Identification with Christ

When you become a disciple of Christ you have total and complete union with him. You now identify with Him in every way -- those that are pleasant and those that are painful. Let's look at some of those here now.

Identification According to Jesus
The Lord Jesus told His disciples how they would identify with Him when He said:

"Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” (Joh 15:20)

"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.” (Joh 15:18)

"The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me." (Luk 10:16)

"He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” (Mat 10:40)

"Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. (Mat 10:14)

"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'  (Mat 25:40)

"Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' (Mat 25:45)

"Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven." (Mat 10:32-33)

"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." (Luk 9:26)

"And He was saying to them all, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.'" (Luk 9:23)

“He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father…” (Rev 2:26-27)

"He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne." (Rev 3:21)

Let's go back now and review the ways the Lord said we identify with Him in the preceding verses:

• If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.
• If the world hates you, it has hated Me before it hated you.
• The one who rejects you rejects Me.
• If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
• The one who listens to you listens to Me.
• If they do not listen to you, they do not listen to Me.
• If you are doing My work, then those who receive you receive Me.
• Whatever they do to any one of you, they do it to Me.
• Whatever they do not do to any one of you, they do not do to Me.
• Everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father.
• Whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father.
• Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, I will be ashamed of him when I come.
• If I denied Myself and carried My cross,
• You must deny yourself and take up your cross daily.

This means that if we are seeking to live godly in Christ, we can expect the world to persecute us, hate us, and reject us. If Jesus went through those things, then we certainly can’t escape experiencing them. But if we teach what Jesus did, speak the truth, and testify of Him, we can also expect those who are on the side of truth to receive us, listen to us, keep our word, and love us. If we confess Christ before men, He will confess us before the Father. But if we deny Him before men, He will also deny us before the Father. If we are ashamed of Him and His Words, He will be ashamed of us when He comes. Since He denied Himself and carried His cross, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross. If we overcome and keep His deeds to the end, He will give us authority over the nations, just as He received authority from the Father. He will grant to us to sit down with Him on His throne, as He also overcame and sat down with the Father on His throne. This is what it means to identify with Christ in every way.

Identification with Christ According to Paul

The apostle Paul also taught us how we have become identified with Christ, too. He said:

"Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." (Rom 6:4)

"For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection," (Rom 6:5)

"It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;" (2Ti 2:11-12)

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus..." (Php 2:5)

“For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1Co 2:16)

"I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." (Phil 3:10, NIV)

"And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it." (1Co 12:26-27)

• If one member of Christ's body suffers, He suffers with it.
• If you follow Christ, you must have the same attitude that was in Him.
• If you have been buried with Him into death,
• You have been raised with Him in newness of life.
• If you have become united with Him in the likeness of His death,
• You shall be united with Him in the likeness of His resurrection.
• If you participate in His sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
• You will know the power of his resurrection, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
• If we died with Him, we will also live with Him.
• If we endure, we will also reign with Him.
• If we deny Him, He also will deny us.

Side of Side Comparison
Now let's look side by side at Christ's identity and ours in the chart below, observing the total and complete union we have with Him:

