~ "...Cannot Be My Disciple ~

...CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE

We are living among a people who have succumbed to the greatest deceptions of all time. Scripture is being fulfilled before our eyes on a daily basis, and the great majority of us are not even aware that this is happening. It is not a compliment, nor is there anything about what is happening in which we can take pride.

Psalms 94:1-13 O LORD God, You to Whom vengeance belongs, O God, You to Whom vengeance belongs, shine forth! Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render to the proud a fit compensation! Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph and exult? They pour out arrogant words, speaking hard things; all the evildoers boast loftily. They crush Your people, O Lord, and afflict Your heritage. They slay the widow and the transient stranger and murder the unprotected orphan.

Yet they say, The Lord does not see, neither does the God of Jacob notice it. Consider and understand, you stupid ones among the people! And you [self-confident] fools, when will you become wise?

He Who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He Who formed the eye, shall He not see? He Who disciplines and instructs the nations, shall He not punish, He Who teaches man knowledge? The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are vain (empty and futile--only a breath).

Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law, that You may give him power to keep himself calm in the days of adversity, until the [inevitable] pit of corruption is dug for the wicked.

How many today grasp the scope of our atrocities against God and our fellow man? How many actually expect God's judgment to come in their lifetimes?

Isaiah 26:9-11 My soul yearns for You [O Lord] in the night, yes, my spirit within me seeks You earnestly; for [only] when Your judgments are in the earth will the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God).

Though favor is shown to the wicked, yet they do not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness they deal perversely and refuse to see the majesty of the Lord. Though Your hand is lifted high to strike, Lord, they do not see it. Let them see Your zeal for Your people and be ashamed; yes, let the fire reserved for Your enemies consume them.

Thanks to the 'easy-believism,' 'prosperity' messages being promoted to the masses, at least here in America, we are the problem, because we are spreading a false, watered-down gospel around the world. Jeremiah 5:12 They have lied about and denied the Lord by saying, It is not He [Who speaks through His prophets]! Evil shall not come upon us; nor shall we see war or famine.

Anyone who lifts a voice against the mega-leaders riding the high-places in this hour, is immediately attacked as being 'unloving' and 'critical' of the success of such notable super-stars as Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, Paula White, Juanita Bynam, John Hagee, Rod Parsely, Joyce Myers, Mike Bickle, Patricia King, Pat Robertson, Benny Hinn, T.D. Jakes, Rick Warren, TBN, The 700 Club, The God Channel. Sadly, the list could go on and on and on...

All the above have huge numbers of supporters and followers. All the above freely use the name of Jesus... freely quote scripture to their own ends, fully believing that they are called of God and doing great works for Him. Just ask them, they will tell you. They also live like millionaires, dress like fashion plates, spend more money in a week than most of their supporters make in a year, and believe that they are 'entitled' to do so... after all, they are doing the work of the Lord.

Are they?

Are they really?

Where is it written that to be a disciple of Christ, you have to have at least one 'self-help' book on the Best Seller's list? That you have to be able to pack thousands of 'paying followers' into stadiums to hear you speak in order to call yourself successful? That you need to have body-guards that travel with you to keep the common believers from getting too close? Where is it written in the Word of God, that you need consultants, hairdressers, make-up artists, and a Board of Directors, to do the 'work of the Lord?'

It makes one wonder how the Apostle Paul ever accomplished anything for the Lord? Yet for all his monetary lack... he impacted his world for God as no one has done since.

If you are listening to those in positions of power today, you will hear a lot of talk about supernatural manifestations...

How God only wants you to have the best things in life... How it is better to give than to receive, especially when you are giving in support of their 'ministries'...

Since when has the age we live in made it all right to call ourselves 'Christian,' and yet employ worldly methods? Do we really need any more evidence to convince us that we are living in the 'Last Days?'

2 Timothy 3:1-7 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

2 Timothy 3:12-13 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

And how has this come about?

Isaiah 30:9-15 That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:

Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. And he shall break it as the breaking of the potter's vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a shard to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit. For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.

Jeremiah 14:16 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword; and they shall have none to bury them--them, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out their wickedness upon them [and not on their false teachers only, for the people could not have been deceived except by their own consent].

We perceive ourselves to be so intelligent, so enlightened, so advanced beyond all who have gone before us. What a delusion! What vanity!

Even now we are seeing the fulfillment of prophecy with our own eyes. Gross darkness covers the land and the people are wallowing in confusion. Multitudes today lay claim to the title of Christian... without giving any evidence of the same. Consider the writings of Jude...

Jude 1:3-6 Beloved, my whole concern was to write to you in regard to our common salvation. [But] I found it necessary and was impelled to write you and urgently appeal to and exhort [you] to contend for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints [the faith which is that sum of Christian belief which was delivered verbally to the holy people of God]. For certain men have crept in stealthily [gaining entrance secretly by a side door]. Their doom was predicted long ago, ungodly (impious, profane) persons who pervert the grace (the spiritual blessing and favor) of our God into lawlessness and wantonness and immorality, and disown and deny our sole Master and Lord, Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). Now I want to remind you, though you were fully informed once for all, that though the Lord [at one time] delivered a people out of the land of Egypt, He subsequently destroyed those [of them] who did not believe [who refused to adhere to, trust in, and rely upon Him]. And angels who did not keep (care for, guard, and hold to) their own first place of power but abandoned their proper dwelling place--these He has reserved in custody in eternal chains (bonds) under the thick gloom of utter darkness until the judgment and doom of the great day.

Jude 1:20-23 But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit; Guard and keep yourselves in the love of God; expect and patiently wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)--[which will bring you] unto life eternal. And refute [so as to] convict some who dispute with you, and on some have mercy who waver and doubt. [Strive to] save others, snatching [them] out of [the] fire; on others take pity [but] with fear, loathing even the garment spotted by the flesh and polluted by their sensuality.

Jeremiah could just as appropriately declared this word of God to America today...

Jeremiah 7:28 Yet you shall say to them, This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God or receive instruction and correction and warning; truth and faithfulness have perished and have completely vanished from their mouths.

What is going to take to shake us out of our comfortable complacency? Bigger natural disasters, with greater loss of life? Will an economic collapse wake us up? The loss of our freedoms? What is it going to take?

Does what Jesus said even matter to us? Or are we so immersed in our chosen delusions that we don't want to hear the words of Christ? ...at least not if there are any requirements attached to them.

I pray that is not the case.

Because if it is, then you are not going to like what is coming upon the world.

How does what has become the expected and wholeheartedly accepted 'norm' compare with what Jesus said...

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 not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

These are some very strong, to the point statements that our LORD made. He concluded with the words... "He who has ears to hear, let him listen and consider and comprehend by hearing!"

So how is your hearing these days?

We must first and foremost, love God with all our heart, soul and mind. Matthew 22:36-39 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

We must bear our cross and follow Christ. The cross is a symbol of suffering and persecution. If they hated Jesus, they will hate you. We must be willing to forsake all of our earthly goods, everything we possess, be it home, family, job, position in the community, whatever we have, all things are secondary to following Christ. If we cannot do any of these things, then we cannot be a disciple of Christ. It's that simple.

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Not everyone who claims to be a disciple of Christ... are what they claim to be.

The day is fast approaching when many will be stunned to hear Him say... "Depart from me, I never knew you."

Now is the time to prayerfully consider, whose disciple are you?

Amen & Amen

Cathy Morris

1/27/08