Introduction: Discipleship and Foundational Teachings

Jesus: The Pattern Life of Discipleship

Part 2

In the last session, we visited the pattern life of Jesus as the spiritual son of our Heavenly Father and the first fruit of God’s spiritual offsprings. He was discipled and disciplined or trained by the Father with the help of the Spirit of Sonship, which is the word of God. Thus the Apostle John would testify about Him as “The Word (who) became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1: 14) We also mentioned that Jesus, the Son of God, was installed or appointed to be the King of a spiritual kingdom, and the High Priest of its governing order (which are ruling principles and practices), which is the New covenant, or the order of Melchizedek as explained by the author of Hebrews.

Today, we will examine the ministry of the teachings of Jesus Christ or the work and business the Father gave to His Son and that He passed on to the Church, which is discipleship on behalf of God.

Continuing with from last session, Jesus claimed that He was sent by His Father to the Jews in order to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, not to overturn or forfeit them. Why did He say this? The answer is simple.  The Law and the Prophets are but teachings of God to produce a harvest of a holy people, who are to be set apart for Himself so that they can be built up in Godly wisdom and love to become His Holy Temple and also be established within it to serve Him as His sons. In other words, Jesus was sent to mankind to initiate a work of building God’s House through the ministry of His discipleship. He was entrusted with the pattern of a Heavenly Temple, not like the one Moses or David and Solomon saw in a glimpse, which was given and ministered by angels, a shadow of what was to come. His house or building would be the real Spiritual House of God with His many sons as its members who will fill its offices (rooms or places) and carry out its work or service. The work of this house has nothing to do with human flesh nor can it be done by human hands, but is accomplished, through and through, by the power of the Holy Spirit, who helps His anointed or appointed vessels, which is their service for God, or the ministry of the New Covenant. We know that He has passed on this pattern to His Church, or His chosen and Called Out ones. Sadly, this vision or pattern was blurred when its teachings were somehow perverted by wrong things. Then eventually it was twisted by ignorant, if not wicked, minds and hearts and became something totally alien to the original intent and pattern of God.

Let’s continue to look into the prophecy of Isaiah to gain some important insights about this.

In the last session, we read about the prophetic sign of Immanuel that given through Isaiah. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. ” (Isa. 9:6)

This is an illuminating picture. At the appointed time, God the Father anointed His Beloved Son to become His full representation, His King and His High Priest. That is to rule His Kingdom and to reconcile all things back to Him under an order of righteousness that comes down from Heaven. This was foreshadowed by the way God sent Moses as the “law-giver” to the Israelites. There are numerous details in this process, so let’s observe some key moments.

From Moses to Aaron and his sons

First, after Moses came down from Mount Sinai, God instructed him to anoint his brother Aaron to become the High Priest of the Old Covenant and his sons as priests under him. In order for all the Israelites to know that this was His way and His will, God commanded Moses to perform this act by gathering them all together in front of the Ark of the Covenant. By that time, the tabernacle was perfected and prepared, it had been examined and sanctified according to God’s ordinances.  (Please read this in Exod. 40 and Lev. 8.) After Aaron and His sons were anointed, or set apart into service, they prepared the sacrifices on the altar. The fire or the glory of God came down from heaven and consumed them. It actually filled the whole tabernacle, so that Moses could not stand within it anymore. With this mighty sign and testimony, God inaugurated this priesthood so that all the Israelites could heed the teachings that would passed on to them. Yet this Law or Order was still only a shadow of God’s heart and intention, the reality of which would be fulfilled by His Son and through His teachings, which are of the Spirit. Through the ministry of the Law of Moses, God intended to teach His people how to live together in His ways as a nation He had chosen out of all the nations of the earth. He desired them to know and live in Godly love and wisdom. Jesus explained it this way:

