The title of my book is “Know: A Workbook for Gaining Wisdom from God about Everything That Matters to You.” It releases on Amazon next Monday, September 14th, in hardback, for $14.
Knowing God by Inquiring for Wisdom
Below is an excerpt from my new book “Know,” releasing on Amazon on September 16, 2024
Stuck
Recently I was stumped by a technology problem. Our church does not have a building or office space, and so I work from the office in my apartment. Our church also relies on volunteers for bookkeeping, and I oversee the process of our monthly financial records. That means each month I transfer computer files back and forth to our volunteers.
For many years we have transferred files using the cloud (through the internet). Well, recently when I began training a new volunteer, I could not get that to work. It was evening, we were wasting time, and I was frustrated. I decided to end our training session and solve things the next day. Before going to bed, I prayed for wisdom.
The next day I prayed again for wisdom and then began to ponder how to solve the problem. Quickly the answer came to me. It was so simple I am embarrassed to say it. We needed to stop transferring files via the cloud and just use a flash drive, which we could hand back and forth when we transfer the bank statement and other financial documents. For a long time we had been using a system that was unnecessarily complicated. Mentally I had been accustomed to it, so I needed God to open my mind to other options. When I prayed for wisdom, that is what he did.
More Answers
Would I have found that solution without asking for wisdom? All I know is, I regularly get stuck and stay stuck and frustrated with problems large and small—until I pray for wisdom. Then, in God’s timing, the answer suddenly comes to me, in ways that seem normal and natural—rarely dramatic. Usually the answers seem so unsurprising that I wonder why I had not thought of them earlier. Everything works better for me when I ask God for wisdom.
Knowing God
Learning to pray for wisdom for everything that matters to you is an important way to know God practically, in daily experience, as someone you can rely on to help you. Knowing God and his ways is not just an intellectual experience; it is also a lived experience of prayer, trust, and dependence. If we know how to explain God doctrinally but do not know how to depend on him for what we need, we are missing something important and wonderful.
My new book on inquiring of God releases in two weeks!
On Monday, September 16, 2024, my new book titled Know: A Workbook for Gaining Wisdom from God about Everything That Matters to You releases on Amazon, in hardback, for $14.
I believe it can build your faith to pray for wisdom and thereby change your life. Most importantly, as I wrote above, it will help you know and walk better with God.
Work Out Your Salvation
When you work out your salvation, you will have these 15 marks of a true disciple of Jesus.
Not everyone who thinks he or she is a Christian actually is a Christian. Jesus taught that (Matthew 7:21–23). The apostle Paul taught that (1 Corinthians 6:9–11). The apostle John taught that (1 John 2:3–6). The apostle James taught that (James 2:14–26). Therefore it is essential we do what the word of God says in 2 Corinthians 13:5: “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.”
That implies we can know. We can find the answer to the question.
How do you test yourself? What is the standard you must meet?
In this series of articles I have taught that the standard for a true Christian is that he or she is a true disciple of Jesus Christ. None of us will be a perfect disciple of Jesus Christ; each of us is at a different stage in our maturation as a disciple—some are spiritual newborns and others spiritual elders; but every true Christian is a true disciple of Jesus who has begun a lifelong process of learning from him, as evidenced by his or her works. Like the apostle Peter, we will have our failures, but we will repent and resume following Jesus.
Does every true, mature Christian have in some measure all 15 marks, even if only in a small way in some marks? That is a question only God can answer, for as we have seen in this series Jesus speaks in black-and-white terms, not in shades of gray. We must follow his black-and-white standards of discipleship as he spoke them; he framed them as he did for a reason. Our approach should never be to do the bare minimum to be saved; rather, we should always earnestly give our utmost to walking closely with the Lord and keep growing to the end (2 Peter 1:2–11). When we do that, we can have deep assurance in our faith. Believers who do what they think is the minimum required are certainly in a precarious position and can have little assurance of what the verdict will be for them on Judgment Day. Again, Jesus spoke his parables and stated what he expects from believers for a reason.
In this series I have taught there are 15 marks of a true disciple of Jesus. I could sum up all fifteen marks with one mark: true, living faith in Jesus. We are saved through genuine faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8–10), who graciously gives us the gift of righteousness apart from any good works of our own. What then is the point of the other 14 marks? The point is, they specify what true, living faith means.
