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The Way to Life
by Brother Kim
Since permanent life
only is found in Christ, it is indeed relevant to ask, if people could share in
this life. And if that is the case, how can one take hold of it? The answer is
that the new life first is appropriated by faith in Jesus Christ, which leads
to the spiritual rebirth, next through a process of obedience to the Teaching
of Jesus Christ, and finally through a transformation to perfect Christlikeness
at the coming of the Lord in power and glory. But everything has its meaning in
this life, and it can be realized through being filled with life and power by
the Holy Spirit.
Can faith be experienced?
It might be a strange question. For is faith not the exact opposite of
experience? It has often been suggested that this is the case. But exactly at
this point the Christian faith has been doubted in a Buddhist context, where
experience of the teaching plays a significant role in peoples' minds. The knowledge
oriented Christianity, which only has to be believed, doesn't appear
trustworthy. For the spiritual seeker is looking for a spiritual experience.
But Jesus Christ says to his disciples that if they remain in his Teaching,
they shall experience the truth and the truth shall set them free (John 8:31-32). For Christ the Way to life is not a matter of
trusting something uncertain. The Way to life with Christ is obedience from an
enlightened faith. (Romans 1:5).
What then matters the content of the faith? It plays a significant role.
Faith in itself is not the issue. It is the faith in Jesus Christ, who died and
rose from the dead that saves. Salvation is therefore not by whatever faith,
which people might choose or formulate with the help of creative minds. A right
faith is required. The faith must correctly explain the Christ as the man Jesus
of Israel and what he in his great compassion did for us through his undeserved
death on a cross (Romans 5:6-7). The right faith does not spring from within
man, but as the Apostle Paul teaches: Faith comes from hearing the message, and
the message is heard through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). We find that word in the Holy Scriptures of
the Bible. It is like a man, who never heard about dogs, but some day eventually
hear about it: The dog protects us against thieves and robbers, the dog is
man's best friend, it is nicely furry and pleasant to hug. The man naturally
gets exited. But what does he know about dogs? Nothing, he has only gained dog
consciousness. But the consciousness of dogs is no dog. It is only when that
man finally one day sees and touches a real dog, he fully understands the
meaning. For consciousness in itself is nothing, even spiritual consciousness.
However, without it nobody would be able to understand and by faith receive the
reality of the resurrected Jesus Christ and his work for us. It is therefore
for the generation of a saving faith that the Lord commanded the Way to be
proclaimed to all the peoples in the world (Romans 10:14-15).
What is meant by spiritual rebirth?
The spiritual rebirth is
not seeing oneself in a new way or adjusting to certain religious positions or
moral behavior. It is the sovereign act of God; for man has received
forgiveness for his sins by divine grace, and at the same time been regenerated
as a new spiritual entity, a new person born of God (John 1:12). The Apostle Paul uses the term "the new
man" as the result of appropriation of the power of the resurrection of
Christ (Colossians 2:12-13). The old man on the other hand has to do with the
old selfish lifestyle, and Paul uses the expression being buried with Christ in
connection with the conversion from the seductive desires of the world
(Ephesians 4:22). However, it should be realized that the new birth not is a simple
rational, theological explanation. The spiritual rebirth is a reality, which
can be experienced. It is the result of a meeting with the risen Jesus Christ.
It leads to that man gets reconnected to the source of life in God.
What is then the sign that one has met the resurrected Lord? The Apostle
John teaches, how we can know that we know Christ, i.e. that we have met the
resurrected Lord and through it experienced the new birth. The sign is that it
has become natural for us to keep his word, and that we long to walk like he
did (1. John 2:3-6). The whole first letter of John is all about, how we can
know this or that in a variety of spiritual questions. This natural longing to
live the life in Christ together with a multitude of other followers is a certain
sign of that the new birth has taken place. But just as it only is the result
of the wind, which can be seen, not the wind itself, it is in the same way with
the one born of the Spirit (John 3:8).