Matt. 22:37-40 NIV

37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

In the prophetic act of consecrating and anointing the priests, Moses acted in the role of God the Father. Aaron and his sons, like Joshua and his associates mentioned in Zechariah 3, were a representation of the Lord Jesus and His chosen ones or the true Church (Called Out Ones or the Elected). The Father always intended for His sons to rule with Him, even for Him, in His Kingdom. They are to work with Him, having His wisdom and Love and according to His ways. His priests are to uphold His Law or His covenant of love, peace and justice, and to teach all peoples of the earth to do the same. Is this not the plan God had for Adam and his family in the beginning? Is this not the very reason why Abraham was called, and the covenant of circumcision conferred to him? Certainly it is. This is also why God delivered the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt. He intended not just to end the misery of their life, but also to awaken them from their humanity and to know Him as He is; to truly become the rightful offsprings/sons of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and to understand their right to His eternal inheritance;  and to truly become His first-born sons, physically as well as spiritually. This people could have become the first-fruits of His Spiritual Creation, as the same gospel that has been preached to us was also preached to them. As the son of a priest is to be taught by his father(s), in the ministry of the tabernacle, so too the Israelites were called to this glorious gospel to be taught and established by their Heavenly Father in His Spiritual Household and His Spiritual Kingdom, in Heaven and on earth.

Let’s look at this:

Exod. 19:3-6 NIV

3 Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

However, the veil of their flesh was so thick and their hearts always strayed from His purpose, so the merciful God had to recede from further dealing with them, for they would not bear it and they continued to indulge in their way of worldly and base principles. When the people refused to embrace His calling, God settled with setting the priests and the Levites apart from them as His own sons to assume the holy office and ministry of teaching others His way. Later, even the priests and Levites corrupted themselves. Then He raised up judges to rule and guide them, but they were often rejected by the Israelites. Throughout this time, God allowed them to go through grievous trials. The Ark that rested on the shoulders of the Priests, a representation of His Government, a symbol of God’s Presence, a sign that He is their God and they are His people, eventually became the plunder of their enemies. They were like Adam, becoming only a barren and cursed land, incapable of producing any fruit according to the desire of God. Facing this wayward and blind people, even God could only have a stem or a seed buried underneath the cursed land of fruitlessness, and He waited patiently for a people to come to their senses and repent, turning their hearts toward Him.

From Samuel to David and Solomon

By the end of the period of Judges, Samuel, himself, who was not even a Levite, was raised up by God to rule over the Israelites. Under his leadership, they managed to evade the oppression and defeat the invasion of the Philistines. But they never recovered the Ark of the Lord. At the direction of God, Samuel had to yield to the people’s request for a king, and anointed Saul as King of Israel. Yet Saul was unfaithful and his wicked heart never embraced the purpose and ways of God in his life. Eventually, through the dramatic act of Samuel’s rebuke, God tore away the kingdom from him. He began to withdraw His anointing from King Saul, who later suffered great torments from evil spirits and an unrepentant heart. In the meantime, from a humble corner of the kingdom, God raised up a young boy David and instructed Samuel to anoint him as king. God did this in order to demonstrate to His people His intent and His way, so that their hearts could turn toward Him and He would restore them. Eventually, David was able to subdue the kingdoms around the Israelites. He was also able to set up the priesthood according to the law of Moses and had them carry the Ark and set it in the tabernacle he had erected for God according to what is described in the Law. God continued to reveal the Pattern of His temple to David. Later, David would pass this knowledge to his son Solomon and instruct him to build a temple for the Lord.  Yet during his life, David never saw the temple finished, so the Altar of the Lord remained in the place Joshua first set it when the Israelites conquered the land of the Canaanites.  After Solomon was anointed king, he took great care to finish the building of the temple. On the day of its dedication, which was during the feast of the Tabernacles, God again poured out His Glory and filled the whole temple.

Now, again, let’s look at this period from a prophetic perspective. If Samuel is a representation of God the Father, who would Saul, David and Solomon represent? Evidently, Saul represents the Adamic race who forfeited the heart and plan of God towards them. David represents the first coming of the Lord Jesus and the work of building the Temple or the Tabernacle of the Lord. This was clearly taught by Jesus to His disciples, and is why they could comprehend, after much trial and struggle in themselves, that the earthly temple of their day was not the kind of House in which God wants His people to worship.

Testimonies by Jesus and His disciples

Jesus spoke of His work in this way in his conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well:

John 4:19-26 NIV

19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

21 Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26 Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.”

…….

31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

This is saying that through the discipleship of Jesus Christ or the work of the Lord, God would build a heavenly and spiritual temple for Himself.  Jesus was sent to lay the foundation for His Father’s House and to teach His disciples to do the same so that it might be built up both in them and by them.  As His “sent ones(apostles)” they too were to lay the foundation for His house, even while they were being built into it.  Jesus used another spiritual picture to illustrate this same work or ministry in the “sowing of the seeds and harvesting of the crops.”