This is necessary because many so-called believers have a sort of faith that falls short of being a saving faith. They are self-deceived. They may acknowledge intellectually that Jesus is Lord and that he rose from the dead, but by the way they live they deny those confessions. Titus 1:16 says, “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works.” When we are true disciples with all 15 marks on display in our lives, we show that our faith is real. The 15 marks are the fruit of true faith in Jesus.
The criteria for the 15 marks
I did not choose these marks arbitrarily. I selected them based on three criteria.
1. Jesus explicitly names the mark as a characteristic of true disciples. For example, see John 8:31.
2. Jesus teaches that anyone who lacks the mark will be excluded from the kingdom of God or rejected by him. For example, see Matthew 25:1–13.
3. Jesus teaches the mark as a fundamental command. For example, see Luke 22:19–20.
Saved by Grace
It is crucial for me to emphasize that these 15 marks are not 15 ways we must work our way into heaven or earn God’s favor. You cannot earn God’s favor through these 15 marks. Even true faith does not earn God’s favor. True faith is simply the way we receive God’s gift of salvation and righteousness through Jesus Christ. Salvation is always by God’s grace, always because of the atoning work of Jesus on the cross, always because Jesus takes our sins upon himself at the cross and graciously gives us his perfect righteousness. We are righteous because Jesus’ righteousness is imputed or credited to us as a free gift, if we truly believe in Jesus. Faith is not merit in God’s sight; it is simply the way sinners stretch out their hands and receive the gift of salvation.
But God’s grace is not cheap, nor is genuine faith superficial. The gift of God’s saving grace cost him his son, whom he sent to the earth to redeem us by suffering and dying on the cross and taking the penalty we deserved. In turn, true faith will always pivot from the love of the world and of sin to the love of God. That’s because true faith trusts in who God is and what God says. And if we believe what God says we will do what God commands. We will never do it perfectly, but we will do it inevitably.
True faith changes everything. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Faith transforms the soul: desires, disposition, affections, spirit, mind, and will.
15 ways to test yourself
Therefore these 15 marks are the way you test yourself to see if your faith is superficial or genuine. Is your faith like a parachute riddled with holes, useless on the day you need it? Or is your faith alive and robust, sure to bring you entrance into the eternal kingdom of heaven? Here is a summary of the marks. I recommend you click the links and reread the articles daily for the next two weeks.
1. True disciples trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, not in their own goodness.
2. True disciples devote themselves, ultimately and absolutely, to Jesus.
3. True disciples abide in Jesus and his words.
4. True disciples are growing to be more like Jesus. Part 2: True disciples are growing to be more like Jesus.
5. True disciples bear the fruit of love.
6. True disciples are spiritually awake and ready for the return of Christ.
7. True disciples are faithful managers of their kingdom responsibilities.
8. True disciples help suffering, needy Christians, as well as their neighbors.
9. True disciples forgive those who wrong them.
10. True disciples repent of wrongdoing, iniquity, unrighteousness, lawlessness, idolatry, evil.
13. True disciples join Jesus in his mission and work.
14. True disciples humble themselves like children.
15. True disciples participate deeply in a local church and receive the ordinances of baptism and communion.
Blessed are the disciples
Do not be casual or careless about these things. Rather, be earnest, because the welfare and happiness of your soul depends on it both now and forever.
Jesus was always serious about these matters.
He said, “Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away” (Luke 8:18).
He said, “Watch out” (Mark 8:15).
He said, “The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:14).
He said, “Be careful lest the light in you be darkness” (Luke 11:35).
He said, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46)
He said, “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning” (Luke 12:35).
He said, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:23).
What to do if we are missing the mark
A missing mark reveals a failure of faith, repentance, and love for God. If we see a shortfall in our life, we first need to renew our foundational act of surrender to the Lord and of repentance of known sin. We need to focus on the scriptures related to our area of failure and believe what the Lord says about it. And then we need to trust him to help us believe and obey him wholeheartedly. In other words, we don’t need most of all to try harder in an area of failure but rather to get right with God at the deepest level.
And then we should focus attention on the mark we are missing and see what it is we are failing to believe or obey. We need to repent and ask God to give us grace to grow in this area. We need to earnestly pursue obedience. As the apostle Paul wrote, we need to work out our salvation. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12–13). The marks of a true disciple of Jesus are the evidence that someone is working out his salvation. If marks are missing, he is failing to work out his salvation sufficiently.
Working out or working for
As we consider the marks of a true disciple of Jesus, it is crucial that we understand the gospel correctly. We cannot work for our salvation; but we must work out our salvation. We cannot work for our salvation, because salvation is a gracious gift from God received by faith. If we think we are working for our salvation, then we do not regard ourselves as already saved; we are trying to be saved in the future as a result of our work. Working for your salvation is an attempt to earn it. Someone could mistakenly see the marks of a true disciple as a way of working for salvation.
But if we regard ourselves as working out our salvation, then we know that we have already been saved by faith in Christ; we have already been justified by faith; we are already God’s son or daughter; we are already forgiven; and now we are working out the repentance, holiness, love, obedience, and righteousness that living faith and spiritual regeneration produces.
We are born again in a moment. We work out our salvation for the rest of our lives. The marks of a true disciple are likewise worked out for the rest of our lives.
Inheriting eternal life
So then, we have come to the end of an important series of articles about testing our lives by the standards given by Jesus to see whether we are genuine Christians who can have a confident assurance that God will joyfully welcome us into his Kingdom on Judgment Day. If you are wise, being ready for that day is your highest priority. There is nothing more important to you than being sure you pass the test of being a true disciple of Jesus. I pray that you do.
The Fifteenth Mark of a True Disciple of Jesus
True disciples of Jesus participate in the local church
Is it possible to be a true disciple of Jesus and keep the church at arm’s length, or to be a genuine Christian and be indifferent to the church?
No, the Bible does not present church participation as optional. Jesus regards church involvement to be of primary importance.
Let’s trace this through the Bible.
1. The Bible specifically says it is God’s will that Christians attend church meetings.
Hebrews 10:24–25 says, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
Failing to meet with the church of Jesus Christ is spiritual neglect. It is the omission of what is required by the Lord. It is a sin of omission.
2. The first Christians met together as the church constantly.
Acts 2:42–46 says that immediately after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, which brought about the conversion of thousands of souls, the new Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers [this implies they were eating and praying together]. [43] And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. [44] And all who believed were together and had all things in common. [45] And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. [46] And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes [again, this implies eating together], they received their food with glad and generous hearts.”
If this were the only part of the New Testament you had, you would assume that participating deeply in the life of the church and its meetings was the norm for true Christians—and you would be right.
3. Jesus calls the church his and declares his unstoppable purpose is to build it.
After the apostle Peter confessed his faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus said, “I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
The church matters infinitely to Jesus. This is his project!
What’s more, the unmistakable implication of Jesus’ determination to build his church is that we should participate. Anyone who is truly following him is on his construction team! He said, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (Luke 11:23).
Therefore whoever is not helping Jesus build his church is hindering the Lord’s building of his church. Whoever is not helping to gather the harvest of souls into the church is scattering the harvest of souls. According to Jesus, you cannot be neutral about the church.
4. Jesus specifically authorizes the church to do his work.
Immediately after the words above where Jesus says to Peter “I will build my church,” he goes on to tell Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).
The church is the Lord’s strategy. Since Jesus has given his authority to the church, then he will exercise his authority through the church. We are not given the freedom to strategize human ways of doing Christ’s work. To be outside of the church is to be outside of his authority.
5. The church is the fullness of Jesus on earth.
Ephesians 1:22–23 says, “[God] put all things under [Jesus’] feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
If we love Jesus, we want to be as near to him and his presence as possible. We want to experience his fullness. According to this verse, we experience that fullness in the church.
I say that with one important qualification. The church we are in must be a truly biblical, Holy-Spirit filled church. We are not going to feel the presence of the Lord in a gathering of people who do not believe or follow the Bible as they should, and do not love others as Christ commands, and who walk in the flesh rather than in the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:16–25). In that case we need to find another church where believers humbly follow the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said, “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also” (John 12:26). Where is Jesus in this era? He is in his church.
6. The church is where God manifests his glory.
Ephesians 3:20–21 says, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
That is a striking statement! According to this verse, there are two places where God especially wants to manifest his glory. One is in Christ Jesus, and he certainly did that. And the other is in the church, and he is in the process of doing that.
To God be the glory in the church! That is why true disciples participate deeply in the life of the church—in order that God may be glorified in it, which is where he states he wants to be glorified.
7. The universal church comprises organized, local churches.
Many people today say they do not want anything to do with the organized church. Instead they want to have individual spirituality.
But an unorganized, disconnected scattering of individual, independent Christians across the globe is not the church described in the New Testament (in particular, see Ephesians 4:11–16; 1 Corinthians 12–14; Romans 12:3–13; 1 Timothy 3:1–15; 4:6–16; 5:1–25; 2 Timothy 4:1–5; Titus 1:5–10).
