(Luke 6:40; Matthew 10:24, 25)
Principal Law #7 - There must be lifestyle affirmation and allegiance. A disciple is not to be above his teacher, but like his teacher.
A CLOSER LOOK
Principal Law #6 - There must be life-altering instruction. A life of discipleship is built on this foundational principle. The student wants to be like his teacher, and for this to happen, life-altering instruction must be given and received. All followers want to be led by their master.
Instruction from a master is the lifeline of the disciple.
Principal Law #7 - There must be lifestyle affirmation and allegiance. The student wants to be like his teacher. Both teacher and student will affirm the progress of each other. The student will affirm and authenticate the effectiveness of His teacher in everyday life. The teacher is sensitive to the needs of his follower and discerns when it is the right time to affirm and authenticate the diligence and determination of his student’s effort to follow his instruction.
They also are pleased to affirm their allegiance to each other. The teacher affirms his commitment to the student by allowing him to do things that would identify him as his disciple. The student makes every effort to honor his master and points everyone to his master’s influence over his life. It will always be known verbally and visually who is the master and who is the disciple. Both the teacher and the disciple see it as an honor to be identified with one another because they are not ashamed of each other.
In the above passage Jesus is not giving us conditions for discipleship, qualifications of discipleship, or the cost of moving from being a Christian to a disciple but emphatically stating a fact about those who cannot possibly belong to Him personally. He is NOT pointing out the difference between a Christian and a Disciple because there is no difference to be made. A new creature in Christ Jesus (a born again Believer/Christian/Disciple) is supernaturally established, equipped, and empowered by the grace of God as a Disciple of Jesus Christ to forsake all others, objects, and obsessions to diligently follow his new Deliver and Lord. Does this mean you know everything there is to know, and you abandon all you have, and what you're ignorantly doing that is opposed to the purpose and pleasure of God? No! It does mean you know everything you need to know at that point. You now know Jesus is your King. You know that you're a new creation? You know you have been graciously forgiven of a monstrous debt of sin and by the tender mercies of God reconciled to Him from a place of hostility and rebellion. You know you have embraced and are experiencing a love that goes beyond words. You know your life is not your own and your understanding is illuminated to seek in humility the truth of God's Word. You know that Jesus is beautiful and glorious, precious and treasured, trustworthy and true, wonderful and lovely, costly and YOURS! You know that you are free to follow Him. You know you have a new family and that you are pleasantly and surprisingly fond of them. You know that there are others who need to know what YOU KNOW about being forgiven, reconciled, and free to follow Jesus. You know that the influence of things and people which previously meant so much to you is no longer useful in your newly altered world. You know you can walk away from someone or something because Someone of greater value has won your affection and adoration. You know you have been interrupted by Jesus and invaded by His grace. You know old things have passed away and all things have become new to you.
Jesus illustrates this by using a very common household item, SALT. We keep salt in our cabinets as a means of flavoring food. If salt looses its flavor it becomes useless and disposable to us, and we have no problem discarding it. We can now throw it out because its purpose has been altered. This illustration is used to make a strong point. The point that Jesus is making is about flavor, appeal, and purpose. If a man can go to Jesus and see his family and his own life in the same way he's always seen them, that man has never been supernaturally made a disciple. The reason a disciple can forsake all others, objects, and obsessions is because He has a new nature that is drawn to Jesus and driven to follow Him. As a result of this new nature everything else has lost its power and original appeal/flavor and can now be "thrown out" and discarded as needed. Why? Have they all changed? No! Their purpose in your life has been altered. By whom? By the Lord when He altered your purpose and therefore changed your sense of taste, and what you treasure in life. The personal interest and investment of Jesus became very tasteful and their influence became bitter. They didn't change. The change was wrought in you by the Holy Ghost.
Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour. wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Luke 14:34-35
Jesus is saying that if any man comes to Him and sees Him with an unaltered life he will live an unaltered lifestyle and the influence of those dearest to him will always taste better than Mine. The fact is simply this; he is not personally Mine! If He is Mine he would come to Me with a supernaturally altered life (which I did) and anyone or anything that would hinder My involvement, influence, and instruction upon his life he can and is responsible to Me to abandon because its lost its flavor in his life. His family didn't change. No, I changed him so he would be, and matter of fact, forever want to be Mine! Will sin appeal to him? Yes! The difference is he has the capacity and power through My grace to say NO to sin's temptation. Will he always say NO? No! He will yield at times, be tricked, and even find temporary pleasure in sin. Yet My love for Him is not based on what he does. I will work on the root of His sin problem and not be deterred by the results of his actions. When he sins against Me, I will discipline him because I love him. I will teach him how to live a life of repentance and righteousness. I will never allow his righteous soul to famish; therefore I will use my people to feed him, and I, in turn, will use him to feed My people. Why? He's MINE, and this is what I do with My OWN!
(Eph. 1 ; Titus 2:11-14 ; 3:1-8 ; 2 Cor. 5:14-21 ; Eph. 5:22-33 ; 1 Pet. 2:9-11 ; Heb. 12 ; Ps. 85 ; Jer. 32:38-44 ; Micah 7:18-20 ; Is. 12 ; Pr. 10:3 ; Acts 1)
If you're NOT a Disciple of Jesus you cannot possibly belong to Him!
There are Principle Laws to Discipleship that are applicable to all disciples.
Answer His call into LIFE today! (John 3:3-5 ; 5:21-27)
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