These two spiritual pictures speak of the same design or pattern within the domestic and national lives of the Israelites under the ministry of the Levitical order or the Law of Moses. The natural and earthly ordinances were fulfilled by Jesus and, in the spirit, they are also fulfilled by His disciples, who are becoming a new people of God, or the new Israel.

This was the primary point of the message the early disciples taught.

Peter:

Acts 2:29-36 NIV

29 “Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord:

“Sit at my right hand

35     until I make your enemies

a footstool for your feet.” ’

36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Acts 3:17-26 NIV

17 “Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21 He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.’

24 “Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. 25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

Stephen:

Acts 7:44-53 NIV

44 “Our forefathers had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the desert. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. 45 Having received the tabernacle, our fathers under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, 46 who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who built the house for him.

48 “However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says:

49     “ ‘Heaven is my throne,

and the earth is my footstool.

What kind of house will you build for me?

says the Lord.

Or where will my resting place be?

50     Has not my hand made all these things?’

51 “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53 you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it.”

James:

Acts 15:13-18 NIV

13 When they finished, James spoke up: “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

16     “ ‘After this I will return

and rebuild David’s fallen tent.

Its ruins I will rebuild,

and I will restore it,

17     that the remnant of men may seek the Lord,

and all the Gentiles who bear my name,

says the Lord, who does these things’

18     that have been known for ages.

The early disciples, who were personally taught by the Lord, enjoyed such a confidence and knowledge of the risen Lord’s work through their ministry that their message still thunders in our ears and resonates in our hearts when we read it today.

Lastly let’s turn to Paul’s epistles to further understand this as the work and the teachings of our Lord Jesus.

1 Cor. 3:5-17 NIV

5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

Also in:

2 Cor. 3:2-18 NIV

2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

4 Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!

12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Today is also the Appointed Time

Now we can clearly see that the spiritual work of Jesus was passed on to the Church (Called Out Ones) so that they could teach nations of the mystery, the plan, the way and the heart of God. Some were set apart or elected to carry out the work of the teachings of the word of God with the anointing that they carried with them and would minister to others, like the flowing of living rivers. So the seeds of God’s life sown in their hearts can be nourished and come to fruition and multiply. That is why John said: “The anointing will teach you all things.” Why or how? Because the spirit of God was sent to reveal the mystery of God, even by revealing the knowledge of the Father and the Son. This knowing is not just to know Him as our Creator, our Father and our Lord, but also to know Him as the great Architect of all creation and the Master Gardener of His plantings. So we can truly become His helpers or servants, and get acquainted with His Business and co-labor with Him.  For this reason, the Son was anointed, so too were those He chose and appointed to become ministers of His teachings, or the priests of the New Covenant under His governance.

All of mankind, from Adam to the time of John the Baptist, including the Israelites, had missed this mark. Save a small group of Jesus’ disciples (those who were taught by Him), all mankind remained in spiritual darkness until the day the Lord began to teach the people. His disciples would continue to preach to all nations the Gospel of the Kingdom and teach others of the word of the Lord. Paul boldly refuted the Jews who rejected their message in this way:

Acts. 13:46-48 NIV

46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

“ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,

that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

Now let’s come back to a previous question. In the historical account we looked at earlier, if Samuel is a representation of God the Father, who would Saul, David and Solomon represent? As mentioned, Saul represents the adamic race who forfeited the heart and plan of God towards them. David represents the first coming of the Lord Jesus and the work of building the Temple or the Tabernacle of the Lord.

So who does Solomon represent? He represents the second coming of the Lord and His future reign. You see, the transition from David to Solomon is not a simple continuation of the reign of an earthly monarchy, rather it reveals that the Kingdom of Christ in Heaven. After it is established in Heaven, it will eventually manifest itself on earth. This is what is prophesied in Revelation chapters 11-12. This reign or government of Christ has nothing to do with the governing order of corrupted man. Rather, it will consist of a holy people, transformed through and through by the love and wisdom of God and they, whether in the earthly realm or not, will express His Love and Wisdom and live according to His ways.  They will be taught by God through His Spirit.