It is therefore a great advantage to hold on to that
salvation is appropriated alone by faith. This position is advantageous,
because emotions are conditioned. They are changing in response to variations
of the inner or outer conditions. But the faith experience remains intact. The
meeting with the Christ and the transformation of life are realities, which
cannot change by shifting emotional conditions. Whoever believes that Jesus of
Israel is Christ is born of God (1. John 5:1). And the one born into Gods
kingdom belongs to it permanently. It is an inheritance, which nothing can
spoil (1. Peter 1:3-4). By this we know that reconnected to the Lord we have
eternal life (1. John 5:15). Consequently, it is important to distinguish
between the salvation experience and the associated emotional experience, which
can change again according to new circumstances.
The
new self
The sign of the new
spiritual reality should be obvious, so let us now take a closer look at the
consequences. Here the keyword is "trust". This is the beginning of
the new inverted causal chain: Reconnected
to the source of life in Christ by faith, the estranged self is regenerated
into a new holy person, as a child born of God with God's life in it, who
therefore trusts God for his life and the provision for human needs. It is
the counterpart to "distrust", which because of fear leads to the
desire of the senses for many things. This trust might be tested in countless
ways because of the circumstances in us and around us, but when it has passed
its test, it will develop into confidence (Hebrews 11:1).
Even if the new
spiritual reality is like a riddle, the spiritual rebirth has nothing to do
with mystics. It is a reality, which can be appropriated by faith and
experienced. Man and woman are persons, created in the image of a personal God
(Genesis 1:27). This image was
not destroyed with the human fall from God, but got estranged to God and itself
due to the separation from God our Creator. The personality of man changed into
selfishness and self-seeking. The spiritual rebirth is the restoration of the
correct inner condition of man in the image of God (Ephesians 4:24). The new self (atman)
exists in Christ. A new indestructible existence begins with faith in him. And
proper self-insight (which is similar to the Buddhist meditation
"Vipassana") is a meditation for disciples of Christ with the purpose
to inform us about, what has been given to us by God's sovereign work in us. It
ultimately leads to the end of estrangement to oneself and full enlightenment
about all motives and powers that drive us (Romans 8:14).
You can prepare for this
spiritual meditation by first downloading the spiritual map of the reborn
person from the main menu and print it out on paper. Set aside one hour of
quietness, sit at the foot of Jesus Christ and ask the living Lord to teach you
as you one by one go though the Holy Scripture references attached to each
portion of the spiritual map. Begin with the keyword at the top and go through
the outer circle anti-clockwise word by word beginning from "body".
When you reach "habits" temporary go downward to the Tomb of Christ.
Finally, go through the four references in the inner core in any order. After
finishing share briefly with a person you trust, what the Lord taught you
through this preparatory meditation. Notice that the z-like figure in the map
is an art form of the Chinese character for "me", and the box with
the cross on the top is pictured from the Chinese character for
"old".
The new man in Christ is a person. It is a substantial
reality, not just an infinitimal element of man. The human person is the
coordinating spiritual entity, which unites man as a whole. Where the old man
toiled under the tyranny of the fevers (Ephesians 4:20-23), the new man is
uncompounded. For the new self is not just the result of the interaction
between the individual parts of man, which might deceive man to believe that he
is a self. Such simple understanding of man would reduce him to a mechanism and
make him totally deterministic. Man can be held responsible for everything that
he thinks and does. The word person, which also is used in the description of
the Trinity, originally came from a juridical context. A director is a
juridical person, who represents his company. The director has the
responsibility of all the doing of the company, but he is of cause not
identical with the company. The human person can therefore be described as the
coordinating spiritual factor, which represents the totality and all the parts
of man. The new man is free and can be held responsible for his life by God. It
is the release until this new spiritual reality, which in Christ begins with
the new birth from above. It is the sovereign work of God. However, it is not
necessarily experienced without a certain spiritual battle. The new man has to
reflect upon his new self-understanding, learn to correctly distinguish between
self and not-self and begin to act accordingly. This is the continuation of the
inverted causal chain: Trusting God's
promise about the provisions of everything needed, the new man seeks to know
God's will for his life (Matthew 6:33). This is the
renewal of the human heart with all its corrupted thoughts.
