#true discipleship

[compassionmattersmost]

The Heart of True Discipleship: Understanding Matthew 7:21-23

Introduction In today’s world, where outward appearances and superficial commitments can easily overshadow genuine devotion, the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23 resonate with profound urgency. This passage challenges believers to reflect deeply on the nature of their faith and relationship with Christ. The Words of Jesus “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of…

[mindfulldsliving]

Faithful Obedience in the Spiritual Wilderness: Navigating Challenges with Scriptural Insights

The challenges and trials we face can often feel overwhelming, but through faithful obedience, we can find guidance and strength.

The Lord Commands Lehi’s Family to Leave Jerusalem Navigating Spiritual Wilderness: Faithful Obedience Lessons from Scripture Have you ever felt lost in your spiritual journey, like you’re wandering through a wilderness with no clear direction? The concept of navigating a spiritual wilderness is not just metaphorical but deeply rooted in scripture. The challenges and trials we face can often…

[brotherpreacher]

No Better than Judas...

What kind of a disciple are you? Hopefully better than Judas. Read. Like. Share.

And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. Matthew 26:23 KJV I understand everyone isn’t blessed to work with a coworker who’s a believer. Working alongside someone who understands the Christian struggle and can provide fellowship throughout an otherwise hectic work schedule is refreshing. They’re like a fresh breeze in sweltering heat and…

[dramoor]

"In the Incarnation the whole human race recovers the dignity of the image of God.  Thereafter, any attack, even on the least of men, is an attack on Christ, who took on the form of man, and in his own Person restored the image of God in all.  Through our relationship with the Incarnation, we recover our true humanity, and at the same time are delivered from that perverse individualism which is the consequence of sin, and recover our solidarity with all mankind."

~Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

[pastorkevinc]

Why were they all willing to die?

Why were they all willing to die? As far as we know, only the Apostle John died a natural death. All the other Apostles of Jesus died for their faith. They were killed because of their fidelity to the message of Jesus. That fact begs the question: Why were they all willing to die?   Why the Disciples Were Willing to Die Why were they all willing to die? I think this question can be answered in…

[quotesfromscripture]

Jesus said to them, 'Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life.'

Matthew 19:28-29 NRSVA (1995)

[pastored123]

Order Your Copy of “True Stories” Today

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[macintaministries]

Four End Time Directives

[tabernacleheart]

Discipleship results in freedom. "The truth will make you free." "In His service is perfect freedom." Discipleship brings us four freedoms: 1. It brings us freedom from fear. The man who is a disciple never again has to walk alone. He walks forever in the company of Jesus, and in that company fear is gone. 2. It brings freedom from self. Many a man fully recognizes that his greatest handicap is his own self. And he may in despair cry out: "I cannot change myself. I have tried, but it is impossible." But the power and presence of Jesus can re-create a man until he is altogether new. 3. It brings freedom from other people. There are many whose lives are dominated by the fear of what other people may think and say. H. G. Wells once said that 'the voice of our neighbours sounds louder in our ears than the voice of God.' The disciple is the man who has ceased to care what people say, because he thinks only of what God says. 4. It brings freedom from sin. Many a man has come to the stage when he sins, not because he wants to, but because he cannot help it. His sins have so mastered him that, try as he will, he cannot break away from them. Discipleship breaks the chains which bind us to them and enables us to be the persons we know we ought to be.

William Barclay

[compassionmattersmost]

Embracing Forgiveness and Compassion: A Reflection on John 8:11

In John 8:11, Jesus offers a profound lesson in forgiveness and compassion. The verse reads: “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” This statement, made in a moment of deep moral and spiritual crisis, encapsulates the essence of Jesus’ teachings about grace and transformation. The Context of Compassion Jesus encounters a woman accused of adultery, brought before Him by those eager to…

[souldancepoetry]

[holyspiritgirl]

Study a bible verse with me 🤍

John 12:24 (NLT) says:

“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.”

• Through scripture, Jesus uses the metaphor of a grain of wheat to illustrate a deeper spiritual truth. In agriculture, a single grain of wheat must be buried in the soil to grow into a plant. So technically, it’s “death” is essential for new growth and multiplication.

• The "death" of the kernel symbolizes the necessary sacrifice and transformation required for new life. For Jesus, this metaphor directly points to His impending crucifixion. His physical death is essential for the spiritual renewal and salvation of humanity. Just as the seed must die to bring forth new life, Jesus must undergo His death to bring about the promise of eternal life.

• This verse emphasizes that Jesus’ sacrificial death will not be in vain but will result in a "plentiful harvest of new lives." This indicates that His death will lead to the growth of many new believers and the establishment of a new spiritual reality. The “new kernels” represent the new lives and believers that will emerge from His sacrificial act.

