Disciples

Editor: David Maas
{TO FOLLOW JESUS - POUR SUIVRE JÉSUS}

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{FRANÇAIS}
  1. Aime ton Ennemi - (La façon dont nous répondons à l'hostilité et à la persécution démontre si nous sommes des disciples du Christ et quel royaume nous servons) - {Télécharger le PDF}
  2. Allégeance à qui? - (Seul le Royaume de Dieu prévaudra et durera éternellement. Tous les autres pouvoirs politiques sont transitoires. Déjà ils décèdent) - {Télécharger le PDF}
  3. Christ ou César? - (Jésus a refusé le pouvoir politique de Rome lorsque Satan l'a offert. Alors, pourquoi insistons-nous pour chercher la chose même que notre Maître a rejetée?) - {Télécharger le PDF}

{TO FOLLOW HIM}
  1. Following the Lamb - {PDF Copy} - (The Messiah of Israel submitted to the way of the Cross and now summons us to follow his example in our daily lives)
  2. His Path - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus proclaimed a very different political reality, the Kingdom of God, one that bears little resemblance to the governments of this evil age)
  3. Allegiance to whom? - {PDF Copy} - (Only God’s Kingdom will prevail and endure forever. All other political powers are transitory. Already they are passing away)
  4. His Cruciform Path - {PDF Copy} - (To follow Jesus requires a lifetime of self-denial and sacrificial service for others and a willingness to lose everything for the Gospel)
  5. His Exceptional Kingdom - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus proclaimed a unique political reality, the Kingdom of God, one that differs radically from the governments and ideologies of this present age)
  6. Overflowing Righteousness - {PDF Copy} - (Mercy and love are the defining characteristics of the followers of Jesus, and they reflect the nature of his Father – Matthew 5:43-48)
  7. My Cup and My Baptism - {PDF Copy} - (His disciples are called to self-sacrificial service for others just as Jesus gave his life to ransom many from sin’s bondage)
  8. Counting the Cost - {PDF Copy} - (To be the disciple of Jesus one must take up the cross and follow in his footsteps, even if it results in rejection, impoverishment, or death - Mark 6:7-30)
  9. Christ or Caesar - {PDF Copy} - (Humanity is divided into two, and only two groups, the followers of the Lamb and the devotees of the Imperial Beast)
  10. True Greatness - {PDF Copy} - (As his disciples, we are called to engage in self-sacrificial service for others just as Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many – Mark 10:35-45)
  11. The Imperative of the Cross - {PDF Copy} - (Christ Crucified is the example we are summoned to follow daily, and it is the test of the genuine Apostolic Faith and true spirituality)
  12. My Way or His Cross - {PDF Copy} - (Following Jesus means a life of self-denial and service, and a willingness to suffer persecution and loss for his sake)
  13. The Narrow Road - {PDF Copy} - (Following Jesus requires a lifetime of self-denial, sacrificial service for his kingdom, and a willingness to lose everything for his message)
  14. The Mind of Christ - {PDF Copy} - (The submission of Jesus to an unjust death becomes the paradigm for the love and service to others that disciples are summoned to manifest)
  15. On the Cruciform Road - {PDF Copy} - (On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus explained his Messianic Mission and inevitable death at the hands of his enemies - Mark 8:27-38)
  16. The Suffering Servant - {PDF Copy} - (Paul summoned believers to adopt the same mind that Jesus had when he poured out his life unto death for others – Philippians 2:5-11)
  17. Handed over to Death - {PDF Copy} - (Following Jesus means living a self-sacrificial life of service to others, especially to the weak and the insignificant)
  18. Embracing the Cross - {PDF Copy} - (To be the Messiah of Israel meant suffering and death for others, and Jesus summoned his disciples to follow that same path – Mark 8:31)
  19. God's Power and Wisdom - {PDF Copy} - (The power and wisdom of God are revealed in the proclamation of the Messiah who was crucified by the Roman Empire)
  20. Servant or Caesar? - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus rejected Satan’s offer of unlimited political power and instead chose the way of the Suffering Servant - Matthew 4:8-11)
  21. Slave of His Kingdom - {PDF Copy} - (To be a citizen of the kingdom of God requires a life of self-sacrificial service for others, not power over them – Mark 10:35-45)
  22. Sanctified Wholly - {PDF Copy} - (Considering the future arrival of Jesus, Paul summons the Assembly to become sanctified completely by that Day – 1 Thessalonians 5:23)
  23. Preach the Gospel! - {PDF Copy} - (The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Good News of God’s Kingdom and Salvation to all Nations until the moment Jesus returns – Matthew 24:14)
  24. "I Never Knew You!" - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus claimed absolute authority for his words. Disciples who ignore them risk his rejection and exclusion from God’s Kingdom – Matthew 7:21-28)
  25. Golgotha or Rome - (Jesus refused the political power of Rome when Satan offered it. So, why do we insist on seeking the very thing our Master rejected?) - {PDF Copy}
  26. Idolizing the Beast - (The Empire’s propagandists encourage men and women to give allegiance and veneration to the Emperor, the Beast from the Sea) - {PDF Copy}