The
old self
The expression of the Apostle Paul "the sinful
nature" has unfortunately gotten a awkward connotation upon it, since it
traditionally has been associated too much with the body. One could say that
the old self is our old unclear self-image, which any psychologist would say
not necessarily is identical with our true self. How else could it be explained
that people are filled with superiority-feelings or minority-complexes, or
both. This condition Buddha saw, and if one overlooks the diverging
metaphysical explanations, the Buddhist experience of "samskara", particularly the
condition of fever and the false empirical self-concept, is almost identical
with what the Apostle Paul terms the sinful flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). It is
exactly the false self-concept, ignorance, desire, hatred with its consequences
for our lifestyle and actions, which can be done with spiritually in death
together with Christ. For how could we stand to identify ourselves with all
kinds of oppressed desire and malice inside us and at the same time understand
ourselves as new. This is why even the Apostle Paul rejected to identify
himself with his sinful nature (Romans 7:17).
Practically, new life in Christ begins by trusting Him for
the hope of renewal and a promised inheritance in the light together with Him,
which will have to happen in submission to his authority as the firstborn from
the dead and the main heir to the coming kingdom of God (Colossians 1:18). Any
disciple will have to make Jesus Christ his unique spiritual Teacher and Lord
(Matthew 6:24).
This could for example happen through a prayer of surrender to Him. For prayer
is an appropriate response to the gift of faith. Next, follows baptism in Jesus
Name for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:47). To receive baptism in water
indicates at the same time a clear dissociation from an empty life of deceptive
desires and other evil. It might work out a little different from person to
person. Some needs to be forgiven for much and others for little. But all needs
it. Before God there is no distinction (Romans 3:23). Even the Lord Jesus
Christ, who was completely without sin, received baptism to fulfill all
righteousness (Matthew 3:13-15).
Discipleship of Christ could possibly be practiced secretly for a while, but to
fully get the power of Christ released in one's life, it is necessary to openly
confess Jesus Christ as Lord of one's life (Matthew 10:32-33). This happens
first through the mouth (Romans 10:9-10) and next in baptism, through which the
old man gets disposed to death together with Christ, who on the cross died for
all our misdeeds' sake (Romans 6:6-11). The water baptism at the same time is
the practical entrance into the Body of Christ on earth, which is the Church (1
Corinthians 12:13).
Faith in Christ could in one go make a vast difference in a
person's life, but it is a misconception to believe that it leads directly into
a perfect life. The process of surrendering the old self to death and the walk
as a new man continues through following Christ. The Apostle Paul talks about
undressing the old self and dressing up as the new (Ephesians 4:22-24). It is a
lifelong process, which is termed sanctification. In this matter it is
important to be sober-minded and not dismiss the need for God's grace. Each one
shall walk in accordance with his own faith (Romans 12:3). Through grace we are
in Christ justified in the eyes of God (Romans 3:21-22). This is the
case, even if there are some areas of our lives, which are in need of further
improvement. Nobody should violate himself by subduing to a tyranny of rules
and regulations. The Apostle Paul did this, because he desired to present
himself as perfectly holy. However, transformation is not a matter of great
willpower used to please God and men. It would lead us strait back under a walk
under law and not by the grace of Christ. Any such attempt is predestined to
fail, for the human flesh cannot submit to God's Law (Romans 7:21). Instead
shall we, trusting the work of the Spirit of God, daily let ourselves be
transformed through a renewal of our minds. By this, as the spiritually reborn
person naturally wishes, one slowly gets the insight into God's will for
oneself personally (Romans 12:2).
