Bearing Our Cross as Christ’s Disciples
Peter and Rohnel, servants of God to the scattered saints and pilgrims, elected of God, now being sanctified by the Gospel through faith, grace, and peace in the name of our Father and Lord Jesus Christ.
A disciple follows, and as chosen disciples of Jesus Christ, we are following the Lord. To say we are following the Lord means we are striving to obey all His commandments, because Christ is the Word. The costs required are very high, in terms of the loss to our flesh and carnal way of life. Understanding and being often reminded of these costs helps us prepare for the journey and be ready for the promised trials that test our discipleship.
1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
The Lord tells us about the costs we bear. To follow the Lord and stay the course requires us to willingly embrace the suffering, affliction, and persecution that come with standing on the Commandments.
Luk 14:25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
Luk 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Luk 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Christ’s disciples carry their cross all the way to death, believing that new life only comes from the death of the old. Flesh does not profit.
Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
As we follow Christ, walking with Him, we strive to obey the commandments, which is the Gospel being preached to us. Hearing the Gospel is the baptism by water that precedes our baptism of fire when the Promise comes in the appointed hour. Being washed by the commandments takes time and occurs when one stands for Christ and willingly bears others’ reproach, rejection, and persecution. True disciples are given strength to embrace these losses and endure the suffering to be counted worthy of His Name. It is a long journey, the remainder of our physical lives that we who believe in Him pursue at a significant cost.
Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free
Christ is to have the preeminence above all things, meaning that doing the commandments and loving God becomes our life’s purpose. Obeying God is loving the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul. By keeping the commandments, we, by definition, love our neighbors and our families in Spirit. We as Christ have no respect of persons, treating and reacting to all men in the Spirit of Christ, the commandments. We no longer know any man after the flesh but only through the prism of the Gospel.
2Co 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
Obeying Christ and loving Him is not just our top priority; it becomes our only priority. We are sent in the same manner that the Father sent Christ.
Joh 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
Joh 8:29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
We are commanded to love our enemies and not hate anyone, which is likened to murder in the Spirit. The Lord’s words about counting these costs, which speak of hating our families, are a parable. One way to understand it is to think of hating them as loving them less than Christ. We always put the Lord, the Commandments, first in everything we do and bear the consequences and reactions from a carnal world, including families that have been made deaf and spiritually blind by the hand of the Lord.
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
We love not only our families but all men, and we do this by obeying the Lord. We hate the spiritual clothing of those who walk in the flesh, symbolizing their carnal works and bondage to spiritual death. Disciples take great care to remain separate and not run in the same excess of riots and dissipations as the world. We may save some from the fires of Gehenna, better known as hell. We save them by obeying God, which is loving them in obedience, including teaching them the Gospel.
Jud 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Jud 1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
Jud 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Obeying the Lord does not bring us peace in this world. In the world, we are promised many tribulations as the flesh hates Christ. Our peace is the inward peace of Christ when we rest in the commandments and cease from our carnal works and thoughts. Obeying the commandments in a carnal world brings tribulation upon us. We gladly bear the reproach and rejection.
Joh 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
To obey the commandments costs us everything in the end. All is given up in obedience, and nothing is held back. We cannot overcome the enemy, our sins, by making peace with them; they are to be destroyed at a great cost. As the Lord’s kings, we are given the faith to lose everything we have, trusting in God’s power to finish the work in us and deliver us from all our enemies. Christ does not bring shame to His Name, and failure is not an option for those elected of God. All is to be forsaken.
Luk 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
Luk 14:29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
Luk 14:30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
Luk 14:31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
Luk 14:32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
Luk 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
The Word of God living in us shall not fail. The Word finishes the work and prospers to whomever the Father sends it. The further we walk with the Lord in His Faith, the seed of Christ grows like the mustard tree. We grow in Christ and obtain great confidence to continue the journey, making war against our sins, even as the costs to our flesh continue to mount.
Heb 10:32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;
Heb 10:33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.
Heb 10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
What are the costs of discipleship? When we begin our walk of faith, we have a limited view of the cost we pay. We read Scripture, yet the true meaning of those words and commands is revealed when we receive the Gospel and begin to be washed in the commandments. It is easy to follow the other Jesus of orthodoxy, except in some countries and cultures that are aggressively anti-Christ, as there is little cost to be borne. Many become renowned and reap profit to the flesh, being well spoken of by many, and suffering is not in view. We all begin the walk believing and seeking gains for our flesh.