{SUFFERING}
  1. "Rejoice and Exult!" - {PDF Copy} - (When disciples are persecuted for their faith, they should rejoice for being accounted worthy to suffer for Jesus and his Kingdom)
  2. Suffering for Him - {PDF Copy} - (To follow Jesus requires the willingness to suffer for his sake, and enduring persecution is the highest honor imaginable in his Kingdom)
  3. Though He Slays Me - {PDF Copy} - (“Though He slays me yet will I trust in him, and I will maintain my ways before him” – Job 13:15)
  4. Appointed for Tribulation - {PDF Copy} - (The disciple who faithfully bears witness to the Gospel and Jesus will endure tribulation and persecution for his sake)
  5. Tribulation and Endurance - {PDF Copy} - (Exiled on Patmos, John is a fellow participant in the tribulation, the kingdom, and the endurance that are in Jesus – Revelation 1:9)
  6. Tribulation vs Wrath - {PDF Copy} - (Disciples escape God’s wrath, but they endure tribulation, and the Assembly has been appointed to tribulation – 1 Thessalonians 3:1-4)
  7. Summons to Persevere - {PDF Copy} - (Through a series of seven beatitudes, Revelation summons believers to faithfulness despite hostility and persecution)
  8. His Faithful Witnesses - {PDF Copy} - (In the Book of Revelation, overcoming saints persevere in their testimony for Jesus whatever the cost, even a martyr’s death)
  9. Expect Tribulation - {PDF Copy} - (The New Testament teaches followers of Jesus to expect persecution and suffering, and this is especially so in the Book of Revelation)
  10. Mercy, not Sacrifice - {PDF Copy} - (Forgiveness links the call of the tax collector to the healing of the paralytic - the Son of Man’s authority to discharge sins and restore men – Mark 2:13-17)

{OPPOSITION}
  1. The Ancient Régime - {PDF Copy} - (The Beast of Revelation embodies the ancient imperial power that has stalked the saints since the Tower of Babel incident)
    2. The Dragon's War - {PDF Copy} - (Satan attacks the Lamb by persecuting his followers, the saints who have the Testimony of Jesus)
  2. The Ascending Beast - {PDF Copy} - (To identify the Antichrist, we must understand what the relevant scriptures say about him, his methods, and his agenda)
  3. The Beast Goes to War - {PDF Copy} - (In Revelation, the language of war is used metaphorically to describe the persecution of believers by the Beast from the Sea)
  4. Spiritual Warfare - {PDF Copy} - (Disciples wage spiritual warfare with Satan through right conduct, acts of love and mercy, and by proclaiming the Gospel)
  5. The Antichrist Spirit - {PDF Copy} - (The Spirit of the Antichrist works to destroy the church from within through deception propagated by false teachers and false prophets – 1 John 2:18-22)
  6. Antichrists in the Assembly - {PDF Copy} - (Throughout the present age, the Church is being plagued by deceivers from within who are sent to destroy the Body of Christ)
  7. The Persecuting Beast - {PDF Copy} - (The Dragon and his earthly vassals wage war against the saints, the followers of the Lamb, and not against other nation-states)
  8. Disciples and the State - {PDF Copy} - (Paul instructed believers living in the Roman Empire not to resist the government since its authority is arranged by God – Romans 13:1-8)
  9. The Great Cosmic Conflict - {PDF Copy} - (Throughout this age, Satan and his minions are waging an all-out cosmic war against the saints that will culminate in Armageddon)
  10. Love your Enemy - {PDF Copy} - (When we react to hostility with hostility, whether by government, society, or individuals, Satan triumphs)

Steep Trail - Photo by Ashim D’Silva on Unsplash
[Steep Trail by Ashim D’Silva on Unsplash]

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