Christ	Disciple
Crucified (Mt 27:32-56)	Deny self, take up cross, follow Him; Crucified with Christ (Mk 8:34)
Died (Rom 5:6-8)	Dead to Sin (Rom 6:11)
Risen (Mark 16:5-7; Luke 24:6-7; Ro 4:25; 10:9)	Raised with Christ (Col 3:1; 1 Cor. 6:14; Jn 6:40)
Seated at God’s right hand (Mk 16:19; Ro 8:34; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1; He 1:3; 10:12)	Seated in heavenly realms with Christ (Eph 2:6)
In God the Father(Jn 14:11,20)	Hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3)
Sun of Righteousness (Mal 4:2)	Righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor 5:21)
The temple of the Holy Spirit (Jn 2:19)	The temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Co 6:19)
Servant of the Lord (Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45; Is 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-7; 52:13-53:12)	Servant of the Lord (Col 3:23-24; 1 Co 4:1)
One with the Father (Jn 10:30)	One with Christ (1 Cor 6:17)
He is God (Joh 1:1-14, 18; Ro 9:5; Phil 2:6-8; Col 1:1-19; 2:9; He 1:3; 1 Jn 5:20)	God lives inside -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Jn 14:23; 17:26; 2 Cor 13:5; Ro 8:9; Col 1:27)
Son of God (Jn 5:19; 1 Cor 15:28; Heb 1:5; Mt 3:17; 1 Jn 4:10)	Child of God (1 Jn 3:1; 5:19; Rom 8:14; Jn 1:12-13; Gal 4:4 -7)
King of kings (Rev 19:16)	King (1 Pet 2:9; Rev 1:6)
Conceived by the Holy Spirit (Mt 1:18)	Born of the Spirit (Jn 3:6)
Our high priest (He 2:17; 4:14-16; 6:20; 7:26)	A priest (1 Pet 2:9; Rev 1:6)
Followed by signs and wonders (Mt 11:4-5; Ac 2:22)	Followed be signs and wonders (Mk 16:17-18, 20; Heb 2:4)
The Light of the world (Jn 8:12)	The light of the world (Mt 5:14)
A child of Abraham, heir of promise (Mt 1:1)	A child of Abraham, heir of promise (Gal 3:7, 29; 4:28)
Sacrifice (Rom 5:8)	A living sacrifice (Rom 12:1)
The true Vine (Jn 15:1)	A branch (Jn 15:5; Ro 11:17-18)
Mighty Warrior (Is 9:6)	A soldier of Christ (2 Tim 2:3)
Can do all things (Mk 9:23; Mt 19:23-30)	Can do all things through Christ (Phil 4:13)
Reigns (Ps 93:1)	Reign with him and have dominion (Ge 1:28; 2 Ti 2:12; Re 20:6)
Savior (Lk 2:11; 19:10; Ro 5:10; 1 Jn 4:10)	Win souls for Christ as a witness (Pr 11:30; 2 Tim 4:5; Ac 1:8; Mt 28:19; Mk 16:15)
Image of God (He 1:3)	Made in His image/Being transformed into His image (Ge 1:26-27; 2 Co 3:18)
Baptized with the Holy Spirit (Lk 3:21-22; 4:18)	Must be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Ac 1:4,8; Eph 5:18)
Sinless (Heb 4:15; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 Jn 3:5)	Free not to sin (Jn 8:32,36; Rom 6:18,22; Gal 5:13; 1 Co 7:22)
Holy (Lk 1:35; 4:34; Ac 3:14; Heb 7:26; 1 Jn 2:20)	Holy (Phil 1:1; 1 Co 1:2; Eph 1:1)
Came to do God's will (Heb 10:9; Jn 5:19)	Here to do God's will (1 Pe 4:1-2; 1 Jn 2:17; Mt 7:21)
Perfect (1 Pe 1:18-19; Heb 5:9)	Must be perfect (Mt 5:48)

Closing Words
As disciples of Christ, we are united with Him in every way. This means we should seek to and expect to know Christ in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, being made like Him in His death, so that somehow we attain to the resurrection of the dead and reign with Him. We should pray earnestly and ask for total and complete union with Him, so that we would have the mind of Christ, the attitude of Christ, and the will of Christ in our lives. I hope this has encouraged you to do so today.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: I recommend reading the following articles: Your Identity in Christ, Covenant Prayer, All Things Handed Over to Jesus Christ, Supernatural Power for All Disciples, An Incomparable Inheritance, The Cost of Discipleship, Persecuted or Popular?, The Priesthood of All Believers, and Having a Servant's Heart. I also invite you to read my daughter's poems, called "The Cost" and "Mirror of Christ." You can also find my complete collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Is Obedience Optional?

Many Christians today use the “grace card” as an excuse why they don’t need to concern themselves with obedience to God’s commandments.  In other words, they feel that since we are saved by grace through faith, and not by works, our works are not important.  But this could not be farther from the truth.

God places great importance on obedience in the life of the disciple.  This is what Jesus taught.

Condition for Eternal Life
The apostle Paul said that Jesus Christ is the source of salvation to all those who obey Him.  "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation." (Heb 5:8-9). That's not my opinion, it's God's Word.

