Matt 10:37 He that loveth ( philos/ fond) father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Bringing up the beams of the scales to balance each other, or equivalency
- To have real weight or clout with Jesus. weighing as much, of like value, worth as much as, comparable worth or value. The worth of Jesus ion our lives is proportion to the worth that we put on Him.
- The word for love in this scripture is affection for Jesus above that of anything else. Having a greater affection for anything in this life makes a believer unfit and unprepared to follow Jesus. There will be a lack of balance of weight between the believer and Jesus himself.
- Families can become an idol who hinder God’s work from going on
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
The cross is the instrument of death, it is what sets us free and reveals Christ’s life. The law of the cross.
Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
- He that comes upon, hits upon, and holds on to his own selfish life for his selfish gain, shall bring himself to ruin, destruction, uselessness and misery through his corrupted self. He that ruins, destroys, and wastes away his sinful existence for the sake of the Lord shall discover, recognize, acquire and procure real life from the Lord for himself.
Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Matthew 26:34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
We observe that Jesus commands His disciples to “Follow Him” in the above scripture. This is defined as a union in traveling the same road. It is a oneness with the pattern of Jesus’ life, His ministry, and even of His death, if necessary.
- Look at the illustration of Peter’s denial of Jesus in comparison to Jesus’ command to deny ourselves. As you will notice, it is exactly the same word! Can you imagine how vehemently Peter with every fiber and atom in his body angrily disavowed that he knew, or had any relationship with the Master? Disregard, renounce, relinquish, waive the right to something.
Nu 12:3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
Ps 22:26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
Ps 25:9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
Ps 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Meek is the opposite to anger. It means to yield our rights. When we have anger we are holding on to our rights.
Luke 14:26 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.
Luke 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh ( apotasso) not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
- Apo tasso From the order. Lose the order of our own prescribed life
If you notice, I highlighted the word “cannot”.
The root of this word is the word “dunamis”. We all know that dunamis is the dynamite power of God, that we as believers seek to obtain. In addition dunamis is an enabling power. God’s dunamis enables the casting out of demons and the operation of spiritual gifts. These scriptures inform us that the Christian who does not bear the cross, forsake all that he has, and put his family and his life behind the Lord, will not have the “dunamis “ or the enabling power to be a disciple of our Lord. The inherent power that He needs to change will not be there. The “cannot” is also constructed in the “absolute negative”. Simply expressed it tells us that “under no circumstances”, or, “Never”, or, “it is impossible” for the Christian who is not willing to to do these things to ever be disciple of Jesus.
1Cor 9:24 ¶ Know ye not that they which run (to run and spend my strength in attaining to something) in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize ( this is the price of arbitration) ( Well done good and faithful servant)? So run, that ye may obtain.(Katalambano)
25 And every man that striveth for the mastery (the agony of athletic competition) is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
Our Christian lives should abide in the exhilarating agony of strenuous athletic discipline. If we are experiencing boredom as believers, we are missing out on part of Christ’s destiny for us. Every great work of God has been executed on bended knees.
26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
Our faith must contain a clear perception of God’s vision for our lives. “Without a vision the people perish.” We must not walk obscurely, as those who do not know the voice of God. We must not trash the air aimlessly with those things that Christ has not called us to, no matter how noble or praiseworthy they might be. Our time must not be wasted by the missed discernment of God’s will; too much is at stake! Our punch must be sure; we must strike straight and not spare.
2Cor 5:13 For whether we be beside ourselves (out of our minds, or wits, or exhibit insanity) it is to God: or whether we be sober,(sound mind) it is for your cause.
In our burning obedience to our Lord, Jesus requires us to take steps of faith that portray us as incoherent and insane to the world, and even to the dormant church at large. If we never appear to be crazy in the eyes of the world, it should give us cause for concern. If the devil is not mad with us, we should be concerned. Yet the reality is; we do have the sound and healthy mind of Christ. This should be the balance of a normal Christian life.