What
is Christ in me?
It is important not to mix up the reborn person with the
Lord's own presence in the believer. The Lord remains in those, who practice
his commandments (1. John 3:24a). The reborn person has by God's promise been granted
the favor to participate in the divine nature, which again, however, not should
be perceived as any kind of deification of humans (2. Peter 1:4). The reborn
person is predestined to be conformed to the likeness of the image of Christ
because of the gift of God, Christ in us, our hope of glory (Colossians 1:25-29). However,
this potential, in all ways to grow up in the likeness of Christ, could not be
perceived as if it was present in the human nature in advance. For in man, as
he is by himself, there is nothing good (Romans 7:18). It cannot happen by
own power; for it is God, who has committed himself to the fulfillment of this
promise (Romans 8:28-29)
through this that God's own nature has been added to the reborn person by the
Holy Spirit. In this connection there is no reason to distinguish between God,
Christ and the Holy Spirit, because it is the presence of one and the same
divine nature. It is not God the Father or the Christ, the glorified Son of God
with his human nature or the Holy Spirit as a person, who lives by the
believer. It is the common divine essence, shared in unity by the three, who
all equally presents one and the same God, who works in us.
Since the reborn person is a redeemed man or woman with
participation in the divine nature, we should watch out not to be mixed up
about our human spirit and the spirit of the risen Christ. To grow up to the
likeness of the resurrected Christ is not a bewildered ambition to become
Christ and Savior of the world. For the Christ is a living person, and he has
paved the Way for each disciple, who has put his or her old self with its
sensual passions and cruelty in the Tomb of Christ. The world doesn't need more
saviors than this one, who has been given to us from above. But it is God's
purpose with our lives that we as new creations seek a spiritual growth until
likeness with the living Savior and Lord (Ephesians 4:15). This is the goal of
each disciple following the Christ. But shaped in the likeness of Christ
doesn't mean equality with the Christ. For a disciple is not above his Teacher.
When we know this and act upon it, we shall be happy in our faith (John 13:15-17).
The
Teaching of Jesus Christ
The Teaching of Jesus Christ is his numerous instructions,
commands and promises given to the disciples. They are here categorized and
explained under the headline of seven major Commandments. The Seven Commands of
Jesus Christ is therefore a summary of the his Teaching as we find it in the
four Gospels of the New Testament. For personal meditation you can draw a
special overview from the menu showing the foundation of the Teaching in the
Holy Scriptures.
The
seven commands
The first command is "Believe!", because Jesus Christ as the first thing invited
people to believe, when he proclaimed the coming of the kingdom (Mark 1:15). In
a broader perspective it means to believe in the coming of Jesus Christ
according to the Holy Scriptures, his undeserved death on the cross for the
sins of all mankind and the bodily resurrection from the dead testified by the
Apostles (1. Corinthians 15:3-8). In him the eternal life has been manifested
with power and might for all men and women, who will accept the testimony of
the Apostles. As already explained faith comes from hearing the Word. The
command to believe is therefor a reminder to the one, who through the Word and
the Spirit has heard and understood, to personally confirm his faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Faith is, however, only the beginning. This could be
understood from the statement of the Apostle Paul, in which he declares his
mission, i.e. to call people from among the nations to the obedience, which
comes from faith (Romans 1:5). What obedience is required? Firstly, it cannot
mean that disciples of Jesus Christ should be submitted to the Law of Moses as
we find it in the Old Testament. Such an interpretation would conflict with
everything the New Testament is teaching about the words and deeds of the
Apostle Paul (Acts 15:1-2 & 19-20). Next, it is too vague to speak about a
general obedience to the Bible. A much better explanation we find in the words
of the Great Commission according to Matthew (28:20a). Disciples of Jesus
Christ are expected to be trained to obey everything, which Jesus has
commanded. And that is what we can find in the four Gospels in the New
Testament of the Bible. This is the Teaching, which the Apostles later
implemented among Greeks and Romans, as we can read about it in the Acts of the
Apostles and the epistles in the New Testament. The Teaching of the Apostles
and the Teaching of Jesus Christ is therefore one and the same. It is this same
Teaching, which all over the world are being implemented in each new culture
and each new generation. What did Jesus teach and what did he command? This is
a question, which has been most profoundly revealed by the American missionary
to Honduras,
George Patterson's meditation and his categorizing of the Teaching of Jesus
Christ in seven major commands. First comes faith, next follows reception of
baptism in water and Holy Spirit, which spiritually are connected to the
spiritual rebirth, through which we get reconnected
to the source of life in Christ by faith. So the second commandment might
sound: "Belong to the kingdom
of God!"