Mat 23:5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
Mat 23:6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
Our teacher, the Living Christ, comes, and then the true costs begin to be revealed when we receive the Gospel and ultimately the indwelling Spirit of Christ and the Father. We learn of these costs as we carry and ultimately die on our cross. Wisdom is found through the death of our flesh.
Job 28:12 But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?
Job 28:13 Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.
The flesh gets no reward as we now belong to God, and our sacrificed lives become our reasonable service. There is no reward except that which we have received, that is, the pearl of great price.
Isa 45:13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts.
Luk 17:10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
Those marked to endure to the end make the deal and are counted faithful. Some who hear the Gospel and begin walking are unwilling to pay the full price to follow the Lord. When we hold back and lie to the Spirit, we are cut off from the living as the Acts 5 parable of Ananias shows. All is to be given up as the Lord is jealous for His people, demanding all of our hearts and minds.
All things are being made new when we follow Christ, who is now leading us into all righteousness and judgment. We are being separated as a holy people unto the Lord, and all things we think, do, and say, even our interests, are being taken away and changed. To be made anew, we give up relations with family, friends we know and esteem in the clay. We forsake all things needed to follow the Lord. We do not allow anything to impede our walk in following Christ. Many fiery trials come to set us apart and disconnect us, and no longer engage in the affairs of the world.
1Pe 4:3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
1Pe 4:4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:
When Christ comes into our lives, division is the result. We are letting go of what the Lord is cutting off. The church Christ builds is separated, called out, and set apart from those who remain worldly and without the Gospel.
Luk 12:51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
To those being saved by the Commandments, Christ is precious, but to those who do not believe or obey the Gospel, Christ is a rock of offense and a stumbling stone which separates and brings reproach.
Mat 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Giving up the keeping of days, times, months, and years that all the world partakes in is a significant early step of our obedience. Yet the costs are much higher as we learn. The Lord demands our whole heart and mind, not just a portion. We have been redeemed, we now belong to Christ, and anything that is not of faith is required to be taken. Worldly interests, sports, hobbies, political discourse, and anything that keeps us engaged in the world, pursuing its idols and interests, are removed in due time.
1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The Lord raises His elect up for the purpose of putting them into the ministry and sending them forth to preach the Gospel and do the greater works. There is little time, and we cannot serve two masters. The Lord brings trials and earthquakes into our lives to remove whatever is not of faith.
Mat 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Heb 12:27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
As we follow Christ, those outside the faith no longer know us. We are not the same person; we have been transfigured, remade into a new vessel, with a new mindset and identity, having been transformed into sons of God. Rejoice and be thankful for the privilege and honor of being chosen to pay these costs now. We are the beloved sons of God, being remade.
1Jn 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
The Lord does not demand the full price until we are made ready and able to pay it, as we are clay in His hands. There is a process of growing in the faith and grace of God that matures us in Christ on His timeline. The Lord gives us the macro picture of expecting great tribulation but leaves out the details, which are unique to each person. Losing our old life and stepping into a new one is the hardest thing we will ever be asked to endure. We endure many deceptions, false christs, but the elect are brought through all hardships, and He shortens the days for our sakes.
Mat 24:21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Mat 24:22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
Mat 24:24 For false christs and false prophets [Christ without the Gospel of Commandments] will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
Mat 24:25 See, I have told you beforehand.
The Living Word of God is only revealed to us and in us as we can bear it according to our measure of faith and maturity. Once the Spirit of Truth comes, then our understanding of the totality of the costs required becomes clearer, and we are led further into the Kingdom as we are made able.
Joh 16:12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
When we seek the Lord, He is faithful to reveal to us what we need to know before the trials and hardships come. If we lack wisdom, seek Him and ask.
Isa 42:9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.
One of the hardest costs to understand and pay is separating from brethren we have walked with for a long time. This separation comes at the time of the harvest, that is, the “last days” after the Gospel has been preached and received. It is then that the separation of the wheat from the tares and/or the sheep from the goats is being done. The Lord winnows the flock, so only those ordained to be faithful to the end remain.
1Co 11:19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
As painful as paying these costs may be, they are the way to eternal life and coming to know Christ and the Father in Spirit and in Truth.
Mat 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
There is no turning back for those chosen for salvation in this age. Remember Lot’s wife, who ceased following the angels of the Lord as she turned to look at Sodom. No man who begins working for the Lord and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God. When Christ brings great tribulation upon us after we see our man of sin, we are commanded not to look or go back or bring any abominable thing with us on the journey.