The word of God calls Christians to become part of a group of believers who have approved, appointed leaders. These leaders must be tested to ensure they believe and teach correct doctrine and live godly lives. These approved leaders are called to teach the word of God and correct doctrine.
The local church not only teaches the Scriptures faithfully but also baptizes new believers in accordance with God’s will and regularly serves Communion in the way commanded and approved by Christ so that no one suffers judgment through it (see 1 Corinthians 11:17–34).
The local church also helps wayward Christians by admonishing them and if necessary eventually disciplining them when they are living in a way that will lead to their own destruction. See 1 Corinthians 5, Matthew 18:15–18.
8. The local organized church is how Jesus—the Good Shepherd—cares for his sheep.
In one of Christ’s appearances to his disciples after his resurrection from the dead, Jesus ate a breakfast of fish with them, and “When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ He said to him a second time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’” (John 21:15–17 ESV)
Jesus cares about each one of us, and the way he shepherds our souls is through the shepherds/pastors he has given to his churches and through his churches as communities. Believers who separate themselves from the local church separate themselves also in some measure from the protection of the Good Shepherd.
9. Church is the bride of Christ.
Ephesians 5:31–32 says, “‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.”
No one who loves Jesus should disdain his bride, for that would insult the bride he loves.
Summary
I could marshal many other scriptures and reasons for why every believer in Jesus should participate fully in the life of a local church that faithfully follows the word of God and the Holy Spirit. The entire New Testament assumes and teaches the importance of the local church to those who call Jesus Lord. Therefore let us love one another as Jesus commands and do so within the local community of believers organized to bring him glory in the earth. That is how to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
The Fourteenth Mark of a True Disciple of Jesus
True disciples humble themselves like children
True disciples enter the kingdom of heaven, while false disciples do not make the cut. As the Son of God, Jesus knows with absolute clarity who will enter. He knows who his true disciples are, and he wants us to know.
Thus he tells us one more mark of a true disciple in Matthew 18:2–4:
“Calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus is not exaggerating here when he says you will never enter the kingdom of heaven without this mark. You really must turn and become like a child. And then he elaborates on the quality of a child he has in mind, and that quality is the willingness to humble oneself. “Whoever humbles himself like this child…”
Turn
Notice also that Jesus says there is something that happens in your soul that precedes becoming like a child. He says you must first “turn.” We must first turn because naturally if we are not children we are adults. And the kind of adulthood that Jesus is speaking of is not a positive maturity that is good but rather a negative sort of adultness that is bad, and what makes it bad is pride. As we get older, if we follow our sinful nature, we become more proud.
Pride runs so deep in the soul of the fallen human that it corrupts and controls everything about us. Pride is a major part of what caused Satan to fall from being a perfect creation of God to being evil. Our pride leads to rebellion against authority. It leads to self-centeredness. It leads to arrogance toward others. It leads to stubbornness, hardening of the heart, and disobedience to God. It leads to an independent spirit and self-righteousness. Pride leads to a spirit of unbelief toward God and his words.
And that is why we can never enter the kingdom of heaven without turning away from our proud unbelief and self-justifying thoughts, to humbly acknowledge our sinfulness and inability to save ourselves. We must become humble enough to acknowledge that we need a Savior, that we can never do enough good works to merit eternal life and acceptance from God. Apart from Christ Jesus, we can never be holy, never be perfect. We can never atone for our sins; we can never be free of our guilt unless we follow God’s way of forgiveness.
Proud people do not think they need Jesus. They think any religion will get them to heaven. They think they can be nice people and earn heaven. Whereas humble people recognize their own brokenness and need for God to save them.
The Pharisee and the tax collector
Jesus brought this crucial point home with an unforgettable parable:
“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:10–14 ESV)
Humble enough to believe Scripture
We need childlike humility because the “adult” mind does not accept God’s truth.
We must humble our proud mind. Believing in God and Jesus Christ his Son is not irrational or unscientific. Far to the contrary. Nevertheless no one through human reasoning alone can come to faith in Jesus. No one can prove Jesus rose from the dead. No one can prove Jesus even existed. There are mountains of compelling evidence and arguments, but they are not proof.
And God wants it this way. He deliberately planned for a way of salvation that did not depend on human wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:21 says, “Since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.”
Young children humbly believe what their parents tell them. We must humbly believe what God tells us in his written Word.
