Who Owns My Stuff?

 

Luke 14:33 says, “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

What does it cost to be a disciple of Jesus? Everything. Not more than you have, just everything you have. What did Luke mean when he began this statement with “In the same way.” The situation he used as an illustration of this command is a battle principle. Here is what Luke said just prior to this principle of discipleship…

“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.”

Before a king goes into battle, he determines whether he has the forces to win. When we consider being a disciple of Jesus, we need to decide if we have what it takes to complete the discipleship journey. What does it take to complete the journey? Everything we have. We must recognize that God is the true owner of all that we have.

What will happen if we do not turn over all our possessions to the Lord’s ownership? At some point, the Lord will require that we do something with that possession and we will not be willing to do it. We will say no because it belongs to us. At that point, we cease following Jesus and we allow that possession to lead us.

Paul uses a military example to communicate this point to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:4, “No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.”

Military men and women are trained to be good stewards of that which does not belong to them. In the Army’s Training the Force, Field Manual, it states,  “Every soldier, noncommissioned officer (NCO), warrant officer, and officer has one primary mission – to be trained and ready to fight and win our Nation’s wars.”

A Military person is a steward of the safety of our nation. They live in a world that does not belong to them. Their weapons, equipment, uniforms, even their own lives are property of the U.S. government. They are stewards of the most expensive equipment in the world. They know what it means to use all that is around them to serve others.

In the same way, all that we are and own belongs to the Lord. As a disciple, we are to use everything at our disposal to fulfill the mission of our Lord.

Fall In

What do you do when you hear the words, “fall in”? You immediately stand at attention, dress right, and wait for instructions that you will follow with perfection. In fact, you have practiced hours just responding to those words and commands so that you can perform with perfection.

Jesus uses the same Greek word the military used as a requirement for discipleship. The Greek word used in the military for the “fall in” command is akoloutheo. Jesus used this word when he commanded his disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow (akoloutheo) Me” (Mark 8:34). This is the 5^th character quality of a disciple; A response of allegiance to follow Christ. You know what it means to “fall in” within the military. How do the Scriptures use this word when it asks us to follow?

The scriptures use this word akoloutheo in many passages. They give meaning to what it looks like to follow as a disciple. There are three categories in which a Christian follows:

1. Follow Christ.
2. Follow other Christians’ example.
3. Follow godly principles.

The verses and principles can be found in the 5^th study, which can be downloaded from the Downloads page.

When you hear the words, “fall in,” there is something in you that wants to move to actions of obedience. You have been trained how to respond to the command. When Jesus says, “Follow Me,” we should have the same response of obedience. “Yes Sir!”

Christ is also our example of how to follow. When the Father in heaven asked Jesus to become a man, He said “Yes Sir.” When the Father sent Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days and nights with no food, Jesus said, “Yes Sir.” When the Father asked Jesus to suffer and die on the cross, Jesus said, “Yes Sir.” When the Father said, “Arise from the grave,” Jesus said, “Yes Sir.”

Submitting to Authority

One of the biggest barriers to joining the military is the decision to submit to the authority of another. When you join the military, you realize that you placing your life into the authority of several other people. You are exercising a great act of submission to authority. On a daily basis, you exercise this character trait of submission to another. This character trait is also key to being a disciple of Jesus. This character trait of submission is discovered in the phrase, “take up your cross.”

Jesus says, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me (Mark 8:34).” What does it mean to “take up his cross?”

When Jesus first said this to His disciples, he had not yet been to the cross. So their first thoughts would not have been about the cross of Jesus, but the cross as a means of judgment on those who had rebelled against the authority of Rome. It was a shameful and public way to die. It was meant to demonstrate publicly all those in rebellion will eventually submit to the authority of Rome.

Michael P. Green summarizes the meaning of cross-bearing in an article he wrote:

In the provinces Roman rule was held together by the popular perception that any challenge to her authority was doomed. It was thus imperative that any serious challenge to Rome’s rule be met not only victoriously but also turned into a public demonstration that in the end the rebel had submitted. Having condemned a man to die for his rebellion, Rome required him, as his last act, to display submission publicly to the authority against which he previously had rebelled. This was done by having him carry the instrument of his judgment though the city to a public place while wearing a sign which said that he ad been a rebel. But as all could see, he was now submissive. To “take up his cross” was thus a figure of speech easily understood by anyone in the Roman Empire to mean “to submit to the authority against which on had previously rebelled.”  The Meaning of Cross-Bearing. Bibliotheca Sacra, April-May 1983. page 127.

