AND YOU SHALL BE MY DISCIPLES – Lesson# 1                    

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The greatest pronouncement and call to readiness for all Christians:  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The hour has arrived.  Final preparations are being made.  Ready yourself for the Heaven’s final assault upon the earth.  Satan is to be defeated and you and I are part of God’s invading force.

This is not a metaphor.  It is not hyperbole.  It is the literal call from God through His Son, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Repent, in the Biblical sense, literally means, “To change one’s mind; to change one’s mind for the better” and it comes from a two root words which mean, “Hereafter, have this understanding or perception”.

Repenting is the act of changing your mind which means your mindset, your values, and your worldview is changed.  Some would say you then live by new standards.  But it is much greater than just living by new standards.

A person of sound mind cannot simultaneously think one thing and do another, repentance results in a complete change of mind and direction of one’s life.

Another way of saying this is, “As a man or woman thinks, so are they”.

BOTH A COMMAND AND A PROPHETIC WORD

Interestingly, Jesus, the Son of God, in fact God Himself, said these very words which is recorded in Matthew 4:17.  Remembering, this is both a Command and a prophetic Word from God.

Jesus said this is what we are to do – Repent – in order to become His disciple and to follow Him, and, this is what will happen is we repent.

The disciples echoed and repeated these very words as they continued to do the Works of God, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is now at hand”.

Jesus says for each of us to Repent as an act of our will and that Repentance will allow the Holy Spirit to come into our bodies, our minds and regenerate our spirits.  We will become One with Him.

Our fleshly desires begin to fade and our new desires emanate from the Holy Spirit of God.  It is not us producing Spiritual Fruit, it is from The Holy Spirit and it should pour out of us, liberally.

We begin to desire the Things of God.  We are made new, and we can now walk with certainty, with purpose and power in our New Life.

MANIFESTATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Once we repent, our new desires move us to a new way of living, new actions, which are the direct manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

Repentance means it is no long you or I who live, but it is Christ, literally, living in us. 

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me”

If you are living in the sin of doubt or fear,  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

If you are living under the oppression of poverty, sickness, lack or want, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Rise up.  Proclaim the gospel of the kingdom, and healing of every kind of disease and every kind of sickness, help all who are ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; heal them all.  Matthew 4:24

Go and tell others this exceedingly Good News, telling them to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

HOW MUST YOU DO IT? _____________________________________

HOW YOU MUST TEACH IT? _____________________________________

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Before the Holy Spirit came upon them, Jesus’ disciples were severely lacking in wisdom and understanding.

How often do we read the scriptures and understand so little? Even trained ‘preachers’ will give a message on the Gospel and misinform their listeners because they lack understanding and cannot obtain wisdom.  And, why are we Christians lacking the abilities to see the context of God’s Word, to have wisdom and unable to obtain understanding?

Here is the full context of our verse today:  Matthew16:5  “And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread.

6  And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

7  They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said that because we did not bring any bread.”

8  But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread?

9  “Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up?

10  “Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up?

11  “How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

12  Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

This Teaching begins with the words, “And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread.“

Then, Jesus remarks, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

  It is often the method of Jesus to address a person or people by way of their own lives, in the context of their situation or by their own understanding.

These men were thinking about BREAD and Jesus addresses them at their point of NEED!

However, because their minds were fixed on a “temporary need”, they missed what Jesus was Teaching them.  He would not only remind them that He addresses their immediate and temporary needs, but their Eternal Needs as well.

Another similar example is when Peter asks Jesus, “Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?”  Jesus’ answer was “So that we do not offend the tax collectors, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.”

Peter was a fisherman, so Jesus uses the context of Peter’s life to meet his need.

Jesus meets all of our needs.  It is important that we not become so obsessed with what we want, how we want it and when we want it, that we miss God’s provision for our life.

James says it well when he reminds us,

“You do not have because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

Now, it is your turn:

HOW MUST YOU DO IT?

HOW YOU MUST TEACH IT?

Let’s pray and ask for understanding and wisdom and God, Who gives generously without finding fault, will give to you. James 1:5

 

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

whitestonefellowship@earthlink.net

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

First, this is of the “Ten Commandments” found in Exodus 20:2-17 and in Deuteronomy 5:6-21 and it says,

“Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the LORD your God gives you.” Deuteronomy 5:16

The second half of this verse is found in Exodus 21:17, ” And he that curses his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.”.

The greater context of this Teaching is about …

“The Traditions of Men versus The Commandments of God”.

This Teaching begins in Matthew 15:1 “Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,  v2 “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

v3  And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

v4  “For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.’

v5  ” But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’

v6  In this way, you say they don’t need to honor their parents

v7  “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:

v8  ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.

v9  ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’”

For the disciple of Jesus, there is both a promise and a warning.

1.  “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the LORD your God gives you.”

The word “Honor” is a word heavy with the idea of honoring, respecting, promoting, giving glory to, and is grave in its demands. 

It is and imperative command and is in the imperfect tense which means it is incomplete which requires and ongoing action by the doer.

2.  “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the LORD your God gives you.”

This is a conditional promise.  Again, it requires an ongoing action, but it brings the promise of a  prolonged life which is good and pleasing, a healthy life accompanied with gladness, joy and wellness.

A mark of a True Disciple of Jesus is one who Honors their Father and Mother.

Now, it is your turn:

HOW MUST YOU DO IT?

HOW YOU MUST TEACH IT?

 

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(PS: I will admit honoring my mother and father was not easy for me in my earlier life. But, as God gave me the grace to forgive and honor my parents a great burden was lifted from my life. The peace of God began to settle over me. I began to find the good and pleasing things in life. I began to experience a new and healthier life accompanied with gladness, joy and wellness. It’s worth the effort!)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Jesus uses the same word here when He says, “Come to me” as He used when He called Peter and Andrew and said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  Peter and Andrew understood this was an invitation to a close, personal and lasting relationship.   This was not a casual encounter.  This is the Call of God for all to follow Him, and a yoke is the perfect illustration to describe this new relationship with Jesus.

• They also understood that Jesus’ words were not a simple request.  It was spoken in the imperative as a command “come hither, come here, come now!”

• They understood the context and vernacular of this word to mean, “Follow Me in order to be taught by me, looking over my shoulder.  You will learn by watching and you will be identified with Me.”

• Secondly, in the times of Jesus’ earthly ministry, people clearly understood the significance of “putting on a yoke”.  A yoke was for animals of labor, it was a metaphor of any burden or bondage such as that of slavery.  So, why would any person voluntarily submit to a yoke or heavy labor or bondage of slavery?

• Jesus uses the imagery of a yoke but redefines its meaning from slavery to freedom!

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.  Galatians 5:1”

Being yoked with Jesus is freedom from what binds you, what ails you, what plagues you.  Know that Jesus is gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.  His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  His yoke is a yoke of freedom!

A disciple of Jesus – A Christian – is identified as having been with Jesus. 

When people see you, are they be amazed, and recognize you as having been with Jesus?

“Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.”  Acts4:13

Now, it is your turn:

HOW MUST YOU DO IT?

HOW YOU MUST TEACH IT?

The day is at hand.  Let’s pray for and encourage on another.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

whitestonefellowship@earthlink.net

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15).

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Whenever you read the phrase “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”, know that you are being  instructed in an Oracle of God.  You are hearing and being taught The deepest and hidden Truths from God.

This phrase “He who has ears to hear” or “He who has an ear” is used 19 times in the New Testament and 8 times in the Book of Revelation.  

This is truly the “Hidden Manna” of God.

“To have an ear to hear” means to possess the faculty of perceiving with the mind, the faculty of understanding and knowing.

Only a truly born again believer, a Christian, a disciple of Jesus is able to hear, discern and understand what is spoken, written or taught by The Spirit of God.

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.  1 Corinthians 2:14

 

The “branch of the fig tree” is now tender and is putting forth its leaves. Know that summer is here.”   

 

Now it is your turn:

HOW MUST YOU DO IT? _______________________________________________

HOW YOU MUST TEACH IT? _______________________________________________

 

That day is now upon us.  Pray, prepare, study, stay ready! 

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

whitestonefellowship@earthlink.net

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

First, this verse and the verses around it are for Jesus’ disciples only.  So, if you are not a follower of Jesus, if you do not claim to be saved by God’s grace through your faith in Jesus, you need not read any further.  Stop here.

But, if you are a Christian, a true follower of Jesus and one of His disciples, then this is for you.  Jesus is telling you to FEAR NOT!

The discourse of this verse actually begins in verse 17 of Matthew chapter 10 and goes through verse 31.  In these verses Jesus is warning you of some terrible and frightening things which will happen to you.  For example:

1. Men will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues
2. You will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
3. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father will betray his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.
4. You will be hated by everyone because of My name
5. If they have called Me Beelzebul, then they will malign you

However, Jesus tells you not to fear.  Their threat will be revealed for the lies they are.  Jesus say nothing will be concealed.  The truth will be revealed and made publicly  known.

Jesus says to tell what He has told us in the broad daylight, to proclaim it upon the housetops.

We need not fear those who can murder our bodies because they are unable to kill our soul;   But we should fear God, alone.

Fear is the enemy of faith.  Fear is a natural response to danger and terror.  Fear requires no effort.

But, Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ.  We must listen, we must hear His Voice and we must obey it.

You have the ability to exercise either fear or faith.  If you are a follower of Jesus, if your are His disciple, if you are a Christian, you really only have one choice. 

So remember, “When evildoers came upon you to devour your flesh, your adversaries and enemies will stumble and fall.

“And, though a host encamp against you, your heart will not fear.  Though war arise against you, you shall be confident.

“One thing you must ask from the LORD, and that you shall seek:  That you may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of your life, to behold the beauty of the LORD  and to meditate in His temple.

“For in the day of trouble He will conceal you in His tabernacle;  In the secret place of His tent He will hide you;  He will lift you up on a rock.”

Hide these words in your heart.  Memorize them.  Speak them.  For the day of battle is at hand and you shall not fear.

You are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread. Then He shall become a sanctuary – Isaiah 12:12-14

HOW MUST YOU DO IT? __________________________________________

HOW YOU MUST TEACH IT?  __________________________________________

 

The Victory is ours, Says the Lord!  FEAR NOT!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

whitestonefellowship@earthlink.net

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Jesus has finished teaching His disciples, and He calls them together for final instructions.  He gives them power against unclean spirits to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and disease.

Jesus is telling them to use discernment, to be intelligent, wise and  prudent, mindful of their interests because wolves are the cruel, greedy, rapacious, destructive men and women they will encounter as they go.

In the midst of His final instructions, Jesus warns them “I am sending you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves.  He tells them to “be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves”.  The imagery is unmistakable.

They are warned to beware of men who will hand them over to the courts and scourge them in their synagogues; and they will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.

They are warned that they will be hated because of Jesus, but if they endure to the end they will be saved.

Being shrewd as a serpent means they are to know the tactics and methods of the enemy so they will be able avoid or counter their attacks.

Being innocent as a dove is to remain unstained by the influences of the men and women of the world they will encounter.  They are to remember Jesus’ instructions to not return evil for evil but to overcome evil with good. 

Jesus is saying to His disciples – both then and now – stay on mission.  Do not be distracted or discourage by the politics, social upheaval or by the evils of men and women.

Just speak the Truth of the Gospel Message.  It will be given you what you are to say.  For it is not you who will be speaking, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”

“Whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.”

THIS IS THE DAY

THESE ARE OUR MARCHING ORDERS

– PREPARE –

 

Now it is your turn:

HOW MUST YOU DO IT? _____________________________________________

HOW YOU MUST TEACH IT? _____________________________________________

This is our calling – together we will prevail!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

 

AND YOU SHALL BE MY DISCIPLES – Lesson #21

• ​Pray for the Laborers of the Harvest

AND YOU SHALL BE MY DISCIPLES – Lesson #20

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

This is not a casual matter.  Jesus is giving a stern warning, an alert.  Jesus is saying beware, be alert, be careful, pay attention to, be attentive to, take heed, devote thought and effort to the discerning of false prophets.

A prophet, in the context and as defined in these verses, is anyone who is acting the part of a divinely inspired prophet. 

A false prophet is one who utters imaginations, falsehoods or deceit under the name of divine prophecies.  A false prophet can be a preacher, a pastor or anyone confessing to be a Christian.  Those who would ‘give a word of knowledge’ or ‘speak in tongues’ to an assembly of Christians, saying they are giving a “word” or an “utterance” from the Holy Spirit can easily be a false prophet.

Jesus compares false prophets to “wolves”.  Wolves come in ‘sheep’s clothing’, i.e., they will act like a Christian, in order to conceal their real intentions, and they are ravenous.

Jesus is showing no tolerance for this type of person.  The word Jesus uses to describe this person, ‘ravenous’ means rapacious, ravenous they are extortioners,  robbers and thieves.  Of course these ‘wolves’ don’t necessarily see themselves as such, which makes them all the more convincing and dangerous.

“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.” (Matthew 7:17-18)

Jesus gives His disciples a key to recognizing a false prophet, a wolf.   The Disciple of Jesus is therefore tasked with using discernment on this matter and responding accordingly.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me“

 

Now it is your turn:

HOW MUST YOU DO IT? ________________________________________

HOW YOU MUST TEACH IT? ________________________________________

 

Stay vigilant. Stay on the alert. The day draws near.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

AND YOU SHALL BE MY DISCIPLES – Lesson #19

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

14  “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13–14).

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Training, precision, discipline, hard work, diligence, resolve, dedication, faithfulness, loyalty, clarity of purpose.

As if it were a coded message for a secret mission, the wording is precise, terse and clear:  “Enter through the narrow gate”.

All of the commands and disciplines listed in this study which are a Disciple of Jesus, have two things in common: 

1.  They are hard, if not impossible, for the natural mind.

2.  The only way is for a Disciple of Jesus is by God’s Grace through our faith in Jesus.  Jesus is the way, the Truth and the Life.  There is no other way except by Him.

“Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. ² The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ Jesus gave them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

^“7 Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who came before me^[a] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. ⁹ I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.”  John 10:1-9, CSB

JESUS IS CLEAR, HE IS THE ONLY WAY

Now it is your turn:

 

HOW MUST YOU DO IT? ____________________________________

 

HOW YOU MUST TEACH IT? ________________________________

 

NOTE: This teaching by Jesus is critical for us to know and to do especially in the day and this age. His Return is near, and the ONLY way we will successfully “endure to the end” is by being His Disciple.

Your Brother and Friend,

 

 

 

 

Mike Young

https://www.whitestone2014.com/and-you-shall-be-my-disciple

“The Law of Reciprocity”

 

 

AND YOU SHALL BE MY DISCIPLES – Lesson #18

“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12).

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The opening of this verse is read at plain face value, “treat people the same way you want them to treat you”. 

The interesting word in this verse is “treat“.  It comes from the same Greek word as “make“.  As in Matthew 4:19, Jesus said to Peter and Andrew, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”

TREAT and MAKE. as used here, is translated from the Greek word “poieo”.  “Poieo” is a CREATIVE word.  It means to make something according to what it is called.  This is the New Testament Greek word equivalency to the Old Testament Hebrew word CREATE, or “Bara”.   As in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

“WHAT IS VISIBLE COMES FROM THAT WHICH IS UNSEEN”

Please, proceed intentionally.  What comes next, is a game-changer for most Christians and particularly for a Disciple of Jesus:

In other words, when you TREAT others the same way you want to be TREATED you, are MAKING (creating) a relationship by the way you think and behave, from what is unseen, the Spiritual realm, which manifests itself into the natural world!

To wit:

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.  By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” Hebrews 1:1-3

To reinforce the fact that this teaching or command rests on a Spiritual basis, Jesus finishes with the profound remark “for this is the Law and the Prophets“.

“The Law and the Prophets“. is another way of saying “the entire Old Testament”.  The night before his death, Jesus meets with Moses (the LAW) and Elijah (the greatest of the prophets) and talks with them at length. This is important because Jesus was clearly not on Earth to oppose the law and the prophets but to fulfill them. (Matthew 5:17)

In other words, as a Disciple of Jesus,

1. How you TREAT people reveals your true relationship to Jesus
2. How you TREAT people allows Jesus to CREATE or MAKE a relationship come to pass which is according to His Righteousness.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” Ephesians 2:10

 

We must remember that it is Jesus Who prepares the Works ahead of time so that we should walk in them.

It is both an awesome responsibility and the highest honor to Walk in Works of Jesus, (and in His own Words), and even greater Works than these, because He is with the Father.  So, it is no wonder that Jesus said,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.  Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:12-15

Now it is your turn:

HOW MUST YOU DO IT? _______________________________________

HOW YOU MUST TEACH IT? ____________________________________

He Who is in us, is greater than he who is in the world, and He has overcome the world!

Your Brother and Friend,

 

 

 

Mike Young

AND YOU SHALL BE MY DISCIPLES – Lesson #17 

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  8  “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7–8).