The apostle Paul identifies the proud mindset that resists God and the gospel. He says that his evangelistic ministry required that he “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
Why did the Pharisees and the scribes reject Jesus even though they knew the Scriptures better than anyone in Israel? Because they were proud in heart and mind. They were in fact blinded by their pride. They believed they could be accepted by God by their keeping of the Old Testament laws. They believed they could be good enough to earn eternal life. They were proud of how externally religious they were, even though their hearts were filled with darkness.
Childlike to the end
We never outgrow the need for the humility of a child. We cannot humble ourselves, repent, and give our lives to Christ and then start depending on ourselves to save ourselves. While in this series of articles we have identified over a dozen marks of a true disciple, none of them is meritorious in the sight of God. These marks do not make us good enough to have God’s approval on Judgment Day. Till the day we die we always need the grace of God found through childlike faith in Jesus Christ.
The Thirteenth Mark of a True Disciple of Jesus
True disciples join Jesus in his mission and work
If you are a true disciple of Jesus Christ, then his mission becomes your mission. Not in the sense that you die on the cross for the sins of others as he was sent to do, but that you join in the work Jesus is now doing in the world.
Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (Luke 11:23, ESV here and throughout).
During wartime, countries draft people into the army. Some people can get a deferment, which one dictionary defines as “the temporary postponement of, or permanent exemption from, induction into military service by virtue of one’s health, the number of one’s dependents, one’s work in an essential war industry, or some other reason deemed sufficient by the draft authorities.”
Jesus does not give deferments. Everyone is called to serve his cause in one way or another.
Luke 9:59–62 shows Jesus drafting his disciples and allowing no deferments: “To [one man] he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Yet another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’”
At bare minimum everyone can pray for Christ’s cause in the earth, and prayer is vitally important. But most every true disciple of Jesus can do more than pray.
Sent
After his resurrection Jesus said to his disciples, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21). He did not limit that commission to his apostles. Just before ascending to his Father in heaven, he said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
The mission is not over until the gospel reaches all people, until the very end of the age. Although the original apostles have died, the gospel they preached and the work of the kingdom of God are still with us. Billions of people still need to be saved.
Therefore when you decide to follow Jesus and learn from him, he calls you into three aspects of his work and mission in the world.
1. Jesus is building his church through his people
Jesus said, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18).
He is building his church through his true disciples, both the leaders and the followers, as the apostle Paul wrote:
“[Jesus] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints [that’s every believer] for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” A few verses later Paul continues saying that the church, like a human body, is “joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:11, 12, 16).
Therefore true disciples participate deeply in the relationships and ministry of a local church in order to advance the cause of Christ.
2. Jesus is spreading the gospel through his people
Lost souls need to hear the gospel message. If they are to be saved, they need to hear about Jesus and his redeeming work.
The apostle Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).
Jesus told his disciples, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Therefore true disciples do what they can to help the advance of the message of Christ. They give their testimony and gospel literature to people they know. They pray and donate money for the effective advance of the gospel through their pastor, their church and its missionaries.
3. Jesus is advancing his kingdom and righteousness through his people
In the Lord’s prayer he taught us to pray, “Your Kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10).
And we are called to do more than pray. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).
So in the name of the Lord we are called to do whatever we can to advance God’s will in the earth, from feeding the hungry, to comforting and healing the sick, to supporting righteous laws.
Therefore true disciples do not live solely for their own comfort, entertainment, and well-being. Rather they work unselfishly for the good of others.
The Twelfth Mark of a True Disciple of Jesus
True disciples stand publicly for Jesus Christ—his words, his righteousness, and his gospel—even when it brings persecution.
The willingness to stand publicly with and for Jesus Christ is essential if we would be his true disciples. For Jesus said, “Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).
Our public stance regarding Jesus reveals what we value most.
For instance, if a man asks a woman to marry him, and he gives her a $10,000 wedding ring, will his fiancé be ashamed to wear her ring, or will she proudly wear that ring and hope others see it?
Or if a computer science major graduates college and gets a job working for Google, will she hide the identity of her employer? Or will she proudly wear company shirts and hats bearing the company logo?
We gladly go public with what we are proud of.
Supremely proud of God
When we have the privilege of becoming a Christian, with the God of heaven and earth as our Father and the Son of God as our Savior, that is something more worthy of boasting over than a trophy spouse or employer.
True disciples of Christ are more proud of God and his Son and their words, their gospel, and their righteousness than of anything else in the world. Our Savior suffered and died for our sins and has risen to the right hand of God where he rules heaven and earth as Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
In contrast, suppose a woman living in a small town has a father who is a notorious rapist or murderer. Would she gladly tell people her last name? Would she gladly talk about her family? No, she would be ashamed, to the point of hiding her identity.