The apostle John said, “The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” (1Jo 2:17).  If you do the will of God, you’ll live forever.  If not, you will pass away with the world and its lusts.

Jesus also said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death." (Joh 8:51) This is a conditional sentence containing the word “if.”  It is only “if” you keep His word that you will never see death.  Surely we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus.  But once you are saved, the Lord expects you to keep His word. If you want to meet the conditions for eternal life, you must keep Jesus’ Word!

As John the Baptist said, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (Joh 3:36).  The wrath of God abides on the one who does not obey the Son, and he will not see life.

Loving Means Obeying
Jesus also said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (Joh 14:15).  Many people say they love Jesus or they believe in Jesus. But they don’t do what He said.  They don’t keep His commandments.  They make excuses why they don’t need to give tithes and offerings or keep Sundays holy. They justify why it is ok for them to practice sexual immorality, occultism, or idolatry.  But their actions show the true condition of their heart.  A person can appear to be a true follower of Christ on the outside but God knows the heart. There are multitudes of churches on the Earth and many of the churches are filled with many people. However, most of them are not true Christians.

If you want to abide in Jesus' love, here is what you must do: you must keep His commandments!  He said, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. (Joh 15:10).  Jesus set the example for us and kept His Father’s commandments, so we need to imitate Him.

He was obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross, not just a natural death.  Paul said, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus… Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Phi 2:5,8).  The Father expects that kind of obedience from disciples of Christ.

Hear and Act on Jesus’ words

Not everyone who believes in Jesus is going to heaven.  Not everyone who calls Him, “Lord” is going to be saved. 

Listen to what Jesus taught.  "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall." (Mat 7:21-27)

Your salvation is based on grace through faith in Christ.  But it ultimately depends on whether or not you hear and act on Jesus’ words.  Those who hear His words and act on them will be saved.  When the storms come, they will not be shaken.  But those who hear His words and do not act on them will not be saved.  Jesus will call them “you who practice lawlessness,” and command them to depart from Him. They will be destroyed like the house built on sand. 

Don’t build your house on the sand!  All your prophesying, working miracles, and casting out demons in Jesus’ name will not save you.  Those are good to do, but if you are not acting on the words of Jesus, keeping His commandments, you will be blown away.

Jesus’ True Family Does God’s Will
If you are truly Jesus’ brother, sister, or mother, you will do the will of the Heavenly Father.  Jesus said, "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother." (Mat 12:50).  It doesn’t matter if you have prayed to ask Jesus into your heart and you go to church every week.  God is watching to see whether or not you will do His will. If you fail on some point, repent sincerely and ask forgiveness.  God is gracious and will forgive you.  But don’t keep walking in the same sin or you will eventually wind up in hell. 

Feeding on Obedience
When Jesus had once spoken to the woman at the well, His disciples asked if he wanted something to eat. Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.” (Joh 4:34).  For Jesus it was nourishing to Him to do the will of God, and it is for every disciple of His who chooses to do God’s will. Man lives on every word that proceeds out of God’s mouth.

Sheep and Goats Judged on What They Did or Did Not Do
Jesus is coming back very soon.  At the final judgment, He will sit on His glorious throne.  Here is how He described it:

"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. "All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' "Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Mat 25:31-46)

Jesus taught that what we do to His brethren, we do to Him.  Remember that He taught us His brethren are those who do God’s will.  So whatever you do to them you do to Jesus.  Whenever you feed His brethren who are hungry, visit those who are sick or imprisoned, clothe those who are naked, or invite those who are strangers into your home, you are doing it to Jesus Himself.  Conversely, whenever you neglect to do so, you neglect to do it unto Jesus. 

The sheep and goats will be judged on what they did and didn’t do.  Both the sheep and the goats will call Him “Lord.”  But only those who do God’s will, who act on Jesus’ words will inherit eternal life.  Those who do not will go away to eternal punishment.

The Word Will Condemn Those Who Don’t Keep It
This is the part people don’t like to talk about.  It doesn’t fit with their idea of grace and freedom.  But these are the words of Jesus our Savior.  He said, "If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me." (Joh 12:47-50)

Jesus clearly taught that the word He has spoken will condemn anyone who hears His sayings and does not keep them.

