Bible Studies

---

I remember parts of a bedtime prayer that I was taught and recited when I was very, very young. It concluded with the phrase, “ . . . and make me be a good boy, Amen.”

“When I was a child (infant in Christ -1Cor. 3: 1), I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; (But) when I became a man (a spiritually-mature disciple), I did away with childish things (1Cor. 13: 11 NASB2020 parenthesis mine).”

The truth is, in most cases, God doesn’t “make” anyone do anything, but allows us to use the free will that He has given us, to make choices, reaping either the blessings or the consequences of those choices.

Accordingly, the answer to many of our prayer requests to have God “make” ourselves or others do (or not do) something, will often be, “ No!”

This doesn’t mean that He leaves “all “of what is to become of us in our own hands. If not for divine intervention, the human race would have self-destructed a long time ago.

It is important, however, to note that there ARE things that are self-determined. One is WHERE one will spend all of eternity future, and (for the born-again believer) another thing is HOW eternity future will be experienced.

WHERE is self-determined by one’s individual chosen response when presented with the unadulterated Gospel Message. HOW, that is with or without the reward and privileges that are reserved for advancing disciples) is self-determined by the ongoing choices born-again believers make on a daily basis, throughout the course of their post salvation spiritual life.

We learn too late, that the negative choices we make for ourselves can deeply hurt or discourage others, as well.

By the choice we make to either believe or disbelieve, when we are presented with the unadulterated Gospel Message, encapsulated in John 3: 16, 18, we are either born-again (if we believe) or we remain just as spiritually dead (if we do not believe), as when we were when we came into this world.

The names of those who are born-again are written down in the Lamb’s Book of life (Luke 10: 20). Anyone whose name is not found there, when the Rev. 20: 13, 15 event takes place, as a result of disbelieving in the unadulterated Gospel Message, will be tossed into what the Bible calls the lake of fire, where all unbelievers will spend ALL of Eternity future.

AFTER being born-again, we make daily choices to take part (or not to take part) in the post salvation spiritual life of Biblical discipleship.

Just as good physical health requires a good daily diet and exercise of the body, Biblical discipleship requires the daily feeding (2Pet.3: 18) of the Word of God and exercise (James 1:22) for the “new creation that we became on the day we were born again (2Cor. 5: 17).

Just as a body that lacks a good diet and exercise will become weak and unproductive, the new creation that we became in Christ on the day we were born-again, that is not fed and exercised daily, can become weak and unproductive (Mark 4: 19), as well.

The devil and his Eph.6: 12 forces of evil have a warehouse full of things that are designed to take us away from the daily feeding and exercise associated with the post salvation spiritual life.

Just as a diminished appetite for natural food is an indication that something is amiss in our physical well-being, the lack of an appetite for the daily feeding of the Word of God is an indication that something is amiss in our post salvation spiritual life.

Don’t expect to influence others to develop an appetite for the daily intake of the Word of God if they can’t see the benefits of doing so in the unspoken testimony of our own daily life.

“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye (Matt. 7: 5 NASB2020).”

Post salvation Biblical discipleship calls for the daily intake (2Pet. 3: 18) and the 24/7 application (James 1: 22) of the Word of God. Biblical discipleship has got NOTHING to do with retaining or improving the integrity or the security of one’s salvation (Rom. 8: 1), but has got EVERYTHING to do with the quality of one’s post salvation spiritual life, for which we will all stand and give a personal accounting of to God.

Wherever we lack divine viewpoint in our edified soul structure, it creates a vacuum and space that the devil and those who do his bidding will try to fill. This is not very difficult, since the fallen nature within us is, by nature, hostile towards God and the things of God.

Whatever information (good or evil) that we choose to become a part of, and circulate within our soul structure, is what determines our thoughts, overt speech, and behaviors.

It’s not all about YOU, but our individual lives DO matter.

We ARE being used, by our words and example, by either the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Darkness to lead others to what will be our and their eternal destination and experience.

It’s not just where, by how one’s eternal destiny is going to be experienced, that is determined by the choices we make.

Initially, Biblical discipleship is for one’s own edification and spiritual growth. Like a runner in a torch-relay race, one cannot pass onto others something that he or she has not first taken possession of for himself or herself.

The long-term objective of post salvation Biblical discipleship is to find and to exercise one’s individual place and part (1Cor. 12: 7 -11) in the promotion of the Great Commission (Matt. 28: 19, 20).

To the extent of what we know about the Written Word of God, is the same extent of what we know about the Living Word of God (John 1: 1), that is the Lord Jesus Christ.

By having learned the mind of Christ (1Cor. 2: 16), we then have insight to what we need, and what  others might need, to determine the subject matter of our prayer requests for ourselves and others.

End of Part 5

End of Series

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE