THE SACRED ACTIVITIES OF JESUS DISCIPLES

                    THE SACRED ACTIVITIES OF JESUS' DISCIPLES


INDEX:
- Rituals and Duties vs Faith and His Presence
- HAVE TO'S, MUST DO'S VS GET'S TO'S
- ENGAGING IN THE ACTIVITIES OF OUR FAITH
- THE SACRIFICE OF FAITH -VENTUARING INTO THE UNFAMILIAR
- THE APOSTLES DOCTRINE
- FELLOWSHIP
- CONGREGATIONAL FELLOWSHIP & CHURCH GATHERINGS 
- PRAYER
- CONCLUSION
 

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Acts 2:42

“And He (Jesus) said unto them, ‘Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature (everyone).” Mark 16:15
 

(The one that I did leave out was the Breaking of Bread/the Lord's Supper, but for no particular reason, although it too is a very important and special activity amongst believers)
 Rituals and Duties vs Faith and His Presence

 How critical are these activities with regards to our relationship with Jesus and regards to our faith in Him in general? Those who have been hurt by churches, or worn out due do exhaustion (over extended), or have found the struggle of life such that to dedicate extra time to these activities seems futile and irrelevant. So they may not be too quick to agree, or at least in the way they are often presented. Furthermore, one might argue that we are saved by faith and not by works. So true, but these activities are not there for promoting our righteousness, we are already righteous in Christ. Nor do we exercise ourselves in these in order to ‘work our way to heaven’, Jesus has already paid our way. So why do we do them, and why are they so important?

 As with everything they have their place, but without faith in the Cross of Christ (the cross the Bible is referring to is not a symbol, but the means of His final suffering and death) no activity that we may exercise ourselves in will purchase our forgiveness and salvation. Again, only the blood of Jesus Christ can wash away our sins, and in His righteousness alone can we stand before God the Father justified in His sight. Now having established this, let’s look at these activities.

 As believers in Jesus Christ and citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, we are now on a journey/pilgrimage, to our ‘homeland’ beyond the reach of man and into eternity; however, while on route through this world we must carry out our daily lives pretty well the same as any person, except for a few of these activities.

  First of all, apart from these perhaps, peculiar activities, what should distinguish us from all other peoples on the earth is the presence of the Lord in our lives. “And He said (to Moses), ‘My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.’ And he said unto Him, ‘If Your Presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and Your people have found grace in Your sight? Is it not in that You go with us? So shall we be separated, I and Your people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.’” Exodus 33:14-16.

 As disciples of Jesus we often do not realize that we carry the presence of the Lord with us, and that people are aware of it, even if they do not know what it is. I recall, when I was first introduced to real serious ‘born again’ Christians, that I despised them. They seemed weak and almost simple (from my arrogant and deceived perspective), but I noticed that the Lord was with them in a way that He was not with me, and that made me jealous. So it is not the things we do or don’t do that really sets us apart from the world, they may help, but it is His Presence in our lives that truly does. There are all kinds of religions with peculiar rituals, but they are all carried on without the Holy Spirit of Jesus, and if we are not walking in faith and led by His Holy Spirit, our rites and rituals will be no different than theirs, nor any more profitable. Without His presence, everything we do is just religion. Does that mean that if we cannot perceive Him then we should we not engage in these activities? No, because “…we walk by faith, and not by sight,” and faith is carrying out His will regardless of our inadequate perceptions. God is looking for fruit in our lives, and like a farmer who is tending an orchard, He prunes back the trees so that they may bear more fruit. If some of our Christian activities are not bearing fruit, perhaps it is time to prune them back and invest in more fruitful activities. Like a fruit tree, in can be rich in leaves and look super healthy, but if it is not bearing fruit it is useless. The ‘Christian’ activities can give the appearance of life, but it is only the fruit of our faith that produces life.  Look at the churches of Sardis and Laodicea in Revelation 3.

 HAVE TO’S, MUST DO’S –Verses - GET TO’S

When we drift out of the liberty of the Spirit and fall into the yoke of ‘have to and must do.' At this point the refreshing and joy in our Christian activities diminishes and is eventually can become burdensome, especially if applied with pressure by an outward source. Our own drives can be severe enough, but if driven or manipulated by an outside source, it can become oppressive. If our service becomes a ‘have to, must do’ we are no longer walking by faith and love , or are where we shouldn't be. A house cleaning must take place, or a reformation is in order. Being creatures of habit it happens all too easily and the believers can burn out and become bitter. “Shake yourself form the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose yourself from the bands of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.” Isaiah 52:2,  “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, them, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

 If we find ourselves doing repetitive activities that are becoming increasingly burdensome and less fruitful, the first thing to do is stand back and examine before the Lord * what to do.

*Before the Lord is the critical point here. Too often, and perhaps out of frustration or resentment, when we examine what should have been an exercise of faith, we are very likely standing in a place a carnal perspective simply because we may not have been following the Holy Spirit for some time, hence the exhaustion and frustration. It is so tempting from this state to make judgments based on the natural reasoning, and  the devil is quick to give you every excuse to walk away from your original pursuit of Jesus in this area. Now there are times when it is best to walk away, but we must make sure that is the Lord’s direction, and not our presumption.

 How long has this been going on? Did we miss the unction or voice of the Lord some way back telling us, “…this is the way, walk ye in it.” Isaiah 30:21 Does He want you to take a break, or change your focus, or move on? Are you merely imitating people, or actually following Jesus? There are times and seasons for everything, Ecclesiastes 3:1…, Matthew 16:2-3, The men of Issachar, “that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…” 1 Chronicles 12:32, knew when it was time to stop fighting David, and instead follow him. Friends, we have the Spirit of God, the Word of God, and in Christ Jesus wisdom from  God. We can execute wholesome, godly, judgment in our lives, and we must if we want to stay on track with the Lord. And guess what, His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

 The next step is to step out in faith and the grace of God and make the change necessary, and continue to enjoy Him in whatever you do.

 THE ‘GET TO’S’ – This is where it gets fun, “…in Thy Presence is fullness of joy; and at Thy right hand are pleasures evermore.” Psalm 16:11

 (This has not been the experience for many, and no fault of their own, because some people have very hard lives, and the Lord will infinitely reward them for their faithfulness in spite of all their struggles and trials. He is so loving and understanding).

Nevertheless, I have found this to be so true in my simple life, and this verse is one of my all-time favorites).

For an add-on, the key to find joy in the Lord is that WE MUST LIVE BEFORE HIM WITH ALL OUR HEART – Joy is a by-product of whole-hearted surrender. “Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with a perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord.”1 Chronicles 29:9

ENGAGING IN THE ACTIVITIES OF OUR FAITH – We step out in faith from a position of liberty, and not of duty or ‘have tos, but more from an attitude of “I get to!” and “I want to.” I get to go to church, I get to worship, I get to read my Bible, I get to pray, I get to fellowship, I get to talk about JESUS!Life is so exciting in Jesus when we can live in this attitude. Now, realistically it is not always like this. There will be dry times for sure, but we keep on moving ahead in faith until we have our breakthrough. Life in Christ is an adventure!

 Notice that in the Scriptures there are no set guidelines for most of the activities we engage in. For instance, the Lord’s Supper, is “…this do in remembrance of Me.” Luke 22:19,“For as often as…”1 Corinthians 11:26. With regards to our gathering together, Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20 – It is not about law or yoke, but rather possibility and opportunity. As much as we are able, great, but if not we are still blessed.

The richness of our life in Christ does not depend on how many ‘Christian’ things we do, but rather that our entire life is yielded to Christ. Then all the things we do are ‘Christian’ activities, whether it is work, or play, or rest, or pray…He is Lord of everything all the day. That is walking with Jesus – isn’t He so Wonderful!

 THE SACRIFICE OF FAITH – VENTURING INTO THE UNFAMILIAR

Stepping out in faith is not all flowers and sunshine, as myriads of the saints have experienced over the centuries and still experience to this day. There are times it will take real effort and sacrifice, and you do not always want to do it, and there may be very good reasons. It may be fiercely cold, or there may be dangers, or you may be exhausted, or there may be financial issues, persecution, loss, and so much more… but if the Holy Spirit is prompting you, that is the thing to do, even if it does not make sense. (Remember, the Word of God and the Spirit of God agree. Sometimes we may feel prompted to do something, yet if it goes against what the Bible says, it is not from God).

But if it is the Holy Spirit’s prompting it will keep to the integrity of the Scriptures, bear fruit for God glorify Jesus, and those involved will be blessed. Jesus said that, “..wisdom is justified of her children.” – the proof is in the end product

 Luke 7:30-35.  To the religious leaders, John the Baptist was a madman, and Jesus was a religious compromise. Were they right?   

 Again, for a reminder, the flesh and the devil work hard at fighting the things of God in our lives and in the world, and we have to discern what it is that we need to heed. Have you ever noticed how many valid natural things interfere with and interrupt prayer?

THE APOSTLES DOCTRINE

“And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles Doctrine…”  Growth and maturity in Christ for every individual rests heavily on the instruction and teaching of believers. Bible reading is important, but input from the ministry, (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers Ephesians 4:11) have been placed by God in the Church for our growth, development, and protection Ephesians 4:12-14. A beautiful example of this we have in the Book of Acts, where Apollos, of whom it is stated that he was mighty in the Scriptures, was taken aside by Aquila and Priscilla, co-workers with Paul, after hearing him (Apollos) boldly speaking about the Lord in the synagogue. Seeing the gaps in his doctrine, they took him aside to explain to him the way of God more perfectly  Acts 18:24-26.  We are not all self-sufficient and all-knowing in ourselves, and our success in life is always on the efforts (and sacrifice) of many people, often without us even realizing it. And that is a design of our Heavenly Father. Notice how Apollos did not resist their input even though he was already well versed in the Scriptures, but was meek and humble enough to receive their instruction. He could have had his feelings or pride hurt and refused to listen if he was slightly more shallow in character. In fact, he may very well felt humbled and possibly hurt; nevertheless, he humbled himself and submitted to their instruction. What was the outcome? In their day his ministry was at the level of Paul's.

 All this to stay is that, as believers, we need to allow the regular input of teaching in our lives so that we can continue to grow, even as a plant needs water. Now as we mature we learn to feed ourselves and depend less on the work of others, but never do we neglect the input of others!

 FELLOWSHIP

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

“We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren…” 1 John 3:14

 Fellowshipping with other believers should be as spontaneous and desirous as wanting to be with your own flesh and blood family. Now that we are in the family of God we should notice a deep desire to be with other Christians, and have a love for them, and not just with the ones from your church, or who agree with everything that you think. That could be unhealthy. True, because of differences, that may limit some of your interactions in the Lord. That should be anticipated, but on the other hand, difference should in no way limit the love and care for one another.

 According to the teachings of Jesus in the Bible, the indication that we are Jesus’ disciples is our love for one another, “By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another.” John 13:35.  In fact, in verse 34, the new commandment He has given us is that we are to love one another as He has loved us, and He loved us in preference to Himself. Dear friends, now that we have the Spirit of Christ in us, there is no excuse why we cannot love one another. And the Spirit of Jesus in us is desirous to commune with His people.

FELLOWSHIP FOR STRENGTH – There is another purpose framing the importance of fellowship, “But exhort/encourage one another daily, while it is called ‘Today;’ least any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” Hebrews 3:13  

 During our journey in this life, we are all in a fierce battle for our souls. Amid trials and temptations, pitfalls and snares, we are in need of each other to help us stay strong and on course with the Lord. The accountability, input, encouragement, and even rebukes, are indispensable for our walk with Jesus. As with sheep that wander from the fold can be easy prey for predators, so we too can be if we wander off too long without fellowship. There are times when we cannot find fellowship, or are unable to find fellowship at certain, or any level. Then the Lord compensates by His grace; however, if we deliberately are resisting, then there is a problem here. What are we thinking, or pursuing?

CONGREGATIONAL FELLOWSHIP – CHURCH GATHERINGS –

 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as you see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25