• This principle extends beyond Jesus’ own death. It serves as a broader teaching on discipleship and sacrifice. As followers of Christ, we are also called to embrace the idea that personal sacrifice and self-denial are often necessary for spiritual growth and fruitful ministry. The idea is that through sacrifice, individuals can contribute to a greater spiritual harvest and the spread of God's Kingdom.

• The verse highlights a counterintuitive truth in the Kingdom of God: true success and growth often come through sacrifice and loss. This perspective challenges worldly views on success and encourages us to embrace sacrificial love and service as pathways to spiritual fruitfulness.

• In summary, John 12:24 uses the metaphor of a grain of wheat to show why Jesus’ death was necessary for a great spiritual harvest and crucial for our salvation. He died for our sins out of immense love, so we wouldn’t have to face death ourselves. His sacrifice leads to new spiritual life and growth, not only for Himself but also for those who follow Him and are called to live selflessly.

Have a blessed day 👼🏻🙏💕

[journeytothewestresearch]

I've read your articles on your blog! I can't thank you enough for your extensive research, you have helped thousand of people into enlightment!

Curious though, you said on one of them that you aren't a fans of BM:W storyline. Care to elaborate why you dislike it?

Thank you for the kind words.

I have a number of problems with the story. The following is presented in no particular order:

The game continues a trend that I last noticed in the film Jiang Ziya (姜子牙, 2020): gods are the true villains. This just seems like an attempt to maintain the status quo of the CCP's institutionalized atheism (I'm an atheist by the way, just not anti-theist). Someone please correct me if you think I'm overreaching.

Wukong forsaking his Buddhahood makes no sense as his attainment of enlightenment is the culmination of his original story. The game spits in the face of his great sacrifices and efforts by making such changes. Also, Buddhahood is a state of being and not just a title that can be discarded.

Monkey's plan to remove the headband via reincarnation (or whatever you want to call it) just seems really, really convoluted.

The many changes to the original characters' established story arcs are unnecessary. For example, Red Boy "finishes" his discipleship under Guanyin and returns to being a dick. So dumb.

[loveerran]

Lusterware, Disillusionment and Discipleship

While sitting in a Sunday School class recently, listening to my LDS-scholar friend Calvin Burke teach, I was touched by an article he referenced, titled "Lusterware" in Wayfare magazine, written by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Dr. Ulrich is also LDS and won the Pulitzer prize for A Midwife's Tale. She is perhaps most famous for the quote "well behaved women seldom make history". Her article in Wayfare relates the following poem by Emily Dickinson, likens the poem to our faith journey, and then gives a brief history of lusterware:

It dropped so low— in my Regard— I heard it hit the Ground— And go to pieces on the Stones At bottom of my Mind— Yet blamed the Fate that flung it—less Than I denounced Myself, For entertaining Plated Wares Upon my Silver Shelf.—

Lusterware is a type of pottery, thinly glazed with metal. In the 1800's, a thin coating of platinum that made the piece appear to be solid silver became a popular, cheap option for the middle class. However, unlike solid silver, lusterware shatters if knocked off a shelf.

Lusterware pieces are the poem's 'Plated Wares'. They are beliefs, once held in high esteem and placed upon a 'Silver Shelf', that have fallen and shattered - proving that they never truly belonged there in the first place.

"Sooner or later," Dr. Ulrich writes, "most of us are forced to confront our shattered beliefs... There are lusterware missions and marriages, lusterware friendships, lusterware histories, and yes, lusterware visions of ourselves."

It is often in the testing, as a belief falls and shatters, or falls and remains true, that we learn the nuances of that which endures and that which was only previously assumed to endure. Dr. Ulrich continues:

"I read the nineteenth chapter of Leviticus and find the second greatest commandment, 'thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,' side by side with a sober command that 'neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woolen come upon thee' (Leviticus 19:18–19). Every dispensation has had its silver and its lusterware."

"Sweeping up the lusterware, we sometimes forget to polish and cherish the silver, not knowing that the power of discernment is one of the gifts of the Spirit and that the ability to discover counterfeit wares also gives us the power to recognize the genuine."

The church and many of its members are in a period of testing, of looking for the true silver in different approaches to complex theological questions and practices. I have faith that God knows the answers, and have found it wise to embrace the second greatest commandment myself, even when others take actions that hurt me and those I care for. Perhaps, as has been too often the case in human history, it is ultimately the suffering of the innocent that will show the true path forward. We hope that the God who sees the fall of the sparrow will work all things together for our good, and that we may, as a people, find our way to that which matters most.

Love, Erran