HAS TO BE made from the foundation of JESUS
She can never forget the cost that He paid for REDEMPTION!!!! It is super important for young believers to continuously remember this and to be taught the depths that Jesus went to in order to pay the price for our redemption. …the more they are reminded of this, the more they will think of this, the deeper it will sink into their spirit then…the more likely they will remain FAITHFUL and LOYAL to Him
If she is a DOOR…a door is a ‘point of entry’ for others…this would mean that she is an INTERCESSOR (opening the door of opportunity for others), EVANGELIST (opening the door for unbelievers to come to Jesus), TEACHER (opening the door for others to go deeper in God), would she be a door that others go through in order to have their hurts healed…would she be an encouragement for them to receive healing or strength??… Is she able to see these things followed out in our lives?...we are supposed to be EXAMPLES!
1 Corinthians 11:1 “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
As she is asking for discernment…she says”…and if she is a door, WE will enclose her with boards of cedar.”
CEDAR….we’ve talked about that type of wood before…Cedar is a type of EVERGREEN TREE…Cedar comes from the Hebrew word that means “to be firm”…cedar is very strong wood…it grows very tall (stately)…it is rot- resistant and knot free…cedar was used a lot in the building of the temple by Solomon….
SCIENCE FACT: The fragrance of the cedar is offensive to insects! HOW COOL IS THAT! (if our fragrance is really like a cedar…then insects (the enemy) WILL FLEE!!!!)
A door is really no good without a wall….that’s why she is enclosed with boards…when boards are connected together…they are very STABLE…
These BOARDS symbolize other believers…believers that are FIRM and STRONG and TALL in their faith….if the little sister is a DOOR and she is enclosed with these other STRONG believers…she is more likely to also stay strong in her faith
Some other characteristics of CEDARS according to Scriptures: The cedar is a type of the Christian, being evergreen, beautiful, aromatic, wide spreading, slow growing, long lived, and having many uses
They are Planted by God. (as we are to be) Psalms 104:16 The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;
Isaiah 41:19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together:
They are Made to glorify God. (as we are)
Psalms 148:9 Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
They grow best when planted beside WATER (as we do by the water of the WORD!)
Numbers 24:6 As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river's side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters.
DESCRIBED AS o Tall and Spreading
Psalms 80:10-11 The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.
o Fragrant.
Song of Solomon 4:11 Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
o Graceful and beautiful.
Ezekiel 17:23 In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. o Strong and durable.
Isaiah 9:10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.
ILLUSTRATIVE OF o Majesty, strength, and glory of Christ.
Song of Solomon 5:15 His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
o Saints in their rapid growth.
Psalms 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
. So you can see….if we are gonna be the boards of CEDAR that surround the little sister…we have a lot to live up too!!!! It is going to be the FRAGRANCE of JESUS…HIS strength…that flows out of us…HE is working THROUGH us to disciple the little sister
WOOD is always a symbol on HUMANITY…JESUS is the CEDAR of Lebanon..He is reliable, strong, His gift to us was incredibly expensive (as cedar is), His life was poured out as fragrance for us(as cedar is very fragrant)
So…to be ENCLOSED with the CEDARS of Lebanon is to be clothes with the character and presence of Jesus…
Romans 13:14 “PUT ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST…”
So………………………with all this said…. Jesus wants us to love others like He loves others….the HIGHEST EXPRESSION of love that we can give to Him and to others is OBEDIENCE to Him!
He said John 14:15 “If you love Me, OBEY Me.”
That is actually how other people will know that we are His disciples…
John 13:35 “ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
John 15:12-14 “This is my commandment, That you love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you.”
One of the things he commanded us to do was to GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES…
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”
That is one of our main jobs that Jesus left for us to do…
DEFINITION OF DISCIPLE: a follower, a pupil, a student, a scholar of a particular person or idea
So….our job is to make STUDENTS…..there is a difference between just being a BELIEVER and a STUDENT Definition of BELIEVER: to think or trust that something is true
All disciples are believers, but not all believers are disciples.