 There is a difference between fellowshipping with other believers on a casual basis, and the congregational fellowship, or church gatherings. Both have their place and purpose, and one should not negate the other. If our entire ‘fellowship’/communion around the Lord is only ‘church’ then I would say that there we are only scratching the edge of what the Lord has provided for us. Church gatherings are useful (and I have always enjoyed them), to meet with other saints that we do not regularly get to see, to worship there together, and hear good preaching (hopefully). The problem with church congregational gatherings is that they tend to be impersonal, and people can come and go unattended to, and even unnoticed. The gathering can be overly traditional, and perhaps as with any kind of social gatherings, people can to be superficial when out in public. Also, due to sheer numbers in some churches, there is not the liberty to flow in the power of the Holy Spirit, so services become structured and there is less opportunity for individuals to allow the Holy Spirit to use them. 1 Corinthians 14:31 addresses this to some level. "The Kingdom of God is not in word only, but power," and that means the ‘supernatural’ should be expected if we are allowing the Lord Who is there, to have His way.
"I was glad when they said unto me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord." Psalm 122:1
 If there are so many concerns, what are the advantages of big public gatherings? Actually there are a number of advantages. With the more firmly established church fellowships, there tends to be more stability in many levels. Furthermore the access to a wider spectrum of resources and ministry is also an advantage.  I would also have to acknowledge that to gain these advantages, that it comes at a cost, especially referring to the points  previously mentioned. Now the ideal situation is to be able to go to both types, then you get the best of both worlds.  

 All through the Old Testament, in the nation of Israel there were times for public gatherings for worship and instruction from the Scriptures, and as a nation that was not only allowed but expected by God. After the birth of the early church and it began to grow as a separate entity within the society, and especially because of persecution, they were forced to gather in homes or wherever. In the gatherings there would be worship, prayer, the breaking of bread, and the sharing of the Word of God. When the apostles or prophets were available, the people would gather to hear from them.

 In our current church gathering there are many flavors, styles, and sizes. Since the Lord as not given any specific commands on how they  should function, or which ones we should attend, we get to chose according to our need and faith. So chose and enjoy the provision the Lord has made for your benefit. Remember, as with all our activities as a Christian, attending church does not make you more righteous, or holy before God Almighty, and if there are times you chose not to go you are not sinning. However, we must not be negligent concerning the provisions God has made for our welfare and examine our motives in the light of God's Word. Careless decisions and judgment can be very unhealthy, especially in our hostile-to-God environment. Hebrews 10:25 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is..." 

Hostile to God does not always mean violent persecution, but the growing godlessness and ungodliness does, the Bible calls that “perilous times” 2 Timothy 3:1

BY THE WAY – Public gatherings and meetings do not necessarily constitute complete fellowship, often, just a form of it. The following verse is an example of a more intimate form of fellowship. “Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another, and the Lord harkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and thought on His name.” Malachi 3:16 Fellowship comes in many forms and serves different purposes, so take advantage of whatever you can and be careful not to despise what may not suit you. Whatever we do, let us do it with all our heart.
 

PRAYER

 Prayer, both private prayer, and prayer meetings, are extremely important in believers lives, and not only for us, but for the world whom the Lord is trying to reach. Yet seemingly valid distractions seem to press us to neglect, or cut short our prayer time.

 Once again, with regards to private prayer and prayer meetings, I do not believe that we should neglect one because of the other. Our most important and critical exercise of faith that we can NEVER neglect is the intimate relationship between us and the Lord. Everything else we do must stem from that, and if there is a living relationship between us and the Lord, it is like a river that cannot be stopped. It will flow wherever it can, and now that we are a part of the ‘Body of Christ’ the first place it should flow in is amongst His people, “As we therefore have opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10

Just how important are prayer gatherings? First of all, if our communion with God as individuals is by prayer and worship, so it is as with a fellowship of believers. Now Jesus said, “Again I say to you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:19-20

 According to this text, Jesus seems to be implying that the agreement of more than one believer holds a special place before the Father, no doubt because we as individuals are part of a far larger unit, and in a family when the children are in unity and agreement on something good, that brings a great joy to the parents. What we can conclude about this particular statement is that if we are petitioning on a group need, then the stronger the unity of the group’s agreement before God the greater chance our petition will be answered. The unity of His people is huge before God. Again, we can refer to the church praying in intercession for the deliverance of Peter as an example of prayer unity within the church and its value, Acts 12:1-17.

HINTS REGARDING GROUP PRAYER

1-    Leave your personal agenda at home and seek to lock into the purpose of the other believers.

2-    Follow the leader if there is one and avoid competing at all costs.

3-    Do not preach pray.

4-    Wait on the Holy Spirit for direction – humble yourself!

5-    Clear your conscience and personal affairs before the prayer meeting.  

 

CONCLUSION – When possible get involved in the works of the  

Kingdom of God, and do not despise the times and things that seem to fall short, but rather move ahead in faith as the Lord leads.

Preaching the Gospel of Jesus will follow on the next topic along with
the topics of Worship, and Helping the needy.