Please take a few moments to read  the two chapters mentioned above and then we will look at a few key points:

The sounding of the seventh trumpet is the same ritual that was performed at the time of Moses and in Solomon’s time during the “Feast of Ingathering or Tabernacles”. It signifies the perfection or completion of the work of preparation. It means the tabernacle of God and the tabernacles of His people are in order and have been readied according to the pattern of God. The people were called, gathered and had sanctified themselves in order to worship God in His ordained ways. They were ready to witness the order of the Lord in His tabernacle and receive the services issued from the ordained or anointed ones, who were the king (Moses and Solomon) and the priests (Aaron and his sons and the Levites, and later Zadok and his sons and the Levites). They would soon after offer sacrifices on the altar and then feast in God’s presence in the courts of His temple, where the priests would serve their food and drink. They would celebrate with God as His own people.

So in Rev. 11:15 it says:

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever. ”

This, in part, speaks of God’s judgement unto the earth, as woes from heaven will continue to increase upon the earth. But more importantly, it speaks that the appointed time has come for Christ to rule from Heaven to earth through His chosen people, which are the first-fruits company, represented by the man-child who was snatched up to God.

Rev. 12:5 NIV

5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.

As we mentioned in the last session, the word “son” used here has more than one meaning or application. It applies to the Christ and His Church or his holy ones (Heb 2:10-18) who are set apart and become the Body of Christ of which Body He is the Head. This is also a picture of the Government that rests on the shoulders of Christ. The son company is “given” or appointed and installed by God the Father to be priests under the High Priesthood of Jesus Christ.  It is the Church in Heaven as mentioned by the author of Hebrews. (Heb. 12:22-24) They are able to carry the ark of the Lord on their shoulders and conquer the enemy of God in Heaven, just like the Israelites did at the time of Moses and Joshua. When the principalities and powers in heaven are shaken and cast down, the Kingdom of God will begin to rule and take plunder in the heavens, or in the angelic order.

Rev. 12:10-12 NIV

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.

11     They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.

12     Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.”

Like David was able to restore the tabernacle of the Lord after Moses’s tabernacle was ruined, Jesus, having received the pattern of God’s life and plan, was then able to gather the materials for the Temple of the Lord by transforming the minds of others to be of His mind, which is to teach them on behalf of the Father. The work or ministry of discipleship in Jesus Christ is the process of building the Temple of God.

The prophetic moment recorded here in Revelation can be likened to the Day of Solomon, fulfilling the longing and the true plan and pattern of God for His people when He set them on a spiritual journey across the ages. It is speaking of a time when the spiritual people of God have become the Kingdom of God in heaven.

Abram saw it and believed. Through his meeting with Melchizedek, he was then able to enter into a covenant with God as a family. And he was renamed from Abram to Abraham, a “father of nations”.  

Moses and Aaron saw it and believed. They were sent to deliver and call out the slaves of Egypt. They entered a covenant with God as His chosen people, set apart from all the peoples of the world.

David and Solomon saw it and believed. They were anointed as kings of their people, and their kingdom and people, out of all kingdoms and peoples of the earth, reigned with God’s blessing as His “sons”.

Peter and John saw it and believed. And they were fully discipled by the Lord and became sons of God as He is and priests of the covenant of eternal life, thereby starting a new human race, not of natural descent, by through their spiritual lineage in Christ Jesus. For them and the many with them, Paul said, “all the promises in Christ” are yes and amen. True and real. They are now installed as sons of God in His Household, serving Him in His presence, even before the Ark of His Eternal Covenant (which Ark is the Lord Jesus Himself).

Before he went to the Cross, the Lord revealed His glory to Peter, James and John. (Matt. 17)  Later on, they would testify that the Word of God is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. They had seen, with their own eyes, the glory of God indwelling in the man of Jesus and heard, with their own ears, the voice of God from Heaven saying: “Here is my Son, listen to Him”. Paul put it this way:

Col 1:24-27 NIV

24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Col 2:9-10 NIV

9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

What about today? What do we see and what will we believe?

Let’s pray:

Father in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear, so we can comprehend the glory of Your Son and Your glory, so that we can understand and believe that the same glory is ours. Remove from us the ways of the world and its desires, false zeal and fake humility as in the religion of men, and renew us according to the pattern of Your life and Your work given to us through your Son, Jesus. Make us true disciples of the living Word of God, make us the dwelling place of Your Presence. Forever and ever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

(Next time we will continue to look more into the details of Jesus’s ministry of discipleship. )