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?  This teaching is, essentially, about prayer.  Jesus is not teaching just how to pray, but, He is commanding His Disciples to pray effectively.

Jesus is, by this teaching, is teaching about the critical importance or prayer.

He is telling us how we get results!  In contemporary terms (metaphorically), Jesus is saying that prayer, is a search and rescue mission!

At first look, it may seem like praying is making a simple request and presto, like calling a genie from a bottle, we have our answer. Or, glancing about and easily finding that which you are hunting.  Or,  tapping on a door and the gates of prosperity swing wide open to you.

Reading the rest of the verses in context of the Biblical teaching on prayer we see the seriousness urgency of the matter.

verse 9  “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?

10  “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?

11  “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

In this case “Ask”, literally means to beg, to call for, to crave, to deeply desire, to require.  It is in the “imperative mood” which expresses a command to the hearer to perform a certain action by the order and authority of the one commanding.  Thus, the word Jesus uses, “Ask”, is not at all an “invitation,” but an absolute command requiring full obedience on the part of all hearers.

It is the same for “Seek”.  In this case, “Seek” means, seek in order to find out by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into; to aim at, strive after, to require, to crave, to demand something from someone.  This too, is in the “imperative”.

To “knock” is in the imperative and carries the idea of “unfailing”.  This is saying that it is not enough to ask and seek, but you must not fail to knock, also.

God tells us we must pray fervently to have effectual prayers.

In other words, you must use all resources at your disposal, praying fervently, seeking intensely, knocking persistently, with purpose of obtaining the thing you seek, keeping in mind that God tells us that His Word will achieve the very thing it is purposed to achieve.

Most importantly, Jesus reminds us that He can only do what He sees the Father is already doing, and we, AS HIS DISCIPLES, must do that very thing.  It is His Will, not our own ideas, to accomplish a thing.

THE EFFECTIVE PRAYERS OF THE RIGHTEOUS CAN ACCOMPLISH MUCH

James 5:16

 

 

Now it is your turn:

HOW MUST YOU DO IT? _________________________________________________________

HOW YOU MUST TEACH IT? _____________________________________________________

 

Your Brother and Friend,



Mike Young

 

AND YOU SHALL BE MY DISCIPLES – Lesson #16 

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​“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” (Matthew 7:6).

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Jesus has just finished teaching His followers, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.  For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.”  

“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?”   (Matthew 7:1–5).

Now Jesus is telling us to make a judgment on what is Holy, who are the “dogs”, what is a “Pearl” and who or what are the “swine”.

It is important to understand the words and the context being used.

“Holy” is the word hagios (hag’-ee-os) which refers to the Holy characteristic of God, or being separated to God, who is worthy of veneration. 

Its highest application is to God himself, in His purity, majesty and glory.  It is also applied to persons as separated to God’s service and is in regards to Christ, of Christians and in the moral sense of sharing God’s purity, including sacrifices and offerings.

“Pearls” are referred to as a Proverb or a word of Great Value.

A “Dog” is a metaphor for an impudent person.  Someone who shows no respect for another person.

A “Swine” is colloquially, the ultimate symbol of loathing by ancient Jews.  Pigs were considered as symbols of disease, filth and hypocrisy.

We learned, in Lesson #14, the we are not to “judge hypocritically”.  Jesus teaches us that we are not to pronounce judgment on someone and that we, as Jesus’ disciples, correct our own attitudes and behaviors.

At the same time, we are told to judge, and “judge righteously”.  That is to say, we are to judge using righteous discernment.  “Do not judge according to appearance, but do judge with righteous judgment.”  John 7:24

Discernment  is the word, dokimazo (dok-im-ad’-zo ) which means to “prove” or to try, to discern and to examine.  To test, examine, prove, scrutinize to see whether a thing is genuine or not, such as metals.  To recognize whether it is genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy.

Judgment is the word, krino (kree’-no ) which means to determine, to condemn, go to law and to call in question.  It involves esteem.  It is to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong.

RECAP:

Disciples of Jesus are not to judge hypocritically.  We are to judge righteously using righteous Discernment.

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“Do not judge according to appearance, but do judge with righteous judgment.”  John 7:24

 

Now, it is your turn:

HOW MUST YOU DO IT? _____________________________________________

 

HOW YOU MUST TEACH IT? __________________________________________

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young