In Rome, those who were rebellious were forced to submit, then die. But did Jesus die because he was in rebellion to Rome? Jesus took the place of all rebellious sinners against God and He publicly submitted willingly to the Father in heaven and died in our place. That is the beautiful picture. Jesus died a Roman crucifixion to demonstrate what He was doing for us. He was taking the place of rebellious sinners and submitting to the Father’s judgment and died for us all. His act of taking up His cross was an act of submission to the will of the Father, willingly. Jesus took the picture of the Roman cross and redefined it for us.

The Roman cross meant forceful submission to the authority you were rebelling against, then death.

The cross of Christ means willing submission to God you once rebelled against, death, then life. The cross of Christ ends in resurrection.

To take up your cross means to submit to God by dying to yourself so that Christ may live in you. Living the life of Christ begins with submission. And we are to submit on a daily basis. Luke 9:23 says, “…take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

Everyday in the military you are exercising submission to authority. This character trait is a part of your daily life. You know how to submit. Will you submit to the one who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth? 

Commander’s Intent

In the military, there is a phrase, “commander’s intent.” If you do not have clear orders for a particular decision, you ask yourself, “What is the commander’s intent.” Then you make your decision through his eyes. This is a freeing phrase. It gives the military man or woman the ability to make a decision with authority. It also gives them the proper focus that allows them to make the right decision. The key to correct decision-making is to actually know the commander’s intent.

The most important character quality of a disciple is a supreme and incomparable love for Jesus. In Matthew 10:37, Jesus says, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” To love Jesus supremely is to know Him. To know how much He loves you, to know what He wants to do in and through your life. When we know Jesus intimately, we can make decisions that will please Him. He is our supreme commander. To follow the will of Christ is know the Supreme Commander’s intent.

What can you do to know the Lord’s intent? What can you do to love Jesus supremely?

1. Abide in His Word. Character Quality #2 is to abide in the word of God. It trains you to know God intimately and His intent.
2. Make a habit of regularly asking what the Lord’s intent and desires are with your life as you make decisions in life.

Conflict of Interests

The 3^rd Character Quality of a Disciple is to Deny him/herself as the authority and focus of one’s life. From my experience as a cadet, I know what it means to deny self-interest for the interest of the Corps of Cadets. I will mention some of those experiences. Would you comment on this blog and tell me some of your experiences as a cadet or military man or woman?

Read Mark 8:27-38 for the context of this discussion.

When I entered the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M, one thing that became clear from the beginning was that I would have to set aside many of my personal interests. It was no longer about what I wanted; it was about the interests of the Corps and my classmates. The Corps taught me to deny myself. I learned how to deny myself of sleep, entertainment, free time, pride, and many other personal interests. Everyday I had to make decisions that denied what I wanted to do so that I could accomplish the interests of the Corps and my classmates. And at the end of the 4 years, I was glad I had denied my selfish interest and loved for the interest of the Corps and others. I realized that had I not denied my felt interests and only pursued what I wanted, I would not have become half the man that the Corps produces. I would not have benefited from the deep relational friendships that were bonded through living for others.

Living life in a military context brings major conflict of interests. There are our interests in life and the militaries interests in life, and they conflict on several fronts. In order to meet the interests of the military to protect the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, requires personal sacrifice. It requires you to deny many personal interests. Family interests, living location interests, time interests, physical comfort interests, etc…

Yet, everyday, men and women all over the world “deny themselves” in order to fulfill the interests of the military. They know what it means to “deny themselves” more than anyone else. They know what it feels like to set aside personal interests for the interest of another. So when Jesus says, “deny himself,” they know what that means. The only question is whether they think God’s interests are worth denying themselves over.

Let’s take a look at what Jesus is asking us to deny, and for what.

In the passage, there is the issue, the reasoning, and the reward.

