Discipleship
{EMULATING JESUS}
[Click on the title below to open an article]
{TO FOLLOW HIM}
- To Follow the Lamb - {PDF Copy} - (The Messiah of Israel submitted to the way of the Cross and summoned his disciples to follow his example in their lives)
- The Imperative of the Cross - {PDF Copy} - (Christ crucified is the pattern disciples of Jesus are summoned to follow and emulate, and the test of the genuine apostolic faith)
- His Path - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus proclaimed a new political reality, the Kingdom of God, one that bears little resemblance to the political systems of this age)
- My Way or His Cross - {PDF Copy} - (To follow Jesus necessitates a life of self-denial, a willingness to suffer persecution for him, and to selflessly serve others)
- Mercy is Paramount - {PDF Copy} - (Mercy and love are defining characteristics of his disciples and reflect the true nature of his Father – Matthew 5:43-48)
- The Way of the Cross - {PDF Copy} - (To follow Jesus wherever he goes necessitates a lifetime of self-denial and sacrificial service for others and a willingness to lose all for the Gospel)
- 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)
- On the Way - {PDF Copy} - (On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus explains to his disciples just what it means to be the Messiah of Israel)
- The Suffering Servant - {PDF Copy} - (Disciples are summoned to adopt the same mind that Jesus had when he poured out his life unto death for the sake of others)
- Ransom for Many - {PDF Copy} - (His disciple is called to engage in self-sacrificial service for others just as Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many – Mark 10:35-45)
- Discipleship - {PDF Copy} - (To be the disciple of Jesus means living a life of self-sacrificial service to others, especially to the weak and the insignificant)
- 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)
- True Power and Wisdom - {PDF Copy} - (The power and wisdom of God are found in the proclamation of a Messiah who was crucified on a Roman cross)
- Servant or Caesar? - {PDF Copy} - (Satan offered Jesus unlimited political power to achieve his messianic mission if only he acknowledged him as his overlord - Matthew 4:8-11)
- Kingdom Slave - {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)
{SUFFERING}
- Suffering and Discipleship - {PDF Copy} - (To follow Jesus requires the willingness to suffer for his sake, and enduring persecution is the highest honor imaginable in his Kingdom)
- 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)
- Appointed to Tribulation - {PDF Copy} - (The disciple who faithfully bears witness to the Gospel and Jesus will endure tribulation and persecution for his sake)
- Tribulation and Endurance - {PDF Copy} - (Exiled on Patmos, John declared himself a “fellow-participant” in the tribulation and endurance “in Jesus”)
- Tribulation vs Wrath - {PDF Copy} - (Disciples escape God’s wrath, but they endure tribulation. Indeed, the church has been appointed to suffer)
- Summons to Persevere - {PDF Copy} - (Through a series of seven beatitudes, Revelation summons believers to faithfulness despite hostility and persecution)
- The Faithful Witness - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus is the Faithful Witness who summons his disciples to emulate his example by bearing faithful witness in a hostile world)
- Expecting 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)
{OPPOSITION}
- The Beast is Rising! - {PDF Copy} - (To identify the Antichrist, we must understand what the relevant scriptures say about him, his methods, and his agenda)
- The Ancient Beast - {PDF Copy} - (The Beast from the Sea is the latest incarnation of the ancient creature, the Dragon, that has stalked the seed of the woman since the sin of Adam)
- 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)
- Warfare in the Spirit - {PDF Copy} - (Disciples wage spiritual warfare through right conduct, acts of love, and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ)
- Deceivers and False Prophets - {PDF Copy} - (The ‘Olivet Discourse’ opens with a warning against the many deceivers who will spread false information about the return of Jesus) The Spirit of Antichrist - {PDF Copy} - (The Antichrist Spirit works to destroy the church from within, especially through deception propagated by deceivers and false teachers – 1 John 2:18-22)
- In the Assembly - {PDF Copy} - (John labels false teachers active in his congregations as antichrists. Their deceptive teachings confirm that the Last Days have commenced)
- 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)
- Disciples and the State - {PDF Copy} - (Paul instructs believers living in the Roman Empire not to resist the government since its existence and authority are arranged by God)
- 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)