Believers worship God on Sundays, Disciples worship God all the time
Believers belong to an institution, Disciples are members of the Body of Christ
Believers wait for bread and fish, Disciples are fishermen
Believers fight to grow, Disciples reproduce themselves
Believers are won; Disciples are made
The believer sustains his life with spiritual milk (Heb 5:12), The disciple is weaned to serve. (1 Samuel 1:23,24) His food is solid as he grows in maturity Believers are pleased by flattery, Disciples by living sacrifices
Believers give some of their earnings, Disciples give their lives
Believers can fall into routine, Disciples are revolutionary
Believers look for encouragement when weak, Disciples know like Paul that "When I am weak, then I am strong"
Believers wait for tasks to be assigned to them, Disciples take ownership in assuming responsibilities
Believers sometimes question in protest, Disciples obey and deny themselves Believers are conditioned by circumstances, Disciples take advantage of circumstances to exercise faith
Believers complain they aren’t visited, The disciple visits
The believer looks to the Word for promises in life, The disciple looks to fulfill his part in the promises of the Word The believer’s union with the Holy Spirit is his confirmation for Heaven, The disciple’s union with the Spirit makes him the vehicle of effective witness to all creatures
Believers add, Disciples multiply
The believers of the 21st century are upset by the world; The disciples of the primitive church upset the world
Believers wait for miracles, Disciples are the miracles of their congregations
Believer know how to save, Disciples know how to invest
Believers fill the church building, Disciples conquer the world
Believers make habits, Disciples break the mold Believers dream about the ideal church, Disciples work for the real church
The goal of the believer is to gain Heaven, The goal of the disciple is to gain souls for Heaven The mature believer becomes a disciple, The mature disciple assumes the ministries of the Body
Believers need campaigns for encouragement, Disciples are on a campaign because they are encouraged
Believers wait for a revival, Disciples are part of the revival.
The believer agonizes and resists dying to self, The disciple dies and is made alive again to give life
The believer is promised a pillow, The disciple a cross
Believers get entangled in the world, Disciples surpass the skirmishes of the devil and don’t allow confusion to set in
Believers say “hopefully”, Disciples say “Here I am”
Believers shares their faith, Disciples make disciples
Believers wait for compensation to give, Disciples are compensated when they give The believer is shepherded like an ewe, The disciple feeds the sheep
Believers only received salvation by the cross of Christ, Disciples also carry their cross daily and follow Christ
Believers hope people pray for them, Disciples are intercessors who stand in the gap in support of others
Believers congregate to find the Lord, Disciples attract the presence of the Spirit of the Lord
Believers continue to try to clean themselves to be worthy of God, Disciples don’t obsess about themselves, working from a faith that Christ has cleansed them thoroughly
The legacy of the believer is: “I do to be”, The legacy of the disciple is: “I am therefore I do”
Believers need the scriptures interpreted, Disciples know the Lord and therefore they have wisdom and discernment
Believers hope for a perfect world, Disciples wait for the arrival of their Savior to reach perfection And you, who are you? Who do you identify with? In Luke 14…Jesus is about to make His crowd of “believers” much smaller… they are about to go from a huge crowd that just wants to be fed by Him and to see miracles…to a much smaller crowd because He is about to tell them what it costs to be a DISCIPLE…it wasn’t a very popular thing…He told them they had to lay down their LIFE…
Luke 14:25-35 “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
There is NO SUCH THING as an instant “student” or an INSTANT disciple…it takes TIME and STUDY and DISCIPLINE
Some people think discipleship is INSTANT…you just take a believer and get him baptized and then POOF…you have a fully-devoted follower of Jesus…a real disciple…..BUT…that’s not how it works… Discipleship always includes DISCIPLINE….but discipline doesn’t necessarily make you a disciple….
For example…how many people do you know that have been to every single Bible study that the church offers… but they never allow the Word to change their lives….(they are disciplined to come to church or to a Bible study…but not yet disciples, because they don’t apply anything they are learning!)
But we, as spiritual leaders, as the mature BRIDE…we must help people become disciples through their disciplines.
GOOD NEWS…Jesus showed us how to do that!