Putting it All Together
Jesus Christ is the source of salvation for all who obey Him. If He is truly your Lord, then that means He is your Master.  It means you do whatever He says.  If you love Him, you will keep His commandments.  If you don't keep His commandments, then you don't really love Him.

In that final judgment, you won’t be able to pull out the “grace card” from your hand and claim that you are saved by grace alone.  You need to take care now that you are doing the will of God, keeping His commandments, hearing and acting on Jesus’ words, and feeding on obedience to the Lord. 

When you see one of Jesus’ brethren hungry, feed them.  Clothe those who are naked.  Invite those who are strangers into your home. Visit the ones who are sick or in prison. Listen to Jesus’ words.  Study the Bible.  Know what God has commanded, and do what He says.  Then you will prove that your faith is genuine.  Then you will be one of Jesus’ brothers or sisters.  Then you will prove yourself to be one of His true sheep, and you will inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

Christians, living under the New Covenant, are not under the Old Covenant law, but able to fulfill its intent through faith in Jesus Christ. Those who chose to ignore God's commandments and neglect the words of Jesus will die in their sin.  They will perish and go away to eternal punishment.


Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: This article is related to the following messages:
The Obedience of Faith
Doing What is Right
Righteous Deeds and White Robes 
The Law of Love in the New Testament
The Law Established Through Faith
The Law Fulfilled in Us
Faith Works!
Keeping Sundays Holy
Resting from Work
Is Tithing Required for Christians?
Salvation with Fear and Trembling
If -- A Picture Paints a Thousand Words

I invite you to read my daughter's poem, Overflowing Blessings. You can also find my complete collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Photo credit: Image is from a post by Dr. Michelle T. Johnson, called Obedience is the Antidote, on her Alabaster Woman blog. "Wise and Foolish Builders" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

One thing

Have you ever felt like life is too complicated?  If so, that’s not unusual.  There are probably millions of other who feel the same way.

But actually life is not complicated. We make it that way.   When you are in Christ, life is actually simple.  But it requires faith.  That means trusting the Lord.

There’s only one thing we need to focus on, and when you do so, it’ll greatly simplify your life.  I’d like to share with you what it is.

David desired one thing
The Lord called King David a man after His own heart.  And David desired only one thing.  He said:

"One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple." (Psa 27:4)

David’s one desire was to dwell in the Lord’s house all the days of his life, so that he could behold the Lord’s beauty.  The other reason he wanted to dwell there was so that he could inquire of the Lord. 

During David’s lifetime, the temple was not yet built.  They simply had a tent of meeting, called a tabernacle, where they met with the Lord.  This was the place where the Lord manifested his presence.  That’s where David wanted to remain.

In the New Covenant, Jesus Christ is the temple.  He plainly said so.  When the religious leaders asked him for a sign to prove His authority, “Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews then said, ‘It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?’ But He was speaking of the temple of His body. So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.” (Joh 2:19-22)

So for those under the New Covenant, our one desire should be to remain in Jesus Christ all the days of our life.  It should be to seek the Lord and behold His beauty. 

All who are led by the spirit are sons of God.  We are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  The apostle Paul wrote, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1Co 3:16). 

Christ’s body is the temple.  We are the Body of Christ and He is the Head of the Body.  It could not be any clearer that He and those of us who are His disciples are the temple.  So if we desire the one thing David desired, it’s to abide in Christ moment-by-moment and day-to-day.

Mary desired one thing
Another person who had this singular focus was Mary, the sister of Lazarus.  When Jesus came to visit the home, where she and her family lived, she was interested in just one thing.

“Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord's feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’" (Luk 10:38-42)

Many people are like Martha.  They feel like life is complicated. Martha was stressed out.  In the presence of the Lord, she felt the pressure of all the tasks she thought she needed to do.  If that’s how you are, then you are probably distracted like Martha was.  She found it hard to settle down and focus on the Lord.

In fact, this kind of mindset led Martha to want to control people.  She needed to recruit her sister to help her fulfill all that she thought needed to be done for the Lord.  And when she could not control Mary, she tried to get Jesus to force her to help. 