The Issue: “You are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Peter did not want Jesus to suffer and die because he had his own personal interests and they did not include Jesus dying. But we know that God’s purpose for Jesus was “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). 

The issue is whether we will live according to our own interests or God’s interests. There is a battle going on in our lives. The scriptures refer to this battle to be between God’s Spirit and our flesh.

Gal. 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.  17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

How do we know if something is of the flesh? Mark Bailey gave me two great questions to ask to determine if my intentions are of the flesh.

1. Does it cause me to sin?
2. Does it cause me to put anything as the focus of my attention other than Christ?

The Reasoning: “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” If you want to save your fleshly interests, if you want to live by the desires of your own selfishness (sin), then you will lose the life you could have that come from God’s interests. You lose what God could do in and through your life. If you lose (deny) the life of self-interest, of following after your own fleshly desires, then you will save, gain, have the life that is a result of allowing God’s desires and will to be lived in and through you. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?”

Is this really a hard decision?

The Reward: Look at all the rewards that are located in the passage alone. A saved life, a saved soul, no shame. If we follow the life of Peter, he went both directions. He first denied Jesus three times. He was in misery and shame. Then he lived a life complete surrender to the interests of Christ and though he died a martyrs death, he lived a full and complete life and is now experiencing the incomprehensible joys and rewards in heaven.

You serve in the military because of the issue, the reasoning, and the reward. The issue is to deny your self-interest because you wish to serve our country’s interests. The reason is because that life of service is much more rewarding than a life of self-service. The reward is the honor you receive, the bonding friendships that you make with other military men and women.You know what it means to live out the second character quality of a disciple: To deny yourself as the focus and authority of your life. Will you make a daily effort to learn and live out the interests 

The Word of God as a Weapon

 

According to the second character quality of a disciple (A regular study of God’s Word. John 8:31), we know that both a disciple and a soldier must abide in training. The military spends lots of time and money training a soldier to act with instincts in the most dangerous situations. The word of God trains a disciple to be able to discern good and evil and be equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17).

Think about the hours of training you have endured to equip you to fully perform your military duty. Think of the equipment and weapons you have been trained to operate and execute. What kind of military man or woman would you be if you did not have your equipment or your training?

God trains us and equips us to fully be and live His life in us (discipleship). He equips us for battle. The following passage is cast in military terms.

Eph. 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.  11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.  14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,  15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;  16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (NASB95)

There are many comparisons we can make with this passage; however, I would like to focus on one aspect. We know we should abide in the word because God uses it to train us. But notice that it is also our weapon. It is the “sword of the Spirit.

The word of God not only trains us, but it is the weapon we use when we are in the middle of the battle. This is an important concept to think about. It trains us, and it is our weapon.

Whenever I attend military briefings made to civilians, there is always one thing that the military attributes our dominant world power to. It is not our superior weapons, technology, or numbers of troops. It is the quality of our military men and women. It is the fact that the U.S. military puts more time and money into training than any other country. Our pilots have more training flight hours, our sailors have more time at sea, and our soldiers have more time with their weapons. Not only are they trained to use their equipment, but also they are trained to make decisions that are right and just. Marines are considered Teachers and Scholars. Always learning, always teaching. Our U.S. military puts much time and money into the development of the individual military person so that they can be the best that they can be.

The greatest weapon against terrorism is a highly trained military person. So the training becomes the greatest weapon. The ability of a military person to be strong, to stand firm, and to apply the sword in battle is a result of their training.

As a disciple of Jesus, the Word of God not only trains us, but it makes us into the greatest weapon against the schemes of the devil. As you are battling for the hearts and souls of those around you, and even yourself, what are the weapons that are unbeatable? Love, humility, forgiveness, peace, trust, faith, hope, etc… God uses the Word to train us to have such unbeatable weapons. We become the weapons. We become love, forgiveness, peace, trust, faith, hope, etc…

The greatest weapon against the schemes of the devil is a fully devoted follower of Jesus. So our spiritual maturity becomes the greatest weapon. The ability of a disciple of Jesus to be strong, to stand firm, and to apply the Word of God in battle is a result of their training.

“If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  (John 8:31-32)