(John 1:2 & 3:3-5).
After faith and
spiritual rebirth follows the daily walk with Jesus Christ as Teacher and Lord.
For he is the Way. The following commandment sounds: "Seek fellowship with the Lord of life" through prayer and
meditation! This is the practical fellowship with the risen Lord in Heaven.
Everything we can lay before him in prayer with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6).
Whatever we need, he will provide according to his promise (Matthew 6:33). Though it is required that we distinguish clearly
between needs and desires. The greater challenge is to seek what belongs to the
kingdom before our earthly dreams (Colossians 3:1). Our meditation in Jesus
Name from the Holy Scriptures of the Bible teaches us about the Way. Trusting God's promise of provision for
everything needed, the new man seeks to know God's will for his life, i.e. to
know the commands and the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ. The family
relationship with God we can out of grace never loose, but we the risk loosing
fellowship with our exalted Teacher in Heaven. Therefore we must daily admit
our sins and weaknesses through telling the Lord what not is good for me to
think, do or say (1. John 1:9). Finally, we have to be patient and forgive
others as we pray in Our Father:
"Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against
us" (Luke 11:4a). For that reason the disciples of Jesus Christ must
not seek revenge (Matthew 5:39),
but do what is right in the eyes of everyone.
The next commandment
sounds: "Love!" It is
about our relationship with our fellow man on earth. Jesus teaches each one
that "as you would have others do
to you, do to them" (Luke 6:31). To respect others and to give others the
same rights as yours is to love and respect God, for all men and women are
equally made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). It begins with keeping the Ten
Commandments. As Jesus Christ replied to a young man, who was looking for life:
"Do not murder, do not commit
adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and
mother,' and `love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 19:18-19). We
must not desire what belongs to our neighbor. Sooner we shall get engaged in
relieving the need of others (Luke 10:29-37). However, there is a more demanding
commandment concerning the relationship with our brothers and sisters in the
Lord, that "we shall love each
other as He has loved us" (John 13:34). Much more can be said about that. The
Apostle Paul is teaching this issue in many details in his letters to the
various churches. We don't walk the way alone, but together with countless
other disciples.
Next follows the
commandment: "Remember!"
Jesus kept the Sabbath, and this is what He says about the celebration of the
Lord's Supper: "Do this in
remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19). It is so easy to forget, what the Lord did for me through his undeserved death on the cross
for all my past sins sake. As disciples we should also regularly ask ourselves
about our commitment to the Lord and to the practice of his Way. In the same
way we regularly ought to consider our commitment to our fellowship in the Body
of Christ, i.e. all spiritually reborn believers with the Holy Spirit
indwelling. It's the assembly of people from all the nations of the world, from
all social classes, all ages and both sexes with equal worth in Christ (1.
Corinthians 12:13). Finally, the Lord's Supper could become the occasion to
celebrate the common, glorious future in the kingdom of God
(Matthew 26:29). However, on top of the Lord's Supper, there is another
important command from the Ten Commandments: "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor
and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your
God" (Exodus 20:8-10a).
Therefore, on Sundays, don't omit to attend the fellowship around Jesus Christ.