Jesus TOLD His disciples to follow Him WHILE He SHOWED them how to follow God…
Paul even followed Jesus’ example when he said, in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”
If you are gonna IMITATE someone…you gotta spend some TIME with them…
Mark 3:14 “Then He appointed twelve, that they might BE WITH HIM and that He might send them out to preach.”
How would the Bride disciple or build a wall around her little sister without spending any TIME with her…building a wall TAKES TIME Jesus also FREQUENTLY taught His disciples Scripture and SHOWED them how to minister to others…He showed them how to live….just like we are told to do in Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy 6:7 “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
Jesus protected His disciples from the wolves…He didn’t send any disciple out until they were FULLY TRAINED and MATURE…even then…He didn’t send them out alone…He sent them out with other MATURE Christians because there were “wolves” around wanting to kill them!
Luke 10:1 “After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them TWO BY TWO before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. (3) Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among WOLVES.”
EX: Have you heard young Christians say things like “God is sending me back into my old crowd to share Jesus with them”…..NOT ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE HE ISN’T…..that is a sure fire way for a new Christian to fall back into their old ways…. According to Scripture, He wouldn’t even have sent them out with another “new” Christian….remember the Scripture from earlier…”bad company corrupts good character”….that Scripture isn’t a Proverb by accident…it is TRUTH!!!
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We, the Bride of Christ, have GOT TO GET the fact that it is our CALLING to disciple others… It will take our time, our energy, maybe even some of our money…it will actually cost our very LIVES….but we HAVE to do it!
Listen to John 15:16-17 from the Amplified Bible…
John 15:16-17 “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide], so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as presenting all that I AM], He may give it to you. This is what I command you: that you love one another."
We HAVE to partner with the Holy Spirit …just like the bride is doing in Song of Song 8…..we have to work with Him to build a strong foundation in those that we are discipling….it could even be that we let God uses us to help remove whatever false foundation had been built up in them…
Galatians 6:9-10 "And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint. So then, as occasion and opportunity open up to us, let us do good [morally] to all people [not only being useful or profitable to them, but also doing what is for their spiritual good and advantage]. Be mindful to be a blessing, especially to those of the household of faith [those who belong to God's family with you, the believers]."
This is much easier said than done…because of our FLESH….what does our flesh want???...it wants to be recognized…it wants others to say what an awesome thing we are doing by helping others…but we are supposed to be HUMBLE and MEEK…not wanting the glory for ourselves…
Romans 15:2-4 "Let each one of us make it a practice to please (make happy) his neighbor for his good and for his true welfare, to edify him [to strengthen him and build him up spiritually]. For Christ did not please Himself [gave no thought to His own interests]; but, as it is written, the reproaches and abuses of those who reproached and abused you fell on Me"
Who sees what you do?... Who sees the countless hours of intercession you go through for others?...Who sees the billions of thankless tasks you have done in love?...Who sees the hours you have spent encouraging others, teaching them, guiding them, being an example to them, meeting their physical needs…Who sees how hard it is for you when you have to chisel away some of their false foundations and all you get form that is rejection and mean words?...Who sees the time and energy you put in on these people every single day?....GOD SEES IT…..and if you think about it… HE HAS DONE NO LESS FOR US!
Galatians 6:9 “So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.”
BUT….be prepared to pay the full price…be prepared to suffer and sacrifice…be prepared to be ignored, misunderstood, and rejected…be prepared to fail in some instances…be prepared to be sent to the far ends of the earth (like even to Port Arthur!)…all to just disciple ONE person who is just as dear and precious to God’s heart as you are…be willing to disciple ONE just as you would disciple MILLIONS…
Be prepared to play a “hidden” or small role in discipling another person
Be prepared to listen, to share, to laugh, to cry, to teach, to learn, to correct or rebuke, to encourage or uplift, to forgive and to be forgiven, to pray and to grow with those people that fall within your sphere of influence…..be prepared to be FAITHFUL to JESUS as you do what He did….
He tells us how to LIVE AS CHILDREN AS LIGHT… Ephesians 4:12-17 “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 1until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. “
So….the question of the day is…..are you a fully devoted DISCIPLE of Jesus….as the mature Bride is called to be…???