- The loss of earthy reputation and the fear of man are indispensable to following Christ effectively.
Philippians 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness,( As Christ is magnified and made great in his life, the power of God within Paul brings much freedom to him. Paul can live out the gospel in confidence, candor, fearlessness and honesty, unhindered in every way.) as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body), whether it be by life, or by death.
The apostle Paul’s desire was to take his life and use it as a magnifying glass that would make Jesus Christ great. His expectation is one of stretching out his head to be able to anxiously observe this process becoming a reality in his life.
- Boldness is a spiritual by product that being a disciple brings. Define it.
Philippians 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after (I persecute after), if that I may apprehend ( seize and make it my own) that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Please personalize this for yourself; “I persecute, pursue, and overtake everything for which Christ has called me. I do this in hope of being able to seize, and grasp all that Christ has grasped and possessed me for.”
Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
- Therefore I neglect and no longer care for what is behind me. I stretch myself out and towards, and run swiftly after what is before me. The direction being, the mark of the goal of the high price of unbroken fellowship of Christ’s resurrection life, and the hope of His calling for me.
1 Tim 4:14 Neglect ( amel) not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
- Melo is care
- Greek: Do not become careless about the spiritual gift, which was given to you by (the Holy Spirit) through prophecy and the laying of hands.
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
- Meditate- Care for, attend to, and keep practicing “the things that we have discussed”
- Give thyself wholly to them – Literally “to become one with them or exist in them”.
- Paul tell us throw ourselves fully, or become submerged and consumed with the things that lead to godliness, purity, charity, spiritual gifts, and so forth.
- That thy profiting Literally “pioneers cutting a way for an army”
- Every Christian is called to a blaze a new pioneer trail, through which the Lord can effectively travel, in accordance with their unique calling. There are now pew sitters, and no room for mediocrity in God’s kingdom.
- May appear to all – Will become evident to all.
Heb 8:5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
- When Moses was about to build the tabernacle for God, God cautioned him to accurately construct it in accordance to a specific pattern that He would show him. The Lord has a particular and unique pattern of ministerial construction for every local assembly, and every corporate and individual ministry. In our Greek scriptures the word “admonished” is defined as “divine instruction according to revelation.” This is an exhortation for us to cautiously build our ministries step by step in line with the Holy Spirit’s wishes.
Rev 5:5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
- The brilliancy and the glory of the original blueprint of a NT fellowship in the heavenly realm create a shadow, or an outline, to those who have been called to faithfully reproduce it here on earth. Our great responsibility is to reproduce it to the heavenly original with the greatest of earthly accuracy.
- The blessings of God will fall upon this fellowship in proportion to how accurately it has been reproduced in “accordance with the pattern shown in the mount.”
John 14:30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
Matthew 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
Mark 1:24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
Luke 4:34 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
- What have we to do with thee and hath nothing in me are exactly the same wordings in the Greek.
- Absolute binding of the enemy can only occur, when each and every part of our lives have come into conformity with the will of the Lord, and the enemy is forbidden a place or space where he can afflict us.
- There is absolutely no relationship between the demonic and Jesus. Every door is closed.
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 4: 27 Neither give place to the devil.
Phillip 2:12 ¶ Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
- “Work out” is once again the word “katergazomai.’ It means the following:
- (Utterly accomplish, finish and achieve to completion everything that has to do with your salvation. Utterly finish it! Do not leave anything lacking! Therefore growing up into Christ in all things.)
Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
- We are encouraged here to take the whole armor of God and having done all to stand, to stand therefore. “Having done all” is once again the word “katergazomai.’ It is exactly the same word as “work out” in the verse above.
- Simply stated it depicts us as warriors in that terrible struggle against the world, Satan, and sin. The big ball of dull is kicked up as were engage in these gladiator struggles of life. When the dust finally settles we remain standing victoriously, as Satan, sin and the world lay scattered at our feet. Once again my brethren, the command is to carry out all things to a complete victory. The reason why the church is so weak is because few obey this scripture.
Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other ( HETEROS); or else he will hold ( antaecho) to the one, and despise (kataprhoneo) the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
- Greek: You cannot be a slave to two lords… You will hate one, and love the other one unconditionally…you will embrace one; and think little of the other…Ye cannot be a slave to God and to material acquisitions.
- Some people are called to supply money to the kingdom of God. It’s all about obedience to the voice of the Spirit.
- Matthew six and twenty four is another one of those “famous” proportional scriptures. To the extent that we embrace material gain for selfish motives is to the same extent that we will think little of, and hate the Lord. By hating the Lord, I mean to say that we will hate what He requires from us that regard the yielding up of the material wealth that we dearly embrace. Our ability to obey the Lord, as Lord, will be restricted likewise to the extent that we are submitted to the lordship of material gain.
1 Tim 6:6 ¶ But godliness with contentment is great gain.
- Greek (paraphrase & my thoughts): What is great gain is (not selfish material acquisition but) godliness with contentment.
- Contentment – Is a most interesting word. It is defined as the state of being so filled with the Spirit of God that the believer is self-sufficient solely in the fullness of the Spirit. By this self-sufficiency I mean, that the Christian is totally free or independent from being swayed or trapped by the sufficiency that comes from external circumstances and worldly affairs. His or her sole sufficiency is in the Lord and not upon external means. This type of believers are content with having little or much, because they independently self-sufficient from the world, and solely dependent and self-sufficient in the revelation of the Lord Jesus.
1 Time 6:11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
- I simply love the word “flee”! Our English word for fugitive comes from this word. Several dictionary definitions such as a runaway, a person who is fleeing, or someone who takes to flight describes the fugitive. My friends, we must be fugitives from the love of selfish material gain.
- Likewise, I love the word “follow after”, which is none else than the word for persecute!
- My friends, we must be fugitives from the love money and persecute instead righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness!
- Righteousness: The visible and righteous exhibitions of the works of the invisible God through our lives. Likewise, righteousness is also the outward results of the grace or labor that the Lord performs within us. We must be “living molds” of the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, the outcome of the super human labor of the revealed Christ, and not the bondage brought through our own efforts by the works of the law. Persecute this!
- Godliness A life that is entirely pleasing to God. Persecute this!
- Faith Living by “the faith of God” which is found in His rhema word, as we restrict our lives to the voice of the Spirit. Persecute this!
- Love Unconditional, sacrificial love, for our neighbor and brethren. Persecute this!
- Patience Loving endurance with the quirks and hang-ups of others. Persecute this!
- Meekness This is the conclusive mark of the “love slave” of God! It is the yielding up of all of our rights to the Lord. Persecute this!
12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold ( epilambano) on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession ( homologian) before many witnesses.
- Greek: Athletically agonize in the beautifully athletic conflict of faith.
- Grasp and make for your own eternal life now on earth.
- In which you have confessed a beautiful confession. (Confession is the reality of what lies inside of us as expressed outwardly through an honest mouth. A beautiful confession can only come forth from a beautiful life.)
13 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.
- Nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, “Nor to hope in the riches of uncertainty.”
- Who giveth us richly all things to enjoy Who supplies us richly from His own resources.
18That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
- Ready to distribute Always ready to impart with open-handed liberality.
- Willing to communicate The TDNT defines this rare New Testament word as “belonging or appointed to society” or “gladly giving others a share.”
2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
- Greek: “He that soweth upon a blessing shall reap upon a blessing.”
- What the apostle Paul has in mind when he tells us to sow bountifully is that our sowing must be of such quality and in such quantity that it will reach to produce a real blessing upon someone else. Such a man or woman will reap a blessing back from the Lord. Mother Teresa said, “We must love until it hurts.”
The Law of (Koinonia) or Christian Fellowship supersedes Financial Prosperity, Tithes & Offerings
Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship koinonia and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Romans 15:26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution koinonia for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.
Jose and Mary Alvarez 