Bible Studies

Part Two

The daily life of an advancing disciple is a battleground.

Every day, the advancing disciple prepares for, or engages in, the next round of spiritual combat as a soldier of the cross.  

Many Christians will at least occasionally pray for God to give them their “d-a-i-l-y bread” when reciting the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6: 11). Jesus spoke about using “thoughtless repetition (Matt. 6: 7) when praying, that is saying the same words over and over again without giving much thought to the meaning. 

It is the advancing disciple who feeds his own soul daily with the bread of the Word of God (Luke 4: 4), refining and reinforcing his own edified soul structure (Matt. 7: 24-27), and then applies what he is learning to what he thinks, says, and does, 24/7.

Consistently applying the Word of God is what attracts the attention of potential1Pet. 3: 15 inquirers, setting the stage for the advancing disciple to evangelize or to edify others within his or her personal periphery, be it at home, work, school, social environment, or play.

If there is no overt differences between your Earthly life and worldly-oriented, unbelieving people around you, then it’s time for a 2Cor. 13: 5 self-examination.

Ultimate victory on this battlefield has been secured on the cross (Rom. 8: 1), but the reality of day-to-day combat with the Eph. 6: 12 forces of evil, will be an ongoing experience for all advancing disciples, throughout all of his or her post salvation spiritual life, here on Earth, during the Church Age.

Therefore, don’t be surprised, when in the capacity of an advancing disciple, you become the target of satanic attack.  

I’m not talking about the type of demonic activities spoken of in such Biblical passages as Luke 8: 27-29, or portrayed in modern-day horror films. 

 I am not disputing these Biblical accounts, but the most common and most effective satanic attacks come from sources that most of us are exposed to every day and often fail to see the demonic activity behind them.

One can not event get through a commercial, let alone a program, without being exposed to the human viewpoint being communicated.

Advancing disciples develop the spiritual discernment to detect the evil in the human viewpoint, demonic viewpoint, and erroneous religious viewpoint, that is being communicated by the world around us every day.

“There is a way (human viewpoint) that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death (Prov. 14: 2 NIV).”

“… the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith (accurate doctrine), (after) paying attention to deceitful spirits and (the) teachings of demons….(1Tim. 4: 1 NASB2020 parentheses mine).”

“…in vain do they worship Me, teaching (religious viewpoint) as (if they were) doctrines (from God) the commandments of Men (Matt. 15: 9 NASB2020 parentheses mine).”

Sad to say, these sources of human, demonic, and religious viewpoint can involve “trusted” sources (clergy, family members) who, after having been deceived themselves, unwittingly become tools in the hand of the devil.

“My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge (accurate information)...(Hosea 4: 6 NASB2020 parenthesis mine).”

Wherever one does not have divine viewpoint, that space will be filled with an alternative source of guidance that appeals to the fallen nature within us.

Q.: How is one to know the difference between the “seeds of wheat” and “the seeds of tares” (Matt. 13: 24-30) that inevitably comes from any given pulpit or source of edification?  

A.: “…they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures DAILY to see whether these things (they were being taught) were so (Acts 17: 11 NASB020 parenthesis mine).”

As long as it is human beings that are at the helm, there are going to be errors made that will need to be corrected! There has never been, is not now, or ever will be, a human being behind a pulpit that has it all together, all the time, and never needs to conduct 2Cor. 13: 5 examinations, and the need to make the necessary adjustments. 

In the meantime, one can benefit from the wheat seeds (accurate information) being provided, as long as he or she has the spiritual discernment to detect the seeds of tares (false teachings), as well.  

One can never be any more or any less saved than when he or she was first born-again, as the sealing (Eph. 4: 30) and regenerating (Titus 3: 5 ) work of God the Holy Spirit is irreversible.   

That being said, one’s choice of pulpit and or source of spiritual edification never-the-less has much to do with the spiritual quality of his post salvation life that follows.  

The quality of one’s post (after) salvation life here on Earth is measured by the amount of glory he or she brings to God. 

 One glorifies God through Biblical discipleship by learning and applying the Word of God to all that he thinks, says, and does, 24/7, and his or her participation in the Great Commission, evangelizing and edifying souls. The quality of one’s post salvation life here on earth does not change where he or she will spend eternity, but determines how he or she will spend it, that being with or without the rewards and privileges that are reserved for advancing disciples.

End of Part Two