Seven Principal Laws of Discipleship (Part 3)
(Luke 6:40; Matthew 10:24, 25)

The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. Luke 6:40

Principal Law #6 - There must be life-altering instruction, a specific doctrine/truth in which they believe.
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.

*Taken from my newly released book Magnify The Lord: Ten Reasons to Discover, Declare, and Defend why Christ Came, chapter seven; He's Come to Disciple. (ISBN 9781602669314)

And there went great multitudes with Him: and He turned, and said unto them, [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. [27] And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:25-27

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)

Seven Principal Laws of Discipleship (Part 2)

(Luke 6:40; Matthew 10:24, 25)
The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. Luke 6:40

Principal Law #3 - There must be a common nature. They must be likeminded in nature, with a desire to invest in each other.

Principal Law #4 - There must be a personal relationship, a connection that relates emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Principal Law #5 - There must be clear communication that comes through an intimate knowledge of each other’s purpose.

A CLOSER LOOK

Principal Law #3 - There must be a common nature. Without a common nature, there is not a willingness to be likeminded. Followers of other men have a likeminded nature and desire to be like their teacher. People followed a rabbi’s teaching in Jesus’ day because they had something in common with them and yielded themselves to their teacher’s purpose for living. The necessity of the new birth experience is fundamental for a man to take upon the common nature of the Son of God. Natural man is opposed and hostile to God’s ways. To be a follower of Jesus, a man must be born again in order to have a common nature with Jesus.

Principal Law #4 - There must be a personal relationship. Without a personal relationship, there is no possibility of authentic discipleship. Through the new birth and being reconciled with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, we enter into a personal relationship with God and His Son
and experience what Christ has come to do. We are connected to Christ and now can relate to Him physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Principal Law #5 - There must be clear communication. Without being in intimate fellowship, there is no discipleship. To know what one believes, there must be clear communication. A teacher finds out where his followers are through quality time spent communicating with one another. A follower knows what his master thinks about things because they talk about it together. Clear communication sets the stage for authentic discipleship.

*Taken from my newly released book Magnify The Lord: Ten Reasons to Discover, Declare, and Defend why Christ Came, chapter seven; He's Come to Disciple. (ISBN 9781602669314)
Come back tomorrow for part 3 of a 3 part series on the
Principle Laws of Discipleship

Seven Principal Laws of Discipleship (Part 1)
(Luke 6:40; Matthew 10:24, 25)

The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

Luke 6:40

Principal Law #1 - There must be a willing teacher/master, a teacher who is willing to invest his life and love into a follower.

Principal Law #2 - There must be a submissive pupil/follower, a student willing to give up his life to learn and live the way of his master.

A CLOSER LOOK
Principal Law #1 - There must be a willing teacher/master. There must be an individual who will make every effort to invest what they know and how they live into a follower
or a group of followers. This individual is seeking a follower who will allow him to pour his very life into them. There is no discipleship without a willing teacher. He opens up his heart, head, hands, and home to a learner who makes himself his subject.

Principal Law #2 - There must be a submissive pupil/follower. Without a follower, there can be no discipleship. A follower must be willing to make himself subject to a master. The reason they do this is because they want to consume everything their teacher knows. They want to be like their teacher. They give up their life to follow the light, life, and love of their master. They forsake all previous ambitions so they can give themselves to their new master.

*Taken from my newly released book Magnify The Lord: Ten Reasons to Discover, Declare, and Defend why Christ Came, chapter seven; He's Come to Disciple. (ISBN 9781602669314)

Come back tomorrow for part 2 of a 3 part series on the

Principle Laws of Discipleship

NOT?
This is why it is of the highest priority that we position ourselves to hear truth with a heart that deeply longs to obey what we hear. Have you ever told someone you wanted their help and needed their advice, yet the advice you were looking for was only affirmation of your actions and not the answer to your problem? Have you ever been asked to supply your input about a circumstance, yet you knew from the beginning that they would not act on what you shared?
We rarely want solutions in areas of our lives that we feel that we have figured out. What we normally do is seek affirmation from others to confirm our thoughts not confront us in life. How many times have we come before the Lord and said, “Just tell me Lord Your will and I’ll do it”? Yet we knew that we only wanted justification for what we were already doing. We have to come to the Lord as His subject not as His advisor or counselor. It is important for us, as His subjects, to come under His authority and the sound of His voice to listen with an expectation to conform to what we hear from Him. We can not approach the Lord as an advisor seeking to make Him conform to our desire. This is what prescription drug addicts do when they seek a doctor that they can manipulate into conforming to their advice. They go to a physician to get what they want, not subject themselves to his professional influence and instruction that they may be cured but to deepen their sickness.
Most people go to a doctor because they need his counsel. They are sick or have a problem that they can’t handle so they seek a doctor’s instruction, influence and involvement in their personal life. I haven’t been to a doctor in over eight years now. Why? To my knowledge I haven’t needed a doctor’s experience and influence. I haven’t been sick therefore I haven’t sought the instruction of, or the involvement of a doctor in my life. Jesus used the same analogy when teaching His disciples about the reason He came. “And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32).
Don’t miss this point. If you fail to grasp this principle you’ll let everything needful slip right out of your hands. (Pr. 17:16) The religious establishment in Jesus day missed it. They complained about the fact that He called sinners and tax collectors to follow Him. Jesus responded to the Pharisees by manifesting to them that these people know that they are sin sick. Jesus knew that His Father had supernaturally revealed to these sin sick souls that He could cure them and therefore He invited them to follow Him. They, through divine help, followed Jesus in order to come under His influence and instruction. They needed and sought after His involvement in their life.
If anyone follows Christ it is because they want to know what He knows. They subject themselves under His influence to hear His instruction because they want to follow the Great Physician’s orders. He has the answer to their sickness, and the very well-being they so desperately need. “And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9). The word obey means to come under to listen to His instruction with every intent to conform to His ways. They live to follow the One who has the greatest influence over their life, Jesus. Why do they subject themselves to Him? They have been persuaded that He is their life and livelihood.
On the other hand we see from other passages that the opposite is the reality for those who are not persuaded. They, not being persuaded that Jesus is their life source, can’t be characteristically described as being obedient. This very same group will be dealt with when Jesus returns to bring vengeance on those who do not know His Father and have not been persuaded by the gospel to obey Jesus. “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power” (2 Thes. 1:8-9). It is quite clear that those who do not live to follow the influence and instruction of the Lord are lost and perishing in their sin.
Have you personally answered the call of God to follow His Son? Sin sick people seek a Doctor for His advice and not to advise Him. How about you? What truth are you obeying?