When Christians are ashamed of Jesus, they act as though there is something bad about him.
God does not accept that shame. He does not accept that dishonor, for he is worthy of our being proud of him, not ashamed of him.
Our culture’s growing rejection of Jesus
Again, Jesus said, “Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).
Notice Jesus speaks of two causes of shame: (1) Jesus himself, and (2) the words of Jesus. The words of Jesus include the message of his gospel about how to be saved from the guilt of sin, and his teaching about right and wrong, that is, his teaching about righteousness.
Increasingly the secular cultures of the West reject and scorn Jesus and his words. They describe those who follow Jesus as bigoted, arrogant, intolerant, judgmental, unkind, at odds with science, on the wrong side of history about sexuality, unconcerned about the rights of women, and so on. To stand publicly with Christ can mean being cancelled, losing your job or your opportunities for advancement with your company, being mocked and slandered, being unfriended, hated, and cut off. There is a price to be paid for publicly standing for Jesus and his words.
Yet Jesus calls true disciples to pay that price willingly. He said, “Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32–33).
Here Jesus says unambiguously that if we deny him publicly, then we will not enter the kingdom of heaven. He will deny us.
He said the same thing positively: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10).
Those willing to be persecuted for Jesus enter heaven; they are saved. So Jesus states plainly that how we relate to him in public is how he will speak to the Father about us. If you want Jesus to be proud of you when you stand on Judgment Day, then you be proud of him now in public.
True disciples are not cowards
For the first three hundred years after Jesus ascended to heaven, the world persecuted the church. The Book of Revelation was written to Christians suffering persecution. After describing the beauties of the heavenly age to come, the apostle John writes,
“The one who conquers [that is, the one who stays loyal to Christ despite persecution] will have this heritage [life in the new creation], and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:7–8).
What? Does being a coward send people to hell? In the Book of Revelation cowardice refers to the unwillingness to be persecuted for Christ. For example, Jesus says to the church in Smyrna:
“I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death” (Revelation 2:9–11).
Yet God forgives those who repent of cowardice
In cowardice, the apostle Peter denied Christ three times during the Lord’s trial.
“Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, ‘You also were with Jesus the Galilean.’ But he denied it before them all, saying, ‘I do not know what you mean.’ And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, ‘This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.’ And again he denied it with an oath: ‘I do not know the man.’ After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, ‘Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.’ Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, ‘I do not know the man.’ And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.” (Matthew 26:69–75)
Peter repented of his fear and shame, and God forgave him.
Cowardice and being ashamed of Christ is a sin we need to confess and repent of like any other serious sin. With true repentance we confess, ask forgiveness, and then ask for grace to be bold and courageous in public for him. With God’s help, true disciples change.
The Eleventh Mark of a True Disciple of Jesus
True disciples take up the cross and die daily to this world, renouncing all things and people for the sake of Christ.
Jesus said:
“{26} If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. {27} Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple…. {33} So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26–27, 33; ESV)
Three times Jesus repeats the words “cannot be my disciple.” He means what he says and repeats it lest anyone think otherwise. True disciples must take up the cross and die daily to this world, renouncing—always in principle and sometimes, if God leads, in reality—all things, all people, and even their own lives for the sake of Christ.
What does Jesus mean by “hate”?
Jesus uses the word hate here in a hyperbolic, figurative way to emphasize a point. This wording was an idiom in his culture that meant “love less.” It meant to love one thing so much less than another that there was no comparison.
We know that Jesus is using the word hate figuratively because he commands elsewhere in Scripture not to hate. He commands elsewhere to love all people including our family members. He tells us to give thanks for the good things he has put in this world including its righteous pleasures. He commands us to seek our own eternal good in ways obedient to God.
For example:
First Timothy 5:8 says, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (ESV)
Ephesians 5:28 says, “Husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself” (ESV). Here God commands men not only to love a family member, but also to be motivated to do so partially by self-interest.
Titus 2:4 says: “Train the young women to love their husbands and children” (ESV).
First John 2:9, 11 says: “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness…. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (ESV). Similarly, see 1 John 3:15 and 4:20.
First Timothy 4:3–5 says that some false teachers “forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.” (ESV)
The world
The New Testament says strong things about the world and how true disciples must relate to it.
