Becoming a Disciple

Christendom gets its marching orders from Matthew 28 or what they call the “Great Commission”.

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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:19-20 NIV

In the King James Version of the Bible it reads a little different.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 28:19-20 KJV

I’m sure that you noticed that the phrase “go and make disciples” is missing from the KJV.

Let’s just say the NIV is correct (I don’t think it is) and we look to the scriptures to see what it takes to be a disciple. All the following scriptures will be from the KJV.

The word disciple(s) appears once in the O.T in Isaiah and 272 times in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts in the N.T.

Jesus lays down a few requirements for being one of His disciples in Luke 14.

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:26,27 and 33

That looks kind of tough, maybe it will get easier.

He says that a disciple must keep His word. During Jesus’ earthly ministry He was teaching the law and what the prophets had said about Him. Does keeping the law sound a little easier?

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
John 8:31

How about love and bearing fruit, now that’s something a disciple should be able to do.

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
John 13:35

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
John 15:8

Those that call themselves disciples and want to make disciple follow the last two examples and ignore the rest. This is called proof texting or for a sports phrase “cherry picking” the word.

So if you are out there and call yourself a disciple and are trying to make disciples make sure that you know all the requirements. Because when they hear what it takes to be a disciple I’m sure they will be lining up to become one.

Paul on the other hand never uses the word disciple or calls us disciples in his writings, rather he uses the term ambassador.

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ,

2 Corinthians 5:20(a)

To see Souls saved and Saints edified!

Fitting a Square Peg into a Round Hole

Most people have heard of this expression, if not, it just means trying to fit something in where it doesn’t belong.

Christendom has been doing this for a long long time.

Most of this transforming of the square peg into a round hole is when Gentiles try to insert themselves where they don’t belong.

This happens mostly in the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Jesus himself said that He only came for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew 15:22-24

Christ also instructed his twelve disciples to stay away from those Gentiles.

These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew 10:5-6

But Christendom overlooks these verses because they are hurtful and it doesn’t line up with the doctrine of a loving Jesus.

Here’s one more mind boggling item. If Gentiles were part of Christ’s earthly ministry why didn’t He pick a Gentile or two as apostles?

Peter, in Acts 2’s Pentecostal sermon addresses Israel only, if his message was directed to everyone why didn’t he say so?

Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Acts 2:22

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Acts 2:36

Christendom keeps on trying to pound that square peg into a round hole, but it just won’t fit no matter how big the hammer.

If you want the square peg to fit in its square hole you have to keep on reading past the Old Testament, past the four gospels and past the first eight chapters of Acts.

You will begin to see that the square peg fits into the square hole were there is no Jew or Greek.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28

Paul says today there is one body.

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13

Put the hammer away and see that something has changed and that change is found in Paul’s epistles.

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Ephesians 2:12-15

Those of us that rightly divide Scripture have heard that we make too much of the Apostle Paul. But he isn’t making this stuff up that he’s preaching.

But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1:11-12

To see Souls saved and Saints edified!