Then follows a more
active commandment: "Give!",
which has to do with making available oneself, one's time, skills and financial
means for the ministry of the kingdom of God.
By the Evangelist Luke this commandment about giving is connected with a
promise. Jesus said: "Give, and it
will be given to you" (Luke 6:38). We can eagerly serve each other in the
Christ-fellowship with our inborn gifts, the skills we have acquired throughout
life and with the special gifts of the Holy Spirit (1. Corinthians 12:4). It
costs time to serve. But we are created in Christ Jesus for good works. For
good works are love in practice (Ephesians 1:10).
Finally, the disciples contribute to the financial expenses of the fellowship
and for the spreading of the Teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. From the Jews
we inherited the tradition of giving tithes of our income to the Lord
(Leviticus 27:30). Here there is no special admiration of the size of the gift
from the rich; each one should give according to his own ability without regard
to persons (James 2:1-4). Your devotion, however, should not be forced. It is
your free act as a disciple based upon a right attitude towards the Way.
Whether it concerns time, abilities or money each one should always offer his
service and his offer voluntarily according to faith. Let nobody fool you with
enchanting words. But the result of giving is always, as Jesus promises and the
Apostle Paul explains, that you shall reap as you sow. Those who sows sparingly
will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap
generously. The Lord in Heaven has the power to provide for all the needs of
his children (2. Corinthians 9:6-8).
Should the message of
Jesus Christ be passed on? Yes, Jesus Christ came to disclose a Way to life and
to call people from each and every nation to follow him (Matthew 28:18-20).
Therefore the Way of Christ must be communicated for the good of all nations
and each generation until the kingdom of God
comes with glory and power (Matthew 28:14). Finally, therefore, follows the
commandment: "Tell!" or
"Lead others to Christ!" For how
could people believe in the Lord of whom they have not heard and receive the
new life as his gift? And how could they hear, unless someone is being sent to
preach? "As it is written: 'How
beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'" (Romans 10:14-15). Jesus
said that we are the light of the world, and that we should let it shine before
others (Matthew 5:14-16). However, it is not solely
a matter of spreading knowledge about Jesus Christ and the salvation in his
Name. You should be a reality witness. As
the Apostles testified about the resurrection of Christ, you as a modern
disciple can testify that he is alive, because he is at work in us who believe.
Just remember that our testimony not is cleverly invented words to boast about
ourselves, but about him and the change we have allowed him to accomplish in
our daily lives through the power of his Spirit. Learn to make the most out of
every opportunity (Colossians 4:5-6), "and always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the
reason for the hope that you have." (1 Peter 3:15). But your warm wish
to lead others to the Way of life will indeed be greatly energized if you, in
addition to your winning speech, demonstrate your new spiritual reality through
your good conduct in Christ.
You could also use
"Four New Truths", which can be downloaded from this website as a
small practical folder in several languages. Or you could use other similar
messages, which proclaims the same true Gospel about life in Jesus Christ. Go
forth with the Lord. For we are not on our
own in spreading this Gospel about the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead. Our ministry to communicate and transmit the good news is an extension of
the mission of Jesus Christ on earth. For Jesus Christ promised "that he
surely will be with us always, to the
very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20b).
The Seven-Fold
Way
I have originally put the seven commands
together in a booklet by name the Seven-Fold Way of Christ. It has as frontpage a
spiritual map, which looks like a wheel. This map has been created to
illustrate the Great Commission according to the Apostle Paul. His declared
mission was to call people from among all the nations to the obedience, which
comes from faith (Romans 1:5b). At the core of the wheel faith is found. At the
rim we find obedience to the six other commands, each connected to the core,
i.e. faith. Therefore, if faith is lacking, it has to be checked out what is
the motivating power behind various spiritual actions in Christ and the faith
deepened. If on the other side practice of the commands are lacking, such must
be added to the faith. For without deeds faith is self-deception (James 2:20). The concern is that the wheel is put
in motion personally, and that the whole Teaching is practiced from a living
enlightened faith in Jesus Name. The counterpart of the evil deeds of the old
self is therefore to do God's will and practice the commandments of the Lord from an enlightened faith. When
the wheel is put into steady motion, and when
all the Way is practiced habitually, it leads to a life of Christ-like quality
and finally to eternal life in fellowship with God in the light. For Christ
is the Way (John 14:6). This is the counterpart of being a slave to sin and on
the way to death and eternal separation from the source of life in God.