Mat 24:17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
Mat 24:18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
Isa 35:8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it
Being Made Willing:
The Lord makes us willing to pay the costs, and that comes by the gift of His faith in God the Father. Only a chosen remnant escapes and is given the faith and zeal to continue to follow the Lord’s commandments and lose their old life. Eating Christ’s body and drinking His blood is about losing your flesh and carnal way of life to gain it by the resurrection of Jesus Christ within you.
Joh 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
The Gospel of commandments brings judgment and correction, and remakes us into sons of God, and is the true bread from heaven called the Bread of Life. We eat this bread every day in seeking the Kingdom of God within us to grow unto maturity. Christ is the bread of life that works righteousness and changes hearts and minds. Eating Christ’s bread is how we live, and eternal life is made manifest.
Joh 6:55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
Joh 6:56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
Joh 6:57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
Joh 6:58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
Those who fall away, all by the design of God, are not made willing to pay the costs in this age. No man embraces Christ, the Commandments, except it is given of God the Father. Many disciples leave the narrow way and cease following the Lord, but disciples indeed continue in His Word.
Joh 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
Joh 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Joh 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Joh 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
The Lord puts a zeal for His house and His Spirit in us, making us willing to pay the cost, sell all we own, and follow after Him. Pay the cost, buy the Truth that is the living Christ dwelling in you. It comes with wisdom, instruction, and understanding unto righteousness.
Pro 23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
The Lord spoke two short parables about those who, by the mercy of God, find Him and receive the Gospel and sell everything to buy it.
Mat 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Mat 13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
Mat 13:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Few are given to make the sale and sell/forsake all for Christ. The parable of the Rich Young Ruler shows the refusal of the carnal mind to pay the full price to follow the Lord by treasuring one’s possessions over the Living Commandments. To be made perfect, all is let go, or else we cannot follow Christ and be His disciple.
Mat 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
Mat 19:22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
Mat 19:23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
All things are possible if the Lord chooses, and even a rich man can enter into the Kingdom, being made willing to forsake all and pay the costs.
Mat 19:25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
Mat 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Without paying the full price and giving up our lives, we are not saved from our sins. Without shedding of blood, there is no remission of our sins. We are saved when we suffer in the flesh and strive against sin and pay these high costs to obey the Lord.
Heb 12:4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
The resulting chastening and scourging of our heavenly Father is not joyous in the moment, but it works the peaceable fruit of righteousness in our lives. We are made partakers of His holiness by following the Lord’s example, bearing the chastening of God.
New Life in Spirit Comes by Death on the Cross
It pleases our heavenly Father to bruise us and make our lives an offering for sin. We fill up in the afflictions in our bodies and lives for the sake of the entire church of Jesus Christ. We follow Christ to our death as His Christ.
Isa 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death:
We are asked to let go of everything by turning our lives over to Christ to enter into the kingdom. Giving up the ghost [spirit] is the ultimate price we pay, and we stay on the cross until everything is accomplished. As He is, so are we, His Christ, in the world. We submit our spirit unto the Lord, trusting Him in all things, enduring all things in faith.
Luk 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
Joh 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
Walking in the Spirit is walking in the Commandments and is how we follow Christ. Those doing it are on the cross, and their flesh and all its lusts are being crucified.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
The only way we find eternal life is by the resurrection from the dead. To get there, we have to go to the cross, suffer, and die, just as our Lord set the example.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Rom 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
To be freed from sin, we reckon ourselves dead to the flesh. An astronomical price we pay by the mercy and grace of the Lord. We trust in the Lord, we keep the faith of what we do not yet see.
Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
The salvation journey ends when we depart these clay vessels. That is the end of our race. We walk the walk and fight the fight of faith all the way to the end. Our lives belong to Christ, and we follow Him to the end, never ceasing to carry our cross and willingly lose our carnal life in obedience.
Mat 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mat 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
Pray for the zeal and strength to stand in the face of the fiery trials that lie ahead on the journey to the mountain of Christ. The Spirit is willing, but our flesh remains weak even with a deposit of the Spirit. We are selling all we own to buy the gold tried in the fire as the Lord appears in our walk and makes us willing to pay the next installment. Paul followed the Lord to the end, serving as an example for us all.
2Ti 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
2Ti 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
To the carnally minded, these Truths are foolishness. What an honor and a blessing to be counted worthy to suffer for His Name and pay this price, giving all of ourselves to the Lord.
1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