I think this is all too common among believers.  It can happen in a household, as well as the church.  Many times a leader has his own, great “vision” of what needs to be done for the Lord.  And to fulfill his vision, he needs to recruit others into service.  When they do not volunteer to serve, and do not align with his vision, he uses other means to control them like manipulation and coercion.  I’ve seen leaders like this become so distracted by many things.  Yet they don’t seem interested in abiding in Christ.  They don’t seem to enjoy just abiding in Christ, worshipping Him and enjoying His presence.  Instead, they are always thinking about the next thing they are going to say or the next task that needs to be completed.

But look at what Jesus said to Martha.  The Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”  (Lk 10:42) According to Jesus, only one thing is necessary, and Mary had chosen it.  She was sitting at the Lord’s feet, listening to His Word.

That’s the one thing that is still needed today.  We need to sit at the Lord’s feet and listen to His Word.  In that place, we commune with Him and adore Him.  We put distractions aside, and focus on Jesus.  We meditate upon His Word.  We listen to His voice.  Our desire is simply to be with Him.  It’s all about Jesus.

Love the Lord your God
When Luke wrote about the story of Martha and Mary, it was in the context of a conversation Jesus had with someone about the one thing needed to inherit eternal life. 

“And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ And He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?’ And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ And He said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; Do this and you will live.’" (Luk 10:25-28)

The message is the same.  Jesus taught this lawyer that one thing is necessary, and that is to love.  Our love for God must be with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.  We should love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  And Jesus illustrated this love with the story of the Good Samaritan to show what He meant.

Seek first His kingdom and righteousness
The temptation is to worry about what we will eat or drink or what we will wear.  There will never be a lack of things to worry about, which will vie for our attention.  But Jesus taught us to “Seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you." (Mt 6:33)

Focus on Jesus
The writer to the Hebrews also taught that we must have a singular focus.  He wrote: “Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.” (Heb 3:1). 

Again he wrote, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:2). 

When you fix your thoughts on someone, they are the center of your attention.  When you focus your eyes on someone, everything else fades out of focus.  Our focus should be on Jesus.

Putting it All Together
What’s your focus? Food, clothing, money, success, possessions, fame, popularity, making a place for yourself in history, numbers, buildings, man-made traditions, external appearances, titles, collecting people?

David desired one thing, and that was to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life, to gaze upon His beauty and inquire in His temple.  Mary chose that one thing also. She sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to His Word. 

We need to love the Lord with our entire being. We should fix our thoughts on Jesus, focusing our eyes on Him.

Let me encourage you today to focus on Jesus, dwelling in His house all the days of your life.  There you can gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and seek Him in His temple.  That’s the one thing that’s needed.

When you live like this, life will be simple. But it requires your complete trust in the Lord.  It requires faith, without which it is impossible to please God.  Will you commit yourself to do this?



Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the links in the side bar, especially "Inquiring of the Lord." You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Hearing the Lord's Voice

Do we only know how to recognize and listen to the voice of a man, such as a pastor, preacher, or blogger? Or do we know how to recognize and listen to the voice of the Lord? What have we been trained to do?

One of the most important aspects of seeking the Lord is hearing His voice. Every disciple needs to learn to do this as an essential part of making Christ central. Let's turn to the Scriptures and let the Word of God speak for itself.

Jesus said His sheep would know His voice
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." (Joh 10:27). If you are one of His sheep, Jesus said you would hear His voice. It comes with being a sheep, and sheep are not very smart. So don't feel like this is beyond your ability to do.

Moses heard the voice of the Lord
The Lord spoke to Moses on top of a mountain in a burning bush. "When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the Lord: 'I AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC AND JACOB.' Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look." (Act 7:31-32)

Peter heard the voice of the Lord
There was a time when God was about to direct Peter to begin taking the gospel to the Gentiles. Up to that point, they were only preaching to Jews. But God first spoke to a Gentile man, named Cornelius, who sent his servants to get Peter. "On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; and he *saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. A voice came to him, 'Get up, Peter, kill and eat!' But Peter said, 'By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.' Again a voice came to him a second time, 'What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.' This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky." (Act 10:9-16).

Sometimes the Lord speaks to both parties, in order to prepare them for something extraordinary. In this case, He spoke to Cornelius and Peter to prepare them for what He was about to do in their lives, before they even met each other. I've seen the Lord do this over and over in my own life. For example, before and after we were married, the Lord has spoken to both my wife and I about many things, including ways He was directing us to serve Him.