Jesus said, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25, ESV)
This verse helps us understand why Jesus taught what he did about being ready for his Second Coming. When he comes again, our reaction to his coming shows what we love most, whether we most love our lives in this world or whether we most love our Savior and his Kingdom.
First John 2:15–17 says: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (ESV). According to this Scripture, love for the Father and love for the world are mutually exclusive.
James 4:4 says: “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (ESV). Scripture does not describe God’s true children as his enemies. James uses language meant to cause the deepest possible alarm in his hearers.
Explaining the Parable of the Soils, Jesus said, “As for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.” (Luke 8:14, ESV) The soil with thorns was one of three soils in the parable that describe people who end up with crop failure, who ultimately are not saved.
True disciples and the return of Jesus
Our readiness for the Second Coming of Jesus and our attitude toward this world are joined. Jesus warned:
“Just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.” (Luke 17:28–33, ESV)
Lot’s wife
Jesus says that what happened to Lot’s wife is important. It is a picture of what will happen to many at his Second Coming. True disciples of Jesus cannot follow in her steps.
Her story begins with the angels urgently trying to get Lot and family to flee from Sodom and Gomorrah, two wicked cities on the brink of incineration. Genesis 19:15–26 says:
“As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, ‘Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.’ But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. And as they brought them out, one said, ‘Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away….’ The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”
She is exhibit A of a false disciple who loves the world and has not died to life in the world. At the Second Coming of Jesus, a “Lot’s wife” believer in Jesus would gaze at the things of the world she regretted losing instead of joyfully lifting her eyes to Jesus in the air.
The power of the cross of Jesus in renouncing the world
Jesus says that true disciples must renounce any love that competes with their love for him. Luke 14:33: “Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
According the Webster’s dictionary, to renounce means to declare one’s abandonment of a claim, right, or possession; to give up, refuse, or resign usually by formal declaration. Christians make that formal declaration by being baptized in water, symbolizing their choice to die to self and this world and to live for God and his will.
Renouncing the world is not easy. We need God’s help, and he gives it in fullest measure. That help comes in our conscious decision to unite with Jesus Christ in his death on the cross.
The apostle Paul wrote: “Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14, ESV)
The New Living Translation gives a helpful paraphrase of that verse: “As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.”
Because Jesus unselfishly died for me, I have the motivation to die for him. He has given the example. He gave all for me. How could I hold anything back from him? Through his example and by his power living in me, true disciples of Jesus can renounce this world and everything in it so we might have Christ. He is worth infinitely more than anything in this world.
The Tenth Mark of a True Disciple of Jesus
True disciples repent of wrongdoing
I recently saw an article that said, “About 70 percent of marriages start with cohabitation.” That is, the man and woman live together and presumably have sexual relations before they get married.
Compare that statistic with a Pew Research Center study in 2022 which said 64 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christian.
That suggests a large percentage of people who call themselves Christian are living together and having sexual relations before marriage. In other words, they are not following biblical teaching about sexual morality. Or to put it bluntly, they are living in sin.
Still, are they Christians? Are they true disciples of Jesus? Are they on their way to heaven?
Chiseled in stone
Second Timothy 2:19 says, “God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are his,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.’”
In this verse the apostle Paul envisions a large public building with words chiseled into a stone in the foundation. There are two mottos or certainties chiseled into the stones. One is, “The Lord knows those who are his.” We humans cannot identify with certainty who the real Christians are. People can fool us. Someone can attend church services every week and talk about the Bible and pray much, but in the end be shown to have lived a double life. We can even fool ourselves.
But God knows who the true Christians are. All along he sees through the deception and duplicity. He knows the heart.
The second truth chiseled into the foundation stone of God’s building is, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” In other words, true Christians must repent of ongoing iniquity. There may be a struggle, but the true Christian must fight against temptation and eventually prevail over sinful habits.
The implication of these two sayings being chiseled into the same building is that the person who calls himself a Christian but indulges iniquity is someone that God knows is not a true Christian. The Lord knows those who are his, and those who complacently practice iniquity are not among them.
Where else do we see this idea?
Does that interpretation agree with the teaching of the rest of the New Testament? Consider these words of Jesus:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21–23)
Moreover, note these words from the apostle Paul, the champion of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone: “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19–21 ESV) Those who do “not inherit the kingdom of God” are not saved; they do not end up in heaven.