The characteristic mark of the Way
How should the Way Jesus Christ taught be
characterized? Firstly, it is not a long list of detailed prohibitions about
this and that. It is rather positive. For the Way teaches us what Jesus said is
right to believe, do and say. Faith and action belong together. It is not an
inactive way of faith, prayer and meditation alone. It is also not a Way, which
only concern is extrovert action in ministry and missions. It points to a
living engagement, which flows from an enlightened faith in Jesus Christ and
his work. In the fellowship around Christ with other disciples it is expressed
in a healthy life in prayer and meditation, love, fellowship, service to each
other and extrovert mission to the world.
The promises of the Lord
Finally, trust fully in the promises, which the Lord attached to each of
the seven commands. Notice that some promises are from obedient action and
others from faith. You can study the connections through downloading from the
menu the overview over the foundation for the seven commands from the Holy
Scriptures of the Bible.
This is how the promises
of the Lord work. Those, who receive Jesus Christ in faith, can expect to be
born into the kingdom of God (John 1:12).
And those, who repent and get baptized, can count on that they have been
forgiven of their sins, and that they have received the Holy Spirit as a gift
(Acts 2:38). To those, who
seek God's kingdom before material goods, it is promised that the Lord shall
provide for them with everything needed in their personal lives and for all
good works (Matthew 6:33
& 2. Corinthians 9:6-8). To those, who practice the Teaching of Christ, it
is promised that they shall be loved by God, that Christ remains in them, and
that he will reveal himself to them (John 14:21 & 1. John 3:24a). To those,
who share the message of the Lord to others, it is promised that the Lord will
be with them, even to the end of the world (Matthew 28:20a). The Lord is
faithful to keep his Word. By nature he could never fail to fulfill his
promises. Therefore, not only trusting the loving kindness of the Lord Jesus
Christ towards you, you can also count on that he has the power to keep his
promises. But you must realize that faith in this aspect has to do with a
trustful attitude towards the Lord, and that you should not begin to doubt and
despair, because your life might feel hopeless for a while. Just stick to the
faith!
The beginning of the concrete discipleship
The uniqueness of the Way is that it can be practiced
in the midst of daily life. The Apostle Paul actually teaches that it is there
our walk with Jesus Christ as spiritual Teacher and Lord begins. Normally,
there should be no reason to seek drastic changes in the outward circumstances
of a new disciple. A businessman should continue as a businessman, a monk as a
monk, a housewife as a housewife and a student as a student (1. Corinthians 7:17 & 19b-20). But discipleship ought to be
supported by the Christ-fellowship, by which is understood an organized
assembly of mutually committed people, who help each other to believe and
practice the Teaching of Christ (Acts 2:41a & 42-44). Therefore, let no-one
walk as a spiritual only child. But let us help each other and each one do his
best on the way for the sake of the loving kindness of our Lord.
The inverted causal chain
Reconnected to the source of life in Christ by faith, the estranged old
self is regenerated into a new holy person, as a child born of God with God's
life in it, who therefore trusts God for his life and the provision for human
needs. Trusting God's promise about the provisions of everything needed, the
new man seeks to know God's will for his life, i.e. to know the commands and
the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ. To do God's will means to practice the
Lord Jesus Christ's commands from an enlightened faith, and when all the Way is
practiced habitually, it leads to a life of Christ-like quality and finally to
eternal life in fellowship with God in the light.