The Spirit of Christ
Today’s Focus: Discipleship: Religious Culture vs. Culture of the Son
Scripture: John 5:18; Philippians 4:19; Matthew 28:18-20
Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Today we want to discuss the contrasting cultures of religion and the Son as it pertains to discipleship. We left off our previous message with the statement that the process of maturation is called discipleship so let’s start with the religious culture then discuss the culture of the son as it pertains to discipleship.
In the religious culture discipleship from this aspect: “bring your gift and serve my call”. The reason this is the case is because the person believes that you have no way of hearing God for yourself. What an insult! You become a pawn in their “ministry” to do as they say and change as they change. Anything outside of what their vision is, is a threat to their ministry and more times than not they will find a way to oust you from fellowship. There is the culture of the orphan at its best. These people see people as resources not sons who need maturation. In this culture they do not care about discipleship and to be more frank, they themselves probably have not been effectively discipled. When there is no discipleship, there is no growth and what happens is there is a circle that is formed and everything says within that circle and never changes. Regardless if God is shifting and changing, they will not change from anything that threatens their provision and protection. Discipleship takes a backseat to paying the church mortgage, utilities and pastor. This is the complete opposite when it comes to the culture of the Son.
Discipleship is the heart of the maturation process for the sons of God. The Great Commission tells us to go out and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). This means there are sons that are more mature than others and these sons are spiritual fathers who demonstrate the nature and ways of the Father to mature the sons. Paul and Timothy is one of the great examples of a father/son relationship. Paul discipled Timothy called Timothy numerous times in scripture “his son”. We know Paul had no children or wife. Timothy was sent to Him to bring Him into maturity and as Timothy was brought into maturity, he was charged to do the same with other who God has given to Him to oversee. Another example and more obvious example is Jesus and the 12 disciples. Jesus even prayed to the Father and made it known that the Father gave Him the 12. Jesus was responsible for bringing those 12 to maturity. Now others followed but there was a focus on the 12. Now we know Judas betrayed Jesus and we know that this was done to show that even in your own family you can have people to betray you, but Jesus knew Judas would betray Him. Now let me show you how religion will always threaten the culture of the Son.
John 5:18: Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him (Jesus), because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily verily I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
Now is this any different for us? Are we not to do the exact same thing? Is not God our Father and are we not sons of God? We can do nothing of ourselves. Jesus simply mimicked what He saw the Father do and said what he heard the Father say. Are we not to do the same? We are to be like our Father in image and in character and ways. This is the goal. Paul said this to the church at Philippi.
Philippians 4:9: Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Paul was serving the Most High God and He was discipling the church at Philippi as it pertains to God and peace on how to achieve that peace. The highest order of existence is to be a servant of the Father. This demands discipleship and the only way one can be discipled is one submit to the rulership of Christ.
In closing, the Spirit of Christ is Son. The Spirit of Christ is given to us for maturation and discipleship to bring us to the fullness of the stature of Christ. The Spirit of Christ empowers us through gifts of the Spirit and we also know now that a mature son of God can operate in all five “Doma” gifts (five-fold ministry). The Spirit of Christ teaches us that we have an inheritance from the Father mediated by the Lord Jesus Christ who is our elder brother and we lack nothing because everything we need is found in Him.
Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.