In another letter Paul writes: “You may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 5:5–6 ESV)
Self-deception and morality
Let’s turn to another significant New Testament writer, the apostle John. He says:
“Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:4–9 ESV)
Elsewhere, in Revelation, John writes: “As for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (21:8, ESV)
What we claim versus what we do
Finally, consider 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, where the apostle Paul writes: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (ESV)
Therefore, no matter what people claim about their belief in Jesus, if they are complacently practicing evil, they are not true disciples of Jesus, and as far as we can know they are not a true Christian. Of course, God is the final judge on the human soul, but according to what the Bible says we can assume they are not true Christians.
No one is perfect
Still, we must recognize that all true disciples are in the process of sanctification. None of us is yet perfect. No one will display all the marks of a true disciple at all times and in every situation. True disciples do fail. We have our ups and downs. This is especially true of new believers and young believers.
However, this is crucial: when true disciples do fail and become aware of it, they confess it to God, and they repent sincerely, as King David did when confronted by the prophet Nathan regarding his sins with Bathsheba (See 2 Samuel 11:1-12:25 and Psalm 51). They do not live contentedly as a false Christian—lacking the marks of a true disciple.
That is the difference between a true disciple and a false Christian. False Christians are not troubled by their sins, they have no intention of becoming a true disciple, they do not confess their sins or sincerely repent of them before God, and they do not pray earnestly for God to help them be true disciples in the areas where they are lacking. They take God’s forgiveness for granted and contentedly sin and live in a spiritually lukewarm condition.
Therefore, I conclude with this exhortation from Jesus:
“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” (Luke 13:24 ESV)
The Ninth Mark of a True Disciple of Jesus
True disciples forgive those who wrong them
Jesus tells the price of bitterness.
Matthew 18:21–35 (ESV) says,
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’
27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.
28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’
29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’
30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.
31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.
32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.’”
Big money
In Bible times a talent was a unit of money equal to 20 years of wages for a laborer. I calculated what the wages of a carpenter would be over a period of 20 years, and the amount was roughly $1,200,000. In Bible times a talent was worth $1,200,000! Multiply that times 10,000 and you have 12 billion dollars in today’s money.
On the other hand, a denarius was worth one day’s wages. So if a laborer earns $20 an hour working say 10 hours, that is $200. Or on the low side, compute at a minimum wage of $16 an hour working for just 8 hours a day, which comes to $128 total. So, in today’s value, this fellow bond servant owed his colleague somewhere between $130–200. Compared to $12 billion.
This is God’s perspective on a person who claims to be a Christian and claims to be forgiven of their sins and yet holds a grudge against someone else.
You may have good reason to be angry
Now, this is not saying you have not suffered a great wrong from someone. Someone may have sexually molested you. Someone may have stolen from you a lot of money or possessions. Your parents might have mistreated or neglected you or been partial to one of your siblings. You might have lost your job because someone lied about you.
Knowing what Jesus said, some still refuse to forgive the person who wronged them. They know what they are doing. They choose to hold on to their bitterness and hatred. In this parable, Jesus calls that wickedness. “You wicked servant” (Matt. 18:32). If you have been forgiven by God, it is a wicked thing to withhold forgiveness from others.
James 2:13 says, “Judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
Forgive without delay
A bitter person on the road to being condemned is not a true disciple of Jesus, but rather a false disciple.
So, what do you choose?
If you are married or divorced, you have hundreds and thousands of things large and small to forgive.
For those of you who have held on to a grudge against someone for a long time—maybe your entire adult life—I call on you now to forgive. I call on you to release that grudge and desire for vengeance. Pray for his or her good.
If you are holding grudges against family members, parents, siblings, children, I call on you to forgive them. You may have a sibling rivalry like Jacob and Esau—somehow your sibling always got the good end of things. I call on you to forgive that sibling.
If you who have been sexually molested, I call on you to forgive.
If someone stole your money or property, I call on you to forgive.
If you are divorced or separated, if a spouse has taken everything from you—your past, present, future, children, house, car, money—I call on you to forgive. Forgive them for your own sake so that you may be forgiven and enter heaven.
If a supervisor, company, colleague, or subordinate cost you your job, career, and security, I call on you to forgive so you can be a true disciple of Jesus.
The person you hate cost you dearly. Do not let them also rob you of Jesus. Do not let them take from you the kingdom of God and eternal paradise.
Pray
One of the best ways to forgive an enemy is to pray for her. Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27–28, ESV).
Moreover, you should pray for yourself: “Lord, I confess I have sinned against you by holding a grudge. I confess that my bitterness has been wicked. Lord Jesus, as you have forgiven me, I choose to forgive all who have sinned against me in the past, who sin against me in the present, and who sin against me in the future. Amen”