Paul heard the voice of the Lord
When the apostle Paul was on the road to Damascus, sent with authority to persecute the disciples of Christ there, the Lord met him on that road in a vision and changed his life. "And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' And he said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.'" (Act 9:4-6).

When the Lord speaks to you, sometimes He will ask you a question. He already knows the answer, but wants you to discover it yourself. So don't be surprised if the Lord asks you a question.

We must not harden our hearts when we hear the Lord’s voice
The writer of Hebrews stated: "He again fixes a certain day, 'Today,' saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, 'TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.'" (Heb 4:7)

This teaches us that when the Lord speaks, you have a choice. You can either humble yourself and receive what He tells you. Or you can harden your heart. Be careful not to harden your heart. In order to avoid that, you will need to have faith and believe what the Lord is saying.

God’s Word is active and living
"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Heb 4:12)

God's Word is alive. So when He speaks to you, it penetrates deep down inside of you, reaching places that even a surgeon could not reach if he were to cut you open with a knife. The Word is sharper than any scalpel. It's able to get into our soul and spirit and separate the two. It's able to show you your own thoughts and motives.

Israelites perished because they didn’t listen to the Lord’s voice
"For the sons of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, that is, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished because they did not listen to the voice of the LORD, to whom the LORD had sworn that He would not let them see the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey." (Jos 5:6)

It's true that thousands of Israelites perished in the wilderness, because they did not listen and obey the Lord's voice when He spoke. So we need to be careful that we are not merely hearers, but also doers of God's Word.

The voice of the Lord is powerful and majestic
"Ascribe to the LORD, O sons of the mighty, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in holy array. The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; The God of glory thunders, The LORD is over many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful, The voice of the LORD is majestic. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; Yes, the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, And Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everything says, "Glory!" The LORD sat as King at the flood; Yes, the LORD sits as King forever. The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace." (Psa 29:1-11)

When the Lord needs to utter His voice, He can make it loud and clear, if He needs to. It's powerful and majestic, and shakes the wilderness. So no matter where you are at, trust more in His ability to speak to you than in your ability to hear from Him.

Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord
Isaiah the prophet had an amazing vision of the Lord. Here is what the Lord said to Him at that time. He wrote: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" (Isa 6:8)

You see how the Lord asked him a question, as He did with Paul? The Lord was looking for a voluntary commitment from the heart, and Isaiah willingly offered Himself to the Lord for His service.

Samuel heard the voice of the Lord
Perhaps one of my favorite examples in Scripture of someone hearing from the Lord is Samuel. When he was just a boy, serving in the temple with Eli, the priest, "the LORD called Samuel; and he said, 'Here I am.' Then he ran to Eli and said, 'Here I am, for you called me.' But he said, 'I did not call, lie down again.' So he went and lay down. The LORD called yet again, 'Samuel!' So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, 'Here I am, for you called me.' But he answered, 'I did not call, my son, lie down again.' Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor had the word of the LORD yet been revealed to him. So the LORD called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, 'Here I am, for you called me.' Then Eli discerned that the LORD was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, 'Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, "Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening."' So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!' And Samuel said, 'Speak, for Your servant is listening.'" (1Sa 3:4-10)

As a little boy, when he first heard the Lord's voice, it sounded familiar, and he thought it was the person in the other room. But he quickly learned that it was the Lord speaking. When you go before the Lord, you should pray with an attitude like Samuel, "Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening."

The Lord has enabled us to know the mind of Christ
Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ." (1Co 2:16)

Who has ever heard of someone knowing what God is thinking? Yet that's exactly what happens when we are a disciples of Christ. We actually have His mind, and through prayer we can discover what the Lord desires in a given situation.

John heard the voice of the Lord
The apostle John recorded his experience on the isle of Patmos. He wrote: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, 'Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.' Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength." (Rev 1:10-16)

John clearly heard the Lord's voice as loud as a loud trumpet, and like the sound of many waters. He also saw visions from God. We have the book of Revelation today because of it. All that happened to him while he was in a lonely, desolate place, being persecuted for his faith in Christ. So when you feel alone, remember that the Lord may want to speak to you during that time when you are free of distractions.

When everyone is hearing the Lord, there is a common sense of expectation for God to move
The prophets Elijah and Elisha both knew God was about to take Elijah. :And it came about when the LORD was about to take up Elijah by a whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, 'Stay here please, for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.' But Elisha said, 'As the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.' So they went down to Bethel." (2Ki 2:1-2)

Not only Elisha and Elijah knew, but the prophets at Bethel also knew God was about to take Elijah. "Then the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, 'Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?' And he said, 'Yes, I know; be still.'" (2Ki 2:3)

Because Elisha knew the God was about to take Elijah from him, he followed Elijah, so that he could be with him when it happened. "Elijah said to him, 'Elisha, please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.' But he said, 'As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.' So they came to Jericho." (2Ki 2:4)

Even the prophets at Jericho knew the Lord was about to take Elijah from Elisha. "The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, 'Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?' And he answered, 'Yes, I know; be still.'" (2Ki 2:5)

Elisha insisted on staying with Elijah, knowing God would soon take him. "Then Elijah said to him, 'Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.' And he said, 'As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.' So the two of them went on." (2Ki 2:6)

I just want to point out that when all these people -- Elisha, Elijah, the prophets at Bethel, and the prophets at Jericho -- were all hearing from the Lord about the same thing, they had a sense of expectation. And the same is true today in the Church. When the Body of Christ is listening to the Lord's voice, we will all be hearing the same thing. Then we'll have a mutual sense of expectation for what the Lord is about to do.

Elijah heard the Lord’s voice in a gentle breeze
The prophet Elijah fasted for forty days after eating and drinking. "So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God." (1Ki 19:8)

The Word of the Lord came to him while fasting for forty days. "Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'" (1Ki 19:9)

He spoke to the Lord of his zeal saying, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." (1Ki 19:10)

The Lord was not in the wind or earthquake. "So He said, 'Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD.' And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake." (1Ki 19:11)

The Lord was not in the fire, but in the gentle breeze. "After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'" (1Ki 19:12-13)

At that time, the Lord's voice was not in the tornado, and it was not in the earthquake or the fire. It was in a gentle breeze, and what Elijah heard was a still, small voice. Many times this is the way the Lord will speak to you. It's not dramatic. It's just a still, small voice in your heart. You need to learn to distinguish it. Often fasting will help you hear more clearly what the Lord is saying to you.

Putting it All Together
Moses, Peter, Paul, Isaiah, Samuel, David and John heard the voice of the Lord. So did the Israelites, but they perished in the wilderness, because they didn’t listen to the Lord’s voice.

When everyone is hearing the Lord, there is a mutual sense of expectation for God to move. Elijah and Elisha both knew God was about to take Elijah, as did the prophets at Bethel and Jericho. Because Elisha knew the God was about to take Elijah from him soon, he insisted on staying with him.

The voice of the Lord is powerful, majestic, and shakes the wilderness. John heard it as loud as a loud trumpet, and also said his voice was like the sound of many waters.

The Word of the Lord came to Elijah while fasting for forty days. The Lord was not in the wind or earthquake. The Lord was not in the fire. Elijah heard the Lord’s voice in a gentle breeze.

Jesus said His sheep would know His voice. That means you can hear the Lord's voice. It's not that difficult. The Lord has enabled us to know the mind of Christ. Many times the Lord’s voice sounds like our own thoughts. It will come to us as we quiet ourselves before the Lord in prayer and worship and reading the Word.

God’s Word is active and living. But we need to believe the Lord is speaking to us and act upon what we hear. If we don’t believe, we will not act. If we don’t believe or act, we will harden our hearts. We must not harden our hearts when we hear the Lord’s voice.

Let me encourage you today to listen for the Lord's voice. Get alone with him and quiet yourself. Worship and read His Word, and then wait upon Him to speak. He will be faithful to do it, and it will always agree with the Scriptures. Then just be sure to do whatever He tells you.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend reading The Voice That Changed Everything, Inquiring of the Lord, Led by the Spirit - Part I, and Led by the Spirit - Part II.  You may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page. You may also access my blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.